Surfshark Vpn - review of the popular service: features, reviews, expert opinions

SurfShark VPN is an example of a successful start. Having appeared in 2018, the service managed to break into the ranks of the leaders in just a few years. And it's not just about the price-to-quality ratio - the developers were able to create an innovative product with an impressive set of features, among which there are unique ones, including GPS spoofing and provision of servers with large amounts of RAM. Tests show impressive speed figures, and security has been verified by third-party auditing companies. Let's tell you what else makes this VPN so good and whether it's worth subscribing.

What Surfshark VPN is for

The reasons why the use of VPNs is becoming more and more relevant can be divided into two groups:

• Security. The tunnel created by the service, through which the connection to the Internet takes place, protects against unauthorized interference, surveillance, and theft. Personal data and information about the user becomes inaccessible to the provider, fraudsters, hackers, government agencies. If the creators of the VPN comply with the privacy policy, all this information is not stored, so it cannot be provided to anyone even upon request.
• Removing restrictions. Blocking of various resources on the basis of territory is common everywhere. Familiar social networks, streaming platforms, game services, file-sharing, news sites, etc. become inaccessible. Thanks to IP address spoofing, the user "finds himself" in another country and is able to view content that is closed in his country.

SurfShark VPN is not only used privately. It is an effective tool for protecting corporate networks.

Benefits of Surfshark VPN

Surfshark is easy to use and does not "slow down" the device on which it is installed. At the same time, "under the hood" of the application are powerful tools for safe Internet surfing without borders. Let's talk about the main advantages of the service.

Supports operation on all operating systems

Programs and utilities are presented for all existing types of devices. VPN is compatible with MAC, Windows, Linux, Android, IOS operating systems, can be installed on Smart TV, router, game console. There are special extensions for Chrome and Firefox browsers. Each utility is fully functional and has a well-thought-out interface.

Unlimited number of connections

SurfShark is among those few services where you can connect a large number of devices with one subscription. These can be cell phones, tablets, laptops, personal computers, smart TVs, game consoles. It makes no difference where they are located and to whom they belong - within the same family or in the office.

Smart DNS function

Many smart TVs do not support IP spoofing. In this case, you can download SurfShark VPN and solve the problem using the built-in Smart DNS technology. The option will change the DNS address of the device to a server address in America, and platforms like Netflix, Hulu and others will become available. It is important to take into account that this method of bypassing restrictions does not encrypt data, so you should use the function only on those TVs where it is impossible to work via VPN.

Protecting customer data

Jurisdiction in the British Virgin Islands speaks to reliability thanks to the region's privacy legislation and its own court system. This is a big plus for the VPN and indicates a clear privacy policy. In addition, the service was independently audited by the German company Cure53 in 2018 and 2021. Browser extensions and mobile apps were analyzed. Reports on the results of the audit are freely available on the web, and according to reviews, SurfShark VPN fully complies with them.

Lack of a logbook

Surfshark is guaranteed not to keep activity logs. No information about connection time, session duration, selected bandwidth, IP address, browsing history and other similar information is stored. All of the company's servers have RAM. This means that when you reboot, the stored data is cleared.

Most software is characterized by sending reports on failures and errors, but even this option can be disabled in the settings section of the VPN, as well as the advertising ID. The company only knows the user's e-mail address and some payment details for possible refunds. And for the entire time of its existence, not a single case of transferring information to the authorities on official requests has been recorded.

Security and protocols

For additional privacy, the service has several unique features. For example, GPS spoofing masks the user's location signal, and two-factor authentication protects against hacking.

Protection against cyber attacks and IP and DNS leaks is provided by encrypting the connection and using security protocols. Military-grade AES-256-GCM ciphers with RSA-2048 keys are considered the most reliable. In addition, if you buy SurfShark VPN with full functionality, you can access the network using the three main security protocols.

OpenVPN

The most common protocol that most VPNs work with. The "golden mean" in terms of performance and speed, compatible with almost all devices. It is based on OpenSSL library and allows to use several authentication methods.

WireGuard

The newest modification with enhanced encryption technologies that help keep speeds high. At the same time, it is much simpler in content than OpenVPN, so it does not overload the system as a whole. It is still under development, so for mission-critical networks it is considered unstable in theory, but for private use experts recommend it. For Premium VPN SurfShark, the protocol is available on all operating systems except Linux.

IKEv2

One of the most productive protocols, surpassing OpenVPN by this parameter. But its disadvantage is its closed source code. It is based on AES and Camelia ciphers, which create keys for secure connection through the tunnel. The distinctive feature of IKEv2 is that it is the only protocol that is suitable for rare BlackBerry devices.

Emergency stop function

KillSwitch serves as an additional anonymity and privacy protection. When working on a network via VPN, the connection to a remote server can be abruptly cut off. In such a situation, the user is vulnerable, his location and IP address are revealed. Automatic disconnection of the VPN when the connection is disconnected allows you not to worry about the possibility of data leakage.

Data Transfer Speed

When testing the data transfer speed and according to the feedback from SurfShark VPN users during a session, the best results are demonstrated by the WireGuard protocol. With a base speed of 500 Mbps, most American servers showed 330 to 400 Mbps. Asian locations produced equally impressive results. In general, the decrease turned out to be minimal against the background of many other VPNs, which allows us to classify Surfshark as one of the fastest. Taking into account its versatility in unblocking streaming resources, such indicators will allow you to watch movies, TV series and live broadcasts without failures and delays.

For gamers, the service has a disadvantage - the ping on almost all servers is up to 150 milliseconds. However, even here you can find acceptable figures. For example, connection to Seattle showed only 25 milliseconds.

Ad blocker

The service is not limited to the basic parameters and is supplemented with several useful options. For example, the CleanWeb filtering function blocks a large list of unwanted and dangerous information flows:

• advertisement;
• suspicious links;
• malware;
• phishing domains;
• trackers.

The tool is available on MAC, IOS, Windows and Android operating systems.

Additional Surfshark features

In addition to the features presented in the main package, the service allows you to supplement them with several more paid tools. Each of them will cost an additional 0.99$ per month and will expand the application's functionality in terms of convenience and security, so the price of SurfShark VPN can be different depending on the package content.

Surfshark Alert

With this feature, the security of credentials can be monitored and further protected. Passwords, IDs, payment details are regularly checked for hacking and theft attempts, and the user is provided with a quarterly report on the collected information.

Surfshark Search

The tool allows you to avoid being caught in the collection of information about the target audience by marketers. Searching for the necessary information in search engines becomes fully protected. Analysts will not be able to detect the user by digital footprint and impose advertising on him on related topics. He will not see any annoying VPN, besides, the search itself becomes organic, i.e. it does not depend on previous requests and browsing history.

Surfshark Antivirus

Android and Windows devices can get additional antivirus protection in addition to VPN. The utility scans saved files, protects online browsing and downloads, and allows you to create scan schedules.

Feedback from users and experts

It is the SurfShark VPN reviews and feedback from users with positive evaluations that have so quickly put it among the leaders. In the network there are such statements about the service:

• "Personally tested the speed and looked for leaks. Both are awesome. The disadvantages are minor compared to the pros. For example, I didn't like the work with torrents, it doesn't drag well. But it still pulls. Surfshark has a good chance to be the best VPN in 2022";
• "I bought it for 2 years at once, so it's not too expensive per month. I have been using it for a week on my laptop, smartphone and TV. With the latter I had to look for information on installation, but in general everything was easy. Now I watch Netflix in the evenings, everything is great;
• "I was very surprised by the speed. But on my laptop the wired internet is 200 Mbps, with Surfshark I got exactly the same speed on the American server. That's great."
• "I use it on Android. It is very convenient to turn on in the notification bar. The response is fast, there are no ads, social networks fly, everything is super".

The average rating of the service is 4 out of 5, and it continues to gain popularity. Google Play Market alone has more than 5 million downloads, which is comparable to the level of many well-known VPNs with a longer history.

Surfshark VPN subscription fee

As of June 2022, the basic subscription package for 2 years costs 149 rubles per month, which is more than 80% cheaper than a monthly purchase. At the same time, the subscription includes 3 more months as a gift. SurfShark One offer includes all additional Alert, Search and Antivirus tools and costs 236 rubles per month. Both tariffs assume a full refund during the first 30 days of use. There will be no question how to pay for SurfShark VPN. Customers have access to a large list of payment methods, including UnionPay, Qiwi and cryptocurrencies.

To summarize

Based on the results of the review, the growing popularity of the service becomes clear. With impressive capabilities, it has a very democratic price. Users from anywhere in the world will find useful functions in Surfshark. For example:

• For China, there is a NoBorders option that allows you to bypass the strict restrictions;
• traffic routing through two servers simultaneously using MultiHop technology serves as additional protection;
• Netflix is opening up access to libraries in 17 regions;
• With split tunneling, you can choose which applications to connect to the VPN;
• 24/7 technical support and many other useful parameters.

Not every big-name expensive VPN can boast such an extensive content, not to mention the free ones. Therefore, considering how much SurfShark VPN costs, experts prophesize a place of leadership for it.