3 Surfshark Alternatives Our Experts Recommend in 2024

We like Surfshark VPN. It’s our second favorite VPN after we tested over 40 of them. But it still has a few faults that would make us pick other VPNs in specific circumstances.

For instance, Surfshark is not the most privacy-friendly with its headquarters in the Netherlands — a country in the Nine Eyes Alliance. That means the government can order Surfshark to hand over its data. Thankfully, it has a “no-logs” policy; this means your IP address, the only sensitive data it collects, gets deleted within 15 minutes after you disconnect the VPN. So, they shouldn’t have much data about you, if any at all (otherwise it wouldn’t be one of our favorite VPNs). That said, there are still better privacy-oriented VPNs.

Let’s look at a few cases where another VPN provider might be a better choice and provide better value for your specific circumstance.

Comparison Between the Best Surfshark Alternatives

System	NordVPN	Private Internet Access VPN	CyberGhost
Ranking	1st	2nd	3rd
Ratings	9.7/10	9.4/10	8.9/10
Server count	6,300+	35,000	11,700
Server locations	111	91	100
Subject to an International Surveillance Alliance?	No	Yes	Yes
Price	Starting at $3.39 per month	Starting at $1.98 per month	Starting at $2.03 per month
Read Review	NordVPN Review	Private Internet Access VPN Review	CyberGhost Review

Best Surfshark Alternatives

1. NordVPN

SecurityScore:

9.7 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

Multihop	Yes
Camouflage Mode	Yes
Kill switch	Yes
Split Tunneling	Yes
Netflix	Yes
Torrenting	Yes

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Why Choose NordVPN Over Surfshark?

Not only does NordVPN solve those privacy complaints we had with Surfshark, it keeps its prices competitive and offers a complete set of features. That means you can get most of the same protections you can with Surfshark except with a more privacy-focused VPN.

While it doesn’t have a dedicated antivirus software, it gives online malware protection to keep you from downloading malware or falling for phishing sites. And it offers identity theft insurance in its premium tiers, which Surfshark does not offer. So, on top of being a better VPN for privacy, it’s also a good choice if you want to bundle identity theft insurance instead of antivirus software.

Pricing and Plans

As for pricing, NordVPN is more expensive than Surfshark. Well, unless you want to pay month to month. We recommend paying for at least a year upfront for the over 50 percent discount though. It also limits you to connect up to 10 devices, which was plenty for us. However, we still prefer unlimited devices like Surfshark offers. Here’s how much each of NordVPN’s packages cost:

	Basic	Plus	Ultimate
One Month	$12.99	$13.99	$15.99
One Year	$59.88 ($4.99 per month)	$71.88 ($5.99 per month)	$95.88 ($7.99 per month)
Two Years	$95.76 ($3.99 per month)	$119.76 ($4.99 per month)	$167.76 ($6.99 per month)

The Basic and Plus plan are similar to Surfshark’s Starter and One plans. They each offer the full features of their VPN on top of a few device protection tools; these tools include malware protections or password managers. The Ultimate plan, though, includes identity theft recovery and cyber extortion protection.

In comparison, Surfshark’s One+ includes Incogni, a tool that removes your data from people search sites and data brokers. We tested Incogni ourselves and found it was useful, but we prefer the $1 million identity theft coverage and $100,000 cyber extortion protection in NordVPN Ultimate.

Privacy

NordVPN’s privacy capabilities are next to none. First of all, they’re headquartered in Panama, which is outside of all international surveillance alliances. That means the U.S. government can’t require NordVPN to share any information it has on us. Not that it would matter, since NordVPN maintains a strict “no-logs” policy with RAM-based servers — so, every time the servers reboot, all data gets completely removed.

FYI: RAM-based servers are one of the latest advancements in VPN security. VPN servers used to use hard drives. They store data after they turn off. RAM can’t store data when it powers down. That means everything gets wiped from the server’s operating system to any of your data every time it gets turned off. Typically, servers get restarted once a day.

But NordVPN is not the only one to offer those things. So, what made it our favorite alternative for privacy? It still had that obfuscation feature we loved while testing Surfshark (Camouflage Mode). Basically, it made our traffic while connected to NordVPN look like normal web traffic — keeping our VPN use hidden from any surveilling agency.

2. Private Internet Access VPN

SecurityScore:

9.4 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

Multihop	Yes
Camouflage Mode	No
Kill switch	Yes
Split Tunneling	Yes
Netflix	Yes
Torrenting	Yes

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Why Choose Private Internet Access Over SurfShark?

The 3,200+ servers in Surfshark’s infrastructure were enough for us. However, if you can’t risk running into overloaded servers, Private Internet Access’s 35,000 servers become a major selling point.

The number of servers matters because each server can only provide so much bandwidth to connected devices. That means if you connect to a server being used by other people, you could experience slower connections. Or, if you connect to an open server, other people might connect to it — causing it to slow down. This becomes less likely with more servers.

Pricing and Plans

We like to bundle our digital security tools with one provider when we can, so long as it doesn’t sacrifice quality. That’s one of the things we liked most about Surfshark. Private Internet Access didn’t give us that option, but its low prices left room in our budget for one of the top antivirus software. Here’s an overview of Private Internet Access’s plans:

One Month	One Year	Three Years + Four Months
$11.95	$39.95 ($3.33 per month)	$79.00 ($1.98 per month)

Compared to Surfshark, Private Internet Access is more expensive annually, but otherwise it costs less. We like the $1.98 per month three-year plan, since we know we always want a VPN; plus, the low $11.95 price for one month makes it accessible to dip your toes in the VPN water. Each plan supports unlimited devices too.

Privacy

If you were worried about Surfshark being in the Nine Eyes Alliance, you won’t like that Private Internet Access is in the Five Eyes Alliance. It’s headquartered in the U.S., which means the government can require it to hand over all of its information.

Pro Tip: We care more about a VPN’s privacy policy than where it’s headquartered. While it’s nice when a VPN can avoid governments forcing them to hand over data, a VPN shouldn’t be keeping any of your data to begin with. And whether or not they do is in their privacy policy. Always look for VPNs with “no-logs” policies if privacy is your priority.

Thankfully, Private Internet Access does not store any of your data — aside from essential information for billing — unlike Surfshark’s 15-minute deletion delay. They proved they followed their promise not to store your data with a third-party audit in 2022. So, the privacy protection we got was enough for us; however, if you’re trying to prioritize the privacy your VPN provides above all else, we recommend NordVPN instead.

3. CyberGhost

SecurityScore:

8.9 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

Multihop	Yes
Camouflage Mode	No
Kill switch	Yes
Split Tunneling	Yes
Netflix	Yes
Torrenting	Yes

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Why Choose CyberGhost Over Surfshark?

CyberGhost offers a middle ground between Surfshark and the other two alternatives. It’s based in Romania, which puts it outside of the international surveillance alliances like NordVPN. But, it’s not the best for privacy since it doesn’t have a feature similar to Surfshark’s Camouflage Mode.

It has almost 12,000 servers, which is nearly four times as many as Surfshark. Still, that’s not near Private Internet Access’s 35,000 servers. And it has an actual antivirus software you can bundle with its VPN like Surfshark, but it only works on Windows devices. So, it gives you pieces we liked from each provider without being the best in class for any one aspect.

Pricing and Plans

When it comes to pricing, CyberGhost has a unique set up. Most providers offer a monthly, yearly, and two- or three-year plan. Instead of a yearly plan, CyberGhost offers a six-month plan. We’re not sure why, and we prefer the yearly plan since it usually comes with a steeper discount. Here’s an overview of CyberGhost’s prices and plans:

Plan Length	One Month	Six Months	Two Years + Four Months
VPN	$12.99	$41.94 ($6.99 per month)	$56.94 ($2.03 per month)
Windows antivirus software	$4.50	$25.50 ($4.25 per month)	$28.00 ($1.00 per month)

We think the two-year plan for the VPN and Windows antivirus is a good deal if you have Windows devices. Full-featured antivirus software for $1 per month is the lowest price you’ll find. Both the VPN and antivirus only support up to seven devices — enough for us but unlimited is always better.

Privacy

Like we mentioned, CyberGhost is headquartered in Romania — outside of international surveillance alliances. It also has a strict “no-logs” policy that, unlike Surfshark, mandates CyberGhost not to store IP addresses. And just like Private Internet Access, CyberGhost has submitted its privacy policy to an audit once. So, overall, it’s better than Surfshark in this area but not quite as good as our privacy-centric pick, NordVPN.

Bottom Line

Overall, Surfshark’s an awesome choice for the average user who wants to bundle their VPN and antivirus software to keep their overall digital security budget low.

Sometimes you want the best privacy you can get, though. For that, we recommend NordVPN. Other times, you need a VPN that boasts a robust server infrastructure ensuring there’s always a fast server available for you. In that case, we think you should go with Private Internet Access. If you want a bit of what makes each VPN great and use Windows devices, go with CyberGhost.

FAQs About Surfshark Alternatives

What’s the best Surfshark alternative?
Our favorite alternatives to Surfshark are:
- NordVPN – Best Alternative for Privacy
- Private Internet Access – Best Alternative for Server Infrastructure
- CyberGhost – Best Well-Rounded Alternative
Is Surfshark a good VPN?
Yes, we think it’s an awesome VPN for anyone who wants to bundle their VPN with antivirus and other device protections. Its low prices and well-rounded capabilities make online security easy.
What VPNs have better privacy policies than Surfshark?
We think NordVPN hits the gold standard for privacy policies. It doesn’t log any of your data. Plus, its processes have been audited multiple times for complying with its privacy policy.
Are any VPNs cheaper than Surfshark?
Yes, the cheapest high-quality VPN we’ve tested is Private Internet Access, with its three-year plan that averages out to $1.98 per month.
Why should I consider a Surfshark alternative?
Surfshark’s a great VPN, but we think it has a few drawbacks. Mainly, its “no-logs” policy isn’t actually no logs. It still stores your IP address for up to 15 minutes after you end a session, but it promises not to keep it for any longer than that. There are also lower-cost VPNs on the market, particularly for monthly plans.