7 Best Cheap VPN

Monthly PlanAnnual PlanCheapest Plan
Namecheap$5.88 /mo$2.88 /mo$1.88 /mo 36 months
Surfshark$12.95 /mo$2.21 /mo 24 months
TrustZone$8.88 /mo$3.33 /mo$2.25 /mo 24 months
Ivacy$9.95 /mo$3.50 /mo$1.00 /mo 60 months
PrivateVPN$8.10 /mo$2.07 /mo 24 months
lime VPN$2.49 /mo$1.49 /mo$1.49 /mo 12 months
FastestVPN$0.70 /mo 36 months

The best cheap VPN for:

The Best Cheap VPNs

VPN users often assume that if a VPN provider is more expensive, they’re bound to offer better privacy, security, and features than their cheaper counterparts. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Some of the best VPNs currently available are considerably cheaper than the biggest names on the market.

So, whether you’re looking for a VPN on a budget or you just want to get the best deal on your VPN that you can, here above are our top recommendations for the best cheap VPNs.

Why You Should Avoid Free VPNs

Before we take a look at cheap VPNs, it’s important to mention why we recommend using a cheap VPN over a free VPN.

Any time you use a free service online, you need to ask yourself how that service is earning revenue. We already know that some services make money from your data, while others will earn revenue from advertising. This applies to VPNs as much as it does websites or other forms of software.

Not only is advertising intrusive, but it can often carry with it malware and third-party tracking cookies, both of which are probably key reasons why you want a VPN in the first place.

Some free VPNs have also been known to sell your idle processing power or throttle your Internet speeds to encourage you to sign up for their paid VPN service. Free VPNs also commonly limit your data and bandwidth usage per month. There are also no free VPNs that will reliably unblock Netflix or let you stream with good speeds.

With all of that in mind, we can’t recommend that you use most of the free VPNs, even if you’re on a budget. The security risks alone aren’t worth risking a free VPN for.

Best Cheap VPN Recommendations

When you’re looking for cheap VPN services, it’s always important to make sure that you’re not compromising on security. Inexpensive VPNs, and particularly the cheap good VPN’s we’ve recommended below, offer the same level of security you can expect from the more expensive plans.

You also want to make sure that the affordable VPN you choose has all the features that you need. Whether you want a good cheap VPN that reliably unblocks Netflix, or you need to find the cheapest VPNs that have dedicated support for torrenting, there’s a VPN that’s cheap and affordable for you.

Namecheap VPN

namecheap vpn

Namecheap might be best known for its domain purchasing and hosting services, but recently it’s branched out to offer an affordable VPN service. While you might be wondering how you can trust a domain registrar with your online traffic, it’s worth noting that Namecheap VPN uses StackPath servers, which is the same company behind IPVanish and StrongVPN.

Servers

Namecheap VPN has over 1000 servers across 75+ locations worldwide, which isn’t the largest offering we’ve seen from a VPN provider, but it still provides users with a decent amount of choice. The speeds are good enough for streaming with local connections, but you might find that you struggle to stream via long-distance connections.

Privacy

It’s worth noting that Namecheap VPN doesn’t claim to be a no-logs service, and does collect some data about your VPN usage. However, it says this is limited to information about your connection, bandwidth, hardware, and OS version, and they don’t collect any of your browsing history. They haven’t had an independent audit of their security, so we can’t say for certain how true this is.

Apps

Namecheap VPN is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, and routers, which is going to be plenty for the average VPN user.

Missing Features

Namecheap VPN is missing some key features that most affordable VPNs have. While it reliably unblocks Netflix, it struggles with almost every other streaming platform. It also doesn’t support the WireGuard VPN protocol, which other providers like Surfshark do.

Pricing

Namecheap VPN is perhaps the cheapest monthly VPN, with their monthly plan costing nothing for the first month. Even when you renew on a month-by-month subscription, it’s still one of the cheapest options on the market. They also offer a one and three-year plan which reduces the cost of the VPN even further. The full cost of the three-year plan works out as roughly the same price as a one year plan from other providers, so while it might lock you in for three years, you really won’t be losing any money if you switch.

Surfshark

surfshark

Surfshark is one of the best affordable VPNs on the market. Not only is it one of the cheapest monthly VPNs available, but it’s also one of the cheapest VPNs for streaming that you can get. It’s also based in the British Virgin Islands, so it’s the cheapest best VPN for privacy.

Servers

Surfshark has over 3600 servers in more than 65 countries, which is one of the biggest offerings we’ve seen from a cheap VPN. Each server has reliably high speeds, and all servers come with a private DNS server to help you cover your tracks when you’re online. You can also use the Double VPN feature to route through two servers, making it even easier to maintain privacy when you’re online.

Privacy

If you want to stay anonymous with your VPN provider, then Surfshark only asks for your email address when you sign up, and you can also pay in cryptocurrency. Surfshark also has a strict no-logs policy and is very clear that the only other information they gather is anonymized data about their VPN software itself. Their browser extensions also passed an independent security audit.

Apps

Surfshark is one of the best low-cost VPNs for apps, as it has native apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Fire TV, Apple TV, and other smart TVs, and also has browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox. You can also use Smart DNS to set up Surfshark on your Xbox or Playstation.

Missing Features

Compared to the other cheap VPNs we’ve tested, Surfshark has the widest range of features. Even when we’ve looked at Surfshark vs. more expensive VPNs in the past, we’ve found that it has a very similar offering to both NordVPN and ExpressVPN.

Pricing

Surfshark is one of the most affordable VPNs currently available, however, it’s not necessarily the cheapest option in the article. Saying that, we think for the features and security, this is one of the best VPN prices we’ve seen.

Their monthly cost is slightly higher than what you’d pay with companies like NordVPN, but the one and three-year plans are where Surfshark shines. If you’re willing to sign up for a longer period, then this is one of the best value VPNs on the market.

TrustZone

trustzone

TrustZone is a basic VPN that’s a good low-cost option if you need a simple VPN for browsing. However, if you need the cheapest VPN for torrenting or streaming, TrustZone has very little to offer. They also lack transparency over what data they collect, which might be worrying for some.

Servers

TrustZone only has 200 servers worldwide. We struggled to access every streaming service we tested on any of TrustZone’s servers, which is why we’d only recommend this provider for users who want a simple VPN for browsing only.

Privacy

TrustZone’s privacy policy is extremely basic and doesn’t give much information about how they maintain users’ privacy while using their VPN. While they’re based in the Seychelles, which is a good location for online privacy laws, this lack of clear information is concerning. As with most VPN providers, we do know that they store information regarding your payment details and your email address.

Apps

TrustZone only has native apps for Windows, iOS, and Android, giving it one of the most limiting app offerings among this best budget VPN list. However, you can manually configure TrustZone to work on Macs and other devices.

Missing Features

TrustZone is missing most of the features that users want from a VPN, most notable of all being a native app for macOS. They also don’t have live chat or 24/7 support, and their customer support team is only available Monday through Friday. It’s also the most limited VPN for simultaneous connections, as you can only connect 3 devices on a standard plan, or 5 on premium.

Pricing

This VPN provider is cheap, but it’s still more expensive than more comprehensive services like Namecheap VPN. A one-year plan with TrustZone is a comparable price to some of the biggest VPN providers, which is surprising given the lack of features and privacy assurance.

Ivacy

mullvad

Ivacy is based in Singapore, which is well known for its strict online privacy laws. This VPN promises almost all of the features of more well-known VPN providers at a significantly lower price point. However, to get the best value from this VPN, we found that we had to sign up for a five-year plan, which is the longest of any VPN service.

Servers

Ivacy has over 2000 servers worldwide which run at speeds that are pretty typical of the best low-cost VPNs. Their servers also support a surprising amount of VPN protocols, including WireGuard. They also offer dedicated P2P servers, which boast a faster speed.

Privacy

Ivacy doesn’t log or monitor any information generated by your online activities, including the IP addresses you’re assigned by their VPN. They’re also up-front that they gather information about your system when their apps crash and they use Google Analytics on their website. You can also sign up to Ivacy relatively anonymously, as you can pay with cryptocurrency, and you only need to give them a name and email address.

Apps

Ivacy is available on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, but it has additional support available if you want to manually configure it for use on your gaming console, Linux, smart TV, router, or even on Blackberry. There are also browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox.

Missing Features

While Ivacy has dedicated servers for streaming and torrenting, we found that the streaming servers were less reliable for connecting to services like Netflix when compared to using the browser extension. The Mac app is also extremely lacking, and only offers you one legacy VPN protocol to choose from with no kill switch.

Pricing

Ivacy is one of the cheapest VPNs on the market, but as we mentioned earlier, you’ll get the most value from this VPN if you sign up for a five-year plan. While this sounds excessive, it’s worth noting that a five-year plan from this provider costs roughly as much as a one-year plan from some of the biggest providers, so if you use it for more than a year it will have effectively paid for itself.

PrivateVPN

privatevpn

PrivateVPN is a stripped-back cheap VPN, but it still has multiple features that make it a great option for casual VPN users. With free remote help and installation, up to six simultaneous device connections, and a simple mode on their app, it’s clear that PrivateVPN was designed for VPN beginners.

Servers

PrivateVPN offers over 100 servers worldwide, which is limited given that other cheap VPN providers have over 1000. However, some of these servers are helpfully noted with the names of the streaming services they unlock.

Privacy

When you sign up to PrivateVPN, you only need an email address and a payment method, and you have the option to pay in Bitcoin. Their privacy policy is extremely comprehensive, and it shows that they have a strict no-logs policy. They are also clear that you have the “right to be forgotten”, so you can request that they erase data in certain circumstances.

Apps

PrivateVPN is available on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. They also have a guide on their website to help you set up their VPN for use with Kodi. For casual VPN users, this app offering is likely to be more than enough, but more experienced VPN users may be uncomfortable with the lack of router installation.

Missing Features

You can’t currently download PrivateVPN to your router, meaning that the only devices you’ll be able to protect are your computers, smartphones, and tablets. They also don’t offer WireGuard, which is quickly becoming commonly used between the top cheap VPNs.

Pricing

As with almost all best budget VPNs, PrivacyVPN’s monthly cost is cheaper when you sign up for longer. Their monthly cost isn’t the cheapest on this list, but certainly isn’t the most expensive, and their one-year plan comes in around the average price of the best VPN for cheap.

LimeVPN

limevpn

LimeVPN is a decent VPN, but it’s only suitable for experienced users given that it lacks its own client. However, its basic plan is one of the cheapest VPNs on the market, and it offers reliably high speeds and access to multiple streaming services.

Servers

LimeVPN has the smallest server list of the VPNs in this article, having only 20 servers spread across 10 countries. However, it does offer over 6000 dynamic IP addresses, which gives you a decent amount of options for covering your tracks online.

Privacy

LimeVPN has a strict no-logs policy, and they own 100% of their servers and software. Unlike other VPN providers, everything is run in-house, meaning that you aren’t at risk of third-party data leaks. As with most least expensive VPNs, you only need an email address to sign up, and you can also pay in cryptocurrency to stay anonymous.

Apps

LimeVPN has no native apps, so you’ll need to download and configure SoftEther or OpenVPN, both of which are third-party apps. While it can work on a wide range of devices, including your router, this VPN provider is best suited for experienced users who know how to configure a VPN.

Missing Features

Aside from the before mentioned lack of native apps, LimeVPN limits a lot of its features to its Pro plan, which is significantly more expensive than the basic plan. DDoS protection, torrenting support, and 20+ simultaneous connections are all features that are exclusive to the Pro plan, while these features come as standard with the cheaper plans available with other providers like Surfshark.

Pricing

The basic plan is competitively priced, working out at a similar cost to Namecheap VPN. But, as we mentioned earlier, this plan has very limited features compared to the Pro plan, which is more expensive than any of the cheap VPNs we’ve listed here.

FastestVPN

fastestvpn

FastestVPN is a Cayman Islands-based VPN provider that offers good speeds, unlimited server switching, and dedicated torrenting servers. It’s also one of the cheapest VPNs on this list, with their three-year plan having an extremely competitive cost vs. some of the big-name VPN providers.

Servers

FastestVPN has more than 250 servers across over 40 countries, all of which are P2P file-sharing friendly and automatically protect you from malware infecting your device. Some VPN users might find this limited selection of servers to be a hindrance, however, particularly if they need a wide range of IP addresses.

Privacy

FastestVPN has a no-logs policy, however, as with many of the VPNs we’ve reviewed on this list, they haven’t been independently audited to back up this claim. You will also struggle to stay anonymous with FastestVPN as they only accept credit cards or PayPal as payment methods.

Apps

This VPN provider has native apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android, and it also supports Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, smart TVs, Kodi, and some routers. This range of apps makes FastestVPN a good option for families or larger households.

Missing Features

Given the limited number of servers, the amount of streaming content you can unlock is greatly limited compared to some other VPN providers. The money-back-guarantee is also limited to 15 days, while most low-cost VPN providers offer at least 30 days.

Pricing

As with most other budget VPN providers, FastestVPN’s monthly cost is greatly reduced depending on how long you sign up. Their best value plan is for three years, however comparatively, this works out at roughly the same as a big-name provider would charge for a year.

Cheapest VPN Monthly Plan

namecheap vpn

In our VPN price comparison, we found the VPN with the cheapest monthly plan was Namecheap VPN. While we did find some other VPNs, like FastestVPN, had a very similar cost, we came to the conclusion that Namecheap VPN had more features to offer and as such provided better value.

If you want to pay monthly, then you can get your first month for free, and after that, you’ll be paying a small renewal fee each month. We found their month-by-month cost to be similar to what some big-name providers charged on their one or three-year plans.

But, if you’re willing to pay for a longer plan, then their three-year plan costs less than what a year plan might cost with one of the big VPN providers, meaning you’ll be paying only a tiny amount each month.

Best Cheap VPN for Streaming

surfshark

If you want the best and cheapest VPN that reliably unblocks Netflix and other streaming services, then Surfshark’s the VPN for you. This VPN’s high-speed servers and reliable unblocking means that you can stream Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Go, and Hulu in high definition. In total, Surfshark can unblock 15 different Netflix regions, making it the best cheap VPN for streaming.

Next to its stellar offering for streamers, Surfshark also offers a myriad of privacy features to cover your tracks online, including Double VPN, private DNS servers, and an in-built adblocker that stops ads, trackers, and malware.

While it’s not the cheapest VPN in this article, it’s certainly not as expensive as you might think given the wide range of features. On a rolling monthly subscription, you can expect to pay almost double the cost of Namecheap VPN, but the one and three-year plans provide awesome value if you’re willing to pay upfront for a longer plan.

Best Cheap VPN for Torrenting

privatevpn

PrivateVPN is our top pick if you need the best budget VPN for torrenting. They have a strict no-logging policy and unrestricted bandwidth, so unlike with some other cheap and free VPN providers, your speed won’t be throttled after a certain amount of time.

Some of their servers also support port forwarding, which gives you additional security while you’re torrenting. Combined with military-grade AES-256 encryption and 2048 DH keys, the data encryption offered by PrivateVPN is extremely secure.

In terms of pricing, PrivateVPN sits in the middle range of the VPNs we’ve compared in this article. As with most other VPNs, it’s also cheaper per month if you sign up for longer. They currently offer a two-year plan for less than the cost of a one-year plan with bigger providers, and even when the offer ends, their yearly cost is still cheaper than the biggest VPN providers.

Best Cheap VPN for Multiple Devices

surfshark

When you have multiple devices to protect, Surfshark is the best option for you. Surfshark is the only best budget VPN that offers unlimited device connections, which makes it a perfect choice if you’ve got a larger household or simply want to make sure all of your internet connections are secure.

Not only that, but Surfshark has one of the best ranges of native apps available for any inexpensive VPN. Unlike some other cheap VPNs, Surfshark allows you to protect your smart TV without needing to install the VPN on your router. However, if you want to do that, then they also have guides to show you how to set that up.

How Much is a Cheap VPN?

It’s difficult to put a definitive number on how much a cheap VPN costs, as “cheap” is often extremely subjective depending on the features that are important to you and what budget you have available.

With that being said, a cheap VPN typically costs below $3/month on monthly subscription plans. However, we consider Surfshark to be the best affordable VPN, and this costs about $10/month if you buy on a rolling contract. However, it’s worth noting that these are usually the highest monthly costs you can expect with a VPN as they’ll always encourage you to sign up for a longer plan.

With that in mind, it’s not unusual for a two or three-year plan with a cheap VPN to cost anywhere between $50-$80, which is roughly equivalent to what you’d pay for a year with a big-name VPN provider.

So, if you’re expecting to need your VPN in the long term, and you’re willing to stick with your chosen provider for at least a year, then buying a three-year plan gets you the best value.

Best Cheap VPN Long-Term Plans

While you have to pay up-front for long-term plans with good cheap VPN providers, the monthly cost equivalent is significantly lower than if you were to pay for your VPN on a rolling subscription. While a monthly subscription can be a good way to try out a VPN without spending a fortune, if you’re convinced you’ll be sticking with a VPN for at least a year, a long-term plan is the best way to save money on a VPN.

When we did our VPN price comparison, we found that FastestVPN offered the cheapest plan. Currently, their five-year plan costs less than you’d pay for a yearly plan with other providers like NordVPN, with an equivalent monthly cost of less than a dollar.

However, when we took available features into account, we found that the cheapest VPN long-term plan was offered by Surfshark. Their longest plan is for 24 months, and while this still works out at the average cost you’d expect for a year from a more expensive provider, Surfshark offers significantly more features than other VPNs we’ve talked about today.

Best Cheap VPNs: In Summary

Many VPN users often assume that the more they pay for a VPN, the better service they’ll receive. However, VPN providers like Surfshark, Namecheap VPN, and PrivateVPN prove that you can get the exact same features and security of a big-name provider while getting a better deal. Whether you need a VPN for casual browsing, streaming, torrenting, or you’re serious about your online privacy, there’s an affordable VPN that will meet your needs.

As with anything that’s significantly cheaper than the competition, you always need to make sure to read the fine print. After all, VPNs have to earn revenue somehow, and cheap VPNs have gotten a bad reputation in the past for only offering a barebones service to save money. So, make sure you read the privacy policy before you make any decisions and check out reviews because there’s no point in buying a cheap VPN that turns out to cost you more in poor security and a lack of features.

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