VPN Price Comparison
VPN Price Comparison 2026: What Do You Really Pay?
What a VPN actually costs in practice, not just in the ad.
A VPN might be advertised at €2.15 or €3.99 a month, but that price doesn't necessarily mean it's the final cost for a consumer, especially if they're in a country where taxes apply, such as VAT within the European Union. Between the advertised price and what you actually pay at checkout, three factors usually come into play: the length of the offer, whether tax is included, and what happens at the next renewal.
We compared prices as they appeared to a customer in Greece on 28/09/2026. Prices were recorded from the official pricing and checkout pages of each service on that date and may have changed since.
Quick VPN Price Comparison
| Provider | Advertised Price | Real Starting Price/mo | Charged Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| IPVanish | €2.15/mo | €2.67/mo | €64.01 |
| Proton VPN | €3.49/mo | €3.49/mo | €83.76 |
| K1VPN | €3.99/mo | €3.99/mo | €95.76 |
| NordVPN | €3.49/mo | €4.33/mo | €116.85 |
| ExpressVPN | €3.49/mo | €4.33/mo | €121.17 |
This table is sorted by real starting price/month, from cheapest to priciest, and covers each provider's 24-month offer. Any free months some providers throw in have been factored into the calculation.
Advertised Prices Aren't Always the Final Price
The monthly price you see in an ad usually reflects prepayment for a large number of months, not an actual monthly charge. The real starting cost comes from dividing the amount charged at checkout by the total number of months in the offer.
For ExpressVPN, the advertised price of €3.49/mo corresponds to €97.72 pre-tax, for a 28-month period. At checkout, the final amount was €121.17 after tax, i.e. €4.33/mo.
For NordVPN, the advertised price of €3.49/mo corresponds to €94.23 pre-tax, for a 27-month period. Tax was added at checkout, bringing the final amount to €116.85, i.e. €4.33/mo.
For IPVanish, the advertised price of €2.15/mo worked out to €64.01 for 24 months after tax, i.e. €2.67/mo.
The differences for NordVPN, ExpressVPN and IPVanish happen because tax is added at checkout, on top of the advertised price. For Proton VPN and K1VPN, the headline price already includes tax, so there's no difference between the advertised and the real price.
NordVPN - How Much Does Renewal Cost
NordVPN lists a renewal price of €139.08/year, before VAT. With Greek VAT of 24% added at renewal just like at the original purchase, the estimated real charge works out to roughly €172.46/year, i.e. €14.37/mo.
ExpressVPN - How Much Does Renewal Cost
ExpressVPN lists a renewal price of €79.95/year, before tax. Its automatic renewal terms explicitly state "plus vat/tax where applicable" starting January 28, 2029. With Greek VAT of 24% added just like at the original purchase, the estimated real charge works out to roughly €99.14/year, i.e. €8.26/mo.
Proton VPN - How Much Does Renewal Cost
Proton VPN lists a renewal price of €83.88 every 12 months, with Greek VAT already included in the price, just like the original purchase. No extra tax is added at renewal. That works out to €6.99/mo, almost double the starting price.
IPVanish - How Much Does Renewal Cost
IPVanish's renewal price wasn't shown on the pricing page we recorded, so we can't quote it.
K1VPN - How Much Does Renewal Cost
The page listing available VPN access plans states: "You will be charged €95.76 for 24 months. After expiry it renews automatically at €95.76 for the next 24 months." This price already includes tax, so nothing extra is added at renewal. On a monthly basis that works out to €3.99/mo, the same price as the original, which stays fixed and doesn't increase, unlike the other providers.
Quick VPN Renewal Price Comparison
| Provider | Starting Price (headline) | Real Renewal Price/mo | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| K1VPN | €3.99/mo | €3.99/mo | Taxes included |
| Proton VPN | €3.49/mo | €6.99/mo | Taxes included |
| ExpressVPN | €3.49/mo | €8.26/mo | VAT included |
| NordVPN | €3.49/mo | €14.37/mo | VAT included |
| IPVanish | €2.15/mo | Not confirmed | - |
This table is sorted by real renewal price/month, from cheapest to priciest. Prices with tax shown in this table were calculated using Greek VAT of 24%. Other countries have different VAT rates, but the ratio stays the same for every provider. IPVanish appears last since we don't have renewal data for it.
So What Happens at VPN Subscription Renewal?
As shown in the table above and on each provider's pages, with the exception of K1VPN (and IPVanish, for which we have no data), every provider dramatically raises its subscription price, by roughly 91% to as much as 232% at renewal. Since most users don't pay attention to the fine print, several providers follow a customer-acquisition strategy built on low introductory prices, betting that by the time the 2-year renewal comes around, users will already be comfortable with the interface and the apps, making the switch difficult both psychologically and practically.
Understandably, then, the user thinks: "Why bother switching now?" - "Why install everything on other apps?" - "How do I set up my router again?", and so on. With convoluted cancellation processes that don't apply at renewal time, a user can end up staying on the network for at least 4 years. See below what applies to money-back guarantees and cancellations.
A Free Trial and a Money-Back Guarantee Are Not the Same Thing
Money-back guarantee: the customer buys the subscription and gets charged. As long as they meet the provider's terms, they can request a refund within the stated window, usually 30 days.
An actual free trial: the customer tries the service without paying the subscription price. At K1VPN, that means a 48-hour trial, with a valid card required solely as an anti-abuse measure, a €0 charge, no automatic conversion into a paid subscription, and an active choice by the customer if they want to buy a plan after the trial.
A money-back guarantee and a free trial are not the same payment model. In the first case, a purchase comes first. In the second, as with K1VPN's 48-hour trial, the trial ends without any subscription charge. See the full free trial terms.
Why We Chose This Model at K1VPN
K1VPN's pricing is built on a few specific principles:
- A final price for the consumer, taxes included.
- A known renewal price before you buy, not a surprise afterward.
- The same price at the next 2-year renewal, based on today's pricing terms.
- A genuine 48-hour free trial with a €0 charge.
- No automatic creation of a paid subscription after the trial.
See the full K1VPN pricing for all plans.
Can You Trust a Newer VPN Service?
K1VPN is a newer service and doesn't have the many-year track record of some of the bigger providers in this comparison. That doesn't mean, however, that it's inferior or that it doesn't use cutting-edge technology in its systems. Before deciding to trust K1VPN, you can (and should) check:
- Public Privacy Policy
- No-Logs policy
- Transparency Report
- Network Status in real time
- Simple and clear Terms of Service
- Transparent pricing before checkout
K1VPN supports four protocols: WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2 and VLESS. You can see more on the K1VPN features page.
Trust in a VPN provider is built through transparency and evidence you can verify yourself, not through loud claims and paid listings.
So Which VPN Is Really the Cheapest?
The answer depends on the criteria you set:
If the only criterion is the introductory cost, you might find prices under €2.00/mo (pre-tax).
If the criterion is whether the advertised price is really the final price you'll pay, then K1VPN's prices include all applicable taxes and you're not charged anything extra.
If the criterion is a genuine zero-charge trial with no automatic conversion into a paid subscription, K1VPN uses a different model from the 30-day money-back guarantees we examined, and offers a genuine free trial with no charge at all.
If the criterion is a stable price over time, K1VPN shows €3.99/mo (on 24-month plans) with no increase based on today's pricing terms.
What to Check Before Buying Any VPN
- The final amount at checkout, not just the advertised price
- Whether any applicable taxes are included
- The total commitment in months
- The renewal price
- The billing frequency
- The cancellation process and how easy it is
- The refund terms and the fine print
- Whether the "free trial" actually charges your card
- Which protocols and platforms are supported
- The privacy policy and the logging policy
- Whether sign-up is supported without email or other personal details
- Whether it accepts cryptocurrency payments besides cards
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a VPN really cost?
The advertised monthly price isn't always what you'll actually pay. You need to check the length of the offer, whether any taxes are included, and the total amount shown at checkout before you complete payment.
Do VPN prices include all taxes?
It depends on the provider and/or the billing country. Within the EU, for example, all purchases are subject to VAT, at a rate set by each country. K1VPN has built all taxes into its listed and advertised prices, while other providers add them at payment.
What does a 30-day money-back guarantee mean?
The customer buys the subscription and gets charged normally on their card at purchase, and the subscription, most of the time, activates automatically. As long as they meet the provider's terms, they can request a refund within 30 days, or within whatever window the provider has set.
Is a money-back guarantee the same as a free trial?
Not in the same sense. A money-back guarantee involves a purchase and a card charge first. In a zero-charge trial, like K1VPN's 48-hour trial, no subscription payment happens first, and no subscription activates automatically.
Does K1VPN charge your card during the free trial?
No, under no circumstances. A valid card is required solely as an anti-abuse measure, but the charge during the 48-hour trial is €0.
What happens after K1VPN's 48-hour trial?
No automated subscription is created. The user has to actively choose a plan if they want to keep using the service.
Why can a VPN's renewal price be higher than the original?
We don't know, ask the ones who do it :-) Many providers offer a low introductory price to attract new customers, then charge a higher price at the next renewal to make some profit.
Conclusion
The price shown in big letters isn't enough to compare VPNs. You need to know how much you'll actually pay, whether you'll pay tax, how long the offer lasts, what happens at renewal, and whether you have to pay to try the service.
For K1VPN, that means: €3.99/mo (for a prepaid 2-year subscription) as the final price with all taxes included, renewal at the exact same price (that is, €95.76 for the next 24 months based on today's pricing terms), and a 48-hour trial with a €0 charge.
Always remember: "cheap" ends up expensive in the long run, and Price is what you pay, Value is what you get.
Try K1VPN Free for 48 Hours
Try it freeThere are hundreds of VPN services on the market today. For this comparison, we picked popular providers that show up frequently on well-known VPN review and comparison sites, with the main criterion being that they don't belong to the same corporate group.
There are naturally other providers, more or less well known. Leaving them out isn't intentional, nor does it reflect any judgment on their quality. Similar comparisons covering more services may follow in the future.
The ranking and visibility of providers on review sites can differ significantly depending on each site's methodology, criteria and business model. This comparison focuses mainly on prices, taxes, renewals and trial terms, based on data recorded on 28/09/2026, which may change over time.
K1VPN does not pay to be included on review or comparison sites, has no commercial relationship with them, and operates as an independent company.