3 Surfshark Alternatives Our Experts Recommend in 2025

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?

We think NordVPN is a better pick if you want access to high-end VPN security features. This is mostly due to the VPN’s Threat Protection Pro feature. It blocks ads, ad trackers, and shady websites just like Surfshark’s CleanWeb feature. But, on top of that, it also protects your device from malware-infected downloads. What’s more, on Windows, it also alerts you about app vulnerabilities.

Plus, NordVPN also comes with Dark Web Monitor and double VPN servers. Dark Web Monitor alerts you if data associated with your NordVPN account is leaked on the dark web. And double VPN servers secure your data with an extra layer of encryption — this is similar to Surfshark’s Dynamic MultiHop feature. We do like Surfshark’s double VPN feature a bit more because it lets you customize the double VPN connection by picking whichever entry and exit servers you want (NordVPN limits you to preset double VPN servers).

Finally, NordVPN has Meshnet, which is excellent for securely sharing files, and is also available for free. It’s a feature that allows you to link up to 60 devices over an encrypted VPN connection (which is powered by NordVPN’s proprietary VPN protocol, called NordLynx). You could use Meshnet while traveling to share photos from your smartphone to your laptop back at the hotel, for example.

User Experience

NordVPN has excellent cross-platform compatibility, just like Surfshark. Both VPNs have apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Android TV, Fire TV, and Apple TV, and they allow manual router setups. The only notable difference is on Linux — we find Surfshark’s Linux app more user-friendly since it has a graphical user interface (GUI), whereas NordVPN’s Linux app is used via command lines.

When we tried both VPNs’ apps, we found them very intuitive. It’s very simple to connect to a server, and find and change a setting or enable a feature. We do like NordVPN’s design slightly better, though, because its apps have a digital map that you can use to quickly and conveniently connect to different server locations.

Pricing

Like Surfshark, NordVPN also has tier-based subscriptions. But we’re only going to be looking at how NordVPN’s first two subscription tiers compare to Surfshark’s first subscription tier, as these tiers include all VPN features from each service. If you’d like to learn more about NordVPN’s subscriptions, check out our full NordVPN pricing guide.

So, here’s a quick overview of the pricing options for NordVPN’s first two subscription tiers:

No matter which subscription tier you pick, NordVPN is pricier than Surfshark. Considering that, we recommend getting the Plus subscription since it offers the best value. While the long-term plans are more than double in price compared to Surfshark Starter’s long-term plans, the Plus subscription includes protection from malicious downloads and the app vulnerability scanner on Windows. And NordVPN backs all purchases with a 30-day money-back guarantee (just like Surfshark).

2. Private Internet Access

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

View Plans Links to Private Internet Access

Why Choose Private Internet Access Over Surfshark?

Private Internet Access (PIA) is a much better pick if you’re mainly looking for a VPN to use while torrenting. In fact, PIA actually made it to our list of the best torrenting VPNs in 2025.

Both VPNs support torrenting on all of their servers, and their server networks are pretty matched in terms of size — PIA has servers in 91 countries, while Surfshark has servers in 100 countries.

However, PIA also has additional P2P-related features that might improve torrenting speeds. For one, it has built-in support for port forwarding, which is a feature that lets you connect to more peers while torrenting. Plus, it has SOCKS5 proxy support — you can configure the SOCKS5 proxy server in your P2P app (it will hide your IP address, but it won’t encrypt your traffic).

User Experience

Both VPNs are matched when it comes to cross-platform compatibility — they both have apps for desktop, mobile, and smart TVs, and they allow manual router setups. In addition, both PIA and Surfshark allow unlimited simultaneous connections.

We also found both of their apps very simple to use. We tried out PIA and Surfshark’s Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Android TV apps, and it always took us less than 10 seconds to find and connect to a VPN server. Plus, all of their apps have a quick-connect feature that automatically connects you to the fastest server.

Pricing

PIA and Surfshark are both some of the best cheap VPNs in 2025. Surfshark has several tier-based subscriptions, but we’ll only compare its Surfshark Starter Subscription prices with PIA since that subscription includes all VPN features. So, here’s a quick look at PIA’s pricing:

You really can’t go wrong with either VPN if you’re on a tight budget. Month-to-month, Surfshark is more expensive, but keep in mind that’s because its Surfshark Starter subscription includes an extra security service (Alternative ID) on top of the VPN. But when it comes to the longest plan, both VPNs are very affordable, with only a few cents difference between their plans. And PIA and Surfshark both come with a 30-day money-back guarantee for all plans.

>> Learn More: How Much Does Private Internet Access Cost in 2024?

3. CyberGhost VPN

SecurityScore:

8.9 /10

View Plans Links to CyberGhost VPN

How We Review

Product Specs

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

View Plans Links to CyberGhost VPN

Why Choose CyberGhost VPN Over Surfshark?

We think CyberGhost VPN is a good alternative if you’re into gaming — it’s actually one of the best gaming VPNs in 2025. That’s because the VPN has 80+ dedicated gaming servers in four countries (the US, France, Germany, and the UK). These servers are optimized to provide stable ping and smooth gaming speeds.

We also like how you can manually set up CyberGhost VPN’s gaming servers on your router. This way, you can use them while playing online games on your Xbox or PlayStation consoles.

Finally, we like how CyberGhost VPN supports cloud gaming, which means it works with platforms like GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming. Surfshark, on the other hand, doesn’t guarantee cloud gaming support — it worked with GeForce Now in our tests, but we can’t promise it’ll work for you.

User Experience

CyberGhost VPN and Surfshark both have apps for desktop, mobile, and smart TV devices, and also support manual router setups. But keep in mind that CyberGhost VPN doesn’t have a dedicated Apple TV app yet, and it also only allows 7 simultaneous connections (Surfshark allows unlimited connections).

Both VPNs have apps that are great for beginners — they’re easy to install and navigate, and you get helpful explanations for all features and settings. We’ll give bonus points to CyberGhost VPN due to its Smart Rules feature, which allows you to automate VPN connections.

Pricing

We’re only going to compare CyberGhost VPN’s pricing to Surfshark’s lowest subscription tier (Surfshark Starter), as that’s the one that has all VPN features. Here’s a quick look at CyberGhost VPN’s pricing options:

CyberGhost is cheaper if you go month-to-month, but that’s only because Surfshark Starter also includes an extra security service (Alternative ID). If you get the longest plan, Surfshark is still cheaper, but not by a lot. On the other hand, CyberGhost VPN backs all long-term plans with a 45-day money-back guarantee, while Surfshark has a 30-day refund — so, you have more time to test the service risk-free with CyberGhost VPN.