Surfshark review: pricing, limits, and who it’s for
Unlimited devices at the lowest intro price, same parent as Nord.
The verdict
8.2/10StrongHow this score is built
- 1.Prices pulled from official checkout pages in July 2026, in USD. Intro price, term length and documented renewal price are all listed; checkout promos fluctuate, so verify before buying.
- 2.Speed and reliability claims come from independent 2026 test data, not vendor benchmarks.
- 3.Ownership and audit history are treated as criteria: who owns the VPN matters as much as its feature list.
- 4.One tool on this page, Mullvad, has no affiliate program at all. We earn nothing when you choose it. It is here because leaving it out is how most VPN rankings quietly lie.
- 8.0 and up
- Strong. Wins its category on the criteria below, with a known trade-off.
- 7.0 and up
- Solid. Right answer for a specific reader, wrong one for others.
- 6.0 and up
- Adequate. Works, and something on this page does the same job better.
- under 6.0
- Weak. We would not buy it at this price.
Surfshark is NordVPN's value brand in practice, and a good one: unlimited devices, a dedicated IP option and the cheapest respectable 2-year price in the business. The same renewal mechanics apply, so the same calendar-reminder discipline is required. If your laptop, phone, tablet, partner and TV all need coverage, this is the rational pick.
Who this is for
It covers a whole household of devices on one cheap plan.
Price and free plan
- Price
- ~$2.49/mo~$99/yron renewal×3.0
Starter: $15.45/mo monthly, about $2.49 to $2.79/mo on the 2-year deal. Renews at about $99/yr (about $8.25/mo).
- Free plan
- No
No free tier. 7-day app-store trial, 30-day money-back guarantee.
What holds up, and what does not
What holds up
- Unlimited simultaneous devices, a genuine differentiator for a home-office full of gear
- Cheapest 2-year intro price of the big names
- Dedicated IP add-on (about $3.75/mo), WireGuard, kill switch and split tunneling
Where it falls short
- The most expensive monthly plan on this page at $15.45
- Same roughly 3x renewal jump as NordVPN, and the 2-year price cannot be renewed
- Owned by the same holding company as NordVPN since 2022, so less market independence than the branding suggests
Who should not buy Surfshark
Do not buy Surfshark if
- You pay month to month: $15.45/mo is the worst per-month deal here.
- You are choosing it to avoid Nord as a company. Know that they merged in 2022.
If that is you, buy NordVPN instead. It is ranked #1 on this page.
Surfshark at a glance
| Monthly plan | Flagged: this reading costs you money. $15.45 |
|---|---|
| 2-year deal | Flagged: reading in your favour. ~$2.49/mo |
| Renews at | Flagged: this reading costs you money. ~$99/yr (~3x) |
| Devices | Flagged: reading in your favour. Unlimited |
| Countries | 100 |
| Dedicated IP | Flagged: reading in your favour. Yes, ~$3.75/mo |
| Free tier | No |
| Jurisdiction and audits | Netherlands, Nord Security group |
Check the price
Straight answers
Why do all the prices jump after the first term?
Because the intro price is a customer-acquisition cost and the renewal is the business model. NordVPN Basic renews at $139.08 a year, Surfshark Starter at about $99, ExpressVPN Basic at about $99.95. Calendar reminder before the term ends, then either negotiate, rebuy as new via another email, or switch. Mullvad is the only one here that charges the same price forever.
What is a dedicated IP and do I need one?
A fixed IP address only you use. Useful when a client or employer allowlists IPs for access to admin panels, databases or intranets, and it reduces the captcha storms shared VPN IPs trigger. NordVPN sells one at about $3.69 a month intro, Surfshark at about $3.75. Mullvad and Proton's consumer plans do not offer one.
Where Surfshark sits in the ranking
Surfshark is ranked #2 of 5 in our vpn comparison. See every price and limit side by side before you decide.
Best VPN for Remote Workers (2026)
Compare it against
Get the full comparison sheet
One spreadsheet with every price, limit and dealbreaker we track, updated when vendors change their plans. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.