Best Cheap VPN Services: Tested January 2026

In today’s digital age, online privacy and security matter more than ever, yet many avoid VPNs thinking they’re too expensive. The good news: you don’t need to spend a fortune for reliable protection. With the best cheap VPNs, you can secure your connection, access geo-restricted content, and browse anonymously without breaking the bank.

The VPN market is crowded, with many providers touting “fastest and cheapest” claims. Unfortunately, lots of budget options come with serious drawbacks lack slow speeds, data leaks, and weak security.

Fortunately, several affordable VPNs deliver a strong balance of cost, speed, and features. Why overpay when you can get excellent protection for less? This guide reviews the best cheap VPN services available, helping you ditch overpriced options and embrace cost-effective privacy.

What is a Cheap VPN?

A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a type of internet security service that provides users with a secure and encrypted connection to the internet. Cheap VPNs offer similar features and benefits as more expensive VPNs, including encryption, anonymity, and access to geo-restricted content, but at a lower cost. While premium VPNs typically offer more advanced features, such as advanced obfuscation, better streaming capabilities, and greater reliability, many affordable VPN services now include premium features that were once exclusive to expensive providers.

To qualify for this cheap VPN comparison, the service must have a subscription plan that costs under $4 per month. We purchased the leading VPNs in that price range and tested them to narrow our list down to only the top picks.

Benefits of Using a Cheap VPN

Using a cheap VPN can provide several benefits, including:

• Affordable online security: Cheap VPNs offer a cost-effective way to protect your online activity from hackers and other malicious actors. You don’t have to break the bank to ensure your data is safe.
• Access to geo-restricted content and streaming services: Many cheap VPNs can effectively unblock geo-restricted content, including the ability to access streaming services like Netflix, HBO GO, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime. This allows you to enjoy your favorite shows and movies from anywhere in the world.
• Anonymity: Cheap VPNs can help you browse the internet anonymously, protecting your identity and location from being tracked. This is crucial for maintaining your privacy online.
• Encryption: Cheap VPNs provide encryption, which helps to protect your data from being intercepted or stolen. This ensures that your sensitive information remains secure.

How we rank the best cheap VPNs in 2026

How do we rank these low-cost VPNs? Here are the criteria:

1. Cheap prices (under $4.00/month)
2. Strong security with no leaks found (no IP address leaks or DNS leaks)
3. Good performance throughout the server network (speed and reliability)
4. High-quality VPN apps with all features working correctly
5. A trustworthy and well-established VPN provider with a good track record

Methodology: Our Research Process

To determine the best cheap VPNs, we conducted a thorough research process that included:

• Testing and evaluation of various VPN services: We rigorously tested these services to assess its performance, security, and usability.
• Analysis of pricing plans and features: We compared the pricing plans and features of each VPN to ensure they offer good value for money.
• Review of customer reviews and ratings: We analyzed customer reviews and ratings to gauge user satisfaction and identify any common issues.
• Evaluation of security and encryption protocols: We scrutinized the security features and encryption protocols of each VPN to ensure they provide robust protection.

Testing and evaluation criteria

Our testing and evaluation criteria included:

• Speed: We tested the speed of each VPN to ensure that it was fast enough for streaming and other online activities. A good cheap VPN should not compromise on speed.
• Security: We evaluated the security features of each VPN, including encryption protocols and kill switches. Strong security is non-negotiable, even for budget-friendly options.
• Features: We reviewed the features of each VPN, including the number of servers, server locations, and simultaneous connections. A well-rounded feature set is essential for a good user experience.
• Pricing: We compared the pricing plans of each service to determine which ones offered the best value. Affordability is key, but not at the expense of quality.
• Customer support: We evaluated the customer support of each VPN service, including the availability of live chat and email support. Reliable customer support can make a big difference in user satisfaction.

The best cheap VPNs

By following this comprehensive research process, we were able to identify the best cheap VPNs that offer a balance of affordability, security, and performance.

1. NordVPN — High performance, advanced features and low price make this the best cheap VPN (with a 70% off coupon).

2. Surfshark — Fast, cheap VPN with unlimited simultaneous connections. Visit site >

3. Proton VPN — Huge server network and Swiss privacy. Visit site >

4. VPN.ac — Secure,cheap VPN based in Romania. Visit site >

5. Trust.Zone — A basic, affordable VPN in Seychelles. Visit site >

6. PrivadoVPN — Secure Swiss VPN with unlimited connections. Visit site >

7. AirVPN — Secure and cheap Italian VPN. Visit site >

NordVPN — High performance, advanced features and low price make this the best cheap VPN in 2026

If you are looking for the best cheap VPN, one that won’t break your budget or compromise either security or performance, NordVPN offers a premium experience. It outperforms other VPNs in nearly all categories, from privacy, to security, speed, and streaming. And it looks sharp while doing it.

While the team behind NordVPN is global, the business is strategically based in Panama for privacy reasons. Panama does not require VPN logs or other types of data retention, as we see in countries such as the US and UK.

NordVPN is a verified no-logs service, having passed multiple third-party audits for verification. The service has a huge server network with 8,900+ servers in 178 server locations. NordVPN delivers rapid connections and excellent speeds, ensuring smooth browsing, streaming, and gaming experiences.

All their servers run in RAM-only mode without hard drives. This makes it impossible for any data to ever be stored on a server, further securing your data from third parties.

For streaming, NordVPN offers streaming optimized servers that are tailored for popular platforms. It can reliably unblock Netflix and unblock BBC iPlayer, making it easy to access your favorite content from anywhere.

Privacy and security features of NordVPN

This cheap VPN also offers an impressive list of features to keep your traffic private and secure, including:

• Strong encryption: NordVPN uses AES-256-GCM (with Perfect Forward Secrecy) when you select the OpenVPN protocol, and ChaCha20 encryption when you opt for the WireGuard VPN protocol.
• Obfuscated servers: NordVPN offers obfuscated servers that make your VPN traffic look like regular HTTPS encryption. Traffic passed through these servers is hidden from most blocking and censorship systems, even in places that have stringent controls, making this a great VPN for China.
• NordWhisper: A new NordVPN protocol that functions similarly to obfuscated servers, making it useful for working through firewalls and security filters that would stop regular VPN traffic.
• Double VPN servers: There are ten Double VPN server locations in the NordVPN network. They pass your traffic through two VPN servers in two different countries for better security and privacy, at the cost of a slower connection.
• Onion Over VPN servers: These servers pass your traffic through the Tor (Onion) network as well as the NordVPN server network, further anonymizing your traffic.
• P2P servers: These servers are designed to provide fast and secure P2P transfers of files, including torrents.
• Leak protection: NordVPN incorporates DNS leak protection as part of its security features in all their VPN apps to keep your traffic secure and ensure no unencrypted data leaks out of the tunnel.
• Kill switch: A kill switch feature cuts internet access if the VPN connection drops, preventing data leaks.
• Threat Protection Pro: This feature will protect your devices against ads, trackers, and malicious files. On Windows and macOS devices, it can even protect traffic that doesn't pass through the VPN. It makes NordVPN the best VPN with ad blocking. Recent additions include Call Protection, a feature that identifies and blocks suspicious incoming calls, and a crypto wallet address checker that warns you if it detects any scam-related addresses.

• Dedicated IP servers for those situations where you need a static IP address with the security and privacy of the leading VPN service.
• Ten simultaneous connections: Most services only offer 5 or 6 simultaneous connections.
• Split tunneling: Control which traffic goes through the VPN tunnel and which goes directly to the internet.
• Streaming support: NordVPN supports a huge selection of streaming services, including numerous Netflix regions, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney Plus, and more.

See all NordVPN features here >

NordVPN apps are easy to use and fully-featured

NordVPN offers a huge selection of secure VPN apps for all types of devices. Whether you need a low-cost VPN for PC or a reliable VPN for mobile operating systems, NordVPN has you covered. They offer apps for Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Android, iOS, gaming systems, and more. NordVPN supports multiple devices, allowing you to protect several devices simultaneously with one account. Below is the NordVPN Android app:

If you need a good VPN for streaming, NordVPN remains one of our top recommendations. It is an excellent VPN for Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and more. NordVPN even has a dedicated Amazon Firestick VPN app to use with streaming devices. Torrenting is allowed on all servers with excellent speeds.

NordVPN speed test results

NordVPN is one of the fastest VPNs we’ve tested, consistently beating out other top-rated VPNs. NordVPN supports the WireGuard VPN protocol with all of its VPN apps. This offers even faster speeds than legacy VPN protocols along with upgraded security. In terms of VPN speeds, NordVPN delivers excellent performance, minimizing the typical speed reduction associated with VPN use thanks to its high-quality servers. Below is a recent speed test where we hit over 903 Mbps on our 1,000 Mbps test rig when downloading from a NordVPN server in Seattle.

If you want to test-drive what I consider to be the best cheap VPN, then grab the discount below for the best savings. All NordVPN plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee as well as access to 24/7 live chat support.

NordVPN plans	Basic	Plus	Complete	Prime
1-month	$12.99/month	$15.29/month	$18.69/month	$17.99/month
1-year	$4.99/month	$5.99/month	$6.99/month	$8.99/month
2-year	$3.39/month	$4.39/month	$5.39/month	$7.39/month

Deal: Get 70% OFF NordVPN 2-year plans >

The NordVPN review also includes more test results and information.

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Surfshark — Fast, cheap VPN with unlimited simultaneous connections

Surfshark offers excellent security, privacy, and performance at a price that is hard to believe. It is an ideal option for users seeking a budget-friendly VPN option without compromising on features.

Surfshark's monthly VPN plan is an affordable and flexible choice for those who prefer pay-as-you-go subscriptions without long-term commitments. Despite its extremely low two-year price plan, Surfshark lags only NordVPN on features and performance. And they have one feature that blows away most industry competition.

While most VPNs allow you to have 5 or 6 devices using their network at any one time, Surfshark offers unlimited simultaneous device connections under a single plan, making it especially cost-effective for families or users with multiple devices. Surfshark also has an audited no-logs policy, ensuring your privacy is protected. And it is easy to take advantage of all those connections since Surfshark gives you custom VPN apps for all major operating systems and devices.

Like NordVPN, Surfshark also supports the WireGuard VPN protocol and delivers very fast speeds, challenging NordVPN on this front too. It even beat out ExpressVPN in our ExpressVPN vs Surfshark comparison.

Surfshark is great for streaming

Do you want a cheap VPN to stream your favorite media? Surfshark is a great solution if you need a VPN for Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and more. It is also one of only three services that we can recommend as a VPN for BBC iPlayer. Surfshark can access streaming services like Netflix, HBO GO, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime, and it offers streaming optimized servers specifically tailored for platforms such as Netflix and BBC iPlayer to enhance your streaming experience and unblock popular content.

The Surfshark network includes over 4,800 fast, RAM-only servers in 100 countries, giving you access to the vast majority of quality content worldwide. Right now Surfshark supports 15+ Netflix regional libraries.

You can easily stream Kodi with a VPN as Surfshark's network delivers great speeds. As you can see above, we clocked speeds up to 753 Mbps in our Surfshark review. This puts Surfshark ahead of (almost) any other VPN available today. With speed like this, along with its security and privacy-enhancing features, Surfshark is also one of the best VPNs for gaming.

Privacy and security features of Surfshark

Surfshark is a no-logs VPN that has had their no-logs status confirmed by a third-party audit. Beyond the lack of logging, here are some of the other Surfshark features designed to keep your internet traffic private and secure:

• WireGuard post-quantum encryption (launched mid-January 2026) is designed to resist future quantum computing attacks.
• CleanWeb feature to block ads, tracking, and malware domains
• MultiHop (Double VPN) servers that encrypt traffic over two hops
• Camouflage mode (Obfuscated) servers to conceal your VPN traffic and get around VPN blocking
• Static and Dedicated IP servers for situations where you need a fixed IP address but also want the privacy and security of the Surfshark VPN
• Private DNS that ensures even your ISP can’t see which sites you visit
• Bypasser (split tunneling) feature to rout traffic outside the VPN (we also see this feature with Proton VPN and NordVPN)
• Extra security features such as a kill switch, GPS spoofing, and rotating IP, which enhance user privacy and security beyond basic encryption.

See all Surfshark VPN features here >

Surfshark VPN apps

Like NordVPN, Surfshark also has a large selection of apps for all types of devices. Like NordVPN, it supports Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. It also supports Linux. Surfshark allows you to connect and protect multiple devices simultaneously with a single subscription, making it ideal for users who want security and privacy across all their devices. But unlike NordVPN’s CLI (Command Line Interface), Surfshark has a GUI (Graphic User Interface). This makes Surfshark much easier to control on Linux devices.

To get the lowest price on Surfshark VPN, use the coupon below with the two-year subscription plan. Every Surfshark subscription comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee and 24/7 live chat support.

Surfshark plans	Starter	One	One+
1-month	$15.45/month	$17.95/month	$20.85/month
1-year	$3.19/month	$3.39/month	$6.29/month
2-year	$1.99/month	$2.49/month	$4.19/month

Deal: Get 87% OFF Surfshark 2-year plans >

See our Surfshark VPN review for more info and the latest test results.

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Proton VPN — Huge server network and Swiss privacy

Proton VPN is another high-quality VPN provider with a cheap VPN price. Crafted by the team behind Proton Mail in Switzerland, it offers an exceptional blend of affordability and advanced security features, delivering performance and privacy protections comparable to many premium VPNs. Proton VPN emphasizes privacy with its strict no-logs policy and robust encryption, ensuring your online activities remain safe and anonymous.

Proton VPN features

If you're looking to improve your online browsing experience, Proton VPN includes NetShield, a built-in feature that blocks ads, trackers, and malware. This provides strong protection similar to NordVPN's Threat Protection (see our detailed NordVPN vs. Proton VPN comparison for more on how they stack up).

Proton VPN also offers its version of multi-hop routing through Secure Core servers. These act as Double VPN servers: your traffic first passes through a hardened server in a highly privacy-friendly country (such as Switzerland, Iceland, or Sweden). Each such server is located in a secure, Proton-owned data center before exiting to your final destination. This extra layer maximizes privacy and helps defend against certain network-based attacks.

Proton VPN fully supports the WireGuard protocol (and ranks among the top VPNs for WireGuard performance). This has dramatically improved its speeds. While it doesn't quite match the top speed leaders like NordVPN, Proton VPN is now one of the fastest options available overall. You can see this in the speed test results:

Recently we produced a guide to the best VPNs for Canada. Our team tested and analyzed numerous VPN services, and came up with four that we could recommend. Proton VPN was one of those winners.

Other important Proton VPN features include:

• Split tunneling: Allows you to pass traffic through the VPN or direct to the internet as appropriate.
• 3-state kill switch: Unlike the standard two-state kill switch, Proton VPN introduces a Permanent Kill Switch. This additional state ensures that your device only connects to the internet through the VPN, even when the VPN is turned off, providing continuous protection.
• Extra security features: Proton VPN offers extra security features such as Secure Core servers, and NetShield which boost your privacy and security beyond basic encryption and no-logs policies.
• Profiles: Create and use profiles, consisting of country, protocol, and type of server for your specific circumstances.
• Port forwarding: Let’s you connect specific ports to specific apps for better gaming and torrenting.

See all Proton VPN features here >

Proton VPN streaming and torrenting

While Proton VPN is primarily privacy-focused, it also supports several streaming services. Proton VPN allows users to use worldwide streaming services by unblocking geo-restricted content, making it possible to enjoy platforms like Netflix, HBO GO, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime from anywhere. It is compatible with American Netflix, Amazon Prime, and serves as a reliable VPN for Disney Plus. Furthermore, Proton VPN is effective for VPN for Hulu and other services. Torrenting is permitted on most servers, although speeds may not match our top recommendations.

It’s important to note that Proton VPN does not offer obfuscated servers like Surfshark and NordVPN, making it less suitable for use in regions with strict VPN restrictions, such as China.

Proton VPN plans	Proton VPN Plus	Proton Unlimited
1-month	$9.99/month	$13.39/month
1-year	$4.32/month	$9.99/month
2-year	$2.99/month	$7.99/month

Deal: Get 70% OFF Proton VPN 2-year plans >

Our updated Proton VPN review has much more information for you.

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VPN.ac — Secure,cheap VPN based in Romania

VPN.ac is another top-rated VPN service with a low price, coming in at $3.75 per month with the two-year plan. They prioritize strong security features and dependable performance while offering secure VPN apps and a dedicated bare-metal server network with great speeds. Although it is not as fully featured as more popular VPNs such as NordVPN and CyberGhost, VPN.ac is still a decent option at a reasonable price.

VPN.ac features

For those on a budget who are looking for a security-focused service, VPN.ac is worth considering. Their entire server network runs only on dedicated bare-metal servers, providing you with excellent speeds and security.

They offer 22 double-VPN server configurations as well as secure proxy browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera. Within the VPN.ac applications, you can select the VPN protocol, port, and encryption cipher you'd like to use.

Excellent obfuscation features

If you are in a location where VPNs are blocked, VPN.ac offers excellent obfuscation features to get through these restrictions. This makes it one of the best VPNs for China.

VPN.ac has a range of adjustable obfuscation settings.

However, VPN.ac does have two notable drawbacks:

1. It is not a good option if you are interested in streaming video or other content.
2. VPN.ac has short a 7-day refund window on all subscriptions.

Discounted trial: You can get a discounted one-week trial for only $2 (see the FAQ section in the top menu).

Check the VPN.ac review for detailed test results.

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Trust.Zone VPN — A basic, affordable VPN in Seychelles

Trust.Zone is another cheap, yet high-performing VPN provider to consider. Trust.Zone is based in Seychelles and offers a basic VPN with some great features at a very reasonable price. It is a no-logs service with strong encryption and good security.

It's important to note that reputable VPN companies need ongoing revenue to operate effectively and reliably, which is why lifetime VPN subscriptions are generally unsustainable.

Trust.Zone features

• Strong encryption: Data is secured with an AES-256-CBC cipher, SHA256 authentication, and an RSA-2048 handshake.
• Leak protection: Leak protection (kill switch) features are available with the Windows and Android clients.
• Streaming support: You can stream Netflix, Hulu, and other services through Trust.Zone servers (no blocks).
• Dedicated IP: Trust.Zone offers very affordable prices if you need a VPN with a static IP address in different countries.
• Double VPN servers: Trust.Zone offers a few double-VPN servers, but not nearly as many as NordVPN or Surfshark.
• WireGuard: Trust.zone now supports WireGuard, but the setup is cumbersome through third-party apps.

Unfortunately, Trust.Zone does not offer a macOS VPN app. Another possible drawback is that they have not published any third-party audits of their no logs policy.

FREE TRIAL: Trust.Zone is a great option if you want a free trial VPN. You will get 3 GB of bandwidth and/or 3 days, whichever comes first, and you don't need to provide any payment info.

See this Trust.Zone review for more details.

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PrivadoVPN — Secure Swiss VPN with unlimited connections

Next up is PrivadoVPN. Even though it’s not as popular as other big VPN services, PrivadoVPN works well and has great privacy features. It’s based in Switzerland, which is known for having strong privacy laws, and it doesn’t keep logs of your online activity. Like Surfshark, PrivadoVPN offers unlimited device connections under a single plan, making it especially cost-effective for families.

In terms of streaming services, PrivadoVPN currently supports Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime, and other services (but we haven’t tested them all). This cheap VPN is also a good VPN for torrenting, with no restrictions on torrenting or file-sharing. With a paid subscription to PrivadoVPN, you’ll get unlimited simultaneous connections to their VPN server network.

PrivadoVPN supports the OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols. The apps include a kill switch to prevent any VPN leaks. And like Surfshark and NordVPN, PrivadoVPN also has an ad-blocking VPN feature that’s called Control Tower.

Refund policy: PrivadoVPN offers a 30-day refund policy and live chat support with all subscription plans. The cheapest VPN subscription is with the one-year plan when you use the exclusive coupon below.

Check out the PrivadoVPN review for more info.

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AirVPN — Secure and cheap Italian VPN

AirVPN is a VPN service that focuses on keeping your online activities private. It is based in Italy and is very affordable. AirVPN has been around for many years and has a good reputation among people who care about privacy.

VPN users should be aware of jurisdictional issues, as providers based in certain countries may be subject to data retention and surveillance laws that could impact privacy and data security.

You can use AirVPN on all major devices and operating systems, and its apps have built-in leak protection to keep your data safe. Unlike the majority of VPN services, AirVPN only uses dedicated bare-metal servers to ensure the highest level of security.

AirVPN key features

Overview of AirVPN features:

• Fully-featured open-source clients: The AirVPN client is open-source and available for Windows, Mac OS, Linux, and Android. It incorporates strong leak-protection features.
• Strong encryption: Air VPN encrypts traffic with an AES-256-GCM cipher together with a 4096-bit RSA key and SHA384 authentication.
• Secure servers: AirVPN runs only dedicated bare-metal servers in secure data centers around the world.
• IPv6 support: IPv6 is supported throughout the server network.
• No logs: AirVPN is a no-logs VPN service.

Refund policy: Refunds are limited to only 3 days and/or 5 GB of data transfer.

Website: https://AirVPN.org/

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Risks of free VPNs

While most cheap VPNs are not secure, there are a few noteworthy outliers that offer secure VPN clients, good encryption, and fast speeds, making them safe to use. But the problem is finding the good ones when many cheap VPN services have problems like these:

• Traffic leaks — They leak your IP address and/or DNS requests, thereby rendering the VPN useless.
• Broken features — Many cheap VPN services advertise features that simply do not work well. Imagine relying on a VPN service with a faulty kill switch or unreliable split tunneling. A reliable VPN connection is essential for maintaining your security and privacy, and a kill switch feature is crucial because it cuts internet access if the connection drops, preventing data leaks.
• Data collection — Some cheap free VPN services pay their bills by collecting and selling your data. Others are forced to collect data by the jurisdiction in which they are based.
• Poor support — Many cheap VPNs skimp on customer support.

We’ve done the hard work of finding good cheap VPNs for you in this article. Choose from among these for the best results.

Which is best, a free VPN or a Cheap VPN?

You might be tempted to use free VPN services – but this is usually a bad idea. Most “free” VPNs make their money by collecting and selling user data to third parties. Is saving a few bucks a month worth the risk of getting your online identity stolen, or finding that your personal information if for sale on the Darknet?

Other free VPNs get paid by hackers and other crooks to install malware on your computer. One interesting study found that 38% of free Android VPN apps contained malware, and over 80% leaked sensitive user data.

In short, using a free VPN can easily lead to bad things. Spend a few bucks per month and use a cheap VPN service instead.

Low-price VPNs with discounts and coupons

As mentioned above, some of these VPN services are offering discounts and coupons.

VPN coupons and discounts are a great way to secure a cheap VPN without breaking the bank. While many VPNs are fairly expensive and do not offer any major discounts or coupons, there are a few that offer some great deals.

For example, our top recommendation, NordVPN, occasionally offers bundled deals and discounts. I keep track of these on the NordVPN coupon page. We also have an ExpressVPN coupon page. However, even with the coupon, ExpressVPN is still more expensive than any other VPN on this list.

There are also many cheap VPNs that offer discounts at various times of the year. For example, we find many people purchasing VPN subscriptions around Black Friday and Cyber Monday. We track these deals as well with our guide on the best VPN Black Friday deals

What about VPN renewal prices, do they stay cheap?

Keep in mind that some inexpensive VPNs might raise their prices upon renewal. We've also noticed that some VPN services will increase their prices significantly after the renewal term. Some VPNs may even offer a cheap trial period, but then hike the prices much higher than average when the trial is over. We have seen this in the past, for example, with PureVPN and also with Avast VPN.

To avoid any surprises, ensure that you read the terms and conditions and understand the pricing structure for renewals before subscribing to a cheap VPN service.

Are cheap VPNs worth it?

As long as you can find a trustworthy and secure provider, using a cheap VPN is definitely worth it. But it can take a lot of effort to research the best options. Unfortunately, there are many cheap VPNs that don't use strong encryption or are extremely slow.

The key question here is value: what do you get for your money?

Some VPNs are on the higher end of the pricing spectrum, such as at $4.99 per month. And despite being less expensive, NordVPN still beat ExpressVPN in nearly every category of the NordVPN vs ExpressVPN comparison. Paying more money does not necessarily mean a better experience since there are many factors to consider. All of the cheap VPNs we recommend in this guide offer full support for the WireGuard VPN protocol, which is on its way to becoming the new industry standard.

Lastly, at the other end of the spectrum are free VPN mobile apps, which are generally not worth the risk.

Cheap VPNs take the middle ground and offer good value for your money. In other words, you can still get a pretty good VPN without spending too much money, provided that you select a good provider.

Are there any safe 100% free VPNs?

Unfortunately, the answer is not really. As we already covered above, free VPNs have costs to operate the service, and somebody needs to pay these costs. If the VPN does not cost any money, then the chances are very high that you are actually paying for the service with your private data.

Some VPNs use a freemium business model. Freemium VPNs offer a limited or restricted free VPN option, along with premium paid plans. We already discussed this above with TrustZone VPN offering a free 3-day trial.

Why are long-term VPN subscriptions the cheapest?

There's one thing you will probably notice when browsing the websites of these cheap VPNs. When looking at pricing tables, you can see that the prices of long-term plans are a lot cheaper than paying for the service on a month-to-month basis. In other words, the overall cost over time is cheaper, despite the higher up-front cost.

On a monthly basis, you will almost always save a lot of money by signing up for the longest-term subscription a service offers. Meanwhile, if you keep paying the recurring fees for a 1-month subscription every month, you will typically end up paying more than three times the price over the course of two years.

If a company can get you to sign up for a long-term subscription, they lock in a long-term customer. Plus the long-term subscription gives them more months over which to amortize the costs of acquiring and onboarding a new customer. Most subscription services utilize this same pricing model where you save more when you sign up for a longer subscription

Given the amount of money you can save, it is good to go with a longer plan (just keep in mind the 30-day refund window). The longer plan will give you the best savings for your VPN, and the refund window will give you time to test everything out. It's the best of both worlds.

Other tips for VPN shoppers on a budget and looking to save money

It seems like prices for everything are going up right now. While inflation has fallen from recent highs, the cost of living is still going up sharply. Consequently, people are looking to save money everywhere they can. Thanks to intense competition, VPN prices are not skyrocketing like most other things.

For those on a budget, we would recommend going with a VPN that has a full 30-day refund window. This gives you plenty of time to test out the service risk-free. After all, there is no sense in buying more than one VPN because the first one you purchased did not meet your needs.

Another tip is to take advantage of free trial VPNs. This will allow you to test out the VPN with either a completely free trial window or a risk-free trial that allows you to get a full refund. One example of the former is Trust.Zone, which offers a 3-day free trial for all new users.

Our third tip is to consider bundling services. In many cases, this is cheaper than purchasing services separately. For example, with NordVPN, you can add both NordPass and NordLocker to your VPN subscription. This will be much cheaper than purchasing all three services separately.

This is not always the case, however. As we noted in the Proton VPN review, this service used to charge an absurd rate ($24 per month) for their “Visionary” plan, which is just the VPN and secure email service bundled together. Happily, the team at Proton has remedied this and their prices are much more reasonable.

Conclusion: The best VPN for someone on a budget

Not sure which cheap VPN is best for you? You can’t go wrong if you choose our #1 pick, NordVPN. Fast, secure, versatile, and cheap, NordVPN can do it all. And you can get the best possible price on NordVPN by using the coupon below:

While there are other low-cost VPNs available, we've personally tested and approved the ones listed below. And we've ruled out the ones that you don't want to use. See, for example, our NordVPN vs PureVPN comparison, where PureVPN fails to make the grade, even though it is very cheap. The VPNs we recommend in this article all meet our high standards, provide great value for money, and are worth considering if you're on a tight budget.

1. NordVPN — High performance, advanced features and low price make this the best cheap VPN (with a 70% off coupon).

2. Surfshark — Fast, cheap VPN with unlimited simultaneous connections. Visit site >

3. Proton VPN — Huge server network and Swiss privacy. Visit site >

4. VPN.ac — Secure,cheap VPN based in Romania. Visit site >

5. Trust.Zone — A basic, affordable VPN in Seychelles. Visit site >

6. PrivadoVPN — Secure Swiss VPN with unlimited connections. Visit site >

7. AirVPN — Secure and cheap Italian VPN. Visit site >

Why shell out more when you can gain the same level of protection for a fraction of the cost? Make a well-informed choice and select the best affordable VPN service that fits your needs and budget.

A cheap VPN service will get the job done, with money to spare. And if you want to check out some other deals, see our VPN coupons guide for additional ways to save in 2026.