A cheap VPN is not the one with the smallest number in the shop window but the one with the lowest monthly price per device you actually use, on the terms you need. Below: how to work that out in a minute, what cheap plans usually cut, and where cheap turns out expensive. Prices are as of 4 October 2026.
In short. Divide the renewal price for a term by the number of months and by the number of devices you need at once: that is the real price. Mayak's cheapest plan is Start: 300 ₽ a month for 3 devices, that is 100 ₽ per device; on Max it is 70 ₽. There is no discount for a longer term, so you do not need to pay ahead for the price. For a friend you invite, 100 ₽ goes to your balance.
We make Mayak, a private network, and there is one section about us below. You can test it for free first: the trial needs no card. The rest is how to find a cheap VPN anywhere.
🍎 On iPhone Mayak works with the subscription link from your account, in Happ or INCY (INCY is in the Russian App Store): where to tap on iPhone.
How to tell a VPN is really cheap: one formula
To compare two offers, bring both to a single number:
renewal price for the term ÷ number of months ÷ number of devices
Three details without which the formula lies:
- The renewal price, not the first payment. If the first month costs less, count what will be charged afterwards.
- Devices that work at the same time. A phone, a laptop and a TV are three devices. A one-device plan for 150 ₽ costs 450 ₽ for three devices, and a 300 ₽ plan for three turns out cheaper.
- Only the devices you have. A ten-device plan is cheaper per device, but if you have two devices, you pay for all ten.
How to convert a price to a year, and what a subscription usually includes, is covered in detail in “How much does a VPN cost”.
What cheap plans usually cut
A low price from an honest service usually means a reduced set, and that is fine if what is cut is something you do not need. Check five rows:
- Number of devices. The cheapest plan is often for one.
- Countries. Fewer locations to choose from.
- Traffic or speed. A limit in gigabytes, or a lower speed than on the expensive plan.
- Apps. There is one for the phone, but nothing to connect a TV or a computer with.
- Support. An answer in a few days, or only a template.
This does not mean everyone does it: look at each service's terms separately. What matters is that whatever is cut is stated, not discovered after you pay.
Traps of a cheap price
Four offers that look cheap until you work them out:
- The “from” price. “From … a month” often means paying for a year or two at once. Compare the sum charged today and the term you are paying it for.
- “Forever” and “lifetime”. A one-off payment for access for the life of the service. If it stops working in six months, “forever” ends with it, and there is nobody to ask for the money back (what to do with money already paid).
- One key for many. A cheap “key” sold to several people at once. A key is the name of a device, not a password, and it works poorly on several devices at once (our test).
- The cheapest plan is for one device. It is cheap while you have one device. With a second you will have to buy a second plan.
Four more places where the price and the charge part ways — a cheap first period, a trial with a card, card auto-renewal and a non-refundable term — are covered in “How much does a VPN cost”.
What Mayak costs per device
Our plans differ in the number of devices, not in speed: we do not throttle speed and do not cap volume. To choose the cheapest option for you, find your row:
| What you connect | Plan | Per month | Per device |
|---|---|---|---|
| A phone and a laptop | Start, up to 3 | 300 ₽ | 150 ₽, one spare slot |
| A phone, a laptop and a TV | Start, up to 3 | 300 ₽ | 100 ₽ |
| Two people: two phones, a laptop and a TV | Family, up to 5 | 500 ₽ | 125 ₽, one spare slot |
| Five family devices | Family, up to 5 | 500 ₽ | 100 ₽ |
| Ten devices | Max, up to 10 | 700 ₽ | 70 ₽ |
The table shows the plan price; your account shows the final invoice amount before you pay. Current prices are always in the help centre. We have no single-device plan: the cheapest is Start, for three.
How to pay less for Mayak
- One plan for the family instead of several accounts. You can hand out your plan's slots to people close to you: each gets their own account, and only you pay (how).
- Start with a smaller plan. You can move to a bigger plan in the middle of a paid term: the remainder is credited and you pay only the difference (how).
- Invite a friend. Your friend enters your code when signing up; once they pay for a subscription and stay paid for 31 days, 100 ₽ lands on your balance and 50 ₽ on theirs (terms).
- Do not pay ahead for the price. A year with us costs exactly twelve months, so it makes sense to make the first payment for a month (when a year makes sense).
Test first, count later. We ask for no payment details for the trial. A confirmed email opens the access — 3 free days on two devices. An email is optional: without one the trial is 1 day.
What not to save on
All of a device's traffic goes through a secure-connection app, so three things do not come cheaper:
- Where the app comes from. A store or the service's own site, not a file from a “download it cheap” channel.
- What the service lives on. If the price is below what servers and traffic cost, someone pays the difference (with what).
- Whether you can cancel. A public offer, refund terms and a place to turn off renewal.
What we checked
- Prices and device limits: on 4 October 2026, in the same system the account area and the payment page take prices from — 300, 500 and 700 ₽ for 3, 5 and 10 devices.
- That the price for a term is a simple multiple, with no discount: in the invoice calculation code, 4 October 2026.
- The “Invite a friend” terms: against our help centre as of the same date.
- Other services' prices we did not collect and do not compare: the numbers in the formula are a made-up example.
What we do not know
- Which VPN is the cheapest on the market. We did not measure the market and do not make rankings.
- Whether our prices will change. Right now they are as in the table; the current price is always shown in your account before you pay.
- How Mayak behaves on your network. That is what the trial days are for; if it does not work, write to us before paying.
Short answers
What is the cheapest VPN? The one with the lowest renewal price per device you use, on the terms you need. We do not compare other services' prices; our cheapest plan is 300 ₽ a month for 3 devices.
What is the best cheap VPN? A cheap one that works for you: test it on mobile data and at home during the trial before you pay.
Is there a VPN for 100 roubles a month? With us, 100 ₽ is the price of one device on Start when you use three. There is no single-device plan.
Is it cheaper to pay for a year? Not with us: 12 months of Start cost 3,600 ₽, exactly twelve monthly prices.
How can two people or a family pay less? With one plan for everyone: slots are handed out to people close to you without a second payment (a VPN for two).