This article is the ultimate guide to help you decide which is the better VPN, Surfshark vs NordVPN. We have compared both VPNs at length and considered many factors.
In this article, we will specifically go over:
- Surfshark vs. NordVPN pricing
- Surfshark vs. NordVPN speed
- Surfshark vs. NordVPN security
- Install Surfshark and NordVPN on Android TV
- Surfshark vs. NordVPN key features
How to Sign Up for Surfshark or NordVPN
Signing up for Surfshark and NordVPN is very easy. Just use the links below to go to the official website for each service. Our links get you the best deals on these two VPN services.
Surfshark vs. NordVPN Pricing
VPN providers usually alter their prices according to the competition in the global VPN market, and these prices change frequently.
Surfshark pricing is considerably less when compared to NordVPN. The best deal that Surfshark is offering for VPN is $2.49 monthly, with a 24-month plan. A full list of Surfshark pricing is as follows:
- $12.95 USD for one month
- $6.49 USD for 6 months
- $2.49 USD for 24 months
All Surfshark plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
NordVPN charges a bit more for their two-year plan, $3.67 monthly. However, they also offer a complimentary three months free if you subscribe for this long. A full list of NordVPN pricing is as follows:
- $11.95 USD for one month
- $4.92 USD for one year
- $3.67 USD for two years
Both NordVPN and Surfshark offer bonus security protection and cloud storage services that you can upsell on to your plan.
VPN pricing is dynamic and changes throughout the year. Companies like NordVPN and Surfshark regularly offer deals around holiday days in order to entice new users. When you click on the links in this guide, you will always get the best NordVPN pricing and Surfshark pricing.
Because of the lower long-term pricing, we declare Surfshark to be the winner of this category. Surfshark also allows unlimited devices to use their VPN service at a time. NordVPN offers only six simultaneous connections. This sounds like a lot until you connect multiple phones, TVs, and Android boxes to the VPN network.
Both VPN providers offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Winner: Surfshark
Surfshark vs. NordVPN Speed
Surfshark vs NordVPN, both services advertise on and focus on speed.
Surfshark offers the following specific features that support high-class speed when you are connected to its VPN:
- Fast and up to date server hardware
- At least 1Gbps port connected per server
- IKEv2, OpenVPN, and WireGuard protocols
- Market-leading AES-256-GCM encryption
For a regular connection in the US, Surfshark promotes an average download speed of 58.46 Mbps and a ping of only 16 ms. A regular connection to a VPN is one optimized for your location specifically.
Most users will use the Quick Connect option to the Surfshark VPN, which selects the most convenient server to connect to. Surfshark offers the following download speed and ping to its Quick connect servers around the world:
- US Server: 56.74 Mbps and 22 ms ping (430 km away)
- UK Server: 44.42 Mbps and 123 ms ping (6,880 km away)
- Brazil server: 42.13 Mbps and 135 ms ping (6,950 km away)
The latest server hardware affects the speed and Surfshark promises only quality and fast servers. All of their servers have at least a 1 Gbps port connected and some servers have 2 10 Gbps ports. Surfshark has over 3,500 servers to connect to.
NordVPN offers the following specific features that support high-class speed when you are connected to its VPN:
- Good quality encryption
- Close distance to a VPN server with over 5,000 options
- Optimized VPN server load
- Modern security protocols
NordVPN offers download speeds up to 417 Mbps in the United States, 256 Mbps in the European Union, and 527 Mbps in Asia according to an independent study.
Overall, the speed of NordVPN is consistently higher on NorrdVPN when compared to Surfshark.
The tests were conducted based on three parameters:
- US server test
- Local single connection test
- Local multiple connection test
So, if you are looking for a VPN provider with a good download speed, you can feel confident in choosing NordVPN.
Winner: NordVPN
Surfshark vs. NordVPN Security
Surfshark and NordVPN both promise industry-leading security with a number of key features. They offer all modern, secure and fast protocols including IKEv2/IPsec, OpenVPN, Wireguard, and Shadowsocks on Windows and Android.
As well, both VPN services offer AES 256 GCM encryption.
Both Surfshark and NordVPN use server chaining technology, which gives you access to connect two servers simultaneously. Your data is sent through the two encrypted VPN tunnels internationally, making it impossible for outsiders to track you.
Surfshark and NordVPN also both offer a kill switch on all the platforms. A kill switch halts the data transfer if your connection is interrupted suddenly, providing more safety while browsing.
Both Surfshark and NordVPN leverage the use of private DNS servers, so it is impossible for any third party to track your online internet activity.
Both VPN service providers use cloaking technology, enabling you to access blocked content and bypass geo-restricted content.
However, NordVPN uses a tool called Obfsproxy, which helps you maintain anonymity. No website can detect that you are using a VPN. NordVPN also put an extra emphasis on bypassing throttling from your internet service provider. This means that you always get a maximum connection even with the added security features.
Both Surfshark and NordVPN score high in security by independent auditors. Security for both companies is very important, so you probably won’t notice a difference either way.
Winner: Tie
How to Install Surfshark and NordVPN on Android TV
You can easily download either of these VPNs from the app’s category on the Android TV box.
Download and install both the VPNs from the Play Store on Android TV.
Use the manual install files from the Surfshark or NordVPN account to finish the router setup.
Now you can start streaming any content using either of these VPNs with Android TV.
Surfshark vs. NordVPN User Interface
Desktop
When we compare the user interface of Surfshark vs. NordVPN, they both have an attractive interface. With NordVPN, you can choose from the list of countries or the map.
This particular feature from NordVPN is an advantage over Surfshark. The map provides access to the closest server and connects with the best server automatically.
The menus and settings of both these VPN providers look simple, and it is easy to understand and enable any of them with just a few clicks.
However, Surfshark organizes its settings with its three menus differently, so it can be a little harder to find certain settings.
The menu structure of NordVPN is pretty simple to understand as they have clearly labeled and easily enabled settings options.
Mobile
Both the VPN providers use the same desktop interface in their mobile application, making it easy to connect to any server.
Once connected, NordVPN and Surfshark run in the background. You can disconnect by swiping the notification bar down and choosing “disconnect.”
Also, both the apps are hidden when you are not using them. NordVPN wins this category because the menu navigation and map-based server overview are straightforward to use.
Winner: NordVPN
Surfshark vs. NordVPN Configuration
Both Surfshark and NordVPN leverage the use of shared address allocation. Any person who connects to a specific server shares a single IP address.
If you will pay more monthly, NordVPN gives you access to a dedicated IP address, which is a server that only you will use. Surfshark does not offer this option.
Surfshark and NordVPN do not provide anti-DDoS servers, but both VPN providers still protect you from DDoS attacks.
They both have automatic systems in place that change the server’s IP address if there is an incoming attack.
Winner: Tie
Surfshark vs. NordVPN Customer Service
Both Surfshark and NordVPN’s customer service compare well. You can easily get in touch with customer service and resolve issues quickly.
You can rectify the most common issues yourself with their knowledge base, which is easily searchable. NordVPN has a YouTube channel to help you resolve any issues.
Surfshark and NordVPN provide 24/7 live chat support. NordVPN has a support team, while Surfshark has outsourced its customer service.
Both teams respond promptly to all questions, although the average response time is lower for NordVPN than Surfshark. I would recommend you to go for a live chat instead of via email.
Winner: Tie
Other Key Features of Surfshark
CleanWeb
CleanWeb is a built-in ad-blocker inside of Surfshark. It allows you to search the internet without ads, trackers, malware, and phishing attempts.
Unlimited Devices
Surfshark does not limit you on the number of devices you can connect to a VPN at one time. All of your family and home devices can connect at one time. Plus, Surfshark is available to install on iOS, macOS, Windows, Android, Linux, any web browser, or directly at your router.
Bypasser
Surfshark has a selective bypasser so that you can allow specific apps and websites to bypass the VPN. This is useful for mobile banking or personal apps that require your real location.
Other Key Features of NordVPN
VPN Servers Everywhere
NordVPN has the highest selection of VPN servers to connect to. There are over 5,100 servers in 60 countries on the NordVPN service. You can connect to any country and access the entire internet freely.
No Bandwidth Limits
NordVPN supports unlimited 4K streaming. There is no limit on your data usage, so you can connect freely. Some sports are geo-blocked in specific countries, but NordVPN allows you to access games from wherever.
Dedicated IP
When you subscribe to NordVPN, you get a dedicated IP address that is unique to you. That means that it won’t change as you connect to different servers. Some business servers give access to your unique IP so you don’t want it changing all the time.
Surfshark vs NordVPN Conclusion
Between Surfshark vs. NordVPN, both VPN services are top notch. Surfshark is pretty fast, has good privacy and security features, offers unlimited connections, and you can use it in China.
Surfshark costs less money, unblocks all the popular streaming platforms, and proves to be a good VPN choice for daily usage.
Even so, our top recommendation is that you go with NordVPN. They have a massive server network, and their unblocking abilities are pretty great.
NordVPN focuses more on users’ privacy and security. You can easily get a dedicated IP address and also leverage the use of custom DNS servers.
Purchase NordVPN with this link.
Purchase Surfshark with this link.
Do you prefer Surfshark or NordVPN? Comment below on your favorite!