Over the last few weeks, I've been looking into cheap VPN services I could use to improve my privacy and also because I enjoy torrenting and streaming with a VPN. Since I'm on a budget, I searched for VPNs that cost less than $4/month. 

After some time, I’ve managed to narrow down my list to 5 affordable VPNs. I decided to test them, as they all come with a 30-day refund guarantee. Here's what I experienced, but let's hear any feedback on other cheap VPNs I may be missing.

1. NordVPN - Is this the best cheap VPN?

NordVPN consistently gave me a fast and reliable connection speeds. I mostly relied on using its NordLynx protocol, which is a variation of WireGuard that provides the best speeds. It let me unlock every streaming platform I tried, and I didn't notice any limitations. 

In terms of performance, NordVPN did quite well. I hit speeds over 800 Mbps with servers in the US, as you can see below. To give you a real snapshot of the performance, here's a quick speed test I ran while typing up this post.

NordVPN gave me very fast speeds with US servers. Not bad for a cheap VPN.

NordVPN has also passed numerous independent audits verifying its security and privacy. So while it is definitely among the best cheap VPNs, it is also very secure.

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2. Surfshark - Budget-friendly VPN with unlimited connections

Surfshark, in many respects, is similar to NordVPN, but I wish that it offered more servers. Since it let me hold as many connections as I want, I've also tested it on my smartphones and even installed it on my router to protect all devices that don't support VPNs. I was very impressed with how well it worked, and its intuitive interface. 

Surfshark's 82% off coupon: https://surfshark.com/deals/coupon

3. ProtonVPN - Cheap VPN with many servers

I can easily see why this is a popular Swiss VPN. It has one of the biggest server networks and works great across many streaming platforms. ProtonVPN also has a neat VPN accelerator feature, which significantly improves performance on remote servers. The only downside I found is that it doesn't provide RAM servers.

Proton VPN coupon: https://protonvpn.com/offers/coupon

4. IPVanish - Budget-Friendly VPN in the U.S.

It seems to me that IPVanish is a direct competitor to Surfshark, as there are many similarities. Still, I would say that this is an inferior service. It is based in the US and doesn't have RAM servers, which automatically made me worried about my privacy. I also found that, despite using WireGuard, IPVanish wasn't as fast as Surfshark. Not sure why that is.

5. Private Internet Access - An affordable and simple VPN

PIA has the same problem as IPVanish, and that is a bad jurisdiction. Even though it might have the most developed server network, I found it was really slow. I frequently lost connection while using it and had problems accessing some streaming platforms. I guess that some of its servers are blacklisted, and it takes a while to find the ones that will work on sites like Hulu.

I still have a few days till my free trial is over and I guess that I'll continue using Surfshark, Proton, or NordVPN. Which of these do you think is the best cheap VPN? Or what others am I missing her in this overview?

Reddit, what are some other good cheap VPNs I should consider?

Ok, so I'm sure I missed some cheap VPNs, so any advice from the Reddit community would be appreciated.

I'm still in the 30 day trial window with two of these VPNs, so I can cancel and get a full refund if there are any other better options. Any other cheap VPNs you'd recommend Reddit?