# PIO VPN Pricing

> Markdown version of PIO VPN's subscription tiers. Optimized for AI agents and LLMs.

Last updated: 2026-04-18
HTML version: https://aethershield.io/#pricing
Full context: https://aethershield.io/llms-full.txt

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## Tiers at a glance

| Capability | Free | Plus | Quantum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post-quantum encryption (ML-KEM-768 + X25519) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| RAM-only no-logs servers | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Kill switch + DNS / WebRTC leak protection | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bandwidth | Limited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Region selection | Limited | Full | Full |
| Protean Chronos AI traffic morphing | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| PIO Mesh multi-hop | — | 2 paths | Up to 4 paths |
| Ultra-anonymous mode | — | — | ✓ |
| Hardware security key auth | — | — | ✓ |
| Dedicated IP (optional add-on) | — | — | ✓ |
| Priority routing | — | — | ✓ |
| Port forwarding | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Split tunneling | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI Privacy Agent | Limited queries | Full | Full |
| Customer support | Community | Email | Priority email + chat |
| Devices per account | 1 | 6 | 10 |

> Specific monetary pricing is shown in-product to keep this document free of pricing drift. Visit the dashboard or pricing page on https://aethershield.io for current rates and any active promotions.

## Payment options

- Major credit/debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, AmEx).
- Cryptocurrency (BTC, ETH, USDC, Monero).
- AI-to-AI payments via the x402 standard (see `/x402.json`).

## Free tier policy

The Free tier is genuinely free — no data sale, no ads, no bandwidth throttling games. It exists so anyone can have post-quantum protection regardless of ability to pay. Bandwidth and region limits are the only constraints.

## Refunds

30-day no-questions-asked refund on Plus and Quantum tiers.

## Run-a-node alternative

Operators of PIO VPN nodes earn rewards (paid out via the same payment rails) proportional to proven bandwidth carried. Heavy operators can offset or exceed their own subscription cost. See https://aethershield.io/run-a-node and /features.md (decentralized node network section).

## See also

- /index.md
- /features.md
- /faq.md
- /llms-full.txt