Surfshark Review 2026 - Best Budget VPN?

Updated: February 18, 2026 · 4 min read

★ 9.1/10

Surfshark’s pitch is simple: premium VPN features at budget prices, with unlimited device connections. Sounds too good to be true? We spent two weeks testing it to find out.

Spoiler: it’s genuinely one of the best values in the VPN market right now.

Surfshark at a Glance

The Unlimited Device Advantage

Let’s address the elephant in the room: unlimited simultaneous connections. Most VPNs cap you at 5-10 devices. Surfshark says “connect everything.”

In practice, we tested with 15 devices connected at once — three laptops, four phones, two tablets, a smart TV, a router, and several IoT devices. Performance remained stable across all devices. No throttling, no disconnections.

For families, shared households, or anyone with a growing pile of devices, this alone justifies choosing Surfshark.

Speed Test Results

Testing from a 1Gbps baseline in London:

Surfshark’s WireGuard performance is excellent for the price. Local and regional connections lose minimal speed. Long-distance connections to Asia and Oceania are slower but still perfectly usable for streaming and browsing.

Security Features

CleanWeb 2.0

Surfshark’s built-in ad and malware blocker got a major upgrade in 2025. In our testing:

• Blocked 91% of tracking scripts
• Caught 88% of known phishing domains
• Reduced page load times by 15-20% on ad-heavy sites

It’s not a replacement for a dedicated ad blocker, but it’s a solid addition that works at the network level.

MultiHop (Double VPN)

Route your traffic through two VPN servers for extra encryption. Useful for journalists, activists, or anyone in high-risk situations. Speed takes a 30-40% hit, but security doubles.

Rotating IP

Surfshark can automatically change your IP address at set intervals without disconnecting. This makes tracking your online activity significantly harder while maintaining a seamless browsing experience.

NoBorders Mode

Automatically activates when it detects network restrictions (corporate firewalls, censored networks). In our testing, it successfully bypassed restrictions in test environments simulating Chinese-style firewalls about 70% of the time.

Streaming

Surfshark handles major streaming platforms well:

Not quite as bulletproof as NordVPN or ExpressVPN for streaming, but covers the major platforms reliably. We experienced occasional blocks with HBO Max that required server switching.

Privacy

Jurisdiction: Netherlands

Surfshark moved from the British Virgin Islands to the Netherlands in 2024. While the Netherlands is in the EU, it has strong privacy laws and is outside the 5 Eyes. Combined with Surfshark’s verified no-logs policy, the jurisdiction change is a non-issue in practice.

RAM-Only Servers

All Surfshark servers run on volatile memory only. When a server reboots, everything is wiped. This makes it physically impossible to extract stored user data from seized servers.

Warrant Canary

Surfshark maintains a public warrant canary, updated regularly. As of February 2026, no warrants or gag orders have been received.

Apps

Desktop

Clean, minimal design. One-click connect works perfectly. The server list is well-organized with search and favorites. Settings are straightforward without overwhelming new users.

Mobile

Solid iOS and Android apps. Quick-connect widget, split tunneling (Android), and GPS spoofing (Android) are standout features. The GPS spoofing is unique to Surfshark and useful for location-sensitive apps.

Pricing

At $2.29/month, Surfshark is among the cheapest premium VPNs available. The unlimited devices policy means the per-device cost is essentially zero.

Who Should Use Surfshark?

Best for:

• Budget-conscious users who don’t want to compromise
• Families and households with many devices
• Users who want a simple, no-fuss VPN experience
• Android users (GPS spoofing is a unique bonus)

Not ideal for:

• Users who need the absolute fastest speeds (NordVPN is faster)
• People in heavily censored countries (ExpressVPN is more reliable)
• Power users who want maximum server options

Final Verdict: 9.1/10

Surfshark is the best value VPN in 2026. Unlimited devices, solid speeds, strong security, and a price that undercuts nearly everyone else. It’s not the absolute best at any single thing, but it’s excellent across the board — and at $2.29/month, the value proposition is unbeatable.

Get Surfshark — Unlimited Devices for $2.29/mo →

Last updated: February 2026.