A good VPN should allow you to browse the internet safely and anonymously. Contrary to popular belief, though, such service doesn’t have to cost a fortune.
We have a number of top-quality providers with quite affordable price tags. Here’s our list of the top 6 VPNs that let you save big without sacrificing your online security:
- Surfshark: The best cheap VPN service overall
- CyberGhost: Affordable VPN with excellent performance
- Private Internet Access (PIA): Cheap VPN with a massive server network
- FastestVPN: Cheap VPN with lots of freebies
- AdGuard VPN: Cheap VPN with a focus on privacy
- PureVPN: Affordable VPN with premium add-ons
If you’re looking for a top-tier VPN on a budget, we recommend Surfshark. It offers robust security and privacy paired with amazing speeds.
Surfshark
Besides this cheap provider, there are other VPNs that offer great and safe connections for very low prices. You can read our full article below to find out more.
A VPN will help you surf the internet safely and anonymously. VPNs encrypt your internet traffic, hide your IP address and help you get around geographical online restrictions.
We tried out 25+ VPNs to find the six best cheap VPNs of 2023. Not all cheap VPNs are a good choice, and that’s why we tested each extensively to find out how they fare. Let’s get started!
The Top 6 Cheap VPN Providers of 2023
It’s not necessary to pay a huge sum for a VPN, especially if you’re getting one for personal use. Luckily, you won’t need to. There are many cheap VPNs out there that offer exceptional value for money. Here are our top 6 picks:
| VPN Provider | Surfshark | CyberGhost | PIA | FastestVPN | AdGuard VPN | PureVPN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Servers | 3,200+ | 9,000+ | 33,000+ | 500+ | Unknown | 6,500+ |
| Number of Countries | 100 | 90+ | 90+ | 30+ | 50+ | 90+ |
| Price | $2.30 | $2.19 | $2.19 | $40 (lifetime) | $2.40 | $1.33 |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days | 45 days | 30 days | 30 days | 30 days | 31 days |
| Our Score | 9.0 | 8.8 | 8.6 | 8.4 | 8.0 | 6.8 |
| Purchase Link | Get Surfshark | Get CyberGhost | Get PIA VPN | Get FastestVPN | Get AdGuard VPN | Get PureVPN |
As you can see, Surfshark is the best cheap VPN in 2023. It offers exceptional value for money and gives you everything that you’d require from a VPN that costs as low as 2.30 per month. Let’s go into deeper detail and compare each.
1. Surfshark – The best cheap VPN service overall
- 3,200+ servers in 100 countries
- Only $2.30 per month
- CleanWeb blocks ad trackers
- Camouflage mode
- Unblocks Netflix and other streaming providers
Surfshark is widely known as a lightning-fast VPN with solid security and airtight privacy. At the moment, you can purchase 24 months of their service for just $2.30 per month. In our opinion, this makes it the best cheap VPN in 2023.
It supports all popular VPN protocols like WireGuard, IKEv2, and OpenVPN, which can protect you against phishing attempts and hide your IP. Moreover, it also offers split tunneling and a kill switch.
You can also go with the Surfshark One package. This bundle also includes the Surfshark One Antivirus, a private search service, and Surfshark Alert.
Surfshark Alert sends you real-time alerts about data breaches and email security. Surfshark One costs only $1.49 per month, which is also a great deal if you wish to boost your online security and privacy beyond their VPN.
It’s one of the best VPNs on the market right now. There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee, making this a fairly risk-free purchase.
- Very user-friendly and works with Netflix and torrents
- 30-day money-back guarantee. No questions asked!
- Cheap with many extra options
Interested in knowing more? Check out our full Surfshark VPN review for a comprehensive rundown of all Surfshark’s features.
2. CyberGhost – Affordable VPN with excellent performance
- 9,000+ servers in 90+ countries
- Only $2.19 a month
- Free private browser blocks ad trackers
- Unblocks all major streaming services
- Dedicated P2P and gaming servers
CyberGhost manages to provide a lot of advanced features while remaining extremely beginner-friendly and easy to use. It’s also one of the cheapest VPNs out there, which makes it a no-brainer if you’ve never used a VPN before.
Dedicated P2P servers make it ideal for torrenting, and it can easily unblock region-locked services like BBC iPlayer or Crunchyroll. It supports up to seven simultaneous connections, and you can choose from popular VPN protocols like WireGuard, IKEv2, and OpenVPN.
There’s also a dedicated private browser, which automatically blocks all ad trackers and harmful scripts. There’s also a 45-day money-back guarantee available.
- Very user-friendly
- High quality for a low price
- Torrents and Netflix possible
You can read all about this provider in our full CyberGhost review. You can also try out CyberGhost risk-free.
3. Private Internet Access (PIA) – Cheap VPN with a massive server network
- 33,000+ servers in 84 countries
- Only $2.19 per month
- MACE feature blocks ads and trackers
- Dedicated email breach scanner
- Strict no-logs policy
PIA is a fantastic VPN that offers a choice of robust VPN protocols like OpenVPN, WireGuard, and L2TP/IPSec. It’s capable of unblocking all major streaming services like Netflix and Hulu too.
Private Internet Access also gives you access to Boxcryptor, which adds an additional layer of encrypted security for files that you upload on cloud services like Dropbox or Google Drive. PIA is a certified no-logs VPN, and a single account lets you connect up to 10 devices simultaneously.
You can bundle your PIA VPN with their antivirus software for just $1.45 per month. There’s also an option of purchasing a dedicated IP address for $4.00 per month.
Every purchase comes with a full 30-day money-back guarantee. Mobile users also have access to a seven-day free trial.
- Strong focus on privacy and security
- Good price
- Fast and stable servers
If you want to learn more about this excellent cheap VPN, read our full PIA review.
4. FastestVPN – Cheap VPN with lots of freebies
- 500+ servers in 30+ countries
- Only $40 for a lifetime account
- Unix-based servers for better P2P performance
- Unblocks major streaming services
- No-logs VPN
Although a relative newcomer, FastestVPN has become quite popular because of the sheer value of money that it offers. When we add its affordable pricing into the mix, it’s clear why this service gained so much traction since its initial launch in 2016.
It supports more than 20 popular platforms and lets you connect up to 10 devices simultaneously. Users have a choice of popular VPN protocols like OpenVPN, PPTP, IPSec, and OpenConnect, though WireGuard isn’t supported.
Every subscription comes with several freebies, including a free ad blocker, anti-malware software, NAT firewall, password manager, and 2TB of Internxt cloud storage.
FastestVPN also offers a 15-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it out first before committing to a long-term subscription.
- Good security
- Excellent customer service
- Works with Netflix
Read more about this service in our FastestVPN review or go to their site right now and try it out.
5. AdGuard VPN – Cheap VPN with a focus on privacy
- Servers in 50+ countries
- Only $2.40 a month
- Limited free version
- Proprietary AdGuard VPN protocol
- Always-on obfuscation
AdGuard VPN was launched in 2020, which makes it the youngest VPN provider on this list. However, the team behind it has been running their famous ad blocker since 2009.
AdGuard’s proprietary VPN tunnel focuses on better server communication, optimized performance, and stealth. The always-on obfuscation is ideal for dealing with online censorship and unblocking geo-restricted services like Netflix. And, you can connect up to five devices concurrently.
AdGuard’s apps are available 30 languages, making it a great option for users whose native languages aren’t regularly supported by VPN services.
You can also use AdGuard VPN completely free of charge with some limitations. Most notably, your traffic will be capped at 3 GB every month. All purchases, however, are covered under a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Proprietary stealth protocol
- Zero harmful logs
- No live chat
Read more about it in our full AdGuard VPN review.
6. PureVPN – Affordable VPN with premium add-ons
- 6,500+ servers in 96+ locations
- Only $1.33 per month
- WebRTC leak protection
- Independently audited VPN
- Dedicated IP addresses available
PureVPN offers a host of excellent features, especially considering the price you pay. You can use it on 10 devices concurrently on a single account, which is great value for money.
PureVPN hit the spotlights in 2017, when they handed over logs to the FBI. However, in 2019, they were “no-logs certified” by an independent auditor, so there are no privacy concerns anymore.
There are paid add-ons available too, including port forwarding, dedicated IP addresses, and protection against DDoS attacks. All purchases come with a 31-day money-back guarantee. You can also test PureVPN for seven days for a single dollar. Note that this purchase is also refundable.
- Good security package
- Slow speeds
- Unstable servers
You can also read our full PureVPN review to find out more about this affordable VPN.
How We Picked the Cheapest VPNs
While price was a key factor, it wasn’t the only thing we considered when preparing our list. Here’s everything we took into account when selecting the best cheap VPNs.
Security: Can these cheap VPNs keep you safe?
No matter how affordable, VPNs should never sacrifice user privacy and security. All services on our list come with solid VPN protocols, automatic kill switches, and airtight logging policies.
Performance: Are these affordable VPNs fast and reliable?
We also can’t skimp on speeds and consistency. All low-cost VPNs on this list provide decent connection speeds and are quite reliable. This makes them ideal for anything from streaming and torrenting to online gaming.
It’s also important to have consistent performance without sharp speed drops. These can be particularly annoying during online gaming sessions, video conferences, and other bandwidth-heavy activities.
Server network: Do they offer decent coverage?
We were also looking for decent server coverage, which would ensure steady performance and less server crowding. Large server networks also increase your odds of beating online censorship in your part of the world.
Having specialized servers for torrenting and streaming is always a nice bonus. These locations usually offer the best speeds so you can use them regularly, even if you’re not an avid streamer or torrenter.
Unblocking streaming platforms like Netflix has also become a must nowadays, so we only included VPNs that can do it reliably.
Price-to-value ratio: Do they provide good value for the money?
Each provider got extra points for a generous refund policy, free version of the software, free trial, more simultaneous connections, and other similar benefits.
Since everybody likes free stuff, we were also on the lookout for VPNs that offer free (or cheap) goodies with their subscriptions. Be it free password managers and cloud storage or affordable port forwarding and dedicated IPs.
Are Cheap VPNs Worth It?
Based on the shortlist we’ve compiled above, cheap VPNs can certainly offer you everything you need at a fraction of the price. Surfshark, after all, is one of our top-ranked VPNs overall on our site.
Before making a definite choice, it’s important to decide what you want out of a VPN. Do you want a VPN that allows you to stream or offer anonymous downloading? Then you’ll need one with optimum speeds and server connections.
Would you rather have a VPN that’s all about increased safety and identity protection? Choose a VPN with strong levels of encryption, a proven no-logging policy, and a solid track record.
Finally, you might be in need of a VPN for the whole family. In that case, you need a service that’s user-friendly and can be used on many devices at the same time. Surfshark ticks all the right boxes.
- Very user-friendly and works with Netflix and torrents
- 30-day money-back guarantee. No questions asked!
- Cheap with many extra options
Keep an eye out for offers “too good to be true”
One thing to keep in mind is that sometimes more expensive premium VPNs will be offered for cheaper prices on unofficial websites and fora.
These are often cracked VPNs, and can be very dangerous to your device. It’s entirely possible to get a cheap VPN, but make sure that you’re getting a valid deal.
Free or Paid VPN? Which Should I Use?
Aside from paid VPNs, however cheap they may be, you might have run into some free VPNs. There are a handful of decent free VPNs out there. Even so, most free VPNs have certain limitations, including speeds or data caps.
Therefore, free VPNs are generally useful if you wish to try out the software in general. However, free VPNs can’t come close to their paid counterparts.
You can choose a cheap VPN such as BlufVPN which offers optimized streaming servers too. ZoogVPN is also a good option, but it isn’t great for streaming because of low speeds.
Research has proven that a majority of the free VPNs available online are untrustworthy and unsafe. If you care about your online safety, you probably won’t want to have anything to do with these (sometimes fake) VPN providers.
Always be wary when choosing a free VPN. Avoid cheap services that sell or share your data with third parties, such as Hola VPN and BeetVPN. Ideally, we recommend going for a legit cheap VPN than using a free one, as they offer virtually nothing useful.
Final Thoughts: The Best Cheap VPNs Roundup
Cheap VPNs are an excellent choice for anyone who’s planning to regularly use a VPN but doesn’t want to spend too much money on it. Generally, it’s better to choose a cheap VPN over a free one.
Since there are so many VPNs on the market, some providers try to compete by lowering their prices. This is convenient for you as a customer, as it means you’ll be able to get a great VPN for a lower price.
We would personally choose Surfshark, though there are several other worthy contenders. That’s why we’d like to leave you with our top six great and cheap VPNs:
| Rank and VPN | Our Score | Price Per Month | VPN Provider |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Surfshark | 9.0 | $2.30 | Visit the Surfshark website |
| 2. CyberGhost | 8.8 | $2.19 | Visit the CyberGhost website |
| 3. PIA | 8.5 | $2.19 | Visit PIA’s website |
| 4. FastestVPN | 8.4 | $40 Lifetime Access | Visit the FastestVPN website |
| 5. AdGuard | 8.0 | $2.40 | Visit the AdGuard website |
| 6. PureVPN | 6.8 | $1.33 | Visit the PureVPN website |
Do you have a question about cheap VPNs? Simply click on a question below to see the answer.
Surfshark is the best cheap VPN. Besides the low price, Surfshark offers the best VPN protocols, including WireGuard and OpenVPN. It also offers more than 3,000 servers in 100 countries, and prices start from $1.99 per month.
Here are a few things to look for when choosing cheap VPNs:
- Server network
- Supported VPN protocols
- Value for money
- Maximum concurrent connections
- Speeds and performance
Aside from premium cheap VPNs, there are also free VPNs. A free VPN sounds great, but it’s important to make sure the service still offers good quality.
Some free VPNs are untrustworthy and unsafe. Most free VPNs have speed limitations, a data limit, or a limited server network. Therefore, free VPNs are generally useful if you wish to try out a VPN.
However, using a free service intensively or for a longer amount of time will quickly become inconvenient.
Thanks for this very informative article. How is hotspot shield for a free VPN?
We haven’t revisited Hotspot Shield free for a while but what we remember is that the Android version is full of ads and that they severely throttle your download- and upload speed. On top of that, it only has servers available in the US. We do have an article on excellent free VPNs, but Hotspot Shield didn’t make the list.