Surfshark Features and Speeds 2023

Surfshark popped up in 2018 out of the blue with an iOS app and has grown exponentially ever since; After a closer look, it appears to be a subsidiary of Nord Security, the parent company of NordVPN. Although both operate independently, they appear to be part of the same family.

Surfshark quickly grew to become one of the largest VPN providers around in such a short time. It claims to offer fast VPN speeds, which we will test in this article.

Surfshark also offers various products, an Antivirus, Surfshark Search and Surfshark Alert, all aimed at keeping your network and online activities ad-free and safe.

Surfshark Features:

Features:
Lowest Price:	£2.09 p/m with 2 yrs upfront
Money Back Guarantee	30 Days
Does this VPN Keep logs?	NO, proven by Audit.
Number of servers	3200
Countries	100
Number of devices per license	Unlimited
Kill switch	Yes
Dedicated IP?	No - Offers Shared Static IP's
DNS, WebRTC Leak Protection?	Yes
Obfuscation?	No
Based in country	The Netherlands
Support	Live Chat, KB, Email
Supports Streaming?	Yes
Supports Torrents?	Yes - Any Location
Supports Tor In-App?	No
Audited?	Yes - By Cure53
Protocols Supported?	OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2
RAM Disks?	Yes (Reportedly)
Warrant Canary?	Yes
Port forwarding?	No
Port Speeds	A mixture of 1 and 10Gbps port speeds.

Each location was tested 12 times over three different protocols, servers, and providers in the same region. Each test is an average based on those. We test over a 1Gbit line from within the UK on a reasonably powerful system. We report the fastest protocol in the chart below.

Network Speeds:

Tested using a 1 Gbps line:

Location:	Download	Upload	Latency	Protocol	ISP
USA - NY	547Mbps	49.8Mbps	110ms	Wireguard	DataCamp Limited
USA - Chicago	563Mbps	40.8Mbps	139ms	Wireguard	DataCamp Limited
USA - FL	533Mbps	9.5Mbps	131ms	Wireguard	PBX-Change
USA - LA	482Mbps	31.9Mbps	183ms	Wireguard	DataCamp Limited
Canada - Toronto	486Mbps	44.8Mbps	120ms	Wireguard	DataCamp Limited
Canada - Vancouver	489Mbps	37.8Mbps	182ms	Wireguard	Performive
Argentina (Virtual)	570Mbps	26.3Mbps	377ms	Wireguard	Surfshark
Mexico (Virtual)	513Mbps	24.5Mbps	279ms	Wireguard	Surfshark
Brazil	493Mbps	38.9Mbps	222ms	Wireguard	DataCamp Limited
United Kingdom	636Mbps	50.0Mbps	38ms	Wireguard	Clouvider
Germany	625Mbps	49.7Mbps	33ms	Wireguard	Clouvider
Netherlands	575Mbps	49.7Mbps	32ms	Wireguard	Zare
France	431Mbps	49.8Mbps	35ms	Wireguard	DataCamp Limited
Sweden	606Mbps	49.8Mbps	47ms	Wireguard	Datacamp Limited
Italy	629Mbps	50.1Mbps	53ms	Wireguard	Datacamp Limited
AU - Sydney	441Mbps	14.0Mbps	292ms	Wireguard	Host Universal
AU - Melbourne	366Mbps	30.4Mbps	320ms	Wireguard	Host Universal
AU - Brisbane	437Mbps	30.1Mbps	316ms	Wireguard	Host Universal
Hong Kong	524Mbps	23.0Mbps	285ms	Wireguard	DataCamp Limited
Japan	300Mbps	26.9Mbps	262ms	Wireguard	DataCamp Limited
South Korea	42.5Mbps	0.2Mbps	408ms	Wireguard	EHOSTICT
South Africa	148Mbps	15.2Mbps	182ms	Wireguard	Heficed
Israel	38.4Mbps	50.0Mbps	88ms	Wireguard	Bezeq

Surfshark is undoubtedly fast, producing some of the fastest speeds I have seen so far using Wireguard. It takes a little longer to connect than, for example, ExpressVPN does; some locations take a few seconds to connect, but that may be due to external factors.

Surfshark also offers its “Static IP” and “Multi-Hop” server lists; while testing both these server types, speeds did not change. There is a slight difference in latency while using “Multi-Hop”; however, the difference is negligible.

SOFTWARE:

In this review, we tested the Mac OS desktop software – the Surfshark app is well-designed, sleek and fitting for a Mac operating system. If you love nice-looking apps, then this fits the bill.

The desktop app provides some excellent features with the ability to upgrade to Surfshark One to receive the AntiVirus, SurfsharkAlert and Search features. Our only gripe was that the Mac OS app does not yet offer Split Tunneling. The same goes for the iOS app. This is only on offer on the Windows and Android apps.

Here are some of the more notable features we tested:

Kill Switch is a must nowadays – it’s imperative that a VPN provider protects you against any unintended disconnects; it’s an absolute necessity to have if you visit sites deemed illegal in some countries. The Surfshark kill switch is a solid feature. In our tests, no leaks were detected while simulating real-world testing.

CleanWeb is Surfsharks’s feature to block ads and trackers while browsing on the VPN – on testing, filtering was very effective; we found the feature performed very well at blocking both ads and trackers.

Rotating IP is a feature we like – it will randomly change your IP to a new IP every 5 to 10 minutes, and your location will stay the same; you won’t be interrupted. You may need to log in to some services again, but if your main goal is complete anonymity, then this is an excellent feature to enable.

No Borders is an intelligent feature that tries to detect the type of restrictive measures you are facing within our current network and hand-picks servers that may work best at your location. We tested by restricting site s/ DNS or network ports, and it performed very well.

MultiHop provides a list of servers routed from one location to another – for example; you can reach Sweden from France or Singapore via Germany or Australia via California. It allows you to route your traffic through several servers at once to increase your security.

SECURITY:

Surfshark uses the highest encryption standards available today – Surfshark uses advanced AES-256 encryption for your online traffic. It’s an industry-leading cipher that makes your data impossible to access for the prying eyes of hackers and your ISP. Surfshark also offers OpenVPN and IKEv2 with AES-256 and Wireguard with ChaCha20.

Logging Policy:

In 2023, Surfshark underwent an independent audit by Deloitte, a leading global accounting firm. The audit found that Surfshark was in compliance with its no-logs policy and that it was not storing any logs of user activity.

Overall, Surfshark is a secure and private VPN service that is a good choice for users who are concerned about their online privacy.

Here are some additional details about Surfshark’s no-logs policy:

• Surfshark does not store any logs of your IP address, browsing history, or DNS requests.
• Surfshark does not store any logs of your connection time stamps, bandwidth usage, or network traffic.
• Surfshark does not store any logs of your app or device usage.
• Surfshark does not store any logs of your payment information.

Surfshark’s no-logs policy is in place to protect your privacy and security. By not storing any logs of your online activity, Surfshark can help to ensure that your data is not being tracked or monitored by third parties.

Multifactor Authentication:

Yes, Surfshark offers multi-factor authentication (MFA). MFA is an extra layer of security that can help to protect your account from unauthorized access. With MFA, you must enter a code from your phone and your password when you log in.

To enable MFA on your Surfshark account, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Surfshark website and log in to your account.
2. Click on the “Profile” icon in the top right corner of the page.
3. Click on the “Settings” tab.
4. Scroll down to the “Multi-Factor Authentication” section.
5. Click on the “Enable” button.
6. Follow the instructions on the screen to set up MFA.

Once you have enabled MFA, you must enter a code from your phone and your password when you log in to your Surfshark account. This will help to protect your account from unauthorized access.

Here are some additional benefits of using MFA:

• It can help to prevent unauthorized access to your account, even if your password is compromised.
• It can help to protect your account from brute-force attacks.
• It can help to protect your account from phishing attacks.

If you are concerned about the security of your Surfshark account, I recommend enabling MFA. It is a simple and effective way to add an extra layer of security to your account.

TUNNELING PROTOCOLS:

Surfshark supports the following VPN protocols:

• WireGuard: WireGuard is a new VPN protocol known for its speed and security. It is a relatively new protocol, but it has quickly become one of the most popular VPN protocols due to its performance and security. WireGuard is also very lightweight, which means it can be used on devices with limited resources.
• OpenVPN: OpenVPN is a popular and open-source VPN protocol that is known for its security and reliability. It is one of the most secure VPN protocols available, and it is also very reliable. OpenVPN is a good choice for users who are looking for a secure and reliable VPN protocol.
• IKEv2: IKEv2 is a newer VPN protocol that is known for its speed and compatibility. It is a good choice for users looking for a VPN protocol that is fast and compatible with various devices. IKEv2 is also a good choice for users looking for a VPN protocol that is easy to use.

Surfshark allows you to choose which protocol to use when connecting to a VPN server. You can also choose to let Surfshark automatically select the best protocol for your connection.

Top 3 Fastest VPNs:

Provider:	Speed:	Stability	Purchase:
	9/10 - Very Fast	9/10 - Very Stable	Buy Now
	9/10 - Very Fast	9/10 - Very Stable	Buy Now
	9/10 - Very Fast	9/10 - Very Stable	Buy Now

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