Best Cheap VPN Options for 2023

This isn't to say that looking for a cheap VPN you have to sacrifice speed, security, and some premium features. The VPN technology has significantly improved with more and more VPN providers in the market offering premium features at low prices.

However, they are loads of cheap VPNs out there, but some are sketchy. So here I'll be going through some of the cheap VPN options that are affordable and proven for excellent service in security and privacy to protect yourself online.

What makes the best cheap VPN?

When looking for a cheap VPN, we have to pick which one is the best according to our needs. Apart from being reasonably affordable, security, privacy, and speed also have to be the top preferences for this guide when considering the best cheap VPN. The best cheap VPN is made of these features:

• The fast connection ensures a perfect user experience.
• The number of devices must be at least 5
• Thousands of server network spans more than 100 countries.
• Applications for all major platforms- Apps for Windows | Mac | Linux | iOS | Android | Chrome | Firefox | Fire TV | Android TV
• No logs. Do not collect IP addresses, browsing history, session information, used bandwidth, connection time stamps, or network traffic.

I've listed some of the cheap VPNs that have prices ranging from $2.05 to $6.67 a month for their 1 or 2-year plan that emphasizes these criteria for their service.

The best cheap VPNs

1. Surfshark 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌖

Best cheap VPN at a bargain price

Founded in 2018, Surfshark has quickly become one of the top VPN service providers. Available at a bargain price, doesn't mean it sacrifices some important features, especially security.

With Surfshark you can have various security features, including a kill switch, a clean web without malware, an ad blocker feature, split tunneling, and multiHop VPN using AES-256-GCM, which is higher than the AES-256 encryption used by the U.S. military. There is also a no-log policy so your activity can't be tracked.

Apart from having excellent security, the browsing and streaming experience with Surfshark is still smooth anywhere in the world. Big thanks to Surfshark's 3200+ servers network spanning over 110+ locations, in 100 countries. These hundreds selection of servers also helps you to gain access to Hulu, US Netflix, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, and more.

One thing that Surshark stands out more from other VPNs is its unlimited number of devices, which means you can protect an unlimited number of devices with Surfshark. For a whole household, you can have it with Surfshark for just $2.05 a month. It doesn't matter what devices, Surfshark Apps are available for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Chrome, Firefox, Fire TV, Android TV

While there are still new in the VPN industry compared to some of the pricier competition, Surfshark's apps have a ton of features that pretty much the majority of users expect from a VPN provider.

2. NordVPN 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌖

Best protection

One of the most secure VPNs on the market that use AES-256 encryption, NordVPN has the cheapest plan for the first 2-year plan ($2.99/month) which is %63 off the regular monthly price. So for this affordable price, NordVPN can be considered as one of the cheap VPNs that comes with excellent security and double VPN servers that route your traffic through two separate VPN servers, a kill switch, a zero logs policy, and more.

It's also available on all platforms or devices with extra protection from ads, trackers, and malware. NordVPN also allows P2P traffic for someone who likes to use a VPN for torrenting. When it comes to speed NordVPN shows above-average performance which is great and stable for a VPN standard, so Netflix streaming or gaming should be a problem.

3. ExpressVPN  🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕

Smoothest app

Being not the cheapest VPN option, ExpressVPN is unmatched in security and provides an intuitive application that has a lot of advanced VPN technology under the hood. It has easy-to-use apps for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS as well as Linux, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, and routers.

In addition to AES-256 encryption, ExpressVPN offers its proprietary Lightway protocol that boosts speeds without sacrificing security. With a wide range of servers, you will be able to have a stable connection which is great for streaming, gaming, and browsing without lag problems. There's also a wide range of protocols, a kill switch, and split tunneling. ExpressVPN also offers a year's free backup, thanks to their partner with a cloud backup provider Backblaze.

If you are away from your country, you'll also be able to stream from plenty of Netflix locations with ExpressVPN. Unblock any streaming services including Netflix in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Amazon, Hulu, and Disney+ are also accessible.

For customer support, ExpressVPN has 24/7 live chat support. The only downside about ExpressVPN is its price which is a little bit more expensive than other VPN service providers.    

VPNs cheapest price comparison (Including Deals)

Surfshark - first 24 Months - US$2.05/month →

NordVPN - first 24 Months - US$2.99/month →

ExpressVPN 12 Months - US$6.67/month →

Is Cheap VPN safe to use?

While quality varies a lot in the VPN market, the short answer is yes! If you pick the right one, it's a great way to protect your internet traffic and browsing activity, maintain privacy and hide your location while out in the digital world. But, free VPNs on the market are not as safe and secure as paid VPNs. They might expose your data to many privacy hazards and dishonest ad practices.

All of the VPN options on this list above provide excellent-quality VPN protection for a great price. If your budget is less than $2.50 a month, Surfshark 100% is the best cheap VPN for you. For this price, it comes with an unlimited number of devices and excellent streaming performance.  However, if you don't mind spending some extra money, I would suggest ExpressVPN. For a few extra dollars, ExpressVPN's service is class-leading.

Why use a VPN?

VPN is getting quite popular these days, which raises the question of why use a VPN. The main reason why you should use a VPN is to protect your online activity, and there are some other reasons people use a VPN:

• Bypass regional and network blocks.
• Reject targeted advertising.
• Stay secure on public Wi-Fi.
• Protect every device.
• Dodge price discrimination.
• Protect your data from being stolen and sold.
• Hide your browsing activity from ISP.

People use VPNs for various reasons, from privacy and online tracking concerns to geo-blocked websites to unsafe public networks.

What to do with a VPN?

Get cheaper bookings for flights, car rentals, hotels, etc

You know that it's common for a Mac user to get a higher price than a Windows user. This is all because of cookies saved in your computer when they track your interest in buying things like tickets, rooms, etc. One of the cool things to do with a VPN is to get around these price fluctuations.

Try changing your VPN server location and see how prices differ.  Then you will see the different prices at different locations. This also applies when you want to purchase some items abroad.

Tip: If you're wondering how to use VPN to book cheap flights:

• Changing your VPN server location to a developing country;
• Changing your VPN server location to the destination country;
• Changing your VPN server location to the airline’s home country;
• Changing your VPN server location back to your country.

Speed up your internet connection

Sometimes you may experience a sudden slow internet connection, that's probably bandwidth throttling by your ISP. It means that your ISP (Internet Service Provider) may slow down (bandwidth throttling) your connection on purpose.

A VPN encrypts your internet connection, so even if your ISP was going to look into that, they wouldn’t get to see anything. To get the best speeds, select a server that’s closest to your current physical location. So yes, speeding up your connection is one of the cool things you can do with a VPN even with a cheap VPN.

Unlock social media apps

There are countries that decided to block social media either permanently or sporadically since 2015. If you happen to tour one of these countries, you won’t have access to social media.

Tip: When you want to use social media apps in these certain countries, connect to a VPN server located in any country where they're not blocked and use your social media app like you're in your home country.

Work from anywhere

With a cheap VPN service, you can connect to your company as if you were still back home. If anyone wants to track your IP address location, they’ll only see the VPN server’s location.

Streaming videos

Some online streaming services are blocked due to geo-blocking, and certain songs or YouTube videos become unavailable on a trip. Even with a cheap VPN, you will easily bypass their blocks. After all, you’re not connecting to YouTube – you’re connecting to a VPN server (which is connecting to YouTube).

Tip: With a VPN service on, you can switch your location easily to the server in your home country, so you can listen to your favorite tunes no matter where you are in the world.

Secure all devices in the entire home

You can protect all of your devices in your home without having to install a VPN app manually, in fact, Not all of them are sophisticated enough to support VPN apps! But all of them are connected to the router in a home. Yes, you can install a VPN in the router.  The best way to protect the entire home and cover devices that don’t support VPNs.

Are VPNs expensive

Yes, VPNs can be costly for someone. Good VPNs cant be free because they need to hire experts to maintain and update their servers to provide a secure and reliable VPN service.  

When using a paid VPN, it will never show you any sort of advertisements and you'll also get unlimited bandwidth to use. So, user subscriptions are the only way VPNs can make money. For a 2 years subscription, there are VPNs that are less than USD60 to grab, I think that's a pretty reasonable price to spend for high-quality and secure VPN service.

3 best overall VPNs (with deals):

ExpressVPN 12 Months - US$6.67/month →

Surfshark - first 24 Months - US$2.05/month →

NordVPN - first 24 Months - US$2.99/month →

What are the Best VPNs for China

It can be difficult to find a reliable and effective virtual private network (VPN) service in China, as the Chinese government has implemented strict controls on internet access and usage. However, some VPNs have proven to be more reliable and effective at bypassing these restrictions than others. Here are a few recommendations for VPNs that have a good track record of working in China:

1. ExpressVPN: This VPN is known for its fast speeds and strong security features, and it has servers in many locations around the world, including some in Asia.
2. NordVPN: NordVPN is another popular option with servers in Asia and strong security features, including double encryption and a no-log policy.
3. Private Internet Access (PIA): PIA is a well-respected VPN with servers in Asia and a reputation for providing good connection speeds and strong security.
4. Surfshark: Surfshark is a relatively new VPN that has quickly gained a reputation for being able to bypass restrictions in countries with strict internet controls, including China.

It's worth noting that no VPN is 100% guaranteed to work in China all the time, as the Chinese government frequently blocks VPNs and other tools that allow people to bypass internet restrictions. If you're planning to use a VPN in China, it's a good idea to research and compare different options to find the one that works best for you.