NordVPN vs Surfshark: Which VPN should you use?

VPNs are very useful for making sure your data is protected when searching the web, but finding the most ideal VPN for your use cases can be tricky given there’s a plethora of options. 

In our latest round of tests, NordVPN and Surfshark both topped our chart with perfect 5-star ratings. These are our top recommended paid-for VPNs right now, but which is the better pick?

We’ve broken down the main differences between the two VPN services, so you know which option meets most of your needs. 

Price

Neither Surfshark or NordVPN offer free tiers for their VPN, so you’re going to have to pay a monthly or annual fee. 

NordVPN is priced at £9.99/$11.99 per month for the standard plan. You can save a lot of money by committing to a 2-year contract instead, which will work out to be £2.49 per month. But watch out for the price hike on renewal at the end of that contract, as you’ll need to pay a mighty £188.73 (£7.86 per month) for the following two years. 

Meanwhile, Surfshark will cost you £10.55 per month on a rolling contract, making it more expensive than NordVPN. However, signing up to a 2-year contract will take the cost down to a far more affordable £1.67 per month. 

Surfshark also introduces a price hike at the end of the first two years, but only up to £49.47/$59.76 per year – at £4.12 per month, that’s noticeably cheaper than NordVPN. As a result, Surfshark is more affordable if you opt for a long-term contract, while NordVPN offers better rates on a month-to-month basis if you just want a temporary VPN. 

Security and features 

Both VPNs have great security features, with no-logging policies ensuring that the company isn’t collecting any of your data or information that could reveal your identitiy. NordVPN and Surfshark are independently audited to prove this too. 

The two VPNs have an almost identical featureset, which includes a kill switch and split tunnelling. That said, Surfshark lets you use the VPN on an unlimited number of devices at once, while NordVPN only lets you register six at a time. 

But what about coverage? NordVPN has more servers (total of 5498), but Surfshark has them spread out in a greater number of countries (65) for more flexibility. 

There’s no difference in terms of supported platforms, as the VPNs are available on Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS and Android. Browser plugins are also available for Chrome and Firefox. 

Performance

When reviewing VPNs, we make sure to test the performance speeds with a maximum tested connection speed of 980Mbps. This ensures we know the performance data isn’t being affected by broadband bottlenecks. 

As you can see from the benchmark data below, there isn’t much separating NordVPN and Surfshark.

VPN Provider	UK	Netherlands	United States
Surfshark	491.20Mbps	407.20Mbps	208.00Mbps
NordVPN	356.80Mbps	611.20Mbps	232.80Mbps

NordVPN performed noticeably better with the Netherlands and United States servers, but then Surfshark posted faster speeds with the UK server. 

Both VPNs saw above-average speeds in our latest group test though, so you can be rest-assured you’re getting a top-notch performance no matter which VPN you decide to use. 

Verdict

These are two excellent VPNs, providing top-notch quality no matter which you opt for. They have great security features and are capable of blistering speeds.

NordVPN has a greater number of servers, but Surshark covers a greater number of countries while also offering endpoints in a wider range of countries. Otherwise, there really isn’t much of a difference.

Your final decision will likely come down to the pricing. NordVPN offers more generous month-by-month contracts (although is still expensive), while Surfshark provides superior value with long-term contracts, especially once you need to extend the subscription following the first two years.

Before you hit checkout though, we recommend checking out our best VPN and best free VPN lists for even more options.