Best cheap VPN: 6 picks that stay cheap

A cheap VPN is only cheap if it stays cheap. Five of the eight providers in the table below renew at two to more than three times their advertised monthly rate once the first term ends. So this ranking rests on the numbers most roundups bury: the renewal price and the refund window, both taken from each provider’s own pricing and terms pages on 23 Jul 2026. For picks judged on more than price, start with our full VPN rankings.

Advertised price vs. renewal price, eight VPNs (as of 23 Jul 2026)

VPN	Intro price	First bill	Covers	Renews at	Refund window
Surfshark	$2.49/mo	$67.23	27 months	$79.00/yr (about $6.58/mo)	30 days
CyberGhost	$2.19/mo	$56.94	26 months	$56.94/yr (about $4.75/mo)	45 days (14 on monthly)
Private Internet Access	$2.03/mo	about $79	39 months	$79 every 3 years (about $2.19/mo)	30 days
Proton VPN	$2.99/mo	$71.76	24 months	$83.88/yr ($6.99/mo)	30 days
Mullvad	none — flat rate	$5.71 (€5)	1 month	€5/mo, unchanged since 2009	14 days
Windscribe	$5.75/mo	$69.00	12 months	$69.00/yr (same as sign-up)	7 business days
ExpressVPN	$3.19/mo	$89.32	28 months	$99.95/yr (about $8.33/mo)	30 days (paused 11 Jul–11 Aug 2026)
NordVPN	$3.49/mo	$94.23	27 months	$139.08/yr (about $11.59/mo)	30 days

The first six rows are the picks, in order; ExpressVPN and NordVPN appear for comparison and are covered further down. All figures are in US dollars from each provider’s checkout, pricing, or terms pages. Mullvad bills in euros, VAT included, and displayed $5.71 as the dollar equivalent at the time.

1. Surfshark: unlimited devices at $2.49 a month

Surfshark’s Starter plan costs $2.49 a month on the 24-month deal — $67.23 up front, covering 27 months because three come free. One subscription covers unlimited devices, so a single cheap plan can protect a whole household. The network runs RAM-only servers in 100 countries, and every server supports WireGuard, IKEv2, and OpenVPN. On trust, Deloitte completed its second no-logs assurance engagement for Surfshark in 2025, following the first in January 2023 — though the full reports are only readable by logged-in customers.

The real weakness is month 28. The plan renews at $79.00 a year — about $6.58 a month, over two and a half times the intro rate — and Surfshark’s terms reserve the right to A/B-test renewal prices, so the renewal you are shown can differ from someone else’s. Set a reminder before the term ends. Full breakdown in our Surfshark review.

2. CyberGhost: the lowest upfront bill and a 45-day refund

At $2.19 a month, CyberGhost’s two-year deal has the smallest first bill here: $56.94 for 26 months under its current 83% summer promotion. It also gives you the longest window to change your mind — 45 days on plans of six months or longer, the widest refund in this group. The renewal stings less than most, too: $56.94 per year afterwards, about $4.75 a month. CyberGhost is based in Romania — outside the 5/9/14 Eyes alliances, per its no-logs page — runs RAM-only servers in 100 countries, and passed its third Deloitte Audit Romania no-logs audit in 2025.

The weaknesses: a 7-device cap where Surfshark and Private Internet Access have none, a refund that drops to 14 days on the monthly plan, and some country locations served by virtual servers — the public server list marks which.

3. Private Internet Access: cheapest over the long run

Private Internet Access costs $2.03 a month on its 39-month plan — about $79 up front under the current promotion. What makes it unusual is the renewal: $79 every three years afterwards, about $2.19 a month. It is the only heavy discounter in this table whose price barely moves when the intro term ends. You also get unlimited simultaneous connections, RAM-only servers, and three Deloitte Audit Romania no-logs audits (2022, 2024, 2025). PIA says its no-logs stance has held up in court, with subpoenas producing no data.

Two caveats. PIA is a US company (Denver, Colorado), and the US is a Five Eyes member — the weakest jurisdiction in this ranking. Its own pages also disagree on network size: the homepage claims 90 countries while the live server list shows 50.

4. Proton VPN: the pick with public proof

Proton VPN’s Plus plan costs $2.99 a month on the two-year deal, billed $71.76 for the first 24 months. The extra 50-odd cents a month over CyberGhost buys the strongest transparency record in this group: Securitum has audited Proton’s no-logs infrastructure five years running, and the 2026 report — like the four before it — is published in full for anyone to read. The apps are open source, the company operates under Swiss law, and the live server list counted 148 countries on 23 Jul 2026. A genuinely free tier exists if $2.99 is still too much.

The renewal is the sore point: $83.88 a year after the intro term, or $6.99 a month — more than double. Proton’s servers are also not RAM-only, a deliberate choice; the company argues full-disk encryption with off-site keys protects data better, and publishes its reasoning. Plans cover 10 devices.

5. Mullvad: one flat price, no tricks

Mullvad charges a flat €5 a month — $5.71 at the pricing page’s displayed conversion — whether you buy one month or ten years. That price has not changed since 2009. There is no intro rate to expire, no renewal jump, and no sale to wait for; the only discount is 10% off for paying with cryptocurrency. Accounts are anonymous numbered accounts with no email required, cash by post is accepted, servers run from RAM with no persistent storage, and Cure53 completed its fourth infrastructure audit in June 2024 — scoped to anything that could compromise a user’s privacy, with no such issues found.

The trade-offs are real: $5.71 is more per month than every intro deal above it, the cap is 5 devices, the network spans 50 countries, and the refund window is 14 days — never for cash or cryptocurrency payments. Since 15 Jan 2026 Mullvad is WireGuard-only, so OpenVPN router setups no longer work.

6. Windscribe: renewals never rise, and free actually works

Windscribe’s yearly plan is $69 — $5.75 a month — and its posted policy is that the price you sign up at is the price you keep paying. A custom “Build A Plan” starts at $3 a month ($1 per location, three-location minimum) if you only need a few countries. The free tier is the most usable in this group: 10 GB a month with a confirmed email, unlimited devices, no card required. Packetlabs ran a third-party privacy and security audit of its rebuilt server stack in June 2024.

The weaknesses: the strictest refund in this article — 7 business days, under 10 GB used, first payment only, and support must first fail to resolve a technical issue; a Canadian (Five Eyes) jurisdiction; no formal no-logs attestation, only the pen test; and the company’s own pages disagree on whether the network covers 69 or more than 85 countries.

How we picked

Cheap lives or dies on price honesty, so the criteria weight it heavily:

• Renewal price over intro price. A plan is judged on what it costs in year two, not the banner rate. That is why Private Internet Access ranks so high and why two household names are absent.
• Refund window, from the terms. Marketing pages round up; the terms of service hold the exclusions. CyberGhost’s 45 days beats the standard 30; Windscribe’s 7 business days comes with a 10 GB usage cap.
• Primary sources only. Every number above comes from the provider’s own pricing, terms, or server pages, as of 23 Jul 2026 and linked in the sources below.
• Audit track record. Independent no-logs or infrastructure audits, weighted by recency and whether the report is public. Our guide to no-log VPN audits explains what these engagements do and don’t prove.
• No speed claims. We don’t run speed benchmarks, so no pick here rests on a speed score.

Why aren’t NordVPN and ExpressVPN ranked?

Both are capable services with 2025 no-logs engagements — Deloitte for NordVPN, KPMG for ExpressVPN — and both advertise intro prices in cheap-VPN territory: $3.49 a month at NordVPN ($94.23 for 27 months) and $3.19 a month at ExpressVPN ($89.32 for 28 months). The renewals disqualify them. NordVPN’s Basic plan renews at $139.08 a year — about $11.59 a month, the steepest jump in the table. ExpressVPN renews at $99.95 a year, and its 30-day money-back guarantee is suspended for purchases made during its sweepstakes promotion from 11 Jul to 11 Aug 2026 — exactly the safety net a budget buyer needs. If you are weighing the bigger names anyway, see NordVPN vs Surfshark compared.

Who should skip these picks

• You won’t prepay for years. Every sub-$3 rate above requires a 24-to-39-month commitment. Month to month the order flips: Mullvad ($5.71) and Windscribe ($9) become the value picks, while Surfshark’s monthly rate is $16.45.
• You want to pay nothing. Proton VPN’s free plan has no data cap on one device, and Windscribe’s gives 10 GB a month. The best free VPNs covers what free plans can and can’t do.
• You care about jurisdiction. Private Internet Access is a US company and Windscribe a Canadian one — both Five Eyes members. CyberGhost’s Romania sits outside the 5/9/14 Eyes alliances per its no-logs page; Proton VPN operates under Swiss law, which Proton says imposes no logging requirements on it; Mullvad is Swedish, and Sweden’s data-retention rules don’t cover VPN providers, per Mullvad.
• You need a long refund runway. Mullvad gives 14 days (none for cash or cryptocurrency) and Windscribe 7 business days with conditions. If you want time to test, CyberGhost’s 45 days and the 30-day windows at Surfshark, Private Internet Access, and Proton VPN are safer.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest VPN right now?

Among the major providers, Private Internet Access has the lowest rate: $2.03 a month on a 39-month plan (about $79 up front), renewing at $79 every three years. CyberGhost is close behind at $2.19 a month for 26 months. Smaller providers advertise lower headline prices, usually with steeper renewal jumps.

Is a cheap VPN safe to use?

Price says little about safety; audits and infrastructure say more. CyberGhost at $2.19 a month has passed three independent no-logs audits by Deloitte Audit Romania (2022, 2024, 2025), and Surfshark, Private Internet Access, and Proton VPN all have 2025 or 2026 audit engagements. Judge a cheap VPN by its audit trail, refund terms, and jurisdiction, not its price.

Why are long-term VPN plans so cheap?

The low rates are introductory prices for the first term only. Proton VPN's $2.99 a month becomes $6.99 a month when the two-year term renews, and NordVPN's $3.49 becomes about $11.59. Providers bet you will stay at the higher renewal price. Mullvad and Windscribe are the exceptions: their prices do not change at renewal.

What is the cheapest monthly VPN with no long commitment?

Mullvad, at a flat €5 a month (about $5.71). Windscribe's monthly plan is $9 and Proton VPN's is $9.99. The big discounters cost far more month to month: CyberGhost charges $12.99, NordVPN and ExpressVPN $14.99, and Surfshark $16.45.

Which cheap VPN allows unlimited devices?

Surfshark, Private Internet Access, and Windscribe place no limit on simultaneous connections. Surfshark has the lowest intro price of the three at $2.49 a month; Private Internet Access is cheapest over time because its renewal works out to about $2.19 a month. CyberGhost allows 7 devices; Proton VPN and NordVPN allow 10.