I've used a variety of VPN services over the years, and they've come at a variety of prices. As with anything you purchase online, there's always the question of how to get the most for your money. "If I buy a cheap VPN, will it be worse than a higher priced VPN service?" "How much should I spend to get a decent level of service without spending too much and getting a bunch of stuff I don't need?". These are normal questions to ask.

In my experience, you've got to look at what the VPN service offers, not how much they cost. I've used cheap VPN services (3 Euros per month) that were complete rubbish, and others ($2.50 USD) per month that were awesome. At the same time, I've had trials of VPN services that charge over $20 USD per month and gotten pretty much the same stuff I had with the $6 per month VPN service I currently use. It's not to say that the service wasn't worth the twenty buck - it was. For fast connection, a selection of servers across the world, and friendly support, twenty dollars a month isn't a lot to ask. However, if I can get pretty much the same thing for six dollars, why wouldn't I?

So here are some ideas to keep you on track.

First an foremost, get something with a trial period. Most services won't allow you to try them for free - they need some sort of credit card or payment information. Many VPN services are used for illegal activity, and people abuse them by signing up for hundreds of free trials, so you've got to provide some kind of proof of who you are. However, a 7 day money back guarantee is pretty standard, and some services even offer up to 30 days.

Look for services with servers in The US and The UK - a major source of restricted content on the Internet. BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Netflix, Pandora - These are all totally sweet sites you can get access to with an American or British IP address from a VPN service. They also have fewer Internet restriction laws, and website will show up in English (the interventional language). However, the more servers, the more options you have, and if you're from Spain, you might want to look for a service with servers in Spain, or if you're from Germany, some place with German servers.

Look for places that don't log your online activity (for privacy), and if you're using a VPN to bypass Internet censorship in a region that blocks political or entertainment websites, be sure that they operate in your country, and double check that they don't have any agreements with your government.

If you're using a VPN for general privacy for browsing and downloading, you haven't got much to worry about, and a cheap VPN service should cost you somewhere between $5 and $10 US dollars a month, for free server switching between a variety of locations (5+ around the world)