The Best Cheap VPNs

Even if it comes at a bargain price, PIA doesn’t cut corners when it comes to internet security or privacy, which is great if you’re using a VPN for torrenting.

The VPN doesn’t collect any identifiable data, and its no-logs policy has been proven in a server seizure of its Russian servers and an FBI subpoena in 2016.

PIA also comes with high-end security features including OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols, AES-256 and ChaCha20 encryption, a VPN kill switch, a SOCKS5 encrypted proxy, and effective IP leak blocking.

This high level of security, combined with very fast torrenting bitrates, is at the heart of PIA’s exceptional torrenting and P2P file-sharing performances.

Additionally, you’ll get access to the most user-friendly VPN port forwarding feature we’ve seen, and which is supported on all its non-US VPN servers.

You can go one step further and hide your identity even from PIA, by subscribing with a throwaway email address and paying with cryptocurrency.

PIA is a solid choice for unblocking geo-restricted content, particularly titles available on US and UK content platforms.

The VPN works with 6 Netflix regions, including Australia, India, the UK, and the US, and is also very useful for getting a cheaper Netflix subscription.

PIA also unblocks many other popular geo-restricted streaming services like Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Hulu, ITVX, and more.

And thanks to the VPN’s fast and stable international speeds, you won’t experience any buffering even when streaming from the other side of the world.

Private Internet Access offers access to the largest VPN server network, with 18,651 servers spread around the world.

This is especially impressive considering that VPNs with extensive server networks almost always come at a higher cost, yet PIA breaks that trend.

This expansive server park contributes to the VPN’s exceptional international connection speeds, with no severe slowdowns due to congested servers.

Connecting to servers close by, our Internet speed slowed down by only 4% while internationally the reduction was just 14%.

One of PIA’s other strong attributes is being able to offer VPN IP addresses from any US state. This is very handy for American users who want to bypass sports blackouts, or access content only available in certain states.

CyberGhost has the best range of free trials out of any VPN we’ve reviewed:

The VPN also has an extremely generous money-back guarantee, allowing you to claim a refund up to 45 days into your subscription, if you decide it’s not for you.

CyberGhost is one of the easiest VPNs to use for streaming, and its Smart DNS proxy makes it ideal for use across multiple devices like Smart TVs and game consoles.

The VPN provides clearly-labeled, optimized streaming servers that successfully unblock major services in Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Poland, the US, and the UK.

We had very few issues with these dedicated servers, except for the BBC iPlayer and HBO Max ones, which were rather unreliable. We actually found the standard UK and US servers much more dependable.

The VPN service works well with all other popular content platforms like Disney+, Prime Video, Hulu, and 10 Netflix regions, including the US, UK, France and Germany.

The only exception is DAZN, which continues to be a tough nut to crack for CyberGhost.

We were really impressed by the VPN’s exceptional performance on our TV, thanks to a well-designed Firestick app and a Smart DNS proxy that covers five different countries: Germany, Japan, Netherlands, UK, and US.

We used the proxy to access geo-restricted content on our PS5 and Xbox, as well as our Apple TV, since CyberGhost has yet to develop a native app for the device, surprisingly.

Despite these good streaming performances, CyberGhost’s cross-country speeds have been slowing down at an alarming pace over the years.

We thought we’d never say this, but we’ve even started to experience sudden blurriness and buffering at times of peak traffic.

With a lackluster 19% average slowdown, CyberGhost’s international speeds pale in comparison to the results posted by PIA and IPVanish (14% and 12% reduction respectively).

As we’ve raised with CyberGhost numerous times, the lack of investment in speeding up its server infrastructure is really holding back the service from punching higher.

Surfshark provides one of the richest selections of additional settings included in your standard VPN subscription.

On top of basic requirements like AES-256 and ChaCha20 encryption, WireGuard and OpenVPN protocols, and a working kill switch, you’ll also get very useful settings such as dynamic double VPN servers and ‘Rotating IP.’

The latter changes your IP address every five to 10 minutes without changing your online location, further strengthening your anonymity and security online without ever revealing your true location.

But our favorite is the fake GPS location spoofer in its Android app. This rare feature prevents Android mobile applications using location services to detect your real location. It’s very simple and works very well.

Once you’ve set up ‘Override GPS location’ you’ll be able to spoof your GPS data on any Android device and have it match your VPN server location.

It’s a highly effective workaround at bypassing GPS-based geo-blocks, and much quicker than having to install a separate GPS spoofer app on your phone or tablet.

We put Surfshark’s ‘Override GPS location’ to the test against sophisticated GPS geo-fencing on apps like NFL+, ESPN+ and Kayo Sports, and the results were impressive.

For instance, we easily bypassed MLB.TV blackouts on our Google Pixel.

Surfshark’s great unblocking qualities aren’t limited to Android, though. The VPN has established itself as a dependable streaming VPN, working with many of the most popular content platforms around the world.

These include Netflix (with access to 9 regions), Disney+, HBO Max, Prime Video, JioHotstar, and BBC iPlayer.

Speed is where Surfshark loses its footing a bit. The VPNs speeds are not far off the fastest VPNs, but they don’t quite measure up to the likes of ExpressVPN, NordVPN or PIA.

When we connected locally, we experienced a slowdown of 4%, and over long distances, that slowdown climbed to 17%.

These aren’t bad results by any stretch, but PIA’s performance is simply better: international speeds dropped by just 14% in our latest speed checks.

Server connection times were also somewhat disappointing. Out of all the affordable VPNs on our list, Surfshark’s servers consistently took the longest to connect, especially on mobile.

It’s only a few extra seconds of waiting time, but that can feel like an eternity when you’re trying to change IP address quickly.

One of IPVanish’s key strengths is concealing your IP address and ensuring your ISP doesn’t see what you’re doing online.

This is especially true when you’re using the VPN to stream Kodi and IPTV apps anonymously.

Not only does IPVanish clock in amazing speeds, but all that traffic will also flow through 100% no-log servers.

Anonymous streaming on TV is where IPVanish has focused its efforts since the beginning, and it should come as no surprise that it has developed very good VPN apps for Android TV, Fire TV, and Apple TV.

On Fire TV, the company has taken a novel approach to protect your IP address by creating a separate kill switch application.

While it may sound odd at first, and installing two separate apps is a little annoying, this approach avoids the risk of your VPN being shut down by Fire TV’s renowned memory issues.

If your Firestick shuts down your VPN app, the kill switch app will still run and cut your internet connection to stop your real IP address leaking.

What’s really gone unnoticed by many VPN review websites is the massive progress IPVanish has made in relation to unblocking geo-restricted content, especially English-speaking streaming services.

This used to be a major pain point for the VPN service, and something that really held it back. Now, the situation has completely changed.

Not only does IPVanish unblock the vast majority of US and UK content platforms, including 16 Netflix libraries, HBO Max, Hulu, and Disney+, but it even beats some of its more streaming-focused rivals.

That being said, there’s room for improvement. IPVanish still struggles with some platforms, such as Kayo Sports and DAZN, and more generally with foreign-language streaming services.

Now to the not so good: IPVanish’s device compatibility is underwhelming. It lacks a number of features that affect the product’s usability on a handful of devices.

The most glaring omissions are the lack of typical VPN browser extensions, for quicker unblocking of geo-blocked content, and a Smart DNS proxy, which is really helpful to use on game consoles.

The PC and Mac interface could also do with some TLC. While you can hide it, the waveform chart is very distracting and the map is not only extremely prominent but also not very well designed.

Using the mobile apps was much more enjoyable, thanks to a more streamlined and simplified approach.

Mullvad is an excellent choice if you prioritize privacy and security over content access. It’s always been like this, and that’s how the company likes it.

The VPN’s open-source apps can use either the OpenVPN or WireGuard protocols (and therefore AES-256 or ChaCha20 encryption), and its no-logs policy was even stress-tested during a server seizure in 2023, with no user data extracted.

Similarly to PIA and Surfshark, the company has also switched its entire infrastructure to diskless (RAM-only) servers as further proof of its commitment to privacy.

And while you won’t get as many advanced settings, there are still more than enough for most people: Multi-hop servers, Bridge Mode (its VPN-through-Shadowsocks solution) and WireGuard MTU, which reduces data packets to improve VPN connections on unstable networks.

Despite this varied suite of security settings at your disposal, Mullvad is still intuitive and comfortable to use, regardless of your experience level.

If you want to unblock streaming services or bypass online restrictions, Mullvad is a poor choice for unblocking these websites.

The VPN has never claimed to unblock streaming services, and in our most recent tests we found it doesn’t work with Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, ITVX, and many other services.

It’s not all doom and gloom, though, as Mullvad is (somehow) still capable of unblocking the UK’s Sky Go and the American HBO Max and Prime Video content libraries.

That being said, Surfshark is a far better product for unlocking geo-restricted content around the world.

Unlike our other cheap VPN recommendations, Mullvad doesn’t offer any free trial option whatsoever.

It’s a surprising move, but with a flat fee of just $5.50 per month, the risk is small compared to long-term subscriptions.

There’s also a 14-day money-back guarantee that applies to your first payment, if you decide the service isn’t for you.

Lastly, Mullvad’s top-up system means your subscription won’t automatically renew if your account balance is empty. This feature ensures you won’t face unexpected renewal fees at the end of your subscription period.

The flipside is that if you forget to top-up your account, your VPN will stop working, so don’t forget to add money!