Top 10 Cheapest VPN Services If You’re On A Budget

Cheapest, as they say, is not always the best. But in the case of Virtual Private Networks (VPN), this ain’t necessarily so. Even on a budget, it’s possible to get a decent VPN service without having to bust your bank balance every month.

Sure, you may sometimes have to make a few minor compromises. Still, with a close inspection of a service’s specification, you can have all the main features you want. Cheap VPNs are not all nasty. Some of the best deals are from some surprisingly big names in the VPN industry.

To get the best deals on offer, you will invariably have to sign up for a lengthy contract. Annual contracts, which are often billed monthly but usually in one lump sum, offer the best value for money. However, if you can commit to a multi-year deal of two or even three years, the price will go down even further.

But always check the T&Cs to determine how much you are paying and when. The headline price is always per month, but the fine print usually shows that you will be throwing down a wedge of cash straight away. So it may not be quite as attractive then.

Pros

• Annual plan offers are really cheap
• Unlimited devices
• Fast connection speeds
• All servers support P2P
• Well over 3,000 servers in 65 countries

Cons

• Not yet fully audited no-logging policy

Price – Usual price is $6.49 to $12.95.

Surfshark regularly runs promotional offers for sub-$5 subscription packages. If you can hold off, it’s possible to snipe a monthly deal that’s around the same price as a coffee.

The fantastic value Surfshark is able to produce does give their competition a headache. They somehow manage to mix affordability with quality. For this reason, they frequently pop up in ‘best of’ reviews and score highly among their peers. So definitely have your sights fixed on Surfshark.

Even with their best deals, you will have unlimited device connections, fast speed, access to 15 Netflix libraries, 24/7 customer support, and an ad blocker, to name but a few of their outstanding features. So it’s understandable why Surfshark decided to go with their tagline about eating other VPN deals alive.

Ease of use is another factor with Surfshark. If you haven’t used a VPN before, it’s difficult to go wrong with their Quick Connect button. One-click and you’re into your personal internet tunnel and watching Netflix.

Pros

• Fast connections
• User-friendly apps on all platforms
• Unlimited devices
• 24/7 live chat and phone support
• Over 75 server locations worldwide

Cons

• Reports of Netflix US not being available in some places

Price – From $3.49 per month

IPVanish is currently offering a cracking deal for $3.49 per month. Unfortunately, the fanfare around this price is a tad misleading. It only applies for the first month; then, the price reverts to the regular $9.99 per month.

However, with their 30-day money-back guarantee, you can try the service for free and decide if you think the higher tariff is worth it. Basically, it’s risk-free to test the waters with IPVanish and check that you can do with IPVanish everything you need to do online. This could be torrenting or regular binge-athons on Netflix.

Though IPVanish isn’t generally regarded as cheap, it makes it into our top ten cheap VPN review for one good reason – storage. You can add-on 250 Gigs of storage for not a lot extra per month as well as a VPN. This feature lets you sync multiple devices. If you’re struggling for online space for all your pics and backups, IPVanish works out cheaper than buying storage from Google.

Pros

• Superfast
• Advanced security features
• Over 3,000 servers
• Good support for P2P
• Strict no-logs policy

Cons

• Minimal control of advanced features

Price – From $6.67

ExpressVPN sneaks into our top 10 thanks to their new annual deal that throws in three extra months for free. What you are getting, then, is 15 months of ultra-fast VPN protection for $99.99.

Okay, a promotional deal that’s around what you may pay elsewhere isn’t maybe the cheapest. However, bear in mind that as well as the three free months, you are getting access to one of the internet’s best VPN services. And that’s not to be sniffed at, for sure.

Ultimately, you get what you pay for. And with ExpressVPN, you can trust them as they are consistently crowned the best VPN service around. As the current market leader, there are multiple reasons to love ExpressVPN – even on a budget. To distill it down, they provide super-fast connection speed even to the furthest parts of its server network. It is dead simple to use, too, and the customer service is second to none.

Best of all, you can try ExpressVPN for free with their 30-day money-back guarantee should you wish to compare it to another VPN provider.

Pros

• Lightning-quick connection speeds
• Kill switch
• 24/7 support via live chat
• Supports Windows, Mac, and Android
• Allows torrenting

Cons

• Some logging occurs
• Some mobile apps are a little disappointing

Price – Free basic service or $2.99 per month on their Premium package

You can try before you buy with Hotspot Shield’s free but very basic service. Though understandably very limited in scope, it will at least give you an idea of the service they provide.

But you’re probably better off trying the Premium package from the outset to get a much better picture and way more services. These include military spec encryption, unlimited bandwidth, ad blocking, connections for up to five devices, over 3,200 servers in more than 70 countries, and 24/7 live tech support. The best bit is you can be in evaluation mode and cancel within 45 days to get all your money back. Sweet.

However, Hotspot Shield is gambling that’s the last thing you will want to do. As everyone knows, do something for 30 days, and it’s a habit. Great for VPN services, not so good for gyms.

They have a secret weapon, their in-house developed protocol, Catapult Hydra, which delivers blisteringly fast speeds. It really is the talk of the IP protocol town

Pros

• Low-cost VPN
• Fast connections
• Strong overall performer
• Some great features
• Servers optimized for P2P

Cons

• Interface not as friendly as others

Price – From $3.99 per month on their annual plan

CyberGhost is one of the more affordable VPN services around. They are consistently highly ranked online due to their low-cost VPN service and their spectrum of great features. Plus, they have a 45-day money-back guarantee in place to let you walk away with your money if you’re not happy.

As a result of their robust packaging of cheap VPN and features, CyberGhost haunts multiple reviews, winning plaudits for their low-cost VPN that makes no compromise on quality.

It’s blatantly apparent that CyberGhost has put significant processing power into making things simple for users. Even if you have never worked with a VPN before, there’s little challenge involved in getting up and running out of the box.

We really like that you tell CyberGhost which streamer you want to watch, and it goes off automatically and finds the best server. There’s no process of elimination or guesswork involved to secure the best possible connection when you want to watch Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, YouTube, etc. Sounds like bliss, right?

Pros

• Fast servers and reliable performance
• Over 5000 servers in more than 90 countries
• Zero logging policy
• Ad and tracker blocking
• 30-day refund guarantee

Cons

• Some apps are slightly awkward to use

Price – From $3.71 (2 year deal promotion) – $11.95

You were probably not expecting to see NordVPN in this guide to the top 10 cheap VPNs. Well, here it is. This appearance is mainly due to its recent Christmas deal that lets you pay just $3.71 per month if you signed up for two years.

Though this deal is now officially closed, we firmly expect it will be resurrected again reasonably soon. That said, even NordVPN’s regular annual plan is sub-$5 at $4.92 per month. So, it would be hasty to rule out NordVPN in the cheap VPN stakes.

For the money you pay, the VPN service you are buying into is rock solid. NordVPN has been around for ages and built up quite the reputation as a market-leading company. For many people, it’s the first name that pops into their head when you are talking about Virtual Private Networks.

NordVPN is known for turning out a strong performance each time in terms of speed and privacy. With one account, you can connect up to six devices so that you can have protection for your phones, laptop, tablet, smart TV, and router.

Pros

• Unlimited device connections
• Free trial
• Transparent privacy policy
• Audited no logs policy
• Kill switch support

Cons

• No live chat support

Price – Sub-$5 package at $4.08 on their yearly plan

If you want to hunt down a cheap VPN that’s fast and cheap, you could do worse than take a look at Windscribe.

But best of all, you can do so for free. If you’re a light user and don’t burn through more than 10 Gigs each month, then set sail for Windscribe. It’s a sweet deal if you don’t want to part with any cash at all and can restrict data consumption. But it’s also an attractive option if you first want to check out their service before committing to a yearly deal to get unlimited usage.

For the price tag, you get rather a lot and above-average performance from their servers.

The fly in the ointment is with streaming content. Windscribe has been locked out of Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon, but are working on a solution but not making any promises. So if your primary reason for a VPN is video streaming, then you would be wise to look elsewhere.

However, if you only want a VPN service for general browsing, privacy, encryption, and torrenting the Windscribe may well be the answer.

Pros

• Made in Germany
• Servers in 78 countries
• Free browser extension
• Torrenting allowed
• Military-grade encryption

Cons

• Limited customer support

Price – Time-limited promo price $1.64 per month, otherwise between $4.49 and $10.99 per month

If you move fast, you can grab yourself a brilliant deal – one of the best around – from this German outfit. At the time of writing, ZenMate was offering a genuinely superb 85% discount. How long this offer will last is unclear. So better skate over there right now to check.

ZenMate may not be as high-profile as other VPN services, but it does a pretty knock-out job of covering your digital footprints and maintaining your privacy.

If you do miss the promo price, do not fear. ZenMate has a 30-day money-back guarantee on all its products. And a seven day free trial on their desktop and mobile apps. While a week is a little stingy compared to others, it’s just long enough to test out their service risk-free.

And the good news doesn’t end there. ZenMate – not to be confused with the UK ISP Zen Internet – also has free browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera.

To round up, ZenMate is cheap even with their sub-$5 deal. You can try risk-free with a trial or take advantage of their 30-day guarantee. You may even get lucky and capture their discount deal.

Pros

• Multiple VPN protocols
• No activity logs
• No speed limiting
• Up to 12 simultaneous connections
• Secure DNS

Cons

• Not the best for live chat support

Price – From $3.75 per month on a two-year plan

Another VPN service provider that doesn’t have the profile it deserves is VPN.ac. This Romanian company has been quietly kicking butt for some time now and yet is sadly under-rated. And this despite giving much bigger operators a serious run for their money.

No matter their level of exposure, VPN.ac down low approach seems to be working in cultivating a chunky customer base around the world.

Leveraging 15 years of experience in the information security game, VPN.ac has created a pretty decent service offering. It is surprisingly speedy despite the fact that VPN.ac is a little lacking in the server network department. So far, they can only manage a little over 100 servers in some twenty-odd countries. However, very much to their credit, they seem to be able to do a lot with very little. So kudos to them.

Importantly, it works well on both Netflix and its UK rival, BBC iPlayer; two must-haves for any VPN service.

VPN.ac’s modest pricing structure does not come at a cost, though. It is packed with great features you will love and tech that ensures heavy-duty encryption and privacy for its users.

Pros

• Based in Switzerland
• Streams Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and others
• Acceptable speed range
• Strong encryption
• Supports Tor and P2P

Cons

• Only email support

Price– Free accounts. The regular price starts at four Euros per month (approx. $4.86)

ProtonVPN wriggles its way into the sub-$5 club with a subscription plan that’s the equivalent of $4.86. As the company is based in Europe, Switzerland, to be precise, the pricing structure is expressed in Euros.

The interesting back story is that the company was conceived at CERN, the particle accelerator, where its founders meet and is a spin-off from ProtonMail, the secure email platform. The company is also the world’s only crowdfunded VPN service.

Crucially they offer a cutdown free version of the VPN service. It’s very limited but enough to check out the service – just about. But you are better off – not financially – with the Basic service. This package secures two VPN connections, servers in 54 countries, high connection speeds, no logs and no ads, and P2P/BitTorrent support. The one glaring omission – if you need it – is access to blocked content. You will need to trade up to the eight Euro package to get Netflix, etc.

All the paid-for packages come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so there’s nothing to lose by giving ProtonVPN a whirl.

Cheapest and best are subjective terms at the best of times. Occasionally, however, they do go hand in hand. Our review of 10 best cheap VPNs does an excellent job of narrowing down the field.

You should be aiming to get a decent quality VPN for less than five dollars. Pay close attention to the deal’s specification to ensure it includes everything you need.

Some may be surprised to hear that you can get a cheap VPN and have a good quality of service. Ultimately, the best of the cheapest is the one that most closely matches your needs. Some don’t unblock geo-restricted content like Netflix, but this may not be a concern if your main interest is torrenting, for example. However, finding a cheap VPN does not always involve having to make significant compromises. Even better-known providers frequently have special deals. So it’s possible to get top drawer VPN service if you are comfortable signing a long-term deal of a year or more.