NordVPN vs. Surfshark: Which VPN is Best for You?

There are many VPN services out there, and choosing is not easy. The editorial staff of ZDNet therefore compared 50 offers, among which it selected two: NordVPN And Surfshark. Here are the strengths and weaknesses of each service.

A joint venture

Before getting to the heart of the matter, let’s talk about the Nord/Surfshark merger. In early February 2022, Nord Security and Surfshark announced that they were merging, making Nord Security the owner of both companies. According to SurfShark’s blog post on this merger, the companies will continue to operate as separate companies, with separate VPN infrastructures.

That may be true…for now. Large infrastructure mergers take time, and neither player wants to give up performance or position to competitors due to a botched operational merger. That said, it probably won’t be the case in the long run. It would be silly not to consolidate these infrastructures, teams and technologies. And these industry leaders are anything but stupid…

But for now, these two VPN services are quite distinct, and each have their advantages and disadvantages, which we will list for you below.

Technical characteristics

Both VPNs offer similar support and overall almost identical services. The main differences, as we will see, revolve around their price and their extensive functionality.

Surfshark // NordVPN

    • Servers: 3200+ // 5436

 

    • Country : 100+ // 60

 

    • Simultaneous connections: unlimited // 6

 

    • Ad blocker: Yes yes

 

    • Malware Scanner: no Yes

 

    • Emergency Stop Switch (Kill Switch): Yes yes

 

    • Logging: email // billing information

 

    • Multi-hop (dual VPN): Yes yes

 

    • Best prices : €2.50/month (24 month commitment) // €3.50/month (24 month commitment)

 

    • Trial period : 30 day money back guarantee // 30 day money back guarantee

 

    • Supported Platforms: iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux // iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux

 

  • Additional support: FireTV, Smart TVs (Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Chromecast), Router, Xbox, PlayStation // Router, FireStick, Xbox, PlayStation, Oculus Quest, Kindle Fire, Nintendo Switch, Raspberry Pi, Chromebook, Chromecast, Android TV

You should choose Surfshark if…

Surfshark is a private and secure browsing offer with connection to VPN servers. Browse the internet with complete peace of mind and access all your content from anywhere in the world.

  • Downloads: 8
  • Release date : 02/14/2023
  • Author : Surfshark
  • Licence : commercial license
  • Categories:
    Internet – Security – VPN
  • Operating system : Android – Google Chrome extension – Microsoft Edge extension – Mozilla Firefox extension – Linux – Windows – iOS iPhone / iPad – macOS

…you want to save a euro

Surfshark is legit and is cheaper than NordVPN. The prices change regularly, but at the time of writing, over two years, there is a difference of 1 euro less per month. Beware, however, there are some performance differences for this price saving. Read further on to see why you might choose NordVPN if that’s important to you.

…you use more than six devices simultaneously

NordVPN lets you connect six devices to its VPN service at once. Surfshark sets no limits! If you’re traveling with just a few devices, that won’t matter much. But if you’re at home or in the office, the number of devices used can add up.

…you want ad-free protected searches, antivirus, and breach alerts

Surfshark offers an additional option at almost 1.50 euros per month called Surfshark One. It adds a lightweight ad-tracking search engine that keeps no records of searches. Surfshark One also includes antivirus and breach alerts, but both of these are also available on NordVPN.

You should use NordVPN if…

NordVPN is a service that provides secure browsing solutions through the use of VPN servers. These servers make it possible to hide the identification elements of your connection (such as the country of origin for example).

  • Downloads: 23
  • Release date : 02/14/2023
  • Author : NordVPN.com
  • Licence : commercial license
  • Categories:
    Internet – Security – VPN
  • Operating system : Android – Google Chrome extension – Microsoft Edge extension – Mozilla Firefox extension – Linux – Windows 7/8/8.1/10/11 – iOS iPhone / iPad – macOS

…you want fast, predictable download performance

presentation1.jpg

We’ve reviewed VPN services both by doing our own tests, in-house, and also how others have rated them online. We compared VPN rankings in speed tests from 10 non-ZDNet sites.

To help us determine if a VPN has a consistent ranking, or just if different reviewers got different numbers, we compared the standard deviation of the other 10 sites.

As the graphs above show, NordVPN not only achieved a better overall average rank, but also a much lower standard deviation. This means that pretty much wherever you are, your NordVPN performance should be pretty good. In contrast, Surfshark’s performance will likely be much less predictable.

…you want anti-malware and anti-ads protection included in the basic offer

Surfshark starts out with a cheaper subscription, but if you want malware protection and adware blocking, you should upgrade to the Surfshark One program. These features are included in the basic NordVPN plan! So if you save $1 a month on Surfshark, you’re paying almost $1.5 more per month (as of this writing) for those extra features. All in all, NordVPN is actually cheaper.

But wait, you can spend more. Because, of course, NordVPN also has subscription options. You can spend an extra buck a month and get the cross-platform password manager and vulnerability scanner. And if you add another $1.5 per month, you can get 1TB of encrypted cloud storage.

…you want business-oriented features or a fixed IP

NordVPN offers business-oriented subscriptions complete with team management, admin consoles, and everything you would need to deploy a VPN for an entire company or department. As it is possible to subscribe to a fixed IP option to operate a server or for remote access. This last option is not available everywhere however.

Lo and behold, the Surfshark vs. NordVPN fight did not result in a knockout victory for either. The scale will tip one way or the other depending on your own needs.

VPN FAQs

Is it legal to use a VPN?

Yes, in most countries. Some countries have made it illegal to use a VPN. And even in countries where it is allowed, it is likely to be illegal to use a VPN to enjoy a streaming service that would not otherwise be accessible.

What does logging really mean?

The logging (or journal) is the recording of data on your connection history and possibly your browsing. Each website, at a minimum, logs an IP address, time and data accessed so that traffic can be tracked.

All VPN providers need to check credentials against registered personal data to make sure you’ve paid, but some allow you to sign up with bitcoins, allowing you to completely hide your identity.

When we say a VPN doesn’t log data, that means it doesn’t track what sites you visit and for how long, but it can track how much data your use of its service is costing its service. own infrastructure.