Surfshark VPN review

Whether or not you’re conversant in the title or not, Surfshark is a great-value VPN service.

It was purchased by Nord Safety, NordVPN’s guardian firm, which additionally additionally owns AtlasVPN.

This implies Surfshark sits within the center when it comes to value, making it the candy spot for anybody that doesn’t need to pay NordVPN’s present costs.

Surprisingly, Surfshark (and Atlas VPN) don’t place any limits on what number of gadgets you may hook up with their respective VPN service at anyone time, whereas NordVPN does. Nonetheless, it’s uncommon you’ll ever hit NordVPN’s restrict, so this isn’t essentially the bonus you would possibly assume it’s.

Importantly, Surfshark’s no-logs coverage has been independently audited. Deloitte confirmed in January 2023 that the corporate sticks by its coverage, so there’s no want to easily take the corporate’s phrase for it any longer.

Options & apps

• Limitless connections
• 3200 servers in 65 international locations
• Blocks adverts + trackers
• Nexus (with Dynamic Multi-Hop)

Surfshark ticks loads of bins and provides rather a lot options past the core VPN service. However to be clear, these don’t embody Alert, Search or Antivirus, three further options you may pay individually for whenever you take out a Surfshark subscription. The bundle is named Surfshark One, however right here we’re trying solely on the VPN service.

There are Surfshark apps for a lot of gadgets together with the primary 4 – Home windows, Mac, Android and iPhone / iPad – plus Linux (Ubuntu or Debian) and Amazon Hearth TV and Android TV apps, which each use good DNS to unblock streaming providers, reasonably than the VPN service0. You too can set up the Android app on a Chromebook that helps Android apps.

There are over 3200 servers throughout 100 international locations (35 greater than after we final checked). Each server runs totally in RAM and doesn’t write any information to laborious drives. That’s higher for privateness, because it means no information persists if a server was seized by authorities. That is one factor that was verified within the no-logs audit.

Mathilde Vicente / Foundry

A few of these servers are digital, which suggests they’re not bodily situated of their named nation, however provides you with an IP tackle that may place you – just about – in that nation and digital servers are clearly marked with a V within the listing.

The apps themselves are mild and clean-looking, and make it easy to pick out a location and hook up with it.

There are three lists: Places, Static IP and MultiHop. Whether or not or not there’s a person server or group of servers at every location, there isn’t any method to see: whenever you click on on a location you’re linked to it robotically. And there’s no method to see how busy every location is, nor the ping you may anticipate, so your selection is just based mostly on location.

There’s no indication of which to hook up with for any streaming service both.

Fortuitously, none of this actually issues as you’ll see after we get to Surfshark’s efficiency shortly.

In case you’re questioning, Static IP is a not the identical as devoted IP, an add-on that sure different VPNs provide. It’s a choice of servers that everybody can use. While you join to those servers, you get the identical IP tackle each time, which will help if you must use a service that requires you to register an IP tackle so as to use it.

They’re accessible within the US, UK, Japan, Germany and Singapore.

Jim Martin / Foundry

The MultiHop listing features a listing of pre-defined routes that your connection can take by way of two servers, equivalent to Netherlands > US – Dallas. This provides additional safety and higher masking of your true location as a result of even when a web site have been in a position to establish your IP tackle from the second server, it’s nearly unimaginable to hint this again to the primary server and – in the end – to your actual IP tackle and site.

Just lately, this characteristic has been expanded because of Surfshark’s Nexus. This can be a elementary change in how its VPN service operates. As a substitute of the standard, and easy – route out of your machine to a server after which to a web site or different on-line service, Nexus is successfully a mesh community of all Surfshark’s servers.

Now, you may create your personal MultiHop connections, selecting not solely an ‘exit level’ – the identical factor as selecting a server in most VPN apps – however you may specify an ‘entry level’ and, in future, a degree in between.

It’s not the best idea to elucidate, which is the place this diagram is available in:

Nexus brings different advantages, equivalent to common IP tackle modifications (a characteristic sure different VPNs already provide). That is already in Surfshark’s apps known as Rotating IP.

Kill swap, break up tunnelling & extra

Dig deeper into the apps’ settings and also you’ll discover loads of different options.

CleanWeb blocks adverts and as many trackers as it could actually when you browse web sites, whereas Bypasser (accessible on Home windows and Android) helps you to permit particular apps and web sites to bypass the VPN. That is known as break up tunnelling by different VPN providers and could be helpful should you don’t need video games or data-heavy apps to run through the VPN.

It isn’t accessible on Macs, iPhones or iPads, although.

The Kill Swap is accessible on iOS and macOS in addition to Home windows and Android. It was a plain on/off swap, however now you get the choice (in Home windows not less than) to decide on comfortable or strict.

Jim Martin / Foundry

GPS spoofing is a characteristic distinctive to Surfshark, however is discovered solely within the Android app. Usually, apps will know you’re not likely within the US, Japan or another location even should you’re linked to a VPN server as a result of your cellphone’s GPS offers the sport away.

Spoofing that location to match the VPN server location is one other software within the toolbox that may assist to beat regional blocks and reclaim privateness. This doesn’t work with location-based video games equivalent to Pokémon GO, although.

Lastly, there are the browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Edge. These, as with many from different VPN providers, are confusingly marketed as VPNs. Actually, they use proxy servers (as a result of an online browser can not set up a VPN connection).

Some measures are used, equivalent to HTTPS, to guard your privateness and safety, however they don’t encrypt all of your information as a VPN does. We requested Surfshark, together with different VPN providers, to make it clear that these extensions should not a part of the VPN service, however regardless of saying it might accomplish that, has not.

Surfshark One

Surfshark provides additional options which aren’t a part of the VPN service: the One bundle prices additional on prime of your VPN subscription.

The primary is Alert. That is an ID safety service the place you may enter e mail addresses, credit score / debit card numbers and social safety numbers and Surfshark will monitor them and notify you if any are ever leaked in a knowledge breach.

Search, which is a bit like DuckDuckGo in that it helps you to search the net in privateness, and with no adverts. As no filtering occurs, you’ll see solely natural outcomes. Just lately this has been improved and is way much less clunky than it was.

Notice that whenever you use this, Surfshark will file the aggregated variety of carried out searches. It received’t retailer what you seek for or any web sites you go to, although.

The newest addition is Antivirus. With conventional safety firms equivalent to Norton, Bitdefender and McAfee all including VPNs to their suites, VPN firms are actually including malware safety. However as of but, not one of the essential take a look at labs have printed outcomes on whether or not Surfshark’s safety is as much as scratch.

Privateness & jurisdication

If you wish to allow 2FA to guard your Surfshark account, you are able to do so through the web site or within the settings part of the app. There are two strategies of getting a code: Google Authenticator or e mail.

Undoubtedly, this does add a little bit of inconvenience every time you need to log in, however since that occurs fairly sometimes, it’s effectively price enabling because it helps to forestall anybody else signing into your Surfshark account.

However what concerning the privateness of the service itself? Surfshark was registered within the British Virgin Islands, which is exterior of the jurisdiction of the 14-eyes – international locations which share intelligence with one another.

Pretty not too long ago, however earlier than it was purchased by Nord, Surfshark switched to the Netherlands, citing “its favorable enterprise, financial and political atmosphere, in addition to no-logs-friendly authorized jurisdiction”.

Though a 9-eyes nation, the truth that a courtroom struck down its obligatory information retention coverage in 2015 implies that Surfshark can proceed to function its no-logs coverage as earlier than.

It collects your e mail tackle and billing data whenever you arrange an account, and its Privateness Coverage states “We don’t acquire any details about what you do on-line (your visited IP addresses, looking historical past, session data, used bandwidth, connection time stamps, community site visitors or another comparable data).”

“Our servers do retailer details about your connection to a specific VPN server (consumer ID and connection time stamps), BUT this data is robotically deleted inside quarter-hour after termination of your session. And be assured that no data is saved concerning the web sites you go to.”

So, total, the change in jurisdication isn’t a problem.

And as we’ve coated, the no-logs coverage has been audited, which provides numerous reassurance.

Efficiency & unblocking

In relation to testing a VPN’s efficiency there are numerous components and variables concerned. And since WireGuard permits such excessive speeds, you want a really quick web connection to check it.

We used a synchronous gigabit connection in San Francisco, which on the time of testing was reporting these speeds:

Jim Martin / Foundry

When linked to varied servers around the globe, utilizing WireGuard, Surfshark managed the next speeds. Clockwise from top-left, these are New York, London, Dubai and Tokyo.

Jim Martin / Foundry

These are spectacular numbers. Lots of Surfshark’s rivals – together with people who price extra, don’t provide wherever close to these speeds. They usually’re sooner than numerous residence broadband connections, that means you’ll discover little to no slowdown in any respect.

Connection instances are comparatively swift and, as soon as linked, we discovered they have been dependable, too. There’s extra excellent news, too. We discovered no IP or DNS leaks whereas testing the service.

The one niggle, which is strictly that and never a deal-breaker, is that Surfshark doesn’t help IPv6. This implies it can block all IPv6 site visitors and drive your gadgets to make use of IPv4. Surfshark beforehand stated it might add IPv6 help in 2021, but it surely didn’t occur as a result of its priorities shifted. As of January 2023, there’s nonetheless no phrase on when this shall be applied. For extra, see does it matter in case your VPN doesn’t help IPv6?

Unblocking

As for getting round regional blocks and accessing content material with Surfshark, we have been completely satisfied to seek out it unblocked BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub when linked to a UK server. Initially, iPlayer gave us the standard error, however opening an incognito tab in Chrome sorted the issue.

Mathilde Vicente / Foundry

It’s additionally in a position to unblock 15 Netflix areas and plenty of different providers equivalent to Disney+ and Amazon Prime (however keep in mind you may solely unblock the area your Amazon account is about to). Total, Surfshark is a good selection for streaming video.

Assist

Each time we’ve tried the 24/7 on-line chat, a consultant has replied inside a minute and has been in a position to reply our questions shortly and effectively with a pleasant and cheerful angle. Simply word that chat is offered on Surfshark’s web site, not within the apps, and it’s a must to scroll to the underside on the help web page to seek out the “Chat with us” button.

Worth & plans

Surfshark, like all VPN providers, provides huge reductions should you join a yr or extra. On the time of writing, it was providing 82% off its one-month subscription value whenever you join a two-year subscription.

See Surfshark plans.

That prices £58.37 / $59.76, which works out as £2.43 / $2.30 per thirty days – and also you get two months additional free, a complete of 26 months. The UK costs right here embody VAT, which is why they’re larger than the costs proven on Surfshark’s web site, which don’t.

Sadly, as with NordVPN, there’s a nasty shock when the subscription renews: roughly the identical quantity is then billed yearly, making it twice as costly.

We’d recommend cancelling the subscription earlier than it renews and getting one other VPN deal.

In order for you the additional options in Surfshark One, they price £1.34 / $1.49 per thirty days

There’s no free trial however a 30-day a refund assure provides a method to strive Surfshark and get a refund should you’re not happy with the service. Fee choices embody bank card, PayPal and Google Pay in addition to cryptocurrency choices for individuals who need to pay anonymously. All cost strategies say they are often refunded, even crypto.

Verdict

We’ve all the time stated that Surfshark provides nice worth, and that’s nonetheless true in 2023 because the service is markedly higher than it was when it launched in 2018.

With new options equivalent to Dynamic MultiHop and Rotating IP that goes together with it, plus nice speeds, succesful unblocking, plus the actual fact there’s no restrict to the variety of gadgets you should utilize with the VPN service, there’s little to complain about.

Simply do not forget that some options aren’t accessible in some apps and we’d actually like Surfshark to make it loads clearer that the browser extensions don’t provide VPN safety.

Nonetheless, for the overwhelming majority of people that simply desire a VPN for unblocking and a few additional privateness on-line, Surfshark is a wonderful selection.

For alternate options to Surfshark, see our suggestions of one of the best VPNs.

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