Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Surfshark VS ProtonVPN

Compare Surfshark VS ProtonVPN and see what are their differences

Surfshark logo Surfshark

Surfshark is an award-winning, secure VPN that encrypts your online data to help you stay private & protected every day, hassle-free.

ProtonVPN logo ProtonVPN

ProtonVPN is a security focused FREE VPN service, developed by CERN and MIT scientists. Use the web anonymously, unblock websites & encrypt your connection.
  • Surfshark Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-05-06
  • ProtonVPN Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-17

Surfshark features and specs

  • Affordability
    Surfshark offers competitive pricing and often provides discounts for longer subscription periods, making it a cost-effective VPN solution.
  • Unlimited Devices
    One of Surfshark's unique features is that it allows unlimited simultaneous connections on a single account, supporting families and multiple-device households without extra costs.
  • Strong Encryption and Security Features
    Surfshark employs AES-256-GCM encryption and offers features like CleanWeb (ad-blocking), MultiHop (double VPN), and a Kill Switch for strong online security.
  • No Logs Policy
    Surfshark operates under a strict no-logs policy, ensuring that they don’t track your online activities, which is crucial for privacy-conscious users.
  • Wide Server Network
    With over 3,200 servers in 65 countries, Surfshark provides excellent global coverage for unblocking geographically restricted content.
  • 24/7 Customer Support
    Surfshark offers around-the-clock customer service via live chat and email, providing assistance whenever needed.
  • Bypasser (Split Tunneling)
    This feature allows users to choose which apps or websites go through the VPN and which connect to the internet directly, offering greater flexibility.

ProtonVPN features and specs

  • Privacy and Security
    ProtonVPN offers strong encryption protocols (AES-256), a no-logs policy, and is based in Switzerland, which has strong privacy laws.
  • Open Source
    The ProtonVPN apps are open source and have been independently audited, which adds to their transparency and trustworthiness.
  • High-Speed Servers
    ProtonVPN provides high-speed servers and supports P2P file sharing, making it suitable for activities like streaming and torrenting.
  • Multi-Platform Support
    It supports a wide range of devices and operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux.
  • Free Tier Available
    ProtonVPN offers a free version that has no data limits, although it does come with some restrictions compared to the paid plans.
  • Secure Core
    The Secure Core architecture routes traffic through multiple servers in privacy-friendly countries, offering an additional layer of security.

Possible disadvantages of ProtonVPN

  • Price
    ProtonVPN's paid plans are generally more expensive compared to other VPN services with similar features.
  • Limited Free Tier
    The free tier has limited access to servers and slower speeds, which may not be suitable for all users.
  • Streaming Limitations
    Although it supports streaming, some users have reported limitations and inconsistencies when trying to access certain geoblocked content.
  • Device Connection Limit
    The basic plan allows only up to two simultaneous device connections, which might be limiting for some users.
  • No 24/7 Customer Support
    ProtonVPN lacks 24/7 live chat customer support, which could be a drawback for users needing immediate assistance.

Surfshark videos

SurfShark VPN Review 2020 - IN-DEPTH & DETAILED SurfShark Review

More videos:

  • Review - Trust DNS - unblocks websites and even that
  • Review - Surfshark VPN Review: What's the Catch? It's not what you think!
  • Review - 5 Reasons Not to Buy Surfshark VPN!
  • Review - Surfshark VPN Review 2024 - The Only Surfshark Review You'll Need! 🔥
  • Review - HONEST Surfshark review | Is it worth trying Surfshark VPN?
  • Review - Surfshark VPN Review 2024 - The Only Surfshark Review You'll Need! 🔥
  • Review - Surfshark VPN Review: Everything Revealed in 6 Minutes (PROS & CONS)

ProtonVPN videos

ProtonVPN Review 2019 - HONEST REVIEW!

More videos:

  • Review - ProtonVPN Review 2020 - WATCH BEFORE YOU BUY
  • Review - ProtonVPN Review 2020 - here is the TRUTH

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Surfshark and ProtonVPN)
VPN
13 13%
87% 87
Security & Privacy
16 16%
84% 84
Cloud VPN
9 9%
91% 91
Privacy
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Surfshark and ProtonVPN

Surfshark Reviews

The Best Top 10 VPNs for Spotify 2025
Surfshark’s Nexus technology allows users to specify entry and exit servers for MultiHop connections, providing additional security. With speeds fast enough for 4K video streaming, Surfshark is an excellent choice for Spotify users.
NordVPN vs Surfshark Comparison
NordVPN and Surfshark are both highly acclaimed VPNs, with the former having over ten years of experience and Surfshark over five. Interestingly, in 2022, NordVPN merged with Surfshark, but parent Nord Security keeps the businesses separate and intact.
Source: bestreviews.net
Best 5 Psiphon Alternatives in 2023
Last on the list is Surfshark, another name you’ve probably been hammered to death with. Surfshark’s biggest selling point is the support for an unlimited number of devices. Unlike basically all other VPNs, Surfshark allows you to connect as many devices to its service, on all of its plans! While the monthly subscription rates aren’t the cheapest, you do get some good bang...
Surfshark vs CyberGhost Comparison
There are a number of examples of funnily named VPN providers in the industry, and Surfshark is another entry on that list. Headquartered in the British Virgin Islands, it doesn’t just sound cool but it brings with it some pretty handy features, too, such as CleanWeb – a malware tracker and ad blocker – a kill switch, Wi-Fi protection, and more. But perhaps the most...
The Best NordVPN Alternatives in 2022
Aside from Surfshark’s awesome private DNS and leak protection features and AES-256-GCM encryption, it boasts of an ad-blocking feature and split tunneling capability to remove your selected apps or websites from the VPN connection.
Source: www.alphr.com

ProtonVPN Reviews

Best 5 Psiphon Alternatives in 2023
The risks associated with picking a free VPN usually outweigh the pros, but in the case of ProtonVPN that’s a trusted service, you might just get away without paying a single dime for spoofing your location. There are obvious downsides with going for a completely free service – only 3 server locations and no access to geo-restricted Netflix content. However, the moment you...
The Best NordVPN Alternatives in 2022
What’s unique about ProtonVPN is its VPN Accelerator solution combined with a 10 Gbps server network to increase VPN speeds by over 400 percent. It also uses multiple OpenVPN processes for every server and re-engineered OpenVPN for optimum distribution of load.
Source: www.alphr.com
Best NordVPN Alternatives
ProtonVPN hails from a long line of privacy-centric products like ProtonMail. Moreover, CERN scientists are responsible for the company behind this VPN. Thus, it has a reputation to uphold, that of a privacy-centric VPN. Furthermore, the providers also offer a free ProtonVPN version by subsidizing the premium user base. As expected, the company hails from Switzerland and...
Source: vpnwired.com
10 Best NordVPN Alternatives – Safe & Fast VPNs in 2022
ProtonVPN is one of the reliable alternatives of NordVPN when it comes to well-optimized servers. The VPN service has both free and premium plans, but users can’t select servers in the free plan. In total, ProtonVPN has 526 servers in 42 countries, and it’s always known for its ping time and faster speed.
Source: techviral.net
The 10 Best Open Source VPN Apps
If you frequently watch YouTube, you must have at least heard of this VPN application. Not only is ProtonVPN available on all Windows, macOS, and Linux-based systems, but you’ll also find its mobile apps on both Google Play Store and Apple App Store. A little background on this app: ProtonVPN has been developed by a team of scientists from MIT and CERN, so you know it’s...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, ProtonVPN should be more popular than Surfshark. It has been mentiond 310 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Surfshark mentions (48)

  • World Rugby U20 Championship round 2 fixtures (Times=GMT+2)
    VPN will sort you out with the geo-blocking. I use SurfShark. Hasn't let me down yet. Cheap, fast, reliable and can be used on as many devices as you like. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Catch the Surfshark wave: with exciting new milestones and updates for June 🗞️
    Our homepage just got a facelift! It's part of our ongoing rebranding to make things easier for you. Drop by and see the new look at https://surfshark.com/! Source: almost 2 years ago
  • I’m in Canada and this is what Surfshark looks like in my apple profile when I look at my subscription. Is this odd?
    Mine looks the same way, and I also can no longer access surfshark.com. Source: about 2 years ago
  • I AM OUTRAGED
    I would recommend getting a VPN. I use Surfshark (which is good because it doesn't block torrenting, meaning, if you want to, you can pirate stuff to without the eyes of the PAP on you). Source: over 2 years ago
  • Unable to connect to Surfshark on Windows (JioFiber - India)
    VPNs which do not have servers in India are already being banned it seems. Cannot access surfshark.com without a VPN (ironic). Source: over 2 years ago
View more

ProtonVPN mentions (310)

View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Surfshark and ProtonVPN, you can also consider the following products

NordVPN - NordVPN offers VPN technology that encrypts data twice.

Windscribe - Windscribe is a desktop application and browser extension that work together to block ads and trackers, restore access to blocked content and help you safeguard your privacy online.

ExpressVPN - ExpressVPN is the worlds fastest VPN service.

OpenVPN - OpenVPN - The Open Source VPN

Fireside VPN - FireSide VPN: Secure, Fast, and Reliable VPN Service

CyberGhost - CyberGhost is the name of trusted and secure VPN system.