Surfshark (Starter, 2-year plan) review 2027

What problem does Surfshark solve for a household?

Surfshark is the pick for a household: one subscription covers every phone, laptop and TV, and speed was within five points of NordVPN. That is the whole case in one line. Where most VPN plans cap you at a set number of devices, Surfshark lists unlimited simultaneous connections, so a family does not have to count who is logged in. It scored lower on privacy because of its Dutch jurisdiction, though the Deloitte audit and RAM-only servers cover the practical concern.

The benefits that follow from that are concrete. It unblocked 9 of 10 streaming services in testing, it includes CleanWeb ad blocking and an Android TV app, and the 2-year plan runs $2.19 a month. The trade-offs are equally concrete: the Netherlands sits inside 14-Eyes intelligence sharing, the monthly plan is the most expensive in the ranking at $15.45, and BBC iPlayer failed on one of three days.

How did we score Surfshark?

We scored it across five criteria for a total of 9 out of 10.

• Privacy — 24 of 30. We weighed jurisdiction, an independently audited no-logs policy, RAM-only servers and anonymous payment. The Dutch jurisdiction is where the points went.
• Speed — 22 of 25. We measured download retention on a 1 Gbps line to US, UK and Japan servers, using WireGuard where offered. It retained 86% on the US server.
• Streaming — 14 of 15. Netflix US and UK, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, Prime Video, Hulu and Max were tested from abroad on three consecutive days. Nine of ten services unblocked.
• Apps & devices — 15 of 15. Simultaneous connections, router and TV support, kill switch and split tunnelling on every platform. Unlimited connections took full marks.
• Value — 15 of 15. Price per month on the 2-year plan and what it renews at. At $2.19 a month it is the cheapest here.

Where does Surfshark stand out?

Three measured results carry the strengths. Speed retention on the US server came in at 86%, which is why the speed score sits at 22 of 25 and why the gap to NordVPN is small. Streaming unblocked 9 of 10 services across three consecutive days. Devices are unlimited, so the apps and devices criterion closed at 15 of 15.

Around those numbers sit features that matter day to day: CleanWeb ad blocking and an Android TV app. For a household running several screens at once, unlimited connections plus a 2-year price of $2.19 a month is the combination that separates it from the rest of the ranking.

How do WireGuard, OpenVPN and RAM-only servers work?

WireGuard is a modern tunnelling protocol: it uses a small codebase and modern cryptography, which is why it tends to hold more speed than older options. OpenVPN is the long-established protocol, slower but widely supported and configurable. IKEv2 is common on phones because it reconnects quickly when you switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data. RAM-only servers store nothing on disk, so a reboot wipes the machine's memory. Surfshark offers all three protocols and runs RAM-only servers, and its no-logs policy was audited by Deloitte in 2023.

What do you actually get?

The service is made up of the following parts, as listed in our spec sheet.

• Network: 3,200+ servers across 100 countries.
• Devices: unlimited simultaneous connections.
• Jurisdiction: Netherlands.
• No-logs audit: Deloitte, 2023.
• Protocols: WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2.
• Plans: 2-year plan at $2.19 a month; monthly plan at $15.45.
• Money-back: 30 days. No free tier.

How does it compare with the rivals we tested?

Against NordVPN (9.2, $3.39), Surfshark is behind on score and on network size — NordVPN lists 7,400+ servers in 118 countries and was audited for no-logs five times, most recently by Deloitte in 2024. Surfshark is ahead on devices (unlimited versus 10) and on the 2-year price ($2.19 versus $3.39).

Against Proton VPN (8.6, $4.49), Surfshark is ahead on score and price, and level on devices at unlimited versus 10. Proton VPN is ahead on jurisdiction — Switzerland — and on network size with 12,000+ servers in 120 countries, and it is the only one here with a free tier.

Against Private Internet Access (8.3, $2.03), Surfshark is ahead on score and on streaming, and level on unlimited devices. PIA is ahead on price at $2.03 a month, on network size with 30,000+ servers, and on audits with Deloitte in 2022 and 2024 — but it is a US company, while Surfshark sits in the Netherlands.

Where does Surfshark fall short?

The Deloitte audit and RAM-only servers address the practical side, but the jurisdiction is the jurisdiction.

The monthly plan is the most expensive in the ranking at $15.45, so paying month to month is the worst way to buy it. Streaming was not perfect either: BBC iPlayer failed on one of three days, which is why streaming scored 14 of 15 rather than full marks.

Is Surfshark good value?

At $2.19 a month on the 2-year plan it is the cheapest option in this ranking, and value took 15 of 15. The monthly plan is $15.45, the most expensive here, so the long plan is the one that makes sense. There is a 30-day money-back window and no free tier.

Who should buy Surfshark?

Families and anyone with more than ten devices. If your household runs several phones, laptops and a TV at once, unlimited simultaneous connections on one subscription is the reason to pick it, and the 2-year price of $2.19 a month keeps the cost down. If Swiss or Panamanian jurisdiction matters more to you than device count, look at the rivals above instead.