The Best Cheap VPNs

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

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

Not only does IPVanish clock impressive speeds, but all that traffic also flows through 100% no-log servers.

Anonymous streaming on TV is where IPVanish has focused its efforts from the beginning, so 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 protecting your IP address by creating a separate kill switch application.

It looked odd to me at first, and installing two apps instead of one is a little annoying, but it 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 keeps running and cuts your internet connection before your real IP address can leak.

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

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

IPVanish unblocks the vast majority of US and UK content platforms, including 17 Netflix libraries, HBO Max, Hulu, and Disney+. That’s more Netflix regions than any other pick on this list.

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

Now to the not so good: IPVanish’s device compatibility is underwhelming, and the gaps affect how usable the VPN is on a handful of devices.

The most glaring omissions are the typical VPN browser extensions, which make unblocking geo-blocked content quicker, and a Smart DNS proxy, which is what you need for game consoles.

The PC and Mac interface could also do with some TLC. The waveform chart is very distracting, hiding it was the first thing I did, and the map is not only extremely prominent but also poorly designed.

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

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

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

Rotating IP changes your IP address every five to 10 minutes without moving your apparent location, which strengthens your anonymity online without breaking anything that depends on where you appear to be.

My favorite, though, is the fake GPS location spoofer in the Android app. This rare feature stops Android apps using location services to work out where you really are, and it’s very simple to live with once it’s on.

Using Surfshark’s Override GPS location function.

Once you’ve set up ‘Override GPS location’, your GPS data will match your VPN server location on any Android device. It took a bit of fiddling the first time but I haven’t had to touch it since.

It’s a highly effective workaround for GPS-based geo-blocks, and much less hassle than installing and maintaining a separate GPS spoofer app on your phone or tablet.

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

I bypassed MLB.TV blackouts on my Google Pixel without any trouble at all.

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 10 regions), Disney+, HBO Max, Prime Video, JioHotstar, and BBC iPlayer.

Watching BBC iPlayer abroad with Surfshark.

Speed is where Surfshark loses its footing a bit. Its speeds aren’t 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 recorded a slowdown of 4%, and over long distances that climbed to 17%.

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

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

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

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

The VPN’s open-source apps use the WireGuard protocol only, and therefore ChaCha20 encryption, and its no-logs policy was 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.

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

Despite that suite of security settings, Mullvad is still intuitive and comfortable to use whatever your experience level. I wouldn’t hesitate to hand it to someone who has never used one before.

If unblocking streaming services or getting around online restrictions is what you’re after, Mullvad is a poor choice.

The VPN has never claimed otherwise, and in our most recent tests we found it doesn’t work with Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, ITVX, or 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.

For unlocking geo-restricted content around the world, though, Surfshark or IPVanish are far better products.

Unlike my other cheap VPN recommendations, Mullvad doesn’t run 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 a long-term subscription.

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, so you won’t face unexpected renewal fees at the end of a subscription period.

The flipside is that if you forget to top up, your VPN simply stops working. It caught me out once, and I’ve kept a reminder in my phone ever since!