These days, most of us rely on a laptop to get work done, so it's especially important to have one that's up to the task. Thankfully, a good laptop doesn't have to cost the earth and there are a number of fantastic options available under $500. These options are perfect back-to-school companions and well worth considering if you're heading off to college.

While the majority of our guides and reviews focus on the best laptops for any budget, not everyone wants to spend top money on such a device. We've searched high and low for the best budget laptops around and we've gathered together a selection of the very best you can find for under $500.

In this guide, we have chosen to focus on full-featured laptops, instead of Chromebooks. With that said, if you do need something simple for web browsing and basic productivity, then you might want to check out our guide to the best Chromebooks. There's also a quick section at the bottom featuring some handy tips on how to find the best laptop for you. Now, let's dive into our selections.

Acer Aspire 3-1
Acer Aspire 3
1. Best budget laptop overall
$469.99 $499.99 Save $30

With an AMD Ryzen 5 7520U at its core, this Acer Aspire 3 offers great performance and long battery life at an unbelievably low price.

Pros
  • Powerful processor
  • Slim and lightweight
  • Good port selection
Cons
  • Windows 11 comes in S mode
  • No Wi-Fi 6 support

Combine this with speedy SSD storage and a 15.6-inch full HD display, and you've got a great machine for work and play.

The connectivity is decent, too, with an HDMI output, USB-C and dual USB type-A ports. It doesn't have Wi-Fi 6 support, but you'll still benefit from Wi-Fi 5 connectivity, which is more than fast enough for most people's home networks.

Lenovo IdeaPad 3
Lenovo IdeaPad 3
2. Excellent all-round budget laptop

The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is a powerful performer that looks great and comes at an excellent price.

Pros
  • Powerful processor
  • Decent battery life
  • Great connectivity
Cons
  • Speakers aren't too impressive
  • The display could be brighter

This Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 5500U processor, which is a touch older than the processor in the Aspire 3 above, but still a great performer in 2024.

This machine will eat up productivity tasks without breaking a sweat and can even handle some light gaming.

The SSD storage keeps things feeling snappy, while an expansive port selection and solid battery life make it easy to live with.

Asus Vivobook 14
Asus Vivobook 14
3. Best Intel-based budget laptop

If you're on a tight budget, this Asus Vivobook offers incredible value for money. Perfect for simpler tasks like web browsing and word processing.

Pros
  • 12th Gen Intel processor
  • Crisp full HD screen
  • Excellent price
Cons
  • Memory is only partially upgradable
  • Performance could be limiting

This option from Asus houses a more modern 12th Generation Intel processor, the only catch is that you'll have to step down to i3 performance, as well as just 4GB of RAM.

On the upside, you'll save a lot of cash in the process, and if you want to upgrade down the line, you can easily add another stick of RAM and an SSD as required.

This laptop is astonishingly good value for money, and its fit and finish easily match machines in a higher price bracket. We think it's a great option.

Microsoft Surface Go 3
Microsoft Surface Go 3
4. Best budget 2-in-1 laptop

It might be unconventional, but, for many people, the Surface Go 3 could be perfect.

Pros
  • Unique 2-in-1 design
  • Excellent build quality
  • All-day battery life
Cons
  • The keyboard is not included
  • The processor is on the slower side

Now, it's important to note immediately that the Surface Go 3 doesn't come with a keyboard by default - you'll have to buy one - but, even with the added expense, it can still be had for an affordable price.

At its core, the Surface Go 3 is a great 2-in-1 tablet/laptop hybrid, and most people will really enjoy using it seamlessly as both devices. We understand that it won't be to everyone's tastes, and, in an ideal world, you'd upgrade the processor to the better version available.

However, if you want a 2-in-1 with some style, the Surface Go 3 is a really nice option.

HP Stream 11
HP Stream 11
5. Best laptop under $200

It may not be the most powerful thing in the world, but at this price, it's a cracking deal.

Pros
  • Incredibly cheap
  • Great battery life
  • Super portable
Cons
  • Weak processor
  • Low on storage

This one might be better suited as a kid's laptop, rather than something you rely on for work every day, as its limited storage and weak processor mean it can't do too much heavy lifting.

That said, for an incredibly low price tag, you get a full-on Windows laptop. It really is exceptional value for money. It'll handle the basics with no trouble and it's super lightweight and portable.

It offers great battery life and is available in a range of colours, as well.

How we chose these laptops

When compiling the list of products for this guide, we tried to include a variety of options to suit different users' needs. Some feature the absolute best specs you can get under $500, whereas others have more of a focus on form-factor or portability. It's impossible to include the right laptop for everyone, but we've included cheaper options as well as top performers to cover as many bases as possible.

To ensure that these laptops are up to the task, we've leaned on customer feedback as well as expert opinions. We've also stuck to tried and tested brands with great reputations to ensure that every product featured on this list is reliable, well-built and performs as advertised.

How to choose a budget laptop

When it comes to purchasing a great budget laptop under the $500 / £500 mark, you will inevitably have to make some compromises to stay within budget. You're not going to find a top-spec gaming machine in this price range, but, if you keep expectations realistic, you can land yourself a highly capable machine.

To help you hone in on the best option for you, here are some things you should be thinking about:

What do you need the laptop for?

An obvious benefit of laptops, when compared to phones or tablets, is that you get a physical keyboard. This makes them much more suitable for tasks like typing, working on spreadsheets and the like. If the tasks that you need to complete are that simple, then you might want to consider a Chromebook, as you could potentially save even more there.

All of the options on our list run Windows, and that means they can run the widest variety of software offered by any operating system. This can be great if you need to run a niche program for work or a hobby as you'll almost certainly find a Windows-compatible version for any software imaginable.

If you need to do something more taxing such as editing videos or playing games then you'll want to pay particular attention to the processor. Some of the options on our list are surprisingly capable, given the price range, and will be able to run apps like Adobe Premiere and even play games like Overwatch at medium settings.

AMD or Intel?

Intel and AMD have a long history of going toe-to-toe on performance and pricing. Until fairly recently, Intel was pretty much the only good choice for a laptop CPU, but AMD has made huge strides in recent years - so much so, it has almost made the opposite true.

In this price range, the best processor you will find is either an Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5. If you want the most performance for your money, we'd recommend going for the Ryzen option. AMD's Ryzen 5 chips outperform Intel's i5 in almost every regard whilst also tending to be cheaper and increasing the battery life of the device.

Intel's Core i5 processors are, of course, still very good and with each new iteration, both companies continue to innovate and close the performance gap further.

At home or on the go?

Laptops give you the luxury of computing from anywhere you like, as opposed to being stuck at home with a desktop PC. If you'll be travelling about a lot, then you'll definitely want to pay attention to the battery life offered, as well as noting the size and weight of the device. If you end up with a laptop that is too big and heavy, then you'll probably never want to take it anywhere.

Pay attention to how the device charges, too, since some laptops can be charged via USB-C, just like a smartphone. This is especially handy, as it means you'll only need to bring one charger when travelling, and can likely borrow one from someone else if you happen to forget it. Laptops with old-school DC connectors are not cross-compatible and can often add quite a bit of extra weight to your bag.

If you'll mainly be using it at home then you might enjoy having a nice big screen to look at and weight becomes far less of a concern. Similarly, it doesn't matter too much about the charger or battery life as you'll always be near an outlet. So there are some potential savings to be had by ignoring those specs.