Surfshark VPN Review: Expert Analysis (2025)

Everyone wants a good VPN that protects their online privacy and prevents hackers from eavesdropping on their data. Banking systems require it for safer transactions, gamers need it for a no-lag connection, and digital companies need it for faster downloading speeds.

Thus, to avail of all these features in one product, the award-winning Surfshark VPN is the way to go. On top of this, while Surfshark offers excellent performance, it also undercuts most of its competitors in pricing.

Quick Expert Summary

The feature set of Surfshark VPN puts it far above most VPNs by being well-fleshed out. Many of the features you see here are also available on other VPNs. What sets Surfshark apart from competitors is how it compiles all of these features into one complete package.

• WireGuard – WireGuard is one of the best VPN protocols, providing top-notch security and some of the best speeds among VPN services.

• Unlimited Devices – Surfshark has no limits on the number of devices you link to an account.

• RAM-only servers – All servers are RAM-only, making all stored data temporary and ensuring the user’s privacy.

• NoBorders – Keeps your data safe and allows you to access websites no matter which country you’re in.

• Bypasser – Gives you access to split tunnelling, keeping your information safe while maintaining the functionality of your wireless devices.

• One active Surfshark VPN subscription offers protection to unlimited devices;

• Surfshark also offers other security products: Surfshark Antivirus, Surfshark Alert (a tool to detect data breaches), Surfshark Search (private and ad-free search tool), and Incogni (a data removal tool).

Surfshark VPN Key Data

Speed	9/10
Average Speed*	324 Mbps
Video Streaming Support	4K, UHD video conferencing
Streaming	10/10
Netflix	Yes
Other Streaming Services	Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer
Security	9/10
Encryption Type	256-bit AES
Kill Switch	Yes
Log Policy	No logs
Protocols	WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, Shadowsocks
Value for Money	9/10
Lowest Monthly Cost	$2.30
Money Back Guarantee	30 days
Website	https://surfshark.com/

Surfshark VPN Full Review

Surfshark VPN is relatively new to the VPN market, launching in 2018 with positive reception. Despite this, SurfShark VPN blazes past many of its long-standing competitors. Their focus on innovation within the VPN space makes them easy to recommend. Surfshark always adopts the latest technology, taking the initiative to introduce features before they become the standard.

Pair this with Surfshark VPN’s lower prices in general, and you can see why users love it. Surfshark VPN is one of the best in terms of value, especially considering that they’re continuously stepping things up. There’s a lot to love with Surfshark, but as all their competitors begin picking up their slack, how does Surfshark VPN fare? Is it still one of the best, or has the competition ramping up its offerings left it in the dust?

Surfshark VPN Quick Specification Rundown

Server Count	3200+ Ram-only Servers
Server Countries	99 Countries
Base Location	British Virgin Islands
Max Device Count	Unlimited devices
Supported Protocols	WireGuard, OpenVPN, Shadowsocks, IKEv2
Key Features	Bypasser, Camouflage Mode, CleanWeb, Split-Tunneling, Unlimited Devices
Customer Support Options	Support Website, 24/7 Live Chat Support, Email Support
Supported Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Router

Surfshark VPN Features

Surfshark VPN has a plethora of features on offer. However, many of them are similar to features you’ll find on other VPN offerings. Where Surfshark shines is in their execution of these ideas, as they put their spin on things where they can.

• Unlimited Devices – Another one of Surfshark’s claims to fame is how it allows for unlimited devices with every account. While most other VPNs lock users to a set amount of devices, Surfshark lets you go wild with as many devices as you want. It’s beneficial if you’re not a fan of spending exorbitant amounts of money on a VPN subscription, especially considering how most VPNs charge quite the premium for their services.

• Camouflage Mode – Camouflage Mode is Surfshark VPN’s answer to Incognito Browsing. It masks your connection as regular browsing, hiding your usage from everyone, including your ISP. Pair this with Surfshark VPN’s NoBorders mode, which is purpose-built for getting by censorship in specific places, and you can see how Surfshark carves a strong niche for itself.

• Auto-Connect – Auto-Connect essentially allows users to connect to the best connection automatically, based on prerequisites by the user.

• Static VPN Servers – Static VPN Servers allow users to connect to the same server for encryption. It makes things like bypassing captchas and remembering certain pieces of information much more convenient.

• CleanWeb blocks ads, trackers, malware, and phishing attempts, so you can browse safely.

• Bypasser allows specific apps & websites to bypass the VPN tunnel. Works great with mobile banking apps.

• Kill Switch disconnects your device from the internet if the VPN connection drops unexpectedly.

• NoBorders mode allows using a VPN through network restrictions such as geoblocking or government censorship.

• The cookie pop-up blocker avoids the annoying cookie consent pop-ups. It is available as a Surfshark browser extension feature for Chromium-based browsers (such as Microsoft Edge, Brave, etc.) and Firefox.

• GPS Override tricks GPS-enabled apps such as Google Maps, Uber, and Snapchat into thinking that you’re elsewhere. Surfshark offers this feature on Android devices.

• Browser extensions secure your browser, not the whole device. Surfshark offers extensions for Chromium-based browsers (such as Microsoft Edge, Brave, etc.) and Firefox.

• SmartDNS allows using a private DNS while streaming on SmartTV in case it doesn’t support the Surfshark app. Surfshark makes sure to cover even unsupported devices, such as AppleTV. 

• Pause VPN allows pausing the VPN connection for 5 minutes, 30 minutes, or 2 hours. The connection automatically resumes once the selected time ends.

• IP Rotator changes the user’s IP address on the chosen location every 5 to 10 minutes without disconnecting from the VPN.

Surfshark also offers: 

• Obfuscated servers that make user traffic look like any old regular traffic. It allows bypassing restrictions, censorship, government tracking, strict internal networks, and the snooping of the ISPs.

• MultiHop servers make your connection even more secure by connecting you via two different VPN servers.

• P2P servers that protect and allow fast file sharing and legal torrenting

Privacy & Security

Surfshark doesn’t lag behind its competition regarding privacy and security either.

• Surfshark offers WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 VPN protocols.

• Surfshark uses robust AES-256-GCM encryption, which is the strongest encryption standard. The 256-bit encryption refers to the length of the encryption key used to secure a file or stream of data.

• Along with AES-256 encryption, Surfshark also uses ChaCha20 encryption for the WireGuard protocol. Both are very similar, but the main difference is that AES-256 divides data into blocks, whereas ChaCha20 ciphers each bit of data separately.

• Surfshark uses a 2048-bit version of the RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) encryption key. In RSA asymmetric encryption, one key is used to encrypt, whereas the other – is to decrypt. The digit 2048 represents the number of bits in the mentioned RSA key itself. 

• Surfshark is among the first providers in the VPN industry to upgrade its servers to RAM-only infrastructure, meaning that when the server is regularly booted up, any information that would usually be on the hard drive is automatically wiped off. 

• With private DNS on each server & leak protection when using the IPv4 stack, Surfshark ensures your requests won’t be accessible in an unencrypted format.

Speed & Performance

With WireGuard, Surfshark VPN is pretty fast, with performance that’s just as good as most other WireGuard-based VPNs.

Surfshark VPN Protocol Speed Comparison

Surfshark VPN Protocol	Peak Speed
WireGuard	950Mbps
OpenVPN	190Mbps

While it may have somewhat inconsistent speeds, it’s more than sufficient for most things. Even for activities like 1080p and 4K streaming, the speeds you hit with Surfshark should ensure a smooth experience.

OpenVPN is an entirely different story, only hitting peak speeds of 190Mbps, a far cry from WireGuard’s far more impressive numbers. If you want to subscribe to SurfShark, we recommend sticking to WireGuard as your protocol.

Servers & IP Addresses

As mentioned earlier, Surfshark VPN features over 3200 servers in 99 countries, and the number is constantly rising. There’s reasonably wide coverage, so you can get a decent connection no matter where you are.

Streaming Support

Surfshark can be used to unblock geo-restricted content on more than 20 streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and even Amazon Prime with its notoriously difficult geoblocking.

Surfshark isn’t a VPN built for streaming like NordVPN, but it’s still a fairly solid option if you’re hoping to stream a lot of content. Connecting unlimited devices also benefits users when it comes to streaming, letting you choose the best device for streaming.

Torrenting Support

With its fast speeds and limitless bandwidth, Surfshark makes torrenting simple and fast. Outside of nations where torrenting is prohibited, all of its servers enable P2P. If you connect to one of those servers, Surfshark VPN will divert your traffic to servers in Canada or the Netherlands that support torrenting. While Surfshark themselves don’t openly support torrenting on their website, it’s still reasonably solid for torrenting purposes.

Gaming Support

Surfshark is a pretty good choice for gamers, thanks to its solid lineup of gaming-oriented features. Surfshark VPN keeps you safe from DDoS attacks, bypassing any attempts by your ISP to throttle your data.

No throttling means your gameplay stays smooth during online multiplayer sessions. You also get early access to games by switching time zones, a nice touch for gamers who usually need to wait long periods for games to arrive on their shores.

Bypassing Censorship

As mentioned earlier, Surfshark VPN has many features for overcoming censorship in problematic countries.

NoBorders is a feature built specifically for getting past censorship in countries that obfuscate information. Surfshark is an excellent choice if you’re looking to get past these issues.

Does Surfshark Keep Logs?

Surfshark is registered in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) as a part of a strict no-logs policy.

When it comes to logs, Surfshark said;

Surfshark VPN does not keep track of your online whereabouts or actions in any way. The VPN server only keeps enough data to keep your VPN connection going, and nothing of it is kept after you’re done.

Surfshark VPN Benefits

You can enjoy the following benefits while using Surfshark VPN service;

• Encrypt your internet activity so that no one can track or steal your data.

• Change your IP address to hide your location and avoid tracking.

• Stop annoying ads and protect yourself against malware attacks.

• Protect your data and privacy while using public Wi-Fi or networks you don’t trust.

• Keep searches private and prevent tracking or targeted ads.

• Search the web and get accurate, unbiased, organic search results.

• Protect your identity and get notified if your personal data has been leaked online.

• Take control of your data by getting alerts on when to change passwords to prevent breaches.

• Protect your email accounts and choose to receive quarterly personal data security reports.

• Keep your digital freedom while travelling to internet-restricted countries.

• Get private & safe access to local content everywhere in the world.

• Watch content online without worrying about tracking or censorship.

• Watch sports online securely with no buffering or annoying pop-ups.

• Set up only one Surfshark account and use it on an unlimited number of devices.

• Save money by finding the best prices for everything from shoes to flights.

• Stop ads from loading to save data and boost speeds.

Does Surfshark VPN Have A Free Trial?

Surfshark VPN offers a free trial period (7 days) for Android, iOS and macOS platforms. Alternatively, customers can purchase the service with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If not satisfied, customers have the option to request a refund within 30 days of the purchase.

• Surfshark VPN for iOS

• Surfshark VPN for Android

• Surfshark VPN for macOS

Surfshark VPN Plans & Pricing

Surfshark doesn’t complicate things by having different packages or feature packs. There’s only one package, which gives you all the features the VPN offers by default.

For pricing, there are three different pricing plans: a monthly payment plan, an annual payment plan and a biennial payment plan. Surfshark’s monthly plan is a bit on the pricey side, but the rest of the plans are excellent values for money.

• The 1-month plan costs $12.95/mo.

• The 1-year plan comes with a 69% discount and costs $47.88, or $3.99/mo.

• The best deal is the 2-year plan which comes with an 82% discount and costs $59.76, or $2.30/mo. Purchasing the 2-year subscription also grants users additional 2 months for free! 

• There is also a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Ease of Use: Mobile & Desktop Apps

Surfshark VPN excels in its ease of use, being one of the VPN’s crowning features. The installation process for Surfshark VPN is simple and painless, giving users the option to sign up and pay for the service while installing it on Windows. On mobile, it’s the same process as installing any application from an app store.

Surfshark’s Windows and Mac desktop clients are simple and easy to use, but also maintain a certain degree of flexibility. The UI is modern, intuitive, pleasant to look at, and easy to understand. There are options to quickly connect to the fastest server, the nearest country, or a static IP server.

For the most part, things are pretty similar between the mobile and desktop versions of Surfshark. However, each version comes with slight changes in design and functionality. Split-tunnelling isn’t available on Apple devices, while both versions of the desktop clients get access to features like the Kill Switch and server whitelisting. Despite some differences, however, the experience is still generally positive. We find Surfshark to be easy to use, even for beginners and non-tech-savvy people.

Customer Support

Surfshark VPN has its own website for support and information if you want to troubleshoot things yourself. The FAQ sections are also great for quick feedback and cover most questions you could have.

In case you need live support, there’s also the 24/7 live chat, and it’s pretty good. The tech supports behind the live chats are knowledgeable regarding how the VPN works and can confidently guide you through most issues. Of course, there’s also email support, in case you need it. Just drop Surfshark a message with your problem, and things should turn out alright.

Is Surfshark VPN Really Good In 2025?

Surfshark is excellent, earning its spot on the list of the best VPNs, especially in 2025. The sheer value on display here is outstanding, matching many of its more expensive competitors. It goes blow for blow on features, sometimes even having more features than its alternatives. On top of that, the speeds that Surfshark puts out rival some of the best at its peaks.

If you’re looking for a reliable VPN that continues to improve over time and doesn’t cost you too much, then Surfshark’s what you want.