Surfshark evaluate: An reasonably priced VPN service filled with options

Finest Costs Right now: Surfshark for Mac

Surfshark (Month-to-month)

$2.19

Surfshark briefly:

• P2P allowed: Sure
• Simultaneous machine connections: Limitless
• Enterprise location: The Netherlands
• Variety of servers: 3200+
• Variety of nation places: 100
• Value: $17.95 per 30 days, $50.85 for one 12 months, or $67.23 for 2 years

Surfshark continues the pattern of different mega-VPN providers as a one-stop store for all issues associated to private on-line privateness and safety. The corporate affords a top-tier VPN product that continues to increase and enhance with every new iteration. And since its merger with NordVPN underneath the father or mother firm Our on-line world, Surfshark is now growing cutting-edge private safety features through its Nexus community know-how.

This all sounds nice, however are all of those options actually value it in a VPN service? I took a deep dive with Surfshark to search out out.

Learn on to study extra, then see our roundup of the most effective VPN providers for comparability.

Surfshark design and options

What’s new with Surfshark?

Since my final evaluate Surfshark has launched just a few vital new options. Everlink is touted as an “industry-first self-healing server infrastructure” that’s designed to boost VPN connection stability. It’s a server backup system that reconfigures the VPN connection to a different working server within the occasion of an surprising downside on the server of your unique connection. Consider it like a much less disruptive kill change function that permits you to stick with it—privateness intact—like nothing occurred after a disconnection.

Moreover, Surfshark simply introduced its FastTrack know-how that optimizes person visitors paths for improved pace and efficiency. It’s basically a monitoring system that constantly evaluates VPN connection routes in real-time to supply essentially the most environment friendly paths at any given time. To this point, FastTrack has been rolled out for Sydney, Vancouver, and Seattle servers with extra on the way in which sooner or later.

Surfshark hands-on

Sam Singleton

Surfshark has a easy and easy-to-navigate interface. On the left rail you will have choices for VPN, Different ID, Alert, Antivirus, Search, and Settings. Then within the center there’s a listing of all server places listed alphabetically by nation. On the precise facet there’s a button to hook up with the chosen server.

The service prides itself on the variety of servers it offers, which is effectively over 3,200 throughout 100 totally different nation places. There are admittedly quite a lot of nations which have just one server to hook up with, however extra widespread places such because the U.S., Canada, and Australia supply a number of server places unfold all through. 

Their server community does encompass numerous digital servers which aren’t bodily situated within the nations they declare to be. This may generally result in privateness dangers in case your information is routed via a rustic with invasive privateness legal guidelines, or a possible for slower speeds and better latencies if the bodily server is additional away. Surfshark does a commendable job of mentioning which servers are bodily and that are digital, although, simply in case you will have a desire.

Along with a great server unfold, Surfshark permits limitless simultaneous machine connections. It is a large draw since most different VPN suppliers solely supply a small variety of 5 or 6 simultaneous connections.

On the primary display screen above the servers you possibly can hook up with, you’re in a position to decide on between 4 choices: Places, StaticIP, MultiHop, and the newly added Devoted IP. Places is a listing of all the accessible nation servers you possibly can join. StaticIP permits you to hook up with shared servers with IP addresses that by no means change. MultiHop permits you to additional obfuscate your precise location by routing your visitors via multiple VPN server. Surfshark additionally affords, for an extra payment, the flexibility to get a Devoted IP tackle, which is a singular IP tackle that by no means adjustments and is simply utilized by you.

Sam Singleton

I used to be totally impressed with Surfshark’s multihop function. Whereas many VPN providers now supply multihop connections, Surfshark stands out by permitting the person to not solely select a predetermined route, but additionally create their very own multihop route. It is a nifty customization choice that offers energy customers and people involved with privateness extra autonomy in securing their connections.

Surfshark offers an ad-, tracker-, and malware-blocker known as “CleanWeb”—although it’s not turned on by default. There’s additionally a split-tunneling function which it calls “Bypasser.” Bypasser permits you the choice to route apps and web sites via the VPN or hold one or the opposite linked individually. It is a good choice for individuals who want to hold their net searching safe through a VPN whereas holding on-line video games outdoors the VPN connection minimizing potential latency points.

Moreover, Surfshark offers a kill change perform that may routinely disable your web connection ought to your VPN connection drop for no matter motive. There’s additionally a function known as NoBorders, enabled by default, which is its personal model of obfuscated servers. This function permits customers in nations that usually prohibit VPN connections to keep up entry to Surfshark.

Sam Singleton

Included with the Surfshark One and Surfshark One+ plans, you’ll additionally obtain Surfshark Alert for real-time identification and information breach monitoring, in addition to entry to its standalone antivirus. Plus, included with all plans is Surfshark’s Different ID function, which permits customers to create another electronic mail or cellphone quantity with a view to masks your actual contact data from spam and information sharing providers.

Suffice it to say, Surfshark offers a ton of options. I spent a great chunk of time simply setting every part up earlier than I even linked to the VPN. It might appear a bit overwhelming, however Surfshark does a great job of holding your hand via most of it and offering clear and concise explanations for newbies.

Surfshark can be working arduous to convey new and revolutionary concepts to the VPN scene. In 2023 it rolled out Nexus know-how. Nexus is a single community made up of Surfshark VPN servers. There are large potential safety and privateness boosts from this, together with rotating your IP tackle with out disconnecting your energetic VPN connection, additional obfuscating your searching exercise. Nexus additionally makes use of a Dynamic MultiHop function to attach you to the quickest accessible entry server and exit via any desired location, presumably rising connection speeds throughout the board.

How a lot does Surfshark price?

Sam Singleton

Surfshark comes with three totally different plans: Surfshark Starter, Surfshark One, and Surfshark One+. Every plan choice is on the market in month-to-month, 1-year, and 2-year phrases. 

Surfshark Starter offers the essential VPN together with an ad- and popup-blocker, plus entry to its Different ID function. The month-to-month price is a steep $15.45 per 30 days, dropping all the way down to a way more affordable $47.85 for the primary 12 months, or $53.73 for the primary two years. 

A Surfshark One subscription comes with every part from the Starter pack plus identification and information breach monitoring, personal search instruments, and entry to its Antivirus software program. The speed is $17.95 month-to-month, $50.85 for the primary 12 months, or $67.23 for the primary two years. Should you go for the 1- or 2-year plans additionally they throw in three further months totally free.

Surfshark’s top-tier One+ plan offers you all the above plus a private information elimination service for $20.65 per 30 days, $91.35 for the primary 12 months, or $107.73 for the primary two years. Subscriptions to the 1- and 2-year plans at this tier additionally include three further months totally free.

It’s value noting that when you go for the 1- or 2-year plans on any bundle, the renewal value after the preliminary time period will usually default to a dearer yearly plan.

The month-to-month costs for all tiers place Surfshark as some of the costly month-to-month plans of any VPN I can recall. Nevertheless, when you go for longer-term plans, Surfshark immediately turns into one of many least expensive VPNs available on the market. These long-term plans make it an extremely good worth for all the options it offers.

Surfshark accepts funds through bank cards, PayPal, Google Pay, and varied cryptocurrencies. 

How is Surfshark’s efficiency?

In one of many current updates to Surfshark’s service, the corporate accomplished the shift of all servers to 10Gbps, up from 1Gbps beforehand. That is along with the aforementioned FastTrack know-how function they added for some servers. So how do the speeds examine now? Nicely, not unhealthy, but additionally nonetheless not fairly the most effective. 

Throughout my testing I rated connection speeds throughout Surfsharks’ servers in six totally different nations world wide over the course of a number of days after which in contrast them to my baseline web pace. Surfshark server speeds had been as soon as once more strong, rating within the high 10 of all VPNs I’ve examined. Speeds averaged 65 p.c of the bottom obtain pace and a barely extra spectacular 71 p.c of the bottom add pace.

It is a bit behind the very quickest VPNs reminiscent of NordVPN and ExpressVPN, however relying by yourself residence web, it’ll be greater than sufficient to do nearly every part, together with streaming HD video and downloading giant information shortly with none points.

For these trying to make use of the service to bypass geo-restrictions on streaming web sites, my testing confirmed that Surfshark was overwhelmingly profitable. Throughout each server examined and for all main streaming providers, the VPN was in a position to entry these streaming websites. This included websites reminiscent of Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Max, Hulu, and Disney+. This glorious end result places Surfshark among the many best VPNs for streaming.

How is Surfshark’s safety and privateness?

Sam Singleton

Surfshark makes use of normal AES 256-bit encryption and the Home windows app affords choices for a number of VPN protocols together with OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2.

Surfshark states that it doesn’t gather any of your on-line exercise, together with searching historical past, session data, bandwidth used, connection time stamps, community visitors, or IP addresses. This no-logs coverage declare has been verified to be true a number of occasions by safety firm Deloitte throughout impartial audits of Surfshark, most lately in June of 2025. 

These common audits are precisely the kind of reassurance customers ought to count on from a high VPN firm, and it goes to indicate that Surfshark is critical about its clients’ privateness.

The service additionally retains privateness in thoughts throughout setup. When signing up for a Surfshark subscription you solely want to produce an electronic mail tackle.

One factor to notice, although, is that Surfshark has moved its headquarters from the British Virgin Islands to the Netherlands lately. This most likely isn’t a difficulty because the Netherlands’ information retention legal guidelines are usually privacy-friendly. Nevertheless, the Netherlands continues to be topic to Fourteen Eyes jurisdiction, which implies that the federal government may doubtlessly require Surfshark to share sure details about clients. 

Fortunately, as all of its no-logs audits show, this shouldn’t be a serious concern as Surfshark doesn’t log or hold any person information anyhow—no data means nothing to share.

Is Surfshark value it?

Surfshark affords limitless machine connections, good speeds, full compatibility with main streaming providers, and a powerful variety of further options. The Surfshark apps are all effectively designed and straightforward to navigate. It additionally affords some nice supplemental private safety instruments reminiscent of ad-, tracker-, and malware-blocking in addition to split-tunneling and customizable multihop. That isn’t even mentioning the plethora of superior options like the newest FastTrack and Everlink that it’s rolling out regularly.

With all of those nice options, Surfshark is a strong all-around VPN service. The month-to-month value is sufficient to make you choke, however when you go for the 1- or 2-year contracts you’ll get all of this for a critically cut price price value. General, whether or not it’s getting round area blocks or simply having fun with a extra personal and safe searching expertise, Surfshark stays one in all my favorites.

Editor’s observe: As a result of on-line providers are sometimes iterative, gaining new options and efficiency enhancements over time, this evaluate is topic to alter with a view to precisely mirror the present state of the service. Any adjustments to textual content or our closing evaluate verdict shall be famous on the high of this text.