What Business VPNs Actually Cost
A typical business VPN costs between $6 and $14 per user per month. Enterprise-grade solutions with advanced compliance features can push that to $15-25 per user. Consumer VPNs are cheaper at $3-5 per user, but they lack the business features that matter: team management, admin controls, centralized billing, and policy enforcement.
Key point: A 20-person team paying $10/user/month is spending $2,400/year just on VPN, and that often doesn't include DNS filtering or malware protection. Understanding what's bundled versus what costs extra is critical.
Your total cost depends on several factors: team size, the features you actually need, contract length, and whether the provider bundles security features or charges extra for them. Too many businesses either overpay for features they don't need or underpay and leave critical gaps in their security posture.
Per-User vs Per-Device vs Flat-Rate Pricing
Business VPN pricing comes in three main models, and each has trade-offs:
- Per-user pricing (most common): One price per team member, typically covering 3-5 devices per user. Simple to budget and scales predictably with team size. This is the model most small businesses prefer.
- Per-device pricing: You pay for each device individually. This gets expensive quickly for BYOD teams where employees use a laptop, phone, and tablet. A 10-person team with 3 devices each suddenly becomes 30 licenses.
- Flat-rate pricing: A fixed monthly fee for unlimited users. Great for larger teams, but these plans often include enterprise features you don't need and come with higher base prices that aren't justified for smaller teams.
VeloGuardian uses simple per-account pricing with up to 10 devices: laptop, phone and tablet under one subscription.
Hidden Costs to Watch
The advertised per-user price is rarely the full picture. Before committing to any business VPN, look for these hidden costs that can significantly inflate your total spend:
- Setup and onboarding fees: Some providers charge $500-$2,000 as a one-time implementation fee
- Overage charges: Exceed your user limit mid-cycle and you may face penalties or automatic tier upgrades
- Add-on features: DNS filtering, malware protection, and web filtering are often sold as separate add-ons at $2-5/user each
- Dedicated IP charges: Need a static IP for your team? That's typically an extra $5-10/month per IP
- Bandwidth caps and overage pricing: Some plans limit monthly data transfer and charge for overages
- Long-term contract lock-in: The lowest advertised price often requires a 2-3 year commitment, with monthly rates 40-60% higher
- Support tiers: Basic plans get email-only support with 48-hour response times. Priority support costs extra
Always calculate the true total cost of ownership, not just the headline price. A $6/user VPN with $4/user in add-ons and a $1,000 setup fee is far more expensive than it appears.
VeloGuardian Pricing vs Typical Business VPNs
Here's how VeloGuardian stacks up against a typical business VPN:
The typical business VPN costs $6-14 per user per month and often charges extra for security features. VeloGuardian starts at $3 per user per month. Filtering depends on the plan, and there are no add-on fees:
- VPN encryption: WireGuard (every plan)
- Ad blocking: Shield, Fortress and Citadel
- Malware and phishing blocking: Fortress and Citadel
There are no setup fees, no bandwidth caps, and no long-term contracts required. You can start month-to-month and cancel anytime. For a 10-person team, that's $30/month.
What You Get at Each Price Point
To understand where VeloGuardian sits in the market, here's what each price tier typically delivers:
- $3-5/user: Basic VPN, with DNS filtering on higher plans. This is where VeloGuardian sits, with ad blocking from Shield and malware and phishing blocking on Fortress.
- $6-10/user: Business VPN with team management and admin dashboard.
- $10-14/user: Enterprise features including SSO integration, dedicated support, and advanced reporting.
- $15+/user: Full enterprise suite with compliance tools, dedicated infrastructure, and white-glove onboarding.
The takeaway is clear: VeloGuardian costs a fraction of the typical $6-14 per user. For small businesses watching every dollar, that difference compounds quickly.