Newest checks: Zero information leaks and 19% web pace loss in fall 2022 testsNetwork: 3,200-plus in 99 international locations Jurisdiction: Netherlands Value: Limitless connections for $48 for the primary 12 months (then $60 yearly) or $13 per thirty days. 2-year subscriptions accessible.
Surfshark boasts a formidable suite of privateness and security measures, limitless simultaneous connections, easy-to-use interface and expansive international community. And it is nonetheless considerably cheaper than most of its rivals. That is what helped Surfshark earn CNET’s Editors’ Alternative for Greatest Worth VPN in 2022.
Together with normal VPN options equivalent to a kill swap and DNS leak safety, among the extra notable Surfshark options embrace camouflage mode (which hides the very fact you are utilizing a VPN), split-tunneling, NoBorders mode (which helps you to use Surfshark in areas the place VPNs are restricted) and multihop VPN connections. You may additionally get entry to Surfshark’s CleanWeb expertise, which blocks adverts and malware and helps you keep away from phishing assaults.
One innovation we’re excited to see Surfshark roll out over the subsequent 12 months is its Nexus community, which connects the VPN’s total community of servers collectively and permits you to select a number of servers to route your connection by way of. The performance is considerably much like Tor, however Surfshark says it is sooner. With its Dynamic MultiHop, IP Randomizer and IP Rotator capabilities, the Nexus community can provide you a number of additional layers of safety when you use the VPN — which could be significantly helpful to customers with vital privateness wants.
Surfshark says it does not log any consumer exercise. And though no-logging claims are nearly unimaginable to show with 100% certainty, German cybersecurity agency Cure53 declared Surfshark’s safety to be “stable” in its 2021 safety audit of the VPN. Surfshark says a brand new audit is forthcoming by the top of this 12 months.
As of February 2022, each Surfshark and NordVPN have the identical company mother or father (Tesonet), however Surfshark mentioned it’s legally certain to not share any data between the entities that may go in opposition to its privateness coverage or phrases of service. We did not discover any language in both doc that may point out Surfshark has any obligation to share consumer information with its mother or father firm or any sibling firms, which embrace NordVPN.
Surfshark charges constantly as one of many quickest VPNs accessible, which is why we had been stunned that one of many solely points we had with Surfshark got here in our pace check. Whereas it nonetheless ranks as one of many quickest VPNs we have examined — with an web pace lack of simply 19% — we had been dissatisfied with the inconsistent pace outcomes we received to sure areas. Speeds to Europe and Singapore had been erratic (dipping as little as 9Mbps to Singapore), whereas speeds to New York had been slower than speeds to the UK and even Australia. Surfhark is within the means of considerably increasing its server community, now providing greater than 3,200 servers in 99 international locations. The continued enlargement of its server community might probably assist convey some extra consistency to the VPN’s speeds.
In our checks, Surfshark had no issues unblocking Netflix and Amazon Prime Video content material, however we did run right into a good bit of bother accessing Disney Plus. After testing varied servers within the US and different international locations the place Disney Plus is on the market, we had been lastly in a position to entry the content material once we linked to a server in Boston. It’s possible you’ll want to check a number of servers your self earlier than having access to Disney Plus content material with Surfshark.
Surfshark provides cheaper introductory costs that leap after the primary billing cycle. Even so, Surfshark manages to maintain its costs decrease than most different VPNs — serving to it earn CNET’s Editors’ Alternative for Greatest Worth. The yearly plan begins out at $48 for the primary 12 months, then jumps to $60 for any further years of service. If you happen to go for the two-year plan, you will pay $60 up entrance for the preliminary two years mixed, then $60 per 12 months for any further years. Surfshark’s month-to-month plan stays fixed at $13 a month. If you happen to’re not happy with the service for any motive, Surfshark provides a 30-day money-back assure.