The Best VPNs for Cheap 2023

See why Surfshark is the best cheap VPN for penny pinchers, why Private Internet Access is great for torrent enthusiasts, and why everyone should use NordVPN for streaming and gaming.
We may receive compensation from the products and services mentioned in this story, but the opinions are the author's own. Compensation may impact where offers appear. We have not included all available products or offers. Learn more about how we make money and our editorial policies.

Best Value Overall

Learn More
On Surfshark's website

  • Unlimited simultaneous connections
  • Works with Netflix and other streaming services
  • Headquarters in Nine Eyes Alliance

Best for Torrent Enthusiasts

Learn More
On Private Internet Access's website

  • Fast internet speeds and strict no-logs policy
  • Unblocks Netflix and other streaming services
  • Antivirus and dedicated IP address cost extra

Best for Streaming and Gaming

Learn More
On NordVPN's website

  • Loads of servers for more connection options
  • Works with popular streaming services, including Netflix
  • Too many confusing plans

To find out what the best cheap virtual private network (VPN) on the market is, we researched and tested several providers. After finishing our testing and evaluation, we determined a top three, all of which offer the most bang for your buck with their robust features and strong security. 

The results? We determined Surfshark, Private Internet Access (PIA), and NordVPN are the best cheap VPN services.

Read on to discover why we favored these VPN providers, why ExpressVPN nearly made our top three list (it was close but no cigar), and why we were so disappointed that CyberGhost got smoked as the worst-performing cheap VPN we tested.

In this article
The best VPNs for cheap
Surfshark: Best overall
PIA: Best for torrent enthusiasts
NordVPN: Best for streaming and gaming
VPNs that didn’t make the cut
Best cheap VPNs FAQs
Bottom line: The best VPNs for cheap
How we tested the best cheap VPNs

The best VPNs for cheap

We ran a series of VPN tests and checked out the features of Surfshark, ExpressVPN, and NordVPN before determining they were our top three favorite picks. Surfshark was our best choice for the penny pincher on a budget who seeks a high-quality VPN, PIA is best for torrent enthusiasts, and NordVPN was our best pick for streaming and gaming.

Top 3 cheap VPN services compared 2023

Best Overall

Surfshark

Private Internet Access

NordVPN
Starting price Starts at $2.30/mo Starts at $2.03/mo Starts at $3.99/mo
Simultaneous connections Unlimited Unlimited 6
Features Kill switch, smart DNS, WireGuard protocol, AES-256-GCM encryption, 2FA Advanced split tunneling, ad and malware blocking, WireGuard protocol, dedicated IP addresses, advanced encryption settings P2P and Onion Over VPN support, double VPN, kill switch, DNS leak protection, dedicated IP addresses, obfuscated servers
Learn more Get Surfshark
Read Our Surfshark Review
Get PIA
Read Our PIA Review
Get NordVPN
Read Our NordVPN Review

Prices as of 5/25/2023.

The top picks in this article are all affordable VPNs rather than free ones. If you are considering a free VPN instead, read our article on the top five best free VPNs.

Surfshark: Best overall

Surfshark is Best for the Penny Pincher Seeking a High-Quality VPN
Learn More
On Surfshark's website

  • Unlimited simultaneous connections
  • Works with Netflix and other streaming services
  • Headquarters in Nine Eyes Alliance

Who it’s best for

Surfshark is an affordable, fast VPN service that is reliable and secure with a wide range of features. It is ideal for the budget-conscious person seeking a cheap VPN provider but refusing to compromise on quality.

What we liked

Surfshark is the best VPN for the price because it offers blazing-fast connection speeds with a wide range of server locations to select from, allows for unlimited simultaneous connections, and is capable of unblocking and streaming Netflix libraries around the world without any lag, all without breaking the bank.

In addition, this VPN offers plenty of tools to keep your device secure. Surfshark uses AES-256-GCM encryption. Unlike AES-256, which only provides encryption for confidentiality purposes, AES-256-GCM encrypts and secures your data to remain confidential, but also verifies its authenticity and integrity. For VPN protocols, it uses WireGuard, which is a modern, fast, and secure tunneling profile (and it's faster than OpenVPN).

Beyond a kill switch, split tunneling, and other common VPN features, Surfshark also comes with the following:

  • Multi-Hop (also known as a double VPN): Lets you connect to the VPN via multiple server locations at once.
  • IP Rotator: Changes your IP address periodically without disconnecting you from the VPN.
  • Smart DNS: Helps you unlock streaming U.S. content by changing the DNS addresses on your device from your local ones to Surfshark’s DNS servers based in the U.S.
  • CleanWeb: Blocks ads/malware and prevents phishing attempts.
  • Surfshark Alert: Notifies you when your personal information is leaked on the web.
  • Surfshark Antivirus: Protects against viruses, malware, and intrusive apps.
  • Surfshark Search: A zero-logs private search engine.


While Surfshark is headquartered in the Netherlands, a Nine and 14 Eyes Alliance country, it successfully passed an independent audit of its no-logs policy, which was conducted by Deloitte on December 2, 2022. As per its no-logs policy, Surfshark only processes minimal user information to maintain its services; it does not collect or store any data regarding your IP address, browsing activities, or internet traffic data.

Additionally, Surfshark accepts cryptocurrency payments, making it a viable choice for anyone seeking extra privacy. They also have responsive customer support that is available 24/7 via live chat or email.

What we didn’t like

Surfshark VPN is missing a key feature: dedicated IP addresses. This is important because it can ensure faster speeds since you will be the only one using the IP address and there won’t be a lot of online traffic coming from the same IP address. A dedicated IP address can also prevent those annoying CAPTCHAs from popping up on the Google search engine due to a large amount of traffic coming from the same IP address.

Surfshark offers a static server instead, which is a static IP address on a selected server, but its drawback is that it’ll be shared with other users. Luckily, a dedicated IP feature is on Surfshark’s roadmap at this time.

Surfshark specs

Price range $2.30–$12.95/mo
Free plan No, but it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and a seven-day free trial (on Android, iOS, and macOS)
Number of servers 3,200+ servers in 100 countries
Number of connected devices Unlimited
VPN protocol WireGuard, IKEv2/IPsec, OpenVPN UDP / TCP
No-logs policy No logs
Unblocks Netflix? Yes
Torrenting support Yes
Learn more Get Surfshark
Read Our Surfshark Review

Prices as of 5/25/2023.

PIA: Best for torrent enthusiasts

PIA Offers Worldwide Servers and Fast Speeds for Torrenting
Learn More
On Private Internet Access's website

  • Fast internet speeds and strict no-logs policy
  • Unblocks Netflix and other streaming services
  • Antivirus and dedicated IP address cost extra

Who it’s best for

Private Internet Access, also known as PIA, is the best VPN for torrent enthusiasts. Users who desire a VPN service that has servers around the world and supports torrenting with fast speeds, strong encryption, a kill switch, secure tunneling protocols, and other advanced features will be pleased. Additionally, it is very affordable, coming in at a low cost of $2.03 per month if you select the three-year plan or $3.33 per month if you select the annual plan.

What we liked

We liked that Private Internet Access has servers around the world, is reliable and fast, and has robust features for privacy and security. It is a fast VPN for torrenting, supports all popular BitTorrent clients, and has its own SOCKS5 proxy server. SOCKS5 is an internet protocol that Tor uses. Since PIA supports SOCKS5, it can send the traffic through the Tor network instead of sending it from your IP address into the open network. It also allows port forwarding (except in the U.S.), which boosts torrenting speeds.

To keep your device safe while torrenting, PIA offers AES-128 and AES-256 encryption; WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2/IPsec protocols; a kill switch; advanced split tunneling; and more. Some of PIA’s top features for privacy and security are as follows:

  • Dedicated IP addresses
  • Smart DNS
  • Antivirus protection
  • Leak prevention (e.g., blocks IPv6 leaks)
  • Email breach scanner

What we didn’t like

While PIA has a plethora of great features to offer, we really didn’t like that it’s headquartered in the U.S. This means that PIA is part of the Five Eyes Alliance. Countries that are part of the Five Eyes Alliance have made agreements to share intelligence with each other. These countries include the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand.

In other words, your data can be potentially collected and shared, which is a privacy risk to consider, especially for torrenters.

Private Internet Access (PIA) specs

Price range $2.03–$11.95/mo
Free version No, but it offers a seven-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee for all plans
Number of servers 17,000+
Number of connected devices Unlimited
VPN protocol WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPsec
No-logs policy No logs
Unblocks Netflix? Yes
Torrenting support Yes
Learn more Get PIA
Read Our PIA Review

Prices as of 5/25/2023.

NordVPN: Best for streaming and gaming

NordVPN Is Best for Streaming Enthusiasts and Gamers Alike
Learn More
On NordVPN's website

  • Loads of servers for more connection options
  • Works with popular streaming services, including Netflix
  • Too many confusing plans

Who it’s best for

NordVPN is the best choice for streaming enthusiasts and gamers alike who want a fast, secure, and powerful VPN service that offers all the bells and whistles. NordVPN is packed with an extensive catalog of advanced security features like lightning-fast servers, Onion Over VPN, and more.

What we liked

We loved that NordVPN is an all-in-one VPN solution with the fastest VPN speeds on the market. It has the ability to unblock restrictions on streaming services like Netflix*, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, and more all over the world.

NordVPN is very fast and reliable. It also uses a unique technology called Meshnet, which lets you directly connect to other devices around the world and link up to a maximum of 60 devices, making it easy to host and join LAN parties — great for gamers. Additionally, it’s compatible with a wide range of platforms and web browsers while offering an impressive number of features to keep your online traffic secure without compromising speed. But wait, there’s more! NordVPN also supports torrenting and P2P networking, which we appreciated.

With its next-generation file encryption features, NordVPN even adds extra layers of security to help you keep your data safe. It also has a Threat Protection feature, which is a cross-platform password manager you can use to generate secure passwords and safely store them. And its data breach scanner checks to see if your sensitive personally identifiable information (PII) has been leaked. As you can see, NordVPN is packed with features.

*Netflix actively works to block VPNs, so a VPN that works with Netflix today may not work tomorrow.

What we didn’t like

One drawback we found with NordVPN is that its VPN cost can be more expensive in its upper range compared to other VPN prices. Additionally, NordVPN only offers its split tunneling features like “inverse split tunneling” for Android, Android TV, and Windows, as well as “app-based split tunneling” for Windows 8.1 and up, at this time.

Even though it isn’t the cheapest VPN on this list, we can surely agree that it offers more bang for your buck than Hotspot Shield or TunnelBear.

NordVPN specs

Price range $3.99–$15.69/mo
Free version No, but it offers a 30-day, money-back guarantee
Number of servers 5,500+ servers in 60 countries
Number of connected devices 6
VPN protocol IKEv2/IPsec, OpenVPN, NordLynx (built around WireGuard)
No-logs policy No logs
Unblocks Netflix? Yes
Torrenting support Yes
Learn more Get NordVPN
Read Our NordVPN Review

Prices as of 5/25/2023.

VPNs that didn’t make the cut

CyberGhost and ExpressVPN didn’t make it to our top three VPN picks, falling short behind Surfshark, NordVPN, and Private Internet Access for a number of reasons.

CyberGhost

CyberGhost’s server speeds were slow and inconsistent, especially when we selected VPN servers halfway around the globe. Although it’s expected, we’d like to say that a download speed of 53.7 Mbps on their Melbourne, Australia, server while connecting from the U.S. is unacceptable. 

Second, its Netflix streaming capabilities were not impressive and did not work in Canada, in addition to giving us an “ERR_ADDRESS_UNREACHABLE” error when we tried to connect to Netflix.com. Its unreliability was rather frustrating for us.

Furthermore, CyberGhost does not offer split tunneling, which can be a dealbreaker for some VPN users. CyberGhost also claims to have a no-logs policy, but it has not undergone an independent third-party audit to verify these claims. Did we also mention its customer support was the slowest and least helpful compared to the customer support of our top three VPN picks?

Read Our CyberGhost Review

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN almost made it to our top-three list of the best cheap VPNs. We thought ExpressVPN was a great all-purpose VPN for browsing the web securely, streaming, gaming, and torrenting. It has a no-logs policy as well, which is routinely audited by reputable third-party companies. These companies include PwC, KPMG, and the cybersecurity firm Cure53.

You can see why it was a close runner-up, but since our review is based on cheap VPNs, ExpressVPN fell short due to being on the more expensive side with prices ranging from $6.67–$12.95/mo, unlike our top cheap VPNs that all have a starting price under $5 per month.

Read Our ExpressVPN Review

Best cheap VPNs FAQs


+

How much is a VPN typically?

According to Security.org, a VPN costs $10 per month on average, and annual contracts are about $8.41 when broken down monthly.[1]


+

What is the best VPN service for the price?

Depending on your needs, it is ultimately up to you to decide what is the best cheap VPN for you.

If you want to connect multiple devices at once or get around geo-restricted or blocked content, Surfshark is the best VPN for the money. NordVPN is the best value VPN if you’re seeking a large network of servers and want to use its Onion Over VPN feature for torrenting. PIA is a strong contender for torrenting.


+

What is the best cheap VPN app?

Surfshark is the best cheap VPN app for a number of reasons. It is very intuitive and user-friendly, has blazing-fast speeds, offers strong encryption, supports unlimited devices simultaneously, and is packed with more features that give you lots of bang for the buck for a very low price.


+

Is a cheap VPN worth it?

A cheap VPN is worth it if you’re seeking an affordable option that can do at least the bare minimum of protecting your identity and keeping your online traffic and data secure. Keep in mind that there can be some drawbacks to using a cheap VPN, like limited privacy and security features, a lack of servers, slower speeds, unreliable services, and poor customer support.

VPN services that are free or cheap may also make money from other avenues, like collecting your data and selling it to third parties. Be sure to check your VPN service’s privacy policy at all times before choosing it to ensure your privacy remains safe.

Bottom line: The best VPNs for cheap

Our top VPNs for cheap are Surfshark for the penny-pincher who desires a high-quality VPN, PIA for torrent enthusiasts, and NordVPN for streaming and gaming

We hoped that CyberGhost would be as cool as its name, but it turned out to be our least favorite cheap VPN because it didn’t offer much value with its unreliable speeds and connections, lack of advanced security and privacy features, inability to stream Netflix in Canada, and poor customer support. Although ExpressVPN had excellent features and was a close runner-up, it didn’t make the cut because it was too expensive to list as a cheap VPN.

3 best cheap VPNs 2023

Starting price Best for Learn more

Surfshark
Starts at $2.30/mo Best overall Get Surfshark

Read Surfshark Review


Private Internet Access
Starts at $2.03/mo Best for torrenting enthusiasts Get PIA

Read PIA Review


NordVPN
Starts at $3.99/mo Best for streaming and gaming Get NordVPN

Read NordVPN Review

Prices as of 5/25/2023.

How we tested the best cheap VPNs

We ran a series of tests on five VPNs: CyberGhost, NordVPN, PIA, Surfshark, and ExpressVPN. These tests helped us determine how fast their VPN speeds were, their ability to stream Netflix, the reliability of their connectivity, the strength of their security, and the performance of their advanced features.

We researched each of their capabilities thoroughly before making a VPN price comparison and weighing their features against each other. After finishing all of our testing and research, we discovered only a few contenders were the best cheap VPNs. ExpressVPN was a close runner-up, while CyberGhost was too disappointing to be considered a contender.

Author Details
Mars is a cybersecurity professional and writer based in California. He serves as an Advisory Board Member for WEBGAP, specializing in browser isolation.

Citations

[1] How much does a VPN cost?