Since free VPN services generally lack quality and reliability that a premium subscription offers, buying a cheap VPN service is the best option for users on a budget. More so, free VPN services generally offer low speed browser extensions that only re-route browsing data and do not encrypt other data like torrenting. It’s oftentimes best to go for a longer-term subscription as this is where most savings are. Some $10+ per months VPNs cost only $2 with annual plans. That’s a whooping -80% saving.
Cheapest VPN with Fastest Servers:
Cheap VPN services that we selected encrypt not only browsing activities, but offer a full VPN service to secure bitTorrent traffic, messaging, e-mail clients along with all the communication tunneled through a device.
The pricing depends on a combination of factors such as the number of servers and protocols, desktop and mobile custom apps, speed and reliability, advanced protection features and more. And while there are plenty of cheap VPN providers, quality of service, reliability and trustworthiness is paramount.
Having reviewed dozens of leading VPN services, we compiled a list of affordable VPN providers that, despite their cheap $2/month price, manage to deliver an excellent VPN protection to their users.
ANNUAL PRICE: 3.49 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 11.95 USD
Panama based NordVPN is one of the best security oriented VPN companies with amazingly fast infrastructure. NordVPN is a no logs VPN service that was independently audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers AG based in Zurich, Switzerland (one of the Big 4 auditing firms) to back the claims that they don’t log identifiable user information under any circumstances.
NordVPN custom apps have DNS and IP leaks protection and a kill switch that actively monitors your network and shuts down Internet access when your VPN in not running.
NordVPN offers a Double VPN – a privacy feature that sends your Internet traffic through two VPN servers, encrypting it twice.
Onion Over VPN servers is a powerful NordVPN feature that takes your privacy and security to the next level. Using this tech, you first connect to a VPN server and then to the Tor network. Your ISP does not know you are connected to Tor because your entry point in a secure VPN server, while your destination sees an anonymous Tor exit point.
NordVPN obfuscated VPN servers are a perfect choice to use on restrictive networks and to hide the fact that you are using a VPN. These VPN servers are generally recommended for countries that block VPN altogether because the technology can bypass even the most advanced network filtering. Obfsproxy hides OpenVPN and makes your VPN use completely undetectable. Neither your ISP nor the government will know that you are on VPN.
A strict no logs privacy policy, double data encryption, obfuscation tools and a number of advanced security features, makes NordVPN one of the best VPN providers for security and privacy for users with high expectations.
Besides, NordVPN has a Smart Play technology offering an encrypted connection to access geo-restricted content on Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Spotify and similar services. If you are a torrenting user, NordVPN has torrenting VPN servers as well.
NordVPN offers over 5,000 high-speed servers in 62 countries, dedicated & shared IP types, 6 simultaneous logins; the infrastructure is built to provide maximum online security, bypass Internet restrictions, online censorship and network firewalls.
To read a full NordVPN review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 2.59 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 9.95 USD
Based in Malaysia, Hide.me is one the most secure and fastest VPN providers offering ultra fast gigabit VPN servers that deliver the fastest VPN speeds for users on gigabit Internet connection.
Hide.Me is a no logs VPN service with custom VPN apps that include a number of advanced features for maximum security. Hide.Me VPN has a built-in protection against IP and DNS leaks. Kill switch is an excellent tool to shut down Internet access when the connection to a VPN server is dropped.
Stealth Guard takes this even further by blocking access to predetermined apps even when the VPN is OFF. Essentially, you can configure Hide.Me in a way that makes it impossible to use Chrome browser, for instance, when the VPN is not running. This feature is an excellent addition to protect yourself from accidental mistakes.
Hide.Me supports perfect forward secrecy, an advanced security feature that tells OpenVPN to regularly renegotiate private keys. In case the private key of the server is compromised, past session keys will not be compromised. Forward secrecy protects past sessions against future compromises of secret keys, and future sessions against current attacks.
The provider also offers advanced VPN masking tools to bypass strict firewalls, censorship and hide VPN use. Hide.Me masks (obfuscates) OpenVPN traffic with TLS-Crypt so, if your WiFi network blocks VPN by analyzing traffic patterns, this methods can bypass the most advanced firewalls. This setup also encrypts every OpenVPN packet twice, sort of like double VPN encryption.
Additionally, the provider offers a dynamic TCP/UDP port-forwarding (UPnP) with up to 10 TCP/UDP ports, a useful feature on WiFi networks that block VPN ports, or for torrenting. Port forwarding feature is a great addition as it can speed up torrenting or streaming when your ISP throttles select traffic.
More so, you can selectively tunnel only specific traffic via secure servers. Split tunneling feature allows this or, alternatively, SOCKS5 proxy can be setup on your browser/torrenting client and re-route only that traffic.
Hide.Me VPN is extremely reliable and very fast which makes it a perfect choice for security oriented users who would like to enjoy uninterrupted streaming and browsing experience.
To read a full Hide.me review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 3.33 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 10.95 USD
PureVPN, based in the British Virgin Islands offshore zone, is a no logs certified VPN service that was independently audited by KPMG – a big 4 auditor. Always-On Audit feature allows KPMG to conduct a thorough surprise audit of PureVPN’s processes and servers at any time without prior notice.
PureVPN offers hypersonic VPN speeds with 20 Gbps servers in the US and the UK, adding more locations in the future. Secure high-speed PureVPN infrastructure offers advanced security features for anonymous Internet use. Custom apps have a built-in WebRTC, IP and DNS leak protection. Kill switch is feature that guards the users from unencrypted data leaks when the internet connection drops. PureVPN even has a DDoS protection add-on.
Additionally, the provider considered the importance of uninterrupted streaming by introducing Dedicated Streaming add-on that will boost streaming speed and enhance performance. PureVPN optimized streaming servers are best to get a buffer-free streaming experience.
PureVPN is also one of the few VPN providers that can effectively work with Netflix. For this purpose PureVPN setup dedicated Netflix servers. At the moment the provider can unblock Netflix USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Japan.
In case you want to limit your VPN use to specific websites/services only, Split Tunneling feature lets you decide which applications to send through unencrypted channel and which one to secure with an encrypted VPN service.
Split tunneling is commonly used in case you need a VPN for torrenting only. More so, PureVPN offers 2,000 high-speed VPN servers in 140 countries with over 60 dedicated torrenting servers and a port forwarding feature to maximize your upload and download speeds.
Overall, PureVPN is a great no logs VPN service for privacy and security, to access geo-restricted streaming content, unblock websites and bypass censorship.
To read a full PureVPN review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 2.19 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 11.95 USD
PIA is a leading no logs VPN service with over 3,000 VPN servers that deliver great speeds and a reliable performance.
PIA offers an easy to install VPN app for all devices with security and privacy features that protect VPN connection from unexpected data leaks. PIA was once subpoenaed by the FBI and the only information they could provide is that the cluster of IP addresses being used was from the east coast of the United States. The FBI case confirms that PIA indeed does not log any user activity.
Their NAT firewall does a great job protecting from cyber attacks, built-in kill switch secures from unprotected data leaks. In addition, PIA apps have a DNS and IPv4/IPv6 leak protection.
PIA VPN service provider gives unrestricted and uncensored access to inaccessible or censored websites. PIA also works well with Netflix USA and Netflix UK libraries, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Amazon Prime.
For faster streaming and torrenting PIA software offers switching between different connection types and ports. The settings have UDP (faster) and TCP connections types that, depending on network, can speed up traffic. UDP is also greatly preferred for torrenting and streaming. Additionally, PIA allows port forwarding to 443, 80, 110, 53, 8080, 9201. Port 443 is the most widespread option because it is used to bypass strict firewalls when all the other ports are blocked. For instance, forwarding traffic through port 443 will likely bypass VPN block on most WiFi networks.
Thus, PIA can bypass strict censorship and firewalls, effectively giving you anonymous browsing experience by hiding your real IP address.
SOCKS5 proxy is another excellent feature that can re-route only certain traffic through VPN tunnel eliminating the need for split tunneling. SOCKS5 is widely used with torrenting software due to its convenience. Once installed on uTorrent, for instance, it works for p2p traffic only.
To read a full PIA review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 4.49 USD/mo [promocode]
MONTHLY PRICE: 8.99 USD
Offering over 3,000 servers in 55 countries, all mainstream protocols and top-notch security, TorGuard rightfully earned its place as a top VPN provider.
No logging TorGuard VPN is a reliable, fast and secure service for privacy oriented users. TorGuard desktop apps have a kill switch feature that actively monitors your Internet connection to protect you from accidental IP leaks when your WiFi is unstable.
Stealth VPN is a technology that TorGuard uses to bypass Deep Packet Inspection firewalls, such as those typically used at the hotels, airports, restaurants and other public WiFi hotspots to restrict online access. Consequently, TorGuard is a highly recommended VPN service for users who live in the regions with particularly restrictive governments.
Besides a great number of security features and ability to unblock VPN on restrictive WiFi, TorGuard is also an ultra fast VPN service with gigabit servers (actually, 10 Gbps). This infrastructure allows the fastest VPN speeds with a reliable streaming and browsing experience.
Unlike most VPN providers, TorGuard VPN can bypass Netflix proxy error with their Netflix streaming IPs. TorGuard servers work with a number of Netflix regions (USA, UK, Canada, Italy, Germany, Finland, France, Italy, Spain, Japan and Singapore), Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Spotify and virtually any streaming or social media service.
TorGuard is not only one of the best VPN services, it also offers OpenPGP encrypted email service with 2 factor authentication and up to 10Mb free storage.
To read a full TorGuard review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 2.45 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 12.99 USD
Romania based CyberGhost is a secure no logs VPN provider with over 6,500 ultra high speed VPN servers in 90 countries.
The provider has a number of advanced security and privacy features that are not offered by competitors. CyberGhost desktop apps have DNS & IP leaks protection, as well as an automatic kill switch that guards your connection if VPN disconnects.
Anti-fingerprinting and tracking protection blocks websites from storing personally identifiable data. A built-in ad-blocker and anti-malware blocks annoying ads along with malicious websites. Automated HTTPS redirect forces unsecured websites to go to HTTPS, ensuring that you browse the most secure version of it.
Data compression is another interesting feature that compresses data to reduce your Internet usage.
CyberGhost, additionally, offers dedicated high-speed streaming servers to stream Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer and other multimedia services. You can also choose to connect to dedicated VPN servers optimized for torrenting.
Split tunneling is a feature that excludes specific websites from passing through the VPN tunnel. CyberGhost split tunneling only works to bypass predetermined websites, like Netflix.com, and cannot be used for other apps, like torrenting.
For faster streaming and torrenting, CyberGhost VPN allows switching between TCP/UDP protocols (UDP may be faster comparing to TCP).
If you are on a restrictive WiFi network that block VPN connection altogether by closing common VPN ports, typically found at hotels, restaurants and the like, desktop VPN apps can automatically test a wide range of ports and connect to the random VPN port that works. For this reason, the provider is a great choice to unblock VPN, bypass online censorship and unblock restricted content.
To read a full CyberGhost review click HERE.
Considerations when buying the cheapest VPN
- Compare the features and prices of different VPN providers and find the one that suits your needs. You can use our review website and rank VPNs based on various criteria, such as speed, security, privacy, compatibility, customer support, etc.
- Look for discounts and deals. Many VPN providers offer special offers and promotions for new customers or long-term subscriptions. You can save a lot of money by taking advantage of these discounts and signing up for a longer period of time. For example, some VPNs may offer an 85% discount for a 3-year plan, which can reduce the monthly cost significantly. You can also check our website for VPN deals that can lower the price even more.
- Avoid free VPNs. While free VPNs may seem tempting, they often come with hidden costs and risks. Free VPNs may have limited features, slow speeds, unreliable connections, or poor security. They may also collect and sell your personal data, expose you to malware or ads, or even infect your device with viruses. Therefore, it is better to pay a small fee for a reputable and trustworthy VPN than to compromise your online safety and privacy with a free one.
Is cheap VPN safe
VPNs can help you access geo-restricted content, bypass censorship, and secure your data from hackers and snoopers. However, you should take extra care when choosing a trustworthy VPN service. Some VPNs are cheap, but are they safe?
The answer depends on several factors, such as the VPN provider’s reputation, the encryption protocols used, the logging policy, the server network, and the customer support. A cheap VPNs may cut corners on some of these aspects, compromising your privacy and security. For example, a cheap VPN may:
- Use weak or outdated encryption methods that can be easily cracked by malicious actors.
- Keep logs of your online activity and sell them to third parties, such as advertisers, government agencies, or hackers.
- Have a limited number of servers in a few locations, resulting in slow speeds, bandwidth throttling, and frequent connection drops.
- Lack features such as kill switch, DNS leak protection, split tunneling, and obfuscation, which are essential for enhancing your online anonymity and bypassing firewalls.
- Provide poor customer service, with no live chat, email support, or refund policy.
Therefore, before choosing a cheap VPN, you should do some research. You should also look for a VPN that offers a free trial or a money-back guarantee, so you can test its performance and reliability before committing to a long-term subscription. A cheap VPN may seem like a good deal at first glance, but it may end up costing you more in the long run if it jeopardizes your online safety.
For this reason, we only list reputable VPN services with stellar reputation and excellent selection of features suitable for most VPN users.
How to choose the best cheap VPN
Buying a cheap VPN that is good can be a challenging task, as there are many factors to consider. You should use to evaluate different VPN options and select a service that works for your specific needs. We can provide guidance on what to look for:
- Security. A good VPN should have strong encryption, a no-logs policy, and a kill switch feature to protect your online privacy and data.
- Speed. A good VPN should not slow down your internet connection significantly, and should offer fast servers in multiple locations.
- Compatibility. A good VPN should work with different devices and platforms, such as Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, etc.
- Customer support. A good VPN should have responsive and helpful customer support, preferably with live chat and 24/7 availability.
By using these criteria, you can compare different VPN services and find the one that suits your needs and budget. However, you should also be aware of the potential risks and limitations of using a cheap VPN:
- Reliability. A cheap VPN may not have enough servers or bandwidth to handle high demand, resulting in connection drops or poor performance.
- Quality. A cheap VPN may not have the latest technology or features, such as split tunneling, obfuscation, or dedicated IP addresses.
- Trustworthiness. A cheap VPN may not have a reputable or verified background, and may sell your data or expose you to malware or phishing attacks.
Choosing a VPN service can be a daunting task, especially with so many options available on the market. How do you know which one is reliable, trustworthy, and offers the best quality and customer service? Fortunately, you don’t have to spend hours researching and comparing different VPN providers. We did the hard work for you and selected the best VPN services that meet our high standards of security, privacy, speed, and support. Whether you need a VPN for streaming, gaming, torrenting, or just browsing the web, we found the VPN solution for you.
Found PureVPN to be an excellent service