Surfshark vs NordVPN: NordVPN wins 79 to 77
NordVPN beats Surfshark 79 to 77 on my scoreboard, which is as close as it gets. Surfshark is the better deal and allows unlimited devices; NordVPN is a point better in five columns. Since 2022 the two have shared a parent company, so you are choosing between products, not philosophies.
- Longest plan
- $2.49/mo · $67.23 for 27 mo
- Month to month
- $15.45/mo
- Based in
- Netherlands
- Protocol
- WireGuard
- Trustpilot
- 4.3 / 5
- Longest plan
- $3.49/mo · $94.23 for 27 mo
- Month to month
- $14.99/mo
- Based in
- Panama
- Protocol
- NordLynx
- Trustpilot
- 4.2 / 5
Plain links to each provider. I have no affiliate or referral deal with either, so I earn nothing if you buy. Prices are USD as advertised on October 7, 2026; most plans renew higher.
Surfshark vs NordVPN, feature by feature
Each feature scored 1 to 10 by me, same scale as the full scoreboard. Green is 8 to 10, yellow 5 to 7, red 1 to 4. The higher score in each row is marked.
| Feature | Surfshark | NordVPN | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| SpeedDownload throughput and latency over WireGuard | 9 | 9 | Tie |
| PrivacyNo-logs policy, independent audits, jurisdiction | 8 | 9 | NordVPN by 1 |
| SecurityEncryption, kill switch, DNS and IPv6 leak protection | 9 | 10 | NordVPN by 1 |
| ServersServer count and country coverage | 8 | 9 | NordVPN by 1 |
| StreamingUnblocks Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney+ and live sport | 9 | 9 | Tie |
| PriceValue on 1 and 2 year plans, refund window | 9 | 7 | Surfshark by 2 |
| Ease of useApp quality, setup, defaults | 8 | 9 | NordVPN by 1 |
| SupportLive chat availability and response time | 8 | 9 | NordVPN by 1 |
| TrustpilotTrustpilot TrustScore out of 5, doubled to a 1 to 10 scale | 9 | 8 | Surfshark by 1 |
| TotalPlain sum of the 9 scores | 77of 90 | 79of 90 | NordVPN by 2 |
Where they differ most
- Price: Surfshark leads by 2 (9 against 7).
- Privacy: NordVPN leads by 1 (8 against 9).
- Security: NordVPN leads by 1 (9 against 10).
- Servers: NordVPN leads by 1 (8 against 9).
Where NordVPN is a point better
Privacy (9 against 8), security (10 against 9), servers (9 against 8), ease of use (9 against 8) and support (9 against 8). None of these is a weakness for Surfshark; every one of its scores is green. NordVPN simply has slightly more: more countries in its network, a few more security extras, and a live chat that was marginally quicker in my checks.
Speed and streaming are a tie at 9 each. Both run WireGuard, NordVPN under its NordLynx name, and both unblocked every streaming service I test. If you only care about Netflix and speed, there is nothing to separate them.
Where Surfshark wins: price and devices
Surfshark scored 9 for price against NordVPN's 7. On the longest plan it advertises $2.49 a month, $67.23 up front for 27 months, against NordVPN's $3.49 and $94.23. Surfshark also allows unlimited simultaneous connections on one subscription, which NordVPN does not. For a household sharing one account, Surfshark is the cheaper option by a wide margin per person.
Trustpilot goes narrowly to Surfshark: a 4.3 TrustScore against 4.2, which rounds to a 9 and an 8 on my scale. Treat that as a tie.
Same owner, different products
Surfshark and NordVPN have operated under the same parent company since 2022. They keep separate apps, servers and infrastructure, and in my testing they behave like separate services. The practical consequence is that a problem with one company's policies would affect both, which matters if your reason for choosing a VPN is distrust of large providers.
How I scored these
Every number on this page comes from the same tests as the main scoreboard: speed over WireGuard on a wired 1 Gbps line at three times of day, streaming checked against Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney+ and a live sport service in two regions, and privacy from published policies, audits and jurisdiction. The method is on the How I score page. Think a score is wrong? Tell me what you found and I will re-test.
Pick Surfshark if
- You need unlimited devices or share the subscription.
- You want the lowest price on a two-year plan.
- You are happy with a 9 where NordVPN has a 10.
Pick NordVPN if
- You want the best scoreboard total and a point more in five columns.
- You use VPN features beyond the basics and want the larger network.
- You want the quicker live chat.
Not sure about either?
All 15 VPNs are on one sortable table. Sort by the column you care about and see who else is close.
Open the full scoreboard