Choosing the right VPN service can be difficult and a quick browse on any search engine will throw up two names, Nord VPN and Surfshark.
Considering that there are hundreds of VPN providers out there, and they all claim to be the best VPN services that the industry has to offer.
This is, of course, not true, as each VPN is unique, whether we are talking about VPN servers, products, privacy features, speed, their ability to unblock streaming services, security, or any other factor.
Our experts have extensively tested both services and we’ll show you exactly which service offers more, helping you choose the best.
Picking the wrong service means:
- Inaccessible streaming services
- Poor download speeds
- Lack of security features
- Unreliable connections
- Difficult to use apps
Thankfully, you don’t need to be plagued by any of those.
Today, we have put two of the most searched for services, NordVPN and Surfshark side by side to see which one comes out on top in our NordVPN vs Surfshark comparison.
If you can’t wait for the results, skip to the winner now.
Let’s see how they stack up
1. Speeds
Speed is one of the biggest and most important aspects of any VPN, as it determines whether or not users will be able to stream online content properly or download without issue.
With streaming being one of the activities that VPNs are most commonly used for, speed comparisons have grown to become quite common in the VPN industry.
You see, in order to provide privacy and security features, VPN services have to use encryption, such as AES 256-bit encryption.
Encrypting your data in real-time, as it comes and goes, has a major impact on speed.
Add to that the speed needed to stream Netflix or download content, and you have a tiny window of opportunity, where the necessary speed matches the available speed.
It is in your interest to increase this window as much as possible, and you can do that by choosing the fastest VPNs that can limit the speed of your internet connection as little as possible.
Now, when it comes to Surfshark and NordVPN, both are considered to be very fast services, but we wanted to see which one is faster through multiple speed tests.
So which is faster?
In all of them, NordVPN scored higher than Surfshark, but only just.
We tested both services using our nearest server, taking the average.
NordVPN gave us a slightly faster download speed of 59.1 Mbps, while Surfshark wasn’t far behind with a slower speed of 58.9 Mbps result.
Meaning Nord was faster but by 0.33%.
Nord:
Surfshark:
That doesn’t mean that Surfshark is slow.
On the contrary, the VPN is commonly used for streaming as well. However, our goal here is to see which of the two services is faster, and the answer seems clear, but only just.
NordVPN vs Surfshark Winner: NordVPN
2. Logging policy
Next, we need to talk about the logging policy.
A logging policy determines how much you can trust your VPN provider to keep your data private and not lose it in data leaks or sell it in order to profit off of you.
The best way to go around this is not to have to trust your VPN provider in the first place, and so VPNs that have no-logs policies are the best option.
So, which one is better, NordVPN or Surfshark?
Fortunately, when it comes to keeping logs, neither of the two companies keeps any private data other than what is necessary for conducting payments and ensuring that their apps work properly.
That includes the customers’ emails, payment information, as well as anything that the customer says during their interaction with the customer support via chat support or email address.
The browsing data itself is not traced or kept, and it is deleted from the VPN servers as soon as the user finishes their VPN session.
NordVPN make their policy clear.
That way, both get to keep their customers’ trust and protect them from anything, from data leaks to government requests for information.
Surfshark is also clear on what they don’t retain.
Although, neither of the two things should be an issue anyway, as they have good privacy and are headquartered in privacy-friendly jurisdictions, which is something we will also talk about in a bit.
NordVPN and Surfshark have had audits. However, Nord’s is of their full service, which proves their policies claims. Surfshark on the other hand, has only audited their apps.
I recently came across this interesting Reddit thread where most users agree a full audit is necessary.
For this reason, it’s a clear victory.
NordVPN vs Surfshark Winner: NordVPN
3. Servers
Our next topic that might help you decide when it comes to choosing between NordVPN and Surfshark VPN concerns VPN servers.
Both services have rather large server networks, with servers located all over the world. Many of those are speciality servers dedicated to things like streaming, which is great for Netflix, or P2P, which is great for things like torrenting.
In any event, a large server network increases the amount of global internet you get to access, which is why servers are an essential feature when it comes to choosing a VPN.
With them, you are able to unblock various foreign content, bypass censorship and geo-restrictions, increase your own security and anonymity, and fully protect any data flowing through your VPN connection.
With that in mind, let’s compare the two.
NordVPN has:
- NordVPN has nearly 5,500 servers
- Servers are located in 59 countries around the world for NordVPN
- There are 15 different locations in the US alone
- NordVPN has no limit on speed and bandwidth
- A high P2P server count
- Many obfuscated servers
- Many NordVPN servers support double VPN and dedicated IP address (most of them in Europe)
- NordVPN support Split tunneling
Surfshark VPN offers:
- Over 3,200 servers
- Server locations in 65 countries
- Private DNS on each server
- P2P support on all servers
- Split tunneling
- Obfuscated servers
- Double VPN
- Multihop
- Dedicated IP
As you can see, both services NordVPN or Surfshark are rich with servers and features alike, and regardless of which one you choose, you should be very well protected, as well as able to reach most things online by using their servers.
While one does offer more locations, the other offers more individual servers.
NordVPN vs Surfshark Winner: NordVPN
4. Jurisdiction
Our next step in this NordVPN and Surfshark comparison is jurisdiction, which can be extremely important for the safety of VPN users and their information.
As you may know, governments are not always too respecting when it comes to their people’s privacy.
Just imagine living in China, where all you do online is tracked and recorded, and you can’t even legally use a VPN that is not government-approved. These are terrible conditions for one’s privacy and security.
P2P traffic is instantly suspicious, and you might even get into trouble if caught trying to hide your IP address. This is why users traveling to China are always advised to use a VPN that is not based in the country.
However, China is far from being the only intrusive government out there.
Let’s not forget the 5/9/14 Eyes surveillance alliance, which uses whatever means necessary to not only violate user privacy by recording, processing, and analyzing their data, but they also share this data with each other.
Even that is not enough for them, and so they collect data from other countries that may not necessarily be members of the alliance but are willing to help.
All of this makes it very important to choose a VPN that is in a privacy-friendly jurisdiction, where no intrusive government may reach them.
Now, how do NordVPN and Surfshark fare in this area?
The answer is, excellently.
NordVPN, for example, is a VPN whose headquarters is located in Panama.
And, fortunately, Panama is a great place for user privacy, where you can be sure that your data will not be collected or requested by the government.
This is why when NordVPN says that it doesn’t keep logs, we are inclined to believe it. NordVPN also proved it through third-party audits, so there is no reason to doubt it.
As for Surfshark, this service is based in the British Virgin Islands.
While Britain itself may be one of the Alliance founding members, that doesn’t extend to this country, simply named ‘British.’
As a VPN in privacy-friendly jurisdiction, Surfshark allows users to select their privacy preferences, and it also has a strict no-logs policy, as we mentioned as one of the first features of this service.
With any of the two, you can have private internet access, knowing that no one will be tracking your every step, whether you are streaming Netflix, accessing P2P servers, or just casually browsing any site you are interested in visiting.
Both are great locations, so this is clearly a draw.
NordVPN vs Surfshark Winner: Draw
5. Apps
The next on the list of features that NordVPN and Surfshark have to offer are apps.
Apps are another crucial part of choosing a VPN because you need a service that you will be able to use on a device that you own. After all, what’s the use of having a VPN that doesn’t support Linux, if you use a Linux-based system?
There are countless types of devices that have internet access these days, and so it is important to protect them all. Otherwise, they can be hacked, monitored, or used against you in some other way.
The apps should also be user-friendly, as new VPN users continue to come and try out these services. Complicated apps might discourage them and turn them away, which is in nobody’s interest but governments’, hackers’, and advertisers.
All data-hungry entities that can only survive for as long as they get to harvest your data.
When it comes to NordVPN and Surfshark, both companies have quite a few apps, all of which are very user-friendly and accessible.
NordVPN supports:
- Android
- Windows
- Mac
- iOS
- Android TV
- Linux
- Chrome
- Firefox
- Smart TVs
- Raspberry Pi
As for Surfshark, it lets you use its apps on:
- iOS
- Android
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Chrome
- Firefox
- FireTV
- AppleTV
- Amazon Fire TV
- Xbox
- Playstation
As mentioned, all products are easy to use, whether you use desktop apps, mobile apps, or otherwise. They are also rich with security features, such as an ad blocker, a kill switch, encryption and security protocols, and more.
We much preferred the simpler layout of NordVPN and found it easier to navigate – great if you’re a beginner.
NordVPN vs Surfshark Winner: NordVPN
6. Simultaneous Connections
Another prominent feature of any VPN is simultaneous connections, and that also goes for NordVPN and Surfshark.
Basically, simultaneous connections count is the number of devices you can use your VPN on at the same time. You can, of course, install any VPN app on any number of devices, but with most VPNs, there is a limited number of apps that can be used at the same time.
This is an important number to keep in mind, especially if you tend to use multiple devices at once, such as your PC, phone, console, and alike.
It is also very useful if you want to protect your entire family’s internet connection and prevent third parties from gathering data about you and them.
All in all, it is an important feature, and we are glad to say that NordVPN and Surfshark are performing great when it comes to providing it.
The NordVPN site says that the service allows for up to 6 simultaneous connections, which is usually enough for small families and more than enough for a single person.
No matter how much multitasking you can handle, it is unlikely that you will need more than that.
However, Surfshark’s offer is even more impressive, as the service simply has no limit when it comes to this.
That’s correct, Surfshark lets you protect as many devices as you want, all with a single license. That means paying for its monthly fee and protecting every single device that you and your family own, with no limits of any kind.
With unlimited connections, you will never have to worry about who is using a VPN at what time, whether or not one more device can be supported, or anything like that.
NordVPN vs Surfshark Winner: Surfshark
7. Streaming
Now, we come to the fun stuff. Things like a kill switch and 24/7 live chat are great to have, but streaming is one of the top reasons why people have started turning to VPNs.
That makes the ability to unblock content the most useful feature of any VPN provider, which includes NordVPN and Surfshark.
Streaming with a VPN is easy. There is no need to dig through the settings or contact customer service or anything like that. All you need to do is change your IP address by connecting to servers in countries whose content you wish to watch.
So, let’s say you live in Italy and you really want to watch US Netflix. Simply use one of these VPNs to connect to the US-based server, and that’s it. You can now access Netflix and watch all content that is available to US citizens.
Both services unblock all the popular services like Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Peacock,HBO, NBC, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub and a whole host more across the world.
We didn’t experience any difficulties with either service but Surfshark does unblock more than 15 regions of Netflix and for this reason, they take the winning spot. Nord couldn’t compete here.
It’s worth noting that both Surfshark and NordVPN are excellent at unblocking streaming services, as they are both fast and use advanced technology and settings that allow them to hide the fact that you are a VPN user.
NordVPN vs Surfshark Winner: Surfshark
8. Price
Lastly, let’s talk about plans and prices.
Not every VPN is a premium one, but most of the time, only premium ones are worth using, as they can deliver on their promises, they provide strong security, and they aren’t getting blocked and overcrowded as soon as they emerge.
Both NordVPN and Surfshark are premium VPNs, which means that you have to pay for using them. NordVPN does not offer free trials, but they do have money-back guarantees that come with every plan, and they last for 30 days at both services.
As for the prices themselves, the NordVPN site offers this:
- NordVPN 1-month plan for the cos of $11.95
- 1-year plan for the price of $4.92 per month, billed annually (58% discount)
- 2-year plan for the price of $3.71 per month, billed annually (68% discount)
As for Surfshark, it also has several plans that look like this:
- 1-month plan for the cost of $12.95 per month
- 6-months plan for the price of $6.49 per month, billed once per six months (50% discount)
- 24-months plan for $2.49 per month, billed once every two years (81% discount)
So, as you can see, you have some options when it comes to choosing the plan, as well, and not just VPNs and their features.
While the monthly price of Nord is cheaper, overall, you can get Surfshark cheaper by taking their longest plan. For this reason, they take this section.
NordVPN vs Surfshark Winner: Surfshark
Is Surfshark any good?
Surfshark is a young VPN that has only been around for about three years now, after seeing a launch in 2018.
NordVPN, on the other hand, is one year short of being a decade-old provider, so it certainly has more experience, users, and a bigger brand.
However, Surfshark did not climb to the top recently. Instead, the VPN rose through the ranks extremely quickly, becoming one of the best VPN providers out there.
On the surface, it has everything you might need, a kill switch, encryption, many servers in lots of countries, security protocols, plenty of security settings and features, and more.
A deeper look reveals that Surfshark also offers truly advanced technology, good customer service, it keeps no logs and plenty of other reasons why you might consider using it.
So, while NordVPN is a well-known brand, that doesn’t make it better than Surfshark by default. The above has compared both providers in terms of features disregarding their age.
Verdict: Is Surfshark better than NordVPN?
As promised, it is time to answer whether or not Surfshark is better than NordVPN.
As it is usually the case, the answer is not immediately obvious. Choosing the best provider is not as simple as comparing the settings and deciding upon what we find, as different people use VPNs for different things.
Someone who values speed will go for one service either NordVPN or Surfshark, while someone who appreciates many simultaneous connections will go for another.
Both NordVPN and Surfshark are excellent, top-ranking services that have a lot to offer.
They are easy to use, and all you need to create an account is a few dollars and an email address. So, in the end, the decision on which is better falls on each individual user to make.
So, NordVPN or Surfshark?
Well, the results of our tests show 4 areas to Nord, 1 draw and 3 to Surfshark.
It’s incredibly close, but NordVPN is the clear winner here with stronger Speed, Logging Policy, Servers and Apps, with Surfshark taking Simultaneous connections, Streaming and Price.
However, the choice is yours. All we can do is present you with their features and potential and let you decide depending on what you need a VPN for.
Both have a money back guarantee so it doesn’t matter too much which you choose because if you’re unhappy, you can get a refund and try the alternative.
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