Just because a VPN is cheap doesn’t mean it’s worth buying. We’ve evaluated the top VPNs in the industry to see which ones make the cut if you’re hunting for a bargain, and the results have been a little surprising.

Surfshark makes the top spot because it’s absolutely the best value and give rock bottom price, and unlimited device connections on a single subscription helps too. It is currently running a sale that brings the basic plan down to $2.49/month – the lowest price we have seen it at. NordVPN price comes in second, a little pricier than the rest but still strong value for what you get.

Best Cheap VPNs of July 2026: Our Top Picks Compared

With the help of the How to Watch research team, I tested many VPNs and measured their performance, security, and usability. After thorough testing, I listed the 2 best VPNs based on the results.

Best Affordable VPN providers of July 2026: full list

With the help of the Cybernews research team, I tested 41 VPNs and measured their performance, security, and usability. After thorough testing, I listed the 10 best VPNs based on the results.

VPN	Rating	Price	Speed retention	Encryption	No-logs policy	Jurisdiction	Security features
NordVPN	4.8★★★★★	From $3.49/month	86%	AES-256, ChaCha20, post-quantum	No logs, third-party audited by PwC and Deloitte	Panama	Kill switch, leak protection, Threat Protection Pro, Double VPN, Onion over VPN, Dark Web Monitor, Obfuscated servers
Surfshark	4.95★★★★★	From $2.49/month	90%	AES-256, ChaCha20	No logs, third-party audit by Deloitte	The Netherlands	Kill switch, leak protection, CleanWeb, MultiHop, Camouflage Mode, NoBorders mode, Alternative

1. Surfshark

Surfshark is absolutely bursting with value, even if you’re just buying the starter plan. Three words: unlimited device connections. Where other VPNs block you from using more than around 5-10 devices simultaneously and force you to buy another subscription, Surfshark doesn’t. One plan will cover you even if you have tens of devices in your house. That’s all for the low price of $2.49/month on a two-year plan. It’s also a big reason why Surfshark is widely considered one of the best alternatives to NordVPN, offering a very similar experience at a lower monthly cost.

That price gives you all of the VPN features Surfshark offers, as well as access to Alternate ID, their own anti-spam product which generates proxy identities for you to use when signing up to new sites.

We’re impressed with the speeds too. We saw that Surfshark only dropped 5% of our total bandwidth when connecting to servers in Europe and 13% to servers in US East. That’s fast for a VPN provider, especially one at this price. You won’t have any problem with 4K streaming whether you’re browsing Netflix, BBC iPlayer, or Disney+.

Subscribe Surfshark 2.49$ per month

Surfshark – Best Value for Streamers

(Top Choice)

Surfshark is best for people who want a strong all-round VPN but need to protect lots of devices (or a whole household) without thinking about limits. It’s not the best fit if you specifically need port forwarding, or if you only want a short month-to-month plan. If you want the easiest “covers everyone” plan with genuinely strong test results, Surfshark is the value pick here.

Subscribe Surfshark 2.49$ per month

2. NordVPN

NordVPN is easily just as powerful as Surfshark or ExpressVPN, if not more so. The reason it sits at fourth is that at $3.49/month, you’re paying slightly more than our other recommendations for the core VPN functionality. That still gets you access to 9,000 servers across 181 locations and some of the fastest speeds we have measured across any VPN.

Upgrade to the Plus package and you get NordVPN’s anti-malware protection, which is among the best integrated security tools in the VPN space. If you want a VPN and an antivirus in one subscription, buying a NordVPN Plus plan works out cheaper than buying both separately.

Streaming came back 100% across our nine-service matrix including Netflix US, Hulu, UK, Disney+, and BBC iPlayer.

Subscribe NordVPN 3.49$ per month

NordVPN – Best Overall VPN

(Fastest affordable VPN)

NordVPN is best for most people who want one VPN that “just works” across streaming, speed, and everyday privacy without optimizing for a niche feature. It’s not the best fit if you specifically need port forwarding, or if you’re shopping purely on the lowest possible long-term price. If you want the most balanced pick from our latest results, NordVPN is the simplest default.

Subscribe NordVPN 3.49$ per month