NordVPN vs Surfshark VPN

Which VPN Is Better?

Products

NordVPN
Surfshark VPN

Tested using Methodology v0.10.1

Updated Jan 22, 2026 04:52 PM

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NordVPN

Tested using Methodology v0.10.1

Updated Jan 22, 2026 04:46 PM

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Surfshark
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
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Our Verdict

NordVPN

Surfshark VPN

NordVPN and Surfshark VPN are VPN services owned by Nord's parent company, Nord Security, but operate independently. They both have similarly disappointing privacy policies and company practices that prioritize their bottom line over transparency and preserving your privacy. The two generally perform similarly, but NordVPN has more consistent latency, while Surfshark's latency fluctuates more over time. Feature-wise, Surfshark supports WireGuard while Nord doesn't, and instead offers NordLynx, their proprietary protocol. Lastly, doesn't limit how many of your devices you can connect at once, while Nord has a maximum of 10.

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Variants

  • NordVPN (Basic)
  • NordVPN (Complete)
  • Surfshark (One)
  • Surfshark (One+)

Check Price

Basic
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
One
Surfshark
Surfshark
Complete
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
One+
Surfshark
SEE PRICE
Surfshark
Plus
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
Starter
Surfshark
Surfshark
Ultra
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 

Main Differences for
Torrent

Threshold 

0.10

Torrent 
 

7.8
7.8
No major differences between these VPNs for torrent. See full list of tests below.

Full Comparison

Security

IP And DNS Leaks 
 

9.0
9.0

IPLEAK.net Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN IPLEAK.net Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Surfshark VPN IPLEAK.net Screenshot

Wireshark IP And DNS Leak Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Wireshark IP And DNS Leak Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Surfshark VPN Wireshark IP And DNS Leak Screenshot

Leak Detected 
 

No
No

In-Browser IP 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

In-Browser DNS 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

System DNS 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

System Traffic 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

Kill Switch Robustness 
 

2.0
2.0

Wireshark Kill Switch Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Wireshark Kill Switch Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Surfshark VPN Wireshark Kill Switch Screenshot

Leak Detected 
 

Yes
Yes

During VPN Software Crash 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

During Loss Of Internet 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

During System Reboot 
 

Leak Detected
Leak Detected
Show Text 

Man-In-The-Middle Attacks 
 

8.5
8.5

Man-In-The-Middle Attacks Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Man-In-The-Middle Attacks Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Surfshark VPN Man-In-The-Middle Attacks Screenshot

TLS Interruption Risk 
 

No Evidence
No Evidence

Proper BGP Implementation 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Privacy

Privacy Policy 
 

3.0
2.9

Privacy Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Privacy Picture
Compare High-Res
Surfshark VPN Privacy Picture

Investigation Notes 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Investigation Notes
Compare High-Res
Surfshark VPN Investigation Notes

No-Log Policy 
 

0
0

Privacy Policy Audit 
 

4.5
3.0

Legal & Security Events 
 

8.0
10

Last Review Date 
 

2025-OCT-15
2025-OCT-25
Show Text 

Company Practices 
 

5.0
5.8

Company Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Company Picture
Compare High-Res
Surfshark VPN Company Picture

Investigation Notes 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Investigation Notes
Compare High-Res
Surfshark VPN Investigation Notes

Parent & Affiliate Companies 
 

6.4
6.4

Marketing Claims & Practices 
 

8.2
8.6

Communication Transparency 
 

3.2
6.8

Security Audits 
 

5.0
10

Privacy By Default 
 

7.0
5.0

Terms Of Service 
 

1.0
0

Last Review Date 
 

2025-OCT-16
2025-OCT-25
Show Text 

Registration 
 

6.1
6.1

Payment Options 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Payment Options
Compare High-Res
Surfshark VPN Payment Options

Email Required 
 

Yes
Yes

Password Required 
 

Yes
Yes

Cryptocurrency 
 

Yes
Yes

Cash 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Performance

Download Speed 
 

7.6
7.6

Without VPN 
 

1,057 Mbps
1,061 Mbps

With VPN 
 

233 Mbps
242 Mbps

Speed Difference 
 

-823.9 Mbps
-819.2 Mbps

Download Speed Graph  

 Preview Graph
NordVPN Download Speed Graph
 Preview Graph
Surfshark VPN Download Speed Graph
Show Text 

Upload Speed 
 

7.7
7.8

Upload Speed Graph  

 Preview Graph
NordVPN Upload Speed Graph
 Preview Graph
Surfshark VPN Upload Speed Graph

Without VPN 
 

1,016 Mbps
1,011 Mbps

With VPN 
 

274 Mbps
306 Mbps

Speed Difference 
 

-742.0 Mbps
-704.9 Mbps

Latency 
 

5.5
5.7

Download Latency Graph  

 Preview Graph
NordVPN Download Latency Graph
 Preview Graph
Surfshark VPN Download Latency Graph

Upload Latency Graph  

 Preview Graph
NordVPN Upload Latency Graph
 Preview Graph
Surfshark VPN Upload Latency Graph

Download Latency Without VPN 
 

149 ms
134 ms

Download Latency With VPN 
 

343 ms
312 ms

Download Latency Difference 
 

194 ms
178 ms

Upload Latency Without VPN 
 

153 ms
144 ms

Upload Latency With VPN 
 

476 ms
446 ms

Upload Latency Difference 
 

323 ms
301 ms

Combined Latency Consistency 
 

±56 ms
±57 ms
Features

Downloads 
 

9.5
9.5

Torrent Test Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Torrent Test Picture
Compare High-Res
Surfshark VPN Torrent Test Picture

Torrent (P2P) 
 

Yes
Yes

Data Limit 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Platform Support 
 

9.3
9.3

Windows 
 

Yes
Yes

macOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Linux 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Protocols 
 

Protocol Results Table 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Protocol Results Table
Compare High-Res
Surfshark VPN Protocol Results Table

WireGuard 
 

No
Yes

OpenVPN Over UDP 
 

Yes
Yes

OpenVPN Over TCP 
 

Yes
Yes

IPSec With L2TP 
 

No
No

IPSec With IKEv2 
 

Yes
Yes

Proprietary Protocol(s) 
 

NordLynx
None
Show Text 

Simultaneous Devices 
 

9.1
9.9

Tested Simultaneous Connections 
 

10
11

Simultaneous Locations 
 

Yes
Yes

Advertised Max Simultaneous Connections 
 

10
Unlimited

Destinations 
 

8.6
8.6

VPN Destination Selection Example 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN VPN Destination Selection Example
Compare High-Res
Surfshark VPN VPN Destination Selection Example

Countries 
 

118
100

Countries With Multiple Cities 
 

9
12

Server Choice 
 

No
No

Split Tunneling 
 

8.0
9.5

VPN Disabled For App Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN VPN Disabled For App Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Surfshark VPN VPN Disabled For App Screenshot

VPN Enabled For App Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN VPN Enabled For App Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Surfshark VPN VPN Enabled For App Screenshot

Disabling Of VPN For Specific Apps 
 

Yes
Yes

Enabling Of VPN For Specific Apps 
 

Yes
Yes

Splitting Based On Address 
 

No
Yes

Ping Local Address - Same Subnet 
 

Yes
Yes

Ping Local Address - Different Subnet 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Headless Setup 
 

7.0
10

Headless WireGuard Connection Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Headless WireGuard Connection Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Surfshark VPN Headless WireGuard Connection Screenshot

Headless OpenVPN Connection Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Headless OpenVPN Connection Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Surfshark VPN Headless OpenVPN Connection Screenshot

Headless WireGuard Connection 
 

No
Yes

Headless OpenVPN Connection 
 

Yes
Yes

Check Price

Basic
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
One
Surfshark
Surfshark
Complete
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
One+
Surfshark
SEE PRICE
Surfshark
Plus
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
Starter
Surfshark
Surfshark
Ultra
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 

NordVPN

Surfshark VPN

Comments

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NordVPN vs Surfshark VPN: Main Discussion

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