Last Updated on November 12, 2022
VPNs are known for their ability to enhance online security and grant access to restricted content, but not all of them are up for this task. Moreover, some of the VPN providers are just frauds and giving them your information is not a good idea. However, unlike those VPN providers, Surfshark is one of the most trusty VPNs, and as a matter of fact, it is one of the best VPNs across the globe.
The Surfshark VPN comes at an affordable price and offers various advanced features to further enhance online security and give access to the restricted side of the internet.
Although Surfshark is one of the best VPNs, there are also various limitations to it, and investing your money in a product that may not prove beneficial is not really an investment.
Worry not, though. With this detailed Surfshark VPN review 2023, you will be sure whether the VPN is up to your needs or not.
To start the Surfshark VPN review, let’s first take a look at its pros and cons.
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Surfshark Price and Value
Surfshak pricing is one of its main highlights. Surfshark features are top of the class, and they all are available at an affordable price; as a matter of fact, the Surfshark VPN prices are some of the lowest in the VPN market.
Although various other VPN providers also offer their service at a similar price, none of them are as fully-functional as Surfshark. Moreover, Surfshark also includes a money-back guarantee of 30-day.
The subscription plans of Surfshark divides into three different plans that go from a month, a year, and lastly, a two-year plan. Pricing of all plans is reasonable, and the VPN also offers various payment gateways, including crypto-currencies.
Surfshark’s Free Trial and Money-back Guarantee
The VPN provider offers a seven-day trial to thier VPN. In the trial version, all the features of Surfshark are available and work exactly the way they did in the premium.
Although Surfshark’s free trial can be used to test the complete VPN, the trial version is not available for Windows.
However, Windows users can test out the VPN by purchasing any of its subscription plans and using its money-back guarantee.
Other than the affordable Surfshark cost, a money back guarantee of 30-day is also given to all compatible devices. A 30-day money-back guarantee is more than to test every possible thing from the VPN and to decide whether the VPN is worth future purchases or not.
Security Protocols and Features
Surfshark is one the safest VPN in the market and includes all the essential security features as well as various advanced features.
The Basic Features of Surfshark Are:
1. Kill Switch: Surfshark offers a kill switch that automatically cuts down the connection if there is a fluctuation in the internet. However, the kill switch is disabled by default, requiring users to enable it by going to the VPN’s settings. Although the kill switch is used to prevent malware invasions and cyber threats, sometimes the kill switch fails to do so, which is its major drawback.
2. IP, DNS, and WebRTC Leak Protection: Surfshark uses strong encryption and various leak protection feature to prevent any online leaks. Whether on a public connection or an unsecured site, or maybe both, the Surfshark leak protection does an impressive job at keeping the users’ private information private.
Besides its basic features, Surfshark includes various advanced features that are some of the best in the market and guarantee users’ online and device safety.
The Advanced Features of Surfshark Are:
1. Split Tunneling: Surfshark allows users to choose the apps that should use the VPN through its split tunneling feature.
2. Multi-hop/double VPN: The feature encrypts the user data twice, making it almost impossible for anyone to trace the user’s real IP and their online activity.
3. Threat Protection: Surfshark offers an advanced threat protection feature that not only prevents malware attacks and cyber threats but also blocks ads and CAPTCHAs. Surfshark offers this feature to every device, and the threat protection is enabled by default and does not requires users to do any customization to it.
Besides the security features, Surfshark also provides users with robust and advanced protocols of IKEv2, WireGuard, and OpenVPN.
The protocols of Surfshark VPN impressively reroute the users’ traffic through the servers, preventing online leaks and allowing access to restricted content.
Torrenting and Streaming
Surfshak has excellent torrenting capabilities, and as a matter of fact, it is known as one of the best VPNs for torrenting.
The VPN does not impose any bandwidth limitations on the users, and all the servers of Surfshark support P2P traffic, meaning all the devices connected with Surfshark can send and receive files without any package loss.
Moreover, as Surfshark servers are optimized for P2P traffic, users can anonymously stream on various services.
However, Surfshark does not include port forwarding. Although the lack of this feature affects the users’ connection speed, the speed on Surfshark’s close-range server is more than good enough to quickly download and upload files of any size.
Moreover, Surfshark is a well-equipped VPN for streaming and has numerous advanced features to enhance movie nights.
Surfshark features and encryptions also allow users to access geo-restricted content on major streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and more. Moreover, Surfshark VPN includes a Smart DNS tool.
Servers
Surfshark offers over 3200 servers that are spread across the globe. All the servers of Surfshark support P2P traffic and are protected with military-grade encryption of AES-256-GCM.
Moreover, all the servers of Surfshark are owned by its parent company, Nord Security. The servers of Surfshark are safe and reliable, and most of them can be used to bypass restrictions and censorship.
Although the connection speed is impressive in all of the Surfshark servers, it is recommended to connect to one closer to your location, as it will have stable speed and low ping.
Ease of Use
Surfshark is well-designed, fully functional, and one of the easiest-to-use VPNs.
The interface of Surfshark is clear, and there is no trouble locating its features and servers. People new to the VPN market can use this VPN and can easily customize it to suit their needs best.
Surfshark’s setting panel is easy to locate on all devices, and the customization room of Surfshark is one of the biggest in the VPN market.
The features of Surfshark can be enabled/disabled with a single tap, and all the servers can also be connected with no more than just a single click.
Customer Support
A quick and friendly 24/7 live chat customer support is available on Surfshark. The technical support team of Surfshark can be used to solve any query related to the VPN.
Moreover, Surfshark VPN also includes an online help section that features a FAQ, installation guides, troubleshooting, and a knowledge base.
The customer support of Surfshark can be accessed directly from their website, and helpful guidance will be provided within minutes.
The live chat customer support of Surfshark can be used to solve queries, but for particularly technical issues, using the Surfshark email ticketing system is recommended rather than the live chat support.
Device Compatibility
Surfshark is a safe and secure VPN that is available for almost every device. However, similar to other VPN providers in the market, Surfshark’s features, protocols, configuration, and more can differ depending on the device.
Windows
All the strongest features, encryption, protocols, and more are available in the Surfshark Windows client. Moreover, the VPN allows Windows users to choose between the OpenVPN (TCP) and OpenVPN (UPD) security protocols. The customization capabilities of Surfshark VPN are also at their best in Windows.
Mac
Surprisingly, the Mac version of Surfshark is much similar to Windows, and the only difference between them is that split tunneling is not offered for Mac users. However, other than that, its protocols, encryption, features, and customization capabilities are on par with Windows.
iOS
Similar to Mac, split tunneling is also not included for iOS users. Moreover, IKEv2 is the default and only protocol for iOS. Other than that, the features and customization ability of Surfshark can be used to make the device more secure and access restricted content.
Android
Surfshark is one of the best VPNs for Android and offers almost all of its features and more than big enough room for customization to Android users. The VPN allows android users to access most of the restricted content anonymously.
Router
The best way to use a VPN to its fullest potential is to install it on the router. Surfshark VPN can be easily installed on routers, and an unlimited number of devices can be simultaneously connected to it. Take note that no matter how many devices are connected, the connection speed remains firm, and the connected devices can also use P2P traffic, but the devices can only use features that are available to them; for example, iOS users still cannot use split tunneling.
Fire TV Stick
Surfshark has a Smart DNS tool that is fully responsive and dedicated to Fire TV Sticks. The tool not only allows users to anonymously unblock streaming libraries but also ensures device safety with all the VPN features. Moreover, users can directly customize the VPN from their device, meaning installation of any third-party app is not required.
Browser Extension
Surfshark offers an excellent browser extension for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. The extension is compatible with both desktop and mobile and puts an extra layer of encryption to the user’s traffic. Take note that the extension only works for the browser, meaning activities outside the browser won’t be protected.
To Conclude
Surfshark is one of the most popular and well-known VPNs and is compatible with many devices, and allows for anonymous browsing, P2P file sharing, and securing connection.
Moreover, the Surfshark VPN cost is reasonable, and a free complete VPN trial and a money-back guarantee are included, which makes it one of the best choices of VPNs to test.
All in all, Surfshark is a safe, reliable, and recommended VPN, and it is more than worthy enough to be trusted with all the online information.
