Laptop shopping on a tight budget? Check out 10 great picks that cost less than a grand—ultraportables, gaming laptops, 2-in-1s, even a MacBook Air—all tested and vetted by PC Labs.
PC shopping on a budget is hard, especially when the best laptops are often four-figure investments. We get it; we’ve been reviewing laptops for 40 years (back when all of them were truly exorbitant). Our analysts and editors have decades of experience reviewing portable PCs and sifting out the best values. At PC Labs, we benchmark laptops for CPU and graphics performance using rigorous benchmark tests; we also test and assess display quality, battery life, connectivity, and, of course, value. Every budget laptop is a balance of strengths and trade-offs, and our current best Windows laptop under $1,000 for most people is the Dell 14 Plus (DB14250), which brings peppy everyday performance to homes and students. We also recommend the 2025 Apple MacBook Air M4 as a great general-use Mac. Read on for details on those and more of the best under-$1,000 laptops we’ve tested, plus a detailed buying guide and a handy spec comparison.Why We Picked It
Dell’s freshly rebranded 14 Plus is a full-metal, nearly ultraportable midrange laptop, with a punchy and comfortable keyboard and lots of ports, including Thunderbolt 4. Our test unit had a crisp, color-rich 1600p IPS screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, which is optional. Dell built this laptop to excel at everyday computing tasks, such as homework, bill management, and web browsing, with a 20-hour battery life. Its list price might not inspire you, but we’ve seen the Dell 14 Plus for as little as $699.99, which makes it an absolute steal.Who It’s For
High school and college students: This is an excellent sub-$1,000 laptop for students in high school and college. The Dell 14 Plus (DB14250) has a combination of long battery life, a comfortable keyboard for writing papers, and a durable chassis, making it an ideal companion for homework and campus life.
Home office deal hunters: This laptop works particularly well for shoppers looking to upgrade their home office on the cheap. The 14 Plus is a perfect fit for general productivity and media consumption, presenting as a versatile do-it-all machine with a comfortable viewing and listening experience. Just be patient, as it often goes on sale.
PC loyalists seeking a MacBook alternative: This is the best Windows laptop for less than $1,000 as a MacBook substitute. The 14 Plus works well for buyers who want at least close to the build quality and battery reliability often associated with the MacBook Air, but prefer the Windows operating system and a broader port selection.Why We Picked It
Our favorite sub-$1,000 MacBook for most shoppers is the Apple MacBook Air 13-Inch (2025, M4), which earned our Editors‘ Choice award for not only elevating the level of performance with the M4 chip but also dropping the price to $999, finally making Apple’s lightest laptop more affordable. The base model receives more memory than the previous year, an improved Center Stage camera, and enhanced performance, while maintaining its fanless, silent design. If you’re looking for our top-pick MacBook for less than $1,000, this is it.Who It’s For
Mainstream laptop shoppers: This is the affordable MacBook to buy for most people. Apple’s MacBook Air 13-Inch (2025, M4) won our Editors‘ Choice award for Mac laptops thanks to its balance of speed, build quality, and longevity that keeps it highly relevant against stiff competition. Its return to less than $1,000 for an even more improved experience just seals the deal.
Students and professionals: This MacBook is the best option for most students and either independent or salaried professionals. As usual, Apple’s laptop combines a thin, lightweight chassis and a fanless design, making it ideal for quiet environments like classrooms and offices where noise can be a distraction. It’s also an ace at basic media manipulation and AI-dependent tasks.
Shoppers upgrading an old MacBook: This is the MacBook Air to upgrade to from an M2-generation or older model. While not a necessary upgrade for M3 owners, the M4 MacBook Air is an excellent choice for those with older MacBooks seeking a significant boost in speed and memory. If you just bought an M3 model last year, maybe hold out for the imminent M5 version.Why We Picked It
Finding affordable PC gaming gear isn’t always easy, but the MSI Katana 15 HX is a top-notch 1080p gaming laptop for less than a grand. With an Intel Core HX processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 50-series graphics, this laptop delivers surprising capabilities for mainstream AAA gaming, producing smooth 60fps performance through DLSS 4 resolution scaling and multi-frame generation, which provide significant frame rate boosts in demanding titles. Additionally, it’s great for everyday productivity, features a surprisingly comfortable RGB keyboard, and houses a longer-lasting battery than most gaming machines.Who It’s For
Budget-bound mainstream gamers: This is the gaming laptop to beat for the average PC gamer looking to save without compromising on too much. The MSI Katana 15 HX is designed for gamers seeking the latest generation of graphics technology without exceeding the $1,000 threshold. With DLSS 4 active in games that support it, this laptop will run most modern PC games without issue.
Single-system students and pros: This gaming laptop works particularly well for students and professionals in need of one laptop that can do it all well enough. Shoppers who can afford only a single computer to handle everything from intense gaming sessions to standard productivity workflows will be satisfied by what the Katana 15 HX has to offer.Why We Picked It
Ringing up at $999, the Asus Zenbook A14 is an excellent ultraportable. It combines Qualcomm Snapdragon processing with a premium OLED display and an ultra-light design. The chassis is made from magnesium alloy and features Asus‘ Ceraluminum finish, making it one of the lightest yet sturdiest laptops we’ve tested. It’s portable and easy to carry, but it doesn’t skimp on performance. The laptop also features all of Windows‘ Copilot+ AI capabilities and a comprehensive array of ports.Who It’s For
Travelers and commuters: This laptop is an excellent choice at less than $1,000 for people who are frequently on the go. The Asus Zenbook A14 serves those shoppers well, thanks to its exceedingly light design and battery life that allows for all-day use without a charger.
Media lovers: This is a fine laptop for shoppers who love watching movies and other videos. The Zenbook’s OLED screen makes it a fantastic device for watching movies and streaming content with deep blacks and vibrant colors. Its light weight also helps for watching wherever you may be.Why We Picked It
Office laptops need potent performance, broad connectivity, and long battery life. The fact that the Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 5 meets expectations for under $1,000 is a welcome surprise. This laptop may not have the carbon-fiber construction or dazzling display options of fancier ThinkPads like Lenovo’s flagship X1 Carbon, but it features one of the best keyboards in its class, versatile Thunderbolt 4 ports, and even an optional touch screen for just $50 extra. Plus, it comes with a three-year warranty, providing you with peace of mind that it will continue to work reliably for longer than most machines.Who It’s For
Small business owners and fleet managers: This is the top laptop for businesses of all sizes at less than $1,000. The Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 5 presents a cost-effective solution with a comprehensive warranty and durable build quality, minimizing long-term ownership costs.
Writers and other heavy typists: This is an ideal work laptop for writers, editors, or those in similar fields that require constant typing. The ThinkPad’s comfortable, high-quality keyboard makes it a leading budget-laptop choice for people who spend the majority of their day composing documents and emails.Why We Picked It
If you want to save as much money as possible on a laptop—we’re talking way less than $1,000—then the Acer Aspire 3 (A315-24P) is a smart buy. It’s a reliable performer with smooth performance for everyday tasks, but it goes beyond the basics with high-quality Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, long battery life, and an irresistible price. That’s pretty hard to beat.Who It’s For
Shoppers on a strict budget: This is the ultimate extreme-budget laptop for cash-strapped shoppers. The Acer Aspire 3 (A315-24P) is the best option for those who absolutely cannot stretch their spending to the $500 mark, where better performance and features become available.
Grade school and high school students: This laptop works particularly well for students in elementary and high school education. It suits shoppers who require a device solely for web browsing, word processing, and basic administrative tasks, rather than for entertainment or media creation.Why We Picked It
Buying a laptop with a big screen doesn’t mean you have to spend a small fortune. The 2024 Acer Swift Go 16 combines a handsome 16-inch display, powerful performance, and numerous ports. The laptop also features a 1440p webcam, a rare find among laptops priced for less than a grand (or even above that price). Its Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, 32GB of standard RAM, and 1TB SSD are also hard to get in this price range.Who It’s For
Big-screen bargain hunters: This is the ideal laptop for shoppers seeking a large screen on the cheap. The Acer Swift Go 16 (2024) is a fine choice for buyers who want a large 16-inch workspace for multitasking without paying the premium for a top-tier display panel. It can handle heavy workflows and multitasking for an approachable price.
Shoppers who value function over form: This laptop works best for people who prioritize high performance over design and features. It is designed for people who can overlook a mediocre build quality, a lackluster keyboard, and preinstalled bloatware in exchange for raw speed and long battery life.
Remote workers and video callers: This is a fantastic sub-$1,000 laptop for working from home. The upgraded 1440p webcam and audio features make it an excellent choice for shoppers who spend a significant amount of time in virtual meetings.
