The best cheap monitor will give you a lot of value without burning a hole in your wallet. The best cheap monitors also offer an impressive display, decent brightness, accurate colors, VESA-mount compatibility and more. You shouldn’t have to break the bank to snag the best cheap monitor for yourself.
We know a thing or two about the best cheap monitors. We’ve rounded up a best cheap monitors list — some were tested by us, others were thoroughly researched. In the end, we did all the work so you don’t have to.
Top 10 best cheap monitor in UK 2021
The best cheap monitors that give you a lot of bang for your buck aren’t easy to find, whether you’re looking for a gaming monitor or a general-purpose monitor.
Here are top 10 best cheap monitor in UK 2021.
1. Acer ED323QUR
Looking for the best cheap monitor with stunning good looks? The 24.5-inch Acer KG251Q Fbmidpx monitor is perhaps the most modern-looking display on this buying guide. Its super-slim bezels and sleek design is a head turner for sure. If you want to impress your friends and family with a slender, slick monitor without breaking the bank, the Acer KG251Q Fbmidpx is the monitor for you.
Customers also praised the Acer KG251Q Fbmidpx monitor for its ability to keep up with their favorite games such as Call of Duty, PUBG and Overwatch. Gamers will appreciate that this monitor supports AMD FreeSync technology.
The Acer KG251Q Fbmidpx monitor also has great color accuracy and satisfactory picture quality for its price point.
2. Dell UltraSharp 24 Monitor
For many of us, a monitor is just a gadget we need but don’t really want to have to put a ton of thought into. Of course, we don’t want to get something that we’ll eventually come to find some serious faults in. That’s what makes the Dell UltraSharp U2415 a great choice.
This monitor won’t leave you wanting for much when you need a monitor that just works. It has a 24.1-inch IPS panel with a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution. What does all that translate to? It’ll look clean and crisp regardless of what angle you’re looking at it from, and it’ll even provide some extra vertical workspace for you thanks to its 16:10 aspect ratio.
Dell also earns itself a lot of credit for the stands it includes with many of its monitors. That’s no exception here, as the Dell UltraSharp U2415 features a highly adjustable stand that provides 115mm of height adjustability, the option to rotate the monitor into a vertical orientation, as well as vertical and horizontal tilt. It even has integrated cable management and a USB 3.0 hub to help tidy up your desk space.
3. Viewsonic VA2456-MHD
The 24-inch, 1080p ViewSonic VA2456-MHD has the best contrast ratio of any budget monitor we tested, with darker blacks that make for slightly better images in games, movies, or web browsing. This model’s color accuracy out of the box isn’t good enough for professional photo and video work, but it is good enough for anything else and better than that of many of the other models we tested.
The VA2456-MHD has both HDMI and DisplayPort connections—most budget monitors have one or the other—a modern-looking design, and a stand that doesn’t wobble too much (though like most cheap monitors, it only tilts up and down).
The built-in speakers aren’t great, but they’re fine for YouTube videos or your operating system’s bleeps and bloops, and ViewSonic backs the monitor with a three-year warranty and a decent replacement policy for panels with dead or stuck pixels.
4. ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV
The best budget monitor for office use that we’ve tested is the ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV. It has a 27 inch screen that provides plenty of space for multitasking and a 1440p resolution to deliver sharp images and text.
It has wide viewing angles and superb ergonomics so that you can adjust the screen easily or share your work with colleagues. Since it’s designed for content creators, it isn’t surprising that it has an excellent SDR color gamut and good accuracy out-of-the-box.
Its gradient handling is amazing, which means you shouldn’t see much banding, and there are no signs of color bleed. Fast motion looks clear thanks to its quick response time and Black Frame Insertion feature, and its 75Hz refresh rate makes your desktop experience feel just a bit smoother than a typical 60Hz panel.
It handles reflections well and gets bright enough to overcome glare, making it a great choice for well-lit rooms, but it isn’t as well-suited for dark rooms as its IPS panel’s low contrast ratio makes blacks look grayish.
Unfortunately, there’s no HDR support, which is somewhat expected for something in this price range. On the upside, it has four USB ports for charging or data transfer and a pair of built-in speakers that you can use to play audio from external devices.
There’s also a feature called QuickFit Virtual Scale that lets you preview and align documents in their actual sizes before printing. All in all, this is a great option that should please most people and the best budget monitor for office use that we’ve tested.
5. Portable Monitor – Lepow Z1-Gamut (2021)
The Lepow is versatile for the money, with HDMI and USB-C connectivity, two built-in speakers, a built-in cover and stand combo and the option to switch between portrait and landscape modes. It works as promised and looks good for both work and gaming. While it’s not going to replace a wide-color-gamut display costing hundreds of dollars more, it’s more than fine for general use.
The design is great for instantly creating a dual-display workspace with a single USB-C cable. Plus, kids can easily hook up our Nintendo Switch to it for gaming. If you need something portable or you simply don’t have room for a regular external display, this is worth the investment.
6. Acer SB220Q
If you’re a gamer, your best option in the under $100 category is probably the Acer SB220Q 22″ monitor. Like the Sceptre monitor listed above, the Acer SB220Q can be pushed to a 75Hz refresh rate, which will help give you a slight boost in how smooth your games feel.
The SB220Q also comes with Freesync, which means it can take advantage of AMD’s adaptive synchronization technology to help it reduce screen tearing and stuttering.
The Acer SB220Q also comes with an IPS panel and a 4ms response time as well and, like the Sceptre E248W-19203R, it has a thin bezel design.
Ultimately, while the E248W-19203R might have the bigger screen, the Acer SB220Q is better suited for gaming and offers a better value. If you’re a gamer on a budget, the SB220Q is your best option on this list.
7. BenQ GW2480T
This BenQ monitor is the perfect edition for your home office. It has a sleek HD screen with a slim bezel design, maximizing screen space. The monitor has a carbon fiber design and texture which helps to resist everyday scratches.
The monitor is kind on the eyes, especially if you’re working long hours. It uses brightness intelligence technology that adjusts brightness for comfortable viewing. Low blue light and zero flicker technology drastically reduce eye strain.
Unfortunately, the built-in speakers are of poor quality. The stand itself doesn’t adjust but the monitor can easily be mounted on the wall using the VESA wall mount. This 24” monitor is a great addition to any home office. But if you’re a gamer or a designer, there are better options available.
8. Dell P2419H
The Dell PS419H is one of the best budget computer monitors through and through. It features a 24-inch screen and an LED display with a black border: a classic design that many will appreciate for their set up.
But the monitor does a great job of providing consistent and rich colors thanks to specialized In-Plane switching technology which helps provide unbeatable image quality at this price range. In a nutshell, this keeps color vibrancy the same no matter where you sit in relation to the monitor’s viewing angle.
It also features a really thin frame. In this way, the monitor is a good choice if you want to combine it with other displays. You’ll be able to easily chain two or three monitors together for a wider gaming or media viewing experience.
The monitor has a relatively thin stand, but it’s wide enough to afford significant stability and prevent the monitor from easily toppling over if your desk shakes.
The actual neck of the monitor is fairly thick and provides phenomenal stability as well as an easy place to grip the screen if you need to move it.
To make things even better, it can easily connect to Blu-ray players, multiple types of smart TVs, gaming systems, and any other HDMI enabled device. You’ll even be able to share an Internet connection with a dedicated ethernet port.
9. ASUS VG245H LED monitor
This Asus model is great for those who want a bit more performance in their monitor while still saving cash. The 24-inch, 1080p TN screen includes a 1ms response time, a 75Hz maximum refresh rate, color enhancement settings designed specifically for games, and filter settings for easier viewing.
More importantly, the VG245H includes Adaptive-Sync technology that falls under Nvidia’s “G-Sync Compatible” umbrella. It’s a great solution for AMD’s FreeSync too, eliminating on-screen tearing and stuttering during your favorite games.
Overall, if you are primarily interested in gaming and prefer to spend money on things other than a monitor (or maybe you’re just looking for a good, cheap replacement), the Asus VG245H has your back.
10. AOC Q3279VWFD8
With its glorious 1440p IPS panel, AOC’s 31.5in monitor is our favourite budget monitor. It has excellent colour accuracy and also runs at a maximum refresh rate of 75Hz – gamers will find it a noticeable improvement over lesser 60Hz panels.
It might not have an adjustable stand or low-profile bezels, but you’re paying for a supremely affordable large-sized IPS panel that excels in both movies and games. If you’re looking for a big monitor and your graphics cards can handle a 1440p resolution, there’s no other monitor under £200 that surpasses it.
How to choose the best cheap monitor?
In this price range, expect screens that are less than 30 inches and have 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolution, but not higher. Some of the budget monitors we looked at use IPS display technology, but the majority use the older TN panels, which often suffer from narrower viewing angles and less accurate color.
You’ll also give up conveniences like built-in USB connections, faster refresh rates and height-adjustable stands.
Screen Size:
Let’s talk screen size. Monitors can be anything from 20 inches to 49 inches, more or less, in size. But if you don’t want to spend too much on a monitor, you’ll have to settle for a screen display that’s under 30 inches.
Resolution:
You’ll also want to consider resolution, which refers to the number of horizontal and vertical pixels — the higher the number, the sharper your display will be. However, when it comes to cheap monitors, it’s not likely that you’ll get anything higher than 1080p resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels). The bigger your screen gets, the higher the resolution should be.
For example, a 1080p monitor might be fine on a 24-inch monitor, but not so much on a 27-inch monitor because it would have to “stretch” itself to fit more screen real estate.
Panels:
There are four main types of panels: TN, IPS, VA and OLED. TN and VA panels are usually the least expensive. On the plus side, TN panels feature decent response times and low input lag, but tend to offer not-so-great color richness and viewing angles.
VA panels offer better contrast and vibrant colors, but typically are not recommended for budget gamers (TN may be a better choice for response rates, but you’ll have to sacrifice image quality). IPS offers better image quality than TN and VA panels, but the response time may be subpar for a gamer.
IPS panels are best for creators (e.g. video editors, image editors) seeking the best cheap monitor. OLED is the priciest option — you likely won’t find this premium panel on a cheap monitor.
VESA-mount compatibility:
If you’re planning on mounting your monitor to a VESA mount, you’ll want to make sure the monitor has VESA-mount compatibility.
Tilt adjustment:
Perhaps you’ll want a cheap monitor that change angles, and if that’s the case, look out for cheap monitors with tilt adjustment capabilities.
Ports:
You’ll also need to observe which ports you’ll need. Most current laptops, for example, use one or more of the following for display connections: HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C (Thunderbolt 3). You’ll want to double-check to see if your chosen monitor can effectively connect with your laptop.
Conclusion
Our recommendations are based on what we think are the best budget monitors. They are adapted to be valid for most people. Rating is based on our review, factoring in price and feedback from our visitors.
If you would prefer to make your own decision, here is the list of all of our monitor reviews, sorted with their price from low to high. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. Most monitors are good enough to please most people, and the things we fault monitors on are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.