NordVPN vs. Surfshark – At a Glance
NordVPN
NordVPN is a well-respected VPN provider that delivers its services at a reasonable price. The provider’s impressive global server network provides reliable access to geo-fenced content.
The provider also offers comprehensive app support, making it a valid option for users looking for fast, well-protected access to content around the world.
Surfshark
If you’re on a budget and are looking for reliable VPN services, Surfshark could be the VPN provider for you. The provider delivers excellent app and router support, the largest global server network I’ve seen, and well-protected connections.
Surfshark also offers additional protective services for a small additional fee.
How to Choose a VPN
When you’re looking for the right Virtual Private Network (VPN) provider for your needs, there are several service categories you should carefully consider.
In this article, I’ll compare two well-known VPN providers (NordVPN and Surfshark). I’ll compare them in each service category and declare a winner in each category. At the end of the article, the overall scores will be tallied and a winner will be declared.
By the end of this article, you should have more than enough information to make an informed VPN buying decision.
NordVPN vs. Surfshark – Features
Connection Speeds
A fast connection is a must for today’s content-heavy online world.
I regularly perform VPN connection speed tests of the VPNs I cover. I perform the speed tests as follows:
- All tests are performed using a North American-based Windows server using a gigabit Ethernet connection.
- I perform speed tests using the Windows version of the VPN providers’ app. I use the OpenVPN UDP connection protocol when available.
- I connect to VPN servers located in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Hong Kong. I connect at three different times of day, over the course of three days.
- Once a connection is made, I run the Speedtest.net app to test the connection speeds. The Speedtest app is closed between each test.
If you perform your own speed tests, you’ll likely see different download speeds than I did. That’s because various factors can affect your results, including your usual ISP-provided connection speeds, your location, and which VPN server you connect to.
NordVPN and Surfshark connection speed results were quite close to each other.
NordVPN’s download speeds were quite impressive, averaging in at 371 Mbps.
Surfshark delivered average speeds of 323.6 Mbps in testing.
Those connection speeds make both providers excellent choices for users that enjoy streaming, online gaming, file sharing, and other popular online activities.
Average Connection Speed Winner: NordVPN
| Provider | Avg. Connection Speed | Link |
| NordVPN | 371.0 Mbps | Visit Site |
| Surfshark | 323.6 Mbps | Visit Site |
Pricing
While pricing is an important consideration, you should never subscribe to any VPN simply because it charges a low price.
While NordVPN and Surfshark are both reasonably priced, one provider is priced much lower than the other.
Surfshark takes the pricing crown in this battle, with an average price of nearly $3.00 less than that of NordVPN.
It should be noted that I don’t include actual prices in my articles, as many providers periodically change their pricing or run special deals. Visit the providers’ websites for their current pricing.
Pricing Winner: Surfshark
| Provider | Money-Back Guarantee Period | Link |
| NordVPN | 30 Days | Visit Site |
| Surfshark | 30 Days | Visit Site |
Privacy
If you’re online, someone is interested in where you’ve been and what you’ve been doing. Whether it’s your ISP, advertisers, or hackers, they all want to stick their nose in your online business. That makes a VPN provider’s privacy protection features an important feature.
A VPN service’s privacy protections should be considered according to the following:
- Is the provider’s location in a privacy-respecting country?
- Does the provider save any user activity logs?
- Are privacy-protecting payment options, like cryptocurrency, available?
NordVPN’s base of operations is located in Panama, which respects the privacy rights of internet users. No user activity logs of any kind are ever saved on the provider’s servers. By paying with cryptocurrency and signing up with a tossable email address, you provide additional privacy protection for your subscription information.
NordVPN also runs all of its servers solely from RAM, with no data of any kind being written to a physical hard drive. This ensures that all data is securely wiped when any of the provider’s servers are rebooted, shut down, or unplugged and moved. The provider is also moving its server farms to an owned-and-operated model, which keeps outside contractors away from your personal information.
Meanwhile, Surfshark is located in the privacy-friendly British Virgin Islands and takes full advantage of its online privacy-respecting locale. This provider also never saves user logs and accepts cryptocurrency for payment privacy.
Just like NordVPN, Surfshark also runs all of its servers totally from volatile RAM. All data is securely wiped when a Surfshark server is restarted or turned off. Unfortunately, as we’ll see in the customer support section, Surfshark involves a third party, meaning it introduces a privacy concern into the mix.
Privacy Winner: NordVPN
| Provider | Privacy Ranking | Site |
| NordVPN | 5.0 | Visit Site |
| Surfshark | 4.5 | Visit Site |
Online Security
Let’s face it, if you’re online, you’re likely being monitored. Whether it’s the government, hackers, or your internet service provider – someone is interested in watching you.
This makes it important to find a VPN that provides reliable encryption of your internet connection. This protects your personal and business-related online travels, keeping your information safe from nosy types.
NordVPN protects your connection with banking-grade encryption, kill switch protection, and DNS/IP leak prevention. The provider uses various VPN connection protocols, including OpenVPN, NordLynx (WireGuard), and IKEv2/IPSec.
Surfshark provides equally strong online protection, using AES-256 government-grade encryption, with OpenVPN, WireGuard, and IPSec/IKEv2 protocols. The provider also offers kill switch protection, as well as “Camouflage Mode,” which makes VPN traffic appear to be normal browser activity.
Security Winner: It’s a tie
| Provider | Overall Security Score | Link |
| NordVPN | 5.0 | Visit Site |
| Surfshark | 5.0 | Visit Site |
Simultaneous Connections
If you’re like me, you own multiple electronic devices. This means that a VPN provider’s simultaneous connection allowance is an important consideration for many users.
NordVPN allows users to concurrently connect up to six devices to their servers.
Surfshark allows its customers to simultaneously connect an unlimited number of devices to its servers. This is a definite advantage for users with multiple devices, large families, or small businesses.
Simultaneous Connections Winner: Surfshark
| Provider | Simultaneous Connections Allowed | Link |
| NordVPN | 6 | Visit Site |
| Surfshark | Unlimited | Visit Site |
Streaming Support
A recent report says 85% of U.S. households have at least one video streaming subscription, while 60% of households subscribe to at least one paid music streaming service. 7% of Americans have six or more streaming subscriptions.
While this means that these viewers have access to a large variety of content online, many streamers put geographic restrictions on most content, meaning viewers may not have access to their favorite content when they’re traveling or living outside of their home country.
A VPN temporarily provides an IP address located inside another country. This provides access to content that might normally be unavailable to you by making it look as if you’re in another country.
NordVPN provides access to reliable access to numerous streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, and others.
Surfshark also delivers access to quite a few streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, ITV Hub, All 4, Hotstar, HBO, Sky, and other streaming services.
Streaming Support Winner: NordVPN
| Provider | # of U.S. Streaming Services VPN Unblocks | # of International Services VPN Unblocks | Link |
| NordVPN | 10+ | 5+ | Visit Site |
| Surfshark | 9+ | 5+ | Visit Site |
BitTorrent Support
I’ll bet that many of my readers engage in P2P file sharing via BitTorrent, as it’s a popular online activity. While sharing non-copyrighted files is perfectly legal in most countries – with several large corporations using it to share company documents and files – several ISPs block or throttle the activity out of hand. This is due to pressure from movie studios, record companies, and other copyright holders. Happily, a VPN’s encrypted connections hide your P2P activity.
NordVPN allows P2P activity only on certain servers in its global network. Luckily, the provider automatically connects you to a P2P-eligible server once it detects file sharing activity.
Surfshark also allows P2P file sharing on its server network. Much like NordVPN, if you’re connected to a server not designated for file sharing and begin sharing files, the provider will automatically switch your connection to the nearest P2P-designated server.
BitTorrenting Winner: It’s a tie
| Provider | # of Countries Where VPN Allows BitTorrents | Link |
| NordVPN | All of them | Visit Site |
| Surfshark | All of them | Visit Site |
Global Server Coverage
A VPN’s global server network directly controls how much geo-restricted content you’ll have access to. Look for a provider with servers in a large number of countries. Also, look for a provider that has multiple servers in the countries it serves. This helps prevent any single server from being overloaded with users.
Surfshark has 3,200+ servers located in 100+ countries around the world. Those servers provide reliable access to geo-controlled content around the globe.
NordVPN has more than 5,400 servers located in 60+ countries around the globe.
Global Server Coverage Winner: Surfshark, thanks to serving more countries.
| Provider | Server Count | Countries | Link |
| NordVPN | 5,400+ | 59 | Visit Site |
| Surfshark | 3,200+ | 100 | Visit Site |
Multi-Platform Support
The more internet-connected devices you own, the more important a VPN provider’s native app support becomes.
NordVPN’s native app options includes support for Windows, macOS (with native Apple Silicon support), iOS, Android, Android TV, Linux, and Amazon Fire TV device platforms. Chrome, Edge, and Firefox browser extensions are also available. Support is available for select routers and NordVPN also offers pre-configured routers through Flashrouters.com.
Surfshark offers impressive app support, with app options for iOS, macOS (with native M1/M2 Mac support), Android, Android TV, Windows, Linux, and Amazon Fire TV devices. The provider offers support for the Chrome, Edge, and Firefox browser platforms. Surfshark also offers comprehensive router support.
Multi-Platform Support Winner: It’s a tossup
| Provider | Platforms Supported | Browser Extensions? | Router Support? |
Link |
| NordVPN | 7 | Yes (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) | Yes – Offers support for select routers and offers Flashrouter options. | Visit Site |
| Surfshark | 7 | Yes (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) | Yes – Manual setup. Also includes Flashrouter options. | Visit Site |
Customer Support
Both providers offer reliable VPN services. However, it’s likely that you will still have occasional questions about the services.
NordVPN’s 24/7 customer support is made up of always-available live chat, email support, and a searchable support library.
Surfshark also offers round-the-clock customer support, including 24/7 live chat, email support, and a searchable troubleshooting library. Unfortunately, Surfshark loses half a point from its score due to the provider’s use of third-party contractor Zendesk for its chat feature. Third parties equal a risk to customers’ privacy.
Customer Support Winner: NordVPN
| Provider | Customer Support Rating | Link |
| NordVPN | 5.0 | Visit Site |
| Surfshark | 4.5 | Visit Site |
And The Winner Is…
While both NordVPN and Surfshark offer comprehensive VPN protection, only one of the providers can be named the victor in this head-to-head faceoff.
NordVPN is the overall victor, thanks to coming out on top in the connection speeds, privacy, streaming, and customer support categories.
Surfshark was tops in the pricing, simultaneous connections, and global server coverage departments.
The companies came up even in the online security, BitTorrent, and multi-platform support categories.
For more information or to purchase a subscription, visit NordVPN.
