Proton VPN vs Surfshark
Proton VPN scores 9.2 out of 10, Surfshark scores 8.5. Compared on price, jurisdiction, measured speed loss and logging policy — the same independent tests we run on every provider.
| Proton VPN | Surfshark | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 9.2 / 10 | 8.5 / 10 |
| Verdict | Recommended | Recommended |
| Price / mo | $4.99 | $2.49 |
| Jurisdiction | Switzerland | Netherlands |
| Speed loss | 8% | 14% |
| Logs policy | No-logs, audited (Securitum) | No-logs, audited (Deloitte) |
| Best for | privacy,streaming | budget,multiple devices |
| Proton VPN | Surfshark | |
|---|---|---|
| Kill switch | Yes, standard and advanced modes, all platforms | |
| Split tunneling | Yes, Windows only alongside the kill switch | |
| Tor support | Yes, built in Tor servers | |
| Protocols | WireGuard, OpenVPN (UDP/TCP), IKEv2, Stealth | |
| Encryption | AES-256 / ChaCha20, RSA-4096 key exchange | |
| Ad and malware blocker | NetShield, over 90% of ads blocked in testing | |
| Leak protection | No DNS, IPv6, or WebRTC leaks across 60 countries tested | |
| Full disk encryption | Yes, on all Proton owned servers | |
| Bug bounty program | Yes, public bug bounty program via Bugcrowd, up to $10,000 per report | |
| Gaming latency impact | Roughly 120% ping increase, the weakest area | |
| Customer support | Live chat under 30s response, 9am to midnight CET; email under 24h | |
| Money back guarantee | 30 days on paid plans | |
| Server network | 16,000+ servers advertised across 145 countries, physical presence varies by location | |
| Simultaneous devices | 10 devices on paid plans, 1 on the free plan | |
| Router support | No native router app; manual WireGuard or OpenVPN config on AsusWRT, DD-WRT, OpenWRT, or pfSense | |
| Browser extensions | Chrome, Firefox, and Edge extensions, alongside native apps for every major platform | |
| Works in restrictive countries | Not officially supported; connectivity in restrictive countries is inconsistent | |
| Payment methods | Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal, and Proton credits | |
| Business plan | Yes, Proton VPN for Business is sold separately from consumer plans |
Proton VPN
Swiss jurisdiction, open source audited apps, and the rare free tier that is not a bait and switch.
- Swiss privacy law jurisdiction, outside 5/9/14-Eyes alliances
- Genuinely usable free tier with no data cap
- Secure Core routing through hardened Swiss and Icelandic servers
- Fully open-source, independently audited apps
Surfshark
Unlimited simultaneous connections and the lowest price on this list, with Deloitte-audited no-logs credentials to back it up.
- Unlimited simultaneous device connections
- Deloitte-audited no-logs policy, reverified June 2025
- Dynamic MultiHop lets you pick entry and exit countries
- Lowest headline price of any provider we compared