Highs
- Trending protocols supported
- Unlimited device connections
- Unblocks Netflix
- Torrenting allowed
- User friendly app
- Affordable
Lows
- No free trial
- P2P support not for all servers
Editor's Rating
Excellent
4.5/5
Save 83%
$1.99/mo
A new VPN provider surfaces among the big sharks of the VPN industry that provide a unique alluring user interface with good speeds and encryption; in this Surfshark VPN review we will explore “what the hype is all about?”.
This is a young VPN which gives a promising two-year pricing plan at a lower price and offers necessary essential protocols like IKEv2 and OpenVPN. The service provides 500+ servers in 50 countries which are useful in bypassing bandwidth limits. No matter where you are, you can connect unlimited devices on a single account.
Surfshark VPN offers a lot more which is exceptional considering other VPN providers. We decided to review and test the service and see if the service is worth your time and money.
Surfshark VPN – Striking Features like No Other
Before you step into this Surfshark review, go through the feature-catalogue and find what it offers.
| VPN Servers | 800+ servers in 50+ countries |
| Offered Protocols | OpenVPN and IKEv2 |
| Level of Encryption Used | AES-256 Bit |
| Dedicated Apps for all Devices | Yes |
| Netflix | Yes |
| Torrent Friendly | Yes |
| Jurisdiction | British Virgin Islands |
| Support | 24/7 Live chat support, Email support |
| Zero-Log Policy | Yes |
| Simultaneous Connections | Unlimited |
Surfshark Pricing Plans – Among The Cheapest Pricing Offered
Surfshark offers three interesting pricing plans which cannot be overlooked. They include:
- $11.95/monthly
- $5.99/12 months
- $1.99/24months
The VPN service offers mainstream pricing plans as mentioned above but what's not mainstream is the reduced prices which are not offered by its leading competitors. The monthly pricing plan is not recommended and if you want to avail the service, we would recommend opting for the 1-year and 2-year plan as it will cost you $5.99 and $1.99 monthly.
These two pricing plans are cheap to the pocket and you can easily manage more or less $3 monthly.
Payment Methods
Surfshark also accepts payments from various payment method as they give leverage to users. Users who are keen on privacy and anonymity can use Cryptocurrencies while the rest and avail PayPal and other methods. It’s easy, flexible and amazing.
- Credit Card
- Crypto Currency
- Alipay
- PayPal
- Dragonpay
- Tenpay
The same amount will be paid on all payment methods and you will find no difference in any.
Refund Policy
The provider offers a 30-day money-back guarantee which is remarkable as any unsatisfied customer can get their money back when requested without many questions asked. Usually refund policies are determined by the payment method used such as Bitcoins or discounts. The representative confirmed that the refund will be applicable on all payment methods which is impressive.
Jurisdiction Outside Mass Surveillance – A Plus Point
Having a safe jurisdiction is crucial because no matter how secure the privacy policy is, the VPN will be bound to follow the laws of that country by force. Surfshark VPN operates in the British Virgin Islands, which has no data retention laws. The good part is that the VPN operates outside of the “14 Eyes Alliance” which is a mutual collaboration of 14 countries sharing surveillance data on users.
This alliance has the authority to collect, spy and put surveillance on users and demand data as well from VPN providers. Gladly Surfshark operates outside 14 eyes which makes it safe and protected.
Additional Security Features
Kill Switch:
Kill Switch is offered to help secure online traffic in case the VPN connection drops. When this happens your identity becomes visible, but through a Kill Switch, your connection remains hidden and secure.
Zero-knowledge DNS:
The VPN packs secure DNS protection that uses an IPv4 stack that keeps DNS safe. It has no loopholes and cracks that would leak and compromise IP. It remains a private VPN service without hindering security.
Tor Compatibility:
After Surfshark login users can avail maximum security through using VPN over Tor. This takes security one step further allowing double encryption. You can use both the services separate as well, but using them in conjunction would do wonders.
MultiHop:
MultiHop is an excellent addition as it allows users to connect two servers simultaneously that increases the encryption level and your online traffic routes through one server to the next before reaching its final destination. This way your online traffic and identity would be super-anonymous.
Standard VPN Protocols
Download Surfshark VPN, and you will get industry standard protocols which are the finest encryptions that are required. The VPN doesn't offer PPTP and L2TP because these protocols are obsolete and do not provide the same encryption and safety. The protocols offered are:
- OpenVPN
- IKEv2/IPsec
Among these two, OpenVPN is the best protocol so far as it has the ability to switch between UDP and TCP. While IKEv2 provides flexible connection and easy network switching that removes geo-blocks. Compared to OpenVPN, this protocol is slightly slow but combine both of them and get unbelievable protection.
Users are provided the accessibility to switch between the two in the ‘Settings’ section as both of them can be run individually.
Inconsistent Fast Speeds Tested
Note: Connecting to a VPN would slightly decrease your internet connection as with more encryption the speed deteriorates. However, this is not the case with a premium VPN. Your connection speed decreases but not extensively. In our Surfshark review, we experienced good speeds considering our connection without one.
Our base speed before connecting the VPN was:
- Download: 98.71 Mbps/ Upload: 53.00 Mbps/ Ping: 7ms
We connected to three regions and tested the following speeds.
US Server
- Download: 48.99 Mbps
- Upload: 21.48 Mbps
- Ping: 126ms
The US server reduced to nearly half the speed than which isn’t that bad.
EU Server
- Download: 71.06 Mbps
- Upload: 31.16 Mbps
- Ping: 26ms
The download speed is exceptional as it did not change much and the upload was satisfying as well.
Hong Kong Server
- Download: 25.74 Mbps
- Upload: 7.34
- Ping: 212ms
We would not recommend the Hong Kong server as the speed lagged a lot and decreased to the lowest.
The speed was not consistent, and each time we tested and recorded different speeds in the same region. We can say the speed is fast but VPN does not maintain that speed and it lags due to unknown reasons. The location of the server may play a huge part as you should always connect to the nearest server from your location.
Mediocre Server Provided
Surfshark being a new VPN offers 800+ servers in 50+ locations which is a good bargain considering its features, consistency and usability. Detail of the servers is not mentioned on the website but they claim to provide P2P supported servers.
Torrent Allowed With P2P Support
Their P2P support page claims that it provides P2P fast speeds on four servers. These servers are:
- United States
- United Kingdom
- Canada
- Netherlands
Among the 800+ servers, providing P2P support on just four servers is quite less considering other VPN providers that offer thousands of servers, all supported by peer-to-peer sharing. But Surfshark provides unlimited bandwidth which makes it ideal as you don’t have a data usage limit.
Users can enjoy unlimited and uninterrupted access to any site at any time.
Netflix Access on Selected Servers
While reviewing the VPN, we had to ensure that it unblocks major streaming websites like Netflix and Hulu. We tested a few servers mentioned below and all of them work with Netflix USA.
- Canada (Toronto)
- South Africa
- South Korea
- United States (2)
- United Kingdom
Good Device Compatibility
Surfshark provides a big list of devices and operating system compatible which is recommendable. Users can download the app on any device of their choice without much hassle. The devices Include:
- macOS
- Windows
- Linux
- iOS
- Android
- FireTV
- AppleTV
- Xbox
- PlatStation
Every device has a separate page allotted which provides details of the security, usability and performance of the app. Also, for Android, there’s an APK file as well if the app is not downloading on your device.
Surfshark also provides further accessibility by providing browser extensions for:
- Chrome
- FireFox
Having these extensions makes it easy to secure your browser without leaving the tab.
No Logs Policy – Safe Secure VPN
Surfshark claims not to log any user data and information which is a false statement as we went through the Log Policy while conducting Surfshark review. The VPN provider collects a minimal amount of data which is alarming as well.
For someone who isn't worried about their privacy should not be alarmed but anyone using a VPN should be worried as a VPN provider should not collect log data at any cost as the purpose of the VPN becomes faulty and flawed. Their log policy states they collect:
- An email address for account management.
- Billing information.
- Diagnostics such as crash reports.
These are basic information that should not be recorded or if recorded should not be saved.
Responsive Customer Support
Surfshark Customer support has it all. They provide every accessibility for the user. The live chat requires an email, and you can start the conversation. You will receive a reply within a minute which is fast.
While reviewing Surfshark, we were satisfied with the customer support as we were advised and recommended technical assistance.
Is Surfshark Recommended?
After reviewing Surfshark, we have taken a breath of relief as this VPN provider has brought a smile on our face and a thumbs up on our reviewing scale. Yes, we do recommend Surfshark. Its is a complete package of security, privacy, features with reasonable speed. Being a new VPN, they provide live chat support and a reasonable pricing plan that is highly valued and respected.
That’s all for now:
If you've read our Surfshark Review up to here, we are grateful. Don’t forget to keep an eye out for our ever-growing blog of review and comparison articles of VPN services, eCommerce platforms, SEO software, screen capture tools, webinar and conferencing software, education platforms, website builders, and more such as;
- What is a VPN? Your Guide to Anonymity
- Top 5 Absolutely Free VPN Services
- Express VPN UK Review. ExpressVPN deals and discounts!
- Proton VPN Review. A Detailed Analysis of Service Features
- 15 Best Torrent Websites that STILL work!
Please share any comments below!
I am using Surfshark just for a month, but it seems pretty nice, I can’t compare it with other VPNs, because it is my first VPN provider. Talking about free trial it is available, but only while purchasing the subscription through mobile app store, I think it is enough to understand how it works and do you need to buy a subscription or not.