Surfshark

Surfshark places at No. 10 on our list of the Best VPNs of 2023. The company was founded in 2018 by Vytautas Kaziukonis, and in 2022, merged with Nord Security. Both companies still operate independently. Surfshark is based in the Netherlands, and as such is under the jurisdiction of the Nine Eyes surveillance alliance, which is something journalists, activists, and others dealing with sensitive information may want to keep in mind. The company supports a “free, open, and secure internet” and is a founding member of the VPN Trust Initiative. Read on for our Surfshark VPN review to see if it’s right for you.

Surfshark Review

Pros:

Surfshark comes in at No. 10 in our rating of the Best VPNs of 2023 with a score of 3.6 out of 5. Professional reviewers have praised it for having one of the widest server networks, with 3,200+ servers in 100 countries, including locations in South America and Africa – areas often ignored by other VPN companies. While it originally operated out of the British Virgin Islands, the company is now based in the Netherlands, which puts it under the jurisdiction of the Nine Eyes surveillance alliance. Moreover, it has a strict no-log policy, and all of its servers are RAM-based. This means they don’t store any data, and any information they do have would be erased if they were unplugged.

Surfshark has all the features you would expect from a top VPN. It uses 256-bit AES encryption to keep your data secure, even when using public Wi-Fi, and it has an automatic kill switch to disconnect you from the internet should you become disconnected from the VPN for some reason, thus ensuring you are always protected while online. It also protects against DNS leak protection and has private DNS on each of its servers. Indeed, our tester didn’t experience any DNS leaks while using the VPN; Surfshark hid our identity, location, and internet activity from our internet service provider (ISP). Meanwhile, Surfshark’s Camouflage mode will make it so your ISP doesn’t know that you’re using a VPN.

Surshark’s split tunneling feature is called Bypasser. Bypasser is available for the Windows and Android apps. It lets you decide which applications and even specific websites bypass the VPN tunnel. This works well for streaming as it lets you maintain your normal connection speed.

You can also install Surfshark VPN on a router. This ensures that any device accessing the internet via your Wi-Fi network is protected. With many VPNs, this has the side benefit of circumventing device limits, but that’s not a concern with Surfshark as the company allows an unlimited number of devices to be simultaneously on the VPN. Having Surfshark on your router will let you use a faster connection for streaming, as our tester found Surfshark had average speeds during his speed tests.

Another feature praised by professional reviewers is Surfshark’s Dynamic Multihop. This feature routes your activity through two VPN servers before connecting to the internet. You can even choose which two servers. This gives you an added layer of protection by making it more difficult to track your activity, as well as ensuring you are protected in the unlikely event that one of the servers is compromised.

Surfshark is compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Linux devices, although not all features are available with all operating systems. As mentioned, Bypasser split tunneling is only available to Windows and Android users. Surfshark is also available for your Amazon Fire TV, and it offers extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge if you’d prefer to use it with your browser instead of downloading the appropriate app. It is also compatible with most major streaming services and may even speed up your connection if your ISP has been throttling your speeds. At $12.95 a month, it’s among the most expensive VPNs, but you can save when you opt for an annual or bi-annual subscription (more on that below).

Surfshark offers a nice set of features, like an automatic kill switch, DNS leak protection, and its Bypasser split tunneling. Plus, its Clean Web feature blocks ads, malware, and pop-up cookie requests, and its Dynamic Multihop double-VPN gives you an added layer of protection.

Unlike some other VPNs, Surfshark doesn’t offer static IP addresses. It also doesn’t offer typical dynamic IP addresses. Instead, its IP rotator regularly changes your IP address without disconnecting you from the VPN.

How Much Is Surfshark?

Standard monthly cost: $12.95 per month

Standard annual cost: $59.76 for 26 months, or $2.30 per month (billed annually after 24 months)

A monthly Surfshark subscription is $12.95, but that’s discounted to $3.99 per month with a one-year plan, and some promotions can reduce the price even more. The company has a money-back guarantee for 30 days. An additional $1.49 buys the optional Surfshark One add-on with virus and malware protection, identity and data breach monitoring, and ad tracker blocking. The company accepts credit cards, Google and Amazon Pay, PayPal, and cryptocurrency through CoinGate or CoinPayments.

Surfshark subscribers have access to some 3,200 servers in 65 countries. It also has a “no borders” feature enabling you to spoof your location to avoid government monitoring or censoring.

How To Use Surfshark

Types of devices and platforms supported:

Number of devices supported: Unlimited

P2P functionality: Yes

Surfshark is compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Linux devices, although not all features are available with all operating system; its Bypasser split tunneling is only available to Windows and Android users. Surfshark is also available for your Amazon Fire TV, and it offers extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge if you’d prefer to use it with your browser instead of downloading the appropriate app. You can also install it directly to your router or buy a router with Surfshark’s VPN pre-installed. Using a router ensures that any device accessing the internet via your Wi-Fi network is protected. With many VPNs, this has the side benefit of circumventing device limits, but that’s less of a concern with Surfshark as you are allowed an unlimited number of devices to be connected simultaneously to the VPN.

How to Use Surfshark for Streaming

How to Use Surfshark for Social Media

Surfshark has a great website that takes you through ways to view and interact with sites such as Facebook and Instagram, even if they’re blocked in the country where you’re located. Surfshark’s NoBorders feature will give you step-by-step instructions on how to get to the websites you want to visit. However, make sure you’re familiar with local laws when it comes to blocked sites.

Is Surfshark Safe?

Surfshark has a no-log policy, which means it doesn’t collect or store information about your browsing, bandwidth use, or connection time. It collects only enough information to manage your account and for web analytics. It uses three encryption protocols: WireGuard, IKEv2, and OpenVPN, which is fewer than some other VPNs. However, these protocols are among the most popular, especially for torrenting. Surfshark claims its VPN works in China and its “camouflage mode” can prevent the internet service provider from recognizing a VPN is being used.

Surfshark vs. the Competition

Surfshark vs. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN earns the top spot on our list of Best VPNs of 2023, while Surfshark rates at No. 10. However, the two VPNs are fairly similar. With ExpressVPN charging $12.95 on a monthly basis and Surfshark charging $12.95, the two cost essentially the same. They have similar sets of features, although ExpressVPN has a more robust set of protocols and had significantly better download and upload speeds in our testing. It is also outside the realm of any surveillance alliance, while Surfshark falls under Nine Eyes’ jurisdiction. Surfshark might be a better choice for those who want to protect a large number of devices because it doesn’t set a cap, whereas ExpressVPN limits you to five. Nonetheless, if your online activities warrant greater protection, then you may want to go with ExpressVPN.

Learn more in our ExpressVPN review.

While the user-friendly TunnelBear (tied for No. 8 on our list) offers a free VPN service, for our purposes we looked at its paid subscription, which is $9.99 on a monthly basis, or $3 less than Surfshark. For the extra cost, Surfshark gives you twice as many server locales, which is useful if you travel frequently to far-flung places or simply don’t want to worry about having a good connection. That said, during our testing, TunnelBear’s connection speeds were comparable to Surfshark’s, so if you are usually near a TunnelBear server then it’s not a concern. Both VPNs let you connect an unlimited number of devices, so unless some of Surfshark’s unique features (Bypasser, Dynamic Multihop, Clean Web) appeal to you, you might do well to save a few dollars with TunnelBear.

Learn more in our TunnelBear review.

Surfshark FAQs