VPN Matrix

Hotspot Shield / Surfshark compared

Same criteria, same rules. You see where they diverge.
Hotspot ShieldSurfsharkOpen in the matrix
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Differences (91)

Criteria where the values diverge.

 Hotspot ShieldSurfshark
Legal company name
Anchorfree, LLC / Pango GmbH (product under Point Wild / formerly Pango Group)provider claim
Surfshark B.V.provider claim
Trademark holder, if different
Point Wild (HotSpot Shield brand)provider claim
Surfshark (founder Vytautas Kaziukonis); merged under holding with Nord Security in 2022 while operating independentlyprovider claim
Year founded
2008confirmed
2018provider claim
Headquarters (country)
USprovider claim
NLprovider claim
Other relevant jurisdictions
United States (Redwood City, California); Pango/Point Wild operatorconfirmed
Britische Jungferninseln (früherer Registrierungsort, bis zur Verlagerung in die Niederlande 2021)confirmed
Intelligence alliance of the home country
Five Eyesconfirmed
Nine Eyesprovider claim
Parent group / holding
Point Wildconfirmed
Cyberspace (gemeinsame Holding von Surfshark und Nord Security, Niederlande)confirmed
Ownership structure
private equityprovider claim
founder ownedprovider claim
Sister VPN brands in the group
Betternet, Ultra VPN / UltraAV, VPN360, Touch VPN (per Point Wild / Pango portfolio disclosures)provider claim
NordVPN (Nord Security)confirmed
Group owns VPN review and comparison sites
Comparitech (listed among Point Wild brands)provider claim
none disclosed on about pageprovider claim
Typical commission rate?
Ab 40 Prozent Umsatzbeteiligung an Neuverkäufen, Cookie-Laufzeit 30 Tage, Mindestauszahlung 100 USD.provider claim
YouTube and influencer sponsoring
occasionalprovider claim
unknownprovider claim
Documented misleading advertising claims
'Military-grade' encryption wording appears on download/marketing pages; Hydra marketed as '#1 for speed'provider claim
?
Acquisition history / former name
AnchorFree → Pango; Aura/Pango era; Dec 2024 Pango Group merged with Total Security and rebranded Point Wildprovider claim
Fusionsvereinbarung mit Nord Security, am 01.02.2022 vom Anbieter und am 02.02.2022 per Pressemitteilung bekanntgegeben.confirmed
Core statement of the logging policy
Does not store VPN browsing activity tied to a user; logs session duration, bandwidth, anonymized domains, device hashes; source IP encrypted then deleted at session endconfirmed
Laut Datenschutzerklärung werden besuchte IP-Adressen, Browserverlauf, Sitzungsinformationen, Verbindungszeitstempel, genutzte Bandbreite und Netzwerkverkehr nicht erhoben.provider claim
Precision of stored timestamps
to the secondprovider claim
noneprovider claim
Recording of transferred data volume
per accountconfirmed
not recordedconfirmed
Enforcement of the device limit
Premium links up to 10 devices per accountprovider claim
Unlimited simultaneous connectionsprovider claim
Minimum account data required
Device hashes for free products without account; paid/account flows collect additional account data per general policyprovider claim
E-Mail-Adresse, verschlüsseltes Passwort, Registrierungsdatum, gegebenenfalls Gutscheincode sowie Abonnement- und Zahlungsdaten.provider claim
Trackers and SDKs in the Android app
Free versions: Google advertising ID (AAID) to Google for personalized adsprovider claim
Laut Datenschutzerklärung Iterable, Firebase Analytics (Google), Purchasely und AppsFlyer.provider claim
Trackers in the iOS app
Free versions: IDFA to Google for personalized adsprovider claim
AppsFlyer; Firebase Analytics; Iterable; Purchasely (named in privacy policy as marketing/application analytics providers)confirmed
Trackers and cookies on the website
Cookies for analytics, personalization, and targeted advertising (site cookie banner)provider claim
Privacy policy discloses site analytics/cookies categoriesprovider claim
Data shared with third parties
Free VPN versions: Google for personalized ads (AAID/IDFA); paid versions do not send to ad partners. Domain names logged anonymized/aggregated.provider claim
Zahlungsdienstleister, Marketing- und Analysedienste, Speicher- und Chat-Dienstleister sowie Konzerngesellschaften; genannte Empfängerländer sind die USA, Schweden, Frankreich, Irland und das Vereinigte Königreich.provider claim
Retention periods stated in the policy
Source IP collected for VPN session then deleted at session end; domains aggregated ~monthly; device hashes retained for analyticsprovider claim
Verbindungsdaten werden laut Anbieter innerhalb von 15 Minuten nach Sitzungsende gelöscht; Daten des Email-Scam-Checkers spätestens nach 7 Tagen.provider claim
No-logs audit details
Aon technical assessment for Pango Group, report dated 2023-08-25; free and paid tiers; client+server; concluded policy assertions fairly representedconfirmed
ISAE 3000 (Revised), Deloitte Lietuva UAB, Prüfarbeiten vom 14.05.2025 bis 10.06.2025, Bericht vom 10.06.2025. Geprüft wurden Standard-, Static-IP-, Multihop- und Multiport-Server sowie Konfigurations- und Deployment-Prozesse. Nicht im Prüfumfang: Datenübertragungssicherheit, Streaming-Infrastruktur, Zugriffsrechte und physische Sicherheit.confirmed
Audit report published
summary onlyconfirmed
full reportconfirmed
App and client audits
none published on fetched pagesprovider claim
Cure53 prüfte im November 2018 die Browser-Erweiterungen für Chrome und Firefox; SecuRing prüfte 2025 Web-, Desktop-, Mobil- und Browser-Anwendungen.confirmed
Infrastructure and server audits
none published on fetched pagesprovider claim
Cure53 prüfte im März 2021 Server- und VPN-Konfiguration sowie im Februar und März 2026 Architektur und Kryptografie des Dausos-Protokolls; SecuRing führte vom 01.12.2025 bis 10.12.2025 einen Penetrationstest der Netzinfrastruktur durch.confirmed
Tested in court or by authorities
none documented on fetched official pagesprovider claim
Im Transparenzbericht für April bis Juni 2026 nennt Surfshark 33 behördliche Anfragen und einen Durchsuchungsbeschluss aus April 2026.provider claim
Transparency report
occasionalprovider claim
regularprovider claim
Security incidents and data leaks
2017 CDT complaint to FTC alleging undisclosed data sharing/traffic redirection on Hotspot Shield Free (per Wikipedia)confirmed
None disclosed on fetched home/features/privacy pagesprovider claim
Bug bounty programme
none published on fetched Hotspot Shield/Pango pagesprovider claim
Eigenes Programm ohne externe Plattform, Meldungen per E-Mail an security@surfshark.com.provider claim
Handling of reported vulnerabilities
none disclosed on fetched pagesprovider claim
?
Listings by independent bodies
Cited Speedtest/Ookla fastest VPN; TechRadar, CNET, ZDNet, PCWorld quotes on marketing pagesprovider claim
Press quotes on features page (e.g., speed/reviews)provider claim
WireGuard
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Proprietary protocol
Hydra (developed internally by Pango)confirmed
Dausosconfirmed
Legacy protocols still offered
Proprietary Hydra primary; OpenVPN/WireGuard not advertised as primary on fetched product pagesprovider claim
none advertised; WireGuard, IKEv2, OpenVPN used with Dedicated IPprovider claim
Default data cipher
AES-256confirmed
Dausos verschlüsselt den Datenkanal laut Cure53 mit AEGIS und einem 256-Bit-Schlüssel; für die Apple-TV-App nennt der Anbieter ChaCha20.confirmed
Weakest accepted cipher
AES-256provider claim
?
Key exchange and authentication
Catapult Hydra proprietary protocolprovider claim
Dausos kombiniert laut Cure53 einen ephemeren ML-KEM-Schlüsselaustausch mit ECDH innerhalb eines hybriden TLS 1.3; der Server liefert zusätzlich zum RSA-Zertifikat eine ML-DSA-Signatur.confirmed
Perfect forward secrecy?
yesprovider claim
Post-quantum key exchange
not availableprovider claim
on by defaultconfirmed
DNS leak protection?
yesprovider claim
WebRTC protection or guidance
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Obfuscation methods
Hydra proprietary protocol marketed for speed/security; censorship circumvention history (Arab Spring) per Wikipediaprovider claim
Verschleierte Server sowie der Modus NoBorders, der laut Anbieter bei Bedarf automatisch aktiv wird und auch manuell eingeschaltet werden kann.provider claim
Kill switch
not availableprovider claim
system-wideprovider claim
Permanent lockdown
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Split tunneling
not offered on Hotspot Shield select-plan/feature lists fetchedprovider claim
Bypasser für Windows, macOS, Android und iOS, wahlweise nach Anwendung oder nach Website beziehungsweise IP-Adresse; in den Erweiterungen für Chrome, Firefox und Edge nur nach Website.provider claim
Multihop
not availableprovider claim
freely combinableprovider claim
Custom DNS servers allowed
noprovider claim
?
Auto connect rules
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
GPS location override (Android)
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Traffic analysis defence
Proprietary Catapult Hydra protocol; historical circumvention useprovider claim
Obfuscated servers; NoBorders for restricted networksprovider claim
Obfuscation without configuration
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Number of servers
1,800 Serverprovider claim
4,500 Serverprovider claim
Number of countries
80 Laenderprovider claim
100 Laenderprovider claim
Number of cities
35 Staedteprovider claim
?
RAM-only servers (diskless)
noprovider claim
entire networkconfirmed
Hardware ownership
rentedprovider claim
mixedprovider claim
P2P and file sharing
entire networkprovider claim
dedicated locationsprovider claim
Known upstream hosting providers
Third-party infrastructure providers (unnamed); Pango states it would leave any provider requiring activity loggingprovider claim
not disclosed on fetched servers/about pagesprovider claim
Linux app with GUI
not availableprovider claim
native appprovider claim
Linux command line
not availableprovider claim
native appprovider claim
Apple TV app
not availableprovider claim
native appprovider claim
Browser extension
not availableprovider claim
own extensionprovider claim
Type of browser extension
no extensionprovider claim
standalone browser proxyconfirmed
Router support
Router mentioned as connectable device under Premium (up to 10 devices)provider claim
Keine eigene Router-App; Anleitungen für DD-WRT, AsusWRT, GL.iNet, OpenWRT und weitere Firmwares mit OpenVPN- oder WireGuard-Client.provider claim
Native build for Apple Silicon
yesprovider claim
?
Command line documented
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Simultaneous devices
10provider claim
unbegrenztprovider claim
Data required at signup
any email addressprovider claim
verified emailprovider claim
PayPal
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Monthly price
€11.99provider claim
?
Effective price on the longest term
€7.99provider claim
€2.49provider claim
Price change at renewal
moderate increaseprovider claim
very large increaseprovider claim
Free tier and its limits
Free VPN products (Hotspot Shield free) supported by third-party in-app ads (Unity, ironSource, Digital Turbine, InMobi)confirmed
none (trials/guarantees only)provider claim
Money-back window
45 Tageprovider claim
30 Tageprovider claim
P2P policy in the terms of service
entire networkprovider claim
dedicated locationsprovider claim
Netflix regions reported
Marketing claims Netflix, YouTube, Prime, Disney+ worldwide; no audited region list on fetched pagesprovider claim
?
Other streaming services
Netflix, YouTube, Prime, Disney+provider claim
Markets streaming/unblocking as a core use case on home and features pages (specific Netflix region list not published on fetched pages)provider claim
Bandwidth cap
cappedprovider claim
no limitprovider claim
Data cap
Basic free: 500 MB/day; Premium: unlimitedprovider claim
noneprovider claim
Speed measurement references
Claims up to 2.2x faster than competitionprovider claim
?
SMTP and port 25 handling?
Not stated on fetched home/features/privacy/pricing pagesprovider claim
Official support in restrictive countries
Historically used for censorship circumvention (Arab Spring); Hydra marketed for accessprovider claim
Surfshark unterhält einen Support-Artikel zum Verbindungsaufbau aus Ländern mit Netzsperren und verweist darin auf einen eigenen Artikel zu China.provider claim
24/7 live chat
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Self-service account deletion
yesprovider claim
noprovider claim
SSL Labs grade of the website
A+confirmed
Aconfirmed
Tracker load of the website
Essential + analytics/personalization/targeted advertising cookies disclosed on siteprovider claim
Privacy policy details cookie/analytics categories on surfshark.comprovider claim
Length and readability of the legal documents
Long formal ToS with commercial/cancellation sections; not specially simplifiedprovider claim
Standard long-form ToS linked from pricing; readability not specially simplifiedprovider claim
Marketing claims contradicting the provider's own terms
Markets 'world's fastest VPN' via Speedtest; 2017 CDT/FTC complaint about free-tier data sharing (Wikipedia)confirmed
Home advertises 4500+ RAM-only servers and 100+ countries; pricing heavily uses multi-month intro discounts with free trialprovider claim

All sourced criteria (154)

 Hotspot ShieldSurfshark
Legal company name
Anchorfree, LLC / Pango GmbH (product under Point Wild / formerly Pango Group)provider claim
Surfshark B.V.provider claim
Trademark holder, if different
Point Wild (HotSpot Shield brand)provider claim
Surfshark (founder Vytautas Kaziukonis); merged under holding with Nord Security in 2022 while operating independentlyprovider claim
Year founded
2008confirmed
2018provider claim
Headquarters (country)
USprovider claim
NLprovider claim
Other relevant jurisdictions
United States (Redwood City, California); Pango/Point Wild operatorconfirmed
Britische Jungferninseln (früherer Registrierungsort, bis zur Verlagerung in die Niederlande 2021)confirmed
Intelligence alliance of the home country
Five Eyesconfirmed
Nine Eyesprovider claim
Parent group / holding
Point Wildconfirmed
Cyberspace (gemeinsame Holding von Surfshark und Nord Security, Niederlande)confirmed
Beneficial owners publicly known
partly knownprovider claim
partly knownprovider claim
Ownership structure
private equityprovider claim
founder ownedprovider claim
Leadership team publicly named
yesprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Verifiable postal address for legal service
yesconfirmed
yesprovider claim
Sister VPN brands in the group
Betternet, Ultra VPN / UltraAV, VPN360, Touch VPN (per Point Wild / Pango portfolio disclosures)provider claim
NordVPN (Nord Security)confirmed
Group owns VPN review and comparison sites
Comparitech (listed among Point Wild brands)provider claim
none disclosed on about pageprovider claim
Runs an affiliate programme
yesprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Typical commission rate?
Ab 40 Prozent Umsatzbeteiligung an Neuverkäufen, Cookie-Laufzeit 30 Tage, Mindestauszahlung 100 USD.provider claim
YouTube and influencer sponsoring
occasionalprovider claim
unknownprovider claim
Documented misleading advertising claims
'Military-grade' encryption wording appears on download/marketing pages; Hydra marketed as '#1 for speed'provider claim
?
Acquisition history / former name
AnchorFree → Pango; Aura/Pango era; Dec 2024 Pango Group merged with Total Security and rebranded Point Wildprovider claim
Fusionsvereinbarung mit Nord Security, am 01.02.2022 vom Anbieter und am 02.02.2022 per Pressemitteilung bekanntgegeben.confirmed
Operating status
activeconfirmed
activeconfirmed
Core statement of the logging policy
Does not store VPN browsing activity tied to a user; logs session duration, bandwidth, anonymized domains, device hashes; source IP encrypted then deleted at session endconfirmed
Laut Datenschutzerklärung werden besuchte IP-Adressen, Browserverlauf, Sitzungsinformationen, Verbindungszeitstempel, genutzte Bandbreite und Netzwerkverkehr nicht erhoben.provider claim
Activity and traffic logs
noneprovider claim
noneconfirmed
Connection logs
per sessionconfirmed
per sessionprovider claim
Storage of the real IP address
transient onlyconfirmed
transient onlyprovider claim
Storage of the assigned VPN IP
not storedprovider claim
not storedprovider claim
Precision of stored timestamps
to the secondprovider claim
noneprovider claim
Recording of transferred data volume
per accountconfirmed
not recordedconfirmed
Enforcement of the device limit
Premium links up to 10 devices per accountprovider claim
Unlimited simultaneous connectionsprovider claim
Minimum account data required
Device hashes for free products without account; paid/account flows collect additional account data per general policyprovider claim
E-Mail-Adresse, verschlüsseltes Passwort, Registrierungsdatum, gegebenenfalls Gutscheincode sowie Abonnement- und Zahlungsdaten.provider claim
Telemetry in the apps
cannot be disabledprovider claim
cannot be disabledprovider claim
Trackers and SDKs in the Android app
Free versions: Google advertising ID (AAID) to Google for personalized adsprovider claim
Laut Datenschutzerklärung Iterable, Firebase Analytics (Google), Purchasely und AppsFlyer.provider claim
Trackers in the iOS app
Free versions: IDFA to Google for personalized adsprovider claim
AppsFlyer; Firebase Analytics; Iterable; Purchasely (named in privacy policy as marketing/application analytics providers)confirmed
Trackers and cookies on the website
Cookies for analytics, personalization, and targeted advertising (site cookie banner)provider claim
Privacy policy discloses site analytics/cookies categoriesprovider claim
Data shared with third parties
Free VPN versions: Google for personalized ads (AAID/IDFA); paid versions do not send to ad partners. Domain names logged anonymized/aggregated.provider claim
Zahlungsdienstleister, Marketing- und Analysedienste, Speicher- und Chat-Dienstleister sowie Konzerngesellschaften; genannte Empfängerländer sind die USA, Schweden, Frankreich, Irland und das Vereinigte Königreich.provider claim
Retention periods stated in the policy
Source IP collected for VPN session then deleted at session end; domains aggregated ~monthly; device hashes retained for analyticsprovider claim
Verbindungsdaten werden laut Anbieter innerhalb von 15 Minuten nach Sitzungsende gelöscht; Daten des Email-Scam-Checkers spätestens nach 7 Tagen.provider claim
EU representative named under GDPR
yesprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Independent no-logs audit
yesconfirmed
yesconfirmed
No-logs audit details
Aon technical assessment for Pango Group, report dated 2023-08-25; free and paid tiers; client+server; concluded policy assertions fairly representedconfirmed
ISAE 3000 (Revised), Deloitte Lietuva UAB, Prüfarbeiten vom 14.05.2025 bis 10.06.2025, Bericht vom 10.06.2025. Geprüft wurden Standard-, Static-IP-, Multihop- und Multiport-Server sowie Konfigurations- und Deployment-Prozesse. Nicht im Prüfumfang: Datenübertragungssicherheit, Streaming-Infrastruktur, Zugriffsrechte und physische Sicherheit.confirmed
Audit report published
summary onlyconfirmed
full reportconfirmed
App and client audits
none published on fetched pagesprovider claim
Cure53 prüfte im November 2018 die Browser-Erweiterungen für Chrome und Firefox; SecuRing prüfte 2025 Web-, Desktop-, Mobil- und Browser-Anwendungen.confirmed
Infrastructure and server audits
none published on fetched pagesprovider claim
Cure53 prüfte im März 2021 Server- und VPN-Konfiguration sowie im Februar und März 2026 Architektur und Kryptografie des Dausos-Protokolls; SecuRing führte vom 01.12.2025 bis 10.12.2025 einen Penetrationstest der Netzinfrastruktur durch.confirmed
Audit frequency
irregularprovider claim
irregularconfirmed
Tested in court or by authorities
none documented on fetched official pagesprovider claim
Im Transparenzbericht für April bis Juni 2026 nennt Surfshark 33 behördliche Anfragen und einen Durchsuchungsbeschluss aus April 2026.provider claim
Transparency report
occasionalprovider claim
regularprovider claim
Warrant canary
noneprovider claim
noneprovider claim
Security incidents and data leaks
2017 CDT complaint to FTC alleging undisclosed data sharing/traffic redirection on Hotspot Shield Free (per Wikipedia)confirmed
None disclosed on fetched home/features/privacy pagesprovider claim
Bug bounty programme
none published on fetched Hotspot Shield/Pango pagesprovider claim
Eigenes Programm ohne externe Plattform, Meldungen per E-Mail an security@surfshark.com.provider claim
Handling of reported vulnerabilities
none disclosed on fetched pagesprovider claim
?
Open source clients
noneprovider claim
noneprovider claim
Open source server side
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Reproducible builds
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Available on F-Droid
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Listings by independent bodies
Cited Speedtest/Ookla fastest VPN; TechRadar, CNET, ZDNet, PCWorld quotes on marketing pagesprovider claim
Press quotes on features page (e.g., speed/reviews)provider claim
WireGuard
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
OpenVPN over UDP
yesconfirmed
yesprovider claim
OpenVPN over TCP
yesprovider claim
yesprovider claim
IKEv2/IPsec
yesconfirmed
yesprovider claim
Proprietary protocol
Hydra (developed internally by Pango)confirmed
Dausosconfirmed
Legacy protocols still offered
Proprietary Hydra primary; OpenVPN/WireGuard not advertised as primary on fetched product pagesprovider claim
none advertised; WireGuard, IKEv2, OpenVPN used with Dedicated IPprovider claim
Default data cipher
AES-256confirmed
Dausos verschlüsselt den Datenkanal laut Cure53 mit AEGIS und einem 256-Bit-Schlüssel; für die Apple-TV-App nennt der Anbieter ChaCha20.confirmed
Weakest accepted cipher
AES-256provider claim
?
Key exchange and authentication
Catapult Hydra proprietary protocolprovider claim
Dausos kombiniert laut Cure53 einen ephemeren ML-KEM-Schlüsselaustausch mit ECDH innerhalb eines hybriden TLS 1.3; der Server liefert zusätzlich zum RSA-Zertifikat eine ML-DSA-Signatur.confirmed
Perfect forward secrecy?
yesprovider claim
Post-quantum key exchange
not availableprovider claim
on by defaultconfirmed
Own DNS resolvers
yesprovider claim
yesprovider claim
DNS leak protection?
yesprovider claim
IPv6 handling
unclearprovider claim
unclearprovider claim
WebRTC protection or guidance
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Obfuscation methods
Hydra proprietary protocol marketed for speed/security; censorship circumvention history (Arab Spring) per Wikipediaprovider claim
Verschleierte Server sowie der Modus NoBorders, der laut Anbieter bei Bedarf automatisch aktiv wird und auch manuell eingeschaltet werden kann.provider claim
Usability behind the Great Firewall
per user reportsconfirmed
per user reportsprovider claim
Kill switch
not availableprovider claim
system-wideprovider claim
Permanent lockdown
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Split tunneling
not offered on Hotspot Shield select-plan/feature lists fetchedprovider claim
Bypasser für Windows, macOS, Android und iOS, wahlweise nach Anwendung oder nach Website beziehungsweise IP-Adresse; in den Erweiterungen für Chrome, Firefox und Edge nur nach Website.provider claim
Multihop
not availableprovider claim
freely combinableprovider claim
Tor integration (Onion over VPN)
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Port forwarding
not availableprovider claim
not availableprovider claim
SOCKS5 proxy
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
HTTP proxy
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Smart DNS
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Ad and tracker filtering in DNS
fixed listprovider claim
fixed listprovider claim
Malware and phishing filter
yesprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Custom DNS servers allowed
noprovider claim
?
Local network access toggle
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Auto connect rules
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Private device network (mesh)
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
GPS location override (Android)
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Traffic analysis defence
Proprietary Catapult Hydra protocol; historical circumvention useprovider claim
Obfuscated servers; NoBorders for restricted networksprovider claim
IPv6 inside the tunnel
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Obfuscation without configuration
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Number of servers
1,800 Serverprovider claim
4,500 Serverprovider claim
Number of countries
80 Laenderprovider claim
100 Laenderprovider claim
Number of cities
35 Staedteprovider claim
?
Virtual locations
not labelledprovider claim
not labelledprovider claim
RAM-only servers (diskless)
noprovider claim
entire networkconfirmed
Hardware ownership
rentedprovider claim
mixedprovider claim
Own AS (autonomous system)
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
10 Gbps ports
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
P2P and file sharing
entire networkprovider claim
dedicated locationsprovider claim
Public server list
yesprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Public status page
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Known upstream hosting providers
Third-party infrastructure providers (unnamed); Pango states it would leave any provider requiring activity loggingprovider claim
not disclosed on fetched servers/about pagesprovider claim
Windows app
native appconfirmed
native appprovider claim
macOS app
native appconfirmed
native appprovider claim
Linux app with GUI
not availableprovider claim
native appprovider claim
Linux command line
not availableprovider claim
native appprovider claim
Android app
native appconfirmed
native appprovider claim
iOS app
native appconfirmed
native appprovider claim
Android TV app
native appprovider claim
native appprovider claim
Apple TV app
not availableprovider claim
native appprovider claim
Fire TV app
native appprovider claim
native appprovider claim
Browser extension
not availableprovider claim
own extensionprovider claim
Type of browser extension
no extensionprovider claim
standalone browser proxyconfirmed
Router support
Router mentioned as connectable device under Premium (up to 10 devices)provider claim
Keine eigene Router-App; Anleitungen für DD-WRT, AsusWRT, GL.iNet, OpenWRT und weitere Firmwares mit OpenVPN- oder WireGuard-Client.provider claim
Native build for Apple Silicon
yesprovider claim
?
Command line documented
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Simultaneous devices
10provider claim
unbegrenztprovider claim
Usable without an account
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Data required at signup
any email addressprovider claim
verified emailprovider claim
Account model
email as loginprovider claim
email as loginprovider claim
Cash by mail
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Monero
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Bitcoin
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Lightning
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Retail gift cards
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
PayPal
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Credit and debit card
yesprovider claim
yesprovider claim
SEPA payment
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Monthly price
€11.99provider claim
?
Effective price on the longest term
€7.99provider claim
€2.49provider claim
Price change at renewal
moderate increaseprovider claim
very large increaseprovider claim
Flat pricing without permanent discounts
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Free tier and its limits
Free VPN products (Hotspot Shield free) supported by third-party in-app ads (Unity, ironSource, Digital Turbine, InMobi)confirmed
none (trials/guarantees only)provider claim
Money-back window
45 Tageprovider claim
30 Tageprovider claim
Cancellation path
cancel in accountconfirmed
cancel in accountprovider claim
P2P policy in the terms of service
entire networkprovider claim
dedicated locationsprovider claim
Streaming unblocking officially advertised
yesprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Netflix regions reported
Marketing claims Netflix, YouTube, Prime, Disney+ worldwide; no audited region list on fetched pagesprovider claim
?
Other streaming services
Netflix, YouTube, Prime, Disney+provider claim
Markets streaming/unblocking as a core use case on home and features pages (specific Netflix region list not published on fetched pages)provider claim
Bandwidth cap
cappedprovider claim
no limitprovider claim
Data cap
Basic free: 500 MB/day; Premium: unlimitedprovider claim
noneprovider claim
Speed measurement references
Claims up to 2.2x faster than competitionprovider claim
?
SMTP and port 25 handling?
Not stated on fetched home/features/privacy/pricing pagesprovider claim
Official support in restrictive countries
Historically used for censorship circumvention (Arab Spring); Hydra marketed for accessprovider claim
Surfshark unterhält einen Support-Artikel zum Verbindungsaufbau aus Ländern mit Netzsperren und verweist darin auf einen eigenen Artikel zu China.provider claim
24/7 live chat
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Email or ticket support
yesprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Telephone support
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
German-language support
yesprovider claim
yesconfirmed
Documentation assessment
workableprovider claim
workableprovider claim
Self-hosted chat widget
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Self-service account deletion
yesprovider claim
noprovider claim
SSL Labs grade of the website
A+confirmed
Aconfirmed
Tracker load of the website
Essential + analytics/personalization/targeted advertising cookies disclosed on siteprovider claim
Privacy policy details cookie/analytics categories on surfshark.comprovider claim
URL of the warrant canary
none foundprovider claim
none foundprovider claim
Length and readability of the legal documents
Long formal ToS with commercial/cancellation sections; not specially simplifiedprovider claim
Standard long-form ToS linked from pricing; readability not specially simplifiedprovider claim
Marketing claims contradicting the provider's own terms
Markets 'world's fastest VPN' via Speedtest; 2017 CDT/FTC complaint about free-tier data sharing (Wikipedia)confirmed
Home advertises 4500+ RAM-only servers and 100+ countries; pricing heavily uses multi-month intro discounts with free trialprovider claim