Surfshark VPN Review: Affordable, But Is It Safe?

Before buying this service, it’s smart to stay with us until our Surfshark VPN review ends. This is quite an interesting service with strong privacy, a wealth of security features, and good-looking apps for all your devices. Above everything, it’s pretty affordable.

Its start was rough. With a smaller server park and subpar performance, Surfshark couldn’t compete with NordVPN and ExpressVPN a few years ago. However, a surge of improvements “flooded” the VPN recently, skyrocketing it almost at the top of the best VPN charts.

In our Surfshark VPN test, we’ll see why this provider might be a good option even for more demanding users. As with any other VPN we tested, we used Surfshark from its inception in 2018, so we’re acquainted with how it works, what it offers, and what it fails to offer.

Putting it simply, this is a first-hand, in-depth review of Surfshark – that much you know. But you don’t know one thing yet, and that’s the precise level of quality this service provides. You’ll have to read further for this valuable information.

Surfshark VPN Pricing: How Much Does It Cost?

Our Surfshark analysis begins with the price review. We love how generous this provider is, despite the costly improvements it made recently. Like CyberGhost or even PIA, the service has an almost fixed price that never fluctuates dramatically.

At the time of doing this review, Surfshark offers a staggering Starter deal at just under $2.2 a month with 3 EXTRA months. The Surfshark One is the best value in our book, as it offers advanced features that we’ll discuss later in the test.

Its price isn’t too high either, at a speck under $2.7 a month for the 2-year plan. We finally have the One+ plan, also with 3 months, that includes features from Incogni (just like NordVPN). For more info, refer to our NordVPN test or keep reading this review.

An amazing thing about this VPN is that even short-term plans are discounted! If you want to commit to a year, good. The Starter plan is, in this case, under $2.8/mo with 3 extra months, which is easily the cheapest annual VPN deal we’ve ever seen. Good job.

Unfortunately, Surfshark’s monthly plans are overwhelmingly expensive. The Starter plan is nearly $16, while the One+ plan is under $18 – far more than NordVPN’s equivalents.

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Money-Back Guarantee and Free Trial

Generosity starts with a risk-free purchase, hence the inclusion of a 30-day money-back guarantee. Like the competitors we mentioned above, the provider guarantees that you’ll get a refund in the first 30 days if you want it. For whatever reason, as well.

You can test the service, and if you don’t like its speed, for instance, be reimbursed. Surfshark VPN is easygoing and issues a refund the same day – again, props to that. When it comes to the free plan, the provider offers none. It would be unfair given its already silly price.

However, a free trial can be obtained through your iOS or Android device. It’s a 7-day trial, after which, you’re immediately charged the renewal price, not the discounted one. That said, if you’re up for a trial, we recommend canceling it before the first 7 days expire.

After that, go back to our Surfshark VPN review and grab a discount using our links.

Payment Methods

If you’re hell-bent on getting this service, you can pay for it however you want. Currently, available payment vendors include:

• PayPal
• Credit and debit cards
• Google Pay
• Amazon Pay
• Cryptocurrency

We think this is more than enough, especially with the addition of crypto for anonymous purchases. The provider uses CoinGate, which, from our experience, is a safe crypto payment vendor through which you can also get a refund in this case.

Some providers lack a refund policy for crypto payments.

Ease of Use & Compatibility

Aesthetics and ease of use are Surfshark’s strengths. As you see below, its apps look beautiful and resemble the same “feel” on all supported platforms. Additionally, the provider is simple to set up and offers a heap of native apps for different devices.

Speaking of that, Surfshark VPN doesn’t bring anything new to the table but in a good way. It’s the same as our number-one VPN, NordVPN, or another fan-favorite, ExpressVPN.

This translates to amazing device compatibility that makes Surfshark usable on:

• Mac, Linux, and Windows laptops and computers
• Android and iOS smartphones and tablets
• Streaming devices such as Smart TVs, Android TVs (including Nvidia Shield TV, Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, …)
• Gaming consoles, routers, Raspberry Pi, Oculus Quest 2
• Web browsers such as Chrome, Brave, Edge, and Firefox

Even better, Surfshark supports unlimited simultaneous connections. This isn’t dictated by the plan you choose. Even monthly or 1-year plans allow you to protect as many devices as you want. We always appreciate this feature because it can make the VPN almost free.

You can split the price of the subscription with a few friends or family members. The price of $2 or so a month quickly becomes $0.5 or so monthly for each of you. Compatibility-wise, we’re sure you won’t have any issues with it.

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Security Features of Surfshark: Is It Safe to Use?

In this Surfshark review for 2024, we must answer an important question – is the provider secure enough?

Well, based on our few years of experience at this point, we can confidently nod our heads in approval but still, let us tell you more about all of its numerous features.

Basic VPN Features

We’ll start with basic features that represent the backbone of almost every VPN service.

They include:

• Military-Grade Encryption. Surfshark employs 256-bit AES encryption to keep your online identity and activities untraceable. It’s a basic but cutting-edge feature, as we’re talking about the highest encryption level possible.
• VPN Kill Switch. Some time ago, this was Surfshark’s Achilles heel. The provider’s kill switch tended to stop working occasionally, exposing users’ IP addresses. However, drawing from our experience, this isn’t the case anymore, and in 2024, everything works fine, even though we haven’t had many connection problems.
• Bypasser. An alternative name for split tunneling. One of our favorite features because it lets you determine which apps and/or websites to route through or bypass the VPN tunnel. NordVPN and ExpressVPN offer App Split Tunneling only, and as you see, Surfshark goes a step further with the Domain (Website) Split Tunneling on top.
• CleanWeb. It works only when the VPN is connected and blocks trackers, malware, and ads. Sadly, blocked threats aren’t listed for further identification, as it’s the case with NordVPN’s Threat Protection.
• WireGuard/OpenVPN Protocols. The VPN offers WireGuard as the faster option and OpenVPN as a tad slower protocol. After trying out both, we ended up preferring the former. Either way, there’s nothing special here, as neither of them is customizable like with PIA. By the way, you can read our PIA review here if you’re interested in a slightly more affordable VPN service.

Advanced Security Features

You wouldn’t expect such a large number of advanced security features from a cheap VPN like Surfshark. We’re all wrong sometimes, except when we’re right.

Here’s a comprehensive review of all advanced security features from our Surfshark test.

NoBorders

Let’s start with NoBorders, one of the trademark features of this provider. It’s easy to use and requires you to toggle a switch in the app to make it work. NoBorders is obfuscation, which allows the provider to work in censored regions. You’ll see our test of it later in the Surfshark review.

To explain how it works, it masks your VPN traffic and makes it look like a normal one. As a result, the service bypasses firewalls and allows you to use the internet freely. Spoiler alert – it works in China! But as said, you’ll find a more in-depth analysis of this feature later on.

MultiHop + Rotating IP

Like NordVPN, PIA, and countless other providers, Surfshark offers MultiHop. This is easily one of our most beloved features because it doubles your encryption by routing your traffic through two servers in different countries. This makes it impossible to track you online.

In our Surfshark test, this feature was better than expected, with stellar performance and only a minor speed drop. Best of all, it’s customizable, so you can choose the entry and exit server. You can’t do this in NordVPN and its pre-determined server location pairs.

To be clear, Surfshark has these pairs too but if you click on “Create Connection“, you can cherry-pick two countries, pair them, and you’re done. Another feature worth mentioning is the Rotating IP. It’s, at first, similar to MultiHop because it rotates your IP periodically.

However, Surfshark’s technology allows you to periodically rotate your IP while keeping your online location the same and without losing the connection! This is impossible with a traditional IP change and is unique to this service.

Rotate IP addresses with Surfshark

Surfshark Alert

Now, we move on to the features available in the One plan, which is our recommended option. The Started plan includes all of the features from above but not this and the next three features mentioned in the Surfshark review.

For us, this was always a handy feature to keep up with potential email breaches. It’s the same feature as the Dark Web Monitor from NordVPN. The Alert tool scans your email, finds breaches, and informs you of them in your account dashboard on the website.

The service can also monitor your credit cards and IDs to prevent unauthorized access. Of course, if you want to minimize your exposure and don’t want the provider to keep an eye on your sensitive data, all of it can be instantly deleted forever.

Antivirus

We also liked the Antivirus that this provider offers. It’s an in-app add-on and works like any other antivirus. The tool scans your computer for threats and informs you if any of them will endanger your device. A huge advantage is a frequent database update.

Surfshark updates its threat database every few hours, which is typical only for top-tier antivirus software. As you can see in the screenshot, we tested the Antivirus and found no threats – thank God! This Antivirus offers a few additional options.

For one, there’s real-time protection that instantly eliminates viruses upon detection. Web protection is a nifty little tool that prevents malicious downloads. The Antivirus can perform a full or quick scan of your device to find even the most stubborn threats.

Overall, our experience with this software was extremely pleasant.

Search (Private Browser)

People who often watch porn switch to the Incognito mode without knowing that it’s still traceable by their ISP (Internet Service Provider).

Well, Surfshark came up with its Search browser that offers untraceable, completely anonymous browsing, allowing you to revel in all the privacy.

You can use it straight from the app by typing in the search query. The new tab will then open in your browser where you can start using the internet in complete privacy. This, in conjunction with the VPN enabled, will make you a ghost online.

Alternative ID

After trying out Alternative ID, we couldn’t help but notice this feature’s greatness. It lets you create a fake identity and go online as a different person. Users can manually create their credentials or let Surfshark craft their “Alt Persona” to fend off data brokers and advertisers.

We tried this feature multiple times and honestly, had a good laugh on more than a few occasions. Above, you can see what the provider created for us. We became Luciano Danilo Santos in a second, with a new birth date, gender, country, and state.

With this “Alt Persona”, Surfshark also supplied us with the corresponding email that we could use on different sites that require this kind of information. So, instead of our private email address, we could use this one, which was pretty handy in many scenarios.

Incogni

Incogni can also be found in NordVPN, which we clarified at the start of our Surfshark review. It lets you request the deletion of your private data by “forcing” data brokers to remove it from their databases.

The feature works in the UK, the US, Switzerland, Canada, and the EU. It costs $3.99/mo on top of your subscription, so it’s not the cheapest. However, it works with dozens of popular data brokers and is effective at wiping many traces of your online presence.

RAM Servers

All of the provider’s servers are based on RAM or Random Access Memory. RAM is volatile memory that loses all data with the power loss. This guarantees that each server restart wipes all information and prevents unwanted logging that either way, isn’t happening.

However, hosting servers on RAM allows for better performance, easier software updates, and simpler maintenance. It’s a huge advantage for large providers that need to keep everything under control at any moment.

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IP and DNS Leak Test

Our IP and DNS leak test was pretty successful. We tested many of Surfshark’s server locations with incredible results.

However, for the sake of simplicity, we’ll show you our test results while using the US server. The first testing ground was ipleak.net.

This website inspected our connection for IP and DNS leaks, only to find none. Below are our test results from browserleaks.com – another popular leak tester.

Again, you see no leaks of our IP/DNS from Belgrade (our location at the time of writing the review). As expected, the provider’s security is strong enough to let you soar the web privately and without compromises, which we always appreciate.

Does Surfshark VPN Keep Logs?

We’ll answer this question right away – no, it doesn’t. Surfshark’s jurisdiction was the British Virgin Islands, just like ExpressVPN. However, a few years ago, the provider shifted to the Netherlands, right into the very handy of the 14 Eyes region.

Many users were dismayed, as the Dutch jurisdiction isn’t exactly screaming privacy. Yet, shortly after moving to the Netherlands, the VPN received an independent audit on its no-log policy, which cemented its place as one of the safest providers around.

An interesting fact is that Surfshark joined forces with NordVPN. NordVPN isn’t its owner. These are still different companies but they work together to make improvements on both services. This is why they offer some similar or even identical features like Incogni.

Of course, NordVPN is better but this collaboration brought Surfshark to a much higher level too. Besides, privacy-wise, it’s good to know that the company works with a VPN giant like NordVPN. At least in our eyes, this makes the Dutch provider a tad more trustworthy.

Surfshark’s Privacy Policy Review

You don’t have to dig deep to gain information about the provider’s logging practices. In this Surfshark review, we’ll mention that the service stores no logs of your:

• IP address
• Browsing history
• Consumed bandwidth
• Network traffic
• DNS queries

As this information isn’t stored on its servers, we can immediately conclude this is a true no-log policy. However, every provider requires some information to work and this one is no different. Two bits of information are crucial – email information and basic billing info.

The VPN can’t work without these two. On the technical front, the provider collects a small batch of information, such as:

• Aggregated anonymous performance data
• The frequency of use of the service
• App crash reports
• Unsuccessful connection attempts

As you see, it’s basic information that can lead Surfshark or any other entity back to you. Technical data like this is a MUST for server maintenance and future improvements, plus, it’s in an anonymized form and is wiped clean with each server restart thanks to RAM servers.

Other services like Alerts or Antivirus require more information to function. Don’t fret. If you want to stop using them, you can do so and all collected information will be deleted forever. This, for instance, applies to Alerts that monitor your email address.

Once you stop using it, your email is deleted and lost to oblivion.

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Third-Party Audits

As an acclaimed cheap VPN, Surfshark underwent a few independent security audits. The first was in 2021, just 3 years after the official first release. Cure53 inspected and audited its server infrastructure, which was a major confidence boost for the company.

At the start of 2023, Surfshark underwent another evaluation, as its no-logs statements were tested by Deloitte. For the second time, claims were confirmed and the provider’s no-log claims were bolstered further.

At the end of 2023, the company received a MASA certificate.

MASA stands for Mobile App Security Assessment. It’s a test performed on mobile apps to determine if they’re safe enough. Needless to say, iOS and Android apps passed the analysis with flying colors, which was followed by yet another valuable certificate.

Surfshark Review: Server Locations

Back in the day, the provider worked with around 1,000+ servers in less than 50-60 locations. In 2024, the company takes itself more seriously, improving and expanding its network to 3,200+ servers in 100 countries. Nowadays, it’s almost on par with ExpressVPN.

The server network is, as said, hosted on RAM and contains 10 Gbps ports for the best performance. All server locations are WireGuard-friendly, plus, all can be used within Surfshark’s browser extension (read more about the most reliable VPNs for Chrome).

Its server distribution is excellent, with servers across all continents – except for Antarctica. For added variety, the provider includes Static IP addresses in the Netherlands, the UK, Singapore, Japan, the US, and Germany.

Moreover, Surfshark offers Dedicated IP addresses in around 12 locations. This is far less than PIA and its Dedicated IPs are on the expensive side. At around $4/mo, it’s more expensive than PIA’s $2.5/mo per Dedicated IP.

We’re pretty satisfied with the server network, based on our long experience with Surfshark. It’s not the largest provider. NordVPN offers 6,300+ servers in 110+ countries, while PIA packs 30,000+ in 90+ countries.

But saying that 3,200+ servers in 100 countries aren’t enough is lunacy.

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Speed Tests: Surfshark’s Performance Evaluation

It’s interesting to see the speed test results of such an affordable provider. It has all the prerequisites to be fast, including WireGuard and 10 Gbps servers. We tested the provider thoroughly but before explaining our procedure, here are our native speeds.

Without using a VPN, in Belgrade at the time of writing the review, our speeds look like the ones above. We tested Surfshark 3 times a day for 3 days in a row, using 3 server locations – the UK, the USA, and Japan. The protocol was set to “Automatic.”

Also, the results you see below are the best we could achieve, so let us examine them now:

UK Speed Test Results:

US Speed Test Results:

Japan Speed Test Results:

The provider displayed impressive download speeds with arguably low latency. However, it took a punch to the belly in upload speeds whose reduction was pretty noticeable. If you prioritize uploads, NordVPN is the fastest VPN you can get in 2024.

We must notice one thing in our speed test results. Surfshark ended up being slightly faster than ExpressVPN in the same locations – at least in download speeds. This tells us volumes about Surfshark’s improvements highlighted in this review.

Streaming & Torrenting With Surfshark

As soon as we started using this provider, we discovered how capable it is of streaming. We like this feature of Surfshark a lot. We performed countless tests on Netflix and managed to unblock around 30 (THIRTY) libraries, which is more than any other VPN.

For instance, apart from the popular catalogs, Surfshark worked with Netflix Turkey, Singapore, Hungary, and other “less-expected-to-work” libraries. Other streaming portals are a no-match for this provider. In particular, BBC iPlayer worked without a hitch.

Thanks to servers in India, Netflix India could be unblocked, along with TV channels from this country, such s Voot, Hotstar, and others. Even sports channels like ESPN and Eurosport can be added to the list, which is welcome for streaming Formula 1 races, for instance.

Access exclusive content with Surfshark

The provider also offers Smart DNS, which can be set up on non-VPN-supported devices for streaming. We noticed how well it worked on our PlayStation 5 where we could unblock Netflix US swiftly. Torrenting is another strength of this Dutch provider.

As you see above, we used Surfshark with μTorrent to download Linux. The performance is stable and the only reduction is in upload speed, which isn’t that important anyway. Most impressively, the VPN has no dedicated or specialty servers for torrenting or streaming.

You can do everything with “normal” servers by connecting to any location, which we liked immensely.

Using Surfshark for Bypassing Censorship

A while ago in our Surfshark review, we mentioned NoBorders. The feature masks your VPN connection and lets you bypass censorship. Well, after testing the provider first and foremost in China, we’ve discovered just how powerful NoBorders is.

Enabling it makes Surfshark usable in China normally. Granted, speeds will not be blazing-fast but the performance is satisfactory. Furthermore, the VPN doesn’t lock you to specific Obfuscated servers, so you can choose any location.

We noticed that even Netflix and torrenting sites work in China as well. In terms of reliability in this country, NordVPN is a bit better but Surfshark is a reliable VPN for China. As expected, the provider will also work in the UAE, Russia, Iran, and similar regions.

Customer Support

Getting in touch with Surfshark couldn’t be simpler. Once you’re on the site, visit the Help Center, scroll down, and press “Chat With Us.” Provide your email and name from here, and you’re all set. The provider offers 24/7 live chat support to help you at any moment.

It’s also fast to respond. After sending a message, it’ll usually be picked up by someone in 5-10 seconds. Live chat support is great for minor connection problems and for more serious issues, email support is there, that can be contacted by sending a request from the site.

Surfshark’s on-site help means is impressive. Things like FAQs and guides have their place. There’s also a search bar where you can type in your problem or question and likely find it in the huge knowledge base. Unlike PIA, it doesn’t have a community forum.

This would be a welcome addition but at this point, it’s really a nitpick.

Conclusion

With our in-depth review of Surfshark for 2024 at its end, we must say we’re fond of it. The VPN displayed some high-quality traits non-typical for such an affordable service. It’s secure, keeps no logs, and is fast on all of the tested server locations.

We also like its applications, unlimited connections, and impeccable streaming capabilities. Surfshark doesn’t have a load of shortcomings, as you likely saw. However, we’d like to mention that we’re not fans of its Dutch jurisdiction, despite all of the VPN’s audits.

Compared to NordVPN and ExpressVPN, Surfshark’s jurisdiction is much less privacy-friendly. Also, its upload speeds were quite slow in our test, and the VPN’s past kill switch problems produced security doubts in many people’s minds.

Apart from that, at this price, we think that Surfshark is a solid choice. It’s better than CyberGhost if you will. So, should you get it? We’d say yes but only as a long-term VPN because of expensive monthly plans. If you don’t mind paying roughly a dollar more a month, NordVPN remains a better service.

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