Surfshark Review 2020

Surfshark VPN is no longer the new kid on the block. I’ve seen this British Virgin Island-based VPN grow from just 100 to 1,700+ servers in a little over a year. Some of these servers even make Surfshark accessible in China.

There’s a lot to love about Surfshark. To start off, Surfshark is a secure VPN offering 256-bit encryption, Multi-hop, Kill Switch, Whitelister, CleanWeb, and much more for just $2.49/mo .

In terms of speeds however, Surfshark failed to impress with consistently low speeds. The service also works great with both torrenting and Netflix.

Surfshark guarantees that it maintains no logs of privacy-sensitive information of users, a claim that has been vindicated by Cure53’s independent audit.

All in all, there is very little that is problematic in Surfshsark, which is why I highly recommend this VPN. For its excellent performance and features, it has earned 4.4 out of 5.0 stars in this Surfshark VPN review.

Want a Quick Overview? Here’s What’s Important

• Security. Tons of built-in features for improving online security against various cyber-threats.
• Logs. No personally identifiable information relating to customers is retained by Surfshark.
• Streaming. Powerful unblocking capabilities enable instant access to Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney Plus, and more.
• Compatibility. Supports unlimited simultaneous connections and offers apps for a variety of platforms/devices.

Here’s a video review of Surfshark if you prefer the convenience of the visual medium:

My Rating Criteria

To thoroughly test out the pros and cons of the service, I’m going to test Surfshark on my 9 step rating criteria:

1. Streaming – Is Surfshark good for streaming?  
2. Speed – How fast is Surfshark? 
3. Servers – How many servers does Surfshark have? 
4. Pricing – How much does Surfshark cost? 
5. Security – How secure is Surfshark? 
6. Leaks – Does Surfshark leak IP, DNS & WebRTC? 
7. Compatibility – Which devices can I use Surfshark with? 
8. Jurisdiction – Where is Surfshark based? 
9. Trustworthiness – Is Surfshark trustworthy? 

Streaming – Is Surfshark good for streaming?

Yes, Surfshark VPN is one of the best choices available for streaming. This is seriously impressive considering that most VPNs nowadays are unable to get past the firewalls and VPN-blocking technologies implemented by popular streaming services.

I tested Surfshark on services like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Hulu and found it working in each instance.

Does Surfshark work with Netflix?

Yes, Surfshark efficiently unblocks Netflix. For my Netflix test, I connected to the US St. Louis server of Netflix and streamed the famous “300” movie. Surfshark not only played the movie within seconds but also delivered HD picture quality.

I also managed to unblock the UK library of Netflix as well. However, what’s even more impressive is the fact that Surfshark claims it can unblock 16 different Netflix libraries. Speaking of Netflix, here’s how you can watch Surfshark with Netflix.

Other than that, I found Surfshark to be perfect for FireStick and Kodi. I easily managed to download and setup Surfshark on FireStick in a matter of minutes. Setting up Surfshark on Kodi was also easy too. I just had to run it in the background before launching Kodi. And if you’re wondering, yes, you can easily set up Surfshark on Roku devices as well.

Does Surfshark unblock other streaming services?

In addition to Netflix, Surfshark also works exceptionally well with other streaming services as well including BBC iPlayer and Hulu as shown with screenshot proof below.

Does Surfshark work with BBC iPlayer?

I tried unblocking BBC iPlayer and it worked flawlessly. Everything streamed in HD quality and I did not encounter any errors whatsoever while connected to the UK, Manchester server.

Does Surfshark work with Hulu?

Hulu also worked without any issues. During my testing, pretty much any U.S server I connected to, easily managed to unblock Hulu.

Does Surfshark work with Disney Plus?

Surfshark is also quite brilliant when it comes to Disney Plus. There are more than a few US servers that efficiently unblock Disney Plus including Denver, Detroit, Boston, Atlanta, and New York.

Speed – How fast is Surfshark?

Unfortunately, speed is one area where Surfshark needs to improve. In our speed tests, we found Surfshark t0 underperform on every server that we tested on a 100 Mbps connection.

While these speeds are pretty disappointing, they can still support HD picture quality while streaming shows on Netlflix and other services. Users that have a slow base internet connection might feel more pronounced effects of speed slow-down

For more details, you can see our guide on how fast in Surfshark?

Surfshark US server speed

The download speed that I managed to get on the US Atlanta server was 8.45 Mbps and the upload speed was 8.99 Mbps.

This is seriously impressive, however, the only thing that I wish could have been better was the ping, which managed to peak at around 449 ms.

Surfshark UK server speed

The speeds on the UK Glasgow server were even better. If we talk about download speeds, Surfshark VPN managed to achieve 9.34 Mbps download, 9.45 Mbps upload, and 283 ms pings.

Considering the overall speeds test results, Surfshark performed exceptionally well.

Is Surfshark Good for Torrenting?

Yes, Surfshark is a fast, safe, and overall good solution for torrenting. Surfshark allows you to safely download torrents from anywhere in the world using its dedicated p2p servers.

You can use Surfshark to use BitTorrent clients with greater security. You can also protect your privacy if you want to use p2p services like PopcornTime and VLC.

If we talk about speeds, this VPN managed to deliver decent connection speed that’s perfect for torrenting and overall browsing.

During my own testing, I managed to download average size torrent files relatively quickly without abrupt connection drops or speed fluctuations.

Servers – How many servers does Surfshark have?

Surfshark has over 1,700+ servers in 100+ locations and 63+ countries. One of the important details about Surfshark’s network that deserves special mention is they are using RAM-only virtual machines and VPN hosters.

This means Surfshark cannot retain any information about the users connected to the VPN because the servers are running on temporary memory i.e RAM rather than hard drives (which store information permanently). Therefore, even in the event that Surfshark’s servers are seized by law enforcement, there would be no information to retrieve because of the use of RAM-only solutions.

Although I didn’t find any information regarding this on Surfshark’s website, a representative from the company confirmed that the company is using RAM-only servers.

Does Surfshark work in China?

Yes, Surfshark is among the very few VPNs working in mainland China. In fact, it’s servers in Hong Kong managed to unblock pretty much any Chinese content I tried to access.

Surfshark offers servers in every continent except for Antarctica. The way Surfshark manages to do this is because it uses a mix of both physical and virtual servers.

This way, even if Surfshark VPN doesn’t offer a physical server in Albania for instance, it’s virtual server location can still give you access to all regional content available in Albania. This is exactly how Surfshark’s Hong Kong server compensates for the nonexistent Chinese server.

You can connect to Surfshark’s physical and virtual server locations by paying attention to the new icons on the official website.

Pricing – How much does Surfshark cost?

Surfshark’s 24-months plan costs only $2.49/mo  only and comes with an 81% Off. The 1-month plan is priced at $12.95/month, while the 6 months subscription will cost you $6.49/month.

It is one of the most affordable VPNs out there if you opt for the 2-year plan.

Here is a list of all Surfshark budget-friendly pricing plans:

• $12.95 for a month – No discounts
• $6.49/mo for 1+5 months free – 50% discounts
• $2.49/mo for 24 months – 81% discounts

You can make payments through credit cards, PayPal, Google Pay, and even through Cryptocurrency.

Security – How secure is Surfshark?

Surfshark VPN is one of the most secure VPNs in the industry. If you go through the features list of Surfshark, you’ll see that this provider offers unbreakable AES 256-bit encryption, leak protection, Kill Switch, secure protocols along with additional features to keep you safe and secure.

Let’s go through each of these features in detail, shall we?

Surfshark VPN Protocols and Encryption

The dedicated desktop app of Surfshark packs in two VPN protocols, IKEv2, and OpenVPN with a variation of TCP and UDP. Speaking of OpenVPN, the iOS app of Surfshark VPN now supports OpenVPN protocol.

Surfshark has also recently added Shadowsocks protocol in the Windows and Android apps, but it is still in the beta testing phase. 

The IKEv2 protocol is although fast and offers excellent smartphone compatibility, it isn’t the safe protocol out there. In fact, there is evidence of NSA actively exploiting this protocol. OpenVPN, on the other hand, is the industry benchmark and the safest protocol currently used by VPN providers.

If we talk about encryption, Surfshark VPN uses AES-256-CBC/AES-256-GCM cryptography standards. This level of encryption is also extremely proficient and can thwart even the most advanced hackers.

Surfshark’s Multihop Feature

With Surfshark’s Multihop feature, you can establish a chain of VPNs and take IP masking to the next level. For instance, you can connect to Surfshark’s servers in France and the United Kingdom simultaneously and virtually appear in two different locations.

This feature can add an extra layer of security to combat advance online surveillance. In terms of performance, I found the Multihop feature to be not all that slow. Despite being connected to two different servers, I didn’t notice too much of a speed drop.

Surfshark VPN CleanWeb

CleanWeb is a built-in feature of Surfshark VPN that blocks ads, trackers, and malware. I particularly love this feature because it actively blocks annoying advertisements.

Here’s a screenshot of Surfshark’s CleanWeb feature in action:

Surfshark VPN Kill Switch

Surfshark VPN also comes with a built-in Kill Switch feature that prevents IP leaks in case your VPN service suddenly stops working. This feature is so smart, it automatically kills your internet whenever you lose connecting with the VPN server.

I tested out this feature by downloading a torrent file and then disconnecting from the VPN server midway. As soon as I disconnected from the VPN server, Surfshark automatically disabled my internet connection.

Surfshark WhiteLister Feature

As the name suggests, Whitelister is a split tunneling feature that allows you to custom exclude specific apps or websites from connecting via a VPN.

This feature is great if you prefer securing certain sensitive apps and websites while excluding other apps that you might use for streaming and general browsing.

One way Surfshark’s Whitelister feature stands out is the fact that it can be used in a reverse manner. For instance, instead of just excluding apps or websites, you can even add apps or websites that you want to protect with the VPN.

To test out this feature, I added my browser to the list and the Whitelister feature worked exactly as advertised.

NoBorders

No border is a Surfshark feature designed for countries with strict regulations against VPN usage and heavy online censorship (think China, for example).

Surfshark’s website doesn’t explain this feature in much detail other than the fact that enabling NoBorders in a country with internet restrictions will prompt Surfshark to generate a list of special servers that are likely to access the internet unhindered from your region.

So if the Great Firewall of China or the Bamboo Firewall of Vietnam is giving you problems accessing the web, you can try switching on the NoBorders feature and get past local restrictions.

Private DNS and Leak Protection

Private DNS is a feature that basically routes all your network request through Surfshark’s DNS servers instead of using default DNS servers used by your ISP.

Many VPN services use third-party DNS services which is always a risk, because not every DNS service provider follows strict privacy standards that you can expect from a trusted VPN.

Private DNS takes any reliance on third-party service providers out of the equation, solidifying your privacy and removing any holes in your connection that may contribute

to inadvertent privacy leaks.

Leak protection, on the other hand, prevents accidental IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks, I’ve tested this feature in the leak test section of this Surfshark VPN review.

Trust DNS

Trust DNS is a DNS resolver app for Android and iPhone that is available totally free of cost. This is an excellent new addition from Surfshark. With Trust DNS, you can gain access to those websites in your country that are restricted through DNS blocks imposed by the government.

In addition, it also provides a basic level of privacy from surveillance and online tracking. Of course, Trust DNS cannot offer the same level of unblocking capabilities and privacy features of Surfshark’s full-fledged VPN, it is still an excellent app to get around restrictions and privacy threats free of cost on Android.

GPS Spoofing

Modern devices relay such a wide variety of data about our personal details that trackers, advertisers, and other agencies can use to learn sensitive information about ourselves. This is why it is important to spoof not just our IP addresses, but any other piece of information that could prove to be revealing.

Realizing this, Surfshark has added a GPS spoofing feature in its app for Android phones. This feature can spoof your physical location, ensuring that it remains hidden to marketers and other third parties that have no right to access such private details about you.

Many apps use the GPS features to keep a track of your physical location through your Android device. Some apps openly ask for your permission to track your location, while others do it surreptitiously without your knowledge. Enabling the GPS spoofing feature adds another layer of protection on your Android, protecting you from any app that might be accessing your location data.

Surfshark Camouflage Mode

Surfshark’s Camouflage Mode basically masks your internet traffic and prevents your ISP and anyone else from spying on you. Although this feature is advertised as a “mode”, there is no option available inside the app to toggle on or off.

IP Masking

The IP masking feature of the Surfshark VPN is pretty self-explanatory. This feature masks your original IP address and basically allows you to spoof both your identity and geographical location.

Additional Security Features

Aside from the features we’ve looked so far, there are two more features that Surfshark offers. But you will have to pay an extra $0.99/mo for these features. Let’s start with Hacklock.

Hacklock

Hacklock is a security feature that scans the web to prevent possible damages and alerts you in case your email gets leaked. This feature sends you real-time alerts anytime your passwords or emails are breached. Hacklock is not bundled in regular Surfshark subscription plans and needs to be purchased as an add-on for $0.99/month.

BlindSearch

BlindSearch is a feature that searches the web privately & efficiently with no ads or logs. This feature can provide you with unbiased and organic search results. In other words, BlindSearch basically allows you to browse the web n incognito mode without pesky advertisers manipulating your buying behavior.

Both Hacklock and BlindSearch are part of the “privacy beyond VPN” offering of Surfshark and can be activated for $0.99/month in addition to the regular Surfshark subscription.

Does Surfshark keep logs?

No, Surfshark doesn’t keep logs and strictly follows the concept of no data logging. That’s because Surfshark is headquartered in the British Virgin Islands, which as we’ve discussed earlier, is a jurisdiction with no mandatory data retention laws. If you go through Surfshark’s privacy policy, the provider mentions that it does not log the following information:

• IP addresses
• Browsing history
• Session information
• Used bandwidth
• Connection timestamps
• Network traffic and other similar data

This is seriously impressive considering the fact that Surfshark only collects emails, encrypted passwords, billing information, and order history. This is pretty standard and cannot pose a threat to user privacy.

Leaks – Does Surfshark leak IP, DNS & WebRTC?

Surfshark VPN passed my leak test without failing once. I tested Surfshark IP, DNS, and  WebRTC leaks using a variety of online leak testing tools like ipleak.org, dnsleak.com, and ip8.com.

IP Leak Test

For the IP leak test, I connected to the New York server before visiting IPleak.org. The screenshot below is not showing my original IP address:

DNS Leak Test

To test for DNS leaks, I connected to the US server again but this time through Chandler city. Again, the screenshot below is not showing my original IP address:

WebRTC Leak Test

Lastly, I tested the Surfshark VPN for WebRTC leaks using the US server. The screenshot below shows that ip8.com did not expose my WebRTC information:

Compatibility – Which devices can I use Surfshark with?

Surfshark VPN can be used with Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and a bunch of other mainstream devices. Not only that, Surfshark offers unlimited simultaneous connections.

When I first played around with Surfshark VPN over a year ago, it was only available through the Android app and its browser extensions. However, all that has changed. Now, you can even configure Surfshark directly on to DD-WRT, Tomato, and AsusWRT routers. Here’s how you can set up Surfshark on a compatible router.

Here’s a complete list of Surfshark compatible devices:

One new app that you might have noticed in the table above is Trust DNS. This app is totally free to use and can help you change your DNS to bypass censorship, unblock websites, and browse privately.

Surfshark VPN User Experience

Surfshark VPN boasts user-friendly apps for a variety of devices. These apps sport new versatile design and are extremely easy to navigate. Everything is snappy and options are very easy to find.

Overall, Surfshark is designed with newbies in mind. It might seem too bland to users that are accustomed to fancy visuals, but it gets the job done without any gimmicks.

Now I do not know about you, but simplicity has a charm of its own. So, I think it has done a great job keeping it simple and intuitive to use.

If any of Surfshark’s apps are causing problems, try the tips mentioned in this Surfshark not working article.

Jurisdiction – Where is Surfshark based?

Surfshark VPN is headquartered in the British Virgin Islands, which is a privacy-friendly region with no mandatory data retention laws. This is great since it allows Surfshark to truly follow a no-logs policy.

Another reason why Surfshark’s geographical location matters so much is the fact that BVI is based outside the jurisdiction of the infamous 5 eyes, 9 eyes, and 14 eyes alliances.

This prevents internet service providers from secretly collecting user data or from cooperating with law enforcement agencies regarding ongoing investigations.