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The Best Cheap VPNs of 2024

Updated Dec 6, 2024

Callum Tennent

Callum Tennent oversees how we test and review VPN services. He's a member of the IAPP, and his VPN advice has featured in Forbes and the Internet Society. Read full bio

Fact-checked by Simon MiglianoAdditional Testing by David Hughes

Our Verdict

Our favorite cheap VPN is PIA VPN, which costs just $2.03 per month on its 2-year plan, which is 49% cheaper than the average. For this low price, you get best-in-class security features, access to 6 Netflix regions, and fast speeds. For the cheapest monthly VPN, Mullvad costs $5.50 per month but doesn’t support streaming.

With Christmas round the corner, finding an affordable VPN that doesn’t compromise on quality, especially your security, means doing a fair amount of due diligence before purchasing one.

Luckily, we did the research for you and while doing so we found that the price doesn’t always match the quality of a VPN service.

In our tests, we found cheap VPNs sometimes perform better than pricier ones in key areas like speed, security, and additional features.

You do still have be mindful about data privacy, even with paid VPNs. Our recent tests of paid Android apps showed some of the very cheapest options leak sensitive data and just aren’t worth the risk.

To find the cheapest secure VPNs, we analyzed a range of VPN prices, which revealed that the average cost of a top-rated VPN is $4.00 on a long-term plan. Paying month-to-month, the cost rises to $12.51.

Using this guide, you can get a top VPN at a discount, and as little as $2.03 per month by taking advantage of the latest promotions.

Why Trust Us?

We’re fully independent and have been reviewing VPNs since 2016. Our ratings are based on our own testing results and are unaffected by financial incentives. Learn who we are and how we test VPNs.

VPNs Tested	61
Total Hours of Testing	30,000+
Combined Years of Experience	50+

Summary: Which Top VPN Is the Cheapest?

A cheap VPN that fails to deliver sufficient performance isn’t worth it. In these cases, you might as well opt for a safe free VPN rather than pay for a low quality budget option.

We’ve analyzed the top-rated VPNs in the market, comparing their lowest subscription prices against their overall performance. You can compare them in the chart below:

A scatter plot showing the cheapest monthly price and overall rating of various VPNs. PIA VPN is the best value, Proton VPN is the worst.

As our data shows, Private Internet Access emerges as the clear best option, offering the best balance of quality and affordability.

Our Favorite Cheap VPNs Reviewed

The table below compares our cheap VPN recommendations, including the cheapest price, monthly price, highest discount, money-back guarantee, and free trial length.

1. PIA: Best Cheap VPN Overall

Ranked #1 Best Cheap VPN out of 61 VPNs

Private Internet Access

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Full PIA VPN Review

Overall Cheap VPN Rating: 8.8/10

VPN Quality
9.0/10
Long-Term Monthly Price
10.0/10
Monthly Price
7.6/10
Free Trial
7.4/10

To learn more, read our VPN testing methodology.

Huge discounts on long-term plans
7-day free trial on mobile
More servers than any other VPN
Optimized for anonymous torrenting & P2P traffic
Effective ad & tracker blocker (MACE) included
Unlimited simultaneous connections

Monthly plan cost is above average
App is less user-friendly than alternatives
Based in the US (Five Eyes jurisdiction)
Smart DNS doesn't unblock streaming apps

Pricing Plans	$11.99/mo $7.50/mo over 6 months $2.03/mo over 28 months
Money-Back Guarantee	30 Days
Free Trial Duration	7 Days
Local Download Speed	86Mbps (14% loss)

Logging Policy	No Logs
Servers	18,651
Countries with Servers	91
Compatible with	Windows Mac iOS Android Linux Amazon Fire TV Android TV Apple TV Router Chrome

Our top choice for a cheap VPN service is Private Private Internet Access (PIA). Despite its low price, PIA is actually the third-best VPN overall, only falling behind ExpressVPN and NordVPN slightly.

It far outshines our other cheap recommendations when it comes to privacy, security, streaming, torrenting, and bypassing censorship. But if it doesn’t meet your needs, there’s a no-hassle 30-day money-back guarantee.

PIA’s Pricing Plans

Monthly: $11.99
6 Months: $7.50/month
28 Months: $2.03/month

Excellent for Streaming Netflix, Max & more

PIA works with 6 Netflix regions:

Australia
India
Italy
Sweden
UK
US

The VPN is also a great choice for getting a cheaper Netflix account. We used one of its 25 Ukraine servers and a UK Amex card to get 50% cheaper Netflix compared to the US plan.

Over the years, it has reliably unblocked other popular streaming services like Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Max, Hulu, ITXV, and more.

Its incredible international speeds mean you won’t experience buffering when streaming content from other countries, too.

Private Internet Access consistently works with US Netflix

Secure No-Logs VPN for Torrenting

Despite its low 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. It offers the easiest-to-use port forwarding feature, supported on all of its servers outside the US.

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.

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

This high levels of security, combined with very fast torrenting bitrates, make PIA VPN an exceptional VPN for anonymous P2P file-sharing.

18,651 Servers in 91 Countries

Private Internet Access offers access to the largest VPN server network, with 18,651 servers 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 network contributes to its exceptional international connection speeds. We didn’t experience any slowdowns due to overcrowded servers.

PIA is also the only VPN with servers in all 50 US states. This allowed us to connect to servers in other states to bypass sports blackouts.

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2. CyberGhost: Cheap VPN with Free Trial (No Credit Card)

CyberGhost VPN

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Full CyberGhost Review

Overall Cheap VPN Rating: 8.5/10

VPN Quality
8.2/10
Long-Term Monthly Price
10.0/10
Monthly Price
7.3/10
Free Trial
9.5/10

To learn more, read our VPN testing methodology.

Free Chrome extension with no data cap & no card required
1-day free trial on desktop (no credit card required)
3-day & 7-day free trial on mobile
Generous 45-day money-back guarantee
Servers in 100 countries
Fast on local servers

Expensive monthly plan
Slower than PIA & Mullvad
Only 4 server locations on Chrome extension
Unreliable for BBC iPlayer & Max

Pricing Plans	$12.99/mo $6.99/mo over 6 months $2.03/mo over 28 months
Money-Back Guarantee	45 Days
Free Trial Duration	1 Day
Local Download Speed	81Mbps (19% loss)

Logging Policy	No Identifiable Data
Servers	12,000
Countries with Servers	100
Compatible with	Windows Mac iOS Android Linux Amazon Fire TV Android TV Apple TV Router Chrome

CyberGhost is a great option that uniquely lets you try the service for free.

CyberGhost long-term plan actually costs the same as PIA — $2.03 per month on a 28-month plan. But we’ve ranked it below PIA because it doesn’t match up to its competitors speeds, server network, and security features.

Nonetheless, CyberGhost is a good option for beginners who want a user-friendly service to get started.

CyberGhost’s Pricing Plans

Monthly: $12.99
6 Months: $6.99/month
28 Months: $2.03/month

Excellent Free Trials & 45-Day Money-Back Guarantee

CyberGhost has the best range of free trials out of any VPN we’ve tested.

Here are your different free trial options with the service:

Free Chrome Extension: Unlimited data, with servers in the US, Netherlands, Germany, and Romania.
24-Hour macOS & Windows Free Trial: Full paid version with no credit card required.
3-Day Android Free Trial: Full paid version of the app.
7-Day iOS Free Trial: Full paid version of the app.

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

Streaming US Netflix with CyberGhost's Chrome Extension

We used CyberGhost’s free Chrome extension to unblock Lost on US Netflix.

User-Friendly Apps & Smart DNS for Streaming

CyberGhost is one of the easiest VPNs to use, and its Smart DNS feature makes it ideal for streaming on multiple devices.

The VPN has clearly-labeled streaming servers that work to unblock streaming services in Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Poland, the US, and the UK.

It works with 10 Netflix regions, including US, UK, France and Germany. The only servers we found not-so reliable were the BBC iPlayer and Max ones.

CyberGhost has one of the best-looking Fire TV Stick app interfaces, and our tests confirm it works reliably with US Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu.

CyberGhost also includes a useful Smart DNS feature at no extra cost. Unlike NordVPN and ExpressVPN, CyberGhost lets you manually choose your desired region, such as Germany or France, rather than being limited to the US or UK.

We used this feature to access geo-restricted content on devices that don’t support VPN installation, such as our Smart TV and Xbox.

Slower International Speeds

Despite the impressive streaming performance, CyberGhost’s speeds have been slowing down in the past few years.

It’s not yet affecting streaming picture quality, but the VPN is trailing the likes of PIA and NordVPN by some margin.

The most noticeable drop happens when connecting internationally. CyberGhost has an average download speed of 81Mbps on our 100Mbps baseline connection, compared to PIA’s 86Mbps.

In order for CyberGhost to overtake PIA as the best cheap VPN, it has to improve its international server speeds.

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3. Mullvad VPN: Cheapest 1-Month VPN

Mullvad VPN

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Overall Rating : 7.8/10

VPN Quality
7.6/10
Long-Term Monthly Price
7.0/10
Monthly Price
10/10
Free Trial
0.0/10

To learn more, read our VPN testing methodology.

Monthly plan is cheaper than every other VPN
Easy to use, even for beginners
Verified no-logs policy
Multi-hop, obfuscation, SOCKS5 & more features
Safe OpenVPN & WireGuard protocols
Strong AES-256 & ChaCha20 encryption

No discount on long-term plans
Doesn't work for streaming
No live chat support
No Chrome extension

Pricing Plans	$5.50/mo
Money-Back Guarantee	30 Days
Free Trial Duration	---
Local Download Speed	85Mbps (15% loss)

Logging Policy	No Identifiable Data
Servers	674
Countries with Servers	44
Compatible with	Windows Mac iOS Android Linux Amazon Fire TV Android TV Apple TV Router Chrome

The absolute cheapest monthly VPN is Mullvad, costing just $5.50 per month.

The VPN’s main strength lies in its privacy and security features. When you sign up, it generates a random account number, so you don’t need to provide your email address. The VPN also even accepts payments using cash or cryptocurrency.

Mullvad’s Pricing Plan:

Monthly: $5.50

Verified No-Logs Policy & Useful Security Features

Mullvad is an excellent choice if you prioritize privacy and security.

It’s no-logs policy was validated during a server seizure in 2023, where no user data could be extracted.

Implementation of its diskless VPN and DNS server network is further proof of its commitment to privacy. Its apps are also completely open-source on GitHub for greater transparency.

The VPN is extremely secure, offering both OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols as well as AES-256 and ChaCha20 encryption. In our tests with Wireshark (an internet packet inspector), it successfully encrypted our traffic beyond recognition.

Even with the suite of security features, Mullvad is still intuitive and joyful to use, regardless of your experience level.

Mullvad’s apps are intuitive and fun.

Doesn’t Work with Many Streaming Services

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 can’t unblock US Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, ITVX, and many other services.

No Free Trial Available

Unlike our other cheap VPN recommendations, Mullvad does not offer a free trial.

However, with a flat fee rate of just $5.50 per month, it’s not such a big risk compared to long-term plans.

You can also take advantage of its 30-day money-back guarantee 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.

Get Mullvad

Other VPNs We Considered

Since 2016, we’ve tested and reviewed 61 VPNs to find the highest-quality services at affordable price points.

Of the VPNs we’ve tested, some we don’t consider affordable enough to qualify as highly-rated cheap VPNs.

We analyzed the pricing of 61 VPN services to find the best cheap VPN deals.

Below are some VPNs that didn’t make the cut for best cheap VPNs.

Surfshark

Monthly Price: $15.45
Cheapest Price: $1.99/mo over 28 months

Surfshark is another great affordable option. However, we don’t like the complexity of its pricing plans: Starter, One, and One+ plans each have their own features.

We recommend Surfshark’s 24-months Starter plan if you want the best value. It has all the essential VPN features, such as a kill switch, ad blocker, GPS spoofing, and Surfshark’s unique personal details generator.

Surfshark pricing plans.

IPVanish

Monthly Price: $12.99
Cheapest Price: $2.19/mo over 24 months

IPVanish is a very good VPN. It has lightning-fast speeds, and effective security features. Unfortunately, it doesn’t unblock streaming platforms as effectively as the higher-rated cheap VPNs.

IPVanish has three different pricing plans: monthly, 12 months, and 2 years.

Proton VPN

Monthly Price: $9.99
Cheapest Price: $4.99/mo over 24 months

Proton VPN is not affordable enough for most users. It’s relatively expensive on long-term plan, and it also lacks important product features like 24/7 live chat and a Smart DNS solution.

Proton VPN’s 2-year deal is the best value.

ExpressVPN

Monthly Price: $12.95
Cheapest Price: $4.99/mo over 30 months

ExpressVPN is the best VPN we’ve tested overall, with very intuitive apps that are excellent at unblocking geo-restricted websites and apps. Sadly, it’s also more expensive than its competitors.

ExpressVPN is our top recommendation overall, but it’s more expensive than our favorite cheap VPNs.

PrivateVPN

Monthly Price: $9.90
Cheapest Price: $2/mo over 36 months

PrivateVPN is one of the cheapest VPNs on the market. Its monthly price is actually slightly cheaper than PIA on a 3-year subscription.

However, it struggles to compare to PIA when it comes to value for money. It’s slower than PIA, has a much smaller server network, and is not as good for torrenting.

PrivateVPN’s server list on its iOS app.

The Cheapest Pay Monthly VPNs

If you’re traveling or can’t pay for a long-term plan upfront, a 1-month VPN subscription is a great way to protect yourself online for a short period of time.

The table below shows the absolute cheapest month-to-month VPN plans priced $8.00 or under.

The two cheapest VPNs, Mullvad and IVPN, are both excellent choices with stellar privacy and security features. They have strict no-logs policies, and servers in 40+ countries.

Disappointingly, we did find that none of these VPNs are particularly good for streaming.

If you want to access to geo-restricted content, we recommend considering Windscribe as an alternative. While slightly more expensive at $9.00 per month, Windscribe delivers streaming capabilities typically associated with premium VPNs in the $12.99 price range.

The Absolute Cheapest VPNs

While extremely low-priced VPNs are tempting, it’s crucial to understand the trade-offs involved.

Our top recommendations for cheap VPNs prioritize a balance between affordability and essential features.

However, if you want the absolute cheapest VPN, here’s a quick summary of the options:

While these VPNs cost less than $2.00 per month, they significantly underperform compared to the cheap VPNs we recommend in this guide.

Using them, we often encounter issues with connecting, accessing geo-blocked sites, and subpar customer support.

FastestVPN even exposed our email address during our Android VPN security testing, making it a very risky choice.

Some providers offer lifetime VPN subscriptions, but these come with their own risks. Only two VPNs in our research offered genuine lifetime plans. Plus, these plans are only valid for the company’s lifetime, and service quality may worsen over time.

How We Tested & Chose the Top Cheap VPNs

When it comes to cheap VPNs, we compare pricing plans, overall VPN performance, and other factors like free trials.

We attempted to get discounts and free trials from 61 VPNs to find the best cheap option.

Here’s an in-depth look at how we assess and rate cheap VPNs:

1. VPN Quality (35%)

Tests Conducted: We test each VPN in a number of key categories: privacy and logging policy, speed, security and technical features, streaming, ease of use, torrenting, server locations, bypassing censorship, and customer support.
Why It’s Important: A truly valuable VPN must excel in performance across the board, not just in price.
Optimal Result: A VPN with an overall rating above 7.5, demonstrating a strong set of features.

2. Long-Term Monthly Price (30%)

Tests Conducted: Compared the cheapest long-term plan (more than 1 year) offered by each VPN service.
Why It’s Important: Long-term plans provide the best opportunity for discounts and low subscription prices.
Optimal Result: A monthly equivalent cost of below $3.00 on a long-term plan.

3. Monthly Price (30%)

Tests Conducted: Evaluate the cost of month-to-month plans, comparing them across all VPN services we’ve tested.
Why It’s Important: Cheap short-term plans are helpful if you only need a VPN temporarily or can’t afford the upfront cost of a long-term plan.
Optimal Result: A monthly price below $8.00.

4. Free Trial (5%)

Tests Conducted: Compared each VPN’s free trial restrictions, length of trial, whether credit card details were required, and ease of cancellation.
Why It’s Important: A generous free trial allows you to use a VPN without paying, allowing you to assess its suitability before committing to a subscription.
Optimal Result: Free trials that offer unrestricted access, require no payment information, and provide easy cancellation options. Trials earning a rating of 7.5 or higher are considered excellent.

FAQs

Are Cheaper VPNs Worse Than More Expensive Ones?

Price does not always indicate better VPN security, speed, or streaming capabilities.

In fact, we’ve given low ratings to some of the most expensive VPNs on the market. On the flip side, many cheap VPNs are amongst the best we’ve tested.

How Can I Get the Best Deals on VPNs?

To save money on a VPN subscription, we recommend waiting for seasonal sale periods, like Black Friday, or taking advantage of referral schemes.

The Best Cheap VPNs of 2024

Our Verdict

Why Trust Us?

Summary: Which Top VPN Is the Cheapest?

Our Favorite Cheap VPNs Reviewed

1. PIA: Best Cheap VPN Overall

Private Internet Access

PIA’s Pricing Plans

Excellent for Streaming Netflix, Max & more

Secure No-Logs VPN for Torrenting

18,651 Servers in 91 Countries

2. CyberGhost: Cheap VPN with Free Trial (No Credit Card)

CyberGhost VPN

CyberGhost’s Pricing Plans

Excellent Free Trials & 45-Day Money-Back Guarantee

User-Friendly Apps & Smart DNS for Streaming

Slower International Speeds

3. Mullvad VPN: Cheapest 1-Month VPN

Mullvad VPN

Mullvad’s Pricing Plan:

Verified No-Logs Policy & Useful Security Features

Doesn’t Work with Many Streaming Services

No Free Trial Available

Other VPNs We Considered

Surfshark

IPVanish

Proton VPN

ExpressVPN

PrivateVPN

The Cheapest Pay Monthly VPNs

The Absolute Cheapest VPNs

How We Tested & Chose the Top Cheap VPNs

1. VPN Quality (35%)

2. Long-Term Monthly Price (30%)

3. Monthly Price (30%)

4. Free Trial (5%)

FAQs

Are Cheaper VPNs Worse Than More Expensive Ones?

How Can I Get the Best Deals on VPNs?

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