×

The Verdict

Sharks certainly won’t convey an image of security but it’s a great and cool way of getting yourself protected from the threats that are found in the ocean and in this case, it’s going to be those that are lurking around the Internet. The VPN service is headquartered in the British Virgin Islands with attractive apps being offered to different operating system platforms.

But aside from being aesthetically likable, it also has plenty of security features while still giving space for some customization options to users.

Surfshark also provides reliable access to P2P connections while boasting a double VPN feature that is rarely seen in other VPN services.

All these things are being offered while still providing one of the cheapest prices on the market.

And even though the 7-day free trial is only available for iOS users, Everyone will be able to enjoy the 30-day refund policy which means that after payment, you can try the service risk-free first and if you don’t like it, you can file for a refund.

Pros:

  • Multiplatform app/software client
  • Intuitive user interface
  • Double VPN feature and Wi-Fi Protection
  • Offers different connection customization
  • Great plans and pricing

Cons:

  • Speeds are inconsistent across different VPN servers
  • DNS Leaks and AdBlocker feature occasionally fails

The Features

At a time when threats are evolving on a daily basis, surfing in peace is best done by being a shark on the Internet.

Do this and you’ll be able to fend off any potential threat that lives in the vast digital ocean called the Internet. Thankfully, SurfShark has plenty of features that will help you achieve that.

There’s the kill switch, automatic protection for Wi-Fi connections, an AdBlocker, and as well as the rare double-VPN which is also known as the Multihop.

These are all accessible via its app which works in different operating system platforms. Its intuitive interface makes the app very easy to use for both beginners and those who are already used to VPNs.

There’s a decent set of customization features that are available for users to tweak.

An App For Every Type of User

Users who are seeking a feature that allows them to just connect then go will find Sufshark as a perfect choice of a VPN service.

You’ll be able to see that its network of servers quickly becomes active and available as soon as you launch the app the first time. There is even an option that helps users to quickly connect to the closest server.

More advanced users will be happy to know that they can do a lot of customization’s with this VPN software.

As an example, there is an option for switching between OpenVPN and IKEv2 protocols along with traffic obfuscation making the connection faster and more secure.

There is also a kill switch feature which is able to automatically switch off the Internet in case the VPN connection suddenly drops.

A CleanWeb feature is also present which works by blocking different types of malware and ads.

We’re just sad that it doesn’t work at all times based on our testing. There is also an option that will allow different websites and apps to be included in the whitelist so conflict between them and the VPN service can be avoided.

The app also has a feature for diagnosing problems which work by scanning the program to find possible troubles then report it back to Surfshark for resolution and assistance.

Wi-Fi Protection, Multihop, and No Borders Mode

Multihop is what Surfshark calls its double VPN feature. It’s actually a feature that is rarely seen in other VPN services and just as the name itself suggests, it allows connecting to servers that are located in other countries after passing through another.

This results in stronger protection and security but slower speeds. It’s a great option for users who wants to be more protected while doing their regular online activities.

Surfshark‘s arsenal also has the Wi-Fi protection feature which automatically detects new networks and enables the VPN to make the connection more secure.

The software does this either automatically or by first asking the user’s permission for it to be activated. This is very useful especially if you often connect to public Wi-Fi hotspots.

VPN Network

The network that Surfshark has is composed of hundreds of servers that are located in over 50 countries across the globe. Now that’s a decent number of servers which enables them to serve every continent including Africa (which is often not covered by other VPN providers.)

They have servers that are located in South Africa while also serving Asian countries, New Zealand, Australia, and many other countries.

We can say that overall, the speed and user experience in using Surfshark is something that’s mixed.

For instance, most servers will often provide speeds that satisfy and websites load quickly, however, it’s not as consistent as other VPN providers. There’s also a big gap between the upload and download speeds in every server.

A perfect example of this is how Multihop has shown inconsistency in its speed which returned faster results when compared to the usual point A to point B connection.

Multihop uses a middle man server which means that it should provide slower speeds but in our tests, it has shown faster speeds which is unusual.

We have tested multiple servers that are located in Europe in a period of several days and in order to get more insight into how well it works, we performed detailed testing which measured speeds successively by first not disconnecting from the server and second, after reconnecting to it.

Both tests returned results that have shown inconsistency in terms of speeds with multiple ups and downs. This could have been the effect of many external factors but still something that we think the company should solve. The difference sometimes exceeded 10Mbps above.

Another downside that Surfshark has is the DNS protection that doesn’t seem to work all the time.

Considering the support for P2P that this VPN service is supposed to have which is something that users like, it is worth noting that they provide users the chance to customize DNS addresses every time.

How it Protects Your Privacy

First of all, it is important to note that British Island’s law (which is where Surfshark‘s headquarters is located) does not require VPN service providers to collect and store data.

This means that there is no reason to doubt or mistrust the company especially their no-log policy even with the existence of a warrant canary that is found on their official website.

While some VPN service providers would be a bit deceptive with regard to their no-log policy, Surfshark chooses to bare it all and tell their customers what the policy is all about and what they’re going to track when needed.

Surfshark features secured connections guaranteed by its strong 256-bit encryption which is the industry-standard type.

An added bonus is given where users can take advantage of the traffic obfuscation feature whenever the OpenVPN protocol is used. This is great for heightened security and privacy especially when you’re out browsing on public Wi-Fi networks.

Other features that are related to privacy and security include automatic Wi-Fi protection, Multihop, and another one which we already mentioned above called the “Kill Switch”.

Operating System and Device Support

One of Surfshark‘s major features which they give emphasis most of the time in their website and ads is how their VPN services don’t have any restrictions in terms of the number of devices that can connect even for a single account.

This isn’t really new especially for other VPN services out there since most offer connections via routers where users can manually configure settings to allow simultaneous connections for different devices which is outside the limit that the service itself imposes.

However, the great thing about Surfshark is that it actually includes this manual router configuration on its device support menu.

This is really good news for those who don’t have much technical know-how in doing such tweaks. Adding to the advantage that they have is the fact that there’s actually an app for both computers running on Windows and MacOS.

It supports Windows 7 editions and above while for MacOS, it is able to work on 10.12 version and above.

For mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, Surfshark supports Android 5.0 and above while for iOS, it’s able to work on version 9.0 and later.

But device and operating system support don’t end there as Surfshark also offers support for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox browsers through their browser extensions and also for Amazon Fire TV, Linux, and others.

You really won’t have any problems when it comes to the type and number of supported devices because Surfshark is able to support almost all of them.

Available Plans and Pricing

Next, we come to the aspect which most users are really concerned about and it is on how much the service actually costs.

Just like the other VPN service providers, Surfshark also seems to follow the standard three option price format where users can choose between a monthly, bi-annual and annual plans.

The one that we like most on this aspect is the two-year subscription plan which costs only $47.76. Now that’s 83% of impressive discount when compared to its standard price.

It’s like you’re paying only $1.99 every month if you choose to stay with Surfshark for two years.

We see this as a very attractive offer putting this VPN service provider above the others who offer the same subscription period at a higher price.

We think that it’s just fitting for Surfshark to emphasize this on their official website.

Other subscription plans include monthly which costs $11.95 and the annual plan offered at $5.99 for users who are willing to go for a year with Surfshark.

The annual plan is also a nice one since it offers 50% discount when compared to the total cost of the monthly price.

It definitely is a worthwhile option for those who want to get bigger savings.

Most would want a subscription between the monthly and annual plans and even though Surfshark doesn’t have this they still are better than other providers because of the fact that they don’t impose limits on bandwidth usage and as well as the number of users who can connect using a single account.

But we were surprised to see that the 7-day trial is only available for iOS users. Yes! It is an exclusive offer for a specific group of users who use devices that are OS-specific.

But thankfully for other users, they still offer a 30-day money-back guarantee which means that even if you pay in advance just to try the service, you will still be able to get your money after seeing that it’s not the VPN service that you’re looking for.

Payments that are accepted include Credit and Debit cards, Paypal, and some other alternative payment options including cryptocurrencies.

Customer Support

The assistance that Surfshark offers to its customers start with their FAQ page along with other support and guide pages that they have but to be honest about it, they don’t really give that much help unless it’s manual configurations and setup that you need help with.

Their guides for this aspect are quite detailed and can be considered good. But this same section doesn’t have more to offer other than answers to the most basic questions.

That’s why we feel that most of your uncertainties will remain without answers if you just depend on their FAQs and support pages.

If you need support from a real person, the company provides both email and live chat support and both platforms are available 24/7 for users who really need urgent help.

Moreover, they also have a good social media presence with Twitter and Facebook being the company’s preferred methods for informing the public about the latest news on the VPN service and other general topics related to usage, updates, and others.

Final Say – One of the Cheapest VPN’s on the Market!

Surfshark seeks to dominate the industry and become an established predator in the sea of competition and they’ve got more than enough of the good things to confidently aim for such a status.

And one of the features that’s the hardest to leave unnoticed is their cheap pricing for such unrestricted access across the different subscription plans that they have.

Their support for double VPN is a rare feature giving them the edge among the others who don’t have it along with a handful of other features that are set to please any kind and level of user.

But Surfshark still needs to grow sharper teeth before it can start taking on the strongest ones.

Most users and even us included really appreciate the fact that manually tweaking DNS configuration is possible with Surfshark especially that this same VPN service provider also supports P2P connections.

Something that’s leaning to the negative side is the inconsistent connection and the adblocker feature which only works occasionally. Lastly, we can say that Surfshark is still young to make it to the top but it already bites like a big one though more experience and improvements still need to be done to it if it is to become the king in the ocean of VPN service providers!