The VPN industry has a strange relationship with honesty. Unlimited everything, until it isn't. Lowest price, if you pay for years upfront. Servers everywhere, some of them technically. SpicaVPN is my attempt at a VPN that does the boring thing: publish the limits, make setup simple and don't take anyone's money before the service is ready to take it. It's pre-launch. There's a waitlist, and a free private beta by invitation.
Why build another VPN at all
Fair question. There are plenty. But most of them compete on claims, and the claims are hard to check. I wanted to build one where the important facts are written down before you join: what you get, how many devices, what the limits are and what it costs.
It's based on WireGuard, aimed at everyday devices, and designed so setup doesn't require reading a forum thread.
Private beta vs the planned Personal plan
| Item | Private beta | Personal plan (planned) |
|---|---|---|
| Access | By invitation | Open after checkout is ready |
| Price | Free | Planned from $5.99 per month |
| Devices | A small number | More than in the beta |
| Locations | Beta locations | All live locations |
| Duration | A limited trial period | Ongoing |
| Support | Beta | Email support |
Planned means planned. The Personal plan price above is planned and expected, not something you can buy today. SpicaVPN isn't purchasable yet.
Checkout stays closed on purpose
Here's the rule I like best: checkout opens only after the service and the payment provider are proven ready. Not when the landing page looks good. Not when the waitlist gets long. When it actually works.
Taking money for a service that isn't ready is the fastest way to turn early supporters into refund requests, and I'd rather have a waitlist than an apology email.
Published limits
If there are traffic limits, they're published before you join or pay. That sounds like the bare minimum, and it is. It's also rarer than it should be in this market.
A VPN that says unlimited and then quietly throttles is lying about the one thing you can't easily check yourself. I'd rather tell you the number and let you decide.
Unlimited is a marketing word. A published limit is a promise you can check.
— why limits come first
What happens between now and checkout
- Join the waitlist on the site.
- Invitations go out for the free private beta.
- Beta users test on their devices and in beta locations.
- Limits are published before anyone is asked to pay.
- Checkout opens only once the service and payments are proven ready.
Why WireGuard
WireGuard is a modern, lean VPN protocol, and that leanness is exactly why I picked it. Fewer moving parts means simpler setup on everyday devices, and simple setup is a big part of what I'm promising. A VPN you gave up configuring protects nobody.
I'm not going to dress the protocol choice up as a breakthrough. It's a sensible default that lets me spend my effort on the parts people actually struggle with: getting connected, understanding the limits and knowing what they're paying for.
Note: Who it's for. People who want a VPN on their phone and laptop without becoming VPN hobbyists. If you need exotic protocols, router firmware guides or a server in every country on earth, there are other services built for that.
Note: How it's built. In general terms: a WireGuard-based service with beta locations, a public site with the waitlist and the pricing page, and a checkout that stays switched off until both the service and the payment side have proven themselves.
What isn't there yet
Almost everything a paying customer would expect. SpicaVPN is pre-launch. There's no public purchase, the location list for the beta is a beta list, and the Personal plan is a plan.
I'm also not going to give you a launch date. The whole point of the checkout rule is that the date is decided by readiness, not by a calendar.
- Purchase: not available
- Locations: beta only
- Personal plan: planned
- Dates: none promised
What to check before you buy any VPN
- Are the limits published before you pay
- How many devices are actually included
- Which locations are live and not just listed
- What support you get and how
- Whether the price assumes a long upfront commitment
Join if you're curious
The waitlist is at spicavpn.com. Everything else I'm working on is on spicanet.net/products.
SpicaVPN: spicavpn.com. Originally published on spicanet.dev.
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