The Cheapest VPNs of 2023
Written by: Digital.com Staff
Updated November 21, 2022Our Top Picks
Surfshark
Most Protocols
- Supports more protocols and ports than the competition
- Receives regular compatibility updates and bug fixes
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Different VPNs use a variety of different protocols, with the most popular options including OpenVPN, WireGuard, and internet protocol security (IPSec). While every VPN on this list supports one or even multiple protocols, Surfshark is our choice for the cheapest VPN with the most protocols due to its support of the above protocols plus the transmission control protocol (TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP) ports. With that in mind, it’s currently the best provider in 2023 for users who want full control over their VPN configuration.
Most of Surfshark’s recent updates cover bug fixes, compatibility updates, and other small changes rather than introducing any major features or functionalities. For example, Surfshark 3.4.0 was released for Mac devices in April 2021, but the main benefit of this release was simply to make the VPN client compatible with the new M1 chip. With that in mind, you can trust Surfshark to keep supporting the latest software and firmware, but we don’t expect any substantial updates in the near future.
Like the other VPNs we’ve covered, Surfshark offers significant discounts in exchange for longer commitments. You can currently get access to the platform for $12.95 per month, $6.49 per month when paid for six months, or $4.98 per month when paid annually. However, Surfshark is currently providing two years for the price of one as an introductory offer for new customers, bringing the cost down to $2.49 per month for the first two years.
Most of Surfshark’s recent updates cover bug fixes, compatibility updates, and other small changes rather than introducing any major features or functionalities. For example, Surfshark 3.4.0 was released for Mac devices in April 2021, but the main benefit of this release was simply to make the VPN client compatible with the new M1 chip. With that in mind, you can trust Surfshark to keep supporting the latest software and firmware, but we don’t expect any substantial updates in the near future.
Like the other VPNs we’ve covered, Surfshark offers significant discounts in exchange for longer commitments. You can currently get access to the platform for $12.95 per month, $6.49 per month when paid for six months, or $4.98 per month when paid annually. However, Surfshark is currently providing two years for the price of one as an introductory offer for new customers, bringing the cost down to $2.49 per month for the first two years.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Supports more protocols and ports than the competition
- Receives regular compatibility updates and bug fixes
- 30-day money-back guarantee
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
Surfshark
- Starting Price
- One-month: $11.95
- 24-month plan: $1.99/month
- 12-month plan: $5.99/month
- Free Trial/Demo30-Day Free Trial
Email
63+ Countries
Private Internet Access
Fastest Speeds
- Both consumers and professional reviewers report strong speeds
- Receives regular updates
- Just $2.19 per month when paid for three years
Ultimately, there’s no way to predict how a given VPN or server will work for you. Individual performance depends on a variety of factors including your location, the strength of your connection, and what you’re trying to do. For example, one server might have a higher upload speed while others work better for downloads. That being said, we’re confident in naming Private Internet Access the cheapest VPN with the fastest connection speeds in 2023 due to its outstanding reputation across both professional testing and consumer reviews. You can get a full refund within 30 days of subscribing if you encounter any issues with the platform.
Private Internet Access has released a total of six updates in 2021, with most releases covering simple changes like design tweaks, bug fixes, and performance optimizations. With that in mind, you can at least trust their team to keep the VPN compatible with the latest releases of major operating systems like Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.
This VPN has a similar pricing scheme to Ivacy, with monthly plans available for $9.95 per month. That drops to $3.33 per month for annual subscriptions ($39.95 per month) or $2.19 per month when you pay for three years at a time. On top of credit cards and other conventional payment options, you can also open a Private Internet Access subscription with anonymous methods like cryptocurrencies and third-party gift cards.
Private Internet Access has released a total of six updates in 2021, with most releases covering simple changes like design tweaks, bug fixes, and performance optimizations. With that in mind, you can at least trust their team to keep the VPN compatible with the latest releases of major operating systems like Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.
This VPN has a similar pricing scheme to Ivacy, with monthly plans available for $9.95 per month. That drops to $3.33 per month for annual subscriptions ($39.95 per month) or $2.19 per month when you pay for three years at a time. On top of credit cards and other conventional payment options, you can also open a Private Internet Access subscription with anonymous methods like cryptocurrencies and third-party gift cards.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Both consumers and professional reviewers report strong speeds
- Receives regular updates
- Just $2.19 per month when paid for three years
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
Private Internet Access
- Starting Price
- One month: $9.95
- 2 years plan: $2.69/month
- 1 year plan: $3.33/month
- Free Trial/Demo*30 Days Money Back Guarantee Only
Email
32 Countries
PureVPN
Most Budget-friendly
- Largest worldwide infrastructure coverage
- Excellent VPN protocol support
- Free version and money-back guarantee
PureVPN overall offers a significant amount of functionality, services, and features for the price. Some of the high-level incentives include having one of the giant footprints as far as infrastructure goes, with more than 6,500 servers in 140 countries. Its plans can support up to 10 devices, and it offers a good balance of speed and security. Let's dive into some of the details to get a good understanding of what PureVPN brings to the table.
PureVPN offers Military-grade encryption alongside its killswitch and split tunneling capabilities. Video streaming on all major platforms is supported and encouraged with up to 10 GB a month in bandwidth. The service is relatively easy to set up and use, but if users have trouble, there is a 24/7 support line and a set of excellent installation guides. As it pertains to speed, PureVPN tested excellent, including higher than average upload speeds across the globe. Lastly, all major protocols are well-supported security and privacy ? OpenVPN, L2TP, SSTP, PPTP, and IKEv2. PureVPN is located in Hong Kong, a country outside of any privacy laws nationwide.
PureVPN offers a monthly, biyearly, yearly, and two-year subscription plan. The best deal is the two-year plan totaling $3.33 per month and slightly lower than its competitors like ExpressVPN and NordVPN. PureVPN does offer a free trial of its services and is currently supported on all major PC and mobile operating systems. Lastly, it also offers a 31-day money-back guarantee if you aren't fully satisfied with its solution.
PureVPN offers Military-grade encryption alongside its killswitch and split tunneling capabilities. Video streaming on all major platforms is supported and encouraged with up to 10 GB a month in bandwidth. The service is relatively easy to set up and use, but if users have trouble, there is a 24/7 support line and a set of excellent installation guides. As it pertains to speed, PureVPN tested excellent, including higher than average upload speeds across the globe. Lastly, all major protocols are well-supported security and privacy ? OpenVPN, L2TP, SSTP, PPTP, and IKEv2. PureVPN is located in Hong Kong, a country outside of any privacy laws nationwide.
PureVPN offers a monthly, biyearly, yearly, and two-year subscription plan. The best deal is the two-year plan totaling $3.33 per month and slightly lower than its competitors like ExpressVPN and NordVPN. PureVPN does offer a free trial of its services and is currently supported on all major PC and mobile operating systems. Lastly, it also offers a 31-day money-back guarantee if you aren't fully satisfied with its solution.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Largest worldwide infrastructure coverage
- Excellent VPN protocol support
- Free version and money-back guarantee
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
PureVPN
- Starting Price
- One-month: $10.95
- 6 months plan: $8.33/month
- Free Trial/DemoFree Trial
24/7 Live Chat
140+ countries
CyberGhostVPN
Best for User-friendly Apps
- Worldwide coverage
- Most extensive platform and device support
- A great incentive for long-term plans
CyberGhost is known as one of the most user-friendly solutions in the industry, which may explain why it's always one of the top five VPN solutions. It also offers the most support on devices and operating systems out of all the VPNs we observed, which was 15 total, including routers, video game consoles, and smart TVs. CyberGhost is the perfect balance between security, speed, and customization that keeps the tool effective yet simple to use.
Outside of offering many more popular security protocols, CyberGhost also includes WireGuard protocol support, which is unique to the Linux operating system. CyberGhost also has military-grade 256 bit encryption in combination with SHA256 authentication and RSA key 4096. For those that value privacy, CyberGhost offers the ability to use TOR in tandem with the CyberGhost VPN, which helps also disguise your activity in countries where it may be frowned upon.
CyberGhost is one of the more expensive solutions on the market, pushing the envelope at $12.99 a month. It offers a six-month plan at $7.99 per month and a yearly plan at $2.75 per month that encourages users to subscribe for the entire year to reap the benefits. Unfortunately, it only offers a one-day free trial but, on the flip side, it honors a 45-day money-back refund if the user isn't happy.
Outside of offering many more popular security protocols, CyberGhost also includes WireGuard protocol support, which is unique to the Linux operating system. CyberGhost also has military-grade 256 bit encryption in combination with SHA256 authentication and RSA key 4096. For those that value privacy, CyberGhost offers the ability to use TOR in tandem with the CyberGhost VPN, which helps also disguise your activity in countries where it may be frowned upon.
CyberGhost is one of the more expensive solutions on the market, pushing the envelope at $12.99 a month. It offers a six-month plan at $7.99 per month and a yearly plan at $2.75 per month that encourages users to subscribe for the entire year to reap the benefits. Unfortunately, it only offers a one-day free trial but, on the flip side, it honors a 45-day money-back refund if the user isn't happy.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Worldwide coverage
- Most extensive platform and device support
- A great incentive for long-term plans
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
CyberGhostVPN
- Starting Price
- One-month: $12.99
- Six-mont: $7.99/month
- 1 year plan: $2.75/month
- Free Trial/Demo1 Day Free Trial
24/7 Live Chat
90+ countries
Ivacy
Highest Device Limit
- Up to 10 devices per account
- Bundled with 2 TB of cloud storage when you pay for two years
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Every Ivacy plan comes with up to 10 simultaneous connections, more than enough for the average person to install on all of their devices or even share with family or friends. It’s the cheapest VPN in 2023 for customers who need a higher device limit. Some consumers only need a VPN to protect a handful of devices — for example, you might install it on your desktop, laptop, and smartphone. In that case, you’ll be fine with a platform like ExpressVPN that limits subscribers to five devices. However, other users may be looking for a VPN that offers more with a single subscription.
Ivacy also stands out from the competition when it comes to cloud storage, offering a full 2 TB with each two-year subscription through a partnership with Internxt. At $2.45 per month when paid for two years, this is a surprisingly good deal for a VPN + cloud storage bundle.
Meanwhile, you’ll have to pay $9.95 per month to keep a monthly plan open. That’s discounted to $3.66 per month with the annual option or, again, $2.45 per month for a two-year term with free cloud storage. All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, giving you plenty of time to test out the service.
Ivacy also stands out from the competition when it comes to cloud storage, offering a full 2 TB with each two-year subscription through a partnership with Internxt. At $2.45 per month when paid for two years, this is a surprisingly good deal for a VPN + cloud storage bundle.
Meanwhile, you’ll have to pay $9.95 per month to keep a monthly plan open. That’s discounted to $3.66 per month with the annual option or, again, $2.45 per month for a two-year term with free cloud storage. All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, giving you plenty of time to test out the service.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Up to 10 devices per account
- Bundled with 2 TB of cloud storage when you pay for two years
- 30-day money-back guarantee
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
Ivacy
- Starting Price
- 2 Years: $2.45/month
- 1 Year: $3.66/month
- 1 Month: $9.95/month
- Free Trial/DemoFree Version Available
24/7 Live Chat
52 Countries
ExpressVPN
Most Locations
- More than 3,000 servers in 94 countries
- Receives regular updates
- 30-day money-back guarantee
With more than 3,000 servers in a total of 94 countries, ExpressVPN was an easy pick as the best cheap virtual private network (VPN) when it comes to servers and locations. While some VPNs demonstrate higher speeds than others in testing, it’s difficult to predict how a given server will perform for you. A wider range of servers gives you more options to find a strong connection or access content that’s only available in specific locations.
Furthermore, ExpressVPN regularly comes out with new releases of its apps for iOS, Android, Mac, Linux, Windows, browsers, and other devices and operating systems. Most of these changes cover simple bug fixes and compatibility updates, but some of them also add new features and functionalities. For example, ExpressVPN 10.6.0 for Windows was released on September 1, 2021, and introduced narrator and keyboard navigation to make the app more accessible.
ExpressVPN offers a single subscription with pricing dependent on the length of your commitment. It’s currently available for $12.95 per month, $9.99 per month for six months, or $8.32 per month for a full year. Those prices make it noticeably more expensive than many of the alternatives. Mullvad, for example, offers VPN access for 5 euros per month (roughly $5.90) with no long-term commitment.
Furthermore, ExpressVPN regularly comes out with new releases of its apps for iOS, Android, Mac, Linux, Windows, browsers, and other devices and operating systems. Most of these changes cover simple bug fixes and compatibility updates, but some of them also add new features and functionalities. For example, ExpressVPN 10.6.0 for Windows was released on September 1, 2021, and introduced narrator and keyboard navigation to make the app more accessible.
ExpressVPN offers a single subscription with pricing dependent on the length of your commitment. It’s currently available for $12.95 per month, $9.99 per month for six months, or $8.32 per month for a full year. Those prices make it noticeably more expensive than many of the alternatives. Mullvad, for example, offers VPN access for 5 euros per month (roughly $5.90) with no long-term commitment.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- More than 3,000 servers in 94 countries
- Receives regular updates
- 30-day money-back guarantee
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
ExpressVPN
- Starting Price
- One month: $12.95
- Six months: $9.99
- 15 months: $6.67
- Free Trial/DemoNot Provided
24/7 Live Chat
94 Countries
NordVPN
Best Features
- Advanced features like split-tunneling and multihop connections
- Recent updates added several important features
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Features like Tor connections, multihop connections, and split-tunneling might not matter to every user, but NordVPN is the top cheapest VPN in 2023 when it comes to these advanced functions. Split-tunneling allows subscribers to put some traffic through the VPN while leaving some unfiltered, while multihop connections make it easy to send your activity through two VPN servers instead of one. On top of these tools, NordVPN also offers 24/7 support, ad and malware blocking, two-factor authentication, and more.
Recent updates to the NordVPN Windows client introduced support for Japanese along with multi-factor authentication, referral benefits, location markers, and split-tunneling. While some of the other VPNs on this list mostly stick to minor releases, NordVPN truly goes above and beyond when it comes to client updates, and the platform has far more features today than it did one year ago.
NordVPN seems relatively expensive when you look at the monthly option, which costs $11.95. On the other hand, longer subscriptions are much more affordable on a per-month basis, with one year available for $4.92 per month and 27 months for $3.30 per month. This is advertised as $3.30 per month for two years “plus three months free,” but the monthly rate of $3.30 accounts for those three additional months. All plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Recent updates to the NordVPN Windows client introduced support for Japanese along with multi-factor authentication, referral benefits, location markers, and split-tunneling. While some of the other VPNs on this list mostly stick to minor releases, NordVPN truly goes above and beyond when it comes to client updates, and the platform has far more features today than it did one year ago.
NordVPN seems relatively expensive when you look at the monthly option, which costs $11.95. On the other hand, longer subscriptions are much more affordable on a per-month basis, with one year available for $4.92 per month and 27 months for $3.30 per month. This is advertised as $3.30 per month for two years “plus three months free,” but the monthly rate of $3.30 accounts for those three additional months. All plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Advanced features like split-tunneling and multihop connections
- Recent updates added several important features
- 30-day money-back guarantee
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
NordVPN
- Starting Price
- One month: $11.95
- 2-year plan: $3.49/month
- 1-year plan: $6.99/month
- Free Trial/Demo30-Day Free Trial
24/7 Live Chat
59 Countries
Mullvad
Best Payment Options
- Accepts cash, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and other alternative payment methods
- Simple pricing scheme, no contracts
- Independent audits
With Bitcoin and other alternative payment methods becoming more popular, some users are looking for VPNs and other service providers that don’t require a credit card. Mullvad is the perfect option for this audience — unlike many other VPNs, they accept credit and debit cards along with Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Giropay, PayPal, Swish, bank wires, and more. You can even mail them cash in an envelope along with your payment token. Mullvad currently accepts cash in the form of USD, EUR, GBP, SEK, DKK, NOK, CHF, CAD, AUD, and NZD. With that in mind, they clearly offer the best payment options of any of the cheapest VPNs in 2023.
Mullvad is unique for its incredibly transparent list of servers, which shows their current status along with other information such as the server’s speed and whether it’s owned or rented by Mullvad. They’ve also committed to annual security audits, with the last one taking place in December 2020. While that audit uncovered vulnerabilities, they have since taken steps to address those issues. It’s worth noting that none of the vulnerabilities included information that could potentially compromise user privacy.
Mullvad’s pricing system is simple — 5 euros per month (approximately $5.90), with no long-term commitments and a 30-day money-back guarantee. You don’t even need to provide an email address or any other personal information. The only caveat to that is that they offer a 10% discount for cryptocurrency payments to incentivize more private payment methods.
Mullvad is unique for its incredibly transparent list of servers, which shows their current status along with other information such as the server’s speed and whether it’s owned or rented by Mullvad. They’ve also committed to annual security audits, with the last one taking place in December 2020. While that audit uncovered vulnerabilities, they have since taken steps to address those issues. It’s worth noting that none of the vulnerabilities included information that could potentially compromise user privacy.
Mullvad’s pricing system is simple — 5 euros per month (approximately $5.90), with no long-term commitments and a 30-day money-back guarantee. You don’t even need to provide an email address or any other personal information. The only caveat to that is that they offer a 10% discount for cryptocurrency payments to incentivize more private payment methods.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Accepts cash, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and other alternative payment methods
- Simple pricing scheme, no contracts
- Independent audits
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
Mullvad
- Starting Price
- €5/month
- Free Trial/DemoNo Free Trial
Email
36 Countries
ProtonVPN
Best Free Plan
- Excellent free plan
- Strong Linux application
- Two paid subscription options
Getting a reliable VPN for a few dollars a month is great but getting one at no charge is even better. While some free VPNs are unreliable, ProtonVPN is one of the top providers for both free and paid services. Their free plan comes with restrictions like a limited range of servers, a single simultaneous connection, and caps on speed, but it’s still the best way for users to get a VPN without spending any money.
It’s also worth mentioning that ProtonVPN recently released a fully featured application for Linux users, making them one of the more Linux-friendly providers on this list. While ProtonVPN had previously supported Linux with a command-line tool, their new Linux app makes it easier than ever for Linux users to install ProtonVPN.
While the ProtonVPN free tier stands apart from the alternatives, you might be interested in upgrading to one of the paid subscriptions. Basic ($4 per month paid annually) comes with more servers, two connections instead of one, higher speeds, support for torrents, and an adblocker. Plus ($8 per month paid annually) adds access to all ProtonVPN servers along with 10 connections, no limits on speeds, Tor connections, support for streaming services, and more.
These plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, but you should know that that guarantee only applies to unused service — if you cancel after 15 days, for example, you might only get back half of what you paid.
It’s also worth mentioning that ProtonVPN recently released a fully featured application for Linux users, making them one of the more Linux-friendly providers on this list. While ProtonVPN had previously supported Linux with a command-line tool, their new Linux app makes it easier than ever for Linux users to install ProtonVPN.
While the ProtonVPN free tier stands apart from the alternatives, you might be interested in upgrading to one of the paid subscriptions. Basic ($4 per month paid annually) comes with more servers, two connections instead of one, higher speeds, support for torrents, and an adblocker. Plus ($8 per month paid annually) adds access to all ProtonVPN servers along with 10 connections, no limits on speeds, Tor connections, support for streaming services, and more.
These plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, but you should know that that guarantee only applies to unused service — if you cancel after 15 days, for example, you might only get back half of what you paid.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Excellent free plan
- Strong Linux application
- Two paid subscription options
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
ProtonVPN
- Starting Price
- Free version available
- $4/month for Basic
- $8/month for Plus
- $24/month for Visionary
- Free Trial/Demo7-Days Trial
Email, Ticket
44 Countries
VPNArea
Best Free Trial
- Dedicated servers available
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Just $3.21 per month when paid every two years
Speed tests can give you an idea of which VPNs are more likely to perform well, but the reality is that you won’t know how a VPN works on your connection until you try it. VPNArea offers an extremely generous trial, with seven days available for free and a 30-day money-back guarantee available after you commit to a one-year or two-year subscription. You can also get your money back within 14-days of signing up for a monthly plan, making VPNArea the best cheap VPN when it comes to refunds and free trials.
VPNArea also gives customers the unique option to add a dedicated private VPN to their subscription. With a dedicated server, you won’t have to share resources with any other users. This is available as an add-on for $40 to $88 for a two-year period depending on the type of server you want.
Access to VPNArea is available for $9.90 per month, $4.13 per month when paid annually, or just $3.21 per month when paid once every two years. While it isn’t quite the cheapest VPN we’ve covered, it still comes in well below some of the top competitors. You’ll have to commit to two years to get the lowest price but remember that you’ll be able to cancel for any reason within 30 days.
VPNArea also gives customers the unique option to add a dedicated private VPN to their subscription. With a dedicated server, you won’t have to share resources with any other users. This is available as an add-on for $40 to $88 for a two-year period depending on the type of server you want.
Access to VPNArea is available for $9.90 per month, $4.13 per month when paid annually, or just $3.21 per month when paid once every two years. While it isn’t quite the cheapest VPN we’ve covered, it still comes in well below some of the top competitors. You’ll have to commit to two years to get the lowest price but remember that you’ll be able to cancel for any reason within 30 days.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Dedicated servers available
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Just $3.21 per month when paid every two years
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
VPNArea
- Starting Price
- 24 Months: $3.21/month
- 12 Months: $4.14/month
- 1 Month: $9.90/month
- Free Trial/Demo7-Day Free Trial
Live Chat, Email, and Phone
70 Countries