A virtual private network is the best way to protect yourself online. Still, it may be hard to choose which VPN company is the best option for you. Surfshark is certainly one of the top contenders currently on the market. Read on to learn more about this VPN company and what we like and dislike about it.
How Much Does Surfshark Cost?
The average price of a VPN service is about $10 per month. A monthly subscription to Surfshark costs $12.95, making it a slightly pricier option than average. However, you can save up quite a bit of money by opting for a six-month plan. Since the six-month plan costs $38.94, you'll end up paying only $6.49 a month, half of what you would if you were paying month to month.
Additionally, Surfshark often offers even bigger discounts if you opt for an annual payment plan. Currently, you can choose a payment plan that costs only $59.76 per 24 months, meaning a month will cost you just $2.49. Although that is an excellent price for a VPN, be cautious of when the next billing period will arrive. Once the 24-month period is over, you will be automatically billed the same price. However, you will be billed annually, meaning you'll end up paying $4.98 a month. Although that's much lower than the $12.95 per month alternative, it still may be more than some are able or willing to pay. Now that you know how much a Surfshark subscription costs, you may be wondering which payment options they offer. They offer plenty of options, so you'll surely find one that works for you. Firstly, you can opt to pay using a credit card, such as Mastercard, Visa, or American Express.
Secondly, you can pay via PayPal or Amazon Pay. And lastly, Surfshark offers cryptocurrency payment options as well. If you choose to pay with cryptocurrency, you can do so via CoinPayments or CoinGate. Additionally, Surfshark offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Therefore, you can rest assured they'll return your money if you choose to cancel in the first 30 days, no questions asked.
Surfshark Server Locations
Surfshark offers more than 3200 servers located in 65 countries. You can find plenty of American and European servers that are great for unlocking regionally blocked content. However, this company also offers an above-average number of servers in Africa and South America, regions that are often dismissed by VPN companies. Therefore, Surfshark is an amazing option for those looking for servers in these areas. Additionally, they offer servers in various countries with repressive internet policies, such as Turkey, Vietnam, Russia, and China. Furthermore, most of the servers Surfshark owns are actual physical machines, as opposed to virtual servers. The servers are located in the Netherlands, Hong Kong, and Colombia. However, they only have virtual server options for three countries, Argentina, Chile, and Costa Rica. They label these countries clearly on their website, which is a great thing. As of July 2020, all of Surfshark's servers are RAM-only, which is a huge benefit. These servers are essentially diskless, meaning any data on them is completely wiped if someone tries to steal the server.
Surfshark Privacy And Security
Your privacy should be the number one priority of a VPN company. If you can't fully trust the company with your data, you should look elsewhere. Luckily, with Surfshark, you can expect top-notch data protection and privacy. This company operates from the British Virgin Islands. Located near Puerto Rico, the British Virgin Islands aren't a member of any internationally-operated monitoring alliances. Since they don't cooperate with Nine Eyes, Five Eyes, or 14 Eyes, these alliances can't request information from companies that operate from the British Virgin Islands. Therefore, there is no way for any country to legally acquire your data from Surfshark. Additionally, this company does quite a bit to ensure your complete privacy and safety. Here's how they encrypt your data and what they log: A great VPN company should always use the newest, safest encryption methods available. Surfshark does exactly that. They use the newest AES 256-bit military-grade encryption. This level of encryption is so secure it's even used by the military and leading governments to protect their data. Therefore, your internet service provider and any third parties surely won't be able to check up on your online activity, either. Essentially, if there's a breach in a VPN company's security system, only the information that they log is at risk. Therefore, it's integral that they log as little information as possible. Luckily, Surfshark has quite a strict logging policy. They keep essential account information, such as your email, password, and billing history. Additionally, you can opt for them to keep information for diagnostic reports, which is, of course, encrypted. Still, we suggest that you opt-out of diagnostic reports unless you think they're necessary. Similarly, Surfshark asks for permission to use cookies, which you can also decline. Furthermore, the company keeps anonymous information in relation to their website visits. However, they only use this information to improve their website, and the information remains completely anonymous. Surfshark does not log your IP address, browsing history, when you connected or disconnected, or how much bandwidth you used while connected. When compared to other available VPNs, Surfshark keeps a minimal amount of data, making them an excellent choice for privacy and security.Encryption Methods
Logging Policies
Surfshark Internet Speed And Performance
If you're connected to a VPN, the internet speed will probably be somewhat slower than usual. Additionally, the speed will differ depending on which server you're connected to. However, you should look for a VPN company that has a reliable internet speed, no matter which server you're using. Furthermore, the speed should be similar no matter which device you're using it on. Surfshark offers a reliable, above-average speed. The internet is fast enough to use for streaming and uninterrupted gaming. Still, the internet tends to be faster on a Mac than it is on a Windows computer ever so slightly. Nevertheless, using Surfshark won't cause you problems on any device, and you'll be able to use the internet just like you normally would.
Surfshark On Streaming Platforms
You won't run into many problems when it comes to Surfshark's performance, either. It works on over 20 streaming platforms, including Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max. If your country doesn't have HBO Max or Hulu yet, you can easily connect to a server located in the US and stream as much as you want.
Similarly, you can explore Netflix catalogs that are available in other countries. For example, connect to a Japanese server if you want to check out a wide array of anime that aren't available in the rest of the world.
Additionally, some of Surfshark's servers can even bypass Amazon Prime's regional blocks. Amazon has some of the most powerful blockers on its streaming service. Therefore, many VPN companies may not be able to bypass them, even if they work well on other streaming platforms.
Luckily, you won't have to worry about that while using Surfshark. Still, if you do run into some problems, try to connect to a different server in the same region, which should do the trick.
A Few More Features We Like About Surfshark
One of the best things about Surfshark is that it allows unlimited connections. Many other VPN companies offer up to 5 or 6 connections. However, with just one Surfshark account, you can connect all of your devices to a VPN. You can even share it with your family, which is a great way to save some money. Still, make sure you only share your account with people you completely trust.
Secondly, this VPN company offers a kill switch, which is a huge benefit. Basically, a kill switch is there to protect your data in case you accidentally disconnect from the VPN. If something happens to your internet connection or your connection to a server, it will activate the kill switch. Therefore, all of your apps and web browsers will close, and your data won't be exposed to third parties.
And lastly, Surfshark also offers split tunneling. They offer a feature called Whitelister with which you can whitelist certain websites or apps. The sites you whitelisted will connect to a public network, while the rest will go through the VPN. This feature is a great addition to any VPN service, and many of them are just starting to experiment with it. However, Surfshark has had Whitelister for a while and is one of the pioneers of split tunneling in VPNs.
What We Don't Like About Surfshark
Although Surfshark is a great VPN company, it does have a few cons as well. Firstly, they offer static IP addresses. That means you'll connect to the same IP address every time you choose a certain server. Static IPs are easier to track in case of a breach and, although the chances of that happening are low, we would prefer dynamic IP address options.
Additionally, they don't offer over-the-phone customer support. Surfshark is quite responsive over live chat and email. However, it would be better if they offered phone support too.
In Conclusion
Surfshark is a great option for everyone who's looking for a safe, reliable VPN. However, it can be a bit expensive for some. Still, if you're okay with the price, you can rest assured that your data will be safe with Surfshark. Therefore, you can sit down, relax, and watch a region-blocked movie on Netflix.
Features
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Great for streaming, torrenting, and gaming
Private DNS and a VPN chaining mechanism
Features AES-256 encryption, split-tunneling
Kill switch
Allows you to connect an unlimited number of devices to an account
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