Surfshark vs NordVPN: Here’s Who Comes Out on Top

If you want impeccable security and privacy, top-tier performance, and streaming prowess, Surfshark and NordVPN might be on your mind. We’re talking about two affordable VPNs, each with great qualities despite the cheap price. Surfshark is a much younger provider. NordVPN has been on the market for a while.

It’s admittedly a more well-known name. That’s not to say that Surfshark is bad. In our Surfshark vs NordVPN comparison, you’ll be surprised at how good this affordable VPN is. We’ll stack these against each other to see which VPN is better for you. Of course, we’ll compare every aspect of their services.

If you’re in a rush, we’ll quickly conclude that we prefer NordVPN for its speed, advanced security features, and server spread. However, we still advise reading the entire Surfshark vs NordVPN duel and learn everything there is about the two impressive services. Let the battle begin. Scroll down.

NordVPN vs Surfshark: A Quick Overview

	NordVPN 🏆	Surfshark VPN
💰 Starting price	$3.09 monthly	$1.99 monthly
💸 Money-back guarantee	30 days	30 days
🆓 Free version	No ❌	No ❌
📺 Working with Netflix	Yes ✅	Yes ✅
🔽 Torrenting allowance	Yes ✅	Yes ✅
🔟 10 Gbps servers	Yes ✅	Yes ✅
🥸 No-logging policy	Yes ✅	Yes ✅
🌐 Jurisdiction	Panama	Netherlands
📱 Simultaneous connections	10	Unlimited
🛜 Protocols	OpenVPN, NordLynx, NordWhisper, IKEv2	WireGuard, IKEv2, OpenVPN
💾 Servers	8,500+ in 130+ countries	3,200+ in 100 countries
💯 Best for	Security, privacy, streaming, torrenting, and fast connections	Affordability, unlimited connections, and virus protection
☎️ Customer support	24/7 live chat, email, knowledge base, FAQs	24/7 live chat, email, knowledge base, FAQs

Surfshark vs NordVPN: Apps & Ease of Use

To initiate our NordVPN vs Surfshark VPN comparison for 2026, we’ll start with the applications and device support. Being two premium providers, you can expect them to support many devices and platforms. Indeed, they offer the same level of device support and work on all popular systems.

They include Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and other platforms. We especially like their support for Android & Smart TV, Fire TV Stick, gaming consoles, and even routers! This makes it easy to protect all devices connected to a router, extending the number of simultaneous connections you get by default.

Speaking of which, Surfshark has one huge advantage over NordVPN in this case. It offers unlimited simultaneous connections, while NordVPN gives you just ten. No doubt, Surfshark mows down NordVPN when it comes to simultaneous connections, but that isn’t the full picture.

Surfshark

Regarding the overall user experience, both services deliver effortlessly. Surfshark is perhaps our favorite VPN app for Mac and Windows. We like how well laid out it is, as well as the ability to switch from a dark to a light theme and vice versa, for extra customization. Its applications are similar across the board.

With the same general aesthetics and menu layout, Surfshark is a joy to use and doesn’t have a steep learning curve. We tested it on a variety of systems, and every time we clicked the server, the VPN connected instantly. On a few occasions, Surfshark can be a bit slower, and in some cases, it may refuse to connect.

However, these minor connection issues don’t detract from the overall experience. Plus, the VPN’s settings are easily accessible for an app that offers many advanced security features. Overall, Surfshark’s ease of use is one of the best we’ve experienced, so it’ll be interesting to see how well NordVPN stacks up.

Visit Surfshark

NordVPN

Moving on with our Surfshark vs NordVPN comparison, we also like NordVPN’s modern-looking apps, with a server list on the left and other extras on the right, such as Dark Web Monitor and Threat Protection Pro. We’ll explain these features later in the duel. For now, let’s focus on the task at hand.

NordVPN’s apps are fairly straightforward. The server list on the home page lets you pick the server and connect with a click. NordVPN is among our top three iPhone VPNs as well, as its iOS apps are equally amazing. But we can’t say anything wrong about the Android app that happens to be functional.

NordVPN’s settings may be confusing for some beginners. However, NordVPN made sure to include separate menus for them on the home screen. Basic settings, like a kill switch, split tunneling, and protocol selection, are within the Settings menu on the Gear icon. All in all, NordVPN is almost as easy to use as Surfshark.

Visit NordVPN

---

Security & Privacy: Which One Is Safer to Use?

The most important aspect of a VPN is its security (and privacy). Our Surfshark vs NordVPN comparison for 2026 explains exactly which service is better in this regard. But bear in mind that these are some of the most secure providers, too. They share some similarities that all VPNs at this level have, with some unique features.

Shared Security Features

NordVPN and Surfshark indeed share security features, including 256-bit AES encryption, an automatic kill switch, split tunneling, and an ad-blocker. In NordVPN, this ad-blocker is called Threat Protection Pro, and in Surfshark, it has a fancier name – CleanWeb. It’s vital to mention that both VPNs support OpenVPN.

While Surfshark has WireGuard, NordVPN offers NordLynx and NordWhisper. The former is a fancier version of WireGuard with improved anonymity, while NordWhisper helps bypass network filtering. Both have IP and DNS leak protection, and a means for bypassing censorship.

NordVPN has obfuscated servers, while Surfshark offers the Camouflage Mode. Then, we come to Double VPN and MultiHop – the same features. They route your traffic through two servers, doubling your encryption in the process. Both providers have ample features, one of which is antivirus protection.

NordVPN’s rendition is inferior. The Threat Protection Pro shields against trackers, malware, ads, and spyware. Meanwhile, Surfshark’s antivirus is more advanced, with scheduled scans and high efficiency at detecting and removing even the most stubborn threats. Both services offer RAM-only servers.

This type of server is excellent for privacy, as the server loses data with each restart, making your private information safer. Private DNS is another worthy feature we didn’t mention. When a VPN has Private DNS, it means it uses in-house DNS servers for handling your DNS requests.

A bonus feature is the option to delete your data from companies’ databases. If you pay top dollar, you can get your data wiped from companies’ databases and have a clean slate. The Panamanian VPN has NordProtect, while Surfshark uses Incogni for that purpose. Both are effective, but work only in the USA.

Dedicated IPs are here in both services, but Surfshark offers Static IPs to strike back against its rival. These VPNs are very similar, likely because they now work together.

Visit Surfshark

What Are the Differences?

In this Surfshark vs NordVPN duel, we explored their similarities. However, there are some differences in how they work and their bonus security features. The first difference will be a kill switch. Surfshark offers a simple kill switch that disables internet access upon losing a VPN connection.

Its competitor does the same, but it has one extra characteristic. NordVPN also offers the app kill switch, which works the same but on the app level only – Surfshark VPN doesn’t have this. Another perk of NordVPN is Meshnet. This feature is remarkable in terms of what it can do.

Meshnet allows for remote control, hosting LAN parties, sharing files securely, and even taking the IP address of another device to go online. Most amazingly, you can connect up to sixty devices for remote control, sharing files, collaboration, and anything else you want. This makes NordVPN slightly more unique.

Surfshark, however, has an IP Rotation feature that periodically changes your IP to make you untraceable. Bear in mind, your connection remains active during the change, making this feature revolutionary.

Is There a No-Logs Policy?

The start of our NordVPN vs Surfshark comparison mentioned that these are some of the most secure VPNs. This means that they store no logs, which should be the case if you’re already paying for a subscription. Additionally, both providers are based in privacy-friendly jurisdictions.

Surfshark is in the Netherlands, while NordVPN’s jurisdiction is Panama.

In recent times, many VPNs have started getting third-party audits on their policies to boost their credibility. As such, NordVPN got its audit from PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte – a few audits in total. Surfshark went to Cure53 and Deloitte as well to get the same treatment. Both VPNs have no-logs policies.

But let’s examine them deeply and see what they store or don’t store.

Surfshark’s no-logs policy is pretty clear. It won’t store info on your IP address, browsing history, session information, used bandwidth, connection timestamps, and network traffic. This means that it can’t track your browsing activities or determine your location. Some information is required to keep your subscription active,

But in this case, it’s benign. The company stores your email address and billing information, as well as crash reports, unsuccessful connection attempts, and anonymous performance data.

NordVPN follows in the same footsteps. It doesn’t store connection duration and date, IP addresses, VPN servers you’re using, websites you visited, DNS queries, and other similar bits of information.

The information that NordVPN stores is similar to Surfshark’s. They include your email, payment data, country details for VAT calculation, anonymous crash reports, and similar information. None of the collected information can be used to track any user, and that’s what’s most important.

Visit NordVPN

---

Surfshark vs NordVPN Streaming Test

If you’re using a Virtual Private Network mainly for streaming, will NordVPN and Surfshark be sufficient? This part of our Surfshark vs NordVPN comparison will answer this question.

Netflix Test

Of course, the most important test is the one on Netflix. As you know, this platform bases its catalogs according to your location. For that reason, people use a VPN on Netflix to unblock movies and shows available in different countries. Right now, the best Netflix libraries are the ones in the US, Canada, and Japan.

The same libraries we tested in today’s comparison. After performing countless tests, we found both providers to be highly reliable. They unblocked all three, but we still went ahead and tested at least 20 more. We included even some less popular options like Singapore, Hungary, Greece, Turkey, etc.

We can’t say we were surprised that both performed like champs. Surfshark and NordVPN unblocked at least 20 libraries in our countless tests and had zero issues. We accessed many Netflix libraries from Asia, Europe, Canada, the USA, the UK, Japan, and others. Not a single issue with VPN detection and buffering.

Visit Surfshark

Other Streaming Platforms

Apart from Netflix, other quality streaming platforms offer a different experience. Some include BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and Hotstar, all of which we tested with these VPNs.

BBC iPlayer is based in the UK, so to unblock it abroad, you need a British IP address. We obtained it from the two VPNs, and when we tested the platform, it worked well in both cases. Hulu is a well-known US streaming service, and here it’s the same. With a US IP from both providers, we managed to make it work flawlessly.

It is anything but a coincidence that many people consider them to be good VPNs for Hulu. And finally, we wanted to include Hotstar in this Surfshark vs NordVPN duel. To unblock it, we used an Indian IP because the platform works only in India. Our attempts with both VPNs were highly successful.

Visit NordVPN

---

NordVPN vs Surfshark Speed Comparison

Right when we discuss streaming, it’s time to see how fast both VPNs are. After all, streaming is also about the VPN’s speed because it determines whether you’ll be able to watch content without buffering.

So how did we do our speed tests? We tested both services for three days, three times a day, and on four very different server locations. They include the UK, the US, Japan, and Australia. Bear in mind that we’re in Southeastern Europe, so we tried to cover not only Europe but other continents as well.

Our native speeds without using a VPN look like this:

And with all the tests we’ve done, we’ve compiled the best possible results we got from both VPNs, so let’s take a look and analyze them together:

Surfshark

US:

UK:

Japan:

Australia:

NordVPN

US:

UK:

Japan:

Australia:

---

Torrenting: Are Surfshark and NordVPN P2P-Friendly?

Whenever you’re torrenting or using P2P sites like Popcorn Time, using a VPN is mandatory. First, a VPN will make sure you enjoy anonymous torrenting, and second, it’ll make sure you stay safe on malware-riddled torrent websites. Our NordVPN vs Surfshark VPN duel tested both VPNs and came out with great results.

Bear in mind that the first one mentioned has special P2P servers in the app as well, so you can use them to download torrents with the best possible performance. These servers are optimized for P2P, and are a considerable part of NordVPN’s server fleet. Then, we have Surfshark, which doesn’t have special P2P servers.

Instead, its entire network is P2P-friendly, so all 3,200+ servers can be utilized for this activity. However, given Surfshark’s slower speeds, we recommend using either a server in your country or the one in the country next to you to maximize performance. NordVPN offers much faster speeds.

So even if you go a bit farther, you won’t notice large speed reductions. Nevertheless, we tested both VPNs, and we tried downloading Linux using qBitTorrent. As you can see in the screenshots, torrenting worked without any issues with both VPNs.

---

Do NordVPN and Surfshark Work in China?

Bypassing censorship in China is a brutal challenge even for the best VPNs out there. NordVPN and Surfshark are among these, and they’re often regarded as decent VPNs in China. For those who don’t know, the Great Firewall is the main issue in China. It’s a firewall that blocks more than 15,000 sites and VPNs.

Some VPNs slip through the cracks, but most of the time, they fail to provide a decent experience in China. To put both providers to the test, we gave our subscriptions to our acquaintances in China. And as expected, they managed to use both with no issues, but with a few tweaks.

When using Surfshark, they enabled the NoBorders mode. Without it, the VPN, in most cases, won’t work properly. To utilize NordVPN, they enabled obfuscated servers and connected to one. In this case, it worked flawlessly and with no disconnects. NoBorders and obfuscated servers tend to slow things down.

However, the speed reduction is mostly minimal. Also, our colleagues reported that NoBorders is a bit less reliable than NordVPN’s obfuscated servers. Sometimes, Surfshark failed to work even with the option enabled (more details in our Surfshark review), while NordVPN was more consistent in each consecutive attempt.

---

NordVPN vs Surfshark Server Fleets: Which One Is Bigger?

Those who know a thing or two about Surfshark know that it isn’t known for a large server network. However, in 2026, things changed a bit, and the service is now ready to compete with the big boys.

NordVPN (8,500+ servers in 130+ countries)

One of these big boys is NordVPN. It offers 8,500+ servers in more than 130 countries, and you’ll agree that these numbers are impressive. The good thing about the service is its server variety, which the company pushed to the fullest. P2P servers enable torrenting, while onion over VPN servers let you browse the dark web safely.

NordVPN’s Double VPN servers double your encryption by routing your connection through two servers. Don’t forget obfuscated servers for bypassing censorship that, so far, have proved to be dependable.  We should also address a huge pool of Dedicated IP addresses to accompany an already imposing server park.

What’s more, the server distribution is more than decent. It mostly covers the US and Europe, but Asia, Africa, and Australia are on the list, too. We especially like its servers in Japan, the UAE, Turkey, and Eastern European countries. As for the servers in the US, it has nearly 3,000 in this country alone, in over 15 different cities.

Surfshark (3,200+ servers in 100 countries)

Surfshark offers servers in 100 countries, a lot fewer than NordVPN. However, it has 3,200 servers, which is a much smaller number. Additionally, its server variety is great, as you get MultiHop servers, Static IP, and Dedicated IP options. MultiHop is another name for Double VPN, so you can expect the same functionality.

Surfshark’s server distribution is decent, too, with servers mostly in Europe and the US. Some servers are virtual, and they’re in countries like Argentina, Belize, Cambodia, Ecuador, and many more. Surfshark offers over 25 locations in the US and four locations in the UK, so you can find a lot of servers in these regions.

In Europe, you’re mostly looking at country-level servers, except for Germany, Italy, and France, where you can find two or three server locations. Thanks to servers in 100 countries, Surfshark is never overcrowded, so you can get decent performance out of it as well.

---

Customer Support

NordVPN and Surfshark take pride in having responsive and helpful customer support. In our comparison of the two giants, we had no issues getting our questions answered as they both have 24/7 live chat support. This means that you’ll usually get a response in less than ten seconds, pretty fast considering their large user base.

Similarly, both VPNs offer email support as well if you don’t feel like chatting. We’re always surprised at how fast it is. Upon sending an email, these providers will usually come back after 15 to 20 minutes, and sometimes less. This is very fast considering that email support is usually characterized by everything but speed.

When we talk about customer support, it’s vital to mention other means of support. NordVPN and Surfshark offer on-site FAQs, a Knowledge Base, and numerous guides and tutorials. With this in place, you can comfortably fix your VPN-related issues without contacting customer support.

---

NordVPN vs Surfshark Price Comparison

In the end, let’s talk about the pricing of these VPNs and see if they’re affordable. As said at the start, NordVPN and Surfshark won’t cost you a fortune.

NordVPN

However, let us start with NordVPN and its pricing structure. Speaking of pricing structures, it’s worth noting that both providers have many plans. Both offer 2-year, 1-year, and monthly variants with three or four plans each.

Its cheapest 2-year plan (+ three months free) will cost you $3.09 a month, and this is the Basic plan. The Plus plan at $3.99 monthly includes Threat Protection Pro and NordPass. The Complete plan stacks NordLocker on top, while Priem introduces NordProtect. NordVPN recommends the Plus plan for the best value.

As mentioned in the full NordVPN review, all plans are fantastic, but you’ll inevitably have to spend more on NordVPN’s most advanced features. What about its annual plans? The prices are a bit higher. The Basic plan is about $4.99 a month, while the Plus plan is about $5.99 a month.

You’ll agree it’s a lot more expensive, but still not on the level of Astrill VPN. Lastly, NordVPN’s monthly plans are a lot more expensive, and we won’t delve too deep into them. We’ll just say they start at about $13 monthly and go up to about $18 for the range-topping Prime plan with all the extras.

Subscribe to NordVPN

Surfshark

Surfshark will cost you $1.99 a month for the Surfshark Starter plan, so you pay just under $55 upfront. The Surfshark One plan with the aforementioned bonus features is $2.49 a month, a lot less than Surfshark One+ at about $3.99 monthly. In this setup, the Dutch VPN is significantly more affordable.

Don’t forget that Surfshark One+ has all features, including the option to delete your data from third-party companies’ databases. Its 12-month plans tell a different story with marginally higher prices. Surfshark One+ now costs less than NordVPN’s Complete plan. However, the first two plans are still inexpensive.

Where Surfshark disappointed us was the monthly plan offer. The cheapest is about $15, but the range-topping One+ plan goes up to $20. Crazy how expensive this cheap VPN could become. Both services come with an unconditional 30-day refund policy on all plans. As such, you can refill your pockets by requesting a refund.

Subscribe to Surfshark

---

Conclusion: Which VPN to Choose?

Bringing our NordVPN vs Surfshark comparison to an end, we can see that NordVPN actually won in nearly all of the most important rounds. NordVPN wins against Surfshark in speeds, bypassing censorship, the server fleet, and overall torrenting performance. Surfshark isn’t without its merits.

It has unlimited simultaneous connections, cheaper prices, and is reliable for streaming. This makes the two providers similar, with only a few tiny differences setting them apart. Besides, NordVPN works closely with Surfshark, so their similarities shouldn’t at all surprise you. Which one should you choose, though?

If your budget isn’t very limited, NordVPN is a better option overall. But if you cling to every dollar and don’t want to spend a bit more on a VPN, Surfshark will be a very close substitute to NordVPN. For this amount of money, it’s impossible to get a better choice than Surfshark, except if we’re talking about CyberGhost.

Try NordVPN Risk-Free Today