Cheap VPNs: Five providers with great performance for little money
VPN services are in demand like never before, but privacy services don’t come cheap. If you only have a small budget at your disposal, but still do not want to save on security, you often have to make compromises elsewhere. Although there are numerous providers on the market who entice you with attractive conditions, not every VPN is worth the money. COMPUTER BILD has scoured the provider jungle and the five cheapest VPN providers selected for you, all of which are characterized by good value for money.
VPN Test 2022: The Best VPN Providers
test winner
NordVPN
Details about the test
Per
Very simple operation
Huge server selection
against
Limit of six devices
No free version available
Value for money
Surfshark
Details about the test
Per
Easy handling
Available for many systems
against
No free version available
Security audit for browsers only
ExpressVPN
Details about the test
Per
Premium security
Very many supported systems, including routers
against
A bit expensive
Quite a few additional functions
Proton Technologies
Details about the test
Per
Easy handling
Based in Switzerland, strict data protection laws
against
high price
Average country and server selection
Hide.me
Details about the test
Per
Easy handling
Premium security
against
high price
Streaming weaknesses
CyberGhost
Details about the test
Per
Easy handling
Best for streaming
against
No multi-hop
No stealth features
Private internet access
Details about the test
Per
No logs
Good country selection
against
Headquarters in the USA (Five Eyes)
128-bit encryption only by default
Windscribe
Details about the test
Per
No device limitation
WireGuard
against
Only conditionally suitable for streaming
Headquarters in Canada (Five Eyes)
Golden Frog
Details about the test
Per
Based in Switzerland, strict data protection laws
WireGuard
against
Not suitable for streaming
Few additional functions
test grade
2.7
satisfactory
ZenGuard
Details about the test
Per
Easy to use
Many supported systems
against
Not suitable for streaming
Hardly any additional functions
Complete list: VPN Test 2022: The Best VPN Providers
Cheap VPN providers with a lot of performance
When making our selection, we didn’t just look at the price tag, but also considered important factors such as security, speed, equipment and streaming capabilities. The providers sell their VPN services on a subscription basis with different contract periods. Basically, the longer the contract period, the cheaper the average monthly price for the VPN. There are differences between the providers, for example in the number of devices that you can use with a license. Only Surfshark and ZenMate do not set a cap. This means that you can use any number of devices with the VPN account at the same time with these providers.
1. Surfshark: from 2.40 euros per month
Top security and high transparency
Strict no-log policy
RAM disk server
top speed
Large server selection
No device limitation
Good streaming performance
Multi-hop and VPN obfuscation
Security check for browsers only
No free version available
Surfshark is one of the cheapest yet best VPN services. The price for this is particularly attractive 2 year subscription. The provider even packs two more free of charge on top of the 24 contract months. You pay for a total of 26 months 62.53 euros and thus come to a very low average monthly price of 2.40 euros gross – the information on the Surfshark website are net prices.
The VPN service is convincing in the most important points, has many additional functions and is easy to use. In terms of security, the VPN shark does an excellent job. Surfshark relies on the AES-256 encryption algorithm and supports the most important VPN protocols with OpenVPN, IKEv2 and WireGuard. Multi-hop connections and VPN obfuscation are available for even more security. Surfshark also assures its users of a no-log policy and regularly publishes transparency reports on its website. With around 3,200 servers in 65 countries, the server selection is large enough to bypass country blocks for websites and streaming services. Surfshark is only selective with Netflix and does not unblock all country catalogs – but the important US Netflix works.
2. CyberGhost VPN: from 1.89 euros per month
Good security and transparency
Strict no-log policy
RAM disk server
Huge country and server selection
Top streaming performance
Good additional functions
Just average performance
No multi-hop connections
No VPN obfuscation
You can also buy CyberGhost cheaply if you are willing to sign up for three years bind to the VPN service. In this tariff, the provider even donates three additional free months. This gives you an average monthly price of 1.89 euros and pay for the 39 months in total 73.71 euros.
The provider permits the simultaneous use of a maximum of seven devices. The huge server armada and the very large country selection of the provider make it easy for you to turn off unwanted geo-blocking. Dedicated servers are available for HBO, Netflix, Disney Plus and many other streaming services. You can also use this advantage when shopping online. Abroad, products and service subscriptions, for example Netflix and YouTube Premium, are often cheaper than in Germany. CyberGhost shows slight weaknesses in terms of speed. CyberGhost VPN slows down downloads and especially uploads more significantly than the competition. However, the latency values are good. This is particularly important for video calls and online games, where low ping times are important. Unfortunately, security extras such as multi-hop and VPN obfuscation are missing.
3. NordVPN: from €3.56 per month
Premium security and high transparency
Strict no-log policy
RAM disk server
Great speed
Huge server selection
Top streaming performance
Multi-hop and VPN obfuscation
Limit of six devices
No free version available
With a bit of luck, you can also get NordVPN quite cheaply. On paper, the provider is one of the more expensive representatives, but the shortcoming is compensated for by the manufacturer’s frequent discount campaigns. The 2 year package currently costs in total 85.39 eurosso average 3.56 euros in the month. With the current NordVPN offer for the booked tariff, the provider also puts a gift in the shopping cart – up to two years of additional free term are included. Initially, you only see net prices on the company’s website. NordVPN only lists the actual costs in the final payment process. Our prices already include the statutory VAT of 19 percent.
On a technical level, NordVPN plays in the premier league and is the best VPN provider in our comparison test. In addition to AES-256 encryption and the VPN protocols OpenVPN and WireGuard, multi-hop, VPN obfuscation and data protection-proof RAM disk servers are part of the service. The approximately 5,200 servers in 60 countries offer a large selection, the servers are fast. In terms of transparency, the provider is also exemplary. A no-log policy, regular transparency reports and security audits by independent auditors complete the good overall picture. A shortcoming is the restriction to a maximum of six devices per account. Things quickly get tight when the family’s fleet of devices is to be under VPN protection. ZenMate and Surfshark are more generous and do not have a device upper limit.
4. ZenMate VPN: from 1.64 euros per month
Solid security
Strict no-log policy
top speed
No device limitation
Very large country and server selection
Not suitable for streaming
No multi-hop connections
No VPN obfuscation
Transparency expandable
Hardly any additional functions
If you want to save a lot of money, ZenMate is the cheapest VPN in this list. The average monthly price at 3 year subscription is unbeatable, here you only pay for a total of 36 months 59 euros respectively 1.64 euros per month. Although you have to accept some compromises in the scope of services, no other VPN is cheaper.
ZenMate is closely related to CyberGhost. Both VPN services belong to the company Kape Technologies. Apart from the paint job, both clients look confusingly similar. Both have in common the easy handling, the large server and country selection as well as the support for many different platforms. ZenMate even surpasses its older VPN sibling in some respects. While CyberGhost only achieves a mediocre speed, ZenMate impresses with very good speed results. In addition, with ZenMate you can use any number of devices with one account, with CyberGhost there are only seven. A shortcoming of ZenMate is the weak performance when bypassing geo-blocking. The service only unblocks a few media libraries from well-known streaming services. The equipment is also meager and the provider also has some catching up to do in terms of transparency. If you accept these trade-offs, you get rock-solid service for your money.
5. Private Internet Access: from EUR 1.79 per month
Good security and transparency
Strict no-log policy
RAM disk server
Large selection of countries
Many expert options
Multi-hop and VPN obfuscation
Up to 10 devices
Mediocre performance
Conditionally suitable for streaming
Headquarters in the USA (5 Eyes)
Especially that one 3 year plan is inexpensive with Private Internet Access, it costs in total 70 euros. Thanks to the three free months that the VPN provider gives away, you get a cheap monthly price for the VPN from 1.79 euros.
In addition to support for up to ten devices, the obfuscation service comes with many expert options such as multi-hop and stealth VPN. This allows ambitious VPN users to set up the client according to their wishes. The VPN also supports WireGuard and is therefore future-proof. The service is particularly suitable for trips across the pond, since the huge fleet of servers is mainly distributed across locations in the USA. This is also noticeable in the performance when unblocking US Netflix – PIA has good cards here. In other Netflix regions, however, the service is running out of steam, and it’s not always the fastest. If you can live with that, you get a good VPN service at very attractive conditions.
Alternatives: From reduced to free
You have a specific VPN service on your wish list but the regular price is too expensive for you? Then just wait for the right bargain. COMPUTER BILD regularly searches the provider websites for attractive VPN offers and discount campaigns. Some providers also provide their VPN services free of charge, but be careful: there are a lot of data octopuses among the free VPNs in particular. The freeware variants are also subject to some considerable restrictions, but they can be sufficient for simple requirements.
