A VPN can help improve your privacy online, but you should be prepared to pay about $10 a month for the privilege. Sure, there are some worthwhile free VPNs, but all of them will limit either the servers you can access, your bandwidth, or both. In this list, we look at the best for-pay VPN services that won’t break the bank.
We’ll explain everything you need to know about our top money-saving VPNs below. Read on for our top picks, followed by an explanation of how we came up with our list and what you need to know about cheap VPNs.
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*Deals are selected by our commerce team
More About Our Picks
Best for Privacy Maximalists
Bottom Line:
It’s not the most polished we’ve seen, but Mullvad’s excellent VPN secures your connection and protects your privacy for an unbeatable price.
Pros
- Requires no email or account information
- Extremely affordable
- Radically transparent
- Some advanced features, including multi-hop and port forwarding
Cons
- Awkward desktop interface
- Servers in a small range of countries
- Pay-as-you-go system may confuse some customers
Why We Picked It
With a price tag of just 5 euros per month ($4.89 at the time of writing), Mullvad provides the features of a premium VPN service at nearly half the cost, and with a rabid dedication to privacy. Like IVPN, Mullvad VPN uses an account number system that associates precious little personal information with accounts. This system also lets you log in securely without a password. Along with IVPN, Mullvad VPN is one of only two VPN services we’ve seen that accepts cash payments sent directly to its HQ.
Despite its low price, this VPN does not skimp on features. It supports the WireGuard protocol across all its platforms, as well as multi-hop connections. Split tunneling is available on most of its platforms, giving you control over which apps use the VPN connection and which do not.
Who It’s For
With its commitment to privacy baked in and premium privacy features, Mullvad will certainly appeal to the most privacy-conscious consumer. Furthermore, its low cost and simple interface mean that the barrier to entry is much lower with this VPN than with the competition.
Best for Customizing Subscriptions
Bottom Line:
IVPN boasts a unique approach to multi-hop connections and a privacy-first account system in addition to affordable, flexible prices. Although its collection of servers is small, it’s an excellent VPN service.
Pros
- Flexible, affordable pricing
- Unique multi-hop system
- Privacy baked into its account system
- Strong stance on transparency
Cons
- Offers few server locations
- Multi-hop and Account ID might confuse some users
Why We Picked It
IVPN and Mullvad VPN share many similarities—and that’s a good thing. Both services use a privacy-protecting account system that requires little customer information or a password. Both services are also radically transparent, providing lots of information about the company, its infrastructure, and its operations. IVPN and Mullvad are especially notable as the only VPNs we’ve seen that accept cash payments sent to their respective HQs, for extra anonymity.
IVPN distinguishes itself with its highly flexible subscription plans that come in two flavors: low-cost IVPN Standard and IVPN Pro, which adds profit forwarding, multi-hop connections, and up to seven simultaneous connections.
Who It’s For
While we normally don’t like tiered subscription systems, IVPN makes good use of its bifurcated setup. Customers can choose which of the two affordable plans fits their budget and their household. Note that, unlike Mullvad VPN, IVPN lets you create a recurring subscription with IVPN.
IVPN also allows for subscription periods as short as a week (perfect for a vacation) or as long as three years (perfect for something much longer than a vacation). This makes it an excellent choice for window shoppers just trying out VPNs, or for anyone who only wants a VPN for a short period of time.
Best for Low-Cost International Browsing
Bottom Line:
Bitdefender Premium VPN offers split-tunneling and 10 simultaneous connections at an extremely reasonable price, but without many bells and whistles to make it stand out.
Pros
- Extremely affordable
- Clean design
- Split-tunneling
- Part of the larger Bitdefender app ecosystem
Cons
- Confusing pricing
- Confusing privacy policy
- Few additional privacy features
- High latency in test results
Why We Picked It
Bitdefender has long been a trusted name in the world of antivirus, and its Premium VPN offering is a surprisingly generous addition to its menu. At just $6.99 per month, Bitdefender Premium VPN is already affordable but there’s even a free option if cheap isn’t cheap enough.
Powered by Hotspot Shield VPN, Bitdefender Premium VPN differentiates itself by letting you connect up to 10 devices simultaneously—double the average we’ve seen across VPN services. It also offers servers in 53 countries, which is nearly dead-on average. Best of all, those servers are in a globally diverse mix of countries, so you’ll have a good selection for spoofing your location.
Who It’s For
Because of the ties between Bitdefender Premium VPN and the company’s antivirus offerings, existing Bitdefender customers are the most obvious targets for this VPN. But its generous number of simultaneous connections make it a good choice for families or anyone with numerous devices. The fact that you can use it for free also means that nervous or first-time VPN shoppers can try it with little risk.
Best for Protecting One Device
Bottom Line:
Norton Secure VPN has finally come into its own with a redesigned app, new features, and the freedom to make P2P connections.
Pros
- Affordable, flexible pricing
- Dramatic new interface
- Compromised network detection on mobile
- Split tunneling
- Ad-tracker blocking
Cons
- No configurable multi-hop
- Few server locations
- No public, third-party audits
Why We Picked It
Norton is almost synonymous with antivirus, but its simple and scalable Secure VPN product is also a strong choice. This service starts at just $4.99 per month for one simultaneous device connection, and goes up to $9.99 per month for 10 simultaneous connections. It also includes split tunneling, giving users more control over which apps send their data through the VPN connection.
Who It’s For
Norton Secure VPN’s low-cost entry point is great for a single user, or a household with just one connected device. The service remains a good value when scaled up to 10 simultaneous connections—twice the average offering. That said, by offering VPN servers in just 30 countries, it’s likely best used to protect privacy at home rather than spoofing locations.
Best for Protecting Many Devices
Bottom Line:
PrivadoVPN offers a stripped-down VPN experience at a low price—or no price at all with its generous free subscription. A recently improved interface helps enormously, but its list of features is still sparse.
Pros
- Very affordable
- Generous free subscription
- 10 simultaneous connections
- Split tunneling
Cons
- Few additional privacy features
- No third-party audit
- Uninspiring Speedtest results
Why We Picked It
PrivadoVPN offers VPN privacy protection for just $7.99 per month, and lets customers use up to 10 devices simultaneously. That’s twice the average, at a significantly below-average price. This service also boasts VPN servers in 46 countries, which is just a smidge below the average, but has a geographically diverse mix of locations available. PrivadoVPN also includes split tunneling, but not multi-hop connections.
Who It’s For
Allowing 10 simultaneous connections makes PrivadoVPN a good value, and an especially good choice for large families or device-heavy households. Its collection of servers is also varied enough that you’ll have good choices for spoofing your location.
Along with Bitdefender Premium VPN, PrivadoVPN is one of only two services on this list that offer a free version. Free subscribers get access to just 12 servers and are limited to 10GB of data every 30 days. While most free VPNs cut off users until the data allotment refreshes, PrivadoVPN opts to just throttle speeds instead.
Do You Need a Cheap VPN?
When you switch on a VPN, it creates an encrypted connection between your machine and a server operated by the VPN company. All your data is piped to the server before exiting back out onto the internet. When you use a VPN, it prevents your ISP or anyone else from being able to monitor the sites you visit (and potentially monetizing that data).
The Best VPN Services for 2022
There are other privacy perks, too. A VPN hides your true IP address, concealing your true geographic location. VPNs also make it harder for advertisers, and anyone else watching, from monitoring your movements across the web.
Harder, but not impossible. With enough time and effort, a determined adversary is likely to win out. In addition to a VPN, you should also make sure you protect yourself in other ways. Advertisers have numerous tricks for gathering data, so use an ad blocker as well as the privacy features of your browser. Account takeovers are devastating, so protect your accounts with unique passwords from a password manager and enable multi-factor authentication wherever possible. Lastly, never underestimate malware. We strongly encourage readers to use standalone antivirus software.
For some people, VPNs are an essential tool. For anyone living under the threat of oppression or surveillance, a VPN makes it much harder for observers to see what you’re doing online. VPNs can also be used to bypass state-sponsored censorship, letting people freely access the web.
There’s an argument to be made, however, that VPNs are simply overkill for most people. Back in the day when HTTPS was a rarity and public Wi-Fi was the wild west, this protection was essential for security. But with more sites and services securing themselves appropriately, VPNs have become more of a privacy product, adding another layer of protection…or a tool for watching Netflix in another country.
What Happened to Kasperksy?
Kaspersky Secure Connection VPN was on this list of the best cheap VPNs, but recent events have forced us to reconsider our position on this product. Although Kaspersky has faced numerous accusations of somehow being connected to the Russian government, we at PCMag were never presented with clear evidence of wrongdoing to back up these claims. Since we focus on our hands-on analysis of products, we noted the controversies but continued to give the products the praise they deserved based on our testing results. This changed with the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, which prompted governments and organizations to cut ties with Kasperksy. Most importantly, on March 27, 2022, the FCC declared that Kasperksy was a national security risk.
We stand by our analysis of Kaspersky products, but we feel that these recent events demand a different response.
How We Choose the Best Cheap VPN Services
Among all the VPN services we’ve tested, the average monthly price is $9.84 per month. We figured that about two dollars per month cheaper would qualify as “cheap,” and set the cut-off for this list at $8.00 per month. We also looked to our previous reviews to inform our choices. To qualify for this list, a VPN service needs to have earned at least three out of five stars within the last two years.
Some VPNs have tiered plans, offering different features at different price points. We don’t see this too often, but if the service has a pricing tier that meets our requirements, it’s eligible for consideration.
One more note about pricing: Most VPN services give you a discount for buying longer-term subscriptions, so you’ll pay more upfront (on average, $65.95 among the services we track) but less than if you paid the monthly price for a year. This article focuses on the flat monthly price because that’s the smallest amount you’ll have to pay upfront.
Generally, we recommend that new customers start with the shortest, cheapest plan a VPN offers and upgrade only after they’re sure they’re satisfied. For anyone keen on thinking long-term, here’s a breakdown of the 12 cheapest VPNs based on their annual subscription prices that have earned three-star reviews or better in the last two years.
Recommended by Our Editors
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Kaspersky Secure Connection, $29.99 per year*
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Private Internet Access VPN, $39.95 per year
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VyprVPN, $45.00 per year
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Atlas VPN, $47.83 per year
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CyberGhost VPN, $47.88 per year
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Bitdefender Premium VPN, $49.99 per year
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Surfshark VPN, $59.76 per year
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PrivadoVPN, $59.88 per year
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TunnelBear VPN, $59.88 per year
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HMA! VPN, $59.88 per year
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TorGuard VPN, $59.99 per year
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Webroot Wi-Fi Security, $59.99 per year
*See the section “What Happened to Kaspersky?” above.
The only thing cheaper than cheap is free, and there are a great many free VPN services out there. Some of the services on this list also offer a free version, usually with limitations that are lifted when you pony up some cash. If you are looking for a free VPN, ProtonVPN is our top choice.
Affordability Is Important, But So Is Trust
Finally, make sure you trust your VPN. Because all your data is routed through the VPN, it could have enormous insight into your activities. In our reviews, we scour companies’ privacy policies, ask what legal jurisdiction they operate under, and try to understand how they protect customers, so be sure to read those. If a VPN offers a great deal, but something about it makes you nervous, look for another option. There are plenty to choose from.
Once you’ve picked a service, you can get up and running with our feature on how to set up and use a VPN.
(Editors’ Note: While they may not appear in this story IPVanish and StrongVPN are owned by Ziff Davis, PCMag’s parent company.)
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