I'm in the market for a cost-effective Virtual Private Server (VPS) solution that can facilitate a seamless Virtual Private Network (VPN) setup, or alternatively, a pre-configured VPN tariff plan. My budget is capped at $5 per month, and this is for personal, non-commercial use.
I'm looking for a scalable, secure, and reliable infrastructure to support my online activities, with a focus on flexibility and ease of deployment. Any recommendations for a VPS provider that can meet these requirements would be greatly appreciated.

Since you're looking for a scalable, secure, and reliable infrastructure, you'll want to focus on providers that offer:

A robust control panel (e.g., cPanel, Plesk) for easy management
A decent amount of RAM, CPU, and storage to support your online activities
Support for popular VPN protocols (e.g., OpenVPN, WireGuard)
A flexible pricing plan that allows for easy upgrades or downgrades
24/7 customer support (because, let's face it, you never know when you'll need it)
With those requirements in mind, here are a few VPS providers that might be worth considering:

DigitalOcean: While their prices start at $5/month, you'll need to opt for their lowest-tier plan, which comes with 512MB RAM, 1 CPU, and 30GB SSD storage. Not ideal, but it's a great option if you're looking for a scalable infrastructure with easy VPN setup.
Vultr: Vultr offers a $5/month plan with 768MB RAM, 1 CPU, and 25GB SSD storage. They also have a built-in VPN feature, making it easy to set up and manage your VPN connections.
Contabo: Contabo's $5/month plan comes with 2GB RAM, 1 CPU, and 30GB SSD storage. They also offer a range of VPN protocols, including OpenVPN and WireGuard.
Now, I know what you're thinking - "What about the pre-configured VPN tariff plan?" Well, my friend, that's where things get a bit tricky. Most VPS providers don't offer pre-configured VPN plans, especially at this price point. However, you can always opt for a VPN service that offers a dedicated IP address and configure it on your VPS instance.

While finding a VPS provider that meets all your requirements within a $5/month budget is a challenge, there are some options worth exploring. Be prepared to make some compromises on resources, but with a little creativity and elbow grease, you can set up a seamless VPN solution that meets your needs.

A Virtual Private Server (VPS) is a virtualized server that mimics a dedicated server's functionality within a larger physical server. It offers more control and resources than shared hosting, making it suitable for various applications, including a personal VPN.

I'd recommend considering a bespoke VPN setup instead of relying on off-the-shelf solutions. By rolling out your own VPN server, you'll have granular control over the server settings, ensuring that your data is air-gapped from prying eyes. Plus, you won't be limited by the number of users, and there are no per-seat licensing fees to worry about.

What's more, you'll enjoy seamless connectivity from a wide range of devices, including Windows, iOS, and Android, as well as the ability to hook up your office router. However, the caveat is that this approach requires a significant investment, which might be a showstopper for those with limited budgets.

Amazon offers a complimentary Virtual Private Server (VPS) solution, specifically the Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) instance, which can be accessed via this link: https://aws.amazon.com/ru/ec2/.

Notably, setting up a Virtual Private Network (VPN) on this platform has become a breeze, thanks to open-source tools like OpenVPN. You can find a handy installation script on GitHub, courtesy of angristan: https://github.com/angristan/openvpn-install.

If you're not comfortable with the technicalities, you can always outsource the installation and configuration to a freelancer, who can get the job done for a nominal fee of around $5.00. This way, you can save yourself an hour of learning curve and focus on more critical aspects of your project.