When talking about the best VPNs, I frequently warn about the dangers of trusting free VPNs without verifying them. Although there are a few free VPNs worth recommending, many other free providers are ineffective, malicious or looking to profit off their users (or sometimes all three). Even the best free VPNs work a lot better once you subscribe and access their full service.
This can be frustrating if you want to enjoy the benefits of a VPN but don't have the budget for yet another subscription. To help you out, I put together a list of the best paid VPN services you can get cheaply. Every name on the list comes with my full recommendation — I'll never recommend a VPN that doesn't protect you, no matter how affordable.
Before I get started, I want to define "cheap," since VPNs often bamboozle the customer with muddled pricing schemes. Most providers have long-term subscription plans with big discounts, and many of them compensate by making their monthly plans more expensive. On this list, I'll recommend services with cheap subscriptions for both the short and long term, plus one favorite that balances both.
Best cheap VPNs for 2026
Surfshark 87 100 Expert Score Best cheap VPN (long-term) Surfshark Platforms: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, Chromebook, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Apple TV, Fire TV, routers | Average download speed drop: 5.4 percent | Server locations: 141 in 100 countries | Notable features: Dynamic MultiHop, Everlink, IP rotator, unlimited simultaneous connections, CleanWeb, NoBorders mode | Best price: $53.73 for 28 months Read our full Surfshark review Surfshark is the best cheap VPN, but only if you're willing to lock yourself into at least a 12-month subscription. Otherwise, it's a great VPN, but not exactly cheap. Let’s break it down. Surfshark's one-month plan costs $15.45 at the Starter level, which includes all the basic VPN coverage, plus the Alternative ID feature that generates fake personal details for web accounts. A subscription with all the Surfshark One trimmings, including an antivirus, a data breach alert service and an encrypted search engine, costs $17.95 per month. That's among the most expensive in the game. The reason Surfshark tops this list is that it has, by far, the sharpest price drop on its one-year and two-year plans. You can see it on the list of best VPN deals I keep updated regularly: switching to a 12-month Surfshark Starter plan drops the price per month to $3.19, a 79 percent cut. Surfshark One drops 81 percent to $3.39 per month. The 24-month plans come with even steeper discounts, but you can only renew at one month or 12. The key reason that I'm comfortable ranking Surfshark this high should become clear if you check out my detailed Surfshark review: this is a good enough VPN — especially in the speed department — that you should have no problem sticking with it for a full year or two. Surfshark is the fastest VPN in my current round of tests, slowing my download speeds by only 5.4 percent — and that's a worldwide average. The worst server, in Johannesburg, lost me 11 percent of my starting speeds. Those are incredible numbers, but speed isn't the only thing that Surfshark gets right. Its extra features are both user-friendly and cutting-edge across the board, pushing the definition of what a VPN can do. Case in point: it's one of the only VPNs that lets you choose your own set of destinations for a multi-hop connection. Through the same technology, Surfshark constantly switches out your IP address, keeping you as concealed as possible without any impact on speed. Pros Very fast speeds
Split tunneling on all apps
Unlimited simultaneous connections Cons Single-month pricing is excessive
Lots of popups on desktop
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