Recommendation
Surfshark is a relative newcomer to the Virtual Private Network (VPN) scene and appeared with a bang. In just around a year they were able to field a large network of over 3,200 servers in around 63 countries. Reddit opinion about Surfshark. If you head over to Reddit, you will also find multiple users who will praise this service for what it actually is – a customer-centric product determined to provide online anonymity with access to global content. Let's take a look at a Reddit review left by one of their satisfied users. Surfshark is owned by Surfshark Ltd and has been headquartered in the British Virgin Islands since its inception in 2018. This is an ideal base location for a VPN because there are no data retention laws or practices in place there.
- Opiniones Surfshark, avast secureline vpn que es, Steganos Online Shield Vpn Full, setup vpn on windows 10 pro. Asking yourself who would win in a Mullvad vs Opiniones Surfshark NordVPN comparison is mostly asking yourself what you want most from a VPN service. Both providers offer impressive features, but while Mullvad is all about excellent.
- A pandemic can bring you to a dead-end in binge-watching — also, rewatching everything gets repetitive. In this case, a VPN lets you access global content that's usually only available outside of your country, including foreign TV shows, movies, sports, and more!
In my professional opinion, Surfshark is a better VPN than ProtonVPN, and is the better choice in most circumstances.
This comparison between ProtonVPN and SurfShark includes test data that was undertaken between 3 September and 3 November 2020.
Comparison Results
Privacy & Anonymity
(7.9)
(8.87)
Speed & Performance
(7.25)
(8.11)
Functionality & Application
(5.21)
(6.79)
Reputation & Support
(7.85)
(10)
Price & Value
(5.64)
(9.87)
Total Score
(6.77)
(8.73)
How is ProtonVPN better than SurfShark?
Surfshark is better than ProtonVPN in all aspects.
How is SurfShark better than ProtonVPN?
Surfshark offers better privacy, browsing and torrenting speeds, customer support, and unblocks Netflix in more countries than ProtonVPN.
Privacy & Anonymity
Which one offers better privacy?
Surfshark is better for privacy since they do not collect any logs. While it is unidentifiable, ProtonVPN collects the last connection timestamp data to restrict the number of simultaneous connections.
Privacy & Anonymity Comparison
Privacy & Anonymity
(7.9)
(8.87)
Consideration | ProtonVPN | SurfShark |
---|---|---|
DNS Leak Test | Pass | Pass |
WebRTC Leak Test | Pass | Pass |
IP Leak Test | Pass | Pass |
Protocols Windows | OpenVPN UDP, OpenVPN TCP | OpenVPN UDP, OpenVPN TCP, IKEv2, Shadowsocks, WireGuard |
Protocols Mac | UDP, TCP | OpenVPN UDP, OpenVPN TCP, IKEv2, WireGuard |
Protocols Android | OpenVPN UDP, OpenVPN TCP, IKEv2 | OpenVPN UDP, OpenVPN TCP, IKEv2, Shadowsocks, WireGuard |
Protocols iOS | OpenVPN UDP, OpenVPN TCP, IKEv2 | OpenVPN UDP, OpenVPN TCP, IKEv2 |
Killswitch Windows | Yes | Yes |
Killswitch Mac | Yes | Yes |
Killswitch Android | Yes | Yes |
Killswitch iOS | No | Yes |
Logs Policy | Last connection timestamp only | No logs collected |
Jurisdiction | Switzerland | British Virgin Islands |
Speed & Performance
Which one is faster?
We tested the browsing and downloading speeds of both VPNs multiple times using different protocols. Surfshark's OpenVPN - UDP protocol was the fastest with an impressive performance. Surfshark's IKEv2 was marginally better than ProtonVPN's OpenVPN - UDP, both showing above-average speeds.
Which one is better for downloading torrents?
We downloaded 163MB, 642MB, and 2.42GB files using Surfshark and ProtonVPN. Surfshark was significantly faster than ProtonVPN in all three tests.
Speed & Performance Comparison
Speed & Performance
(7.25)
(8.11)
Speed Test Results
* Higher scores are better. Progress bar versus best test result amongst all VPNs.
Network Bandwidth Download Speed (Average) 25 Tests
31.84Mbps
66.22Mbps
81.72Mbps
76.66Mbps
75.67Mbps
93.33Mbps
100MB File Download Speed (Average) 25 Tests
9.87MBps
6.41MBps
10.04MBps
7.83MBps
9.6MBps
11.97MBps
Torrent Download Speed (Average) 5 Tests
7.23MBps
6.18MBps
7.15MBps
7.08MBps
7.24MBps
9.29MBps
Functionality & Application
Which is better for geo-unblocking Netflix?
We tested both VPNs to see if they would let us watch geo-blocked Netflix content in fifteen countries. Surfshark was far better than ProtonVPN, unblocking Netflix Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
ProtonVPN unblocked Netflix France, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, and the United States.
Netflix Unblock Tests
Country | ProtonVPN | SurfShark |
---|---|---|
Australia | Fail | Success |
Brazil | Fail | Fail |
Canada | Fail | Success |
France | Success | Success |
Germany | Success | Success |
Hong Kong | Fail | Fail |
India | Fail | Fail |
Israel | Fail | Fail |
Japan | Success | Success |
Korea | Fail | Success |
Mexico | Fail | Fail |
Netherlands | Fail | Success |
Sweden | Fail | Success |
United Kingdom | Success | Success |
USA | Success | Success |
Which one has better features?
Surfshark allows unlimited simultaneous connections while ProtonVPN allows only ten.
Functionality & Application Comparison
Functionality & Application
(5.21)
(6.79)
Consideration | ProtonVPN | SurfShark |
---|---|---|
UX / Ease of Use | Great | Great |
Installation / Onboarding | Excellent | Average |
Split Tunneling Windows | Yes | Yes |
Split Tunneling Mac | No | No |
Split Tunneling Android | Yes | Yes |
Split Tunneling iOS | Coming Soon | Coming Soon |
Unblocks Netflix Score | 5/15 | 10/15 |
Unblocks BBC iPlayer | Pass | Pass |
Extras | Tor integration, | CleanWeb - Blocks ads, malware, trackers, NoBorders - bypass internet restrictions |
Number of Servers | 1019 + | 1700 + |
Number of Countries with Servers | 51 | 63 |
Maximum Number of Connections | 10 | Unlimited |
Reputation & Support
Which one offers better support?
Surfshark offers live chat support while ProtonVPN offers only email support.
Which one is more trustworthy?
Surfshark has maintained a fairly clean reputation, with most users being happy with the service provided.
Proton has a good privacy reputation, being the same company behind the privacy focused email service, ProtonMail. However, there were rumors that ProtonVPN had dealings related to human resources with a firm called Tesonet, known for>ConsiderationProtonVPNSurfSharkReputationVery GoodExcellentSupport Response and QualityVery GoodExcellentSupport DocumentationExcellentExcellent
Price & Value
Which offers better value for money?
7.23MBps
6.18MBps
7.15MBps
7.08MBps
7.24MBps
9.29MBps
Functionality & Application
Which is better for geo-unblocking Netflix?
We tested both VPNs to see if they would let us watch geo-blocked Netflix content in fifteen countries. Surfshark was far better than ProtonVPN, unblocking Netflix Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
ProtonVPN unblocked Netflix France, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, and the United States.
Netflix Unblock Tests
Country | ProtonVPN | SurfShark |
---|---|---|
Australia | Fail | Success |
Brazil | Fail | Fail |
Canada | Fail | Success |
France | Success | Success |
Germany | Success | Success |
Hong Kong | Fail | Fail |
India | Fail | Fail |
Israel | Fail | Fail |
Japan | Success | Success |
Korea | Fail | Success |
Mexico | Fail | Fail |
Netherlands | Fail | Success |
Sweden | Fail | Success |
United Kingdom | Success | Success |
USA | Success | Success |
Which one has better features?
Surfshark allows unlimited simultaneous connections while ProtonVPN allows only ten.
Functionality & Application Comparison
Functionality & Application
(5.21)
(6.79)
Consideration | ProtonVPN | SurfShark |
---|---|---|
UX / Ease of Use | Great | Great |
Installation / Onboarding | Excellent | Average |
Split Tunneling Windows | Yes | Yes |
Split Tunneling Mac | No | No |
Split Tunneling Android | Yes | Yes |
Split Tunneling iOS | Coming Soon | Coming Soon |
Unblocks Netflix Score | 5/15 | 10/15 |
Unblocks BBC iPlayer | Pass | Pass |
Extras | Tor integration, | CleanWeb - Blocks ads, malware, trackers, NoBorders - bypass internet restrictions |
Number of Servers | 1019 + | 1700 + |
Number of Countries with Servers | 51 | 63 |
Maximum Number of Connections | 10 | Unlimited |
Reputation & Support
Which one offers better support?
Surfshark offers live chat support while ProtonVPN offers only email support.
Which one is more trustworthy?
Surfshark has maintained a fairly clean reputation, with most users being happy with the service provided.
Proton has a good privacy reputation, being the same company behind the privacy focused email service, ProtonMail. However, there were rumors that ProtonVPN had dealings related to human resources with a firm called Tesonet, known for>ConsiderationProtonVPNSurfSharkReputationVery GoodExcellentSupport Response and QualityVery GoodExcellentSupport DocumentationExcellentExcellent
Price & Value
Which offers better value for money?
Surfshark offers better value for money considering the speeds, torrenting, and streaming compatibility. Their monthly plan is slightly costlier at $11.95 per month compared to ProtonVPN's $10 per month. However, Surfshark's one year plan costs only $71.88 while ProtonVPN's one year plan costs $96.
Price & Value Comparison
Price & Value
Surfshark Opinions On The Internet
(5.64)
(9.87)
Consideration | ProtonVPN | SurfShark |
---|---|---|
One Month Price ($USD) | $10.00/month | $11.95/month |
One Year Deal (Price Per Month) | $8.00/month | $5.99/month |
Two Year Deal (Price Per Month) | $6.63/month | $1.99/month |
Great - 8.73 / 10
SurfShark
Very Good - 6.77 / 10
ProtonVPN
Surfshark VPN Subscription Costs
We've tested lots of different VPNs, and like we said above, Surfshark is a great choice for just about anyone. Their core functions are solid for the everyday browser and streamer, and they offer some technical capabilities that would appeal to folks who need a higher-end VPN for specific purposes — like folks traveling to a country with restrictive internet policies for example.
FYI: If you travel a lot for work and are looking for VPNs that are suitable for jet-setters, you might also consider reading our review of IPVanish. They've got a great suite of features for globetrotters.
Surfshark also offers all of this at really reasonable price points. Let's take a quick look at the breakdown of their subscription packages.
Surfshark VPN Plans and Pricing
Surfshark Subscription Options | Price |
---|---|
1 Month | $12.95 per month |
6 Months | $6.49 per month |
24 Months | $2.49 per month |
For context, Surfshark's month-to-month price of $12.95 is a little steep as far as VPNs go, but if you sign up for a longer-term subscription, that price drops off significantly. For six months, you're already cutting the price nearly in half, and if you sign up for two years, the service is less than a cup of gas station coffee.
For context, one of the best VPNs on the market today's month to month price is exactly the same, but your savings sort of plateau as the duration of your subscription increases. If you want to learn more, you can read our guide for ExpressVPN's plans and pricing, or you can read our in-depth ExpressVPN review of its services and features.
Also worth noting, if you sign up for the 24-month subscription plan, the cost is fully refundable up to thirty days from purchase. That means you can try it out for a month before making the final decision on if Surfshark VPN is right for you.
Surfshark VPN Bonuses
While you're picking out your subscription package, Surfshark VPN also offers two bonus features you can add on for an additional $0.99 per month: Alert and Search.
Surfshark Alert
Surfshark kind of undersells its alert function in the signup process when they say it monitors known data breaches for your email address. It's actually a stripped-down identity theft protection service that makes sure that key pieces of your personally identifying information aren't showing up on dark web marketplaces.
Did You Know: 'Deep web' and 'dark web' are sometimes incorrectly used interchangeably. The deep web simply refers to areas of the internet not indexed by search engines. The dark web, on the other hand, is purposefully obscured, usually for nefarious reasons.1
Surfshark Opinions On Amazon
Surfshark Search
The search function is another neat little add-on to Surfshark's services. By using this feature, you can browse the web without being tracked by your internet service provider or your preferred search engine. It's pretty handy and well worth the price.
Did You Know: Google tracks more than you realize. From your browsing habits to your physical location, the tech giant is almost always collecting your data.
Surfshark + Alerts and Search Pricing
Surfshark VPN Plans | Price |
---|---|
1 Month | $13.94 per month |
6 Months | $7.48 per month |
24 Months | $3.48 per month |