These top VPNs don’t cost much. Better yet, they don’t come with any of the restrictions common among free VPNs.
A VPN can help improve your privacy online, but you should be prepared to pay about $10 a month for the privilege. Sure, there are some worthwhile free VPNs, but all of them will limit either the servers you can access, your bandwidth, or both. In this list, we look at the best for-pay VPN services that won’t break the bank.
We’ll explain everything you need to know about our top money-saving VPNs below. Read on for our top picks, followed by an explanation of how we came up with our list and what you need to know about cheap VPNs.
What Is the Best Cheap VPN?
When you switch on a VPN, it creates an encrypted connection between your machine and a server operated by the VPN company. All your data is piped to the server before exiting back out onto the internet. When you use a VPN, it prevents your ISP or anyone else from being able to monitor the sites you visit (and potentially monetizing that data).
There are other privacy perks, too. A VPN hides your true IP address, concealing your true geographic location. VPNs also make it harder for advertisers, and anyone else watching, from monitoring your movements across the web.
Harder, but not impossible. With enough time and effort, a determined adversary is likely to win out. In addition to a VPN, you should also make sure you protect yourself in other ways. Advertisers have numerous tricks for gathering data, so use an ad blocker as well as the privacy features of your browser. Account takeovers are devastating, so protect your accounts with unique passwords from a password manager and enable multi-factor authentication wherever possible. Lastly, never underestimate malware. We strongly encourage readers to use standalone antivirus software.
For some people, VPNs are an essential tool. For anyone living under the threat of oppression or surveillance, a VPN makes it much harder for observers to see what you’re doing online. VPNs can also be used to bypass state-sponsored censorship, letting people freely access the web.