Best Monthly VPNs: Cheapest pay-as-you-go VPN providers

Looking for a monthly VPN? VPNs offer discounts when you commit longer, but what if you only need a VPN to go on vacation? This guide analyzes the market to find the best monthly VPN deals.

Whether you need a VPN to watch Netflix on vacation or want to use your internet banking and other home services from abroad, this guide will help you find the perfect monthly VPN. We compared several VPNs to find the fastest, most secure, and most reliable ones for gaining privacy, accessibility, and access to your home streaming services from abroad.

If you are in a rush, check out the shortlist below. If you want to learn more about the features available with each VPN, then keep scrolling for in-depth summaries.

1. ProtonVPN: The best monthly VPN. $9.99 per month. Fast speeds and works with Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, and more. Allows torrenting and includes port forwarding. Strong no-logs policy and robust encryption. 30-day money-back guarantee.
2. PrivateVPN: $9.90 per month. Superb value for money, but not as fast as our other recommendations. Works with popular streaming services and has strong encryption.
3. Ivacy: $9.95 per month. A cheap monthly VPN with servers in 60+ countries. Strong encryption and a no-logs policy. Works with streaming platforms like Netflix.
4. PureVPN: $10.95 per month. The fastest cheap monthly VPN. Perfect for streaming, gaming, and torrenting thanks to its super-fast servers.
5. NordVPN: $12.95 per month. A bit more expensive but is a fantastic all-rounder with strong encryption, a kill switch, obfuscation, multi-hop, smart DNS, and Tor over VPN.

Criteria for the best monthly VPNs

We considered privacy and security above all else to find the best monthly VPNs. Our recommendations all work to prevent ISP snooping, bypass censorship, and switch your IP address to hundreds of global locations. Below, you can see all the criteria we used to pick the best monthly VPNs:

• Has a monthly plan that is priced fairly
• Apps for all devices and operating systems
• Global server network to easily bypass restrictions
• Works to stream Netflix and other popular streaming platforms
• Provides fast connections for HD streaming without interruption
• Allows torrenting
• Uses strong encryption to protect your activities
• Includes advanced features like a kill switch, obfuscation, split tunneling, and port forwarding
• Has a rock-solid no-logging policy
• Reliable customer support with live chat

We will provide additional information about how we picked the best monthly VPNs later in this guide. For now, you can read our summaries of each pay-as-you-go VPN:

The best monthly VPNs

Here is our list of the best monthly VPNs. These VPNs offer a pay-as-you-go plan that you can cancel at any time. Please bear in mind that monthly VPN plans are automatically renewed. You must cancel your account to avoid recurring charges.

1. ProtonVPN

Jul 2024

ProtonVPN is our top recommendation for a monthly VPN. The VPN is exceptional considering its low monthly subscription cost of just $9.99 per month. It is a highly reputable service based in Switzerland, a country that is excellent in terms of privacy – and it is one of the most feature-packed VPNs on the market.

The VPN has reliable apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Firestick, and Linux. Those apps provide a wealth of features, including strong encryption, a kill switch, obfuscation, split tunneling, port forwarding, multi-hop, stealth VPN, self-owned servers, and an ad and tracker blocking feature called Net Shield. It doesn’t keep any logs of what you do while connected.

Servers are available in 85+ countries and work to stream Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Prime Video, Disney Plus, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and many other popular platforms. Torrenting-optimized servers are available in most locations around the world, and the port forwarding feature makes it ideal for seeding. Speeds are also extremely impressive, making it great for HD streaming and fast downloads.

Live chat support is available in the member’s area of its website. The money-back guarantee applies to the monthly plan, so you can test it risk-free.

ADVANCED AND SECURE:ProtonVPN is the best mix of value and features for the money. Torrenting and streaming are seamless thanks to the speedy WireGuard protocol. Secure encryption and a no-logs policy. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Find out more in our ProtonVPN review

2. PrivateVPN

PrivateVPN offers the cheapest monthly plan on our list. The VPN is based in Sweden and runs on a self-owned network of servers. This helps to increase the security of its network by removing third-party involvement. It also has a solid no-logging policy that promises never to track IPs or activities.

The VPN has a smaller network than some of our other recommendations, and it isn’t as lightning-fast as some competitors. That said, you can connect to servers in 63 countries, which is still ample. In our tests, the VPN could stream content without buffering, and it worked to watch more than a dozen Netflix regions. It also works with most other popular streaming services.

In terms of security, the VPN provides a choice of protocols, including OpenVPN. WireGuard is available but only using a third-party client for the time being. Hopefully, it will introduce it natively in its apps soon. A kill switch cuts your internet if the VPN drops out, and your traffic is protected with AES-256 encryption and DNS leak protection. Obfuscation helps get around firewalls and conceal VPN use.

Torrenters will love its port-forwarding feature, but it doesn’t include split tunneling, so bear that in mind. Live chat support is available on its website, 24/7.

CHEAPEST MONTHLY VPN:PrivateVPN is perfect for anybody wanting to access home services on vacation on a budget. It is a secure and reliable VPN with servers in 63+ countries. It works with many popular US and international streaming services. Strong no-logs policy and reliable AES encryption. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Check out our full PrivateVPN review for more details

3. Ivacy VPN

Ivacy is a VPN that is based in Singapore, and it represents excellent value for money. A one-month plan costs just $9.95, which is very reasonable considering the VPN’s excellent apps and features.

The VPN has servers in 56 countries, which is a reasonable amount of choice. Those servers work to access popular streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer, and Hulu.

Apps are available for all popular platforms, and the VPN provides useful features like strong encryption, a kill switch for Windows and Android, a choice of protocols, DNS leak protection, and split tunneling. WireGuard connections are available, but you will need to use a third-party client.

Subscribers are protected with a no-logging policy, so Ivacy never keeps records of what its users do online, or their source IP address. Torrenting is allowed, and your downloads are private while connected.

Users can connect up to 10 devices at the same time, making it a decent option for families on vacation. Ask questions at any time of day through the live chat support.

EASY TO USE:A decent all-rounder that offers strong security and privacy. Works with most streaming platforms and provides decent enough speeds. Very easy to use and has apps for all platforms. A 30-day money-back guarantee lets you test it before committing.

Check out our full Ivacy VPN review for more details

4. PureVPN

PureVPN is a very interesting option for travelers, or anyone else needing a short-term VPN solution. Starting at an affordable $10.95 per month, it might not be the cheapest option, but it is still decent value for money. Subscribers may use the VPN on up to 10 devices, which makes it ideal for families, ensuring everyone can stay connected and secure.

Security-wise, PureVPN has DNS leak protection, strong encryption, and a kill switch. These features give peace of mind whether you’re working remotely or connecting to public wifi on vacation.

Users can connect to servers in 65 countries, and those servers work impressively to access international TV services and streaming platforms. This includes various Netflix regions, Disney Plus, Hulu, and HBO Max, as well as numerous British TV platforms like BBC iPlayer.

PureVPN is headquartered in the British Virgin Islands, a location without mandatory data retention laws applicable to VPNs. This lets PureVPN maintain a strict no-logging policy. PureVPN’s WireGuard protocol provides outstanding speeds, optimizing your experience for streaming, torrenting, gaming, and video conferencing.

Though the live chat support on the PureVPN website can sometimes keep you waiting, the agents should be able to answer your questions.

GREAT FOR STREAMING:PureVPN is an exceptionally fast monthly VPN that is easy to use and works with nearly every streaming service we have tested it with. Strong encryption and no-logs policy keep your data safe online. Live chat support is available and it has a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Find out more in our PureVPN review

5. NordVPN

NordVPN is based in Panama, which is excellent in terms of privacy, and it has a strong no-logs policy that ensures it never monitors your activities.

The only real drawback is that the 1-month subscription costs $12.95, making it a more expensive pay-as-you-go VPN than our other recommendations. However, it’s a top contender for those who want a reliable VPN with strong encryption, a kill switch, DNS leak protection, obfuscation, split tunneling, multi-hop, and Tor over VPN.

Servers are available in 111 countries and it has more than 6000 in total. This gives you an impressive amount of choice for accessing international services and for bypassing censorship in countries like China and the UAE. The VPN is lightning fast thanks to its proprietary NordLynx protocol, and it works to stream Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, BBC iPlayer, and many other international platforms.

Torrenting is allowed throughout its network, but it doesn’t have port forwarding. You can get help at any time of day using live chat.

EXCELLENT ALL-ROUNDER:NordVPN is a highly trusted and respected VPN that is popular all over the world. It represents superb value for money on the longer plans but is a touch more expensive when you buy a one-month plan. Excellent apps that come with many advanced features. Includes ad and tracker blocking. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Find out more in the NordVPN review

Monthly VPN testing methodology

When choosing a pay-as-you-go VPN, there are a few important considerations to keep in mind.

To pick our favorite monthly VPNs, we considered the cost, tested for leaks, looked under the hood at the encryption implementation, checked the privacy policies, and went after monthly VPNs that offer the most well-rounded feature set possible.

You can find out more about how we test and recommend VPNs in our VPN testing methodology guide. Here are some of the main things we looked for when finding the best monthly VPNs:

• Outstanding performance: A reliable monthly VPN should provide you with watertight online security and privacy. We look for monthly VPNs that have apps for all platforms that can keep your data completely safe.
• Fast speeds: We tested each VPN to find out whether it is fast enough for streaming, gaming, and making video calls -activities you might want to do when using a monthly VPN on vacation or while traveling for work.
• Accessibility: We recommend VPNs that have large server networks that let you get an IP address in a wide choice of locations. This makes the VPN useful for bypassing censorship, accessing regional services, and getting around blocks at work or on campus.
• Unblocking capabilities: We test VPNs and recommend those that successfully access international game servers, TV broadcasts, and the most sought-after streaming platforms. This makes the VPN versatile and good value for money.
• Privacy: We only recommend no logs VPNs that have reliable encryption, a kill switch, and protection against IPv6 and DNS leaks. Extra points for obfuscation, multi-hop, and other useful privacy and security features.
• User-friendliness: We prioritize user-friendly VPNs, with apps that work seamlessly and allow you to access all their features without confusion or complications.

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