Surfshark Review

Download speed without Surfshark: 97Mbps

Download speed with Surfshark: 23Mbps

Our download speed loss when Surfshark is running 76%

Not only does Surfshark deliver consistent access to Netflix both in the US and the UK, we’re also very pleased to report that it reliably unlocks BBC iPlayer, too.

The only catch is that it needs to be done via a browser extension. The London server will do the trick, but beware that it doesn’t offer the same full encryption as the VPN app itself.

While you can torrent on any Surfshark server you like, traffic is actually channeled to servers optimized for it. If you’re in Europe or Asia and outside of the UK, it will be routed through the Surfshark Netherlands server. If you’re in the Americas but outside of the US or Canada, it will route through Surfshark’s Canadian servers.

Those who use their connection for a great deal of P2P traffic should take a look at our list of the best VPNs for torrenting.

It may not be the simplest solution for getting around online censorship, but it certainly works.

If you’re in China you’ll need to download a specially configured (free) file from the Surfshark website. This only goes for MacOS, iOS or Android users, though, as the Microsoft Windows version comes with ‘NoBorders Mode’ built-in.

Our recommendation for this purpose is VyprVPN.

Surfshark can be used with all popular games consoles and streaming devices by connecting them to a configured router. Surfshark has also just released a native app for Amazon Fire TV Stick, which is great news for owners.

For simple, one-click solutions for gaming and streaming devices, you should look into a provider like ExpressVPN, as it offers a MediaStreamer DNS service that’s designed to make this process as easy as possible.

Surfshark also offers browser extensions for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, so you can spoof your location and encrypt your web traffic.

We’d recommend using them with the full Surfshark program too, though, as they only cover what goes on in your web browser.

The Windows app offers you the choice of OpenVPN, our personal favorite, or IKEv2 protocols. If you’re using Surfshark on a different platform then you’ll need to navigate a bit of manual configuration to get OpenVPN.

Its AES-256 encryption is widely regarded as near-uncrackable and our testing confirmed that there are no DNS or IP leaks, plus there’s an ad-blocker and kill switch.

Special mentions should also go to the MultiHop feature, which routes your traffic through two different VPN servers for extra security (albeit slower speeds) and its split tunneling, which keeps you connected while letting certain apps operate outside of the VPN.

Surfshark doesn’t collect any user logs whatsoever – fantastic news for privacy advocates. You can see Surfshark’s privacy policy in full here.

The only identifying information it knows about you is your email address (for registering your account) and billing (in case you want a refund). These are in no way connected to what you do while using the service.

Where is Surfshark based?

Surfshark is based in the British Virgin Islands, one of the most sensible jurisdictions in the world.

There are no obligatory data retention laws in the British Virgin Islands, and it has no connection to any global government data sharing schemes – your personal data is well and truly safe.

There’s also a warrant canary on the Surfshark website that provides a daily update on the company’s interactions with law enforcement: to this day it has never received a gagging order, warrant or National Security letter.

You won’t find around-the-clock live chat support as snappy and well-informed anywhere else at this price point – in fact, most VPNs as cheap as Surfshark won’t have it at all. Agents were always standing by to answer our questions quickly and pleasantly.

Surfshark’s online help sections don’t have the same level of depth as we’ve seen from some higher-scoring rivals, but they cover off the basics well. You can always sent off an email for anything that’s not covered.