Surfshark launched in 2018, but has already built an impressive reputation for unblocking popular streaming platforms despite its relative youth. We wanted to know if it’s still one of the best VPNs for streaming or if it has fallen behind. To find out, we broke down every aspect of Surfshark, from speed to security. While Surfshark performed admirably in tests, we still have some reservations with its customer support as well as its temporary data logging.
Surfshark – Server Network and Coverage
With Surfshark, you have access to approximately 3,000 servers, which is about average for a large VPN provider. However, if you’re looking for a VPN with even more servers than that, know that NordVPN has more than 6,000 servers while CyberGhost has more than 11,000. Chances are you won’t need that many, but it does improve the odds you’ll find a low load server in your preferred location.
Where Surfshark’s network exceeds many VPNs is in its number of locations (100 countries). This of course includes the more sought-after server locations such as the US and UK. However, you’ll also find servers in countries including Andorra, Belize, and Laos. Either way, you won’t have trouble finding a server in your country or at least close to your location.
Surfshark is a particularly good option if you need to connect to the US, where it has more than 600 servers covering some two dozen cities. Not only does this make it easier to find a fast server close to your location, it also helps in terms of getting around geographic restrictions such as live sports blackouts.
Surfshark – Speed and Performance
A VPN will almost always slow your internet connection because it encrypts your internet traffic and sends it through the VPN server. The further the server from your physical location, the greater the distance the data has to travel (and the slower the speeds are likely to be as a result). However, there are other factors to take into account such as your base internet speeds, the VPN protocol, and whether you’re using wifi or a wired connection.
To determine Surshark’s average speed, I carried out speed tests at three different times of day (morning, afternoon, and evening) over three days. I also connected via three different server locations, all at varying distances from my home. This allowed me to recreate the kind of conditions that you’ll likely experience as a Surshark user whether at home or traveling abroad.
My average speed when not connected to the VPN was, unsurprisingly, much faster at 294 Mbps. When connected to Barcelona (100 miles from me), the average connection speed was 119 Mbps. New York (3,700 miles) was 101 Mbps and Tokyo (6,200 miles) measured 92 Mbps. So while there was the expected dropoff in speed the further the server from my location, it was nowhere near as dramatic as I expected. If anything, I was impressed by the Tokyo server speeds but a bit underwhelmed with the Barcelona servers.
Surfshark’s global average speed was 104 Mbps. It’s always interesting to compare this to other VPNs and my most recent tests were with IPVanish (84 Mbps) and ExpressVPN (118 Mbps), placing Surfshark comfortably between the two. Surfshark offers the WireGuard protocol which is known for being particularly lightweight, providing good speeds as a result. As with any respectable paid VPN, there’s absolutely no bandwidth or data limits.
Surfshark – Unblocking and Streaming Capabilities
How good a VPN is at unblocking geo-restricted websites and services really depends on the server locations it offers, how large its IP address pool is, and whether it offers any obfuscation technology. The good news is that Surfshark ticks all of these boxes. It has more than 3,000 servers in 100 countries. What’s more, its NoBorders feature allows you to bypass even the toughest network restrictions (it’s one of few VPNs to consistently work in China).
The most common geographic restrictions are around streaming services whose content is subject to copyright and licensing agreements. Fortunately, Surfshark is one of the best VPNs for Netflix (it works with many different countries’ libraries). I also had success with streaming platforms including Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and Hulu. While we don’t know exactly how many IP addresses Surfshark offers (it’s tough to pin down a number given it’s constantly changing), it’s clear that it’s more than enough for bypassing blocks.
Surfshark offers good speeds (104 Mbps on average) so, despite the encryption, it’s still more than fast enough for 4K streaming as well as online multiplayer gaming, where recommended speeds are often around the 50 Mbps mark. For what it’s worth, my streaming with Surfshark was seamless. I didn’t encounter any issues such as stuttering or lag even when connected to servers further afield such as New York and even Tokyo.
Surfshark – Security Features
Surfshark’s default VPN protocol is WireGuard. Although a newer VPN protocol (it originally released in 2016 on Linux), it has been adopted by most major VPN providers. This includes VPNs with a particularly strong focus on security such as Mullvad and Proton VPN. WireGuard is open source and only has 4,000 lines of code, simplifying security audits and making it easier to identify and fix vulnerabilities.
With Surfshark, your traffic is 256-bit AES encrypted, ensuring nobody – not even your ISP – can read your data. Another key security feature that Surfshark offers is a kill switch. Should your VPN connection drop, the kill switch intervenes by cutting your internet traffic to prevent data from being leaked. Some VPNs only offer a kill switch in one or two apps, while Surfshark has the feature available in all of its desktop and mobile apps (although it’s in beta on MacOS).
A key issue to consider in relation to VPN security is whether the service is protecting you from leaks. A DNS leak means that requests to translate website names into IP addresses escape the VPN’s encrypted tunnel and are visible to your ISP or any snoopers. A VPN should route all of your traffic, DNS requests included, through their encrypted tunnel. I tested Surfshark for leaks and didn’t observe any DNS or IP leaks.
The sheer number of security features Surfshark offers is impressive, although some of these are only available via more expensive subscription tiers. First, let’s go through some of the essentials that are included regardless of the plan you choose. Even with the base subscription tier you’ll have access to Surfshark’s ad, tracker, and malware blocker.
I tested Surfshark’s ad blocker and was a little disappointed to find that it blocked just 56 percent of ads thrown at it. This was still better than the ad blocker of IPVanish (only 40 percent) but well behind ExpressVPN (86 percent). However, all of these VPN ad blockers were still some way off Brave browser’s blocking (97 percent).
For times when you require an extra layer of security (such as if you’re browsing from a country with strict internet surveillance or censorship), you have the option of Surfshark’s MultiHop servers, which connect you via two server locations for two layers of encryption. All of the above is included in Surfshark’s base subscription, but if you’re looking for even more, know that Surfshark has extras including an antivirus, private browser, and data removal service.
Surfshark – Privacy and Logging Policies
Surfshark doesn’t keep logs that can be tied to your identity, be it your IP address or your browsing history. This means you can browse and stream anonymously when connected to Surfshark’s servers. The no-logs policy of Surfshark was independently audited by Deloitte, albeit back in December 2022.
Surfshark servers do store information about the VPN server you connect to. This includes the user ID, IP address, and connection timestamps. It states that this information is deleted 15 minutes after a VPN session is terminated. Surfshark’s reasoning for this is that it helps it identify and prevent excessive numbers of devices being connected by a single user. Regardless, it would be better if it didn’t keep any of this data for any period of time.
When signing up with Surfshark, you are required to provide an email address. This is the case with most VPN providers. It would be nice if this was optional as some users may wish to sign up entirely anonymously (although you can always use a burner email if you wish). Surfshark doesn’t accept any truly anonymous payment options such as cash or gift cards. You can pay in cryptocurrency and use a mixing service to enhance anonymity however.
Surfshark is headquartered in the Netherlands which is a member of the Nine Eyes intelligence alliance. Users seeking the utmost privacy protection may prefer a VPN to operate in a more privacy-friendly country. A concern is that any user data requested of Surfshark may then be shared with other member countries. However, this shouldn’t matter because Surfshark doesn’t log identifying data (and the Netherlands doesn’t have mandatory data retention laws either).
Surfshark – Signup and Setup
As VPN providers introduce a growing number of features, some have also started to provide multiple subscription tiers. This is the case for Surfshark, which has three options for you to choose from. On the one hand, this provides a greater deal of flexibility in finding the right plan for your budget. On the other hand, it might be a little overwhelming to newcomers, particularly compared to some VPNs which offer all features under a single subscription price.
Signup and setup with Surfshark is easy. You’ll only need to provide an email address when purchasing your subscription. Once paid, you can then download and install the Surfshark app on your device (and your other devices if you like). This process is very fast and, once completed, all you need to do is log in and connect to a server.
Surfshark – Apps and Compatibility
Surfshark is one of a small number of VPNs that doesn’t impose a limit on the number of devices you can connect simultaneously. As such, you can use it to connect all of your devices and even share it with others at home. Just keep in mind that it’s still subject to fair use in order to prevent users (resellers for example) from taking advantage and potentially disrupting the network.
You can find Surfshark apps for all of the following:
- Windows
- Mac
- Linux (GUI)
- Android
- iOS
- Amazon Fire TV
This is all standard, but it’s good to see the GUI app for Linux, particularly because some VPNs don’t offer a Linux app at all. Surfshark is lacking a native Apple TV app however, which is something we’ve seen the likes of ExpressVPN recently introduce.
If you do want to use Surfshark on Apple TV, your Smart TV, or game console, you have the option of installing Surfshark on your router, setting up a virtual router, or using Surfshark’s Smart DNS (note that Smart DNS doesn’t encrypt your traffic). The advantage of setting up Surfshark on a router is that all devices that connect to that network are then protected. This does require manual configuration, although Surfshark provides setup instructions to help.
Surfshark also has lightweight and easy-to-use browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. Like the VPN apps, they encrypt your browser traffic and hide your IP address. The key difference is that VPN browser extensions don’t protect your data beyond the browser they’re installed on. In contrast, a VPN app encrypts all browser and app traffic.
Overall, I quite like Surfshark’s apps. You can connect to your default location in a single click, and there are also one-click shortcuts for connecting to the fastest location and nearest country. It’s possible to filter servers by Static IP, MultiHop, and Dedicated IP, the latter of which is only available if you pay the extra monthly fee ($3.75/month).
Server locations are alphabetically listed, and there’s a search bar at the top of the apps to save you from endless scrolling. Favoriting any server locations then adds it to your favorites at the top of the list. One thing Surfshark’s apps are missing however is the ability to see each server’s current ping and load.
Another thing I don’t like is the prominence of the quick connect button in the mobile app which floats at the bottom of the screen, blocking the view of the server list. I’m also not a fan of the clutter from various features that I just don’t need from a VPN. Indeed, I’d imagine the percentage of subscribers actually using the Alternative ID feature is very small.
Surfshark’s settings page is excellent, and particularly helpful if it’s your first time using a VPN. Most settings can be very simply toggled on or off. Furthermore, each feature includes a short explanation.
Surfshark – Customer Support
The vast majority of major VPNs, Surfshark included, offer live chat and email support, often 24 hours a day. Live chat support is of course your best bet if you’re seeking the fastest possible response. You can usually be chatting with a support representative within seconds (though you may have to wait a few minutes at peak times). You don’t have to wait too long to hear back from Surfshark via email either, although it’s not as quick as some VPN’s I’ve tested.
I sent Surfshark three emails, all on different days and at different times of day (morning, afternoon, and evening). One question required only a simple response, while the other two required more technical information, or at least a greater degree of thought as opposed to a copy-paste response. As you can see in the table below, Surfshark’s replies were a mixed bag.
Surfshark also provides plenty of resources for you to troubleshoot issues yourself. The website’s help section includes setup and troubleshooting guides. These guides are particularly helpful in that they include step-by-step instructions, screenshots, and even videos in some cases. Note that Surfshark has a very active YouTube channel, Surfshark Academy, with more than 500 videos, including tutorials and news on the latest features.
Surfshark offers three different subscription tiers: Surfshark Starter, Surfshark One, and Surfshark One+. Which you opt for really depends on whether you only want a VPN or extra security features such as an antivirus. Either way, Surfshark offers very good value for the price if you opt for the one or two year subscription deal.
Something else to like about Surfshark is that all of its plans (the one month subscriptions included) come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. This allows you to test the service out for yourself, risk-free. You may have some trepidation about not getting your money back which is why I tested Surfshark’s money-back guarantee myself.
Surfshark didn’t make canceling easy. First, I wrote in Surfshark’s live chat that I’d like to cancel for a refund. The chat bot provided a link but this was only to cancel auto renewal. So I asked to speak to a human. Unfortunately, the support rep I received not only disappeared for several minutes after I made my initial request, but came across as extremely reluctant to process the refund. It was only after repeating my request four times that it was finally honored.
While I’m happy that Surfshark did ultimately make good on its money-back guarantee, I didn’t appreciate the pushy sales tactics and time-wasting.
