Kaspersky Secure Connection VPN: Limited but Very Affordable

A virtual private network (or VPN) is an easy way to improve your privacy online. Kaspersky Secure Connection carries one of the most recognizable names in the industry and offers customers a simple, affordable VPN. It is a bare-bones offering with few server locations, but Kaspersky users and anyone looking for a cheap VPN will likely be pleased.

- MAX EDDY

WHAT IS A VPN?

When you switch on a VPN, it creates an encrypted tunnel between your computer and a server operated by the VPN company. Your web traffic travels through this tunnel, protecting it from the prying eyes of your ISP and any attacker that might be sitting on the Wi-Fi network. VPNs also hide your IP address, making it harder for advertisers to track you online. You can also use a VPN to spoof your location by connecting to a server in a different country.

While VPNs are useful tools, they can’t protect against every threat. We strongly recommend enabling two-factor authentication wherever it’s available, using a password manager to store strong and unique passwords for every site and service you use, and installing antivirus software.

HOW MUCH DOES KASPERSKY SECURE CONNECTION COST?

Kaspersky Secure Connection VPN is a licensed version of Hotspot Shield. That means Secure Connection uses the server infrastructure of Hotspot Shield but offers a different set of features, a branded interface, and different pricing.

Paid subscriptions to Kaspersky Secure Connection start at $4.99 per month, which is well below the industry average of $10.21 per month. Kaspersky has the distinction of being tied with FrootVPN for the lowest monthly paid subscription I’ve seen, beating out even Mullvad’s flat fee of €5 ($5.92 at the time of writing) per month.

More impressive is its annual plan—$29.99 for a full year. That’s significantly less than the annual average of $71.87 per year. In fact, it’s the lowest annual fee of any VPN we’ve yet reviewed.