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Surfshark VPN Passes the Sniff Test (When Most VPNs Are Fishy)

Surf a tide of private browsing with Surfshark VPN.

By Matt Jancer | Reviewed by Ysolt Usigan

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There aren’t many virtual private networks (VPNs) that I like or trust or don’t go “Puh!” when waved underneath my nose. Seriously, most of them are sketchy or wonky to use or slow or, worst of all, packed with adware and malware itself. Surfshark VPN is one of the (very) few that pass all the sniff tests for me. I tested it and peeked into its innermost workings, and it checks all the boxes when it comes to a trustworthy VPN worth your money and your trust.

If you want to cross-shop your options against other great VPNs, or if you want a more thorough examination into what a VPN does and how it works to protect your privacy and anonymity online, check out our guide to the Best VPNs. I put a lot of time and love into it. Oh yeah, and blood, tears, and sweat. So much sweat.

what to know about surfshark vpn

Surfshark VPN is, compared to the old guard, a relatively recent arrival. When it entered the scene in 2018, it joined the enormous stable of VPNs jockeying for the world’s attention. That means—well, not much at all. Not in my book. There are loads of big-name VPNs that have been around for longer and I don’t like ’em, such as ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access, which was acquired by the shady Kape Technologies years ago. Surfshark VPN hits all the right marks when it comes to transparency, openness, and honesty, and so it’s one of the few VPNs I feel comfortable using and recommending to others.

Surfshark VPN (opens in a new window)

Doesn’t keep user activity logs

Regular, independent third-party audits prove Surfshark tells the truth

Fast, simple user interface

Based in The Netherlands, which is so-so when it comes to government policy

Not as many servers in as many countries compared to some of the competition

When it came to testing Surfshark VPN, I did what I always do when testing a VPN. I used it like any other (relatively) normal person. As with any VPN, I downloaded and uploaded large files, streamed 4K video (including live sports), and generally used my computer to write articles and surf the internet. I swapped from server to server to make sure that I was experiencing a good spread of Surfshark’s server........

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