Best Monitors Under $100: The 7 Best Cheap 1080P Monitors

If you’re looking for an affordable monitor, we’ve rounded up the best monitors under $100 currently available. These seven cheap 1080P monitors are perfect options for budget gaming and home use.

With everyone scrambling to get their hands on the latest ultra high definition monitor, standard 1080P monitors keep getting more affordable. Just a handful of years ago you would have been hard-pressed to find a 1080P monitor for under $100. Now, there are a ton of cheap 1080P monitors available.

No, these aren’t high-end gaming monitors we’re talking about. They don’t have high refresh rates or come with G-Sync (although, one of the options below is Freesync-ready). They’re just solid affordable 1080P monitors that will work fine for the majority of users. So, if you’re looking to choose a monitor and you don’t want to spend a ton of money, the options below should work for you.

A Quick Look at the Best Monitors Under $100

We’ve broken down the best monitors under $100 into four categories: the best overall monitor under $100, the best option for gaming, our pick for the best 24″ monitor under $100, and our pick for an ultra budget-friendly monitor.

		NAME	SPECS	RATING
TOP PICK		Sceptre E248W-19203R	24″ Display 1080P Res. 75Hz 2x HDMI	8.1/10	Check Price Read Review »
GAMING		Acer SB220Q	22″ Display 1080P Res. 75Hz Freesync	8.1/10	Check Price Read Review »
24″ SCREEN		Planar PLL2410W	24″ Display 1080P Res. 60Hz DVI & VGA	7.9/10	Check Price Read Review »
BUDGET		Acer G226HQL	22″ Display 1080P Res. 60Hz DVI & VGA	7.6/10	Check Price Read Review »

*To learn more about each of the monitors above, click “Read Review »” to jump to our full overview on that specific monitor. You can also keep scrolling further down to find our Honorable Mention picks, too.

1. Sceptre E248W-19203R 24″

The best monitor under $100

The Sceptre E248W-19203R is cheap, it sports a 1080P resolution, it has a 24″ display, it can be pushed to a 75Hz refresh rate, it has a thin-bezel design, and it comes with built-in speakers. For right about $100, that’s not a bad deal at all.

Is it an ideal monitor for gaming, or for professionals who need a workstation-grade display? Absolutely not. But then again, not many people need a high-end gaming monitor or workstation monitor.

Some people just need an affordable option that will give them a decent-looking picture. For PC gamers who are looking for a budget-friendly monitor to pair with their entry-level gaming computer, the Sceptre E248W-19203R 24″ is the solid option in that regard as well—although, the Acer SB220Q listed below might be an even better choice for gamers.

Overall, its larger screen size and its ability to hit a 75Hz refresh rate help the E248W-19203R stand out from the other monitors on this list.

2. Acer SB220Q 22″

The best cheap Freesync monitor

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.

3. Planar PLL2410W 24″

Ultra-cheap 24-inch 1080P monitor

While 5 of the 7 options on this list come with a 22″ display, the Planar PLL2410W—like the Sceptre E248W-19203R, comes with a larger 24″ display. For most casual use, the extra screen size is a more valuable option that a higher refresh rate, or having any kind of adaptive sync technology built in.

So, if you’re just looking for a decent budget-friendly 1080P monitor that has a decent-size screen, the Planar PLL2410W is probably worth considering. The PLL2410W does come with a standard 60Hz refresh rate and 5ms response time.

For gaming, it’s not a terrible option. But, considering the Acer SB220Q listed is better suited for gaming and comes in at a lower price, that’s the route I’d go if gaming was my main concern.

The other downfall of the Planar PLL2410W is that it only comes in a couple of dollars less than the Sceptre E248W-19203R, which has the same size screen and a couple of other features that make it a better value.

4. Acer G226HQL 22″

Extreme budget-friendly 1080p monitor

If price is your main concern and you’re really just looking for the cheapest 1080P monitor you can find, then the Acer G226HQL 22″ is probably the option you want.

It comes in at just under $80, easily making it the most affordable monitor on this list. It really is a barebones option, though, as it doesn’t come with any features that make it stand out. It’s not a thin bezel monitor by any means and its 5ms response time and 60Hz refresh rate won’t blow anyone away.

It also doesn’t come with HDMI ports—which is fine for most, as DVI is just as good of an option, but most people likely already have an HDMI cable lying around somewhere.

Another downside of the G226HQL is that it doesn’t come with VESA mounting holes. There is a mount you can purchase for the monitor, but it will cost extra.

In the end, the G226HQL is the cheapest option on this list and will work perfectly for anyone who doesn’t need any of the extra features that can be found on some of the options above and who just needs as affordable of a 1080P monitor as possible.

5. BenQ GW2280 22″

Honorable mention #1

Another barebones 1080P monitor is BenQ’s GW2280. Like the Acer G226HQL, the BenQ GW2280 doesn’t have a lot of extra features. It’s just an affordable 22″ 1080P monitor that should serve most casual owners and budget-oriented gamers just fine.

It has a standard 60Hz refresh rate and 5ms response time and comes with DVI and VGA ports. The downside of the BenQ GW2280, though, is the fact that it comes in at about ~$10 more expensive than the Acer G226HQL and is the same price as the superior Acer SB220Q.

However, the BenQ GW2280 does come with VESA mounting support and has a much thinner bezel than the G226HQL. So, if you’re someone who is looking for the ability to mount their monitors and you prefer a thinner bezel monitor, the GW2280 will be a better option than the G226HQL.

For those of you who won’t need to mount their monitor, though, you could save a bit of money by choosing the G226HQL.

6. ASUS VS228T-P 22″

Honorable mention #2

Another option you might want to consider is the ASUS VS228T-P 22″ monitor. Like the BenQ GW2270 listed above, there is nothing that stands out on the VS228T-P. And, in reality, at its ~$100 price tag, it probably has the worst price-to-performance of the options on this list.

However, ASUS is one of the most reputable brands in PC hardware, gaming laptops, and peripherals and as such, you can have a little more confidence in their products. That’s not to say that Sceptre and Acer and BenQ aren’t reputable manufacturers (in fact, Acer and BenQ are also well-regarded), but ASUS is the biggest name of them all.

And, so if manufacturer reputability is something you take into consideration, then the ASUS VS228T-P is at least worth considering, despite it offering a lower value in terms of feature set when compared to some of the options listed above.

7. Sceptre E E225W-1920R 22″

Honorable mention #3

Another decent 1080P monitor under $100 is the Sceptre E E225W-1920R. It’s a smaller, less expensive, and less feature-packed version of the E248W-19203R.

It has a 22″ screen, a standard 60Hz refresh rate, a 5ms response time, and HDMI and VGA ports. It also comes with VESA mounting holes, so this is a decent option if you’re looking for a monitor that can be mounted.

It also has a thin bezel and lightweight design, too, if that’s something that is important to you. Ultimately, it’s a very similar option to the BenQ GW2270 and its best use case would be if you wanted as cheap of a monitor as possible that can be mounted and has HDMI ports on it.

Can You Make Do With A Cheap 1080P Monitor?

In a lot of ways, a cheap 1080P monitor doesn’t offer that much of a worse experience than a higher-end monitor—especially for casual users. While there are 1080P gaming monitors out there that come with 144Hz refresh rates and high-end IPS panels, those monitors also require superior hardware in order to utilize correctly. And, the same is even more true for higher resolution monitors.

Likely, if you’re looking for a budget-friendly monitor under $100, you probably also have a budget-friendly PC and won’t be able to utilize those higher-end monitors anyways (at least, until you’re able to upgrade to a higher-end gaming computer). And, in that case, an affordable 1080P monitor will be the perfect option to pair with your system to hold you over for the time being. Regardless, any of the monitors listed above will work fine for casual use and for gaming, too.