A quick VPN for informal customers by means of NewsFlicks

Surfshark is among the youngest primary VPNs, however it is grown abruptly during the last seven years. Since 2018, it is expanded its community to 100 nations, added a set of apps to its Surfshark One bundle and experimented with complex touches like servers that continuously rotate your IP deal with.

Previously the cheap VPN, Surfshark continues to be beautiful inexpensive however the price of a one-month subscription is much too prime. Nowadays, it is extra all for innovation than affordability. Its options would possibly not all the time be state-of-the-art — Nexus is principally Tor and Everlink is a quite higher kill transfer — however it is uncommon to search out both carried out so nicely in a industrial VPN. Plus, obtain and add speeds are improbable.

All of it provides as much as one of the most supreme VPNs for informal customers, even if in comparison to others in its weight magnificence. However the ones already deeply accustomed to VPNs may commute over some facets. For this assessment, I studied 11 other angles on Surfshark’s provider, some via hands-on assessments and others with out of date journalism. Take a look at the sections maximum vital to you, then head to the top for my ultimate verdict.

Editors’ word: We are within the strategy of rebooting all of our VPN evaluations from scratch. When we do a contemporary go at the height products and services, we will be updating every assessment with a score and further comparative knowledge.

Surfshark

A quick, solid VPN with distinctive options and excellent consideration to safety.

Execs

• Very speedy speeds
• Cut up tunneling on all apps
• Can make a choice your individual multihop paths

Cons

• Unmarried-month pricing is over the top
• Plenty of popups on desktop
• NoBorders Mode helpful however can activate needlessly

$53.73 for 27 months at Surfshark

Desk of contents

Findings at a look

This desk summarizes all the things I found out about Surfshark. For main points on any bullet level, see its phase within the complete assessment.

Putting in, configuring and the usage of Surfshark

For this phase, I will be going over the way it feels to make use of Surfshark. I will have a look at how simple or tricky it’s to put in, what you must do to set it up and whether or not the person interface (UI) is helping out or will get in the way in which on every platform.

Home windows

Surfshark is simple to obtain and set up on Home windows. You’ll be able to get it during the Microsoft retailer, however going immediately during the Surfshark website online makes certain you’ve gotten the newest and maximum entire model. The downloader asks you to click on “Sure,” however most commonly handles itself, and finally ends up in a little while.

The primary level that may divide informal customers and VPN veterans comes whenever you open the app for the primary time. Surfshark insists on taking you via a guided setup procedure for all its options. That is extraordinarily useful if you happen to’ve by no means used a VPN earlier than. In case you have, its repeated insistence on sending you during the excursion can get tense.

This development repeated itself as I went during the app. The entrance web page is sensibly arranged and organized so I may see the entire details and settings — but it surely stays approach too reliant on unskippable pop-ups to offer knowledge. Messages seemed after I attempted to cancel a caught connection, after I grew to become settings off and on and even if I attempted to near the app. It is most often vital knowledge, however showing a message that freezes each and every different button is a nasty transfer.

It is a disgrace, as a result of all the things else works high-quality. The settings tabs do an admirable task of packing more than one, semi-related apps right into a unmarried UI. Simply consider that a large number of stuff is enabled by means of default, together with auto-connect and NoBorders, which can make the VPN behave in techniques you don’t want.

Mac

Surfshark’s app for macOS is most commonly the similar as its Home windows app, for higher or worse. It has got the similar split-second obtain and set up and the similar transparent group of tabs with well-explained options. It is usually were given the similar relentless popups, settings on by means of default and on occasion sticky connections. If it will get hung up at 95 p.c, simply wait — it is nonetheless running.

Android

The Surfshark Android app, to be had during the Google Play Retailer, is in a position after you merely obtain and login. It does not reinvent the wheel, however Surfshark’s design language seems to be really easy to compress into cell — with the exception of that it is dark-mode by means of default, whilst the entire different 3 are gentle. I discovered all the things I wished inside of moments. Android even gets rid of virtually the entire full-screen stop-everything notifications.

Something to pay attention to: whilst you get started up the Android app, the VPN is visual, however the touchdown web page contains the entire options of Surfshark One. To get the VPN-only entrance web page, click on the arrow throughout from “VPN” on the height of the display screen. That mentioned, you’ll be able to do virtually all the things you wish to have to do regardless of which web page you are on.

iOS

It is ordinary to peer a large distinction between a VPN’s apps at the two cell platforms, however Surfshark switches up its design from Android to iOS. The whole lot now lives in 4 tabs at the backside of the window. The settings tab is superb, in large part as it looks as if how personal tastes do on Mac and Home windows.

The principle VPN window is a bit of jankier. It really works high-quality, however as a way to make the server checklist continuously visual (useless IMO), it relegates the real VPN connection to a floating field that appears like an afterthought. It even features a button to open the server checklist that is already open. I freely admit that is only a non-public criticism, but it surely nonetheless baffles me.

Browser extensions

Surfshark’s browser extensions for Firefox and Chromium are virtually clones of its desktop apps, with a couple of variations. The Alert tab tells you if the website you are on has suffered a safety breach lately. CleanWeb 2.0 is the primary explanation why so as to add Surfshark on your browser; it is a a lot more potent blocker that even works on some video insert advertisements.

Surfshark pace check: Tremendous speedy with some latency

All VPNs upload on your internet browser’s workload, so it is standard to peer speeds drop. The most efficient VPNs set up to stay the drops as small as conceivable. I used speedtest.internet to peer how temporarily my obtain speeds declined at six of Surfshark’s server places — that is a measure of the way speedy a browser can load internet pages, buffer movies and obtain massive information.

I additionally appeared for latency, which impacts real-time communique with every other server (vital for players) and add pace, which impacts how temporarily your tool can ship knowledge (vital for torrenting). My effects are within the desk.

In the case of obtain and add speeds, Surfshark is the quickest VPN I have examined to this point, beating out ExpressVPN, Proton VPN and NordVPN — and none of the ones are precisely slow. In case you have a look at the Indonesia row, you can see I in fact were given the next add pace than I did with out the VPN energetic. That most likely has extra to do with herbal fluctuations from my ISP than anything else Surfshark did, but it surely nonetheless signifies how little this VPN weighs down your surfing.

Latency is extra of a combined bag. Jumps in ping time are anticipated throughout lengthy distances, however I additionally noticed a slightly massive leap on a server in the similar state as me. Surfshark will not be supreme for fast moving on-line video games, however its speeds are on the subject of best possible for every other activity.

Surfshark safety check: Easy however efficient protocols

To decide whether or not Surfshark can stay you secure, I will be having a look at 3 components: whether or not it makes use of safe and up-to-date VPN protocols, whether or not any of the ones protocols leak your IP deal with and whether or not encryption is being implemented to all knowledge packets. The primary is an issue of researching the era, however I have run sensible assessments for the opposite two.

VPN protocols

Surfshark makes use of the VPN protocols WireGuard, OpenVPN (over TCP or UDP) and IKEv2. All of those are field-tested protocols that depend on uncracked encryption and confirmed authentication strategies. There is no proprietary protocol with shady supply code, nor any old-fashioned legacy choices that may pose a possibility if you happen to select them. My solely criticism is that OpenVPN is not to be had on Mac.

Each and every of those protocols does the similar factor: determine communique between your tool, VPN servers and the web. They care for the stairs another way, however the moderate person is solely prone to see small variations. If one protocol is not running, you’ll be able to transfer to every other — or simply select the automated protocol variety choice, which labored high-quality all the way through my assessments. If you wish to select for your self, use the desk underneath for reference.

Leak check

Subsequent, I picked 5 of the servers I did not use for the velocity check and checked they all for 3 other varieties of leaks the usage of ipleak.internet. Surfshark has its personal DNS servers, so DNS leaks are not likely — the ones most often come from a VPN the usage of public servers to get to the bottom of DNS requests. As anticipated, DNS requests did not expose my IP deal with in any of the assessments.

There may be extra doable for IPv6 leaks, as Surfshark does not reinforce IPv6. It recommends turning it off as an alternative, and has guides on doing that. To totally put Surfshark via its paces, although, I ran my assessments with IPv6 nonetheless energetic on my laptop. On all 5 servers, the IPv6 check may no longer run. This means that Surfshark actively blocks IPv6, which (till extra of the web begins working at the new protocol) is a high-quality option to save you IPv6 leaks.

The leak checking out instrument additionally assessments for WebRTC leaks, so I ran every check with a Google Meet name energetic, however that did not leak both. Briefly, Surfshark did not spring a leak regardless of how repeatedly I poked it. I am ready to name it watertight.

Encryption check

To be completely certain I used to be recommending a secure VPN, I used WireShark (no relation) and HTTP Endlessly to peer whether or not its encryption works. From inspecting the information circulate earlier than and after connecting to a Surfshark server, it is transparent that encryption is in point of fact being implemented. Have a look for your self — the truth that you’ll be able to’t get any knowledge from the screenshot manner the VPN protocol is operating.

How a lot does Surfshark value?

Surfshark is a part of a set of safety merchandise — so much like its sister emblem NordVPN, however with the choices in keeping with tier slightly extra coherent. It is available in 3 subscription varieties, every of which is to be had at 3 periods. The desk underneath displays the entire vary of prices.

Be aware that the 24-month plans are introductory solely. You’ll be able to solely renew for one month or twelve months. The costs underneath additionally consider further months you can get whilst you join the primary time, which are not to be had in renewals.

Surfshark’s worth drops steeply from its shortest to its longest subscriptions. $15.45 is much overpriced (even for a provider we slightly like), however $1.99 per thirty days is in regards to the least you can pay for any VPN value recommending. The leap from Starter (which solely contains the VPN provider) to One (which incorporates all the things else with the exception of Incogni) may be tiny at the 12-month plan — solely an additional $0.20.

Surfshark is sort of definitely doing this to juice energetic person numbers — however that does not imply you’ll be able to’t profit from it. To our thoughts, the 12-month subscription to Surfshark One is very excellent worth, supplied you recognize you wish to have Surfshark VPN.

Each and every plan comes with a 30-day money-back ensure. At any level earlier than 30 days have elapsed, you’ll be able to get started a reside chat dialog to get your a refund. That is solely allowed as soon as each and every six months.

You’ll be able to additionally get a loose trial for seven days by means of putting in the Surfshark app from the Apple or Android app retailer, growing an account, then opting for the plan that incorporates the 7-day loose trial. Alternatively, since you must input a cost means for this — and it isn’t obtainable on Home windows — the 30-day length is most often extra handy.

Surfshark aspect apps and bundles

Here is what you’ll be able to get from Surfshark with the exception of its VPN provider. So as to stay our focal point at the VPN, we did not have time to scrupulously check most of these, however now we have incorporated the fundamental knowledge that will help you make your determination.

Selection ID

Selection ID is incorporated along side VPN provider in a Surfshark Starter plan. It is composed of 2 options: masked electronic mail generator and private element generator.

Masked electronic mail generator will provide you with a random electronic mail deal with that sends all messages alongside on your genuine inbox. Because it auto-forwards all the things, an electronic mail masks is not for decreasing unsolicited mail. As a substitute, it permits you to stay your genuine electronic mail deal with secret when signing up for on-line products and services — since offering your exact deal with runs the chance of leaking it. For an additional $2.89 per thirty days, you’ll be able to additionally get another telephone quantity that works in a similar fashion.

Private element generator creates pretend names, addresses and birthdays you’ll be able to use to enroll in any web pages you are unsure about. Make sure to use it along side the VPN, or your IP deal with will expose the real main points. It additionally could be useful for randomly producing your subsequent RPG persona.

Surfshark Antivirus

Surfshark Antivirus is incorporated in Surfshark One and One+ subscriptions. It might probably scan information as you obtain them and too can scan all of your gadget for malware, checking in opposition to an inventory of undesirable methods it claims to replace each and every 3 hours.

AV-Take a look at gave it a best possible ranking in coverage. A height ranking (6 out of 6) manner Surfshark Antivirus stuck one hundred pc of malware thrown at it, each identified threats and zero-day assaults. It additionally were given a super usability ranking for completely averting false positives, and a 5.5 out of 6 on efficiency — it had just about no affect on downloading apps or copying information, however bogged down fashionable web pages by means of round 30 p.c on moderate.

Surfshark Alert

Surfshark Alert, which may be a part of Surfshark One and One+, scans the tips launched in knowledge breaches to peer if any of your vital knowledge has been compromised. It might probably take a look at for electronic mail addresses, usernames, passwords, bank card numbers and executive IDs. It might probably additionally alert you when malware to your laptop is able to stealing your knowledge.

Surfshark Seek

You’ll be able to get get right of entry to to Surfshark Seek, a seek engine comparable to Google, with a One or One+ subscription. It gives a number of advantages over Google, together with being completely ad-free (a perk of being backed by means of subscription). You’ll be able to additionally exchange the area from which you get effects. Surfshark claims that each one effects are completely natural, with out a trackers or studying from logged searches.

Incogni

Incogni, an automatic knowledge removing provider, is the only characteristic limited to Surfshark One+ plans. It searches knowledge brokerages to peer if they’ve any of your knowledge, then contacts them so that you can request they purge the information. Agents shouldn’t have to honor all deletion requests, but it surely by no means hurts to take a look at. Incogni assists in keeping looking so long as your subscription is energetic, so it could possibly routinely ship more than one requests to the similar dealer if essential.

Saily eSIM

A number of VPNs now supply their customers with Saily eSIM reductions, which can be utilized to get common telephone provider in international nations. Surfshark grants quite a lot of reductions during the coupon code surfshark5, which seems to be usable even with out a Surfshark account.

Shut-reading Surfshark’s privateness coverage

Surfshark’s privateness coverage displays us its outward angle towards person privateness. Whilst it is conceivable for a VPN supplier to lie outright in its posted coverage, they like to not for legal responsibility causes. An unreliable provider will as an alternative use loopholes, vagueries and incomplete statements to make privateness guarantees it does not plan on holding.

Against this, a VPN provider value your cash will likely be as particular as conceivable about any exceptions to its no-logs coverage. I learn Surfshark’s whole privateness coverage to peer which form of VPN it’s — no small feat, as it is nicely over 5,000 phrases lengthy. The web page contains summaries, however they are pared down slightly too some distance to be helpful, so it is into the overall textual content I am going.

Surfshark is founded within the Netherlands, which makes it topic to the Eu Union’s Basic Knowledge Coverage Legislation (GDPR). That is excellent information, since GDPR does no longer allow any corporate to retain knowledge with out justifying it. The Netherlands is most likely a part of the 9 Eyes intelligence-sharing settlement, however businesses can not secret agent on a VPN’s customers until that VPN is already saving job logs — and whether it is, it has got a lot larger issues than the place it is founded.

Surfshark’s whole server community runs on RAM-only infrastructure, so any stored job is erased at common durations. Even higher, the coverage is obvious that your job on any server is deleted inside of quarter-hour. If we take Surfshark at its phrase, there may be little or no explanation why to fret about servers being seized or searched.

That implies the one possibility is that Surfshark itself may profit from its get right of entry to on your knowledge. It does, sadly, declare the precise to view knowledge accumulated by means of third-party trackers, such because the cookies utilized by social media websites to trace advert efficiency. However none of the ones trackers are staring at what you do whilst you use the VPN, nor digging into your exact surfing job — which, as now we have noticed, does not exist after quarter-hour.

Unbiased privateness audits

Even though we will be able to’t conclusively check any VPN’s privateness coverage, since that comes to the logically inconceivable feat of proving a unfavorable, we will be able to get very shut by means of checking impartial audits. 3rd-party auditors can check a VPN’s public statements via a mixture of interviews, report assessment and immediately tinkering with the infrastructure.

Surfshark handed its most up-to-date audit in June 2025, which — at time of writing — leaves little or no room for interference. Deloitte, the audit company, concluded that “the configuration of IT techniques and control of the supporting IT operations is correctly ready, in all subject material respects in line with the Surfshark’s description set out within the Appendix I.”

I checked that description and located that it suits as much as Surfshark’s public privateness coverage. So, up to we will be able to say that any VPN is personal, Surfshark is personal. It would possibly not give up all customized advertisements, however it’ll a minimum of stay your own knowledge secret.

Can Surfshark exchange your digital location?

In case you principally desire a VPN for streaming, that is the phase for you. Right here, I check whether or not Surfshark can exchange your location convincingly sufficient so that you can see content material from different nations, with out getting stuck and blocked by means of streaming platforms.

The process is discreet: I select 5 check places, join to a few other servers in every and cargo Netflix. If I am getting in cleanly with out error messages, and in fact see other displays than I might with out a VPN, I will know Surfshark convincingly modified my location. (As a reminder, when unblocking with any VPN, all the time you should definitely’re logged into your streaming account first.)

Surfshark carried out extraordinarily nicely on this check, no longer solely unblocking each and every location a minimum of two times but in addition keeping up speedy sufficient speeds to stay the movies from stuttering. The one failure used to be that one server in Japan were given spied out as a VPN and blocked. Alternatively, merely disconnecting and reconnecting used to be sufficient to get me over the hurdle.

Any failure to switch digital location counts in opposition to a VPN, however even the most efficient products and services can not stay their servers off one hundred pc of blocklists. NordVPN, every other top-five VPN, scored the similar 14/15. So far as I am involved, that is a passing grade for streaming — but when it is a dealbreaker for you, keep in mind ExpressVPN and Proton VPN each have best possible ratings.

Investigating Surfshark’s server community

Surfshark has a complete of 100 server places in 141 nations. Of the ones places, 47 are digital and 92 are bodily. A digital VPN server will provide you with an obvious virtual location other from the place it is in reality situated. There may be little safety tradeoff, however speeds might range relying on how some distance you’re from the server’s exact place. The only depend in opposition to Surfshark here’s that it does not explain the place its digital servers are in reality situated, so the usage of them is a pace crapshoot.

The desk underneath displays the proportions of server places in every area, so you’ll be able to make a decision whether or not Surfshark is perhaps helpful for the place you’re. You’ll be able to discover a complete checklist on Surfshark’s website online, although solely the apps display which servers are in fact digital.

Those numbers are attention-grabbing in a couple of techniques. First, Surfshark’s server community is solely about one-third digital, the bottom percentage of any primary VPN I have reviewed to this point. There may be additionally no continent with out a unmarried bodily server. This makes Surfshark an excellent selection to ensure usable web speeds whilst globetrotting.

As standard, servers are most commonly in Europe and North The usa, even though there is a honest quantity of Asia represented by means of the digital places. Surfshark is more recent than maximum of its competition, so it is spectacular that it is constructed such an intensive community in part the time. The desk finds a VPN provider that is all for increasing, however would possibly not achieve this on the expense of constructing high quality places that in fact paintings.

Surfshark units itself aside from the VPN pack with a number of options, some visual to the person and a few running in the back of the scenes. Most commonly, its options are acquainted ideas carried out nicely, reasonably than outright inventions like NordVPN’s Meshnet — however there may be a large number of risk for stimulating new instructions.

Underlying era: Surfshark Nexus and Everlink

Surfshark has two technological inventions below the hood that make its VPN moderately distinctive. The primary is Nexus, which has been energetic since 2022. Nexus connects all Surfshark’s servers in combination right into a tighter community than maximum VPNs use. All its servers are nodes in a internet of interconnected paths, so much just like the Tor community, with the exception of proprietary to 1 corporate.

When you select a server location, you are solely settling on the remaining node in a series. Surfshark device selects the access level and the trail on your selected go out. This provides each and every person extra choices for a running connection trail, and lets in Surfshark to steadily rotate your obvious IP deal with so job on one masked id can not hint again to you. It is usually what makes it conceivable to select the 2 steps in a double-hop connection (see “Dynamic MultiHop” underneath).

Everlink is a more recent era that Surfshark calls a “self-healing VPN infrastructure.” Any time you are hooked up to Surfshark during the WireGuard protocol, you are additionally hooked up to Everlink — a parallel infrastructure that watches your VPN connection. If it ever drops, Everlink in an instant reconnects you to every other server within sight, theoretically so speedy you will not realize the outage.

That is principally one step up from a kill transfer. As a substitute of slicing off your connection, Everlink switches it to a better server as an alternative. This makes it tricky to check — how one can take a look at a kill transfer is to simulate a server drop by means of slicing off your individual web connection, which makes Everlink’s serve as inconceivable. Alternatively, I will a minimum of say I am cautiously fascinated by Everlink’s doable energy to negate server drops.

Limitless simultaneous connections

Something you can steadily pay attention about Surfshark is that it places no limits on what number of units can join via your account. In idea, one subscription is sufficient for you, your family and any pals that wish to borrow it.

In follow, although, “limitless” is a stretch. A reinforce article recognizes that some other folks might abuse the privilege by means of reselling get right of entry to, or by means of protecting unlawful botnet job in the back of masses of Surfshark connections.

The object does not explicitly say Surfshark will restrict or ban abusers, however inquiries to the reinforce group published that an account might be locked if an automatic gadget detects fraud. In case you use a prime choice of simultaneous connections, even legitimately, it’s good to be flagged — although you might be able to release your account by means of telling customer support what took place.

Bypasser break up tunneling

Bypasser permits you to break up your web connection so sure apps or web pages pass during the VPN whilst others stay outdoor. This will get you higher speeds on websites and apps that do not contain any delicate knowledge. Additionally, on every occasion a provider calls for your genuine IP deal with, you’ll be able to stay the usage of the VPN for all the things else. Torrenting is a vintage use case — you’ll be able to stay BitTorrent secure within the background when you do one thing risk free with out VPN coverage, bettering speeds for each processes.

Bypasser break up tunneling is to be had on all of Surfshark’s desktop and cell shoppers, although iOS customers can solely break up by means of website online, no longer by means of app. Home windows and Android customers too can choose from two types of break up: “Bypass VPN,” which assists in keeping all indexed websites and apps outdoor the VPN tunnel, and “Direction by means of VPN,” through which solely the indexed websites and apps keep inside the VPN tunnel.

Dynamic MultiHop

Many VPNs have a double-hop choice, which routes connections via two VPN servers to stay you secure in case one breaks. Alternatively, maximum of them limit you to set paths of 2 servers. Surfshark is the one VPN that permits you to make a choice each steps, due to Nexus pre-establishing paths between the entire servers.

For the most efficient efficiency, I like to recommend choosing an access node close to your genuine location, then opting for your go out node in line with what you wish to have to unblock. In case you are not unblocking anything else particularly, your supreme guess is to easily make a choice two nodes for your personal nation.

Camouflage Mode obfuscation

VPN obfuscation refers to VPNs hiding the truth that they are VPNs in any respect — so no longer solely is your IP deal with no longer your genuine one, but it surely does not seem to have been modified. Surfshark’s obfuscation is known as Camouflage Mode. So long as you are hooked up by means of OpenVPN, it is energetic routinely. So, if you happen to suspect an out of doors firewall is combating you from getting on-line whilst working Surfshark, switching to OpenVPN may resolve the issue.

NoBorders mode

NoBorders is another choice for buying on-line with Surfshark below exterior restrictions, particularly the ones imposed by means of whole governments (just like the Nice Firewall of China). If Surfshark detects restrictions on web utilization, NoBorders turns on and switches you to a server well-placed to get round the ones restrictions — as an example, an IP deal with from a better nation over.

The issue with NoBorders is that it is energetic by means of default, which might limit you to sure servers whilst you don’t want the assist. I like to recommend switching NoBorders off within the settings for higher efficiency. It’ll activate once more if it detects conceivable restrictions, so take a look at the atmosphere once more if you happen to in finding your speeds slower than standard.

CleanWeb

CleanWeb, Surfshark’s advert blocker, is to be had in two paperwork. The elemental model of CleanWeb, which blocks banner advertisements and trackers, comes with all Surfshark apps.

CleanWeb 2.0 comes as a browser extension, because of this it solely works in-browser. Alternatively, it is a a lot more potent blocker, able to cancelling video advertisements on streaming and YouTube. It additionally routinely rejects non-vital cookies on each and every website so that you shouldn’t have to click on the button — which I liked, as my ADHD mind is definitely distracted by means of pop-ups.

Static and devoted IPs

Surfshark will provide you with an inventory of static IP addresses at no further price, every other rarity amongst main VPNs. A static IP manner you can have the similar deal with each and every time you connect with the VPN, so you will not glance suspicious for steadily opening the similar provider with a special IP. With out this, you can in finding your self hitting CAPTCHAs extra ceaselessly. You’ll be able to additionally stay your own home tool hooked up to a static IP server and use that to get right of entry to your own home community remotely.

For an additional value, Surfshark additionally gives devoted IPs, which might be the similar as static IPs with the exception of you are the solely particular person the usage of them. On occasion, a static IP can get blocked on account of one unhealthy person’s habits; a personal devoted IP gets rid of that possibility.

Different options

A couple of different options are value noting. Surfshark has a kill transfer that cuts off your web connection in case your VPN server ever drops — that is in large part out of date with Everlink, however stays within the background as an additional precaution. You’ll be able to set the VPN to glue routinely with the exception of on depended on networks, and will make a choice the site to which it auto-connects.

If you wish to have to in brief paintings with out the VPN, you’ll be able to pause Surfshark for 5 mins, half-hour or two hours. After all, Android customers will have their VPN server override their GPS location, shifting it to anyplace their IP deal with is recently. You clearly do not wish to use this whilst your telephone is navigating you someplace, however differently it is helpful for privateness.

Surfshark buyer reinforce choices

Surfshark contains a couple of hyperlinks to troubleshooting pages immediately within the app, a tantalizingly unfinished characteristic. In case you pass to the settings tab and click on Get Assist after which Browse Guides, you can see a number of hyperlinks to FAQ articles in regards to the model of the VPN consumer you are the usage of. Clicking any hyperlink opens the web page for your default browser. Leaping immediately from the app to the related information is in reality handy, but when your drawback is not one of the most 5 maximum commonplace, you are out of success — simply click on Extra Guides to visit the primary reinforce web page.

As soon as you are right here, you can discover a useful set of articles that make excellent design possible choices to position the typical person relaxed. “Getting began” contains setup guides for each and every Surfshark app, with plentiful screenshots. Assist articles are successfully written from the person’s point of view. As a substitute of technical descriptions of issues, they begin with subjects like “I will’t connect with Surfshark” or “I am getting an error,” then supply a series of DIY answers.

The one class with out a transparent course is “Surfschool,” which gathers a disparate bunch of characteristic explanations, complex pointers and elementary VPN knowledge below one heading. If you’ll be able to’t in finding what you wish to have within the different sections, it can be more uncomplicated to make use of the hunt bar as an alternative of digging round in Surfschool.

The reside reinforce enjoy

To succeed in reside reinforce, scroll to the ground of the primary reinforce web page, then click on “Chat with us.” A talk window will open within the nook of your display screen. I used the reside chat reinforce to invite about receiving a hyperlink to the check account I used to put in writing this assessment. As is now usual, I needed to paintings my well past a chatbot first, however that did not take too lengthy. When I reached an actual particular person, they resolved my drawback straight away.

The e-mail price ticket gadget is for tricky issues that can not be resolved in one alternate, so I determined to check it with one thing slightly extra sophisticated. I requested in regards to the standing of IKEv2, which Surfshark promised to get rid of in 2022 however has solely got rid of from Home windows (that is actually what they promised to do, however I wasn’t acutely aware of that but).

I heard again about 22 hours later with a fast and appropriate solution: a consultant mentioned that “recently, Surfshark does no longer have plans to take away IKEv2 from all working techniques.” See a better phase for information about that possibility.

Surfshark background take a look at: No genuine blemishes

Surfshark used to be based in 2018, making it a relative newcomer to the protection scene, and the VPN used to be its first product. Alert and Seek debuted in 2019, whilst Antivirus and Incogni joined them in 2021. For the primary two years of its life, Surfshark used to be a part of the Tesonet crew, a Lithuanian startup incubator that still helped release NordVPN (see “Connection to NordVPN” underneath).

Its formative years could also be why there are few critical blemishes on Surfshark’s document. Like Proton VPN, which is only a 12 months older, it merely hasn’t had time to position a foot flawed but. Alternatively, that does not imply it is inevitable that Surfshark will screw up one day. Up to now, it seems that to be studying from its predecessors and averting their errors.

The depended on root certification authority possibility

The one doable error I will level to hasn’t compromised someone but, however might sooner or later. In 2022, Surfshark used to be one among a number of VPNs cited for depending on a depended on root certification authority — a verification means that, if compromised, may let an attacker sneak malware onto a person’s tool the usage of Surfshark’s ID badge. There is no document of the certificates in fact being exploited, and Surfshark claimed it used to be essential to permit the IKEv2 protocol.

In keeping with the record, Surfshark deprecated IKEv2 from its Home windows app, which used to be the one person who used depended on root CAs for IKEv2. It is nonetheless to be had on all OSes with the exception of Home windows, however a Surfshark rep instructed me in an electronic mail that they do not use depended on root CAs on the ones platforms, so there is no possibility.

Connection to NordVPN

In 2022, Surfshark introduced a merger with NordVPN, although each firms many times stressed out that not anything about both provider would exchange. In step with Surfshark’s announcement on the time, “The theory in the back of the deal is to align on a tactical stage in achieving mutual targets whilst holding the autonomy of our operations.”

As of 2025, not anything turns out particularly merged about NordVPN and Surfshark. Publicly, they are nonetheless totally other manufacturers with few mentions of the opposite on their respective web pages. In an electronic mail, a Surfshark consultant instructed me that “Surfshark and Nord Safety perform as self reliant firms depending on separate infrastructures, other product building plans and separate buyer bases.”

That mentioned, it is value noting that Surfshark and Nord have a shared lineage in Tesonet, the Lithuania-based tech incubator that, with Nord, stocks Tom Okman and Eimantas Sabaliauskas as co-founders, and nurtured Surfshark for the primary two years of its lifestyles. After all, a Surfshark consultant instructed Engadget that Surfshark recently “operates independently” of Tesonet. Be that as it’s going to, the combo of Surfshark and NordVPN is but every other instance an more and more consolidated VPN business, the place competition like Kape Applied sciences and Ziff Davis perform more than one virtual provider manufacturers below one company roof.

Ultimate verdict

In a large number of techniques, Surfshark works onerous to earn your consider. Its reliance on brick-and-mortar servers testifies to that, as do its speeds, common privateness audits and refusal to relaxation on its laurels. Nexus and Everlink will not be completely implicated, however they do have tangible effects that point out they are much more than simply advertising and marketing gimmicks. Each are certain indicators of a VPN supplier truly seeking to stand out in a crowded area.

It is usually an ideal signal that Surfshark answered to the depended on root CA possibility with a focused intervention. I want they might discovered a option to run IKEv2 on Home windows with out as a lot possibility (different VPNs set up it), however I will’t deny they appear fascinated about addressing doable problems earlier than they turn into crises. It is great that I will enthusiastically counsel Surfshark for its consideration to safety in addition to its speeds and easy options.