9 best cheap laptops for 2023 — Acer, Microsoft, HP

UPDATE: Jul. 25, 2023, 5:00 a.m. EDT This review has been updated with details from our hands-on testing as well as the latest pricing and availability.

So you fancy buying one of the best laptops around but don’t want to empty your wallet in the process? Take some crucial advice: Don’t let big brands with multi-million-dollar marketing campaigns fool you into thinking you have to pay upwards of $1,000 to get a quality device. The best budget laptop will compare favorably with that fancy ultrabook, and the average user won’t notice the difference.

You can actually get a spanking new laptop for half the price of a MacBook. And we aren’t talking about poorly made, subpar options that run slower than your smartphone. We’re talking about cheap laptops that are both high-tech and responsive, helping you write, browse the internet, store files, and even game. 

There’s a whole world of laptops to be had for cheap. Elsewhere, we’ve rounded up the best laptops for students and the best gaming laptops for any budget, but we wanted to gather all of the best budget laptops into one place. In this guide, you’ll find the best cheap laptops that are actually worth buying.

What are the most important things to look for in a laptop?

We need to set expectations right away: The laptops on this list will not come with the latest and greatest processors, graphics cards, or displays. You have to splash quite a lot for those features. For students or workers who just want something to get them through the day, things like ports and memory are more important.

Above all else, you want as much RAM, as much storage, and as high a processor speed as you can get. More RAM means the computer can handle more applications at once, more storage means you can fit more applications on it, and a speedier processor means it can work those applications more efficiently.

If you want to record audio with a microphone or use a mouse, you’ll need USB ports, and an HDMI port goes a long way if you like streaming on a TV or using a second monitor. Much to the annoyance of photographers and videographers, in-built microSD card readers are now a thing of the past, but you’ll be thankful for an ethernet port when your WiFi starts playing up. 

What do you lose by getting a cheap laptop?

Laptops in this price range won’t hold a candle to gaming laptops. You won’t get a 4K resolution display or a refresh rate higher than 60Hz. RAM is going to max out around 8GB, which isn’t bad but also isn’t spectacular. You’re also unlikely to get more than 500GB of storage space.

In this price range, laptops are going to be best for web browsing, word processing, Zoom calls, and streaming. As long as you don’t expect more than that, you’ll be fine.

Ah, but we know what you’re thinking: What about gaming? The average cheap laptop will not be able to handle gaming; however, there are a handful of budget gaming laptops that we do recommend (more on that below).

Are cheap laptops actually worth it?

You know the old saying: You get what you pay for. But thanks to the technology boom of the last few decades, a cheap laptop can actually take you pretty far and won’t break down immediately. It’s all about knowing which one to select.

The laptops on this list have been chosen primarily for their impressive hardware specs and value for money. They’re all known to be reliable and free of the most egregious bloatware (that is, unwanted apps that manufacturers install on new computers) that slow down other budget laptops. 

If you want a laptop that will last several years and let you do all the basics, you’ll be safe with one of these machines.

What is the best cheap laptop in 2023?

We’ve checked out everything on offer and lined up a selection of the best cheap laptops around, including impressive devices from reliable brands like Microsoft, Acer, and HP. There’s something for everyone on this list, so we recommend taking your time and considering all of the options. That being said, if you’re looking for the TL;DR version, we think the Acer Aspire 5 is the all-around best laptop under $500.