By: Matt | Last updated February 29, 2020 
No one can dispute the benefits of virtual private networks. VPN services are a thriving industry and are popular all over the world. Users know that by using a good VPN they can surf the web more in a safer manner, knowing their privacy and personal information are protected.
The benefits of using a SurfShark VPN (virtual private network)
Virtual private networks bring a lot of benefits to the table:
- Your online data is protected through strong encryption tools and you are safer even when you are using public WiFi networks
- If you choose a reliable VPN provider that has a ‘zero logs policy’, your anonymity and privacy are respected
- You can bypass geographic censorship and access restricted content such as Netflix and so on
- Most VPN providers allow P2P file sharing so you can use torrents with VPNs as well
These are just some of the advantages of VPNs but the list is obviously larger. However, in order to fully benefit from all of these, you have to choose a reliable, trust-worthy VPN provider and one that is best renowned for the features that are of most importance to you.
Factors to consider when choosing a VPN provider
- Number of servers and their locations; major VPN providers have hundreds and even thousands of servers worldwide, on all continents
- Speed; most VPNs are known to slow down your device’s performance, but that decrease in speed can be more or less noticeable; make sure you choose a fast VPN and one that has good uptime scores
- Log policy; try to go with a provider that has a ‘no log’ or ‘zero logs’ policy, to make sure your online activity and personal data are kept private
- Torrenting policy; if you know you use torrents, you should make sure your VPN provider allows it; most of them do and even have dedicated servers for torrenting
- The ability to unlock Netflix and other geo-restricted websites
- Free trial; a free trial is a great way to test the product before you sign up so try to find a provider that offers one
- Mobile apps; all reputable VPN providers have dedicated apps for all the common OS and devices
- Supported protocols; the more, the better
Surfshark VPN Overview – Is it a good VPN to consider?
While most internet and VPN users have most likely heard of NordVPN, ExpressVPN and the likes, Surfshark may be a more obscure name on this market. The reason for that is that Surfshark is a newcomer and has only been launched a year ago. The VPN is based in the British Virgin Islands and has managed to create a stir with its performance, included features and especially with its pricing.
Surfshark is one of the most affordable VPN services you can find right now. It has 3 available plans: a 1-month plan, a 12-months plan and a 24-months plan.
The 1-month plan is billed at $11.95/month.
The 12-months plan is priced at $5.99/month.
The 24-months plan is billed at $1.99/month.
As you can see, these prices are extremely competitive, which is why this VPN has managed to become so popular in such a short time.
As far as payment methods go, you can pay via credit cards, PayPal, Google Pay, crypto currency and other.
What are the features included with Surfshark?
Even though it’s a newbie on the VPN market, Surfshark already has more than 800 servers spread in more than 50 countries worldwide. They have servers in the US, Canada, Australia, India, South Korea, Brazil, Europe, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Chile, Argentina and many more locations on the globe.
Surfshark offers a free trial that is available on Android, iOS and macOS devices. There is also a 30-day money back guarantee with all their plans. The VPN also works on Windows, Linux, Fire TV Stick and others, but you have to sign up for a paid plan to get the full benefits.
All plans come with 24/7 customer service, unlimited bandwidth and a no log policy. Also, one of the biggest strengths of this VPN is the fact that it allows an unlimited number of simultaneous devices. There are a lot of major competitors that don’t offer this feature. For instance, NordVPN has a limit of 6 devices, ExpressVPN - 3 devices, CyberGhost – 7.
All plans include the kill switch feature, private DNS & leak protection and MultiHop. MultiHop is a feature that lets you connect via multiple countries at the same time, for a better ID protection.
There is also a ‘camouflage mode’ that ensures not even your ISP can compromise your privacy.
Surfshark uses AES-256 GCM encryption and you can choose between the OpenVPN protocol and IKEv2/IPsec, with the latter being their default protocol.
So, as you can see, Surfshark places a lot of importance on privacy and security, which is the main reason why people use virtual private networks in the first place.
Other benefits of Surfshark are the fact that it unlocks geo-restricted content such as Netflix and it allows torrenting.
Download and upload speeds are great, with tests revealing download speeds of over 70 Mbps on servers in Europe and almost 50 Mbps on servers in the US. There are some inconsistencies in terms of speeds every now and then, as they are not always that good, but overall, Surfshark doesn’t disappoint in this area either.
Finally, their customer support is available on a 24/7 basis with all their plans. You can reach them via mail and live chat, although we recommend the latter, for better response times. There is also an extensive Help Center on the Surfshark website.
Conclusion
All in all, we consider Surfshark to be a very promising VPN provider and a real competitive option. It is affordable, user friendly, fast, offers a reliable customer support and an impressive set of features.
