Looking for the cheapest VPN? We can help with this. After all, our guide is here to compare all of the cheap VPNs to see which one works best.
Using a cheap VPN doesn’t mean that you should have to suffer less privacy or freedom in how you use the internet. Our comparison has found some great VPNs who let you access hundreds of servers from multiple devices, all at a low price point. Perfect for enjoying the internet privately while not spending too much of your own money.
No one wants to pay more money than they need to. This is especially true when it comes to using virtual private networks. After all, VPNs all do the same standard thing in keeping your data private when you use the internet. So if a cheap VPN manages to do this simple job, then why waste your money paying for something a little extra?
OK, so some premium VPNs may allow you to access more servers, use more simultaneous devices and get extra features. But the basic thing is the best and the cheapest VPN will simply keep your data private and let you enjoy unrestricted access to the internet. Anything beyond that is surely a bonus.
Most VPN brands will have a variety of different subscription packages where you have to pay a fixed amount every month, every six months or even every year. We consider any monthly payment amount of less than $10 to be cheap.
After all, some premium VPN services have standard payment plans where you’ll be expected to pay in excess of $15 each month. Obviously, you can pay less than this if you opt for an annual plan, and we’re also not including those welcome offers that give you a cut-price monthly plan for a couple of months.
There are multiple factors that go into how each VPN works, and these will all have a bearing on its price point. So here are the key ingredients of what we’d look for in a cheap VPN:
We’d expect to not have to pay any more than $10 per month for a cheap VPN. Plus there should be a welcome offer or at least some kind of free trial period to begin with.
Just because a VPN is cheap doesn’t mean that you should suffer from a small amount of servers. After all, a wide range of servers means that the VPN’s users won’t all be bottlenecked into using the same server with the ensuing slow data speeds. Plus the number of servers should include a good range of global locations to cater to those people who are travelling. Any less than a couple of hundred servers is a no-no from us.
Chances are that you will be wanting to use more than just one device with your VPN. This is why even the cheapest VPN monthly plan will tend to let you have up to five simultaneous connections. As a result, you could enjoy privacy and freedom over how you use your computer, smartphone, tablet and so on, all at the same time.
All VPNs should be able to carry out the basic task of keeping your web traffic private. They do this by rerouting your web traffic to one of their servers that will encrypt your data and send it onto the website you want to use as normal. Obviously, if a cheap VPN fails to do this simple task, then we’ll strike it off our shortlist.
You’ll understand that using the cheapest VPN will often have limitations on things like how many servers you can access and how many simultaneous connections you can have.
Each VPN provider will therefore aim to put on a cheap and competitive package that may make many trade-offs to give you an agreeable price point. Here are three of the best cheap VPN services with a comparison of what you can get from them.
| Free VPN | Servers | Data |
|---|---|---|
| TunnelBear | No restrictions to 47 servers | 500 MB per month |
| ProtonVPN | Three servers in US, JP and NL | No data limit |
| BitDefender VPN | Must use server closest to you | 200 MB daily data limit |
Private Internet Access is easily one of the best cheap VPNs that you’re going to come across. This is because for just $6.95 per month, you could use in excess of 3,000 servers spread across the globe. A great option for anyone seeking a VPN while travelling.
All of this is coupled up with letting you use the industry standard of five simultaneous devices, as well as plugins for your Chrome browser and so on. Some people might find that the PIA VPN suffers a bit in terms of its basic functionality, but for sheer value, then this virtual private network is the one to beat.
This virtual private network brand gives you a good trade-off between a quality service and a competitive price point. At just $8.95 per month, you’ll get access to around 500 servers that are spread in dozens of locations around the world.
In addition to this, Ivacy VPN lets you use up to five devices simultaneously, which means that you can use everything from your computer to smartphone and so on. Plus there are a bunch of extra benefits including client apps for Android, iOS, Mac and Windows, and separate plugins for Firefox and Chrome.
Such features will come at the cost of some drop-outs in your connection, but there is no denying the fact that Ivacy VPN does a great job in giving a quality virtual private network on a budget.
We think that Proton VPN is definitely worth a closer look for anyone looking for a cost-price way to stay anonymous online. While the virtual private network has a relatively small number of just 300 servers in around 30 countries, it excels in other areas such as being able to use up to 10 simultaneous connections while accessing its P2P servers.
All of this is available for just $4.99 per month and it is enough to put Proton VPN in our shortlist for cheap VPNs. However, where Proton VPN really shines is the fact that it has a free subscription package. While this limits you to just three servers and one connection, there’s no restriction on data. Truly a great option for anyone keen to avoid spending money to stay private online.
Let’s face it, there is always going to be some kind of trade-off when using the cheapest VPNs. After all, the VPN companies will have to cut certain corners in order to put on their products at a low price point.
This is why it’s a good idea to look around at some premium VPNs to get an idea of what kinds of features you could be missing out on when using a cheap VPN. Here are just a few of the key factors that cheaper VPNs could fall back on:
While there are lots of great cheap VPNs out there, it’s also worth noting that you can even get some free VPNs. Once again, these do all of the standard things like keeping your web traffic private, but the best part is that you won’t have to pay a single penny to use these virtual private networks.
Brands like ProtonVPN, Tunnelbear and BitDefender all have free VPN packages and they are well worth a closer look. Just bear in mind that such free VPNs have even more limitations than cheap VPNs.
Some of these free VPNs will have a very low data limit which could be unreasonable for some, plus you’ll probably find that there are a restricted number of servers that you can use as well as the number of simultaneous connections that you can have.
We should also note that some free VPNs contain ads which could be a big no-no for some people. Still, if you want to enjoy free access to a VPN, there are lots of interesting options to pursue.
By now you’ll have a pretty good understanding that even the cheapest VPN can do a great job in helping you enjoy the internet with complete privacy and zero restrictions. All of the cheap VPNs featured in our shortlist can do this, and let you benefit from hundreds of servers via multiple simultaneous connections too.
Such is the competition among VPN providers that we can expect the cost of their services to keep plummeting over the coming months and years. So watch this space to see what the best cheap VPN will be in the future.
Let’s take a look at the cheapest VPN you can get right now. It might not be one of the premium VPNs like NordVPN, but we’ll make sure that it does a good job of keeping your details private when you use the internet.
We’ve got a great guide that shows you how much a VPN usually costs. This means that you’ll get to see what it means to use a cheap VPN and then you can compare it to one of the premium VPNs like Express VPN. Perfect for seeing which VPN suits your needs best.
Make sure that you read our guide to see if you can get a fully free VPN or whether you’ll have to make do with a cheap VPN instead. We’ll also investigate how these brands operate to see whether they can be the best VPN provider despite offering you a low-cost service.
Take a look at our guide to see which is the cheapest VPN and we’ll compare that to those VPNs at the higher end of the market. Essential reading for anyone who wants to compare the pricing of lots of different virtual private networks.
Check out our guide to see what you should expect to be paying monthly for a cheap VPN. Plus we’ll compare this with something like Surfshack VPN so that you can see what you get if you pay a little extra.
