Surfshark and Proton VPN are widely popular VPNs. They’re fast, dependable, and above everything, secure. However, when talking about Surfshark vs Proton VPN, we must be clear and say that these are far from identical VPNs. Both have built their image on online privacy.
But, while Surfshark excels in device compatibility and streaming, Proton VPN is more about technological prowess and ease of use. Rest assured, these are some of the market-leading options, out of which, we ended up preferring Proton VPN. Interested in finding out why?
Well, that’s where our Proton VPN vs Surfshark comparison for 2026 comes in. We observed their prices, security, privacy, performance, ease of use, streaming, and more. Here’s what we found after months of testing.
Surfshark VPN vs Proton VPN: Quick Comparison
| Surfshark | 🏆 Proton VPN | |
| Our Current Ranking 📋 | #5 | #4 |
| Prices 🤑 | Starting at $1.99/mo | Starting at $3.59/mo |
| Money-Back Guarantee 🪙 | 30 days | 30 days |
| Free Version/Free Trial 🆓 | No/7 day free trial on iOS/Android | Yes/No free trial |
| Logging/Jurisdiction 🕵️ | No/Netherlands | No/Switzerland |
| Protocols 🌐 | OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2 | OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2 |
| Servers 🏠 | 3,200+ in 100 countries | 12,000+ in 117 countries |
| Specialty Servers ✅ | Dedicated and Static IP, MultiHop | Torrenting, streaming, Tor over VPN, Secure Core |
| RAM-Only Servers 🛡️ | Yes | Yes |
| Working With Netflix 📺 | Yes (US, UK, JP, CA, …) | Yes (US, UK, JP, CA, …) |
| P2P Allowance ↔️ | Yes | Yes |
| Customer support ☎️ | Live chat, email | Live chat, email |
| Concurrent Connections 📟 | Unlimited | 10 |
Applications & Ease of Use
Proton VPN is famous for its modern, yet, easy-to-grasp apps. Its applications are snappy and easy to use, more so on Linux, where it offers a full-on GUI. Surfshark doesn’t. Proton VPN’s clients are pretty reliable across the board and work on a wide variety of devices.
From macOS, Linux, and Windows computers to Android/iOS phones/tablets, routers, Fire TV sticks, and so on. Drawing from our experience, we had no issues navigating Proton VPN’s apps. In fact, connection issues are very rare, if at all existent! Moving to Surfshark, here it is:
The app looks phenomenally on Windows. It’s sleek, powerful, and packs all you need. The mobile app is painfully similar, so the learning curve between the two is non-existent. Surfshark’s Window app is slightly less reliable and periodically has longer connection times.
This didn’t happen to us on our iPhones or multiple Samsung Android phones and tablets. Nevertheless, Surfshark also works on a plethora of devices, and in our dedicated Surfshark review, we also appreciated its Smart DNS, which extends compatibility. Proton VPN lacks it.
We haven’t mentioned simultaneous connections, so now would be a good time to do it. Proton VPN has 10 and we think they’re more than enough. However, Surfshark pulls out an ace in the form of unlimited connections per subscription. Enough? You’d be a fool to say no!
Winner: Tie
While Surfshark has unlimited simultaneous connections, Proton VPN’s apps are more reliable overall. Each VPN has its strengths, and during our Proton VPN vs Surfshark testing, we found ourselves loving both equally. Whichever you choose, you’ll unlikely be disappointed.
Surfshark vs Proton VPN Price Comparison
The warm-up round is behind us, and now, it’s time to heat up the place by talking about money. You know, money talk is always serious. So, which VPN is cheaper, Proton VPN or Surfshark? We compared their prices side by side and it looks like Surfshark has an edge:
Save Big on Surfshark 24-month Plans
The Starter plan at $1.99/mo for 24 months is incredibly affordable. Look at this; there’s a gift in the form of 3 free months for this, and all other biennial plans. Surfshark’s playing card is the One plan at $2.49/mo, which includes antivirus, a dark web monitor, and much more.
It’s hard to beat the low cost of Surfshark, even when it comes to its annual plans, which are also discounted through our valid coupon code. The Surfshark One plan at $3.39/mo with 3 extra months is the real deal here, and if you want an annual plan, this is the one to target.
Get the Best Price on Proton VPN
Above is the price of Proton VPN, also slashed through our Proton VPN coupon. As you can see, the 24-month plan is under $3.60/mo, while the annual plan is a measly $3.99/mo. The latter is much closer to Surfshark’s annual plan but is still pricier. If you observe carefully, you’ll notice that Proton VPN has no free months.
This sort of dwindles its value in comparison. Proton VPN’s 2-year plan is ~$86 for 24 months, while Surfshark One is ~$67 for 27 months. Both VPNs, however, have a 30-day money-back guarantee, but Proton VPN comes with another trick — a forever-free VPN!
That’s right. You can use Proton VPN for free and enjoy unlimited bandwidth, prison-like security, and 10 Gbps servers. Surfshark does have a 7-day trial, but you know, it’s just 7 days and you’re kicked out if you don’t hand out your money.
Winner: Surfshark
Surfshark is undoubtedly way less expensive and with a more attractive introductory offer. We do appreciate Proton’s free VPN plan, but since both are primarily premium services, this Proton VPN vs Surfshark comparison observes their paid plans only. In that aspect, Surfshark reigns supreme.
Proton VPN vs Surfshark: Features Analysis
The price gives us a glimpse, but not the full picture of how valuable Surfshark and Proton VPN are. So, we said that Proton VPN is slightly pricier, but the question is, does it offer more features? Let’s answer that question immediately.
Shared Features
These VPNs have a lot in common. On paper and in practice, both providers function impeccably, with no IP and DNS leaks and other discrepancies. We wanted to state this before listing their features, to inform you that we’ve inspected them top to bottom.
Proton VPN and Surfshark offer:
- Automatic kill switch
- IP and DNS leak protection
- Split tunneling
- MultiHop (Secure Core in Proton VPN)
- Ad-blocking (CleanWeb in Surfshark and NetShield in Proton VPN)
- RAM-based servers
- Perfect Forward Secrecy
- 256-bit encryption standard
- WireGuard and OpenVPN protocols
Okay, so the list is lengthy — we might’ve even forgotten something. These features, more or less, function the same, except for a few. For example, MultiHop in Surfshark relies on two servers that you determine to route your traffic through and double your encryption.
Proton VPN’s Secure Core does the same, but one of the servers is proprietary. Secure Core servers are in Sweden, Iceland, and Switzerland, under special protection against physical and software-based threats.
One thing we’ll mention is a kill switch. In the past, Surfshark used to struggle with it occasionally, failing to react when the VPN connection broke. Now, it’s fixed, but still, it’s worth pointing out that Proton VPN never had such issues and was generally more reliable.
Unique Features
Unique features are on Surfshark’s side, but most are unavailable in the Starter plan. If you splurge on Surfshark one, although we wouldn’t call that “splurging”, you’ll get an antivirus. A combo of a VPN and antivirus is a killer one, especially when the latter works on all devices.
In the One plan, Surfshark also drops in Search, an incognito browser with no tracking, and Alerts, your dependable dark web monitor. All Surfshark’s plans include Alternative ID, which assigns you a fake name, email, and everything else, letting you take on a fake identity.
Surfshark comes with an IP Rotator, which periodically rotates your IP while keeping the connection active, making snoopers play catch-up with you, and fail miserably. Proton VPN’s unique feature is a dark web monitor, but you’ll only find it in your account in the browser.
The Swiss-based provider also offers Alternative Routing and Stealth to overcome censorship in specific regions or locations (like schools, for example). We love Tor over VPN servers in Proton VPN and its “onion” website for those often on the dark web space.
Winner: Surfshark
This Surfshark vs Proton VPN comparison goes to the former. Both are choke-full of enticing security features, covering vastly more than pure basics. However, we give credit to Surfshark for including an all-device antivirus, an IP Rotator, and other unique functionalities at a meager price.
Do Surfshark and Proton VPN Store Logs?
No, and they would be crazy to do that. Surfshark and Proton VPN’s reputation have never been tarnished and we hope to never see that change. Examining their privacy policies gave us a profound understanding of their logging practices, and to sum them up, they’re minimal.
We detected that Proton VPN stores a bit less data than Surfshark, but the latter’s additional tools can’t work without collecting some data. For example, Surfshark Antivirus must sift through your files to check them for viruses and malware. But, overall, there are no worries.
Surfshark and Proton VPN’s stored data is always anonymized and quickly wiped out from the database. Plus, both use RAM-only servers, so a single restart wipes clean everything. Both providers have additional third-party audits and that’s a huge advantage in 2026.
Their jurisdictions are pretty close to each other — the Netherlands and Switzerland. We prefer the latter, as it’s much more privacy-friendly, which is why Proton VPN is often a choice for privacy-oriented users. Surfshark’s jurisdiction isn’t bad, but it’s in the 9 Eyes.
Just to touch on it a little, Proton VPN’s free plan is also log-free. We know that some (or many) free VPNs earn money from stealing your private data, but not this one. Proton VPN stays consistent in its practices, vowing to not infringe on your privacy, no matter what.
Winner: Proton VPN
Ultimately, we’d choose Proton VPN as our privacy companion. We know that Surfshark is a no-log service, but Proton’s Swiss jurisdiction and consistent lack of logging even in its free plan make the VPN so much more trustworthy than almost any other VPN we tested.
Which VPN is Faster: Proton VPN or Surfshark?
If speed is your concern, let us reassure you there’s nothing to worry about. Surfshark and Proton VPN have WireGuard, one of the fastest protocols, and during our evaluation, we enjoyed blazing-fast performance on both sides. Proton VPN has a VPN Accelerator.
By default, it’s turned on, so we left it that way and didn’t touch it. Our tests were performed with WireGuard since it’s way more popular and faster than OpenVPN. Before we proceed, we’ll look at our native internet speed in Belgrade, which was our location at the time.
We tested Surfshark and Proton VPN for three days in a row, three times a day, using three server locations. This time, and every other, we opted for the UK, the USA, and Japan, prioritizing farther servers to stress-test the VPNs more. We observed their average results.
Speaking of averages, here are their download and upload speed losses:
| Proton VPN | Surfshark | |
| Download Speed Loss | 28% | 33% |
| Upload Speed Loss | 15% | 24% |
Now, let’s take a look at their average download and upload speeds to give this Proton VPN vs Surfshark VPN speed test some context.
| UK (Download/Upload) | US (Download/Upload) | Japan (Download/Upload) | |
| Proton VPN | 46.25/9.43 Mbps | 36.79/8.73 Mbps | 29.96/7.42 Mbps |
| Surfshark VPN | 40.99/8.33 Mbps | 35.74/9.53 Mbps | 27.85/4.82 Mbps |
Winner: Proton VPN
A comprehensive examination of their speeds revealed that Proton VPN was faster than Surfshark VPN. The difference isn’t huge, but it’s there. Additionally, Proton VPN’s latency was a bit lower too, so it was a better VPN for online gaming sessions.
Streaming & Torrenting Comparison
In our streaming tests, we focused primarily on Netflix, also dabbling in other famous streaming services. Surfshark is one of the top VPNs in this aspect, working with pretty much every Netflix library. But now, it has a formidable opponent with dedicated streaming servers!
Having tested multiple libraries, from the USA and Japan to the UK, Germany, Turkey, and way more, we noticed that the VPNs were up to par. Surfshark worked with a few more libraries on top, and the duo also unblocked BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Hulu, ABC, ITVX, etc.
The experience was impeccable. Watching ITVX abroad was a breeze, and 4K content on Netflix Premium rarely stuttered. During some free time, we also caught up with some free NFL live streams (and blackout NHL games) using Proton VPN and Surfshark, with no issues.
Torrenting is a slightly better experience with Proton VPN.
You get dedicated torrenting servers but also port forwarding, which can be set up for faster speeds. To remind you, Proton VPN is indeed faster, so downloads will be completed at a faster pace. Surfshark’s P2P prowess is on par with the price. Good, but not excellent.
Surfshark doesn’t offer port forwarding or dedicated P2P servers. Long-distance servers can kill your download speed and occasionally “nullify” upload speeds, which is bad for seeding. We rarely had such issues with Proton VPN. When we did, we just used another VPN server.
Winner: Tie
Proton VPN was dangerously close to Surfshark streaming-wise, but the latter emerged victorious by a hair. Proton VPN is a faster and more reliable torrenting VPN because of torrenting servers, a VPN Accelerator, and port forwarding. It’s clear why this round is a tie.
Server Locations
Having more servers isn’t necessarily better, especially when the quality doesn’t follow. We’ve established in this Proton VPN vs Surfshark test that these providers match the highest quality merits. 10 Gbps servers, unlimited bandwidth, modern protocols — you name it.
However, there’s a stark difference in their server count:
- Surfshark has 3,200+ servers in 100 countries
- Proton VPN has 12,000+ servers in 117 countries (similar to NordVPN!)
So, we have more servers AND more countries in the Swiss-based VPN. Surfshark retaliates with a heap of dedicated and static IP servers. The former servers are optional and cost additionally. Proton VPN has streaming, torrenting, and Tor over VPN servers, though.
Both have some variety, but we think Proton VPN is a bit better in this aspect, too. Besides, it has roughly 4 times more servers in 17 countries on top. Server distribution is, as a result, superior, allowing Proton VPN to cover more ground and be more versatile in the end.
Winner: Proton VPN
Proton VPN has a larger server network, whose strength isn’t only in numbers. It’s faster, as we’ve seen, and offers superior variety. If you want a worldwide server network with ample countries and endless 10 Gbps servers, choose Proton VPN over Surfshark VPN.
Do Surfshark and Proton VPN Work in China?
We’ve left bypassing censorship for the end, and we’ll discuss if these VPNs work in China. The answer is that it depends. Surfshark’s NoBorders mode is obfuscation, which, according to our tests, does work in China, but with minor problems that sometimes escalate.
In 2026, we noticed that the situation is a bit trickier and that Surfshark, along with some of the alternatives, struggles a lot. The VPN’s NoBorders mode won’t reliably dodge the Great Firewall, so it’s a bit of a gamble overall. The same goes for Proton VPN in our test.
Using Alternative Routing and Stealth, we made it work on a few occasions, but after a while, it would stop working. Some users have reported that Proton VPN’s free version worked, but we couldn’t make it work in our analysis. So, things are a bit flimsy in both scenarios.
Winner: Tie
To conclude this round, we’ll say they’re a tie, but not in the best way. Neither is particularly dependable and you’ll have to count on your luck if you’re in China. A better VPN to use in China is NordVPN; or, if you can afford it, Astrill VPN, which is known to work well in the country.
Conclusion: Proton VPN is Better than Surfshark
Both VPNs made it to the finish line, but Proton VPN did that before. With a score of 6:5, Proton VPN managed to edge out Surfshark for the win. This isn’t a massive difference, and both providers are generally more than great.
But, why did Proton VPN win in the end?
Well, let’s do a recap. Proton VPN was better in three rounds: privacy, speed, and servers. In contrast, Surfshark was better at these rounds: affordability and security features.
There were some smaller wins here and there. For example, Surfshark offers more simultaneous connections, while Proton VPN is faster for torrenting. As a whole, Proton VPN’s performance today was superior and this would be our preferred choice in 2026.
Though, we wouldn’t blame you for getting Surfshark. It’s a great option with plenty of strengths.