Editor’s Note: Forbes Advisor may earn commissions from sales through affiliate links on this site, but this does not affect the opinions or judgments of our editors.
Our Verdict
Dutch cyber security company, Surfshark VPN, has decided to shut down its physical servers in India in response to the Indian government’s request for VPN companies to store their consumers’ personal data in case of cybercrime. According to India’s Department of Information Technology, CERT-In has asked all VPN service providers in India to store the following information: names, email IDs and contact numbers, IP addresses and the like, for a period not exceeding five years. However, the decision did not go down well with many VPN providers such as Surfshark, who said that enforcing the regulation would violate the privacy protections they provide to Indian consumers, so they made the decision to pull out.
Surfshark assures Indian customers that the government’s decision will not affect their business. After the data law comes into force and the company announces plans to launch virtual servers, located in Singapore and London, for Indian users to use their VPN service to ensure their privacy online. This in-depth Surfshark VPN review will evaluate the popular solution’s features and pricing, as well as its device coverage and potential drawbacks.
Surfshark
Free Version
Free Version
Surfshark VPN is an effective security measure for your online activities in a world where hackers are constantly trying to get your personal information by hacking your online accounts and devices. Its top-quality encryption protocols make it difficult for your Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and third parties to track your online activities.
Here’s what you need to be aware of before you decide if Surfshark is the right solution that meets your personal and business requirements and budget.
What is VPN?
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) uses an encrypted connection to add a layer of privacy to protect your identity from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) as well as third parties when you browse the Internet. A VPN blocks your ISPs from monitoring your internet connection. Protects your IP (Internet Protocol) address to protect your online activities.
Surfshark VPN Review at a Glance
Surfshark VPN uses high-quality OpenVPN IKEv2, IKEv2 and WireGuard encryption protocols to provide you with secure online cyber security. When you surf the web at home or use public WiFi on your smartphone or computer, Surfshark VPN hides your IP address as well as the data you send and receive to prevent companies, hackers or bots from tracking your online activities. It also protects your online transactions when you connect to public Wi-Fi. You can also unblock websites or apps that are geo-restricted in your country by connecting to one of over 3,200 VPN servers located in over 95 countries.
Features
Privacy
Surfshark VPN operates under a strict “no logs” policy. The online privacy tool uses advanced encryption protocols that run on its proprietary RAM-only servers that don’t store your personal information online. Its Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) which has 256-bit keys (aka AES-256) can hide your IP address and put you in “camouflage mode” making it harder to monitor and track your online activities. Plus, you’ll get the CleanWeb feature that blocks malicious ads and malware, as well as phishing attempts.
Speed
With more than 3200 servers, Surfshark VPN boasts of providing a consistently fast connection. Surfshark claims that each server has a maximum throughput of 1 gbps. The average speed drop between servers can vary between 15 percent and 30%. To speed up your VPN connection, you may want to connect to servers in nearby countries with the least server load. Changing your VPN protocol can also help improve speed.
Related: Top VPN Services for 2022
Other Benefits
Surfshark VPN is easy to use and connects to an unlimited number of devices simultaneously, including Windows and macOS computers as well as Android and iOS smartphones and tablets. Some smart TVs, such as the Amazon Firestick, can also connect to Surfshark VPN. For an additional INR 117.58 per month, you can get access to Surfshark Antivirus, Alert and Search. Surfshark Antivirus detects malware and viruses on all your devices in real time. Alert will notify you if your personal information, including email and credit cards, has been stolen. Surfshark Search allows you to browse the Internet in complete anonymity without any ads or logs.
Surfshark VPN provides 24/7 live chat support. Customer support (not a bot!) will help you with any problems you may encounter.
How Surfshark VPN Stacks Up
Is Surfshark Right for You or Your Business?
Surfshark VPN is a fantastic alternative for home-based professionals who require an encrypted connection. Businesses can also benefit from it as it supports an unlimited number of devices per plan. CleanWeb is a security feature that blocks malware, malicious ads, and phishing attempts.
For a small additional cost, you can also take advantage of an additional antivirus plan to protect your devices. Surfshark may not be the best option for your business if you’re looking for a dedicated IP address. However, there are a number of other VPN service providers that offer similar features as well as dedicated IP addresses at reasonable prices.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is Surfshark a good VPN?
Yes, it is one of our best VPN providers. Surfshark is a well-known VPN software that prevents your Internet Service Provider (ISP) from snooping on your connection, making your browsing private and hiding your IP (Internet Protocol) address to ensure that your online activities are not tracked. It can be used on any device at home or at work. It is compatible with Windows, Android, iOS Mac as well as Linux systems.
Will Surfshark slow my speeds down?
Surfshark VPN provides a consistently fast connection. It is possible to expect an increase of 15% to 30 percent reduction in speed on all servers. To speed up your VPN connection, connect to servers in nearby countries that have the least server load to increase your speed. You can also speed up your VPN connection by changing the VPN protocol.
Can I share my Surfshark VPN Subscription?
Surfshark VPN allows unlimited simultaneous sharing of your subscription between mobile and desktop devices.
Is it worth paying for a VPN?
The quick answer to this question is that investing in a VPN is worth it, especially if you value online privacy and encryption while surfing the web. VPNs, also called virtual private networks, allow users to establish an encrypted network on their computer using a public Internet connection.
Why you shouldn’t use a VPN? VPNs cannot magically encrypt traffic. It’s technically impossible. If the endpoint expects plain text, there’s nothing you can do about it. When you use a VPN, the only encrypted part of the connection is the one that connects you to the VPN provider.
Is paid VPN safer than free VPN?
While these free VPNs may limit your bandwidth, speed, and access to servers, they offer most of the same security and privacy features as paid service providers.
Which VPN is the safest?
1. NordVPN is a strong and secure VPN. NordVPN is the most secure VPN available. It’s in a privacy-friendly location that uses the latest encryption technology and security measures, and provides a host of additional features for safe browsing, entertainment and more.
Can free VPNs be trusted?
Seriously. VPNs are not among the many great free privacy and security apps available online. Secure VPNs cost companies huge amounts of money to operate and stay secure, and a free VPN service is almost always an ad-hoc data snooping operation that is loaded with malware.
Is paid VPN better than free?
Free VPN has the most power because it is free. If you get something for free, they don’t expect to get the best service and the quality standard is low. However, if you pay for subscriptions, you can expect faster speeds, more features, and solid encryption.
Should we pay for VPN?
Lastly, paid VPNs offer more security, features, and safety than you get by installing legitimate software. Because they make money from subscriptions, they don’t offer your information to advertisers. They also pay for high-quality servers to reduce potential data leakage.
Is it worth having a VPN at home?
A VPN is highly recommended, especially for sensitive data. It is recommended that you keep it on most of the time to stay safe from hackers, data leaks, data intrusions, and intrusive snoopers like ISPs or advertisers. VPNs protect your data and privacy from third parties and cybercriminals.
Can I leave my VPN on all the time?
Should I keep my VPN on? and yes. VPNs provide the best security online, which is why you should leave your VPN on at all times to protect yourself from data leaks and cyberattacks, when using public WiFi, and from intrusive snoopers like ISPs or advertisers. So always keep your VPN on.
When should you use a VPN?
Why do you need a VPN?
- Public Wi-Fi Security…
- Data privacy with your internet service provider. …
- Privacy of data from the applications and services you use. …
- The privacy of your government data…
- Access any content from anywhere. …
- Remote work – Security …
- Flexible for many smart devices…
- Smart savings.
Can ExpressVPN be traced?
ExpressVPN never logs your internet activity or VPN connections. This means that no IP address or timestamp can be used to confirm your identity. Shared IP addresses cannot be traced back to you.
Can I monitor my VPN connection? No, your web traffic and IP will no longer be tracked. However, you could still be tracked if you use a worse VPN.
Can police track ExpressVPN?
Let’s talk about the problem. Although the police are not able to monitor encrypted VPN traffic in real time, but they can get a court order to visit your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and request usage or connection logs. Your ISP may refer you to the police if they suspect you’re using a VPN. VPN.
Is ExpressVPN really free?
There is no free VPN that can match ExpressVPN in terms of speed, security and quality of service. ExpressVPN is an elite VPN provider that charges a monthly fee. It offers optimized connections that offer the best combination of speed, security, stability and reliability, with no bandwidth limitations.
Is ExpressVPN better than NordVPN?
If price is your main concern, choose NordVPN. ExpressVPN is more efficient than NordVPN and has more server locations. ExpressVPN might be a better choice depending on where you are and the country you want to connect to with your VPN.
Is ExpressVPN really private?
When you use ExpressVPN, your data is transmitted through an encrypted tunnel protected by AES-256, which is the same encryption standard adopted by the US government and used by security experts around the world to protect confidential data. It is impenetrable to attackers and other third parties, keeping your online activity private.
Should I trust ExpressVPN?
All in all, ExpressVPN is a reliable, secure and secure VPN service. It works with streaming platforms such as Hulu, Netflix and BBC iPlayer.
Can ExpressVPN see my activity?
This means that there are no activity logs. ExpressVPN does not track, record or store which websites you visit. ExpressVPN does not log your traffic destination or content. We also have our own encrypted DNS on each VPN server to protect your privacy and ensure your anonymity.
Can ISP track ExpressVPN?
A VPN by itself won’t prevent you from being tracked via your IP address, but it doesn’t block cookies or ad trackers or stop fingerprinting your browser. ExpressVPN offers a Threat Manager privacy feature that blocks tracking and other harmful websites.
Can ISP see ExpressVPN?
VPNs route traffic through an encrypted tunnel, which leaves your ISP without any information about your browsing habits. They can track the amount of data you transfer, but they can’t understand the data.
Does VPN block ISP tracking?
The short answer is yes: A VPN hides information about your browsing habits from whatever company provides your internet connection. Encrypting your Internet traffic is the best way to block your ISP from tracking your online activities and personal information. You can do this by using a virtual private network (VPN).
Does Nord own Surfshark?
Surfshark is now owned by the same company that owns NordVPN: Nord Security. Who owns NordVPN NordVPN is owned by Nord Security. The company was initially backed by a Lithuanian business incubator called Tesonet, and was also owned by Nord’s founder, Tom Okman.
Who owns Surfshark Surfshark is a VPN company based in the Netherlands. It is a subsidiary of Nord Security.
Which is better NordVPN or Surfshark?
Which is superior: Surfshark VPN or NordVPN? Between the two, NordVPN is the better choice due to slightly more reliable security measures, such as independent audits and a more private location. In other words, both VPNs are equally reliable as they are both at the very top of our list of the best VPNs 2022.
Is Surfshark any good as a VPN?
Is Surfshark a reliable VPN? Surfshark is reliable and is a reliable VPN. Our test results have shown that Surfshark VPN is a reliable and effective VPN. It provides access to all streaming websites, provides many high speed tunneling protocols and encryption, keeps no logs and comes with many proprietary features.
Which is better NordVPN or ExpressVPN or Surfshark?
Surfshark wins this time because it allows you to use an unlimited number of devices through the Surfshark VPN service. Nord only allows six simultaneous connections. And ExpressVPN offers less for its higher price: just five simultaneous connections.
Who is the owner of NordVPN?
Company history. NordVPN is owned by Tefincom S.A., a company registered in Panama. It is therefore subject to the laws of Panama. However, this does not mean that the users are under the umbrella of the nation with 14 eyes.
Can NordVPN be trusted?
server errorWho is the CEO of NordVPN?
server errorIs Surfshark and NordVPN the same?
server errorWhat company owns Surfshark VPN?
What is Surfshark? Surfshark is a VPN company based in the British Virgin Islands. Founded in 2018, Surfshark VPN is owned by Surfshark Ltd. with employees in eight countries.
Which VPN is best NordVPN or Surfshark?
While both VPNs have to sacrifice some of their features on Android (notably the kill switch), both were leak-proof during our tests. SmartPlay DNS and thousands and thousands of servers make NordVPN the best choice for streaming. Surfshark, however, offers split tunneling on Android and is just as effective for basic Wi-Fi protection.
Does Surfshark VPN have India?
Surfshark VPN only offers virtual India locations that are physically located in Singapore or London.
Which is the best VPN for India ExpressVPN is the best VPN for India because of its unique features like fast browsing and no logs for certain private online activities.
Which VPN has Indian server?
#1 Overall Best | ||
---|---|---|
VPN service provider | ExpressVPN | IPVanish |
Supported devices | MacOS & iOS Android Windows Linux Microsoft | MacOS & iOS Android Windows FireOS |
Help 24/7 | oh | oh |
Max connections | 5 | Unlimited |
Which free VPN has Indian server?
Best FREE VPN FOR INDIA: Atlas VPN is our best free VPN for India. Multiple servers are available for free. Fast enough for streaming and browsing, but also strong enough to unblock content. Protected by encryption and does not track identifying information.
Is NordVPN India server?
NordVPN spokespersons stated that the company has decided to take down all servers in India. The servers will be removed on June 26, 2022
Is Surfshark banned in India?
Surfshark has shut down its Indian servers in response to India’s data protection laws. The new regulations require VPN vendors to monitor and keep user transaction logs for 180 days and keep all their user data for five years, the company said in a blog post on Tuesday.
Can I use Surfshark in India?
Surfshark VPN only offers virtual India locations that are physically located in Singapore or London. Contact our support team anytime if you encounter any problems with these servers.
Is Surfshark VPN trustworthy?
Surfshark is among the most secure VPN service providers. It has a proven no-logging policy and also offers options to select your preferred encryption standard and tunneling protocol.
Which is better NordVPN or Surfshark?
Which is superior, Surfshark VPN or NordVPN? NordVPN is the best choice of the two because it is more reliable in security measures like independent audits and extremely secure location. Both VPNs are equally great and both top our list of the best VPNs of 2022.
Which is better NordVPN or ExpressVPN or Surfshark? Surfshark definitely wins this contest as it allows you to use an unlimited number of devices with its Surfshark VPN service, while Nord only allows six simultaneous connections. And ExpressVPN gives you the same amount for a more expensive price: just five simultaneous connections.
Is Surfshark and NordVPN the same?
While Surfshark allows users to connect to an unlimited number of devices, NordVPN limits the number of devices you can connect to to six. Both VPNs are compatible with Android, iOS and Windows. NordVPN can only connect to six devices. Surfshark can only be used with Fire TV.
What company owns Surfshark VPN?
What is Surfshark? Surfshark is a VPN company based in the British Virgin Islands. Surfshark Ltd. is the owner of Surfshark VPN. It has eight employees.
Which VPN is best NordVPN or Surfshark?
Both VPNs have some limitations for Android, especially the kill switch. However, both VPNs proved leak-proof during our tests. SmartPlay DNS and thousands and thousands of servers make NordVPN the best choice for streaming. However, Surfshark includes split tunneling on Android and is perfectly adequate for basic Wi-Fi protection.
Is Surfshark any good as a VPN?
Is Surfshark a reliable VPN? Surfshark is a reliable and good VPN. Our test results were impressive. Surfshark VPN unblocks most streaming services, provides a choice of incredibly secure encryption and high-speed tunneling protocols, keeps no logs, and comes with many proprietary features.
What are the benefits of Surfshark VPN?
Advantages of Surfshark
- Secure and private connection.
- Multi-hop connection available.
- Available on various platforms.
- Good speed.
- Strong global server presence
- Smooth streaming of geo-blocked content.
- Great prices.
- Smooth user experience.
Is Surfshark a good VPN 2021?
Surfshark is a premium VPN and is among the best VPN services, featuring AES-256 bit encryption and a kill switch. split tunneling, Netflix and torrent access, and a central location outside of the Five Eyes alliance.
Is there anything better than NordVPN?
ExpressVPN is faster than NordVPN and offers more than 100 server locations. Depending on the location and country you want to connect to with your VPN, ExpressVPN may be a better choice.
Is ExpressVPN the best?
ExpressVPN tops our list because of its strong encryption and privacy features, fast connections through its roughly three thousand servers, and its commitment to protecting user data from government prying eyes.
Should I use ExpressVPN or NordVPN?
NordVPN is ultimately the better option. It’s almost as fast, provides more servers, and offers more control over your security settings than ExpressVPN. It’s a good choice for streaming, thanks to its powerful content unblocking capability and dedicated IP address option.
Does Surfshark protect against viruses?
Surfshark Antivirus, an antivirus tool available for Windows or Android platforms, is coming to macOS soon. It can protect your devices from viruses, malware, and privacy-invading apps that do things without your permission (eg take screenshots or access data without your permission).
Does VPN protect against viruses? Does a VPN protect you from viruses? No, no, a VPN cannot protect you from viruses. It is a method of encrypting your information and masking your IP address, so that your data and identity are safe from online hackers, ISPs and other third parties.
Does Surfshark protect you from viruses?
Surfshark One: 360 solution to protect your personal data. Surfshark Antivirus is available as a bundle that includes three other products. These powerful scanners protect your devices from viruses and malware. You can scan your files as you download them and then use them.
Do you need antivirus if you have a VPN?
While a VPN prevents your local ISP or Wi-Fi provider from injecting malicious code into your browsing sessions, using a VPN alone does not protect you from viruses. You should still be careful about downloading or email attachments, even if you’re using a VPN.
Is VPN better than antivirus?
PRO TIP: We recommend using both antivirus software and a VPN to protect your online security. Antivirus software alone is not enough, but when paired with a high-quality VPN, it can offer an outstanding level of protection.