NordVPN vs Surfshark: Which provider is better?

There’s a batch of VPNs on the market today and a lot of information to analyze when comparing them. Frankly, it’s overwhelming, but that’s exactly what the Jugo Mobile team is here to do. We took two of the best VPNs out there and compared all their key features. So who will win, NordVPN or Surfshark?

NordVPN is a huge name in the industry and a favorite of YouTubers. It’s my go-to for transmission and a true speed demon. Surfshark is no slouch either and offers great value at some of the cheapest prices available. Read on and I’ll delve into both providers to find out which one offers the best experience.

NordVPN vs Surfshark at a glance

NordVPN vs Surfshark: plans, prices and tests

No one wants to spend a fortune every month on a VPN, especially in the middle of a cost of living crisis, which is why I first compared NordVPN and Surfshark’s plans.

NordVPN one month plan It costs $12.99. Cheaper than Surfshark, sure, but still a considerable investment for 30 days.

He NordVPN 12-month plan It will cost you $4.59 a month and like Surfshark, you’ll get an extra 3 months added to your plan for free.

if you choose the 24 month planIt will cost $3.09 a month, with 3 months free, which is not a bad deal at all.

Surfshark pricing plans follow the same pattern and you can choose one month Surfshark plan for $15.45, which is quite expensive.

However, if you commit to a longer subscription, prices will drop dramatically. A 12 month subscription It costs $2.79 per month and includes 3 additional months of free coverage.

Opt for the 24-month planfor only $2.19 per month, and you will also receive the bonus for 3 months, bringing your coverage to a total of 27 months.

Both providers are pretty affordable, but Surfshark offers the best value if you’re looking for a long-term plan (with some juicy free extras).

NordVPN vs Surfshark: security and privacy

Probably the most important test, we will now compare the privacy and security features of the two providers.

NordVPN has excellent encryption and has some cool features like Double VPN and Onion over VPN. The latter uses the encrypted Tor network to achieve maximum privacy at the cost of lower speeds.

Surfshark also impresses, with its own MultiHop technology that works very similar to Nord’s Double VPN. You won’t be able to browse through the Tor network, but Surfshark offers HackLock and BlindSearch, which help protect your identity online.

Both offer a selection of protocols to tailor your experience. NordVPN supports OpenVPN, IPSec/IKEv2, NordLynx (Wireguard), and SSTP, while Surfshark supports OpenVPN UDP and TCP, L2TP, IKEv2, WireGuard, and Shadowsocks. So, a lot of selection.

However, there is one thing that sets NordVPN apart: its routine independent audits. This means that the VPN allows an impartial third party to access its servers and source code, with the goal of confirming privacy policies and finding vulnerabilities.

Surfshark has not undergone any such audit yet and that is why we have to hand this round over to NordVPN.

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NordVPN vs Surfshark: performance

Great connection speeds are crucial, as the world’s greatest privacy means nothing if it slows down your browsing. We tested both NordVPN and Surfshark on 600MB lines in the UK and US so we could get a good overall picture of how each provider performed.

Surfshark impressed with average speeds of around 150MB, but NordVPN delivered incredible results, reliably hitting 350MB. That’s really fast, no matter how you look at it.

NordVPN speeds ranged from 125MB to 300MB, and while they never slowed down enough to really impact usage, that fluctuation isn’t ideal. Surfshark was more reliable, but didn’t reach its peak performance as quickly: we routinely saw speeds of up to 200MB.

In practice, both services are more than fast enough for the average user and on typical connections both will perform identically. However, if you have access to a high-speed connection, it might be worth considering which you prioritize more: absolute maximum speed or consistency.

NordVPN vs Surfshark: streaming

Surfshark wears its VPN streaming capabilities on its sleeve, guaranteeing access to 14 Netflix libraries. This bodes well, as stating this as a selling point means you are obligated to maintain the service.

However, NordVPN is no slouch and in our tests it accessed all of the Netflix libraries we tested. Other streaming services were a bit more awkward, however.

When testing BBC iPlayer (often even harder to unblock than Netflix), NordVPN failed. An article on the site recommended we use the browser extension, and that allowed us to log in, but we preferred to use the app. It was the same story for Amazon Prime as well.

Surfshark, however, beat iPlayer and Prime in the first round, and it is for that reason that we give it this round.

NordVPN vs Surfshark: Torrent Downloading

Using a VPN for torrenting is a must if you’re P2P sharing, so which of these two is best suited to protect your torrents?

Both services support P2P traffic on some servers, and both can also detect if you’re torrenting and switch you to a suitable server if you’re not already connected. Both also have a built-in kill switch and the ability to split the tunnel, which is really useful.

However, NordVPN’s wider range of servers (at the time of writing it has over 5,400 compared to Surfshark’s 3,200+) means you’re more likely to find a fast server that supports P2P in the location you want. you want.

In practice, we haven’t noticed a huge difference, but if having many servers is high on your list, then NordVPN chooses this one.

NordVPN vs Surfshark: Apps

Since apps are how you’ll control your VPN, it’s important that they are simple, powerful, and can do everything you need.

On desktop, NordVPN’s design is clean, effective, and immediately recognizable. While not as useful, the map interface can be useful for quickly selecting a country without having to scroll through a list. However, it can be a bit cramped in central Europe, and on mobile it’s best to ignore the map entirely as it doesn’t perform very well on smaller screens.

In terms of features, it’s very easy to change settings on both desktop and mobile, and everything is completely plug-and-play.

Surfshark’s apps are even simpler, forgoing any quirky interface for a simple list of servers. While you’ll still be able to change settings easily, if we had to pick a flaw it would be that Surfshark apps are also simple.

However, this really depends on personal taste, and both VPNs offer great, stable, usable apps for tons of devices.

NordVPN vs Surfshark: Support

It’s a bit of a labyrinthine journey to get to NordVPN’s knowledge base of guides and articles, but once you’ve found your way there, the content is excellent. If you were to register, we recommend you bookmark the center to avoid future frustrations.

Surfshark’s guide bank is very similar, with excellent articles that should cover most topics.

However, for most users, live chat will be your first and only port of call and fortunately, both providers have 24/7 operators who are knowledgeable and seem able to solve most problems.

While it may seem like they’re following a script (let’s face it, they are), staff at both providers aren’t afraid to deviate from that to offer helpful advice, and there’s no clear winner here.

NordVPN vs Surfshark: Which is better?

Both NordVPN and Surfshark offer stellar services that are easily among the best offered today.

If you’re looking for absolute privacy, NordVPN’s independent audit practice is a real selling point and may well influence your decision. Plus, starting at just $3.71 a month, it’s not a bad value either.

However, if you’re looking to spend as little as possible, Surfshark is simply the best budget VPN on the market. You’ll get a lot of detailed features for just $2.49 a month and it’s worth a try.

However, if you’re looking for the best service on the market, we’ll have to point you towards ExpressVPN. With over 3,000 servers worldwide, unmatched streaming power, and intuitive apps, it brings together everything you need from a VPN in a way no other provider can.

How we test VPN services: Our review methodology

There is no substitute for hands-on experience when it comes to reviewing VPNs. That’s why we take an end-to-end approach, breaking down every aspect of a VPN we can imagine. This process begins on the provider’s website, where we review the marketing claims, privacy policy, support materials, and any intrusive tracking cookies we detect.

This gives us an idea of ​​how sincere a provider is about protecting your data before entering the VPN; After all, it’s a red flag if a VPN that claims to protect your data sells all your data to third parties first. You even download the app.

Then, of course, we signed up and downloaded the app (anonymously, of course). Each platform gets its fair shake: We test every platform a provider offers to make sure they work as advertised. We pay special attention to feature parity between apps, as mobile apps often don’t match their desktop counterparts.

Once we have the app in our hands, it’s time to stress test: we test each protocol and run speed tests, check for data leaks, and analyze a range of streaming services to see which ones crash.

Finally, we take all the information we’ve gathered about the VPN and make a final judgment: Is it worth the money? It is safe? Does it stand out in any particular way among a sea of ​​similar products? There are many VPNs available, but only a few qualify for our recommendation.