Introduction
Surfshark is one of the most popular VPN services. Its competitive price and unlimited connections with a no-logs-keeping policy make it choice worthy. It comes with some of the best features like split tunneling, SmartDNS, GPS spoofing, WireGuard protocol, and dedicated P2P servers. It is one of the top 10 VPNs for PC.
It is available for all Major Operating Systems. It has Native Apps for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, and Amazon Fire Devices. The layout is the same on all operating systems, but there are a few more features on Windows and Android such as Whitelister and Device Invisibility.
Here is an in-depth review that will answer some of the most common questions. How useful will it be in 2022? What level of protection does it provide?
Here, we have tested Surfshark on various parameters. Go through the results and see if Surfshark is the right choice for you while selecting a VPN service.
Streaming
Does Surfshark provide great support for Streaming?
Surfshark is well-equipped with features that make it one of the best contenders for streaming VPNs. They have numerous advanced features that will provide you with a streamlined streaming experience. It has Smart DNS which enables you to access it on devices that don’t support VPN natively.
Unblocking Netflix with Surfshark
We conducted tests in a few locations like the US, the UK, Canada, Japan, Australia, and the EU. The Surf shark unlocked all the libraries. if you want to enjoy Japan-exclusive libraries that are difficult to access with other VPNs, this is definitely doable. This guide will show you how to get the best Netflix VPN with Surfshark for a seamless streaming experience.
Surfshark can access several major Apple TV libraries. Once connected to the right server, it is going to give you a good experience. It also easily unblocked BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, and Youtube TV without dropping any resolution. It also unblocked DAZN, which is usually unblocked by NordVPN.
Torrenting with Surfshark
Surfshark is an excellent option for torrenting because all of the server locations are fully optimized for P2P downloads. It worked on all of our tested torrenting clients, which include:
● uTorrent
● BitTorrent
● Transmission
● Deluge
● Torrentz3
● qBittorrent
Despite unlimited bandwidth and no data caps, there are some major drop-offs in speeds; these mostly relate back to your original download connection, with a decrease in the number of seeders.
Surfshark is a popular choice among torrenting enthusiasts.
Servers and Locations
Surfshark has more than 3200 servers in more than 65 countries. The connection is established automatically, as you click on your desired location, and takes just a few seconds. The number of servers may seem less if compared to other VPNs services like PIA or Cyberghost but the quality of connection speed and reliability is almost the same.
Surfshark is a great option for unblocking US-based streaming content and bypassing regional blackouts for sporting events because most of its servers are located in the US. It has a decent performance in the EU Zone, India & Australia.
Surfshark offers options for different cities – with multiple options for Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, the UK, and the USA.
Virtual Locations
There are some geographical locations where it is difficult to operate VPN services due to political constraints. Surfshark offers virtual locations in Chile, Argentina, and Costa Rica. Connecting to one of these locations is like connecting to a server located outside the country. This gives you more connection options and helps you get faster speeds if you’re located in the region.
Using Virtual server results in higher ping (or latency). This happens because the data has to travel from your device to the server, which is farther away than if you were using a virtual location. You can see this on your map in the dashboard by looking where each marker is marked with a superscript “v.” These connections have less reliability as compared to physical servers.
Speed: How fast is Surfshark?
The base speed of Surfshark is 300 Mbps. It’s one of the fastest VPNs in our previously tested VPNs. All thanks to the modern, fast, and secure WireGuard protocol. On average, in these 5 locations, Surfshark retained 88% original download speed.
Here you can see Surfshark performance with other VPN protocols
Naturally, Surfshark has more than just WireGuard. The overall VPN performance will strongly depend on which protocol you use. Here are the average Surfshark download and upload speeds on different protocols, combining 10 worldwide locations:
WireGuard: 262.6/169.8
IKEv2: 219.8/38.5
OpenVPN UDP: 120.2/140.3
OpenVPN TCP: 25.8/28
WireGuard outperformed all other options. Compared to the baseline, the biggest download was only 23%. It also occurred when connecting to Argentina, so distance is a factor. The lowest reduction was only a 6% drop in several European countries, which offered fast servers. While IKEv2 is the second-fastest proctol, the highest drop in speed that we saw during our tests was 45% when connecting to a server in Australia. The lowest drop was 18% when connected to a server in European countries nearby.
Security
Surfshark is one of the admired VPNs for security aspects. With its highest level of encryption, RAM-only servers, and a strict no-logs policy, it has successfully won the trust of its users.
● Encryption
Surfshark uses industry-standard AES 256-bit encryption, which is virtually impenetrable. Your online activity is encrypted, making it unreadable by your Internet Service Provider and any other third parties.
● RAM Only Servers
Surfshark’s servers are completely diskless, meaning they have no hard drives. The result is less chance of a data breach due to malicious third parties. We guarantee that you have full control over the personal data we collect.
● Bypasser
It is a proprietary innovative tool that allows you to control your connectivity by choosing what applications or websites to route via VPN and vice versa.
Bypass VPN blocks selected applications and websites from using the VPN connection.
Alternatively, Routing via VPN allows only the chosen applications and websites to use the VPN connection.
● Automatic Kill Switch
The kill switch feature is an important feature that keeps you protected even if Surfshark disconnects unexpectedly. The kill switch will temporarily disable your internet connection and then re-enable it automatically when you’re reconnected, so none of your traffic is leaked while the VPN reconnects.
Surfshark has an easy-to-use kill switch that is located in the base connection screen. It doesn’t take much time to activate and you can turn it on manually the first time you connect to Surfshark.
● MultiHop Servers
MultiHop VPN is the term for double VPN by Surfshark.
It gives you the option to double up your VPN connection by sending your traffic through 2 different servers instead of one. You might want to use this app if you are very privacy conscious or in a country with internet surveillance, but otherwise, you don’t need it. In addition, these servers slowed down my internet speeds significantly as the data passed through 2 servers.
● Camouflage Mode
It hides the situation that you are using an encrypted network through a VPN. Activities online won’t be seen by your ISP or government with Camouflage Mode activated. It’s useful for people who live in countries with strict censorship laws about VPNs.
Camouflage Mode can also be used to get around firewalls on public WiFi. Camouflage Mode is enabled when you use the OpenVPN protocol.
● NoBorders Mode
NoBorders mode is specifically designed to bypass internet restrictions in heavily censored regions. It detects and changes your location so it can access anything your network blocks. It was designed to bypass the lockdown on internet connections in countries like China, Vietnam, and UAE.
● GPS Spoofing on Android
Many websites and apps use your GPS to locate you instead of your IP address. Surfshark eliminates them with their unique GPS spoofing feature — it makes it seem like you’re physically located in the same place as the VPN server you connect to. Both your IP and your GPS are masked and hence no sneaky apps can track you.
Privacy — Safe and Transparent
● Strict No-Logs Policy
Surfshark doesn’t collect your IP address, browsing history, session information, or any other personal data. Their privacy policy is the epitome when it comes to respecting the user’s privacy. They have clearly mentioned it all on their website.
Surfshark does not collect your personal information for identity purposes, but if you want to sign up without providing your details, you can create a separate email address and subscribe anonymously while paying with cryptocurrency.
Surfshark collects diagnostic data and anonymous analytics information. You can disable this in the settings menu. Your location data will be collected when you use “Auto-Connect”, but it is never shared with third parties.
It provides details on independent audits from 3rd parties. Security audits of Surfshark’s Chrome and Firefox extensions are really impressive.
Pricing
A 1-month plan will cost you $12.95/month, a 6-month plan is $6.49/month and a 24-month plan is $2.49/month. The pricings are justified when you consider the advanced feature it provides. The cherry on the top is that you can use it on an unlimited number of devices. If you want to sign up for Surfshark anonymously, just create another email account and pay with cryptocurrency.
Support
Surfshark’s online Help Centre is loaded with helpful information, including feature explanations, tutorials, setup and installation guides, and a decent FAQ section. One can get easily impressed by the number of guides available and used multiple tutorials during this review with success.
Surfshark offers 24/7 live chat support as well as a ticketing system and email support options which respond really quickly. The email usually gets 3-5 hours to be responded to.
Conclusion
Of all its competitors, it has the best value and provides you with everything a top VPN should: multiple advanced security features, a reliable network, fast connections and speeds, consistent unblocking abilities, and a strong commitment to user privacy and security. It ticks all the boxes when it comes to features of a decent VPN.
It outperforms all the major VPNs and can be your first choice if you want to use a VPN with an unlimited number of devices. This is one of the contenders if you are looking for the best VPN for windows.
If you’re looking for a user-friendly and all-around safe, reliable VPN, Surfshark is definitely worth considering. With its military-grade encryption and strict no logs policy, you can be sure your data is always protected. And with its 24/7 live chat support, you can always get help if you need it. So why not give Surfshark a try? You might just be surprised at how much you like it.
