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The Best Cheap VPNs of 2024

Top10.com Staff
Low-cost VPNs help you visit sites
A look at the best VPN services for people who don’t want to spend much but need solid service.

The story is simple - anyone online is at risk from hackers and all types of malicious hardware that can wreak havoc on their devices. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) can provide a high-level of security, while also allowing you to access content from around the world no matter where you’re located.

Zenmate, for example, one of the cheapest VPN providers out there, offers a best value plan of $2.05 per month for 2 years of comprehensive coverage, with a 30 day money back guarantee and servers in more than 30 countries. 

Here’s some more information about our cheapest VPN providers and why they can provide the best value for your online needs. 

Provider
Cheapest Monthly Price (Paid Plans)
Money-Back Guarantee
Free Plan

Zentmate
$2.05
30 days
Yes
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PrivateVPN
$3.32
30 days
No
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Surfshark
$1.99
30 days
No
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CyberGhost
$2.75
45 days
No
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HotSpot Shield
$6.99
45 days
No
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PureVPN
3.33
31 days
No
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Which VPN providers get you the best product at a cut-rate price?

1. Zenmate

  • Strict no-logging policy
  • Free basic plan
  • Super cheap 1-month, 1-year or 2-year plans
  • Up to 5 devices at a time
  • One click to connect
  • Unlimited bandwidth and lightning fast speeds

Zenmate’s VPN product is top of the charts for cheap VPNs. As a bonus, it offers other products as well, branching into firewalls, SafeSearch (to protect you from search engine biases), and Identity Shield, which informs you whenever your email appears in a breached database. Whatever web browser or operating system you use, Zenmate has you covered. With VPN for Mac, Windows, IOS, Android, Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and OpenVPN, there’s no sweat no matter what. You can unblock websites with geographic restrictions, hide your IP, and browse the web undetected. 

The Zenmate Ultimate plan is its advertised best value product, offering 100% no logs, all locations (over 30!), unlimited speed, many platforms, 5 devices simultaneously, P2P and torrent support and absolutely no ads. Every plan offers a 30-day money back guarantee, and with a 2-year plan, you save 79% over the month to month price. 


Ultimate
Free Plan
1 month
$9.99/month
Nothing ($0)
1 year
$3.99/month
Nada ($0)
2 years
$2.05/month
Nichts ($0)

ZenMate ZenMate Buy Now

2. PrivateVPN

  • Up to 6 simultaneous connections
  • Live support 24/7
  • No logging

PrivateVPN can provide you with a fast and reliable VPN service that has some of the toughest security out there, along with a strict no-logging policy. With PrivateVPN you can also access US Netflix from overseas. PrivateVPN also has very attractive pricing: it’s very cheap. It costs only $6.57 per month, and if you go for a year plan, it’s only $2.88 per month. The year-long plan actually runs for 15 months, and with PrivateVPN, anytime a friend you referred buys a plan, you are given points that you can use for your membership. 

No matter which plan you order, you can take advantage of 24/7 live customer service. PrivateVPN is also risk-free—you can try it for up to 30 days and if you’re not happy you can use the money-back guarantee.

1 month
$7.01/month
3 months
$4.50/month
13 months
$3.32/month

PrivateVPN PrivateVPN Buy Now

3. SurfShark 

  • 14 Netflix libraries
  • Kill switch, keeping your data safe
  • P2P friendly

Choose an award-winning VPN service and secure your digital life with SurfShark, accessing any content that you love with a 30-day money-back guarantee. There’s a short term exclusive running now, allowing you to save 83%, making this the cheapest paid plan around at the moment. You’ll get unlimited devices, whitelister, ad-blocker, and US Netflix. 

You can download SurfShark apps for Chrome, Firefox, IOS, Android, Windows, Linux, and FireTV, keeping your data safe and your surfing anonymous. It has 800+ servers in over 50 countries, making your connection speedy and safe. It’s one month price isn’t the cheapest, but the 24-month price can’t be beat.

1 month
$11.95/month
12 months
$5.99/month
24 months
$1.99/month

Surfshark Surfshark Buy Now

4. CyberGhost

  • Unlimited bandwidth
  • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • No logging

CyberGhost will have you up and running with a safe and secure connection that keeps zero logs of your online activity. With over 1,000 servers and unlimited bandwidth, the company promises high speed that is well equipped to handle all types of streaming. You can also switch servers whenever you like if you see that one is performing faster than others. And speaking of streaming, with CyberGhost you can unlock US Netflix from across the world.

The company also offers 24/7 customer service. The price for 1 month - $12.99 - isn’t anything to write home about, but if you upgrade to a 2-year plan the price goes down to just $2.75 per month.

1 month
$12.99
1 year
$5.99
3 years
$2.75

CyberGhost CyberGhost Buy Now

5. HotSpot Shield

  • Ultra-fast servers in 70+ countries
  • 5 devices at any time
  • 45-day money-back guarantee

Free and open internet is HotSpot Shield’s forte, with secure and private access around the world. Access social networks, sports, audio, video streaming, news, dating and gaming from anywhere in the world. HotSpot Shield’s VPN protocol is used by 70% of the top security companies and can go anywhere with you--traveling, airports, offices and more. 

HotSpot Shield is the #1 rated app for Productivity and Tools on iOS and Android, and it doesn’t store or collect any of your personal information. It’s not the cheapest, but there are limited time offers most times, and you definitely get what you pay for with this one. 

1 month
$12.99
1 year
$7.99
2 years
$6.99

Hotspot Shield Hotspot Shield Buy Now

6. PureVPN

  • Unlimited bandwidth
  • Stealth security protocols
  • Can unlock US Netflix

PureVPN calls itself “the world’s fastest VPN service” and backs that up with unlimited bandwidth. Whether or not it’s the world’s fastest VPN may be up for debate, but the system automatically chooses the best server for your selected purposes - be it for gaming, streaming, or if you just need anonymity online.

The company also puts a premium on security and provides you with secure WiFi and an internet kill switch to shut the internet off if the VPN for some reason stops working.

When it comes to customer service, the company includes a large amount of tutorials on its website and provides users with 24/7 live chat. You can also unblock US Netflix with PureVPN.

1 month
$11.95
1 year
$5.81
2 years
$3.33

PureVPN PureVPN Buy Now

How to Choose the Best Cheap VPN Services?

One of the best things about cheap VPN services is that they provide a lot of very appealing features without breaking the bank. Most hover around $10 a month, but many of the top VPN providers feature deals as low as $1-3 a month once you sign up for a 1- or 2-year plan. The low prices mean it doesn’t really pay off to settle for a free VPN service, and that more people than ever can enjoy the services that a premium, affordable VPN can provide.

If speed is the most important priority, then check which ones have earned the highest marks for customers when it comes to speed. Look for a cheap VPN that not only keeps zero logs of your online activity, but that can also screen for malware and other online threats when you’re surfing.

Is streaming the reason for your purchase? If so, look for a reasonably-priced provider that can unlock US Netflix or other streaming sites you’d like to access in your locale.

In addition, if you’re a bit unsure about trying it out, you should try to find a provider that includes a trial period or money-back guarantee.

What Makes a Good Cheap VPN?

A good affordable VPN should come with some basic features included. It should have a high-level of security, including a kill switch to log you off automatically if for some reason it stops working. It should also keep no logs of your online activity. An affordable VPN should also provide unlimited bandwidth and the ability to move around to other servers if a faster one is available. Bottom line, a good cheap VPN will have - speed, security, solid customer service, and the ability to work on multiple devices at the same time.

Do Cheap VPN Keep Logs?

VPN companies commonly advertise a strict no-logging policy and this is something that you should easily be able to find, even with a cheap VPN. That said, if you want to ensure absolutely zero logging or traces of your activity, you may need to use TOR.

Is Cheap VPN Good for Torrenting/Streaming?

Though Netflix and other streaming services are getting better at keeping VPN services from using them, you can still find affordable VPN services that allow you to watch US (or other countries) Netflix or stream Hulu, HBO, etc, from points all over the world. And most cheap VPNs should be able to provide the type of speed you need to stream quickly and effectively.

Choose Wisely

The sheer volume of threats online today mean using a VPN is a better idea than ever before. You can keep your data and your devices secure, and bypass any local censorship, which should allow you to surf with a little bit of peace of mind.

And while free VPN services can help to a certain extent, it’s definitely worth breaking out the wallet if you’re considering a VPN service. Luckily, you don’t need to break the bank with today’s cheap VPN options.

Top10.com Staff
Top10.com's editorial staff is a professional team of editors and writers with dozens of years of experience covering consumer, financial and business products and services.