Surfshark
VPN · surfshark.com
Surfshark is a consumer VPN and online-security subscription service that bundles a VPN with tools such as antivirus, data-breach alerts, alternative identity generation and personal data removal.
Switching to Private Internet Access (PIA VPN), which covers 57% of the compared capabilities.
Find my alternative
Way less money.
Top Surfshark alternatives
We compared 6 products and found 6 cheaper alternatives · vs Surfshark Surfshark Starter at $16.45/mo · scenario: single user, monthly billing, USD.
Surfshark costs $16.45/mo on the Surfshark Starter plan at single user, monthly billing. We found 5 assessed alternatives that are cheaper in this scenario; 0 of them cover at least 75% of the 7 compared capabilities.
| Product | Match | Price | Annual savings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Windscribe Build A Plan plan · missing: Unlimited devices, No-logs policy, Dedicated IP, Split tunneling, Multi-hop | 29% | $1/mo how? ⓘ | $185.40 / year 94% cheaper | |
TOP PICK Private Internet Access (PIA VPN) 1 Year plan · missing: Split tunneling, Multi-hop, Ad & tracker blocking | 57% | $3.33/mo how? ⓘ | $157.44 / year 80% cheaper | |
IVPN Standard plan · missing: Unlimited devices, No-logs policy, Server network size, Dedicated IP, Split tunneling, Multi-hop | 14% | $6/mo how? ⓘ | $125.40 / year 64% cheaper | |
ExpressVPN Basic plan · missing: Unlimited devices, No-logs policy, Server network size, Split tunneling, Multi-hop | 29% | $8.33/mo how? ⓘ | $97.45 / year 49% cheaper | |
NordVPN Basic (1-month) plan · missing: Unlimited devices, No-logs policy, Split tunneling, Multi-hop, Ad & tracker blocking | 29% | $14.99/mo how? ⓘ | $17.52 / year 9% cheaper | |
Mullvad VPN Flat monthly rate plan | not yet assessed | $5.84/mo how? ⓘ | $127.32 / year 64% cheaper |
Which Surfshark alternative for which situation
Picked by the numbers in this scenario — same subtype unless stated, assessed products only.
- Best free plan
- Windscribe — $0/mo (Free plan) · covers 29%
- Best open source or self-hosted
- Private Internet Access (PIA VPN) — $3.33/mo (1 Year plan) · covers 57%
- Best paid drop-in
- Private Internet Access (PIA VPN) — $3.33/mo (1 Year plan) · covers 57%
- Need unlimited devices, no-logs policy or dedicated IP?
- Private Internet Access (PIA VPN) — from $3.33/mo (1 Year plan)
- Need server network size or ad & tracker blocking?
- Windscribe — from $0/mo (Free plan)
What you give up
Capabilities Surfshark has that the top alternatives lack.
- Unlimited devices — Connect an unlimited number of devices to the VPN at once.Missing from Windscribe, IVPN, ExpressVPN.
- No-logs policy — The provider does not log your browsing activity.Missing from Windscribe, IVPN, ExpressVPN.
- Server network size — Choose from a large network of server locations.Missing from IVPN, ExpressVPN.
- Dedicated IP — Use a static IP address reserved for your account.Missing from Windscribe, IVPN.
- Split tunneling — Route only chosen apps or sites through the VPN.Missing from Windscribe, Private Internet Access (PIA VPN), IVPN, ExpressVPN.
- Multi-hop — Route traffic through more than one VPN server for extra privacy.Missing from Windscribe, Private Internet Access (PIA VPN), IVPN, ExpressVPN.
- Ad & tracker blocking — Block ads and trackers while connected.Missing from Private Internet Access (PIA VPN).
Feature comparison
Surfshark vs the top alternatives, on the 7 compared capabilities.
| Capability | Surfshark | Windscribe | Private Internet Access (PIA VPN) | IVPN | ExpressVPN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited devices | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| No-logs policy | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Server network size | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Dedicated IP | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Split tunneling | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Multi-hop | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Ad & tracker blocking | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scenario price cheapest qualifying plan | $16.45/mo Surfshark Starter | $0/mo Free | $3.33/mo 1 Year | $6/mo Standard | $8.33/mo Basic |
✓ means the product offers the capability — possibly only on a higher tier than the plan priced below it. The price row shows the cheapest plan that qualifies for our comparison scenario, with its plan name; a $0 free plan may not include every checked capability.
What Surfshark covers
The capability set used for comparison. Grey entries are not available on self-serve plans.
- ✓ Unlimited devices
- ✓ No-logs policy
- ✓ Server network size
- ✓ Dedicated IP
- ✓ Split tunneling
- ✓ Multi-hop
- ✓ Ad & tracker blocking
Price ladder
Observed prices from the official pricing page.
Sources
Every claim traces to an official source and a check date.
- https://surfshark.com/pricing (official_pricing, checked 2026-08-26)
- https://surfshark.com/pricing#main (official_pricing, checked 2026-08-26)
Frequently asked
How much does Surfshark cost?
Surfshark's Surfshark Starter plan costs $16.45/mo in our scenario (single user, monthly billing).
Is there a free Surfshark alternative?
Yes. Windscribe has a free plan that covers 29% of the 7 capabilities we compared against Surfshark.
What is the cheapest Surfshark alternative?
In our scenario (single user, monthly billing), Windscribe is the cheapest assessed alternative at $0/mo (Free plan).
Does Surfshark have a free plan?
No. Surfshark has no free plan on its official pricing page.
When were these prices checked?
Between 2026-08-26 and 2026-09-07, on the vendors' official pricing pages.