Best Cheap VPNs in 2026
Every VPN advertises a tiny monthly price that only exists on a two- or three-year plan and often multiplies at renewal. This list uses the real numbers — the long-plan rate and what it renews at — and only providers scoring at least 8.0 overall qualify; cheap and bad is not a bargain.
Private Internet Access is the outright cheapest at $1.79 a month, and the only one on this page with no renewal jump at all. Surfshark is the best all-round budget pick with unlimited devices at $2.49; PureVPN and CyberGhost undercut it further on the intro rate, with the trade-offs noted below.
The 5 best VPNs for vpns, ranked
- 1Best cheap VPN#5 overall · 8.8/10
Surfshark
Scores 8.8 on our published rubric with unlimited devices, at $2.49 a month on the long plan — cheaper than NordVPN or Proton, the other two providers that also clear an 8.0+ score. A 30-day refund window to test it yourself.
- 2-year price
- $2.49/mo
- Refund
- 30 days
- Devices
- Unlimited
- Refund
- 30 days
- 2Low renewal jump#7 overall · 8.1/10
PureVPN
One of the smallest renewal jumps on this list — $2.15 up to $4.00, versus doubling or tripling elsewhere. Always-on KPMG audit, though speeds on distant servers are unmeasured by us.
- 2-year price
- $2.15/mo
- Refund
- 31 days
- Devices
- 10
- Refund
- 31 days
−82% on the 2-year planends soon - 3Cheapest with port forwarding#1 overall · 9.3/10
Private Internet Access
The cheapest plan here — $1.79 a month, and it renews at the same $1.79 with no jump at all. Port forwarding included, unlimited devices, and a US jurisdiction to weigh against that.
- 2-year price
- $1.79/mo
- Refund
- 30 days
- Devices
- Unlimited
- Refund
- 30 days
- 4Longest refund#2 overall · 9.1/10
CyberGhost
A 45-day money-back guarantee, the longest here (14 days on the monthly plan), on a 2-year rate of $1.99 that renews at $4.31; streaming-labelled servers.
- 2-year price
- $1.99/mo
- Refund
- 45 days
- Devices
- 7
- Refund
- 45 days
- 5Broadest feature set#6 overall · 8.7/10
NordVPN
Not the cheapest, but the highest-country-count, most fully-featured VPN here for about a dollar a month more than Surfshark — $3.49 against $2.49 on the long plan.
- 2-year price
- $3.49/mo
- Refund
- 30 days
- Devices
- 10
- Refund
- 30 days
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Side by side
| VPN | Score | 2-year price | Devices | 2-yr price | Refund | Port fwd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surfshark | 8.8 | $2.49/mo | Unlimited | $2.49 | 30 days | |
| PureVPN | 8.1 | $2.15/mo | 10 | $2.15 | 31 days | |
| PIA | 9.3 | $1.79/mo | Unlimited | $1.79 | 30 days | |
| CyberGhost | 9.1 | $1.99/mo | 7 | $1.99 | 45 days | |
| NordVPN | 8.7 | $3.49/mo | 10 | $3.49 | 30 days |
How we picked
Only VPNs scoring at least 8.0 overall qualify — cheap and bad is not a bargain. Each entry below shows the real 2-year rate and what it renews at; VPNs are grouped here by what most differentiates them (value, add-ons, refund length) rather than a strict price ladder — check the renewal figures before assuming the order reflects the cheapest option for you.
All scores come from the same published rubric, checked monthly — how we test. Rank order on this page is by the category criteria, not by commission.
Questions
What is the cheapest good VPN?
Private Internet Access, at $1.79 a month on its long plan — and it's the only one here with no renewal jump at all. Surfshark ($2.49, unlimited devices) and PureVPN ($2.15) are close behind if PIA's US jurisdiction is a dealbreaker for you.
Why does the price go up after the first term?
The advertised rate is an introductory offer. Most VPNs renew at a higher yearly rate — CyberGhost more than doubles, NordVPN nearly triples to $11.59. Every price-check note on this site states the real renewal figure; read it before you buy.
Is a cheap VPN safe?
The ones on this page are audited: every pick has an independently verified no-logs policy, though none has been tested by us directly. 'Cheap' becomes a real risk only at the free end, where the business model is sometimes 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.