Surfshark VPN

Surfshark VPN is one of the most popular VPN services in 2022. Its competitive price and unlimited simultaneous connections make it a very attractive VPN option for all kinds of users. But does this VPN live up to give the actual value for money that it claims? Surfshark also offers thousands of servers worldwide, excellent connection speeds, and next-gen AES encryption. However, users have been questioning its jurisdiction and whether it’s as private as showcased.

Surfshark offers some really useful features like SmartDNS, the fast WireGuard protocol, P2P-optimized servers, and provides a selection of easy-to-use intuitive apps and platforms.

Despite the popularity, some questions still remain – is Surfshark still as good and safe in 2022? Can it protect your online traffic, unblock streaming services, and offer consistent performance all across the world? There’s only one way to find out. Therefore, in this 2022 Surfshark review, we’ll provide our test results, insights on how this VPN compares to other leading VPNs, and answer all and any questions that you might have.

 LIMITED OFFER: Get 84% OFF Surfshark + 2 months FREE

Rating:	4.7★★★★★
Overall rank:	#2 out of #33
No logs policy:	No logs
Price:	From $2.05/month
Servers:	3200+ servers in 100 countries
Streaming services:	Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and more
Coupons:	Surfshark VPN coupon 84% OFF

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Surfshark pros and cons

Visit Surfshark VPN to learn more about the features

Is Surfshark VPN safe and secure?

Yes, Surfshark is one of the safest VPN service providers. It has an audited no-logs policy, an option to pick the preferred encryption standard and the safest tunnelling protocols – OpenVPN and WireGuard.

Surfshark keeps your data safe and doesn’t require any personal information, except email, to create an account. All passwords are kept safe with an advanced hash function, making cracking your credentials virtually impossible.

Let’s have a look at some of the main features that make Surfshark a secure VPN:

• Encryption
• Tunneling protocols
• Kill switch
• RAM-only servers
• Audits
• Camouflage mode
• MultiHop
• Search
• Nexus

Secure yourself with Surfshark

Encryption protocols

Most VPN services offer AES-256 encryption, protecting your data transfers from possible disruption. Surfshark doesn’t stray that far from this path, and it offers AES-256-GCM, an even more secure, updated version of the cipher.

On Android, there is also an option for a ChaCha20 cipher: it’s very similar, and similarly safe. The main difference between them will be speed: some newer devices with AES hardware acceleration will enjoy better speeds with AES-256, while older phones will be better off with ChaCha20.

Either way, you’ll still be protected by a very advanced cryptographic library.

Meanwhile, your authentication is secured by SHA-512 encryption. That means it will be scrambled into 512 binary digits, and then compared to login data stored in their servers, granting you a green light if the passwords match.

Most VPNs use SHA-256. Here, Surfshark goes a step beyond the industry standard.

Tunneling protocols

Even in terms of tunneling protocols, Surfshark offers a good variety of options. Nearly all of them are available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

WireGuard – the fastest modern tunneling protocol. Not only is it efficient but it’s also very secure. Moreover, Surfshark is the first VPN provider that sets the WireGuard as a primary protocol in all key apps. Plus, you can configure this tunneling protocol manually; this is beneficial for those who need to bypass VPN usage restrictions. The manual configuration also helps you to have a faster and more stable connection on VPN-compatible routers or devices that don’t support a VPN connection.

OpenVPN (TCP/UDP) – one of the most popular tunneling protocols. Although released almost two decades ago, it’s still very secure and fast. Plus, Surfshark obfuscates the protocol by default and makes it perfect for bypassing government VPN restrictions. If you need better security, go for TCP. If you’re going for speed, choose UDP.

IKEv2 – one of the most common tunneling protocols. Its support is widespread, and speeds are comparable to those of WireGuard. It’s perfect for weaker devices and performs well on weak Internet connections. Unfortunately, this tunneling protocol is no longer available on Windows apps.

Kill switch

Surfshark has a kill switch that will block all your internet traffic, unless you’re connected to a VPN. This will help prevent information leaks in case a secure encrypted connection is lost.

Compared to other VPN service providers, this approach might seem a bit strict. Other VPNs mostly trigger the kill switch when the link to the VPN servers is interrupted. However, Windows application users have an option to choose between the soft kill switch feature and a strict one. While the strict one works like on every other OS app, the soft one disconnects you from the network only when a VPN disconnects accidentally.

While great, this feature could use some improvements. When your whole connection is shut down, you’re not given any notification about what is happening. This may confuse you – thinking your internet connection is down, while it’s just Surfshark’s kill switch doing its job.

RAM-only servers

Most VPN service providers rent their servers from data centers – that’s how they keep their server count high. However, that also means that they depend on how secure the servers are on each location.

However, some servers might be less secure. Even if logs are instantly purged from the hard drive, the data can still be recovered. Plus, they may hold private keys that could be stolen if hackers manage to access them. Those factors are the major built-in vulnerabilities of such a setup.

Surfshark is one of the few VPN service providers that have transitioned to RAM-only servers. By design, it’s a different form of hardware that purges data so it can’t be recovered. It’s a much safer alternative.

Audits

For cybersecurity companies, transparency is crucial for trust. To assure that the trust can be built, Surfshark has been independently audited. Twice.

The first audit was performed in 2018 by Cure53 penetration testers. They focused on the Chrome and Firefox extensions of Surfshark, as browser extensions are usually the least secure pieces of software. Luckily, the tests went well and the extensions were deemed extremely secure.

The second audit was performed in 2021 by the same company. This time, they were focusing on the server infrastructure and general security. Just like before, Surfshark passed the tests with flying colors.

Camouflage Mode

Camouflage Mode is one of Surfshark’s numerous security features, also known as Obfuscation, or obfuscated servers.

It will make your VPN traffic look like regular network traffic, which will allow you to go undetected. The mode kicks in automatically when using OpenVPN UDP and TCP protocols.

The feature is useful in such situations when your school or office blocks internet traffic, or when your country blocks VPN ports. It renders most VPN blocking measures useless and can provide free internet access in dire situations.

MultiHop

What if you want to be absolutely sure that your real identity is behind several intermediary servers rather than just one? Well, Surfshark has a list of MultiHop servers that come in pairs. After your connections reach the first VPN server, they are then routed to the second one. Meaning, the last intermediary has no ties to your real IP address or location.

When you go to the MultiHop section, you can see which countries will be involved in the process. It’s generally the best idea to pick the first country according to which is the most nearby, while the second should be the one whose location you want to spoof. The speed drops will be pretty severe, but it does add more peace of mind – if that’s what you’re looking for.

Search

Surfshark also offers a safe and fully private search tool that’s entirely ad-free, won’t be affected by previous searches, and collects no user information whatsoever. That’s complete incognito mode, which paid users can access from s.surfshark.com or their VPN dashboard.

You can use it to find videos, images, or webpages. From our perspective, it looks a lot like Bing – if you’ve seen it, Surfshark search will feel very familiar.

Nexus

Nexus is the most recent Surfshark’s security feature. It’s a technology that uses Software Defined Networking (SDN) to connect the VPN servers into one consolidated network. Nexus technology connects all the existing VPN servers together, meaning that the traffic gets routed via a whole network of servers rather than just only one VPN encryption tunnel.

This feature not only hides user’s traffic but also gives the overall performance more stability and can improve VPN connection speed.

There’s more – besides the more stable connections, a user will receive better protection from DNS and data packet leaks. This means fewer disruptions during server maintenance and connection optimizations.

Nexus technology also offers an additional feature – IP randomizer. It provides users with different IP addresses for every source they access on the Internet of Things. In simple words, you get a different IP address for different websites even though they’re being visited simultaneously.

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Surfshark compared to other VPNs

	Surfshark	NordVPN	IPVanish	PrivateVPN	PureVPN	AtlasVPN	Proton VPN
Brand
Review	Surfshark VPN review	NordVPN review	IPVanish review	PrivateVPN review	PureVPN review	Atlas VPN review	Proton VPN review
Rating	4.7★★★★★	4.9★★★★★	4.6★★★★★	4.5★★★★★	4.4★★★★☆	4.3★★★★☆	4.2★★★★☆
Free version	Yes, 7-day	Yes, 7-day	No	Yes, 7-day	Yes, 7-day	Yes, unlimited	Yes, unlimited
Price (lowest price per month)	2.05/month	2.99/month	3.19/month	2.00/month	1.41/month	1.64/month	3.99/month
Streaming	Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and more	Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and more	Netflix, BBC iPlayer, YouTube	Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Video, and more	Netflix, BBC iPlayer, YouTube, DAZN	Netflix, BBC iPlayer, YouTube	Netflix, BBC iPlayer, YouTube, HBO Max, Disney+
Logging	No logs, independently audited by Cure 53	No logs, independently audited twice by PwC	No logs, independently audited by Leviathan	No logs, not audited	No logs, always-on audit by KPMG	No logs, independently audited by VerSprite (iOS penetration testing)	No logs, independently audited by Securitum
Servers	3200+ servers in 100 countries	5500+ servers in 59 countries	2000+ servers in 50 countries	200+ servers in 63 countries	6500+ servers in 78 countries	750+ servers in 37 countries	1800+ servers in 66 countries
Simultaneous connections	Unlimited	6	Unlimited	10	10	Unlimited	Up to 10
Country	The Netherlands (part of 9 Eyes)	Panama	United States (part of 5 Eyes)	Sweden (Part of 14 Eyes)	British Virgin Islands	United States (part of 5 Eyes)	Switzerland
Best for	Streaming, torrenting, security	Streaming, torrenting, security	Streaming, torrenting, security	Torrenting, security	Streaming, security	Streaming, torrenting, security	Torrenting, security

Pricing and plans: which one is the best?

Just like most VPN service providers, Surfshark doesn’t lock certain features behind different plans. The only deciding factor is the duration. The longer your subscription is, the bigger the savings you get.

Version	Price
1-month plan	$12.95/month
1-year plan	$3.99/month
2-year plan	$2.05/month

Get the best Surfshark deal

The shortest subscription is for one month and costs $12.95, a standard entry fee when we’re talking about VPNs. In this pricing segment, the price is almost universally the same.

You get much better savings if you opt for the 1-year option, which charges $47.88 or $3.99/month. That way, your subscription costs are cut in more than a half. The best money saver is a two-year option that charges $59.76 in total or $2.05/month. Considering that the offer is for two years, and is only $12 more expensive than their one-year option, it’s a fantastic deal.

As for payment options, here’s how you can pay for Surfshark services:

• Credit card
• PayPal
• Google Play
• Cryptocurrencies (for instance, Bitcoin)

Don’t forget that you’ll be able to use Surfshark on unlimited devices, as the service offers unlimited simultaneous connections.

Can you get Surfshark for free?

Yes, you can very easily get Surfshark for free using the 7-day free trial. The trial is available on Google Play and the Apple App Store. The trial is available on Surfshark’s mobile apps and macOS, and once you activate it on one device, you’ll be able to try it out on other devices as well. If you run into some issues, you can check our guide on how to claim Surfshark’s free trial.

Alternatively, you can also make use of Surfshark’s 30-day money-back guarantee.

• If the pricing after the trial still seems too much, check out our post on Surfshark coupon codes. There might be some big additional discounts.

How to download Surfshark?

1. Go to Surfshark’s official website and choose your subscription plan.
2. Fill in the checkout information and choose your payment method.
3. Download Surfshark on the chosen devices and install the app.
4. Log in to your account with your email address.
5. Connect to the chosen server and enjoy the perks of a VPN!

Download Surfshark

Speed and performance: is Surfshark VPN fast?

Our Surfshark speed tests showed that it’s one of the fastest VPNs out there.

Presumably, it’s thanks to the modern, fast, and secure WireGuard protocol. On average, on the 3 locations: United States, Canada and United Kingdom, Surfshark retained most of your original download speed.

After our first benchmarks, our initial reaction was to check whether Surfshark was even on. It was. A VPN is supposed to considerably slow down your internet connection. Surfshark didn’t.

It’s one of the fastest VPNs that we’ve ever tested. Presumably, it’s thanks to the modern, fast, and secure WireGuard protocol. On average, on these 3 locations, Surfshark retained most of your original download speed.

Surfshark performance with other protocols

Naturally, Surfshark has more than just WireGuard. The overall VPN performance will strongly depend on which protocol you use – and here are the average Surfshark download and upload speeds on different protocols, combining 10 worldwide locations:

• Baseline: 300 Mbps download/300 Mbps upload

• WireGuard: 262.6/169.8
• IKEv2: 219.8/38.5
• OpenVPN UDP: 120.2/140.3
• OpenVPN TCP: 25.8/28

Of course, the WireGuard performance was by far the best. Compared to baseline, the biggest download speed decrease was only 23%. It also occurred when connecting to Argentina, so the distance is a factor. The lowest reduction was only a 6% drop in several European countries, which offered the fastest servers. So, if you pick a nearby location, there’s barely any point in turning off your VPN due to performance.

IKEv2 is the second fastest option for Surfshark. During our speed tests, the biggest drop-off from the baseline download speed was 45% when connecting to a server in Australia. The lowest drop was 18% in nearby European countries. That’s still seriously good. But keep in mind that the IKEv2 protocol is no longer available for Windows OS users as the popularity of the tunneling protocol is fading away.

As expected, OpenVPN speeds mostly depend on whether you’re using UDP or TCP. With UDP, the biggest download speed drop was 64%, and the smallest was 54%. On TCP, the biggest drop was a massive 98%, while the smallest one was 49%.

Protocol	Speed	Security	Connection stability
WireGuard	Highest	High	Medium
IKEv2	High	Medium	High
OpenVPN (TCP)	Low	High	High
OpenVPN (UDP)	High	High	Medium

And to gain a better understanding of just how fast Surfshark really is, here is how it fares against a couple of other well-known VPN providers.

Provider	Average download speed
Surfshark	88%
ExpressVPN	66%
PIA	54%

Overall, Surfshark is certainly a fast VPN. We were impressed with its overall performance – and while certain protocols are slower than others, if you’re looking for good speeds, you’ll find them here.

Surfshark servers and locations

It’s important for a VPN to offer a solid variety of servers and server locations: and this VPN delivers. Surfshark offers over 3200 servers in 100 countries. If we compare these numbers to NordVPN, another highly popular VPN provider which has 5500 servers in 59 countries, it is evident that even though Surfshark has fewer servers, the location coverage is greater in all major world regions.

Regions	Number of countries
Europe	38 countries
Americas	9 countries
Asia and Oceanic region	14 countries
Africa	4 countries

Some of the available countries will also offer options for different cities – with multiple options for Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, the UK, and the USA.

Although Africa and the Middle East can’t boast of good coverage (a common theme amongst most VPNs), the rest of the world has plenty of options. It won’t be hard to find a fast server nearby.

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IMPORTANT: In response to the new data regulations in India, Surfshark has decided to shut down its physical servers in India. However, the service has found a way to still offer Indian IP addresses by implementing virtual Indian servers. Virtual servers aren’t located in the stated country but the functionality remains the same. The only difference is that virtual servers won’t be affected by Indian regulations, and instead will be regulated by their actual physical locations abroad

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The connection happens automatically when you click on your desired location, and it takes just a few seconds.

Does Surfshark VPN work in China?

Yes, Surfshark does work in both Hong Kong and mainland China, and it’s possible to use this VPN to bypass internet restrictions. You might even be lucky enough to unblock Netflix.

Surfshark’s Camouflage Mode feature is available automatically, as long as you’re using the OpenVPN protocol, giving you some additional peace of mind. As long as you have it on, you’re good.

But don’t just take this lowly reviewer’s word for it: here’s what Surfshark’s own customer support said about this.

If you wish to use a different protocol and still use Surfshark in China, you still can: a NoBorders mode is available on Windows and mobile devices. Enable it in the settings, and you can get through the firewall even on a different protocol.

However, keep in mind that the Great Firewall of China works in cycles. This means there are periods when the blocks are reinforced and mitigated.

That said, there may be some times when the client doesn’t work, and you’ll have to set up a manual connection or try a different server. It should work without problems, even in cases when the client fails. That’s why Surfshark earned its place on our top VPNs for China.

Is Surfshark good for streaming?

Platform	Does it work?
Netflix	Yes
Apple TV	Yes
BBC iPlayer	Yes
YouTube TV	Yes
HBO Max	Yes
Disney+	Yes
Hulu	Yes

Start streaming with Surfshark

Surfshark is well-equipped to be one of the best VPNs for streaming. They have numerous advanced features that will enhance your movie nights. First of all, there’s Smart DNS – you can set it up on any device, even those that natively don’t support VPNs. When it’s enabled, it will unblock geo-restricted US content without a VPN.

It’s possible to use Surfshark with the Kodi application and set it up on Amazon Fire TV stick. The minimum requirements are 2nd or 4K generation Fire TV devices.

Here’s how it did with some of the top streaming platforms out there:

Unblocking Netflix with Surfshark

There are many claims floating around that Surfshark can unblock around 30 different Netflix libraries. We tested the VPN on a few locations like the US, the UK, Canada, Japan, and Australia, and Surfshark was definitely successful.

So if you want to enjoy Japan-exclusive libraries that are difficult to access with other VPNs, this is definitely doable. This guide will show you how to get Netflix with Surfshark for a seamless streaming experience.

Stream Netflix with Surfshark

Unblocking Apple TV with Surfshark

Apple TV is a rather difficult service to unblock – and so, we didn’t expect much from Surfshark here. But we were proven wrong.

Surfshark can access several major Apple TV libraries. The overall experience was pretty good. While we needed a couple of tries to find the right server, once we did, everything was going smoothly.

If you’re looking for a VPN to use with the Apple TV streaming service, this is a great option.

Get Surfshark for Apple TV

Unblocking HBO Max with Surfshark

Surfshark is great for HBO Max and unblocks it easily. We had no issues when accessing the website or signing up.

As for the streaming experience itself, it could’ve been better. We experienced some lagging, but we’re not sure if it was because of Surfshark, or because of technical issues on HBO Max’s side.

Nevertheless, it’s possible to watch HBO Max shows with Surfshark.

Stream HBO Max with Surfshark

Unblocking Hulu with Surfshark

When it comes to unblocking Hulu, Surfshark works like a charm. We could easily access the streaming platform while connected to one of Surfshark’s US servers.

The streaming experience was also pleasant. The show didn’t lag, there was no waiting time. Everything worked just as it would’ve without a VPN. Surfshark did a great job here.

Stream Hulu with Surfshark

Unblocking BBC iPlayer with Surfshark

BBC iPlayer might not be the most difficult streaming platform to crack, but it still takes some work. Surfshark proved great at unblocking BBC iPlayer and the abundance of British TV shows.

The streaming experience was also like no other. We watched a whole show with Surfshark turned on, and never experienced any issues – no lags, and the quality was high as ever. So if you’re looking for a VPN that specifically unblocks BBC iPlayer, we can’t recommend Surfshark enough.

Stream BBC iPlayer with Surfshark

Does Surfshark unblock other streaming platforms?

Surfshark had no issues when trying to unblock Disney+, DAZN, and YouTube TV. Everything was going smoothly, and there were no noticeable drops in resolution or latency.

That’s really impressive. So far, only a few VPNs have been able to unblock platforms like DAZN, including NordVPN. All things considered, Surfshark is an excellent VPN for streaming.

Is Surfshark good for torrenting?

Yes, Surfshark is a good option for torrenting – its servers are fully optimized for P2P downloads. We had no issues making torrent downloads from several worldwide locations – it appears that all Surfshark servers are optimized for torrenting.

It worked on all of our tested torrenting clients, which include:

• uTorrent
• BitTorrent
• Transmission
• Deluge
• Torrentz3
• qBittorrent

With no bandwidth limits and data caps, we’ve also noticed some major dropdowns in speeds: they will still mostly relate to your original download connection and the number of seeders. All in all, Surfshark truly deserves its spot on our list of the best VPNs for torrenting.

Start torrenting with Surfshark

Interface and ease of use

The usability of Surfshark VPN on different apps is overall great. Both desktop and mobile Surfshark applications look really nice and are easy to use. While both Android and iOS versions are virtually identical, the desktop apps have a good list of differences. During our Surfshark research and testing, we came to these conclusions:

• Windows version: clear set up and easy-to-use.
• macOS version: has a clean interface and is easy to install.
• Linux version: nice-looking graphical application, which offers everything you would need from a VPN app.
• Mobile versions: very attractive, easy-to-use, ideal for beginners.
• Browser versions: comprehensive, have lots of handy features, easy-to-use.

Let’s take a deeper look at each of the available versions.

Platform	Experience
Windows	Full Surfshark experience
macOS	Two different app versions with limited features
Linux	Modern and user-friendly Surfshark app
Mobile	Solid apps for iOS and Android
Browser	Browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox, with cookie blocker functionality

Windows

Surfshark has a slick Windows client that looks quite nice and is pretty intuitive to find your way around. From the main screen, you can pick one of the categories: Locations, Features, or Settings. Each is pretty self-explanatory, and even novice users won’t have a hard time finding what they need. Even when it comes to advanced settings.

There is no map interface, but the country list has flags, and you can use the search function, so it’s hardly a drawback.

Though I found it a bit annoying that countries are sorted alphabetically, but the cities seem to be sorted randomly. However, every server has a marker indicating how much load it currently sustains. So, if you need better speeds, you have a simple way to filter them out.

Overall, this Windows app has just about any feature Surfshark has to offer – it’s the best option of all here.

macOS

Overall, the macOS version of Surfshark is much less extensive than the Windows one – it lacks certain features. However, that can also depend on which version you have downloaded.

There are two different versions of Surfshark – one downloaded from Surfshark’s own website, and another from Apple’s App Store.

Surprisingly, it’s the Surfshark site version that’s inferior. It only offers the IKEv2 and WireGuard protocols.

Meanwhile, the version downloaded from Apple’s App Store also offers options for OpenVPN.

But even then, the macOS Surfshark app lacks certain features. Split tunneling (known as Whitelister), meant to turn off VPN for specific applications, is not available on macOS.

Neither is NoBorders, which makes it easier for you to bypass VPN restrictions, set up by various governments.

While there is no way to go around the lack of split tunneling, you can still bypass the VPN restrictions on macOS – you’ll just need to use the OpenVPN protocol – which is only available on the Apple’s App Store version.

Overall, Mac VPN users really get the short end of the stick here with Surfshark. It’s still a very solid VPN – but not even close enough to the complete Windows experience.

Linux

Even though Linux users are probably already used to not getting a visual interface with VPN apps, Surfshark has decided to pamper the OS up and develop a beautiful GUI. With this first graphical VPN app for Linux among popular VPNs, you will finally be able to enjoy the service to the fullest!

Developers have done their best trying to bring you a user-friendly interface combined with reliable VPN functionality. So what can you expect from this app aside from its extra comfortability?

For starters, you can set your favorite servers, view recently used ones, and access every other essential feature, such as a kill switch or MultiHop, and other static options. But that’s not all! Along with the release of this GUI, Linux users have finally received the WireGuard tunneling protocol. You know what that means – a great combination of fast speeds and high-class security.

While the Linux graphical interface can only be enjoyed by Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, Debian 11, and Mint 20 users, Surfshark promises to release the app for other distros in the near future.

Android

Surfshark Android app definitely borrows elements from the desktop versions. If you turn on the system-wide dark mode, the apps will adjust and show you the appropriate theme.

The Android version of Surfshark has all the same features that are available on the Windows client, with an addition of a GPS spoofing feature. There is also the convenient split tunneling option – you can select which apps are excluded and/or included in the VPN connection.

Overall, the Surfshark Android app isn’t lacking in any way and is very easy and pleasant to use.

iOS

Surfshark iOS app interface is nearly identical to that of Android. The app adjusts its theme depending on device settings, so you can have both light and dark theme interfaces.

However, compared to the Android client, the Surfshark iOS app lacks certain features. For example, there is no GPS spoofer, and the Whitelister feature is also unavailable.

Nevertheless, the iOS app has several features rarely found on mobile VPNs, such as a kill switch and the WireGuard protocol support for better security and speed.

So, although iOS looks less impressive than its Android counterpart, it’s still a solid app.

Browser extensions

Aside from their VPN app, Surfshark also offers browser extensions for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

These have basic functionality like hiding your real IP address, encrypting your connection, and unblocking restricted websites. But also, there’s a new feature that makes this extension separate itself from the rest.

It’s the cookie blocker, removing one of the most annoying things about browsing today: constant requests for you to allow cookies. You can select which sites are blocked or allowed, making your overall browsing experience a lot less cluttered.

Also, keep in mind that the extension will only encrypt the traffic of your selected browser.

Surfshark features – what’s changed over the years?

Launched in 2018, Surfshark has come a long way from its first iteration – and now it’s a fully-fledged VPN that can compete with the best of them.

• 2018: Surfshark completed an independent browser extension audit.
• March 2019: the introduction of Linux app, improvements and bug fixes of existing apps.
• October 2019: the VPN received the official AV-test seal of approval. Surfshark was noted for being outstanding in the video streaming and security categories only a year after launch.
• December 2019: Surfshark unveiled one of their most interesting features to date – GPS spoofing. On Android, it lets you not only hide your IP, but also overwrite your phone’s GPS module.
• 2020: Surfshark added 2FA, introduced WireGuard to all their clients, upgraded their 3200+ servers to be RAM-only, and added a SmartDNS feature for easy streaming platform unblocking.
• August 2021: Surfshark announced Surfshark One – a bundle of their VPN and a new antivirus service.
• 2022: the provider introduced Surfshark Nexus – a VPN innovation based on SDN (Software-defined networking), later in the year Surfshark became the first popular VPN that released a graphical application for Linux.

Surfshark has grown not only in popularity but also the tools for online security. Here are some of the features that make Surfshark what it is today:

• Surfshark Antivirus – a part of Surfshark One security bundle
• NoBorders – a feature for bypassing heavy restrictions
• Smart DNS – helps unblock streaming content
• CleanWeb – a feature for safer browsing
• Incogni – personal info removal tool

Surfshark Antivirus

Surfshark’s integrated antivirus tool is more than just a basic website blocker tool offered by lots of VPN providers. It’s a full-fledged antivirus program, similar to the ones created by the likes of Avast and Bitdefender.

The feature will protect your device from all sorts of malware including worms, trojans, backdoors, and other types of viruses. All you need to do is scan your device as you would with any other antivirus tool, and Surfshark AV will detect and eliminate the threats.

Soon, it will also offer real-time protection that will keep your computer or phone safe while browsing.

Right now, the feature is available on Windows, macOS, and Android devices. Let’s hope iOS users will get their hands on Surfshark Antivirus pretty soon as well.

The tool is included in the Surfshark One bundle and will cost you $27.84 per year when getting the plan for 12 months (Alert and Search tools come as an additional bonus).

Keeping in mind that Surfshark Antivirus covers up to 5 devices, this seems like a pretty sweet deal.

NoBorders

NoBorders is a unique extra feature that allows you to use VPN in heavily restricted countries. If your client detects restrictions imposed by your network, it toggles NoBorders automatically to bypass them. It also then switches your server list to those that perform best under such circumstances. You can also turn this mode on manually, whenever you need it. Available on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.

Smart DNS

Most VPNs rely entirely on their apps. However, there may be some cases when the app isn’t available for your device. For those using PlayStations or Smart TVs, it may be a deal-breaker. It takes away the possibility to unblock geo-restricted media streaming sites like Disney+ or Hulu on your preferred device.

Surfshark Smart DNS can be set up on many types of devices, even those that don’t support VPN clients. You’ll need to activate it from your main account dashboard, and they will generate DNS addresses that you can then set up on your devices. By default, it allows you to unblock US-based shows and libraries that are often unavailable for users from other continents.

Whitelister

Sometimes keeping a VPN turned on at all times can be a nuisance. For example, your banking page may recognize a different country’s IP and flag you or not show the appropriate local version. Or maybe you want to access your local streaming library, but use a different country’s VPN for something else. For that, you need split tunnelling – and Surfshark’s version of it is called a Whitelister.

It works both ways: by routing only some apps via a VPN connection, or routing the whole connection via VPN, and adding exclusions. It’s also possible to set it up on a per IP basis. This means that you’ll be connecting directly without the need to disconnect or switch the server when connecting to your added websites.

Not only is it an amazing feature, but it’s also one that’s still pretty hard to find. This is especially true for customizable split tunneling. During our tests Surfshark routed all the data where you would expect it to go. There were no issues.

Alerts

Surfshark aims to protect your safety not only via VPN connections. They’ve added the possibility to use alerts that warn you if your data gets leaked for all of their subscribers.

Alerts work with emails, credit cards, and IDs after you type them in and add them to the list. Using two-factor authentication is mandatory to protect your data. When a major breach occurs, and the data is leaked to dark web marketplaces, you will be warned.

You can customize the frequency of these reports. A regular newsletter option informs you about the data breaches that occurred recently and notifications only in cases when your accounts are affected.

CleanWeb

CleanWeb is Surfshark’s proprietary DNS feature that blocks ads from loading and various online trackers from gathering your data. It’s not turned on by default. To do that you’ll need to head to settings.

When turned on, it will block IP addresses that are blacklisted. This means that known ad hosts will not be able to load, so you won’t see their popups. The same goes for hosts distributing malware or gathering user data. During our tests, it did work on par with other ad blockers like uBlock origin, so it can be a substitute.

GPS spoofing

If you’re an Android user, with Surfshark, you can spoof your IP address and your physical GPS location. You don’t even have to install any separate software. Most applications installed on your phone have access to your location data, so it’s one of the most harvested pieces of information about any user.

Spoofing your location not only allows you to match your VPN IP with corresponding GPS data for privacy reasons. You can take advantage of this when catching creatures in Pokemon Go or swiping on Tinder.

Pause VPN function

With a VPN, you can unblock loads of global content you wish to access. Yet, there are cases when you need to disconnect from a VPN for a moment if you need your original location. Luckily, Surfshark has something called the Pause VPN feature that disables the connection for 5 minutes, 30 minutes, or 2 hours. Also, you are allowed to enable a VPN connection during the pause. Although the feature is only available on Android devices now, soon it will knock on other operating systems’ doors as well.

IP rotator

First available Surfshark Nexus feature – IP rotator. With it, your online privacy and security are taken to a completely different level. While a simple VPN connection provides you with a single IP address per session, with an IP rotator enabled, your IP address will be constantly changed without disconnecting you from a secured connection. Meaning, your ISP will be even less likely to track your online activity!

Incogni

Isn’t it annoying (and a bit scary, even) that the Internet is full of your personal information? Well, Surfshark is here to help you with that. Recently, the service has launched a brand new tool called Incogni.

Once you purchase a separate subscription, Incogni will contact online data brokers for you, requiring them to remove all your personal info (like name, telephone number, and email address) from their databases. In this way, you’ll start to get fewer targeted ads, spam calls, and spam emails.

In case you want to know more about this privacy tool, feel free to check out our detailed Incogni review.