Surfshark
The best value privacy bundle offering unlimited simultaneous device connections under one low-cost subscription.
Top alternatives at a glance
View comparison (See side-by-side)All criteria & scores
10 criteria · Scored based on your profile: Everyday browsing · Single device · Standard security
| Criteria | NordVPN | Proton VPN | Surfshark |
|---|---|---|---|
No-Logs Audit Independent audit firm & scope | 8.7/10 | 9.3/10 | 8.3/10 |
Speed & Performance Protocol speed, latency | 9.5/10 | 6.8/10 | 7.8/10 |
Server Network Country & server count | 9.2/10 | 6.5/10 | 7.5/10 |
Device Limit Simultaneous connections | 6.0/10 | 7.0/10 | 10.0/10 |
Streaming Unblocking Netflix, Prime, regional catalogs | 8.8/10 | 6.0/10 | 8.0/10 |
Pricing & Value Cost across plan lengths | 7.0/10 | 6.5/10 | 9.5/10 |
Security Features Kill switch, protocols, leak protection | 8.5/10 | 8.8/10 | 8.0/10 |
Jurisdiction & Trust Legal jurisdiction, data-request record | 6.5/10 | 9.6/10 | 6.8/10 |
Ease of Use App usability across platforms | 8.0/10 | 7.0/10 | 8.2/10 |
Use Case Fit (Your Profile) Everyday browsing · Single device · Standard security | 6.1/10 | 6.9/10 | 10.0/10 |
| Overall Score Out of 100 | 50/100 | 55/100 | 61/100 |
What the scores mean for you
Best fit for your profile
Surfshark and Proton VPN score highest for a beginner-friendly, privacy-conscious profile.
Top pick: Surfshark
Lower fit
NordVPN scores lower for this specific budget-first, single-device profile.
Why: Strong on speed and audits, but priced above Surfshark's entry plan for one device.
Detailed strengths & weaknesses
NordVPN
50/100Strengths
- Fastest speeds via NordLynx protocol
- Large 6,000+ server network
- Six independent Deloitte no-logs audits
- Built-in ad/threat blocking
Weaknesses
- Panama jurisdiction (some prefer Swiss)
- Renewal price rises after year one
- Only 6 simultaneous devices
Proton VPN
55/100Strengths
- Swiss jurisdiction, outside 14-Eyes alliance
- Fully open-source, Securitum-audited
- Genuinely usable free tier, no data cap
- Runs on self-owned hardware
Weaknesses
- Slower average speeds than NordLynx
- Smaller server network
- Fewer streaming-unblock guarantees
Surfshark
61/100Strengths
- Unlimited simultaneous devices
- Cheapest entry-level pricing
- Deloitte + Cure53 audited RAM-only servers
- CleanWeb ad/tracker blocking
Weaknesses
- Netherlands jurisdiction (Nine Eyes)
- 2-year plan renews at a higher rate
- Single-connection speeds trail NordVPN
Latest real-world feedback
POSITIVE
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Sources we trust
Audit Reports
Deloitte, Cure53, Securitum
Reddit Communities
r/VPN, r/privacy
YouTube Reviews
Linus Tech Tips, Mental Outlaw
Independent Test Labs
Comparitech, Top10VPN
Official Sites
Docs & Blogs
Where the score comes from
Breakdown for: Privacy-focusedNo rounding, no editorial nudge. Each fact carries an evidence-weighted impact multiplier (Maker claims count 70%; Laboratory measurements count 100%).
| The fact, and the words it came from | Evidence | Sum | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Every product starts here — neither good nor bad | 50 | ||
| Protocol Audit No Critical Findings An independent German security firm, Cure53, tore apart Surfshark's own connection technology (called Dausos) in February and March 2026 and found nothing rated critical or high risk inside it. They looked at the source code, not just the outside. Ten issues total were written up, seven of them counted as real security holes, but all the ones inside the protocol were medium risk or lower. With no findings rated at Critical or High severity within the actual Dausos protocol itself, the audit results reflect a stable and resilient platform. | independently measured counts 100% | +22 × 1.00 | +22.0 |
| No Logs Audit Opinion Deloitte, one of the four biggest accounting and audit firms in the world, checked whether Surfshark's servers and systems were actually set up the way its no-logs promise describes. No-logs means the company claims it does not keep records of what you do online. Deloitte gave its strongest grade of confidence, called reasonable assurance, and said the setup matched the description as of 10 June 2025. Based on the procedures performed and the evidence obtained, in our opinion, the configuration of IT systems and management of the supporting IT operations is properly prepared, in all material respects in accordance with the Surfshark’s description set out in the Appendix I, as of 10 June 2025. | independently measured counts 100% | +18 × 1.00 | +18.0 |
| Worst Flaws Ruled Out Of Scope The nastiest problems Cure53 actually found were not in Surfshark's own software at all. They were in the outside hosting setup, meaning the rented servers and infrastructure Surfshark runs on. Because the job was defined as reviewing the protocol, those worst findings were marked out of scope and were not graded as part of the result. So the clean headline result covers a narrower area than it first appears. It is important to highlight that the most severe vulnerabilities identified during the audit were localized to the external hosting environment rather than the Surfshark VPN Dausos protocol or its source code. Consequently, these were categorized as out-of-scope (OOS) for the core protocol assessment. | independently measured counts 100% | -10 × 1.00 | -10.0 |
| Ram Only Servers All server data is stored in temporary RAM memory that wipes clean every time a server reboots. Deloitte verified Surfshark's strict no-logs policy and Cure53 audited its RAM-only server infrastructure. | independently measured counts 100% | +10 × 1.00 | +10.0 |
| Audit Is Snapshot Only Deloitte spells out that this was a single snapshot in time, not ongoing monitoring. It says nothing about whether the no-logs setup held true before that day or has held true since, and the auditors note that any later change to the systems could change their conclusion. Our assurance engagement is a point in time assessment. The procedures we performed do not provide any assurance for any other point in time or period of time. | independently measured counts 100% | -8 × 1.00 | -8.0 |
| Encryption Config Weakness Found A Polish security company, SecuRing, ran simulated attacks on Surfshark's network infrastructure in December 2025. It found no critical problems, but it did flag one medium-risk issue: weak settings in the encryption that protects traffic between your device and the servers, which under the right conditions could let an eavesdropper intercept that communication or knock the service offline. The fix listed was to switch off outdated encryption methods and old protocol versions. A number of weaknesses in SSL/TLS configuration were identified, which in the presence of favorable conditions can lead to the interception of communication between the client and the server or to performing a Denial of Service attack. | independently measured counts 100% | -6 × 1.00 | -6.0 |
| Connection Records Kept 15 Minutes Surfshark's own signed statement inside the Deloitte report admits the servers do record something: an account identifier plus the times you connected and disconnected. It is wiped automatically within fifteen minutes of your session ending. That is not a record of the websites you visited, but it is not literally zero data either, so the flat claim that the company stores nothing at all is not accurate. Our servers do store information about user’s connection to a particular VPN server (user ID and connection time stamps), but this information is automatically deleted within 15 minutes after termination of user session. | the maker's own claim counts 70% | -8 × 0.70 | -5.6 |
| Fit for “Privacy-focused” | 50 + 20.4 = 70 | ||
A score measures fit for a situation, not quality in the abstract. The same product can score 99 for one person and 43 for another without either number being wrong.