Internet is without a doubt one of the greatest inventions of our times. Its benefits are indisputable among all types of users, anywhere in the world. But Just like with everything else in life, there is a "dark" side of the internet as well. Online threats are just one click away and data breaches are a common issue. Their consequences are never pleasant, whether you find yourself with an emptied bank account, your identity stolen or others scenarios.
Technology has made it possible for us to surf the internet from a wide variety of devices, from desktop computers to our mobile devices. That also means we have more devices we have to protect whenever we go online. While antivirus programs are always a reliable way to go, a newer, more versatile security solution has grown in popularity over the years: VPNs.
Virtual private networks and their benefits
A virtual private network (VPN) is a technology that allows you to connect to a private network, using a public one. Your data goes through a tunnel that encrypts all your data using strong protocols and encryption methods and it first connects you to one of the VPN's servers before redirecting you to your desired website.
Most reputable VPN providers have hundreds and even thousands of available servers spread all over the globe and you can choose whatever server you want to connect to. When you connect to a certain server, your IP address changes depending on that server's location. That is a very important thing for you, because you can mask your real location and make it look like you are located someplace else than in reality. You can connect to a server from Germany even though you're located in Australia for instance.
In addition to encrypting your data (which makes it unusable for a hacker even if it does get access to it, because it doesn't have the proper 'key' to decipher it), VPNs have many other benefits. A lot of people use them just to be able to access content that is restricted in their geographical area. Netflix and other streaming services are a good example.
Others use VPNs to get faster access to a new released game that has only been launched in a certain part of the globe.
Another benefit of VPNs is the ability to use torrents without revealing your real IP address. Virtual private networks keep you anonymously while torrenting.
Of course, the main reason why users prefer to connect through a VPN is to stay safe while browsing the internet, especially if they are using unsafe, public WiFi networks.
What to look for in a VPN provider?
Not all VPNs are equally good in all aspects. Some of them are better in terms of speed, others in terms of available servers, torrenting policy and so on. While in a lot of ways it is a matter of preferences and priorities when choosing a VPN, there are some general guidelines you should follow to make sure you go with a reliable VPN provider:
- choose a VPN provider that has a large number of servers in as many locations as possible around the world (hundreds or thousandsof servers)
- don't sign up with for a slow VPN that significantly decreases your speed and has low download/upload speedresults
- find out what the privacy policy of the VPN provider is and aim for a 'no log or a 'zero-logs' policy, to make sure the company doesn't keep activity logs on its users
- the more simultaneous connections the provider allows, the better; most VPNs allow 3, 5, even 7 simultaneous devices, but there are a few providers out there that offer unlimited simultaneous connections
- how many protocols are supported? OpenVPN is usually the best and the default option for major VPN providers, but there should be other protocols available as well
- is the VPN provider P2P friendly? Does it allow torrenting, does it have dedicated servers for that?
- Is the VPN capable of unlocking geo-restricted content such as Netflix?
- You should choose a paid VPN instead of a free one, because free VPNs come with worse security features, limitations in features and a faulty privacy policy; your number of servers, bandwidth and others are usually limited with free VPNs; what you should do instead is opt for a VPN provider that offers a free trial, because it is a good way for you to test the product before actually paying for it
- aim for a VPN that has a user-friendly interface
- don't forget about the importance of customer support, which should be top-notch and around the clock
SurfShark VPN Overview – What are its features and benefits?
SurfShark has taken the VPN market by storm. It is a relatively new name in the industry, with only a year and so of existence. But that hasn't stopped this VPN from becoming impressively popular and competitive and in that very short time.
SurfShark has around 800 servers already, spread all over the world in more than 50 countries. Their servers are located in Europe (Belgium, Albania, Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, UK, Norway and many other countries), US, Canada, Argentina, Costa Rica, Middle Est and Africa, India, Indonesia, New Zeeland, Japan, Thailand and more.
So as you can see, while there are thousands of servers offered by SurfShark (yet!), like in the case of major competitors, these servers are spread all over the Globe, which is a good thing.
What is the pricing of SurfShark?
There are 3 plans available with this VPN and overall, SurfShark is one of the most affordable VPNs on the market.
You can opt for the 1-month plan, which is priced at 12.95/month, you can opt for the 24-months plan, which costs only $2.49/month or you can sign up for their 36-months plan, which will only cost you $1,94/month, which means you save 85%.
All these plan come with a 30-day money back guarantee, which is pretty much the standard in the industry.
There is also a free trial available, although it only works on iOS, Android and macOS, but not on Windows or Linux.
How good is SurfShark VPN and what does it offer?
SurfShark is one of the most secure VPNs you’ll find. It is loaded with security features such as: the kill-switch feature, a camouflage mode that lets you stay private even from your internet provider, private DNS & leak protection, a MultiHop feature that lets you connect to multiple countries at once, for an increased protection.
In addition to all the above mentioned features, SurfShark uses strong military-grade AES-256 GCM encryption and as protocols, OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPSec are available.
Aside from security, there are other impressive features in SurfShark’s offer. One of them is the unlimited simultaneous devices allowed, which is a feature not even available with other more renowned VPN providers, such as NordVPN, ExpressVPN and the like.
Geo-locked content is not a problem for this VPN and SurfShark does a great job in unblocking websites such as Netflix.
This VPN is also torrent-friendly.
But wait, there is more! Tests revealed an impressive speed when it comes to SurfShark, both in terms of download and upload. You get up to 70 Mbps on servers in Europe and around 50 Mbps on servers in the United States.
Privacy is usually a big concern with VPNs, especially with free VPNs that sometimes sell your data to third-parties for advertising purposes. Others keep activity logs and user info. SurfShark is a service based in the British Virgin Islands and it has a no-logs policy, which means they respect your privacy.
Customer support is also reliable with this VPN service. SurfShark offers 24/7 customer support through live chat and email, regardless of the plan you opt for.
Overall, we definitely recommend this VPN service and we are certain it is a very promising and competitive one. If SurfShark keeps up the good work, it will soon be ranked alongside the big players of the industry.