SHORT ON TIME? HERE’S A QUICK SUMMARY
Surfshark is a relatively new player, but it's already giving the more established VPN providers something to worry about. It's been steadily gnawing into the VPN market share with an irresistible starting price, flawless performance, and blazing fast speeds. What's more, Surfshark allows unlimited simultaneous device connection under a single subscription. And with similarly unlimited bandwidth, you can use an X number of devices without affecting the connection speed. All of these, plus its no-log policy and easy-to-use apps, make Surfshark deserving of a slot in your VPN shortlist.
Surfshark is a relatively new player, but it's already giving the more established VPN providers something to worry about. It's been steadily gnawing into the VPN market share with an irresistible starting price, flawless performance, and blazing fast speeds. What's more, Surfshark allows unlimited simultaneous device connection under a single subscription. And with similarly unlimited bandwidth, you can use an X number of devices without affecting the connection speed. All of these, plus its no-log policy and easy-to-use apps, make Surfshark deserving of a slot in your VPN shortlist.
👍 PROS:
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
- Privacy-friendly jurisdiction
- Wide range of well-designed apps
- Unique features such as MultiHop and Whitelister
- High-speed servers
- Works in China
- A+ customer support
👎 CONS:
- Its privacy policy could be more transparent
Get Surfshark - Protect Your Privacy!
Server Locations
SURFSHARK KEY DATA
Jurisdiction: British Virgin Islands
Member of intelligence-sharing alliances: NO
Servers: 3,200+
Server location: 65 countries
Simultaneous connection: unlimited
Desktop apps: Windows, macOS, Linux
Mobile apps: iOS, Android
Browser apps: Chrome, Firefox
Encryption: AES 256-bit
Protocols: OpenVPN (UDP), OpenVPN (TCP), IKEv2, WireGuard, Shadowsocks, L2TP
DNS and IP leak protection: YES
Automatic kill switch: YES
Notable Features: Unlimited device connections, Cleanweb, Whitelister, MultiHop, strict no-logs policy, Camouflage Mode, NoBorders mode, 24/7 customer support, 30-day money back guarantee
SEE WHAT USERS HAVE TO SAY
Trustpilot Rating: 4.3 out of 8,962 reviews
“ Super easy to use, quick and helpful customer service, and cheaper than competitors. Best VPN I've tried and highly recommended to anyone interested in a VPN. ”
“ Awesome application and even better customer support system. Only downside is variable connectivity in certain countries but the team doesn't stop until they solve it for you. Shout out to Harvey for all the great help. ”
“ It is really cool to have such a cheap VPN with a perfect service. The speed decrease with VPN is minimal, sometimes it's even faster after turning it on. ”
“ Used on 2 iphones, 2 ipads, and desktop. Easy install, easy to set up. Good speed. Especially like access to local addresses without having to disconnect VPN (e.g. printer).”
WILL IT KEEP ME SAFE AND ANONYMOUS ONLINE?
When choosing a VPN for privacy, you have to look beyond encryption and security protocols. There’s the legal jurisdiction too. Thankfully, Surfshark's location couldn't be better. It's based in the British Virgin Islands - a country with no data retention laws and is outside of any intelligence-sharing agreements. As a result, Surfshark does not collect IP addresses, browsing history, session information, used bandwidth, connection time stamps, network traffic, and other similar data.
When it comes to security, Surfshark is in a league of its own. While it relies on the standard AES 256-bit encryption, Android users have the option to change the encryption cipher between AES-256-GCM and Chacha20Poly1305. They also offer 5 protocols so you can play around to see which works best in terms of speed, stability, etc. You can use IKEv2, L2TP, Shadowsocks, WireGuard®, or OpenVPN. If you're after fast gaming or seamless video conferencing, use OpenVPN (UDP).
Surfshark also offers an array of extra features that you won't normally find in other VPNs. There's a split-tunneling feature called Whitelister, for example, that allows you to choose which apps and sites connect to the VPN. Nice, because it gets annoying having to connect and disconnect when using different services like your bank. Surfshark also doubles your security and privacy by providing an extra layer of encryption. How? When you use its Multi-hop feature, your internet traffic "hops" between two or more servers before arriving at its intended destination. To put it simply, it lets you "hide" behind several intermediary servers rather than just one. Pretty cool, eh?!
CleanWeb is another nifty feature that Surfshark provides in all its plans. It's a feature that blocks ads, trackers, and malicious links. By blocking malware before it loads, it protects you against phishing attempts. The Camouflage Mode masks your connection to prevent your ISP from seeing that you're using a VPN. This not only ensures your privacy but also prevents your internet provider from throttling your bandwidth. Finally, Surfshark believes that the internet should be open to everyone and thus introduced the No Borders Mode.
HOW FAST IS IT?
Great features, but is it fast? Yes! Our speed tests have shown that Surfshark is definitely one of the fastest VPN services in 2024. We ran all tests with a base speed of 300Mbps using Surfshark's WireGuard protocol. We then connected to servers located in North America and got an average speed of 250Mbps. Next up, we tried several servers across the pond. We expected a significant speed loss, after all our data had to travel to another server located overseas, specifically in the UK. However, we still recorded an average speed of 220Mbps. Next, we tried servers in Asia and averaged 190Mbps. As you can see from the result, the average speed across all three locations was at 220Mbps, easily beating other "express" VPNs. While connected to Surfshark, we were able to play some League of Legends, and use HD video conferencing without any lags.
PRICING AND PLANS
Surfshark has a three-tier pricing model:
• $12.95/month
• $6.49/month for a 6-month subscription
• $2.49/month for a 2-year subscription
All plans are paid upfront and are covered with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
Surfshark offers support in three different ways:
• Help Center
• Email Request
• Live Chat
The Help Center page contains tons of tutorials that cover everything from getting started to troubleshooting technical issues. There are also articles related to billing, account information, features, and more. If you can't find a solution, you can send them an email by filling up a form. Response time is expected to be within 24 hours. If that won't work for you, you can also get a hold of a live person via chat.
THE VERDICT
So, did Surfshark live up to the hype? We would have to say YES! It's barely three years old, but it has already built an impressive network with fast servers optimized for gaming and other bandwidth-intensive activities. It is also highly secure with features that are rarely seen elsewhere, plus they are located in a safe jurisdiction. What's more, they are also one of the very few VPNs that maintain a Warrant Canary page. For such a young fish in the digital sea, Surfshark is already doing a lot of things right.
SURFSHARK KEY DATA
Jurisdiction: British Virgin Islands
Member of intelligence-sharing alliances: NO
Servers: 3,200+
Server location: 65 countries
Simultaneous connection: unlimited
Desktop apps: Windows, macOS, Linux
Mobile apps: iOS, Android
Browser apps: Chrome, Firefox
Encryption: AES 256-bit
Protocols: OpenVPN (UDP), OpenVPN (TCP), IKEv2, WireGuard, Shadowsocks, L2TP
DNS and IP leak protection: YES
Automatic kill switch: YES
Notable Features: Unlimited device connections, Cleanweb, Whitelister, MultiHop, strict no-logs policy, Camouflage Mode, NoBorders mode, 24/7 customer support, 30-day money back guarantee
SEE WHAT USERS HAVE TO SAY
Trustpilot Rating: 4.3 out of 8,962 reviews
“ Super easy to use, quick and helpful customer service, and cheaper than competitors. Best VPN I've tried and highly recommended to anyone interested in a VPN. ”
“ Awesome application and even better customer support system. Only downside is variable connectivity in certain countries but the team doesn't stop until they solve it for you. Shout out to Harvey for all the great help. ”
“ It is really cool to have such a cheap VPN with a perfect service. The speed decrease with VPN is minimal, sometimes it's even faster after turning it on. ”
“ Used on 2 iphones, 2 ipads, and desktop. Easy install, easy to set up. Good speed. Especially like access to local addresses without having to disconnect VPN (e.g. printer).”
WILL IT KEEP ME SAFE AND ANONYMOUS ONLINE?
When choosing a VPN for privacy, you have to look beyond encryption and security protocols. There’s the legal jurisdiction too. Thankfully, Surfshark's location couldn't be better. It's based in the British Virgin Islands - a country with no data retention laws and is outside of any intelligence-sharing agreements. As a result, Surfshark does not collect IP addresses, browsing history, session information, used bandwidth, connection time stamps, network traffic, and other similar data.
When it comes to security, Surfshark is in a league of its own. While it relies on the standard AES 256-bit encryption, Android users have the option to change the encryption cipher between AES-256-GCM and Chacha20Poly1305. They also offer 5 protocols so you can play around to see which works best in terms of speed, stability, etc. You can use IKEv2, L2TP, Shadowsocks, WireGuard®, or OpenVPN. If you're after fast gaming or seamless video conferencing, use OpenVPN (UDP).
Surfshark also offers an array of extra features that you won't normally find in other VPNs. There's a split-tunneling feature called Whitelister, for example, that allows you to choose which apps and sites connect to the VPN. Nice, because it gets annoying having to connect and disconnect when using different services like your bank. Surfshark also doubles your security and privacy by providing an extra layer of encryption. How? When you use its Multi-hop feature, your internet traffic "hops" between two or more servers before arriving at its intended destination. To put it simply, it lets you "hide" behind several intermediary servers rather than just one. Pretty cool, eh?!
CleanWeb is another nifty feature that Surfshark provides in all its plans. It's a feature that blocks ads, trackers, and malicious links. By blocking malware before it loads, it protects you against phishing attempts. The Camouflage Mode masks your connection to prevent your ISP from seeing that you're using a VPN. This not only ensures your privacy but also prevents your internet provider from throttling your bandwidth. Finally, Surfshark believes that the internet should be open to everyone and thus introduced the No Borders Mode.
HOW FAST IS IT?
Great features, but is it fast? Yes! Our speed tests have shown that Surfshark is definitely one of the fastest VPN services in 2024. We ran all tests with a base speed of 300Mbps using Surfshark's WireGuard protocol. We then connected to servers located in North America and got an average speed of 250Mbps. Next up, we tried several servers across the pond. We expected a significant speed loss, after all our data had to travel to another server located overseas, specifically in the UK. However, we still recorded an average speed of 220Mbps. Next, we tried servers in Asia and averaged 190Mbps. As you can see from the result, the average speed across all three locations was at 220Mbps, easily beating other "express" VPNs. While connected to Surfshark, we were able to play some League of Legends, and use HD video conferencing without any lags.
PRICING AND PLANS
Surfshark has a three-tier pricing model:
• $12.95/month
• $6.49/month for a 6-month subscription
• $2.49/month for a 2-year subscription
All plans are paid upfront and are covered with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
Surfshark offers support in three different ways:
• Help Center
• Email Request
• Live Chat
The Help Center page contains tons of tutorials that cover everything from getting started to troubleshooting technical issues. There are also articles related to billing, account information, features, and more. If you can't find a solution, you can send them an email by filling up a form. Response time is expected to be within 24 hours. If that won't work for you, you can also get a hold of a live person via chat.
THE VERDICT
So, did Surfshark live up to the hype? We would have to say YES! It's barely three years old, but it has already built an impressive network with fast servers optimized for gaming and other bandwidth-intensive activities. It is also highly secure with features that are rarely seen elsewhere, plus they are located in a safe jurisdiction. What's more, they are also one of the very few VPNs that maintain a Warrant Canary page. For such a young fish in the digital sea, Surfshark is already doing a lot of things right.
