Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Simple to use
- No device limits
- Some Mac performance hiccups
Our Verdict
SurfShark is a great VPN option that’s as easy to use as the best of them, while maintaining security across an unlimited number of devices – something we don’t see often. As with the likes of NordVPN, it leans heavily on two-year pricing, which can be problematic when VPN legislation and privacy protocols can regularly wax and wane.
The joy of VPNs becoming more popular is that services spring up all over the place aiming to be worth your time and money. One such option is SurfShark, which remains a reliable, affordable option that there’s a good chance your favorite tech YouTuber has endorsed at some point in time.
SurfShark has more than 3,000 servers spread across 100 countries, making its network one of the widest and most varied of any VPN, as well as a backbone of excellent apps across just about any operating system, Apple or otherwise (although I did find it slowed my MacBook down a little during testing).
It supports multiple protocols (although OpenVPN is a little slower than I’d like) and excellent encryption, as well as a privacy-minded no-logs policy that’s regularly audited – something even big hitters like NordVPN can’t guarantee.
So, whether you’re looking to buy a product from another country, access a different country’s selection of streaming service libraries from the comfort of your home, or want to just keep your data private when using coffee shop Wi-Fi, SurfShark is well worth a look.
For more options take a look at our round-ups of the best VPNs for Mac, best VPNs for iPhone and best VPNs for iPad.
You can sign up for Surfshark here.
Surfshark Features & Apps
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As with many of its competitors, SurfShark offers three tiers of features at varying price points. The most basic option, aptly named SurfShark Starter, offers VPN functionality as well as an ad blocker and the option to generate a proxy email address and personal details for sites you don’t feel comfortable about giving your information to.
SurfShark One, which the company refers to as the ‘Best choice’, adds email and payment detail breach alerts, as well as personal data security reports, antivirus and other malware protection, while the One+ plan adds data removal from company databases and people search sites (in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and EU).
It’s a comprehensive feature set, but while SurfShark certainly tempts with a price starting at just $2.39/£1.79 per month at the time of writing, it’s tied to a two-year bundle. With VPN legislation seemingly always in flux, there’s a risk in tying into anything longer than a year – and there’s no guarantee the price won’t go up after any length of membership.
Once it’s installed, it’s easy to get connected to one of its dizzying array of connections – simply click the country on the left column and it’ll start connecting immediately. Sticking with the macOS version, the app offers light and dark modes, and you can opt to have it shown in the dock or the menu bar which is a nice touch (although I always prefer the latter).
Surfshark Performance
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As discussed in my NordVPN review, my broadband connection at home is steady, but not exactly superfast (at least not yet). That makes any VPN-related download speed drop-off perhaps more noticeable than someone with a Gigabit connection, but, with that in mind, I’m pleased to say that it matches up to NordVPN’s speeds when using the WireGuard speed.
WireGuard is traditionally faster than OpenVPN, and so it appears here – the former lopped 10-15% off my connection speed while the latter saw closer to a 30% drop. That makes it slower than NordVPN when using OpenVPN – something to consider if you want extended compatibility that comes from OpenVPN.
Aside from that, I was able to flick between Netflix libraries with ease, picking up some digital goods with a VPN, too. Everything worked as advertised, at least as far as the connection goes.
Sadly, my main issue with SurfShark’s performance is one of the app itself. Running on an M1 Pro MacBook Pro, I found it slowed down my laptop’s startup process considerably, and when opening it later in the day would definitely grind things to a halt for just a few seconds – but long enough to be noticeable.
It’s also worth pointing out that Mac users miss out on being able to bypass the VPN when it’s in effect, something that NordVPN does offer. That means you’d need to disconnect, run the app in question, and then switch the VPN back on when you’re done, which could certainly prove to be a nuisance.
Surfshark Privacy & Security
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Geoblocking aside, those protocols also offer varying degrees of encryption, all end-to-end to keep your data secure at source and in transit.
The Kill Switch feature is billed as a “safety net”, and like a safety net, it’s something you’ll hope to never use – but you’ll be glad if you have to. It’ll shut down your connection if your VPN connection falters, preventing personal data from sneaking out to bad actors. It won’t reconnect automatically, which in this case is a good thing.
Surfshark is headquartered in the Netherlands and has undergone a series of security audits in recent months. A “no logs” policy is hard to prove (how can a company show you it doesn’t have your data if it never collected any in the first place?) but Surfshark’s process means it logs a small amount of data that’s then scrubbed from its servers with 15 minutes of closing the connection.
This data isn’t attributed to a user by name, so a user ID and connection time are all that’s logged, and then those are removed.
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The Antivirus Scan is handy, too, and it’ll run scheduled background scans if you leave the app open. Two beta features, Ransomware Shield and Webcam Protection can stop your personal folders and hardware camera from falling into the wrong hands respectively, and the app will constantly look to update its database of viruses to cross-reference files.
While Google’s algorithm continually tries to eat itself, Surfshark offers a handy tracker-free browser within the app that moves to your browser of choice. This “private” search is intended to surface “truly organic results”, but in my testing it was hit and miss, oscillating between YouTube videos, old Reddit posts, and the articles I was genuinely looking for.
Surfshark pricing and plans
As mentioned earlier, two years is a long time to be tied into a VPN, but to its credit, SurfShark’s prices are so low that it almost feels worth the risk. $2.39/£1.79 per month (for 24 months) is very little indeed, and while that doesn’t offer some of the more advanced security features, even the priciest tier is only $4.49/£3.89 at a month for 24 months (plus two free months). Just note that Surfshark frequently adjusts these savings, so you may find it costs fractionally more or less. We round up the best VPN deals separately.
Alternatively, if you don’t want to be stuck in a plan you can sign up on a monthly plan. Monthly plans range from $15.45/£12.29 to $17.95/£14.29, depending on which features you opt for.
You can sign up for Surfshark here.
It’s one of the cheapest options out there, and that may just make it worth a look even if you’re looking to use train Wi-Fi while commuting each month, even if you don’t end up springing for one of the pricier plans with additional features. Still, there’s no guarantee it’ll stay as cheap as this when it comes to renewal.
Verdict
I’d always advise against a two-year plan for any VPN, but the price of Surfshark’s cheapest plan is so cheap over that time that it remains tempting.
It certainly doesn’t hurt that it’s a remarkably privacy-focused, secure VPN that’s easily capable of getting around geo-blocked content, too. Whatever you’re looking to use a VPN for, there’s a good chance you’ll get what you’re looking for with SurfShark.
