4 of 4 qualify · Updated August 13, 2026
What is the cheapest VPN that is not a bad idea?
FastestVPN at $0.83 per month on a two-year term, among providers clearing a quality floor of 55 out of 100 — but it clears that floor exactly, on the strength of a single audit from January 2023. PureVPN at $2.15 costs more and carries four audits, the most recent in 2024.
Price pages usually sort by headline rate and stop there, which rewards whoever advertises the longest prepayment. This one applies a floor first: a provider has to clear a minimum overall score before its price is worth quoting. The provider at the top of this list sits exactly on that floor, which is worth knowing — the cheapest acceptable option and a good one are different claims, and this page only makes the first.
The rule for this page. Providers scoring 55 or above overall, ordered by lowest effective monthly price. The commitment length is shown, because a low rate on a long prepayment is a different product.
| # | Provider | Deciding fact | Price and refund terms | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FastestVPN | $0.83/mo on the 2-year plan | 9/10 | 55.0 |
| 2 | PureVPN | $2.15/mo on the 2-year plan | 9/10 | 70.0 |
| 3 | NordVPN | $3.39/mo on the 2-year plan | 8/10 | 84.0 |
| 4 | Proton VPN | $4.49/mo on the 2-year plan | 7/10 | 90.0 |
Top of this list
$0.83/mo on the 2-year plan. Priced below everything else here and documented below everything else here. Those two facts are related.
Visit FastestVPNWe earn a commission if you subscribe through this link. It does not change FastestVPN’s score.
$0.83/mo on the 2-year plan. Priced below everything else here and documented below everything else here. Those two facts are related.
Against it: One audit, from January 2023, never repeated — the other three have all been re-audited since.
Visit FastestVPN$2.15/mo on the 2-year plan. Cheap, broadly capable, and carrying a 2017 logging incident that no later audit erases.
Against it: Supplied user connection logs to the FBI in a 2017 case while advertising a no-logs policy.
Visit PureVPN$3.39/mo on the 2-year plan. The most complete all-round package here, provided you accept closed-source clients and a renewal price above the introductory rate.
Against it: Client applications are closed source and cannot be independently inspected.
Visit NordVPN$4.49/mo on the 2-year plan. The best-documented security stack of the four, and the only one you can test properly without paying.
Against it: Refunds are prorated against usage, not returned in full.
Visit Proton VPNA shortlist answers one requirement. These cover the decisions that come before it, and the things a VPN will not do for you whichever one you choose.