Independent · sourced · Updated June 2026
Best VPN Services (2026)
The cheapest vpn services is Proton VPN at $0/mo. 1 offer a free tier (Proton VPN). This page compares 8 options on entry price, free tier, HIPAA/SOC 2 and best-for — every figure linked to its source, updated June 2026.
8 options compared on price, free tier, compliance and fit — ranked cheapest-first. Every figure links to the vendor's own page and the date we captured it; quote-only tiers show “—”, never a guess.
Key takeaways
- Cheapest: Proton VPN at $0/mo (Proton Free).
- Typical paid price: from $1.78/mo, median $2.49/mo, up to $5.75/mo — across 8 with published pricing.
- Free tier: Proton VPN.
- Tracked: 8 vendors, data current through 2026-06-15.
Comparison
| # | VPN Service | Entry price | Free | HIPAA | SOC 2 | Best for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proton VPN | $0/mo Proton Free | Yes | — | — | Journalists, activists, and whistleblowers needing maximum anonymity | protonvpn.com |
| 2 | Surfshark | $1.78/mo Starter (24-month) | No | — | — | Households or teams needing unlimited devices on one subscription | security.org |
| 3 | CyberGhost VPN | $2.03/mo 2 Years + 4 Months | No | — | — | Budget-conscious streamers wanting the longest money-back window | security.org |
| 4 | Private Internet Access (PIA) | $2.03/mo 3 Years + 4 Months | No | — | — | Power users who want to configure their own encryption parameters | security.org |
| 5 | IPVanish | $2.19/mo Essential (2-year) | No | — | — | Cord-cutters using Fire TV / Kodi who need seamless streaming app integration | security.org |
| 6 | ExpressVPN | $2.79/mo Basic (2-year) | No | — | — | High-speed streaming on public Wi-Fi | security.org |
| 7 | NordVPN | $3.09/mo Basic (2-year) | No | — | — | Streaming Netflix / Disney+ from abroad | security.org |
| 8 | Mullvad VPN | $5.75/mo Mullvad VPN (flat monthly) | No | — | — | Privacy-maximalists who want zero personal data tied to their account | security.org |
Prices are the lowest published self-serve monthly rate as captured on the linked source. Annual-billing and usage details are on each vendor's record in our open dataset.
Alternatives
Popular comparisons
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest vpn services?
Proton VPN has the lowest published entry price at $0/mo (Proton Free), as of 2026-06-15.
How much does vpn services cost per month?
Across the 8 vpn services with published paid pricing, the median starting price is $2.49/mo, ranging from $1.78/mo to $5.75/mo, as of 2026-06-15. 1 also offer a free tier.
Which vpn services have a free plan?
Proton VPN offer a free tier.
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How we compiled this
Published self-serve consumer VPN pricing was collected on the accessed date from each provider's own pricing page where it returned usable USD figures, and from dedicated 2026 pricing-review pages (primarily Security.org, corroborated by Cybernews/Tom's Guide aggregates) where the official page returned a 403/503 or geolocated to EUR. All prices are flat per-account per month in USD; consumer VPN accounts bundle a fixed number of simultaneous device connections (noted per tier) rather than charging per seat, so billingModel is flat throughout. Where a provider offers term-based pricing the lowest published rate (typically the 2-year term) is taken as monthlyUsd with the monthly/1-year rates and any bonus months recorded in notes; annualDiscountPct is left null because the headline rate is itself the multi-year promotional price. HIPAA/BAA are not applicable to consumer VPN service and are recorded null; minutes/calls/overage fields are null for every tier.
Last verified 2026-06-15. We re-check published prices and compliance on a recurring cadence and update this page when they change.
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