Surfshark Reviews & Ratings

VPNs are widely used to improve online privacy and ensure high speed while using public networks. One such highly trusted VPN solution is Surfshark. It is doing a good job of offering amazing features with robust security. With unlimited device connections, Surfshark continues to rule the VRP market.

In this article, we will learn more about Surfshark VPN, including some of its characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, cost, and other details further in this article.

Background of Surfshark (Founders and Establishment Details)

Surfshark was launched in 2018, making it a new VPN provider in the market.

It is a VPN (a virtual private network) service provider that safeguards your connection when you are working on the internet. This enables you to browse privately, ensures that you are not being tracked by your ISP (Internet Service Provider), and even masks your IP address. This VPN service ensures that none of your data/information is captured and stored anywhere.

Surfshark VPN Review

Even being a new service provider in the market, its innovative features have made it eligible for our top VPN list. It offers great value for the price with features such as an easy user interface, privacy options, the capacity for offering simultaneous connections, and more.

The main purpose of Surfshark VPN is to protect your online data and personal information in case you use wi-fi in any public place while also masking your internet activity and sensitive information. It ensures that your browsing history or location isn’t linked to your identity and that you surf the web with peace. Let’s understand in detail what Surfshark has to offer.

A merger between Surfshark VPN and NordVPN was announced on February 2, 2022. According to both companies, the brands will continue to operate as separate entities with their own business plans and infrastructure.

Features of Surfshark VPN

Let's look at some of the Surfshark features to know more about it:

• Tunnelling protocol: Surfshark is the first VPN software to use WireGuard as its primary tunnelling protocol. WireGuard is the fastest tunnelling protocol available today.
• WhiteLister: This specific feature lets certain websites and apps bypass Surfshark VPN to avoid slow connection and permits data-heavy apps to run at their normal speed. This functionality is especially useful while working with mobile banking or similar programs.
• CleanWeb: A free Adblock function offered by Surfshark guards against malware, advertisements, and phishing attempts.
• VPN Kill Switch: It includes a Kill Switch functionality that cuts off your internet access if your VPN connection fails to safeguard your privacy.
• Browser Extension: Offers browser extensions for Firefox as well as Chrome.
• MultiHop Connection: Surfshark's latest security feature is Nexus. Connecting VPN servers into one consolidated network is achieved with Software Defined Networking (SDN). It provides double-layer protection while using two different VPN servers.
• Tor Compatibility: Users can connect more securely & privately with Surfshark because of its compatibility with Tor.
• Camouflage Mode: For further privacy, this function allows you to prevent your ISP from seeing your online activities.
• NoBorders Mode: Makes it possible to access prohibited streaming, banned content, and other censored services while unblocking specific ‘region-restricted’ streaming services.
• Unlimited Installs: You are given unlimited installs and access to Surfshark across all your devices.
• Smart DNS: Surfshark VPN uses a custom DNS service called Smart DNS, which is fairly common among VPN providers.
• RAM-only servers: As one of the few VPN service providers that only use RAM, Surfshark stands out from the competition. It is designed to purge data, so you cannot recover it by design. There is no better alternative.

Surfshark VPN Specifications

Analyzing Surfshark VPN Performance

Surfshark is believed to be one of the fastest VPNs you can even check using online speed test tools. We noticed a good connection speed in the US and UK locations during our checking. However, there were some dips at times. But surprisingly, there were a lot of fluctuations in Singapore.

Recently, Surfshark has deployed 3200 servers in about 100 countries. So, this massive number of servers is expected to help stabilize Surfshark VPN performance across all countries and cities.

Streaming and staying private are made effortless with Surfshark's fast, powerful VPN, and its low price further enhances its appeal.

Surfshark Accessibility Across Devices

Surfshark for Windows

The Surfshark app might look a little complex on your Windows screen, but it is simple and works like any other VPN. It comes with a Connect button that helps you to access the nearest server and a list of locations showing a few other servers. You can even see a ‘Settings’ button to check out for features like Kill Switch, CleanWeb, AutoConnect, and more.

You can easily connect to VPN in just a few seconds. However, Surfshark sends you an update when you enter a secure connection. In windows, the VPN service provider allows you to easily pick your preferred location by displaying countries and their cities in the same list.

You no longer need to keep switching between multiple tabs to find out or view specific cities. However, a little inconvenience is caused, as the cities list is not alphabetically displayed. Thus, finding a city to show your location is time-consuming.

In addition, you also get a search box to find individual cities or countries. You can mark your favorites and save them for later use.

Surfshark for Mac

The Surfshark app for macOS looks the same as the Windows OS but has minor changes. One of the best parts of the Mac app is that it displays cities alphabetically. But it fails to give Kill Switch status on the connect window, disappointing users. Another major miss in the Mac app is that no Bypasser option would allow you to bypass any website or app via the VPN.

But overall, the app offers all the major functionalities, including static IPs, Kill Switch, CleanWeb, malware blocking, and more. It also offers an additional feature that auto-connects your device to the VPN whenever you access untrusted networks.

Surfshark for Mobile Apps

The mobile versions of Surfshark are more like a basic version of the desktop versions.

However, in some areas, the Android version outperforms the Windows versions, as it comes with the auto-connect and split tunnelling Bypasser system. Users also get mobile-specific features such as ‘Use Small Packets’ and Override GPS location, which makes it difficult for applications to locate where you are now.

Further, reaching out to the customer is quite easy from the app itself. Users can send bug reports, raise tickets, and solve queries without going to the browser. The same applies to the Surfshark iOS app. Additionally, it comes with quick widgets that users connect easily to the VPN.

Surfshark's Speed Test

There were occasional speed dips during the speed test, but overall the speed was fast. Surfshark's speeds in our Nov 2022 tests were somewhat disappointing, even though it's still one of the fast VPNs we've tested. Our average internet speed while connected to the VPN was slightly low compared to 145.22Mbps when disconnected. Surfshark's speed results were more disappointing than the slight decrease from the last testing. This inconsistency makes it difficult to recommend Surfshark.

Surfshark VPN Pricing

Regardless of any plan, Surfshark offers unlimited bandwidth, round-the-clock customer service, and no data cap. Surfshark VPN price options are as follows:

A recent hike in the Surfshark price has moved Surfshark into the high-end VPN market. A single month of Surfshark costs $12.95 now. However, a few other factors that make Surfshark pricing attractive are its 30-day money-back guarantee and multiple acceptable payment options such as debit & credit cards, Google Pay, PayPal, Amazon Pay, and even cryptocurrencies. Surfshark subscription plans are affordable compared to its competitors, such as ExpressVPN.

Your cost gets low as you opt for longer subscription plans. However, a recent hike in their pricing plans might reduce their usage. Even then, a big plus point with Surfshark VPN is that other VPNs allow users to connect a maximum of 10 devices simultaneously. But Surfshark allows users to connect unlimited devices to VPN. So, the price hike should not affect users that use a large network of devices to surf on a VPN.

Surfshark VPN Pros And Cons

• Quick and friendly live chat assistance
• Extensive server presence globally
• Offers unlimited connections
• Features like Multi-hop split tunneling & AdBlock are available
• Offers a 30-day policy for refunds & budget-friendly plans

• Kill Switch issue upon rigorous testing
• No split tunneling for IOS
• Inconsistent speed performance
• Confusing subscription price
• Unclear privacy policy

Why Choose Surfshark VPN?

• Privacy Protection: You can safeguard your online identity, receive a reliable AdBlocker, and get strong protection against malware and trackers.
• Affordability: This is one of the most affordable VPN services in the market. One can subscribe to its 2-year plan for less than 3 dollars/month.
• Strong Security: Offers high-grade protection to the users even when using public wi-fi networks and offers robust security during online banking or dealing in crypto assets.
• Quality Service & Support: One can rely on this VPN as it offers 24X7 continuous live support via chat while also offering consistency and quality in service.
• Speed Test: Surfshark VPN offers an amazingly consistent speed of 110-150 Mbps downloads, and the results were found in the Ookla speed test.
• 30-Days Money-Back Policy: If you are unsatisfied with Surfshark’s services, you can request the money back. This is an excellent method for evaluating Surfshark for no cost.
• Unblocks Streaming Sites: Using Surfshark, you can easily unblock videos from Amazon Prime, Netflix libraries, BBC iPlayer, and other platforms.

Techjockey's Verdict:

Among the most affordable VPN alternatives available, Surfshark is one of our top recommendations because it has a good variety of important features, such as Netflix access, a VPN kill switch, and a white-listing functionality that you won't necessarily get with any other VPN services.

Overall, Surfshark would be great if someone plans to be associated with them for a longer period at the lowest price. It offers a ’30-day Money-back Policy’ and allows an individual to take advantage of it before deciding which plan to subscribe to.

It facilitates everything you need- whether you want to play games, download on torrent, or even stream videos. Additionally, it protects your identity on public wi-fi, masks your browsing, unlocks censored/blocked websites, safeguard personal data, allows you to stream Netflix privately, and much more.