Best Cheap VPNs in 2026
Every VPN advertises a tiny monthly price that only exists on a two- or three-year plan and usually doubles at renewal. This list uses the real number: the 2-year introductory rate, with what it renews at shown next to it, and only VPNs that scored at least 8.0 overall qualify — cheap and bad is not a bargain.
Surfshark is the best cheap VPN because it is the cheapest of the top three and covers unlimited devices. PureVPN and PIA are cheaper still on longer plans, with trade-offs noted.
The 5 best VPNs for vpns, ranked
- 1Best cheap VPN#2 overall · 9.4/10
Surfshark
Top-three performance at the lowest top-three price, unlimited devices, and a 30-day refund we claimed in three days.
- 2-year price
- $2.19/mo
- Speed
- 655 Mbps
- Devices
- Unlimited
- Refund
- 30 days
−86% + 3 months freeends soon - 2Cheapest long plan#5 overall · 8.4/10
PureVPN
The lowest long-term price we rate and it renews at the same 2-year rate; mid-table speeds are the trade-off.
- 2-year price
- $2.14/mo
- Speed
- 466 Mbps
- Devices
- 10
- Refund
- 31 days
−82% on the 2-year planends soon - 3Cheapest with port forwarding#6 overall · 8.3/10
Private Internet Access
Very cheap 3-year plan, unlimited devices, port forwarding included — and a US jurisdiction.
- 2-year price
- $2.03/mo
- Speed
- 480 Mbps
- Devices
- Unlimited
- Refund
- 30 days
- 4Longest refund#7 overall · 8.1/10
CyberGhost
Cheap 2-year plan with a 45-day money-back guarantee, the longest here; streaming-labelled servers.
- 2-year price
- $2.19/mo
- Speed
- 470 Mbps
- Devices
- 7
- Refund
- 45 days
- 5Best performance per dollar#1 overall · 9.7/10
NordVPN
Not the cheapest, but the fastest and most complete VPN for about a dollar a month more than Surfshark.
- 2-year price
- $3.39/mo
- Speed
- 712 Mbps
- Devices
- 10
- Refund
- 30 days
−73% + 3 months freeends soon
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Side by side
| VPN | Score | 2-year price | Speed | Devices | 2-yr price | Refund | Port fwd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surfshark | 9.4 | $2.19/mo | 655 Mbps | Unlimited | $2.19 | 30 days | |
| PureVPN | 8.4 | $2.14/mo | 466 Mbps | 10 | $2.14 | 31 days | |
| PIA | 8.3 | $2.03/mo | 480 Mbps | Unlimited | $2.03 | 30 days | |
| CyberGhost | 8.1 | $2.19/mo | 470 Mbps | 7 | $2.19 | 45 days | |
| NordVPN | 9.7 | $3.39/mo | 712 Mbps | 10 | $3.39 | 30 days |
How we picked
Ranked by 2-year introductory price per month, with renewal price and refund length shown. VPNs scoring under 8.0 overall were excluded regardless of price; monthly plans were ignored because none of them is cheap.
All scores come from the same monthly tests on the same rig — how we test. Rank order on this page is by the category criteria, not by commission.
Questions
What is the cheapest good VPN?
Surfshark on its 2-year plan is the cheapest VPN in our top three. PureVPN and PIA are cheaper on longer plans if you are happy with slightly lower speeds or a US base.
Why does the price go up after the first term?
The advertised rate is an introductory offer; most VPNs renew at the 1-year rate, roughly 50–100% higher. Every card on this page shows the renewal note, and our price calculator does the maths.
Is a cheap VPN safe?
The ones here are: every pick has an independently audited no-logs policy. 'Cheap' becomes unsafe only at the free end, where the business model is your data.
Are lifetime VPN deals worth it?
Almost never. A provider that sells lifetime plans has no income to run servers for you in year three. See our lifetime VPN page for the exceptions.