MacworldAt a GlanceExpert's RatingProsSimple to useNo device limitsGreat for streaming servicesConsPrices could increase after your plan expiresOur Verdict SurfShark is a great VPN option thats as easy to use as the best of them, while maintaining security across an unlimited number of devices something we dont see often. As with the likes of NordVPN, it leans heavily on two-year pricing, which can be problematic when VPN legislation and privacy protocols can regularly wax and wane.Price When ReviewedThis value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefinedBest Pricing TodayRetailerPriceSurfshark1,99 View DealPrice comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwideProductPricePrice comparison from BackmarketBest Prices Today: SurfsharkRetailerPriceSurfshark1,99 View DealPrice comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwideProductPricePrice comparison from BackmarketWeve updated this review for 2025.The joy of VPNs becoming more popular is that services spring up all over the place aiming to be worth your time and money. One such option is SurfShark, which remains a reliable, affordable option that theres a good chance your favorite tech YouTuber has endorsed at some point in time.SurfShark has more than 3000 servers spread across 100 countries, making its network one of the widest and most varied of any VPN, as well as a backbone of excellent apps across just about any operating system, Apple or otherwise (although I did find it slowed my MacBook down a little during testing). Surfshark has a VPN app for Apple TV too, which should simplify the process of accessing region-locked content on that device.It supports multiple protocols and excellent encryption, as well as a privacy-minded no-logs policy thats regularly audited something even big hitters like NordVPN cant guarantee.So, whether youre looking to buy a product from another country, access a different countrys selection of streaming service libraries from the comfort of your home, or want to just keep your data private when using coffee shop Wi-Fi, SurfShark is well worth a look.For more options take a look at our round-ups of the best VPNs for Mac, best VPNs for iPhone and best VPNs for iPad.You can sign up for Surfshark here.Surfshark Features & AppsCreate a persona to use on sites you dont entirely trust or want to be linked to your email or payment information.FoundryAs with many of its competitors, SurfShark offers three tiers of features at varying price points. The most basic option, aptly named SurfShark Starter, offers VPN functionality as well as an ad blocker and the option to generate a proxy email address and personal details for sites you dont feel comfortable about giving your information to.SurfShark One, which the company refers to as the Best choice, adds email and payment detail breach alerts, as well as personal data security reports, antivirus and other malware protection, while the One+ plan adds data removal from company databases and people search sites (in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and EU).Its a comprehensive feature set, but while SurfShark certainly tempts with a price starting at just $2.39/1.79 per month at the time of writing, its tied to a two-year bundle. With VPN legislation seemingly always in flux, theres a risk in tying into anything longer than a year and theres no guarantee the price wont go up after any length of membership.Once its installed, its easy to get connected to one of its dizzying array of connections simply click the country on the left column and itll start connecting immediately. The macOS app offers light and dark modes, and you can opt to have it shown in the dock or the menu bar which is a nice touch (although I always prefer the latter). As well as an iOS app there is an app for Apple TV. I also took the iOS version of SurfShark for a spin and was pleased to see features like MultiHop and Dedicated IP are baked in. Many mobile apps are watered-down versions of their desktop VPN offerings, but theres even the Alternative ID function here.Surfshark PerformanceSurfShark is easy to get to grips with, even for VPN newcomers.FoundryWhen I reviewed SurfShark previously, I found the performance to be inconsistent with results others had seen, but since then my own network has seen an upgrade and Ive moved to a more recent MacBook model, so we wanted to run the test again.Youll notice connection speed fluctuations with a VPN more with a slower connection than with a superfast one, but my use case falls somewhere in the middle.With WireGuard, SurfShark is, quite simply, the slickest VPN around, removing very little speed from my connection. In fact, testing on around an 800 Mbps connection (up from the last time we tested), the drop was to around 720 to 750 Mbps which is still absolutely fantastic and tears away from the opposition.OpenVPN is better for compatibility, though, and after the fine folks at Surfshark asked us to crunch the numbers again, Im pleased to say things are much swifter than when I tested before. OpenVPN still sees a steeper drop, but its still running at anywhere between 400 and 450 Mbps.Whichever protocol I used, I was able to flick between streaming libraries with ease, do a bit of shopping for digital goods, and there were no real issues at least in so far as connectivity.In my prior testing, SurfSharks Mac app felt as though it was grinding my daily login to a halt, but on the M3 MacBook Air whatever issue was there before seems to be fixed, with no discernible performance drop (thank goodness).Surfshark Privacy & SecurityAntivirus Scan: Scan for unwelcome files and viruses on your Mac.FoundryGeoblocking aside, those protocols also offer varying degrees of encryption, all end-to-end to keep your data secure at source and in transit.The Kill Switch feature is billed as a safety net, and like a safety net, its something youll hope to never use but youll be glad if you have to. Itll shut down your connection if your VPN connection falters, preventing personal data from sneaking out to bad actors. It wont reconnect automatically, which in this case is a good thing.Surfshark is headquartered in the Netherlands and has undergone a series of security audits in recent months. A no logs policy is hard to prove (how can a company show you it doesnt have your data if it never collected any in the first place?) but Surfsharks process means it logs a small amount of data thats then scrubbed from its servers with 15 minutes of closing the connection.This data isnt attributed to a user by name, so a user ID and connection time are all thats logged, and then those are removed.Search Function: The Surfshark Search offers truly organic results, but these can be hit and miss.FoundryThe Antivirus Scan is handy, too, and itll run scheduled background scans if you leave the app open. Two beta features, Ransomware Shield and Webcam Protection can stop your personal folders and hardware camera from falling into the wrong hands respectively, and the app will constantly look to update its database of viruses to cross-reference files.While Googles algorithm continually tries to eat itself, Surfshark offers a handy tracker-free browser within the app that moves to your browser of choice. This private search is intended to surface truly organic results, but in my testing it was hit and miss, oscillating between YouTube videos, old Reddit posts, and the articles I was genuinely looking for.Surfshark pricing and plansAs mentioned earlier, two years is a long time to be tied into a VPN, but to its credit, SurfSharks prices are so low that it almost feels worth the risk. $2.19/1.69 per month (for 24 months, plus three three months) is very little indeed, and while that doesnt offer some of the more advanced security features, even the priciest tier is only $4.29/3.09 at a month for 24 months (plus three free months). Just note that Surfshark frequently adjusts these savings, so you may find it costs fractionally more or less. We round up the best VPN deals separately.Alternatively, if you dont want to be stuck in a plan you can sign up on a monthly plan. Monthly plans range from $15.45/12.29 to $20.65/14.99, depending on which features you opt for.You can sign up for Surfshark here.Its one of the cheapest options out there, and that may just make it worth a look even if youre looking to use train Wi-Fi while commuting each month, even if you dont end up springing for one of the pricier plans with additional features. Still, theres no guarantee itll stay as cheap as this when it comes to renewal.VerdictId always advise against a two-year plan for any VPN, but the price of Surfsharks cheapest plan is so cheap over that time that it remains tempting.It certainly doesnt hurt that its a remarkably privacy-focused, secure VPN thats easily capable of getting around geo-blocked content, too. Whatever youre looking to use a VPN for, theres a good chance youll get what youre looking for with SurfShark.