It’s so difficult with so many options and all these bullshit “discounts”, coupled with the fact that different VPNs charge different prices based on what country you’re connecting from…

What is the cheapest functional VPN you’ve come across? Bonus points if it supports IPv6.

  • Ilandar@aussie.zone
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    19 days ago

    Proton VPN has a free plan that is fine if you just want general privacy from your ISP. If you want to do more like torrenting or circumventing geoblocking, there are probably cheaper options although Proton VPN does have significant Black Friday sales (which I think you just missed, unfortunately).

    • confusedwiseman@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      18 days ago

      I’m on the Proton train, but know now, you’ll never see a discount once you’re a customer. They will promo you up to a more premium plan, but I recommend only comparing proton at full price.

      Edit: I’m on a proton family plan. I’ve watched since October for any kind of deal or promo with Black Friday. There’s nothing available once you’re on this type of plan.

      You will be offered a discount the first time you up to this plan, but once on it, nothing.

      This sentiment is all over the proton communities.

      For what it’s worth, I’m not expecting any BIG discounts from proton, but it would feel a lot better if they offered something (5 or 10 percent) on an annual subscription that’s nearly $300. (Yes I know annual is discounted from monthly, as is always the case).

      As a subscriber it feels like you’re just part of the revenue stream and forgotten.

      • Whimseymimple@beehaw.org
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        15 days ago

        I felt this way as well. That top tier of subscription maxes you out, and they give no incentives. I assumed it was because they shrugged and thought, “They can’t level up, so we have them where we want them. Let’s upsell the others instead!”

      • Ilandar@aussie.zone
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        18 days ago

        but know now, you’ll never see a discount once you’re a customer.

        That’s not true, I have been a customer for several years and regularly receive offers on my current plan during the big sales. The problem for me is that they lowered my VPN Plus monthly rate to $5 a while back and the promotional offers usually reset to a rate higher than that, so even though I would save more in the short-term I am locking myself into a longer and potentially more expensive contract with them in the longer-term. I don’t know if this is bait from them or an oversight - I did notice that the most recent Black Friday promotion said it would reset to my discounted price at the end of the promotion so maybe they’ve changed it. I still didn’t take them up on it, though.

      • _cryptagion@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        18 days ago

        I get promo emails every so often, especially last weekend. Maybe they’re getting snagged by your spam filter. I always ignore the promos, because I’m grandfathered into the older price which was cheaper for a single account with all their services. As long as I don’t cancel, I get to keep that price.