Surfshark Review, Pricing & Features

What is Surfshark?

Surfshark is a VPN software used by a wide range of businesses and individuals to access blocked content and block advertisements.

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Table of Contents

Surfshark Review Summary

Surfshark was founded in 2018 in the Netherlands. It is a relatively newer player in the VPN software space, but it is growing in popularity.

Surfshark’s features are built for small businesses and individuals. Its strongest features are its split tunneling, ad-blocking, and double VPN capabilities.

Surfshark is less affordable than competitors only for its monthly plan. Its pricing starts at $12.95 per month, and it does not offer a free plan. Its longer-termed plans are, however, very affordable.

Overall, Surfshark is an advanced and affordable solution built for customers in need of secure VPN software with a slew of advanced features. Surfshark can help users split tunnel their applications, connect to multiple servers at once, and block ads online and through select devices.

Surfshark Pricing & Cost

Surfshark is more affordable than competitors. There are three pricing options. Users can pay $12.95 for one month, $38.94 for half a year, or $59.76 for two years. The 6 month and yearly plan are very affordable when compared to ExpressVPN and NordVPN.

Surfshark does not offer a free plan.

Surfshark Features

Let’s discuss the major features that Surfshark offers and how they can help your VPN needs. Product screenshots are included to add context and demonstrate the user interface.

Location & Device Coverage

Surfshark offers location coverage for up to 65 countries. You can choose from over 3,000 servers. Compare this with ExpressVPN, which offers only 160 servers but in 94 countries.

Surfshark offers support for a wide range of devices and operating systems:

  • Windows
  • MacOS
  • Linux
  • Android TV
  • Apple TV
  • Fire TV
  • Kindle Fire
  • iOS/iPadOS
  • Playstation
  • Xbox

Surfshark offers support for an unlimited amount of devices.

Surfshark Coverage

Security

Surfshark offers a number of security measures that many other VPN software solutions offer. Note that competitors like Proton VPN and ExpressVPN dive deeper into their security operations and protocols. Still, Surfshark offers strong security for its customer-base.

Surfshark supports the following standard security protocols:

  • WireGuard VPN protocol
  • Private DNS and leak protection
  • Obfuscated, RAM-only servers
  • No-logs policy
  • Two-factor authentication
  • Independent auditing

Surfshark secures network connections through AES-256. This is one of the most advanced and standard encryption types. Encryption is also carried out through IKEv2/IPsec and OpenVPN encryption protocols.

And of course, Surfshark offers a kill switch. This is a standard feature in nearly every VPN software solution, which can be automatically set up in the application’s preferences.

Surfshark Kill Switch

Advanced Features

Surfshark’s biggest strength is its breadth of advanced features. There are three advanced features: Split tunneling, ad blocking, and double VPN support.

Split tunneling in Surfshark is called “Bypasser.” With it, you can choose to run specific devices and applications through Surfshark’s encrypted servers and allow others to run through your local IP. This has a number of helpful use-cases:

  • Stream foreign films while using web services from local IP addresses
  • Download applications without slowing down general web activity
  • Access network printers while surfing the internet through VPN
Surfshark Ad Blocker

Surfshark offers ad-blocking capabilities as well. You can block ads on the following applications and devices:

  • Chrome
  • Firefox
  • iOS/macOS
  • Android
  • Windows
  • FireTV
  • Edge

Note that Surfshark’s ad blocker does not block YouTube ads. Still, it can be an effective way to minimize malware risks, save mobile data, and avoid phishing attempts.

Finally, one of Surfshark’s most unique features is its multiple VPN connection capabilities. Double VPN, called MultiHop in Surfshark, essentially allows users to connect to two VPN servers at the same time. Surfshark recommends MultiHop only for users who require the utmost privacy. This is because it does take a toll on connection speeds.

Surfshark Customer Service

Surfshark’s customer support team is very responsive, much like ExpressVPN and NordVPN. Customer support is available through live chat.

Customer Support ChannelsLive chat
Other Support ResourcesVideo tutorials, product guides
Application Status PageNo

Surfshark Alternatives & Competitors

Surfshark has a number of competitors. Its most comparable alternatives are ExpressVPN and ProtonVPN.

Here’s a full list of Surfshark competitors:

  • ExpressVPN
  • ProtonVPN
  • NordVPN
  • Private Internet Access
  • ZenMate VPN

Is Surfshark Right for You?

Overall, Surfshark is an advanced and affordable solution built for customers in need of secure VPN software with a slew of advanced features. Surfshark can help users split tunnel their applications, connect to multiple servers at once, and block ads online and through select devices.

If you're interested, you can try Surfshark today.

Yousef Fatehpour

Yousef Fatehpour is a Junior Research Analyst at SoftwarePundit. He graduated from University of California, San Diego, where he studied Human Centered Design and Communications. His work at UCSD's Design Lab emphasized UX research and product management.

Yousef's primary areas of interest are software design, user journeys, and how user experience is handled across software markets. Yousef also has experience in product design and multimedia content production. You can connect with Yousef on LinkedIn.

Yousef is an expert in several software categories including:

  • SMS marketing software
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