Ever since finding my very first PC that fit my budget (and need for power) back in 2009, I've been on the hunt for the very best budget laptops that offer all the bang for your buck.
Now, with my expert team and me reviewing dozens of laptops each year, I can bring my search expertise to help you find one yourself.
Budget doesn't have to mean bare minimum, and you may be surprised to find that productivity notebooks for work or studying (like the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x) and even gaming laptops (check out the MSI Cyborg 15) with impressive specs won't have to empty your wallet. Oh, and with Nvidia GeForce Now offering even better cloud gaming capabilities, that's a big win for gamers on a budget.
Whether it's a budget laptop for students or even some light video editing, I'm here to point you toward the ones worth investing in. If you're after even more affordable options, you'll want to head over to our list of the best laptops under $500.
My top picks
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x takes the win as the best laptop for anyone on a budget, largely thanks to its 16-hour battery life, decent performance and satisfyingly snappy keyboard all for $749 (or less with a sale). Oh, and there's a 15-inch IPS touch display, but be warned, it isn't the brightest around.
Yes, the M1 MacBook Air is the oldest entry on our list. But not only is Apple breathing new life into this system with Apple Intelligence this fall, but there are a few more years of OS support and you can grab it for well under $700/£700! In fact, you'll likely find one for around $500/£500 these days.
The $999/£999 MSI Cyborg 15 is the most expensive laptop on this list, but we included it because gaming laptops run more expensive than most and this is the cheapest one we recommend since it comes with a cutting-edge Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU, a 13th Gen Intel CPU and a solid 144Hz 15.6-inch display.
To make sure you're saving cash without sacrificing too much, think about the following:
What will I use my laptop for?
Depending on what you generally do on a laptop, one may be more suited to you than others.
Studying or Work: If you're looking to work on documents, answer emails or head into video calls while you're jumping between workspaces, you'll want a lightweight, portable notebook that has the power to multitask and last you more than just a couple of hours. That's where the Acer Aspire Go 15 (for Windows 11) and MacBook Air M1 (for macOS) come in handy, as they offer decent performance, great battery life and great value for the money.
Casual use: If you prefer to have a laptop for browsing websites, binge watching your favorite shows or jotting down a few notes, the good news is you won't have to pay a pretty penny for one. But you'll still want a decent display or even a touchscreen to interact with them far more easily. Chromebooks excel at this, and the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus or the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x are fantastic options. The former is more premium (but great for watching shows), while the latter acts as a 2-in-1 that offers versatility.
Gaming: If you don't want to break your bank account on a gaming laptop but still want enough power to run popular PC games, especially when it comes to multiplayer titles, getting a machine that offers a strong enough CPU and GPU, along with enough RAM, is essential. Budget laptops won't offer maxed-out graphics in AAA games, but they can still deliver excellent gameplay with smooth visuals. That includes the MSI Cyborg 15 and Acer Nitro V 15, which boast RTX 40-series GPUs and surprisingly good performance — for the price, that is.
How much should I spend on a laptop?
This entirely depends on your budget, but anything around $500/£500 is considered an excellent price for a laptop. Although those numbers are a tad different for gaming laptops, as anything under $1,000/£1,000 is what you can expect from a budget gaming machine.
Now, not all budget laptops are worth their low price. Some lean too hard on lackluster components to make up for their cheaper cost, but if it can barely open a Chrome tab or two without stuttering or, even worse, crashing, then there isn't much point in spending money on it.
Still, there are several laptops that offer a great price-to-performance ratio, and you can find some for around $300/£300 while offering commendable power. If you're only looking for an entry-level machine to get everyday tasks done, then a budget laptop will help you save while also giving you the performance you require.
About the author
I'm a big fan of budget laptops, specifically the ones that offer incredible value for what you pay for. I'm a firm believer that not everyone needs a notebook that will set you back over $1,000, as you'll find many laptops offer more than enough performance to handle everyday tasks. Besides, if there are premium features you won't end up using, what's the point of paying for them? Save you're hard-earned cash instead with our hand-picked list
The best budget laptops you can buy
Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.
The best budget laptop overall
Test | Notes | How it stacks up |
|---|---|---|
Battery life | 16:29 tested battery life | ★★★★★ |
Performance | Decent for the price | ★★★★☆ |
Design | Snappy keyboard, but poor display brightness | ★★★☆☆ |
Price | Great value | ★★★★☆ |
For a sub-$1,000 budget laptop that checks nearly all the right boxes for its price, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x shines as a stunning example of what you can get without breaking the bank. Getting over 16 hours of battery life in a sleek, 15-inch laptop is already a win, but throwing in a stellar keyboard at a wallet-friendly price takes this laptop further. This is the laptop to beat.
Read the full review: Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x review
Who is this for?
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x is for anyone looking for a reliable laptop for basic, everyday tasks like web browsing and word processing. Whether you're a student, a travelling professional or simply someone who wants a solid, pocket-friendly machine for browsing the web or watching shows, this laptop will be right your alley.
Why is it the best overall budget laptop?
Put simply, it's hard to find the level of performance, build quality and battery life in a laptop that's well under $1,000, but the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x takes these qualities and bumps them up a notch, too. Having over 16 hours of battery life in a slim, elegant 15-inch laptop with a comfy keyboard is why it's a true steal, along with its good performance (for the price). If you can get past its less-than-satisfying display, you'll go far with this machine.
What do we like?
👍 Performance for most: It won't turn heads, but the Snapdragon X chip in the IdeaPad Slim 3x does a stunning job at offering decent performance for its price. Thankfully, you're also getting 16GB of RAM, too (instead of the expected 8GB).
👍 Snappy keyboard: Lenovo is known for its great keyboards, but finding a comfy, well-placed keyboard on a budget notebook is worth plenty of praise. There's even a full number pad thrown in for good measure!
👍 Stellar battery life: Lasting 16 hours and 29 minutes in our battery test, the IdeaPad Slim 3x even surpasses quite a few of the laptops with the best battery life.
What don’t we like?
👎 An underwhelming display: Despite a 15.3-inch IPS touch display, the Slim 3x won't bring the bright, colorful visuals we've come to expect on Lenovo laptops. At under 300 nits of average brightness, you'll struggle to see dimly lit scenes in shows.
👎 Quiet speakers: Hardly a deal-breaker, but the speakers on the Slim 3x don't get very loud. Prepare to have a pair of headphones or earbuds on standby.
Bottom line
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x is a serious bargain with the performance, build quality and battery life it boasts. By no means the perfect laptop, but for its $749 (and cheaper) price and all-day power, you'd be hard-pressed to find a finer deal.
The best budget MacBook
Test | Notes | How it stacks up |
|---|---|---|
Battery life | 14:41 tested battery life | ★★★★★ |
Performance | Still incredibly fast | ★★★★☆ |
Design | Thin and lightweight (but not as modern-looking) | ★★★★☆ |
Price | Now better than ever | ★★★★★ |
Apple's M1 MacBook Air came out at the end of 2020... so why am I still recommending it? In fairness, you can also pick up the M2 MacBook Air for less than $1,000, too! Well, it comes down to three key things. First, for a five-year-old laptop, this is still a strong performer with its M1 power being great for most of your productivity needs, and a nice, long battery life to boot. Second, Apple is continuing to support it with a few more years of OS updates — including Apple Intelligence features coming this fall. You can find it at retailers like Walmart for as little as $599, making this one of the cheapest, best value MacBooks you can buy.
Read our full review: Apple MacBook Air (M1)
Who is this for?
The M1 MacBook Air is the cheapest way to get an Apple laptop with all its macOS goodness (including all the Apple Intelligence features. This one is for the casual user who wants the perfect companion to their iPhone and AirPods.
Why is it the best budget MacBook?
MacBooks are typically some of the most expensive laptops you can buy. But with performance and a premium construction that still stands up to this day, the $599 M1 Air is a fantastic low-cost choice.
What do we like?
👍 M1 is still going strong: How is a four-year-old chip still capable of feeling zippy in terms of multitasking performance? I'm not sure what witchcraft Apple has pulled off here, but whether it's multitasking, basic productivity or even some video editing, the M1 chip in the MacBook Air continues to impress.
👍 Battery life continues to shock: There are notebooks in 2024 that are still paling in comparison to the 14 hours and 41 minutes we achieved when putting the M1 MacBook Air through our grueling battery life test.
👍 A great keyboard and trackpad: Apple knows how to do good ergonomics, and these are on full show with the slick multi-touch trackpad and great-feeling chiclet keyboard.
What don’t we like?
👎 Just two USB-C ports: Where the Acer Aspire Go 15 thrives, the MacBook Air falls. With just two USB-C ports (one of which will be used for charging), you're out of luck when it comes to plugging in more than one accessory unless you have a dongle
👎 You can feel the age: I know I'm talking up a big game on the M1 Air, and it still is pretty impressive to this day. But let me repeat — this is four years old. It's well on the way to not receiving software updates, and you can feel it slowdown in intense moments of multitasking.
Bottom line
In 2020, we called the M1 MacBook Air "shockingly good" for its combination of speed and endurance. While it's not so shocking anymore (we're on M4 Macs now to surprise us with performance and power efficiency), this is still a stellar budget buy.
The best budget gaming laptop
Test | Notes | How it stacks up |
|---|---|---|
Battery life | 5:05 tested battery life | ★★☆☆☆ |
Performance | Mid to high settings in games | ★★★★☆ |
Design | Slick, well-sized and Cyberpunk-inspired | ★★★★☆ |
Price | Great price-to-performance ratio | ★★★★☆ |
The MSI Cyborg 15 changed my mind about budget gaming laptops due to its solid performance and cyberpunk-inspired design. Games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Doom Eternal can run smoothly at medium graphical settings and 1080p resolution, matching or exceeding what you get on consoles. And unlike a console, you can use this device for everyday work. Though battery life isn’t great, the sub-$1,000 price and overall awesome gaming experience make up for that deficiency. Even with the new MSI Cyborg 14 currently available, the MSI Cyborg 15 is still an excellent choice if you’re budget-conscious.
Read our full review: MSI Cyborg 15
Who is this for?
As you can probably guess by the name, this is for the gamer on a budget — the MSI Cyborg 15 gives you enough power for some solid 1080p gaming here while coming in at under $1,000!
Why is it the best budget gaming laptop?
The MSI Cyborg 15 deserves this moniker for the horsepower under the hood (including that RTX 4050 giving you access to Nvidia's stellar DLSS tech), while also paying attention to the things that matter like giving you a fluid 144Hz display and a great keyboard to boot.
What do we like?
👍 The most powerful laptop on this list: Pairing 13th Gen Intel Core i7 with RTX 4050 graphics leads to some surprisingly impressive gaming performance. I know there are stronger GPUs out there for far greater prices, but for the lowest cost you can find, this can do more than you think — especially with DLSS turned on effectively doubling frame rates in a lot of your favorite AAA titles.
👍 Great keyboard: Sometimes, to invest more in the internals, you'll get the keyboard equivalent of a wet sponge on a lot of cheap gaming laptops. Not here, though, as MSI has paid attention to the tactile impact of every key press.
👍 Large and in charge design: Some people may not appreciate this aesthetic, but I kind of dig it. The Cyberpunk-inspired design gives it a cool, edge look that is both gamer in feel but also utilitarian enough to not look weird on a desk.
What don’t we like?
👎 Mid display: It's great to get a 1080p panel with 144Hz refresh rate, but you can feel the cheapness in its color and light blooming. Make sure you save up for a monitor for some better-looking gaming at home.
👎 Runs hot while gaming: It's always good practice to use a gaming laptop on a desk, as they can get hot. That goes doubly so for the MSI Cyborg 15, which can hit a peak of 112 degrees Fahrenheit
Bottom line
If you're keen to game on the go without breaking the bank, you can't go wrong with the MSI Cyborg 15. There are a lot of strengths here from its internals to the keyboard and general gaming performance, that it's easy to look past the naff webcam and surface temps.
The best budget Chromebook
Test | Notes | How it stacks up |
|---|---|---|
Battery life | 7:36 tested battery life | ★★★☆☆ |
Performance | Suitably fast for ChromeOS | ★★★★☆ |
Design | Thin and lightweight with comfy keyboard | ★★★★☆ |
Price | Slightly premium, but worth it | ★★★★☆ |
Chromebooks excel at being brilliant value machines, but they often get some flak for their online-focused usability and performance. I say point those naysayers towards the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus, as this value-driven 2-in-1 notebook is every bit as powerful as laptops for most, just with a pocket-friendly $499 price tag. I rated it as one of the best Chromebooks you can get, thanks to its bright 1200p touchscreen, sturdy chassis and commendable performance (for a Chromebook).
Read the full review: Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus
Who is this for?
The Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus is a versatile and durable 2-in-1 with a 360-degree 1200p touchscreen, making it an excellent, affordable option for students and professionals who need the flexibility of a tablet and a laptop.
Why is it the best Chromebook on a budget?
At $499, the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus offers exceptional value for what it offers. Not only is it a 2-in-1, but it delivers enough performance to run virtually any app you throw at it, a bright 1200p touchscreen for getting work done, browsing through websites and watching shows, along with a lightweight, premium-looking design with a keyboard you'll find very comfortable to type on. For that price, it's hard to go wrong.
What do we like?
👍 Premium, versatile design: The Flex 5i defies its budget-friendly price with a high-quality and sturdy build. The chassis feels durable and looks refined, with a flexible yet firm 360-degree hinge and a comfortable keyboard for an excellent user experience.
👍 Beautiful AMOLED display: This Lenovo Chromebook Plus excels with a 14-inch (1920x1200) IPS touchscreen with a 16:10 aspect ratio. Its FHD+ resolution delivers a bright, colourful and highly responsive picture that surpasses what you'd think a laptop at this price could deliver.
👍 Speedy performance (for a Chromebook): Powered by a 13th Gen Intel Core i3 processor and 8GB of RAM, the Flex 5i delivers impressive speeds. Paired with the lightweight ChromeOS, you can expect a consistently zippy and fluid performance for everyday tasks, just don't expect the horsepower of other MacBooks or Windows laptops.
What don’t we like?
👎 Battery life is lacking: At under 8 hours until it cuts out, the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus won't exactly get you through a full workday, or even a one filled with classes. Not the worst, but it could be better.
👎 No stylus?: Touchscreens are made to be doodled on, but there's no stylus included in the box. Fine for tapping away on, but for Chromebook, a simple stylus would have been nice to see.
Bottom line
In short, the Lenovo Flex 5i is a fantastic deal, successfully mixing affordability with a quality feel. The screen is lovely, the keyboard is comfortable and it's perfect for daily tasks. The only real catch is the so-so battery life, but for this price, it's a brilliant choice.
The best under $300
Test | Notes | How it stacks up |
|---|---|---|
Battery life | 10:15 tested battery life | ★★★★☆ |
Performance | Not the best, but well worth the price | ★★★☆☆ |
Design | Comfy keyboard and plenty of ports | ★★★★☆ |
Price | Amazing value | ★★★★★ |
In my time using the Acer Aspire Go 15, my mind was completely flipped on whether a cheap laptop could be good. At $299, you get a solid basic laptop that can comfortably do the basic day-to-day tasks, has surprisingly good ergonomics, great 10+ hour battery life and a utilitarian design that feels good in the hands. Just be ready for your standard cheap notebook trade-offs like slow performance, a bad webcam and a washed-out screen.
Read the full review: Acer Aspire Go 15
Who is this for?
The Acer Aspire Go 15 is our favorite budget laptop for under $300 because it is a solid workhorse with enough power for all your basic productivity needs. If you need something for the classic office work alongside some binge-watching, this is a solid choice.
Why is it the best budget laptop under $300?
It comes down to this offering the best balance across three key elements that make a good laptop. First, the port array with USB-A, USB-C and HDMI makes it easy to plug into any setup wherever you are. Second, the keyboard is comfortable to type on for hours on end. And third, with 10 hours of battery life, there's impressive longevity here, too.
What do we like?
👍 Comfortable keyboard: It's rare that you see a good keyboard in a budget laptop, but Acer has pulled out the stops here with a well-spaced board with a nice comfortable, tactile impact on each key press.
👍 A whole lotta ports: Connectivity is key to the success of this laptop. With a pair of USB-A ports, a USB-C socket, HDMI out and a headphone jack, this is a good suite of ports that you can count on to plug into a TV for binge watching and your whole range of peripherals/accessories.
👍 Strong battery life: Longevity is normally an afterthought in cheap laptops, but with over 10 hours in our battery life testing, this is sure to last you a full day of work.
What don’t we like?
👎 Weak performance: With the N-series Intel Core i3 and UFS storage, this isn't going to be able to do anything beyond your casual productivity and gaming via Nvidia's GeForce Now.
Bottom line
The Acer Aspire Go 15 is a cheap laptop that doesn't really feel that cheap in use. There are of course some cutbacks like the weak speakers and potato of a webcam. But for what you need a laptop for, Acer absolutely delivers.
The best cheap gaming laptop
Test | Notes | How it stacks up |
|---|---|---|
Battery life | 5:41 tested battery life | ★★☆☆☆ |
Performance | Respectable gaming performance | ★★★☆☆ |
Design | Stylish and efficient for cooling | ★★★★☆ |
Price | Not too expensive for gaming | ★★★★☆ |
Sure, while the Acer Nitro V 15 doesn't deliver the best performance when it comes to gaming laptops, it offers just enough for anyone on a budget to try out the most popular PC games around. To me, that makes it a brilliant entry-level gaming laptop, especially seeing as it won't set you back anything more than $750. Plus, that 144Hz display will come in handy for plenty of PC games.
Read our full review: Acer Nitro V 15 (2024)
Who is this for?
For anyone looking to get into PC gaming but doesn't have the budget to dish out for the latest and greatest gaming laptops around. With its 144Hz display and solid gaming performance, it's great for casual gamers looking to try out popular PC titles.
Why is it the best budget gaming laptop alternative?
Since it doesn't come back with Nvidia's RTX 40-series GPU, it's understandable why some may want more of a modern gaming laptop with more up-to-date specs (such as the MSI Cyborg 15). However, for those after something even more affordable, and aren't fussed about RTX numbers, it's hard to go wrong with this Acer Nitro V 15.
What do we like?
👍 Stylish design: From its compact chassis to its subtle but sleek looks, this gaming laptop is a looker. Even better, it isn't too big or heavy to lug around.
👍 Smooth visuals: Having a 15.6-inch FHD (1980 x 1080) with a 144Hz refresh rate on a laptop this affordable is a bargain. Plus, it's big enough to take in small details in games and videos.
👍 Great gaming performance: Despite coming with a 13th Gen Intel Core i5 and an RTX 3050, this laptop still brings the heat, especially for the price it's set at. For less demanding games, this laptop shines, but it can even push the limits on some high-quality PC titles, too.
What don’t we like?
👎 Loud fans: Make sure to wear some headphones, as the Nitro V 15 can sometimes sound like a jet engine at full throttle.
👎 Small storage: For a gaming laptop, you'll need way more than just the 512GB of storage this laptop offers. It will mean having to install and uninstall games frequently, and that's not what any PC gamer wants.
Bottom line
For a cheap gaming laptop that offers up enough gaming performance to play many of the latest games, the Nitro V 15 does an admirable job. It may not pack the latest specs or offer a premium design, but its price gives it an edge over those with beefier specs. If what you need is a decent system that offers good gameplay, the Nitro V 15 offers great value.
Also tested
Finding the balance between affordability and performance can be tricky at times, and not all laptops can find the line. That doesn't mean they should be forgotten about, though, as there are still dozens of laptops we test, benchmark and review that could be just right for your budget — and offer great returns!
The notebooks below may not have made it onto our curated list, as they have a few snags, but they're still worth checking out.
Battery life testing results compared
One of the things you should think about when deciding which laptop to buy is how long it lasts on a full battery.
That's why we run every laptop we review through a series of battery tests to see how long it actually lasts on a full charge, rather than trusting manufacturer claims.
Note that these tests don't reflect real-world use patterns since we have to set every laptop to the same settings in order to do fair comparisons. Thus, while the times listed here are accurate and useful as a comparison point, your own experience with a laptop's battery life will likely vary quite a bit.
That's because when we run our battery test, we set the laptop display to 150 nits of brightness (which is on the dim side) and set it to endlessly browse the web via Wi-Fi until it dies. Then we repeat the process a few times and average the results.
However, when you use your laptop, you're probably adjusting brightness on the fly, doing all sorts of different tasks at the same time and generally putting the machine through more of a workout than it gets in our test. So while I stand by our testing and the battery life results we compare in the chart below, I want to be clear that your own experience will vary!
Laptop | Battery life (tested) |
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x | 16:29 |
Apple M1 MacBook Air | 14:41 |
Acer Aspire Go 15 | 10:15 |
Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus | 7:36 |
MSI Cyborg 15 | 5:05 |
Acer Nitro V 15 | 5:41 |
How to choose the best budget laptop for you
There are some things to keep in mind when you're hunting for a good cheap laptop. Don't expect bleeding-edge performance, a super premium design or even the most colorful displays. However, there's no reason to compromise, as an affordable laptop can still take you far. Here are a few things to keep in mind when shopping for a laptop.
What operating system do you prefer?
There are various types of operating systems, with some being simpler and others offering lots of customization. ChromeOS is the simplest option but limited in scope, whereas Windows has vastly more capability but can be a battery hog. macOS tries to find a sweet spot, but apps can be pricey here. Figure out your use case and you'll see how much you actually need your operating system to do.
How much battery do you need?
Will you be going long spells away from the plug outlet, or will you have charging capabilities wherever you go? There's a sliding scale on all of our choices between performance and power efficiency, and how important this is will dictate what you'll buy. If a laptop lasts around 8 hours (generally a working day), it's doing an adequate job, but they should last a little longer than this. For gaming laptops, though, don't expect long-lasting battery life, as these machines are made to be plugged in more often than not.
Are you a gamer?
This one is an easy one. If gaming is your primary concern, then a laptop like the MSI Cyborg 15 or Acer Nitro V 15 (2024) are the ones for you. If not, then you can turn your attention to others.
Seeing less than 1080p display quality?
You may see a lot of cheap laptops pack a less than full HD display. In the words of Admiral Ackbar: "It's a trap!" You'll be left with buyers' remorse when you see just how much resolution you lose by going down this road. Generally, you'll want a laptop that offers at least FHD (1920 x 1080) quality. Yes, they'll still be affordable.
How we tested these laptops
To find the best laptop, we run every machine through a rigorous suite of benchmarks and real-world tests to gauge how it will perform during everyday use.
- Geekbench CPU performance testing: This app stresses the chipset inside the laptop with your average range of tasks from processing video to multitasking, to see just how effective it can be as a daily driver.
- File transfer tests: Just because a CPU is fast doesn't mean it'll transfer files quickly — that's on the built-in storage. We'll transfer a 25GB file to see how fast it can move big amounts of data around the computer.
- Game benchmarking: For the gaming laptop on this list, we'll open up a range of AAA games from Cyberpunk 2077 to GTA V, to see how well it will operate.
- Display testing: We've got the equipment to test the brightness and color accuracy of a display. This is important so you can actually see the screen in bright conditions and that shows are properly colored.
- Battery life testing: To do this, we have a custom battery life test that has every laptop browse the internet over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness until it runs out of juice. This is the closest we can get to a fair representation of your average daily use.
For all you need to know about how we test at Tom's Guide, we've got you covered.
Today's best budget laptop deals
