There are a ton of new VPN providers popping up nowadays. And if you’re looking to get one, it can be kind of confusing since you won’t know which is the best for you. Hopefully, this Surfshark VPN review can get you one step closer to that goal. Here, I’ll be talking about everything you need to know about this cool, new VPN. And for a sneak peek, Surfshark is known to promise cheap prices with amazing premium features. Let’s find out if it’s true or not.
Last updated: 19 November 2024
Before anything else, it’s important to know where this VPN comes from. I’m talking about the company behind this product. It is important to take note of this because after all, you will be handing over your personal data to them. So, you must make sure that you can actually trust them.
Surfshark Ltd. is actually a fairly new VPN established in 2018 and it is based in British Virgin Islands. It is actually based in the same location as the all-time famous, ExpressVPN.
Why is the location so important? This is because the location base of a VPN provider determines just how secure your private information will be. Some countries have data retention laws that they must follow. This means that depending on the country, some providers have to allow the government access to their clients’ personal information. But in the British Virgin Islands, no such law exists. Therefore, you can trust that your data is completely safe.
The great thing about their location is that they are now free to offer a no-logging policy. This means that they won’t keep logs or records of your online activities. So you can rest assured that whatever you do online is kept anonymous.
As for the Surfshark team, there’s not much to go on. All I could get from their site was that the CTO of this Private Virtual Network is named, Magnus Steinberg. On top of that, I was also able to find out that their company is actually part of the RIPE Network Coordination Centre.
Since it is still new, their server number is still starting up as well. They have over 500 servers in 50 different countries. This includes the Middle East, Asia Pacific, the Americas, Africa, and Europe. And of course, it has servers in the most popular locations such as the UK, the US, and Canada.
If you’re wondering how to get this VPN, it’s pretty simple. There’s an app that is available for all desktop OS systems like macOS, Linux, and Windows. You can even opt for the mobile version which is available on both iOS and Android. And of course, if you’re not on the list, you can always choose to manually install it on your device – which is highly unlikely.
The great thing about VPN Surfshark is that it has 3 different payment plans that you can choose from based on your budget. Whether you choose the monthly, 6 months, or 2-year plan, you will be able to avail of all the same features. But the golden rule when it comes to VPNs is: the longer your commitment, the lesser cheaper your monthly payment. If you choose to subscribe to the 2-year option, you get a 82% discount and only have to pay £1.68.
One unique feature you get in this VPN is that it offers UNLIMITED simultaneous connections. You read that right, I said unlimited. This is actually the most number of connections I’ve ever seen a company offer. The best one I’ve seen so far is 7 simultaneous connections. But with Surfshark, you can use your VPN license on all your devices plus, you can even share this with your friends and family. This is what makes this provider a cheap VPN. You can simply share it with other people in order to avoid multiple monthly payments.
And for payment options, you can pay through Paypal, credit card, or even cryptocurrency.
If you’re looking for a free trial, I’m afraid Surfshark VPN doesn’t have one. But they do have a 30-day money-back guarantee. I recommend availing of this so that you can test it out yourself and see how you like it. After all, if it’s going to be your money, you need to make sure what you’re paying for is worth it.
Below is a short which summarizes a few of the key details of this provider.
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Does it register your activities? | No, you're safe with a strict no-log policy |
| Is it safe for torrenting? | Yes, you can use it for P2P |
| What Netflix catalogue is available? | US, UK, IN, IT, NO, DE, AU, JP, KR, PL, FR, CA, TR, SE, SG, NL |
| Simultaneous logins | Up to ∞ connections simultaneously |
| How many countries do it cover? | 100+ |
| On what platforms is it available? | iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, Chrome, Firefox, FireTV, Apple TV, smart TVs, Xbox, Playstation |
| Money-back guarantee policy | 30 days |
| Available protocols | WireGuard, IKEv2, OpenVPN |
| Type of traffic data? | Unlimited |
| Type of Cipher | AES 256 bits, the most secure encryption in the World |
| How many IP Addresses does it provide? | This provider does not disclose the number |
| How many servers are available? | 3,200+ |
I was quite impressed with how simple setting up this provider was. There were really only 2 buttons I needed to press on for the installment process: “install” and “run”. For readers who aren’t so tech-savvy, you’ll definitely appreciate this simple method. It’s easy to do by yourself and you most probably won’t run into any problems when doing it.
If you have a Netflix account, then this is probably the main reason why you’re looking for a VPN. If you haven’t already noticed, the UK only gets 1/3 of the complete US Netflix library. Even though this isn’t Netflix’s fault, it can still feel pretty unfair to most international subscribers.
But don’t be so disappointed. Surfshark VPN can easily bypass geo-restrictions and get you the whole US Netflix catalog. I was able to connect to the US servers and found that it ran just fine. It would buffer a bit for a few seconds, but other than that, it was pretty great. Hopefully, they can keep up this speed once they have more users connecting to the servers.
Earlier on, I said that Surfshark VPN has a no-log policy. This is going to be of great use when you engage in online activities such as downloading torrent files. Since downloading copyrighted content for free is illegal, the anonymity this VPN gives you is great for hiding you from the authorities.
Pair this with its great P2P feature and you’re all set to torrent anything you want. You can just go ahead and connect to any server and launch your client to get started right away. As for download speeds, you’ll be glad to know that it was pretty fast when I tried it out.
Surfshark VPN has a lot of features that they have trademarked. Let’s go to each of them one by one.
This is a feature that can be found in almost every other VPN. That’s because it’s definitely a must to have this as part of that provider’s back-up plan.
When you first launch your Surfshark VPN, you must first make sure to turn on this feature since it is disabled by default. The kill switch feature basically cuts off or “kills” your internet access and open windows once it senses that the VPN connection is being tampered with. This is done to ensure that any hackers that are trying to get to you will be completely shut out. So, you can rest assured that they will have no way of getting to your data.
This feature is becoming increasingly more available in other VPN providers, as well. It is basically a tracker blocker, malware blocker, and an ad blocker in one.
You can finally say goodbye to those pesky pop-up ads for good. If you enable this feature, you are guaranteed a safe, online browsing experience.
This next trademarked feature provides users with split-tunneling. Basically, this feature allows other apps and web sites to bypass your VPN connection. Although it is best to protect all your online activities with a VPN, it can be a bit of a hassle to have to switch your servers all the time when you need to access something locally.
Let’s say, for example, you’re connected to a US server to connect to Netflix. But at the same time, you also need to be connected to your local server to access a local website. Chances are, the local site is blocked due to geo-restriction. So, all you need to do to access it is simply copy the site to the white list. Just remember that once you access this site, you’ll be doing so without the protection of a VPN. So, I recommend using the HTTPS in your URL to prevent any snoopers from looking in on you.
Did you know that free WiFi is actually a haven for hackers? That’s right, they love to hide all kinds of bugs and grifting software in them.
But never fear, once you turn on this feature, you are safe from all these threats and you can use free WiFi all you want!
This is a great feature that allows you to connect to 2 VPN servers at the same time. This is so that you can get double the protection when browsing online.
But before you get all excited, you must take note that although this is great for that additional layer of security, it’s definitely going to slow down your internet connection. So I recommend using this feature only when you absolutely need to.
This feature is what helps you bypass censorship when you’re visiting strict countries like China, or North Korea. Did you know that China actually bans most social media sites like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Google? Simply turn on this feature when you’re there and you can still keep up with all the latest online trends! The only drawback is that it slows your connection by a tad bit.
This is another thing that you must look into when subscribing to a VPN. Although it is highly unlikely that you run into any problems, it is always important that you have a trusty customer support service to turn to.
The impressive thing about Surfshark VPN is that it actually has a variety of ways wherein you can get help. They have a help site, as well as email and live chat available for their customers. The live chat is great for when you need a direct answer right away since it is available 24/7.
I really love the simple interface that Surshark has provided. It is not only aesthetically pleasing, but it is also very easy for beginners and experts alike, to use. So, if you’re new to the whole VPN thing, you have nothing to worry about in this department.
Although there is no “favorites” list that you can add servers on, VPN Surfshark takes note of all your recently used servers on the dashboard. This makes it really convenient to just click on them every time you open the VPN.
You can find the settings by pressing on the cogwheel icon. Here, you can activate all the features that we went through earlier on.
There are also other settings available, but most of them are pretty self-explanatory and I’m pretty sure you already know what they are. This is why I made sure to discuss only a few of the ones I figured you may not have understood.
If you thought Surfshark’s VPN was good enough, you’ll be in awe of their latest add-on.
Surfshark One offers the complete package for online security. Rather than signing up to a multitude of different software, you can now have it all in a single add-on.
Here’s what’s included:
This entire article is about Surfshark’s trusty VPN, so you probably don’t need any more information about this feature. Just know, their great service is included in the new add-on.
Unlike a lot of anti-virus software, Surfshark offers a full range system. When companies provide a free anti-virus tool, it usually just sits at the top of your web browser not doing a great deal. But Surfshark’s software offers regular scanning, and can detect both viruses and malware. You can use the tool to regularly scan your devices, and even personalise which files and folders are scanned.
Let’s face it, search engines are becoming a little spammy. Whenever you search on Bing or Google, you’ll be displayed a bunch of ads that might not even be that relevant to your search. Businesses can pay to be at the top of search results for certain keywords, but that doesn’t mean they’re always what you’re looking for.
Surfshark one offers a search bar with only organic search results – meaning the content you’re provided is usually much more in line with what you’re searching for. It’s also ad free and track free, so you can browse anonymously.
The final feature of the new add-on is the data breach detection. This cool mechanism will send you an alert any time your personal information appears on a breach database. It can also detect when your credit card details appear online or when your personal data has been compromised.
Surfshark One is essentially the perfect package for anyone looking for an out-of-the-box solution for all their online security needs.
That is basically it for this VPN Surfshark review. We’ve tackled everything from prices, features, and even customer support. I would definitely say that this VPN is such a score since you save so much money! This is mainly due to the unlimited simultaneous connections that it offers. So, if your friends and family want a VPN too, you can simply split the costs amongst yourselves.
If you’re looking to protect your personal information and online activities, this provider is definitely the one for you. It has a strict no-log policy which ensures your data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. On top of that, it also has a user-friendly interface which makes it easy for even the beginner to navigate around.
I hope you got everything you needed from this review. And always remember to put your safety first.