SurfsharkVPN Review 2022

Do you want to know to what extent Surfshark VPN is secure? Which platforms it is compatible with? Whether you can try it for free? How fast it is for download? And how many countries does it operate in?

In our review of Surfshark VPN, all your inquiries will be acknowledged.

We tested download and upload speeds, ping, streaming, compatible devices, browser extensions, torrent and more, through Android, iPhone, iPad, Windows PC and MacBook. in effort to provide a comprehensive understanding of the VPN performance, especially in comparison with the industry as a whole.

Our Key Findings of SurfsharkVPN

🌍	Country of Registration	British Virgin Islands
🖥️	Number of Countries	65+
🖥️	Number of Server Location	112
🖥️	Number of Servers	3200+
💰	Price	EUR 11.96 per month
⤵️	Download Speed	Avg. 69.99 Mbps
⤴️	Upload Speed	Avg. 5.7 Mbps
	Dedicated IP	No
📱	Multiple Devices	Unlimited Devices
📺	Netflix	Yes
📥	Torrenting	Yes
💻	Operation System	iOS, Android, Windows, Linux, and MacOS
🌐	Browser Extension	Chrome, Edge, and Firefox
	Does it Work in China	Yes
🆓	Free Trial	Yes, a 7-day free trial on iOs, macOS, and Android
👩‍💼	Live Chat Support	24/7 Customer Support

Servers and Locations

Surfshark VPN has various features that strengthens its place in the industry, especially in regard to its large number of servers, which is way above average, with 3200+ servers (speeds up to 10Gbit) across 65+ countries. This VPN service provider emphasizes customer privacy and tries to guarantee security for all users. In line with this objective, Surfshark VPN provides customers with the option of connecting through two VPN servers, making it more complex for third parties to track your online activities, as well as enhancing the VPN speed. Another excellent feature that help improve speed is the presence of a large number of servers spread around the world, allowing users to connect to a server near their location for better speed, in addition to offering high-speed servers with at least a single 1Gbps port.

Surfshark extends its services to South America and South Africa, with servers located in countries with strict internet laws such as China, Turkey, Vietnam and Russia.

	SurfsharkVPN	Industry Average
Number of Countries	65+	60
Number of Server Locations	112	120
Number of Servers	3200+	1000

Speed Test

Both download and upload speeds for Surfshark are competitive, along with other unique features, the service provider is considered one of the best, even though this reputation is mainly thanks to its privacy features not speed. The Windows app for Surfshark includes a baked-in speed-test utility, used to measure the connection to different Surfshark servers and identify the best speed to rout your online activities through faster network connections.

We studied download, upload and ping speeds for 69 countries across the Americas (13 countries), Europe (38 countries), Asia Pacific (16 countries) and Africa (2 countries). Upload and download speeds were measured in Mbps., while ping speed was measured in milliseconds (ms). We also measured our internet speed without the VPN to compare it to test results.

Download Speed

We tested 13 countries in the Americas, 38 in Europe, and 18 in Asia Pacific and Africa as shown in the table below.

SurfsharkVPN Regional Comparison of Download Speed

Header Label	Americas	Europe	Asia Pacific and Africa
Number of Tested Countries	13	38	18
Average Download Speed	55.11 Mbps	70.91 Mbps	83.94 Mbps
Lowest Download Speed	2.15 Mbps (Brazil)	19.08 Mbps (Sweden)	18.31 Mbps (Algeria)
Highest Download Speed	81.37 Mbps (Chile)	130.83 Mbps (Portugal)	134.27 Mbps (Russia)
No VPN	131.81 Mbps	131.81 Mbps	131.81 Mbps

Asia Pacific and Africa maintain the highest average download speed of 83.94 Mbps. The Americas has the lowest average speed of 55.11 Mbps, and the country with the lowest download speed of 2.15 Mbps in Brazil. For Europe the average was 70.91 Mbps. These results vary extensively, with the lowest download speed being 2.15 Mbps and the highest being 134.27 Mbps. Moreover, some results are highly deviant from downloading without VPN.

SurfsharkVPN Download Speed

Header Label	Country	Download
Fastest	Russia	134.27 Mbps
Slowest	Brazil	2.15 Mbps
Overall	All Tested Countries	69.99 Mbps
No VPN Connected	–	131.81 Mbps

As mentioned earlier, the lowest download speed was 2.15 Mbps in Brazil, while the best download speed was recorded in Russia at 134.27 Mbps, which is higher than when no VPN is connected. The average of all the countries we tested is 69.99 Mbps.

Upload Speed

We also tested the upload speed for the same number of countries distributed among the same regions. Upload speed is often slower than download speed, and it is less essential to users, given that it is used for videos, posts, sharing of files, etc. Similarly, we conducted tests without VPN usage. It is also measured in Mbps.

SurfsharkVPN Regional Comparison of Upload Speed

Header Label	Americas	Europe	Asia Pacific and Africa
Number of Tested Countries	13	38	18
Average Upload Speed	6.01 Mbps	5.65 Mbps	9.11 Mbps
Lowest Upload Speed	2.39 Mbps (Brazil)	2.84 Mbps (Bosnia & Herzegovina)	3.58 Mbps (United Arab Emirates)
Highest Upload Speed	12.57 Mbps (Bolivia)	14.22 Mbps (Ukraine)	26.48 Mbps (Philippines)
No VPN	39.15 Mbps	39.15 Mbps	39.15 Mbps

The average upload speed for Asia Pacific and Africa was the highest recorded result at 9.11 Mbps. The average upload speed for the Americas was 6.01 Mbps, for Europe it was 5.65 Mbps, counting as the slowest, yet relatively close to other regions. Moreover, the highest upload speeds for the Americas and Europe are comparatively very close to each other but highly deviant from uploading with no VPN connection. However, the fastest upload speed in Asia Pacific and Africa is close to no VPN upload speed.

SurfsharkVPN Upload Speed

Header Label	Country	Upload
Fastest	Philippines	26.48 Mbps
Slowest	Brazil	2.39 Mbps
Overall	All Tested Countries	6.93 Mbps
No VPN Connected	–	39.15 Mbps

The fastest upload speed among all countries was 26.48 Mbps in the Philippines, slightly lower than no VPN usage. The average upload speed as a result of all our upload tests throughout the globe was 6.93 Mbps, which is much slower than when no VPN is connected.

Ping

Internet service providers have access to your traffic when you do not use a VPN connection, which is supposed to encrypt online activities, preventing the ISP from throttling and reducing ping.  Surfshark provides unlimited bandwidth, as well as an efficient server system called Multi-Hop servers, which permits your internet connection to hop from one server to another and thereby ensure more security. This feature is available on Android, Windows, iOS, and macOS. Even if safer, these features can slow down your speed and increase ping, given that information will be exchanged among various servers. Thus, being geographically closer to a server is essential to maintaining a low ping speed. Ping is measured in milliseconds (ms).

SurfsharkVPN Regional Comparison of Ping Speed

Header Label	Americas	Europe	Asia Pacific and Africa
Number of Tested Countries	13	38	18
Average Ping Speed	366.76 ms	231.6 ms	142.72 ms
Fastest Ping Speed	231 ms (United States)	185 ms (Italy)	23 ms (Hong Kong)
Slowest Ping Speed	448 ms (Argentina)	512 ms (Georgia)	364 ms (South Africa)
No VPN	24 ms	24 ms	24 ms

The results of all ping speed tests were somewhat disappointing as they are much higher than speed with no VPN connection, including the best among them, which is 142.72 ms in Asia Pacific and Africa. The average ping speed for the Americas was 366.76 Mbps, which is the slowest regional speed. For Europe it was 231.6 ms, while the no VPN usage result, was as high as 24 ms.

SurfsharkVPN Ping Speed

Header Label	Country	Ping
Fastest	Hong Kong	23 ms
Slowest	Georgia	512 ms
Overall	All Tested Countries	247.03 ms
No VPN Connected	–	24 ms

The fastest ping speed was recorded at 23 ms in Hong Kong, which is slightly better than when no VPN is connected. The average ping speed as a result of all our ping tests across the globe was 247.03 ms, which is much slower than when no VPN is connected, yet much sharper than the slowest ping speed of 512 ms, in Georgia.

DNS Leak Test

As soon as you go online, everything you do can be monitored, you won’t know what information is being viewed or tracked by your ISP, and some VPN service providers do not hide your DNS queries, causing DNS leaks. Therefore, DNS must translate domain names into IP addresses. Although Surfshark VPN does not have a dedicated IP, once you are connected to the VPN app, it will reject your device’s DNS requests, directing them through an encrypted tunnel, the DNS server then views the IP address, which the device uses to access sites. With features of no activity or connection logs as well as end-to-end encryption between the devices you use and DNS servers, Surfshark help guarantee user security and prevent DNS leaks.  

No VPN Connected	VPN Connected (SurfsharkVPN)	DNS Leak Test
172.217.42.1 (Taipei, Taiwan)	84.17.35.82 (New York, United States)	Good
172.253.237.4 (Central, Hong Kong)	–
74.125.179.130 (Hong Kong)	–
74.125.179.131 (Hong Kong)	–
74.125.179.133 (Hong Kong)	–
74.125.41.1 (Taipei, Taiwan)	–

Our DNS leak test was successful with VPNhub. NO DNS leaks were detected.

Streaming

The amount of servers is significant to ensuring fast streaming without server overcrowding. SurfsharkVPN has 3200+ servers in 65+ countries, offering streaming with 4K HD and without buffering. Its servers have at least 1Gbps per port and in crowded locations like the US and UK, they go up 2x10Gps per server. It also unblocks a variety of streaming platforms that include, Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, DAZN, Hotstar, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, HBO Max, YLE Areena, AbemaTV, and more.

Your ISP may intentionally slow down your internet speed especially during bandwidth-intensive activities, such as when streaming movies or shows. Surfshark offers unlimited bandwidth and devices to help its users stream more safely, with better loading speed and through various devices, given that Surfshark is available on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, Chrome, Firefox, FireTV, Apple TV, and other smart TVs, Xbox, and Playstation.

Netflix

We tested SurfsharkVPN for Netflix streaming in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and South Korea, however, it only works in the U.S., with 4K HD quality and a streaming buffer of only 5 seconds, which is extremely efficient.

Surfshark excels in the streaming field, it examined the best Netflix libraries based on ratings and reviews, in order to offer its users a comprehensive representation of library strengths in their locations and allow them to compare different libraries across the world. In the table below, we present our results after testing Netflix streaming on Library, Streaming Buffer, and Streaming Quality. We selected at least one country from most regions.

Netflix Streaming in Different Regions

Header Label	SurfsharkVPN – Library	SurfsharkVPN – Streaming Buffer	SurfsharkVPN – Streaming Quality
Americas
United States	Yes	5	4K
Europe
United Kingdom	No	–	–
Asia Pacific
Japan	No	–	–
South Korea	No	–	–

We successfully unblocked the U.S. library, which is the most popular since its library has a large variety of content. However, the UK, Japan and south Korea were blocked.

Torrenting

Surfshark is a strong VPN for torrenting, as all its servers support peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing without uploading them to a server.  The use of a VPN ensures safe and anonymous torrenting, particularly in this case, where high AES-256 encryption is used. SurfsharkVPN is an excellent service provider in this regard, as it also incorporates VPN’s kill switch, Double VPN, and a privacy-focused logging policy, all of which protects your P2P activity further, and ensures anonymous torrenting. However, Surfshark does not provide the fastest speeds, nor support port forwarding.

SursharkVPN is especially effective with BitTorrent and uTorrent. Supported by all major operating systems, including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux, the VPN provides efficient torrenting to its users, even if not as fast compared to other VPNs.

Torrenting – BitTorrent

To test the performance of Surfshark, we used BitTorrent to download a 1.51 GB file, which had a download speed of 720 kb/s with 1.25 seeders. Thus, the download time was 53m, much longer than the industry average time (11 minutes), yet better than many other VPNs. These findings are demonstrated in the table below.

SurfsharkVPN BitTorrent Test in Comparison with Other VPNs 

Header Label	File Size	Seeders	Download Speed	Time
SurfsharkVPN	1.51 GB	1.25	720 kB/s	53m
Other VPNs	1.85 GB	0.878	2.1 Mbps	11 min

Torrenting – uTorrent

The second test was performed under the same conditions, using uTorrent with the same file size. The downloaded file size was again 1.51 GB, with 1.016 seeders. The download speed was 285.3 kB/s, completed within 2h and 5m. This result was much worse, with lower speed and more than double the download time, which is even more deviant from the industry average of 22min.

SurfsharkVPN uTorrent Test in Comparison with Other VPNs 

Header Label	File Size	Seeders	Download Speed	Time
SurfsharkVPN	1.51 GB	1.016	285.3 kB/s	2h 5m
Other VPNs	1.85 GB	0.219	2.1 Mbps	22 min

Router

Setting your VPN on your router is very beneficial for digital security. With one subscription to Surfshark VPN, you can secure your network by connecting to a router and using the VPN service on all household devices. It’s better to download the app, currently apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome, Firefox, Fire TV are available. However, if the app does not work on your device, Surfshark’s DNS feature can be used on Apple TV (& other smart TVs), Xbox, PlayStation.

The official site provides detailed tutorials on the usage of different routers, installation process and more information on VPNs with routers. Setting up VPN on routers is not very complex, yet as an alternative, it is possible to purchase routers that comes with VPN functionality by default.

Routers that are not supported by Surfshark VPN (at least with their default firmware):

• Arris

• Belkin

• Cisco

• Fritz Box

• Linksys (except Tomato supported routers from this list)

• TRENDnet

• TotoLink

• Ubee

• Google WiFi

• Most ISP provided routers

Routers supported by Surfshark VPN include:

• AsusWRT Router

• DD-WRT Router

• OpenWRT Router

• Portal Router

• Tomato Router

• GL.iNet Router (3.x firmware)

• GL.iNet Router (2.x firmware)

• Asus Merlin Router

• Sabai Router

• Freebox Router

• Linksys Router

Surfshark recommends routers running AsusWRT firmware, due to their user-friendly set-up process. Some of these Asus models include: RT-N66U, RT-AC56U, Asus N-16, RT-AC66U, RT-AC68U, RT-AC87U, RT-AC5300, RT-AC3200, RT-AC3100, RT-AC1750, RT-AC88U, RT-AC66R.

Alternatively, GL.iNet routers come with OpenWRT firmware pre-installed. Some of its compatible models include: GL-AR750S-Ext (Slate), GL-MT300N-V2 (Mango), GL-AR300M (Shadow).

SurksharkVPN Router App

SurfsharkVPN can easily be installed on different devices. This VPN is compatible with various routers and can also work with pre-installed routers. Connecting your VPN to a router ensures automatic safety, as it can be used to connect to devices not supported by VPN, such as for Smart TVs and gaming. Security has become essential for users who operate on different devices and require efficiency, as well as big families or household, who can especially benefit from Surfshark as it offers unlimited simultaneous connections.

Router Manually Setup for SurfsharkVPN

SurfsharkVPN can be manually setup on different routers, from Asus RT-AC86U to DD-WRT. However, manual configuration takes time and may be complex. The steps are as follows:

• Open the router configuration panel

• Open start, select command prompt

• Type ipconfig and press enter

• Check for a VPN client tab (click around to locate it)

• Follow guidelines from the VPN site to your specific router

• Make sure your connection is VPN-protected

Browser Extension

SurfsharkVPN has a browser extension for prominent and often used browsers that include:

• Firefox

• Edge

• Chrome

Devices and Operating Systems

With a single subscription, SurfsharkVPN provides usage of an unlimited number of devices simultaneously, regardless of the platform.

SurfsharkVPN provides access to its VPN app in the following devices and operating systems:

• Windows Computers

• Mac desktops

• iOS devices such as iPhones, iPads, and iPods with iOS 11.0 or later

• Android phones and tablets

• Xbox and Playstation

• Fire TV / Apple TV

TV

SurfsharkVPN is compatible with any up to date Android-based TV, Samsung TV, Roku, Chromecast, Nvidia Shield, Fire TV, LG TVand Apple TV. Moreover, through Smart DNS, you can access almost any Smart TV, which will allow you to access different streaming services such as ABC Go, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, Fox Showtime, BBC iPlayer, and Netflix Originals, if they are not already available to you. Although, this option does not guarantee the same level of protection. Generally, Surfshark is known for its good speed and HD streaming.

Another option would be to install your VPN on a supported router, which will allow for VPN connection sharing to devices connected to the router, including your Smart TV. In the absence of a supported router, a virtual router can be a good substitute.

China

Yes, SurfsharkVPN started working in China in 2019, capable of unblocking websites and censored content in the country and abroad.

Price

SurfsharkVPN offers 3 different subscription plans that you can purchase with a credit card, PayPal, Sofort, Google Pay, Amazon Pay & crypto:

One-month plan – EUR 11.76 per month (Billed every month)

One-year plan – EUR 3.63 per month (Billed every 12 months)

Two-year plan – EUR 2.26 per month (Billed now and annually after the first 24 months)

Surfshark VPN also has a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Discount

SurfsharkVPN offers 69% discount for the one-year plan, counting for EUR 43.50 per year, billed every 12 months. The two-year plan also offers a huge discount of 81%, making a total payment of EUR 54.29 billed annually after the first 24 months. All plans include features of CleanWeb, where you can browse without ads and malware websites, MultiHop feature, where security is doubled by connecting you to two servers at once. The Bypasser feature which allows you to select the apps and sites your VPN is active on. And finally, the KillSwitch feature, which disconnects you from the internet in case you lose VPN connection.  

Free Trial

Yes! Surfshark offers a 7-day free trial to test the VPN. The free trial is currently available at the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Therefore, you can use a device running Android, macOS, or iOS operating systems to sign up, then connect to an unlimited number of other devices. Moreover, Surfshark also provides a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Customer Service

SurfsharkVPN provides a 24/7 online customer support service. We contacted customer support and were able to connect to an agent within 15 seconds. The reply speed was 5 seconds and the quality of answers was great. The support team was able to respond to all inquiries effectively and efficiently, providing accurate and helpful information.

Header Label	SurfsharkVPN	Industry AVG	Difference
Connect to an Agency	15 seconds	10 seconds	33.3% decrease
Reply Speed	5 seconds	15 seconds	200% increase
Quality of the Answer	Great	Great	–

FAQ

1. What is Surfshark?

Surfshark is a VPN provider that is known for its strong security and safety online. It provides sufficient speeds to its users, not much less than most prominent VPN providers. With a large amount of servers of 3200+ (above industry average) across more than 65 countries, it ensures quality streaming with 4K HD, as well as fast streaming without server overcrowding. Its servers have at least 1Gbps per port and in crowded locations like the US and UK, they go up 2x10Gps per server. Surfshark is compatible with almost all devices and operating system, as it also unblocks a variety of streaming platforms that include, Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, DAZN, Hotstar, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, HBO Max, YLE Areena, AbemaTV, and more. Surfshark is compatible with Windows 7, Windows 8 & Windows 10. This service provider offers reasonable prices for an unlimited number of devices with a single subscription, and is therefore among the top VPNs.

2. How to install Surfshark on firestick?

Surfshark VPN provides detailed tutorials on its official page on how to install their supported Fire TV Stick and Fire TV gens, which include:

• 2nd-Gen Fire TV and Fire TV Stick

• 4K Fire TV and Fire TV Stick.

• 3rd-Gen Fire TV and Fire TV Stick

Using Surfshark on Firestick will guarantee your privacy, as it has a wide range of server coverage and hides your IP by providing an IP that does not lead back to your identity. The installation steps are as follows:

• Install the Surfshark app on your Fire TV

• Log in to the app

• The VPN connection status will be apparent with the list of locations, press the connect button and it will connect you to the strongest server

• You can also choose and manage locations

• Now you can also manage Surfshark features like CleanWeb and Bypasser, and settings like language and auto-connect

• Finally, confirm that your connection is working

3. How to set up Surfshark VPN on router?

You should first make sure your router is compatible with Surfshark VPN (there is a list of compatible routers in this review as well as on the official VPN site)

If your router is incompatible, search for a new router or new firmware, or you can also choose a VPN functionality by default router

Now you will need to configure your router with Surfshark VPN (there are detailed tutorials for many routers on the site like, DD-WRT, AsusWRT, GL.iNet, OpenWRT, and others) 

4. How many servers does Surfshark have?

Surfshark operates 3200+ servers in 65+ countries, which enhances fast connection speed, as all its servers have at least 1Gbps port, and 10Gbps port on new servers. Moreover, these servers run on up to date software, with 100% and are instantly updated while avoiding data storing and data collection to guarantee privacy (no-logs policy). And finally, Surfshark servers support secure and trusted Wireguard, IKEv2, and OpenVPN protocols.

5. How to unsubscribe from Surfshark?

Users have the chance to claim a refund within 30 days of purchasing any of the available subscriptions. Subscriptions can be terminated by contacting customer support via email at support@surfshark.com or via live chat.

6. Who owns Surfshark VPN?

Surfshark is based in the British Virgin Island. Launched in 2018, the virtual private network (VPN) also offers a data leak detection system, and a private search tool.

7. How good is Surfshark?

Surfshark is a strong VPN on many levels, including torrenting, as all its servers support P2P, with high AES-256 encryption. SurfsharkVPN is an excellent service provider that incorporates VPN’s kill switch, Double VPN, and a privacy-focused logging policy, all of which protects your P2P activity further, and ensures anonymous torrenting. Even though Surfshark does not provide the fastest speeds, nor support port forwarding, all its plans include features of CleanWeb, where you can browse without ads and malware websites. MultiHop feature, where security is doubled by connecting you to two servers at once. The Bypasser feature which allows you to select the apps and sites your VPN is active on. Blocking Ads, and finally, the KillSwitch feature, which disconnects you from the internet in case you lose VPN connection. Surfshark VPN is highly secured and prioritizes user privacy.   

8. What is Multi-Hop Surfshark?

Surfshark provides unlimited bandwidth, as well as an efficient server system called Multi-Hop servers, which permits your internet connection to hop from one server to another and thereby ensure more security. This feature is available on Android, Windows, iOS, and macOS. Even if safer, these features can slow down your speed and increase ping, given that information will be exchanged among various servers. Thus, being geographically closer to a server is essential to maintaining a low ping speed. Ping is measured in milliseconds (ms).

9. How much does Surfshark VPN cost?

SurfsharkVPN offers a one-month plan that costs EUR 11.76 per month (Billed every month). A 69% discount for the one-year plan, counting for EUR 43.50 per year (EUR 3.63 per month), billed every 12 months. The two-year plan also offers a huge discount of 81%, making a total payment of EUR 54.29 (EUR 2.26 per month), billed annually after the first 24 months. Surfshark VPN also has a 30-day money-back guarantee.

10. How to use Surfshark on Xbox one?

Surfshark VPN can be used on Xbox One, Series X & S, by installing the VPN service on your router. This will both get you VPN on Xbox and secure every device that connects through the router. So you will need to:

• Get a VPN subscription

• Set up the VPN on your router

• Connect your Xbox to the router