The best cheap VPNs: Expert tested

*Lowest price at the time of writing. Please note that prices may vary based on retailer and available promotions, sales, or discounts.

The best cheap VPN depends on various factors besides price. If you choose a low-cost service but can't unblock the streaming services you want to use, then what did you really save? Start by asking yourself why you need a VPN. Then, test out a reputable provider with high-security standards.

If you want to learn more about how VPNs work and how to choose the best one for you, check out our guide: What is a VPN, and why do we need one?

When you are deciding what VPN to sign up for, there are several factors you should consider:

• Plan length: Before signing up for a new VPN service, consider which subscription length is right for you. Month-by-month plans are considerably more expensive than longer plans, of which you can choose six-month to five-year plans. We find that the longest terms are almost always the cheapest.
• Price: The cost of your VPN subscription should naturally factor into your decision. Choose one that is affordable for you, especially if you are signing up for a year or more. 
• Tax: Some VPN providers, such as those based in the US, may add taxes to the cost of a contract. 
• Upfront cost: Most VPNs market their wares at an equivalent monthly price, but they may require a higher upfront cost. You'll still secure a great monthly cost, but you might have to pay for the full plan in one go. 
• Features: Many cheap VPNs don't offer advanced features on their basic or longest plans. You may need to pay more for a specific feature, such as a password manager. 
• Use cases: If you want a VPN for a specific purpose beyond day-to-day browsing -- such as traveling -- check whether the VPN is suitable. You may need to opt for a particular VPN if you want to use it in different countries, for example, or you may want to choose a VPN known for great streaming support.
• Renewal terms: Automatic renewal and billing might sting you in the future, especially if the VPN's pricing has changed. You might want to turn off auto-renewal and shop around for a new deal instead.

We tested and analyzed the best cheap VPNs in 2024 using the following criteria to help you make an informed decision:

• Performance: We tested most of the VPNs on this list to ensure robust performance in terms of connection and speed. After all, there's no point in using a VPN if your connection continually drops or lags.
• Simultaneous connections: Many VPNs limit the number of devices you can connect to a service simultaneously. If you have a phone, tablet, laptop, desktop, or smart TV you want to connect to a VPN, you need a service that allows at least five or six simultaneous connections.
• Security: There's no point in using a VPN unless its security protocols and encryption levels are up to scratch. We also ensured the development team behind each recommended VPN cared about making security improvements over time and patching reported bugs.
• Kill switch: A kill switch prevents you from having an unprotected connection. It is an important feature for a VPN, as it protects you by preventing a return to a default Wi-Fi connection should your internet connection unexpectedly drop.
• Geo-blocks and streaming: VPNs can be key to accessing local content and services while you're away from home. We ensured that our top recommendations performed well considering these factors and are unlikely to slow down your connection while streaming.
• Platforms: What systems and devices can you run the VPN on? Our VPN recommendations have to offer easy-to-use and intuitive apps suitable for various hardware.  
• Countries and servers: In how many different countries does the VPN have servers? This can include physical and virtual servers, and whether there are enough -- at least 50 or so -- to provide variety.
• Trial length and price: Each VPN we recommend has a solid money-back guarantee of at least 30 days. 

For a more extensive breakdown, check out our comprehensive VPN testing methodology page.

Free months, added as an incentive for users to sign up for a VPN service, are typically added to the length of your contract. For example, if you sign up for a two-year contract with three months free, you pay for 24 months of access and then enjoy an additional three months free.

If you want your data to be secure, then yes. VPNs offer protection no matter what kind of device you use to transmit and receive data. Before you commit to a VPN service, it's a good idea to test it out and see how well it works with all your devices. The best VPN for Android may not be the same as the best VPN for iOS, and vice versa.

A VPN may help you get cheaper flights by connecting you with foreign servers and hiding your IP address. That said, airline prices shift based on various factors, and the impact of changing your location could be negligible or, at the very least, hard to confirm. 

It's worth trying to use a VPN to save money on flights. We've managed to score slightly cheaper long-haul flights by appearing to come from the destination country, for example, but the discounts haven't been huge. 

Let's be clear: Yes. A VPN will slow your connection because your data is encrypted, decrypted, and sent through intermediate servers. Your online gaming experience might suffer. If you're a first-person shooter player, you might have enough lag to miss shots. That said, both computers and VPNs have gotten much faster. Years ago, VPNs caused everything to slow down far more than today's services.

Nowadays, the negative impact is almost unnoticeable, especially with the fastest VPN services. Most (but not all) VPN providers also limit the number of devices you can connect to simultaneously, so you may have to pick and choose which home devices to connect to.

In this article, we've focused on paid services, although some offer a free tier. We don't usually recommend free VPN services because we don't consider them secure, with a few exceptions, such as ProtonVPN and Windscribe. 

Running a good VPN service requires hundreds of servers worldwide and many networking resources -- it's expensive. If you're not paying to support that infrastructure, who is? Probably advertisers or data miners. What's the point of a VPN if it doesn't keep your data secure? 

That said, no tool can guarantee your privacy. First, anything can be hacked. Second, a VPN protects your data when it transits from your computer to the VPN service, but it doesn't protect what you put on servers or whatever cloud-based application you're using. It doesn't typically offer password security or multi-factor authentication unless you pay for these add-ons. Privacy and security require you to be diligent about your digital presence, and VPNs, while helpful, are not a miracle cure.

While we have found the best affordable VPNs on the market, some VPNs can be expensive. They may still only cost the equivalent of your monthly subscription to Netflix, but VPNs that cost upwards of $10 per month for long-term contracts are unusual.

Usually, these VPNs provide something others do not, and if they are known to provide a fast, secure, and trustworthy service, they can bump up the price. An example is Astrill VPN, which starts at $12.50/month. Why? It is one of the best options for Chinese nationals to circumvent the country's censorship and web restrictions. 

You can, but paying for one month will be expensive. To deter customers from doing so, many VPN providers charge over $10 for four weeks of access. A better option could be to sign up for a one- or two-year contract, take advantage of a money-back guarantee -- which is usually 30 days -- and cancel before the month is up. 

If what we highlighted here doesn't suit your needs, you can try out other services that may meet your requirements. Below, you can check out other VPNs that are worth your consideration.