Surfshark VPN Review (2026)

Surfshark launched in 2018, and it has spent the years since giving its more established competitors a run for their money.

When we first tested it, the service promised to “secure your digital life” and provide you with “private access to the open internet”.

At a glance, the provider appears to have done their homework right.

The VPN comes with a robust feature suite packed in a sleek, easy to use client, at an attractive price.

At $2.49 a month on its 2-year Starter plan, Surfshark is one of the most affordable VPNs on the market.

But is it too cheap to be good?

Keep reading this Surfshark review to find out!

I put the VPN through its paces and examined aspects like speed, Netflix access, connection leaks, and more.

What’s Changed Since Our First Test

We first tested Surfshark in 2020. The speed, streaming and leak results below come from our earlier tests unless we say otherwise; we re-checked the facts around them on 1 October 2026, and a lot has changed:

• There’s now a free trial. Surfshark’s website offers a 7-day free trial on its 12-month and 24-month plans. The trial covers up to 3 devices, and you’re charged for the plan you chose unless you cancel within the 7 days.
• Audits, not just promises. Deloitte checked Surfshark’s no-logs policy in 2023 and again in 2025, and in 2026 Cure53 audited its infrastructure and Dausos, Surfshark’s own VPN protocol.
• RAM-only servers. Since July 2020, all of Surfshark’s servers – now 4,500+ in 100 countries – have run on RAM only, so nothing is kept once a server reboots.
• New plans and prices. Surfshark now sells three plans, Starter, One and One+, from $2.49 a month on the 2-year Starter plan ($67.23 for the first 27 months).
• SmartDNS is gone. Surfshark discontinued SmartDNS on 2 February 2026. On a TV or game console, use its Android TV or Apple TV (tvOS) app, a router or a PC hotspot instead.
• New ownership. Surfshark moved from the British Virgin Islands to the Netherlands in October 2021, and in early 2022 it merged with Nord Security, NordVPN’s parent company; the two brands still operate independently. Here’s who owns Surfshark today.

Overview of Surfshark

Surfshark is a VPN that launched in 2018.

It is run by Surfshark B.V., a company headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Since 2022 it has been part of the same group as NordVPN, though the two brands operate independently.

The VPN has been expanding at quite a rapid pace. In its early days, Surfshark’s entire network consisted of fewer than 40 servers.

Today, that number has turned into 4,500+ servers spread across 100 countries.

“We’ve managed to create a VPN app as seamless as turning on Wi-Fi. Many features such as IP address masking, Zero-Knowledge DNS, IPV6 leak and WebRTC protection are embedded in Surfshark by default”.

- CTO Magnus Steinberg

Surfshark goes beyond your usual VPN. It offers a wide array of features, including its own security tools such as CleanWeb, Alert and Search (more on these later).

So, it comes as no surprise that the company was voted as the ‘fastest-growing company’ at the 2020 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards.

Surfshark’s CEO is Vytautas Kaziukonis.

Try Surfshark Now

Is Surfshark Safe and Worth It?

Yes, for most people. Surfshark is a safe, legitimate VPN and one of the best-value ones you can buy, especially if you want to protect every device in your home on one plan.

Here’s the evidence:

• An audited no-logs policy. Deloitte checked Surfshark’s no-logs policy in 2023 and again in 2025. Cure53 and SecuRing have also audited its apps, browser extensions and infrastructure, most recently Cure53 in 2026.
• RAM-only servers. All 4,500+ servers run on RAM only, so nothing is stored once a server reboots.
• No activity logs to hand over. Surfshark is a Dutch company, and the Netherlands is part of the 14 Eyes. That’s a trade-off, but Surfshark keeps no record of what you do online, so it has nothing about your browsing to hand over.
• Unlimited devices on every plan, from $2.49 a month.

The downsides:

• The price jumps at renewal. The 2-year Starter plan costs $67.23 for the first 27 months, then $79 a year.
• A 14-Eyes jurisdiction. If you want a VPN based outside the 14 Eyes, Surfshark isn’t it.
• Fewer servers than NordVPN: 4,500+ in 100 countries, against NordVPN’s 7,000+ in 150.
• Bypasser, its split tunneling, has gaps. On iOS it can only exclude websites, not apps, and the Linux app doesn’t have it at all.

Who should pick something else? If you want the biggest network and the longest audit record, NordVPN has passed six no-logs assessments and costs $3.49 a month on its 2-year plan; our Surfshark vs NordVPN comparison weighs the two up. And if you need split tunneling on Linux, Surfshark can’t help.

If Surfshark suits you, check our Surfshark coupon codes and Surfshark price guide before you buy. The 7-day free trial and the 30-day money-back guarantee let you test it first.

Privacy & Jurisdiction

The location of your VPN is critical, and so is its logging policy.

If your provider keeps your activity data or is based in a 14-Eyes country, then they can’t guarantee privacy from the authorities.

So, is Surfshark a safe VPN? Or does the VPN collect user data?

Are There Any Signs That Surfshark Keeps Logs?

Surfshark advertises its product as a no-log VPN.

On their website, they state the following:

“A no-log VPN is the only reliable VPN. We are committed to protecting your privacy online, wherever you go and whatever you do. For us, no-logs is a no-brainer”.

- Surfshark

I was impressed by how transparent their privacy policy is.

In addition to not collecting your browsing history, Surfshark makes it clear that they do not monitor or store IP addresses, connection timestamps, or any other data related to your online activities.

That’s no longer just a promise. Deloitte checked Surfshark’s no-logs policy for a report published in 2023 (the fieldwork ran in November and December 2022) and again in 2025. The 2025 assurance report, announced on 20 June 2025 and carried out under the ISAE 3000 standard, covered Surfshark’s standard, static IP and MultiPort servers.

That said, the provider does keep the personal information you provide during signup. This includes your:

• Email address
• Basic billing information

When we first reviewed it, Surfshark’s privacy policy also admitted to collecting unique advertising identifiers from third parties such as Google Play, for marketing purposes and user analytics.

While this may appear troubling, the information was not personally identifiable, and you could opt out at any time by simply adjusting your Google Personalised Ads settings.

Dutch Jurisdiction & Applicable Laws

Surfshark is based in the Netherlands, having moved its legal home there from the British Virgin Islands on 1 October 2021. The Netherlands is one of the 9 Eyes, which makes it part of the wider 14-Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance too.

That matters less than it sounds: Dutch law does not require VPN providers to retain user data, Deloitte audited Surfshark’s no-logs policy in 2023 and again in 2025, and its servers run on RAM only, so they keep nothing once rebooted.

Warrant Canary

On top of that, when we first reviewed it, Surfshark maintained a warrant canary.

At the time, it said the company had yet to receive any national security letters or warrants from the government.

A warrant canary like this one lets a company get around gag orders and warn its users.

If the statement isn’t updated as expected, you should treat that as an indication that something is amiss.

Security

In regards to security, Surfshark has a lot to offer.

It’s well equipped and easily beats many big-name providers – and it does so by a mile.

Tunneling Protocols & Encryption

Surfshark protects your online traffic with bank-grade AES 256-bit cipher, which is virtually impenetrable.

The encryption effectively guards against brute force attacks and will keep you safe when connected to unsecured Wi-Fi networks.

When we first tested it, the VPN came with three protocols in its armory:

• OpenVPN UDP/TCP
• IKEv2/IPsec
• Shadowsocks

OpenVPN remains highly secure, and back then it was the protocol I recommended.

IKEv2 delivered a strong performance as well and was a good alternative if you wanted speed.

While technically not a VPN protocol, Surfshark’s Shadowsocks proxy was likewise effective.

It obfuscated your online traffic, making it much harder to detect. Shadowsocks is popular in China, where people use it against the Great Firewall of China (GFC).

Since then, Surfshark’s apps have added WireGuard, and the company has built its own VPN protocol, Dausos, which Cure53 audited in 2026.

Other Great Security Features

• DNS/IP leak protection: Surfshark features private DNS on each server and offers protections against DNS and IP leaks.
• MultiHop: Routes your traffic through more than one server, adding an extra layer of encryption.
• Internet kill switch: If your Surfshark connection drops, this feature immediately stops your internet access, ensuring your IP and browsing history remain safe.
• Camouflage Mode: Masks your Surfshark VPN traffic making it appear as a regular http connection. This enables you to bypass Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) and the VPN blocks implemented by countries such as China.
• CleanWeb: An ad and tracker blocker, included in every plan, that also protects you from malware and phishing domains. See our Surfshark CleanWeb guide.
• GPS Spoofing: Enables you to change not only your IP address but also your physical GPS location on your Android device.
• Dedicated IP: A paid add-on from $3.75 a month that gives you your own IP address in one of 16 cities in 13 countries. More in our Surfshark dedicated IP guide.

In 2018, the provider had its browser extensions audited by the German cybersecurity company Cure53.

While the report did yield two vulnerabilities, both were rated with “low severity” and the auditors concluded that the “applications make a very robust impression and are not exposed to any issues, neither in the privacy nor in the more general security realms”.

More audits have followed. Cure53 checked Surfshark’s server infrastructure in 2021, SecuRing ran an app security assessment and an infrastructure audit in 2025, and in 2026 Cure53 audited the infrastructure again along with Dausos, Surfshark’s own protocol.

Privacy Beyond VPN

Surfshark further goes beyond what you would typically expect from a standard VPN. When we first tested it, its other privacy tools were sold separately. Today Surfshark bundles them into three plans:

• Starter: The VPN, with the CleanWeb ad and tracker blocker and Alternative ID.
• One: Everything in Starter plus Antivirus, Alert (data-breach alerts), Search (a private search engine), an email scam checker, call and message protection, and web protection.
• One+: Everything in One plus Incogni (personal data removal) and identity-theft coverage of up to $1M.

Leak Tests

As mentioned, Surfshark uses leak prevention technology to prevent your real identity and physical location from being exposed.

To find out how effective it is, I connected to the New York, US server and tested for IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks.

As you can see in the screenshot, Surfshark assigned me 92.119.177.20 as my public IP.

IP Leak Test

I can confidently say that Surfshark does not expose your IP information.

I used ipleak.org to conduct the test, and the VPN passed without issues.

DNS Leak Test

Using ip8.com, I tested for DNS leaks, and Surfshark aced this test as well.

In addition to the New York server, I tried several others, and none exposed my DNS address.

WebRTC Leak Test – WebRTC Tool

Surfshark automatically blocks WebRTC, and as you can see in the screenshot below, the test did not reveal any WebRTC leaks.

Virus & Malware Test

After testing for each of the different VPN leaks independently, I didn’t stop there.

I also ran Surfshark through virustotal.com to check for viruses and other malware.

Again, the VPN received a clean bill of health.

Server Locations

Surfshark offers 4,500+ servers in 100 countries, and since July 2020 all of them have run on RAM only.

While the VPN cannot compete with the likes of NordVPN in terms of the sheer number of servers (NordVPN has 7,000+ in 150 countries), you simply cannot dismiss it.

Surfshark has server locations in almost every continent, including the Americas, Europe, the Asia Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East.

However, it’s worth noting that the provider uses a mix of physical and virtual servers. While this may not sit well with some users, it does allow the VPN to cover more locations.

The servers are nicely organized, and if you are not in the mood for scrolling, there is an easily accessible search bar that you can use to find your desired server.

Surfshark VPN groups the Static IP and MultiHop servers separately and it makes it quite easy to save and access your favorite servers.

And if you need to make a quick connection, all you have to do is click either the ‘Fastest server’ or ‘Nearest Server’ option.

Does Surfshark Work in China?

Surfshark is one of the VPNs that work in mainland China.

It allows you to access sites like YouTube, Facebook, Gmail, and hundreds of others that are unavailable in the country.

Remember, the internet in China is not only heavily censored, but also through the use of Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), the authorities actively detect and block VPN traffic.

Surfshark is built to bypass the Great Firewall of China with its robust NoBorders feature and Camouflage Mode (obfuscation) capabilities, though VPN access in China can change without warning, so no VPN is guaranteed to work there every day.

Speed & Performance

Slow speeds can be frustrating.

We all like our videos to load quickly and not just that but also stream without buffering.

Unfortunately, when you’re connected to a VPN, your connection speed will likely drop. Blame it on the VPN encryption.

However, with the right VPN, this speed loss should be barely noticeable.

So, how does Surfshark perform?

How Fast Is Surfshark?

To see how well the VPN performs, I first measured my baseline internet speed.

I was using a 100 Mbps connection and the speeds at the time were 97.84 Mbps download, 48.15 Mbps upload, and a ping of 14 ms.

I then connected to several Surfshark VPN locations and the average results were as outlined below.

Note: These results come from our earlier tests, which I ran from Europe, so keep that in mind when looking at the different server speed results.

As you can see, Surfshark delivered fast connection speeds, especially when connected to nearby servers (Europe).

However, the VPN did suffer a bit when connected to distant servers (Australia), but overall, I was pleased with its performance.

Price & Value

Surfshark packages are very affordable.

It sells three plans – Starter, One and One+ – with huge discounts for long-term subscriptions.

Each plan comes as a monthly package, a 12-month package or a 24-month package, and both longer packages add 3 extra months. There is no 3-year plan.

How Much Does Surfshark Cost?

Here’s what each plan costs for US buyers, from Surfshark’s own price data on 12 October 2026, during its Black Friday sale (before sales tax):

While Surfshark is overall quite cheap, its month-to-month Starter subscription is steeply priced at $16.45.

However, the 12-month plan ($3.39 a month on Starter) allows you to save a whole 79%, while the 2-year plan ($2.49 a month) comes with an incredible 85% discount.

Keep the renewal price in mind, though: once the first 27 months are up, the 2-year Starter plan renews at $79 a year, and the 1-year plan renews at the same price after its first 15 months.

Also, don’t forget to check out our Black Friday Offers on Surfshark. The 2026 sale was live by 12 October 2026 and puts Surfshark One at the Starter price, $2.49 a month on the 2-year plan; in 2025 the sale ran from 20 October to 1 December and cut Starter to $1.99 a month ($53.73 for 27 months).

Students can save too: Surfshark offers a student discount through Student Beans, and a separate graduate discount.

The privacy tools beyond the VPN now come bundled in the One and One+ plans, priced with the same customer-oriented strategy that has come to define Surfshark.

Payment Methods

Surfshark affords its customers flexibility with payment methods.

You can purchase your subscription using any of the following:

• Credit Cards – Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, JCB
• PayPal
• Apple Pay
• Google Pay
• Amazon Pay
• Cryptocurrency

To start the 7-day free trial, you need a credit card, PayPal or Apple Pay.

Does Surfshark Have a Free Trial?

Yes. When we first tested Surfshark, it didn’t offer a standard free trial, but its website now has a 7-day free trial on the 12-month and 24-month plans.

The trial covers up to 3 devices (unlimited once your subscription starts), and after 7 days you’re charged for the plan you chose unless you cancel first. Our Surfshark free trial guide walks you through it.

If you’d rather skip the trial, the 30-day money-back guarantee still lets you test the service risk-free.

Refund Policy

Surfshark maintains a transparent refund policy.

They guarantee you the right to claim a refund within the first 30 days following your subscription, as long as you bought it on Surfshark’s website.

However, keep in mind that Surfshark doesn’t refund every purchase itself.

If you buy through an app store, such as Apple’s App Store or Google Play, the store handles refunds under its own rules. When we first reviewed Surfshark, purchases made with prepaid cards or gift cards weren’t refundable either. Our guide on how to cancel Surfshark shows how to claim your money back.

Streaming

A good VPN can help you unlock a whole new world of content.

But while many VPNs will bypass simple geo-restrictions like those deployed by YouTube and social media platforms, only a few have what it takes to access services like Netflix, iPlayer, Hulu, HBO, and Prime Video.

Naturally, I checked to see if Surfshark makes the cut. I connected to different servers, in different locations, and tried to access some of the most popular streaming services. Here’s what worked in our tests:

Does Surfshark Work With Netflix?

Netflix is one of the world’s leading streaming services.

It offers a large and varied collection of movies and TV shows that you can binge on.

However, the Netflix content library varies depending on where you are located, with American residents getting the upper hand.

In our tests, Surfshark worked reliably with Netflix, and by connecting to its US servers, I could easily access American Netflix.

In total, I tested 5 servers – New York, Boston, Miami, Detroit, Chicago – and all worked on the first try.

Below I was streaming “Dexter”, an American Netflix exclusive crime drama TV show.

Besides Netflix US, I was able to access 19 other libraries, including the UK, CA, AU, DE, SE, and JP.

In our tests, Surfshark also worked with Hulu, HBO, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime Video, and it runs on the Fire TV Stick.

Torrenting (P2P)

Not every VPN supports torrenting, and many of those that do, they only do so on countable servers.

Then there is the issue of security and privacy.

Yes, torrent poisoning is a thing.

If your VPN is plagued with connection leaks, it may be only a matter of time before you get a DMCA notice.

Is Surfshark Good For Torrenting?

Surfshark is excellent for torrenting.

The VPN comes with bulletproof AES 256-bit encryption and strict no-log policy. Additionally, Surfshark features perfect forward secrecy, which protects your torrent traffic from past and future vulnerabilities.

Surfshark is also fast and provides unlimited bandwidth, allowing you to download large downloads without worrying about speed drops.

You can use Surfshark with virtually all P2P clients, including µTorrent, Vuze, and Deluge. It’s also compatible with BitTorrent players such as Popcorn Time, Ace Player, Stremio, and the popular VLC media player.

All Surfshark servers are P2P friendly. When we first reviewed it, you’d get top torrenting speeds while using its servers in:

• The United States, (US)
• The United Kingdom, (UK)
• Canada, (CA)
• Germany, (DE)
• Italy, (IT)
• Poland, (PL)
• Spain, (ES)
• Norway, (NO)
• Denmark, (DK)
• Luxembourg, (LU)
• Hong Kong, (HK)
• Singapore, (SG)
• The Netherlands, (NL)
• Bulgaria, (BG)
• Belgium, (BE)
• Switzerland, (CH)
• Slovakia, (SK)
• Serbia,(RS)
• Finland, (FI)

Platforms & Devices

When it comes to compatibility, Surfshark is unrivaled.

You can use the VPN on almost any primary device you can think of.

Supported platforms include:

• Windows
• macOS
• Linux
• Android
• iOS
• Smart TVs (Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV)
• Consoles (Xbox, PlayStation), through a router or a PC hotspot
• Browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge)

Surfshark can also be set up on routers, which allows you to cover devices that lack inbuilt VPN functionality. Since Surfshark discontinued SmartDNS on 2 February 2026, a router or a PC hotspot is also the way to cover game consoles and other devices that can’t run its apps.

With routers, the setup process is a bit more involved, but the provider has easy-to-follow setup tutorials that you can use.

When we first reviewed it, you could also buy a router with Surfshark pre-installed if you weren’t up for the hassle.

Options at the time included the Asus RT-AC5300, GL iNet GL-b1300, and Netgear R6400.

How Many Devices Does Surfshark Allow at a Go?

While most providers limit how many devices you can connect per account (NordVPN allows 10), Surfshark lets you cover an unlimited number of devices on every plan.

So, if you are looking for a family VPN that will protect all your home devices, Surfshark is an excellent option.

Customer Support

When your VPN develops issues, you want them addressed quickly so you can continue using the internet safely.

It’s, therefore, essential to ensure your provider has a customer service that can guarantee that.

Surfshark offers multiple support options, but just as is the norm in the VPN industry nowadays, their live chat is the most reliable.

It’s available 24/7, and their support reps are responsive and knowledgeable.

Surfshark also has a decent email ticketing system where you can leave a message and have one of their team members contact you.

Their website also has helpful resources like FAQs, a media center, and a knowledge base section where you can find setup tutorials, billing, and general information.

User Experience

Surfshark offers native clients for many of its supported platforms.

The apps are intuitive and straightforward to use, something which makes the VPN appealing to beginners.

Here is how the Windows and Android apps look:

But Surfshark doesn’t cater to beginners only.

Under the hood, the VPN sports advanced configuration options which make it ideal for seasoned users as well.

Features like Auto-connect, kill Switch, Start with Windows, as well as your choice of VPN protocol, are all customizable.

Surfshark also incorporates an in-built split-tunneling feature. It was called ‘Whitelister’ when we first tested it, and today it’s named ‘Bypasser’.

Basically, it lets chosen apps and websites bypass the VPN. On Windows, Android and macOS (except Big Sur) you can pick both apps and websites, on iOS only websites, and the Linux app doesn’t have it.

While Surfshark is not going to win awards for aesthetics, its apps sport a modern and well-organized interface. Their desktop clients feature a “dark theme” mode, which I thought was a nice touch.

Surfshark does not neglect the small stuff, either.

When you visit their official website, you’re met with a pleasant greeting in your local language.

The site itself is well designed and quite easy to navigate.

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FAQs

Final Word

I definitely recommend Surfshark.

The VPN has grown at a tremendous rate and does not show any signs of slowing down soon. It delivers fast connections, robust encryption, and advanced anonymity at a budget-friendly price, and two Deloitte no-logs audits and RAM-only servers back up its privacy promises.

Surfshark also has an extensive server network, and it worked reliably with Netflix and BBC iPlayer in our tests.

To be honest, apart from the higher renewal price, there isn’t much not to like about this VPN.

And when you factor in its low starting price, it’s easy to see why it stands out.

If you are looking for a VPN that offers excellent value for money, then Surfshark is the perfect fit.

The VPN also ticks all the right boxes when it comes to streaming and online privacy.

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