Surfshark Review

Surfshark’s pitch is simple: get a capable VPN for a fraction of what NordVPN and ExpressVPN charge — and connect as many devices as you own. At $2.49/month on the 2-year plan, it’s less than half the price of ExpressVPN and significantly cheaper than our top-rated VPN pick, NordVPN.

But does cheap mean corners were cut? We spent two weeks testing Surfshark across Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android to find out. We ran speed tests on five server locations, tested six streaming platforms, examined the privacy policy, and evaluated every feature the apps offer.

The result: Surfshark is genuinely impressive for the price. Unlimited device connections, a Deloitte-audited no-logs policy, and reliable streaming access make it an outstanding value pick. The trade-off is speed consistency — while fast on nearby servers, Surfshark’s performance drops more noticeably on distant connections compared to NordVPN or ExpressVPN. For most users, especially families and households with many devices, that trade-off is well worth the savings.

Surfshark Pricing Plans

Surfshark is one of the most affordable premium VPNs available. The 2-year plan brings the monthly cost below what most people spend on a single coffee:

All plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee. The Starter plan covers the VPN itself. Surfshark One adds antivirus, data breach alerts, and a search engine. Surfshark One+ adds the Incogni data removal tool on top. For most users, the Starter plan is all you need.

Surfshark’s 2-year plan totals $59.76 — that’s less than one year of ExpressVPN ($80.04). The value gap is enormous, especially considering both VPNs unlock the same streaming platforms.

Surfshark Key Features

• Unlimited simultaneous connections. Connect every device you own — phones, laptops, tablets, smart TVs, game consoles — all at once, on one subscription. No other major VPN offers this. For families or tech-heavy households, this alone justifies choosing Surfshark.
• CleanWeb. Built-in ad blocker, tracker blocker, and malware protection at the DNS level. It works on all platforms and reduces page load times on ad-heavy sites. Not as comprehensive as NordVPN’s Threat Protection but effective for everyday browsing.
• MultiHop (Double VPN). Route your connection through two VPN servers in different countries for extra privacy. Useful for journalists and activists in restrictive environments. Slower than single-hop, so only use it when you need the additional layer.
• NoBorders mode. Automatically activates when Surfshark detects network restrictions (like those in China, the UAE, or on restrictive corporate networks). Uses obfuscation to disguise VPN traffic as regular HTTPS traffic.
• Rotating IP. Changes your assigned IP address periodically without disconnecting. Makes it harder for websites to track your browsing session over time. You stay connected to the same server but your visible IP changes every few minutes.
• Split tunneling (Bypasser). Choose which apps and websites use the VPN and which connect directly. Available on Windows, Android, and macOS. Not available on iOS.
• GPS spoofing (Android). Surfshark can override your Android device’s GPS location to match the VPN server location. This defeats apps that use GPS (not just IP) to determine your location — a feature unique to Surfshark.

Speed & Performance

Surfshark delivers solid speeds on nearby servers but shows more variability on long-distance connections compared to NordVPN and ExpressVPN. For everyday browsing, streaming, and even gaming on regional servers, performance is more than adequate:

Tested on 500 Mbps fibre connection, Windows 11, WireGuard protocol. June 2026. Three-test average per location.

Surfshark retained 78% of our base speed on UK servers — respectable but behind NordVPN (90%) and ExpressVPN (84%). The bigger gap shows on long-distance servers: Australia and Japan speeds dropped to 40–44% of baseline, compared to 55–65% for the top two providers. For streaming and general browsing, Surfshark’s speeds are perfectly fine. For latency-sensitive use cases like competitive gaming, NordVPN or ExpressVPN are the safer choices.

Privacy & Logging Policy

Surfshark’s privacy credentials are strong, backed by independent audits and a clean infrastructure design.

Jurisdiction: The Netherlands. While the Netherlands is part of the Nine Eyes intelligence alliance, Surfshark’s no-logs policy means there’s nothing to hand over even if authorities request data. Dutch law does not require VPN providers to retain user connection data.

Logging policy: Surfshark does not log IP addresses, browsing history, session information, bandwidth used, connection timestamps, or network traffic. The only data collected is your email address (for account management) and billing information. This is the minimum viable data for running a subscription service.

Independent audits: Surfshark’s no-logs policy was audited by Deloitte in 2022, confirming the company’s claims. The browser extensions were separately audited by Cure53. While the audit history isn’t as extensive as NordVPN’s (four audits) or ExpressVPN’s (PwC + KPMG), the Deloitte verification provides credible third-party validation.

RAM-only servers: Like ExpressVPN’s TrustedServer, Surfshark runs its entire server network on RAM-only infrastructure. No data persists after a reboot. This architectural choice makes large-scale data seizure effectively impossible.

Nord Security ownership: Surfshark merged with Nord Security (NordVPN’s parent company) in 2022. Both brands operate independently with separate infrastructure, teams, and policies. Some privacy advocates question whether consolidation reduces competition and oversight — a fair concern, but one that hasn’t materially affected Surfshark’s privacy protections.

Streaming & Geo-Unblocking

Surfshark handles streaming well, though with slightly less consistency than NordVPN or ExpressVPN. We occasionally needed to switch servers, but every platform eventually worked:

The GPS spoofing feature on Android is a genuine differentiator for streaming on mobile devices. Some apps check GPS location alongside IP to verify your country — Surfshark is the only VPN that spoofs both simultaneously.

Apps & Ease of Use

Surfshark’s apps are clean and well-designed, if slightly less polished than ExpressVPN’s. The interface is intuitive for beginners while offering enough depth for power users:

• Windows — modern interface with a searchable server list, favourites, and quick-connect. CleanWeb, MultiHop, and split tunneling are easily accessible from the sidebar. Settings are well-organized without being overwhelming.
• macOS — near-identical to the Windows app. Includes split tunneling and full feature parity.
• iOS — streamlined design, includes CleanWeb and NoBorders. No split tunneling (Apple restriction). Connects quickly and handles network switches smoothly.
• Android — full feature set including GPS spoofing, split tunneling, and CleanWeb. The most feature-rich mobile VPN app we’ve tested.
• Linux — GUI app available (not just CLI). Clean interface that matches the Windows/macOS design.
• Browser extensions — Chrome and Firefox. Functions as a proxy (not full VPN), but includes CleanWeb ad blocking.
• Smart TVs and consoles — works via router configuration. No dedicated smart DNS feature like ExpressVPN’s MediaStreamer.

Unlimited simultaneous connections means you never have to think about which devices are connected. Install Surfshark on everything and forget about it. This is Surfshark’s single biggest selling point over every other VPN on our list.

Customer Support

Surfshark’s support is competent and responsive, though not quite at ExpressVPN’s level:

Live chat: Available 24/7. We contacted support three times during testing. Average wait time was 2–3 minutes. Agents were friendly and resolved our questions, though one required escalation to a technical specialist for a split-tunneling issue. The escalation was handled within the same chat session.

Email support: We submitted two tickets. Responses came within 6–8 hours — slower than ExpressVPN’s 3-hour turnaround but reasonable. The responses were thorough and included relevant links to setup guides.

Knowledge base: Well-organized with guides for every platform. Includes video tutorials for common setup scenarios. The troubleshooting section could be more comprehensive — we found the answer to one of our questions faster on Reddit than in Surfshark’s official docs.

Verdict — Is Surfshark Worth It in 2026?

Reviewed by Amine Megh

Cybersecurity Writer & Editor · Last updated: June 2026 · How we test