How much does a VPN cost in Australia?

When shopping around for a virtual private network (VPN) service, there’s a lot to consider, including monthly, annual and multi-year subscriptions. Cheaper isn’t always better, either, but pricier VPNs don’t necessarily have the features to justify a comparatively higher asking price.

Let’s take a closer look at how much VPNs cost in Australia.

The cost of a VPN in Australia is determined by two things: subscription duration and the currency you pay in. Of the VPNs I’ve reviewed, over half of them are sold in US dollars, meaning you’ll have to factor in currency conversion fees at the time of purchase.

As for the subscription, it varies between VPNs. Monthly subscriptions are offered by most VPNs but also tend to have the worst overall value. Prices start at around $8 per month for a Mullvad VPN subscription and stretch up to around $22 per month for Hola VPN. There are a couple of VPNs that offer six-month subscriptions, including ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN, but that’s not great value either.

Annual subscriptions tend to offer better value. That said, while VPNs typically advertise these in terms of cheaper monthly pricing, you usually have to pay the full price upfront. Expect to pay anywhere from US$40 for a PureVPN annual subscription and up to $135 for Hola VPN.

The best value tends to come from multi-year subscriptions, which are either two-year or three-year offerings. Prices start at around US$55 for a two-year subscription with PureVPN and extend up to around $180 for a two-year Proton VPN subscription. If you really want to go all in on a service, VPN Unlimited has a rare lifetime subscription for around $300, but it is regularly on sale for significantly cheaper. Other VPN providers may offer temporary long-term subscriptions during flash sales.

While multi-year subscriptions have the best overall value, some VPNs don’t offers them as renewable options. NordVPN, for instance, applies higher typical pricing after the first year or two-year subscription, while other VPNs revert to annual pricing after an initial two-year or three-year subscription.

Below is a table that breaks down the monthly, annual and multi-year pricing options for the VPNs we’ve reviewed.

Yes, there are free VPNs in Australia. But a lot of them aren’t worth considering. Of the VPNs we’ve reviewed, the best free VPNs aren’t the best VPNs available. You get what you pay for, after all.

Even then, only a handful of the VPNs we’ve reviewed actually offer a truly free version. More often than not, free VPNs are restricted in one way or another: usually in available locations, simultaneous locations, overall speeds and/or data allowances.

The best alternative to a free VPN is usually to make your own VPN trial by taking advantage of a money-back guarantee. These kinds of VPN trials range from non-existent (TunnelBear VPN) or three days (Windscribe VPN) through to the more common 30-day guarantee or all the way up to 45 days from the likes of Hotspot Shield VPN and CyberGhost.

The catch, though, is you have to manually request a refund after cancelling the service. Unfortunately, the easy part is setting a calendar reminder to request a refund before the money-back period ends. Certain VPNs bury the cancellation options, while others require you to reach out to support for a cancellation.

Check out the table below for a breakdown of all of the VPNs we’ve reviewed in terms of free versions and money-back trials.