Surfshark Review 2025: The Budget VPN That Punches Up
Surfshark is the best budget VPN available right now. Unlimited simultaneous devices, solid speeds, and a genuine no-logs policy — at roughly half the price of NordVPN on a 2-year plan. The server network is smaller and the speeds aren't quite as consistent, but for most people the difference won't matter. If price is your primary concern, Surfshark wins.
Who Is Surfshark?
Surfshark launched in 2018 and was acquired by Nord Security (NordVPN's parent company) in 2022. The two brands operate independently with separate infrastructure — they share ownership but not servers or data. Surfshark is incorporated in the Netherlands, outside the 14 Eyes but inside the EU, which comes with its own privacy implications worth understanding.
The acquisition raised some eyebrows in the privacy community, but Surfshark has maintained its own audited no-logs policy and there's been no evidence of data sharing between the two brands.
Pricing — The Real Numbers
This is where Surfshark genuinely stands out. The 2-year plan works out to approximately $2.49 USD/month (roughly $3.40 CAD at current rates) — compared to NordVPN's 2-year rate of around $3.99 USD/month. Over two years, that's a real difference.
The monthly plan, like most VPNs, is not worth it at around $15 USD/month. Always buy the 2-year plan if you're committed to using a VPN long-term.
Note: Verify current pricing at Surfshark.com — rates change with promotions.
Unlimited Devices — The Killer Feature
Most VPNs limit you to 5 or 6 simultaneous connections. Surfshark has no limit. This is genuinely useful for households with multiple people and devices, or for someone who wants to run a VPN on their router and protect everything on the network at once. NordVPN limits you to 10 devices (recently increased from 6), but Surfshark's unlimited policy is still a clear differentiator.
Speed Testing
We tested connecting from Toronto to servers in Montreal, Toronto, New York, London, and Amsterdam. Canadian and nearby US servers performed well — speed loss was minimal and streaming was smooth. More distant servers (UK, Netherlands) showed more noticeable slowdown than NordVPN on the same connections.
Surfshark uses WireGuard as its default protocol, which is fast. IKEv2 is available as an alternative for mobile. The speeds are good — just not quite as consistently fast as NordVPN across a wide range of server locations.
Privacy & No-Logs Policy
Surfshark's no-logs policy has been independently audited by Deloitte (2023). They collect no browsing data, IP addresses, session information, or bandwidth usage. The audit confirmed that their technical infrastructure matches their stated policy — no hidden logging found.
The Netherlands jurisdiction means they're subject to EU data retention laws, which is slightly less private than Panama (NordVPN) or the British Virgin Islands (ExpressVPN). In practice this matters very little for most users, but it's worth knowing.
Streaming Performance
Surfshark reliably unblocks Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, and Disney+. We had one instance during testing where a BBC iPlayer connection failed and required switching to a different UK server — a minor inconvenience that NordVPN didn't trigger in our testing. Overall streaming performance is solid, just slightly less bulletproof than NordVPN.
Features Worth Knowing About
- CleanWeb: Built-in ad and tracker blocker. Works reasonably well, though it's not a replacement for a dedicated browser extension.
- Camouflage Mode: Obfuscates VPN traffic to look like regular HTTPS. Useful in countries that block VPN protocols.
- MultiHop: Routes traffic through two VPN servers for extra privacy. Comes at a speed cost.
- Surfshark Alert: Email breach monitoring — included in higher tiers.
What's Not Great
The desktop app has improved but still feels less polished than NordVPN's. The server count (3,200+) is smaller than NordVPN's (6,000+), which can matter if you need servers in specific less-common locations. Customer support response times can be slower during peak hours.
Pros
- Unlimited simultaneous devices
- Significantly cheaper than NordVPN
- Audited no-logs policy
- Good streaming unblocking
- WireGuard protocol included
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- Speeds less consistent than NordVPN
- Smaller server network
- Netherlands jurisdiction (EU)
- App less polished than competitors
- Owned by same company as NordVPN
Surfshark vs NordVPN — Which Should You Buy?
If you're on a budget or need unlimited device connections, Surfshark. If you want the most consistently fast and polished VPN experience and don't mind paying a bit more, NordVPN. Both have audited no-logs policies and both reliably unblock streaming services — the differences are real but relatively minor for everyday use.