VPN comparison

Best Cheap VPNs: Surfshark, CyberGhost, and PIA Compared

Three of the lowest-priced premium VPNs, weighed on the numbers that actually matter — including the renewal price the headline deal doesn't show you.

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Compared on published specs, jurisdiction and real renewal pricing.
VPN	Privacy	Based in	Devices	From	Refund	Visit site
Surfshark Top pick	B+	Netherlands	Unlimited devices	$1.78/mo	30-day	Get deal
Private Internet Access (PIA) Top pick	B+	United States	Unlimited devices	$2.03/mo	30-day	Get deal
CyberGhost VPN Top pick	B+	Romania (outside the 5/9/14	7 devices	$2.03/mo	14-day	Get deal
Proton VPN	A+	Switzerland	10 devices	$2.99/mo	30-day	Get deal

"Cheap" is the easiest VPN claim to fake, because almost every provider advertises a tiny per-month figure that only applies if you pay two or three years upfront — and that rate usually jumps at renewal. To cut through that, we focus here on three of the genuinely low-cost premium names: Surfshark, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access (PIA). All three publish intro rates around $1.78–$2.19 per month on long terms, all three carry independently audited no-logs policies, and all three have a renewal jump you should plan for.

We have not run our own speed tests, leak tests, or hands-on streaming trials. Everything below is based on each provider's published specifications and their audited claims, with the figures verified as of June 2026. Where a provider's own support documents add a caveat (for example, that streaming or China access is not guaranteed), we say so. The goal is to help you pick the cheapest option that fits your actual use — and to be clear about who each one is wrong for.

One caveat worth flagging up front: CyberGhost and PIA are both owned by Kape Technologies, a company some privacy advocates distrust over its corporate history. That doesn't override the third-party audits, but it's a fact buyers should weigh for themselves.

The headline price isn't the price you'll pay

Every deal here is an upfront, multi-year commitment, and every one renews higher. Read the renewal line as carefully as the intro line.

Surfshark's cheapest tier, Starter, runs about $1.78/mo on the 2-year plan — billed roughly $50.88 upfront for 24 months plus 3 promo months. After that intro term it renews annually at about $79/year (around $6.58/mo). The 'Most Popular' One tier is about $2.08/mo intro (~$59.88 upfront) and renews near $99/year (~$8.25/mo); One+ with Incogni data removal is ~$4.18/mo intro, renewing near $119/year.

CyberGhost's 2-year plan is about $2.03/mo (occasional promos near $1.75/mo), billed $56.94 once for the full term. It renews at $56.94 billed annually — roughly $4.75/mo. Its 6-month plan is $6.99/mo and the monthly plan is a steep $12.99.

PIA's flagship 2-year deal is about $2.03–$2.19/mo (around $56.94 for 26 months including bonus months), renewing near $57/year (~$4.70–$4.75/mo). Its 3-year plan is the lowest headline rate at roughly $1.98–$2.03/mo (~$79 per three years), renewing at about $79 every three years (~$2.22/mo) — notably, that 3-year renewal stays cheaper than the others. PIA's monthly plan is $11.95.

Bottom line: the cheapest entry price always requires the long upfront commitment, and PIA's 3-year term is the only option here whose renewal stays genuinely low.

Privacy and jurisdiction: where the cheap deal has a catch

All three back their no-logs claims with independent audits, but they sit in very different legal homes.

CyberGhost is the strongest on paper here: Romania, outside the 5/9/14 Eyes alliances, with no VPN data-retention mandate. Its no-logs policy has been audited by Deloitte three times (2022, 2024, and the latest completed in 2025 and published February 2026), and it runs self-owned NoSpy servers in Bucharest plus a quarterly transparency report.

Surfshark is based in the Netherlands, a 9 Eyes (and by extension 14 Eyes) member — a genuine privacy caveat versus Romania or Panama-based rivals. The Netherlands has no VPN data-retention law, and Surfshark's no-logs policy was independently assured by Deloitte under ISAE 3000 in 2023 and again in 2025, on RAM-only servers that wipe on reboot.

PIA is the weakest jurisdiction of the three: the United States, inside the 5/9/14 Eyes alliances — worst-case for surveillance treaties. PIA offsets this with RAM-only/ephemeral-container infrastructure and a no-logs record that has held up in practice: audited by Deloitte three times (2022, 2024, and December 2025), and its Q4 2025 transparency report shows 30 government data requests with zero logs produced. PIA's no-logs claim has also survived U.S. court subpoenas.

If jurisdiction is your top concern, CyberGhost leads, Surfshark is a middle ground, and PIA asks you to trust its architecture over its location.

Devices, streaming, and torrenting

On device count, two of the three are exceptional. Surfshark and PIA both allow unlimited simultaneous connections on one account — ideal for families or anyone with a lot of gear (Surfshark's free 7-day trial is capped at 3 devices). CyberGhost is the outlier, limited to 7 simultaneous devices, fewer than its two rivals.

For streaming, all three claim reliable Netflix unblocking across multiple regions plus other major platforms, via testing cited by the providers. Surfshark claims Netflix US/UK/Japan/Australia/Germany plus Disney+, BBC iPlayer, Prime Video, Hulu and Max. PIA claims 15+ Netflix libraries plus Prime Video, Max, Disney+ and Hulu via streaming-optimized servers. CyberGhost offers platform-labeled optimized servers (Netflix-optimized in ~17 countries), but third-party testing it cites notes Netflix and Hulu work well while Disney+ and BBC iPlayer can be inconsistent. Streaming access is never guaranteed on any VPN.

For torrenting, all three are strong. Surfshark and PIA support P2P on every server; PIA adds port forwarding and a SOCKS5 proxy that torrent users value. CyberGhost offers dedicated P2P-optimized servers, though reviewers note its lack of dedicated obfuscation as a privacy downside for P2P.

China and restrictive regions

This is where the three split most clearly. If you travel to China or another heavily censored region, do not buy CyberGhost: it lacks dedicated obfuscation (stealth) technology to consistently bypass deep packet inspection, and reviewers generally do not recommend it for that use.

Surfshark is the better pick of these three for restrictive regions, offering NoBorders mode and camouflage/obfuscated servers; manually connecting to recommended servers is the most reliable approach. As with all VPNs, there's no 100% guarantee against the Great Firewall.

PIA falls in between: it offers Shadowsocks obfuscation (a select OpenVPN protocol plus a Shadowsocks server in one of roughly 6 countries) and a Multi-Hop feature that can bypass the firewall, but PIA support does not guarantee it works in China, and obfuscation can cut speeds noticeably (PIA cites around 25%).

For a dedicated China traveler on a budget, Surfshark is the safest of these three — though none of them guarantee it.

Refunds, free trials, and the fine print

All three offer a 30-day money-back guarantee on their main plans, but the details differ.

CyberGhost has the most generous long-term refund window in this group — 45 days on its 6-month and 2-year plans — but only 14 days on the monthly plan. Surfshark pairs its 30-day guarantee with a 7-day free trial (limited to 3 devices). PIA offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on the initial purchase, but its renewals are explicitly not covered by that guarantee — so once you're past the intro term, the higher rate is non-refundable.

A recurring theme across all three: the lowest advertised price assumes promo bonus months that can change by region and season, and auto-renewal means the higher rate kicks in unless you act. If you only need a VPN short-term, every monthly plan here is poor value ($11.95 at PIA, $12.99 at CyberGhost, ~$15.45 at Surfshark) — the savings only materialize on the long upfront commitment.

Who each one is wrong for

Surfshark is wrong for privacy purists who refuse a 9/14 Eyes jurisdiction, and for anyone who only wants a short commitment — its monthly plan (~$15.45) is the priciest here. It's also a weaker value if you don't need its antivirus/data-removal bundles. It's right for households needing unlimited devices and for budget China travelers.

CyberGhost is wrong for China and other censored regions (no dedicated obfuscation), for heavy multi-device households (only 7 connections), for anyone bothered by Kape ownership, and for those who want consistent Disney+/BBC iPlayer access per the testing it cites. It's right for streaming-focused beginners who want platform-labeled servers and the long 45-day refund window.

PIA is wrong for anyone who can't accept a US, 5/9/14 Eyes jurisdiction, for Kape skeptics, and for China-dependent travelers (obfuscation exists but isn't guaranteed and slows speeds). It's also frustrating if you want a hard published server count — PIA leans on '90–91 countries' rather than a fixed number. It's right for unlimited-device households, torrenters wanting port forwarding and SOCKS5, open-source fans, and bargain hunters on the 3-year term whose renewal stays low.

The verdict

For the lowest sustained cost, PIA's 3-year plan stands out — roughly $1.98–$2.03/mo intro, and uniquely among these three its renewal stays low (~$2.22/mo), if you can accept its US (5/9/14 Eyes) jurisdiction and Kape ownership, offset by an audited no-logs record proven in U.S. court. For the best privacy footing at a cheap price, CyberGhost wins on jurisdiction (Romania, three Deloitte audits) and refund window (45 days), but skip it for China or large households. For unlimited devices plus the best shot at working in restrictive regions, Surfshark is the pick, with the caveat of its Netherlands 9/14 Eyes base. All three renew well above their headline rates, all offer 30-day money-back guarantees (PIA's not covering renewals), and none guarantee streaming or China access. Choose by your priority — sustained price (PIA 3-year), jurisdiction (CyberGhost), or devices and obfuscation (Surfshark) — and always buy on the long term, since the monthly plans are poor value across the board. Figures based on published provider specs and audited claims as of June 2026.

Not sure what you'll really pay? Compare VPN prices and renewals →

Frequently asked questions

Which is the cheapest VPN of the three?: On the headline intro rate, Surfshark's Starter (about $1.78/mo on the 2-year plan) is the lowest entry price, with CyberGhost and PIA both around $2/mo. But the most important number is the renewal: PIA's 3-year plan is the only option here whose renewal stays genuinely low (about $2.22/mo), while Surfshark renews near $79/year (~$6.58/mo) and CyberGhost near $56.94/year (~$4.75/mo). For lowest sustained cost, PIA's 3-year term wins. All figures are based on published provider pricing as of June 2026.
Do these cheap VPNs keep no logs?: All three have independently audited no-logs policies. CyberGhost has been audited by Deloitte three times (2022, 2024, and 2025), Surfshark by Deloitte under ISAE 3000 in 2023 and 2025, and PIA by Deloitte three times (2022, 2024, December 2025). PIA's no-logs claim has additionally held up under U.S. court subpoenas, with its Q4 2025 transparency report showing 30 government requests and zero logs produced. These are based on the providers' published audit claims, not our own testing.
Why does the price go up after I sign up?: Each of these deals is an upfront, multi-year intro promo that renews at a higher rate. Surfshark renews around $79–$119/year, CyberGhost's 2-year renews at $56.94/year (~$4.75/mo), and PIA's 2-year renews near $57/year (~$4.70–$4.75/mo). Auto-renewal is on by default, so the higher rate hits unless you cancel. Note that PIA's renewals are not covered by its money-back guarantee.
How many devices can I connect at once?: Surfshark and PIA both allow unlimited simultaneous connections on one account, which is excellent for families or many devices. CyberGhost is limited to 7 simultaneous devices, fewer than the other two.
Which of these works best in China?: Of these three, Surfshark is the best choice for China, using NoBorders mode and obfuscated/camouflage servers, though no VPN guarantees it against the Great Firewall. PIA offers Shadowsocks obfuscation and Multi-Hop but does not guarantee China access and notes obfuscation can cut speeds around 25%. CyberGhost lacks dedicated obfuscation and is not recommended for China or other heavily censored regions.
What's the catch with these being so cheap?: The main catches are: the low price requires a long upfront commitment (2 or 3 years), the rate jumps at renewal, and jurisdiction varies — PIA is US-based (inside 5/9/14 Eyes), Surfshark is in the Netherlands (9/14 Eyes), while only CyberGhost is outside those alliances (Romania). CyberGhost and PIA are both owned by Kape Technologies, which some privacy advocates distrust. Streaming and China access are also never guaranteed on any of them.