Perfect Privacy / Surfshark compared
Same criteria, same rules. You see where they diverge.
No winner on this page. vpn-matrix.com assigns no points and makes no recommendations.
Differences (103)
Criteria where the values diverge.
| Perfect Privacy | Surfshark | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal company name | CyberDock IT Solutions GmbHconfirmed | Surfshark B.V.provider claim |
| Trademark holder, if different | CyberDock IT Solutions GmbH / Perfect Privacy brandprovider claim | Surfshark (founder Vytautas Kaziukonis); merged under holding with Nord Security in 2022 while operating independentlyprovider claim |
| Year founded | 2008provider claim | 2018provider claim |
| Headquarters (country) | DEconfirmed | NLprovider claim |
| Other relevant jurisdictions | DE (Hamburg HRB 152750)confirmed | Britische Jungferninseln (früherer Registrierungsort, bis zur Verlagerung in die Niederlande 2021)confirmed |
| Intelligence alliance of the home country | 14 Eyesconfirmed | Nine Eyesprovider claim |
| Parent group / holding | CyberDock IT Solutions GmbH (Hamburg)provider claim | Cyberspace (gemeinsame Holding von Surfshark und Nord Security, Niederlande)confirmed |
| Ownership structure | owners undisclosedprovider claim | founder ownedprovider claim |
| Sister VPN brands in the group | none documentedprovider claim | NordVPN (Nord Security)confirmed |
| Group owns VPN review and comparison sites | none documentedprovider claim | none disclosed on about pageprovider claim |
| Typical commission rate | Affiliate program exists; commission terms on affiliate page (fetch timeout — program linked from site)provider claim | Ab 40 Prozent Umsatzbeteiligung an Neuverkäufen, Cookie-Laufzeit 30 Tage, Mindestauszahlung 100 USD.provider claim |
| Acquisition history / former name | Originally Switzerland-based (from 2008); later operated by CyberDock IT Solutions GmbH in Hamburg, Germany; technical entity claimed as Webinvest International SA (Panama)provider claim | Fusionsvereinbarung mit Nord Security, am 01.02.2022 vom Anbieter und am 02.02.2022 per Pressemitteilung bekanntgegeben.confirmed |
| Operating status | discontinuedconfirmed | activeconfirmed |
| Discontinuation date | 01/30/2026provider claim | ? |
| Core statement of the logging policy | No user traffic logs; no IP addresses, access times/duration, or per-user bandwidth stored; account holds login, expiry, emailconfirmed | Laut Datenschutzerklärung werden besuchte IP-Adressen, Browserverlauf, Sitzungsinformationen, Verbindungszeitstempel, genutzte Bandbreite und Netzwerkverkehr nicht erhoben.provider claim |
| Connection logs | noneconfirmed | per sessionprovider claim |
| Storage of the real IP address | not storedconfirmed | transient onlyprovider claim |
| Recording of transferred data volume | aggregate onlyconfirmed | not recordedconfirmed |
| Enforcement of the device limit | Unlimited simultaneous connections (vendor claim; mirrored in reviews)provider claim | Unlimited simultaneous connectionsprovider claim |
| Minimum account data required | username/password, account expiry, emailconfirmed | E-Mail-Adresse, verschlüsseltes Passwort, Registrierungsdatum, gegebenenfalls Gutscheincode sowie Abonnement- und Zahlungsdaten.provider claim |
| Telemetry in the apps | noneprovider claim | cannot be disabledprovider claim |
| Trackers and SDKs in the Android app | None — vendor claimed in-house development without third parties (Wayback home)provider claim | Laut Datenschutzerklärung Iterable, Firebase Analytics (Google), Purchasely und AppsFlyer.provider claim |
| Trackers in the iOS app | No iOS app (CyberInsider con); N/A for first-party iOS SDKsprovider claim | AppsFlyer; Firebase Analytics; Iterable; Purchasely (named in privacy policy as marketing/application analytics providers)confirmed |
| Trackers and cookies on the website | Google Analytics with anonymizeIp; advertising cookies disclosedprovider claim | Privacy policy discloses site analytics/cookies categoriesprovider claim |
| Data shared with third parties | Payment processors (Paymentwall, PayPal, Stripe, Bitcoin processors); Google Analytics on website with anonymized IPprovider 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 | VPN: no connection data retained; account credentials/email/expiry retained for billing/supportprovider claim | Verbindungsdaten werden laut Anbieter innerhalb von 15 Minuten nach Sitzungsende gelöscht; Daten des Email-Scam-Checkers spätestens nach 7 Tagen.provider claim |
| Independent no-logs audit | noprovider claim | yesconfirmed |
| No-logs audit details | No-logs policy described as involuntarily tested via police server seizures (notably 2016 Golem/heise reporting); vendor claimed regular internal/external audits on Wayback homepageprovider claim | 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 | not publishedprovider claim | full reportconfirmed |
| App and client audits | Vendor claimed regular internal/external audits on Wayback homepage; no named app-audit firm/report URL foundprovider 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 | No public infra audit report found; involuntary 2016 seizure treated as practical no-logs test in secondary sourcesprovider 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 | 2016 Netherlands server seizure reported; no customer data recovered (vendor/community narrative on archived pages and reviews)provider claim | Im Transparenzbericht für April bis Juni 2026 nennt Surfshark 33 behördliche Anfragen und einen Durchsuchungsbeschluss aus April 2026.provider claim |
| Transparency report | noneprovider claim | regularprovider claim |
| Warrant canary | staleprovider claim | noneprovider claim |
| Security incidents and data leaks | Police seizures of VPN hardware/servers reported (heise 2010; Golem 2016); operator framed seizures as validating no-logs (no user data found)confirmed | None disclosed on fetched home/features/privacy pagesprovider claim |
| Bug bounty programme | Perfect Privacy responsible disclosureprovider claim | Eigenes Programm ohne externe Plattform, Meldungen per E-Mail an security@surfshark.com.provider claim |
| Handling of reported vulnerabilities | ? | Surfshark security advisories via blogprovider claim |
| Open source clients | someprovider claim | noneprovider claim |
| Listings by independent bodies | Historically recommended in privacy community reviews; CyberInsider and SafetyDetectives reviewed it; recommendations withdrawn after Jan 2026 shutdownprovider claim | Press quotes on features page (e.g., speed/reviews)provider claim |
| WireGuard | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Proprietary protocol | Stealth VPN (DPI obfuscation wrapping VPN to look like HTTPS)provider claim | Dausosconfirmed |
| Legacy protocols still offered | SSH2 tunnelprovider claim | none advertised; WireGuard, IKEv2, OpenVPN used with Dedicated IPprovider claim |
| Default data cipher | AES-256 (OpenVPN)provider claim | 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 | AES-256-GCMprovider claim |
| Key exchange and authentication | OpenVPN / IPsec industry standards (details not fully specified on feature pages)provider 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 |
| Post-quantum key exchange | not availableprovider claim | on by defaultconfirmed |
| IPv6 handling | routed through tunnelprovider claim | unclearprovider claim |
| Obfuscation methods | Stealth VPN (HTTPS-like masking against DPI)provider 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 | unclearprovider claim | per user reportsprovider claim |
| Permanent lockdown | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Split tunneling | yes (app split-tunneling per SafetyDetectives review of the service)provider 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 |
| Port forwarding | availableprovider claim | not availableprovider claim |
| Surcharge for a dedicated IP | €0.00provider claim | €4.00provider claim |
| SOCKS5 proxy | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| HTTP proxy | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Ad and tracker filtering in DNS | configurableprovider claim | fixed listprovider claim |
| Local network access toggle | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| GPS location override (Android) | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Traffic analysis defence | Stealth VPN Technology / NeuroRouting historically offeredprovider claim | Obfuscated servers; NoBorders for restricted networksprovider claim |
| IPv6 inside the tunnel | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Obfuscation without configuration | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Number of servers | 55 Serverprovider claim | 4,500 Serverprovider claim |
| Number of countries | 23 Laenderprovider claim | 100 Laenderprovider claim |
| Number of cities | 35 Staedteprovider claim | 0 Staedteprovider claim |
| Virtual locations | no virtual locationsprovider claim | not labelledprovider claim |
| Hardware ownership | colocationprovider claim | mixedprovider claim |
| 10 Gbps ports | some serversprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| P2P and file sharing | entire networkprovider claim | dedicated locationsprovider claim |
| Public status page | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Known upstream hosting providers | 100% dedicated bare-metal / root servers (no cloud VPS); operators not individually named on fetched pagesprovider claim | not disclosed on fetched servers/about pagesprovider claim |
| Linux command line | manual config onlyprovider claim | native appprovider claim |
| Android TV app | not availableprovider claim | native appprovider claim |
| Apple TV app | not availableprovider claim | native appprovider claim |
| Fire 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 | VPN Routers documentation linked in footerprovider claim | Keine eigene Router-App; Anleitungen für DD-WRT, AsusWRT, GL.iNet, OpenWRT und weitere Firmwares mit OpenVPN- oder WireGuard-Client.provider claim |
| Simultaneous devices | unlimited / personal multi-device use allowed; no sharing credentialsprovider claim | unbegrenztprovider claim |
| Data required at signup | any email addressprovider claim | verified emailprovider claim |
| Cash by mail | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Bitcoin | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Retail gift cards | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| SEPA payment | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Monthly price | €12.99provider claim | €15.00provider claim |
| Effective price on the longest term | €8.95provider claim | €2.49provider claim |
| Price change at renewal | same priceprovider claim | very large increaseprovider claim |
| Free tier and its limits | noneprovider claim | none (trials/guarantees only)provider claim |
| Money-back window | 7 Tageprovider claim | 30 Tageprovider claim |
| P2P policy in the terms of service | entire networkprovider claim | dedicated locationsprovider claim |
| Streaming unblocking officially advertised | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Netflix regions reported | Poor / largely incompatible with Netflix and Disney+ per CyberInsider testing notesprovider claim | Keine konkreten Länder-Kataloge genannt. Die Netflix-Unterseite spricht nur allgemein davon, sich mit einem Server im Heimatland zu verbinden, um die dortige Bibliothek zu sehen.provider claim |
| Other streaming services | CyberInsider: does not work well with streaming sites such as Netflix and Disney Plusprovider 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 |
| Speed measurement references | VPNmentor maß im eigenen Test von einem UK-Standort aus per IKEv2 einen durchschnittlichen Geschwindigkeitsverlust von 35 Prozent bei nahegelegenen Servern und 55 Prozent bei entfernten Servern, auf einzelnen Servern über 90 Prozent.confirmed | Der Support-Artikel nennt einen typischen Geschwindigkeitsverlust von 20 bis 30 Prozent gegenüber der ungeschützten Verbindung als Folge der Verschlüsselung, keine artifizielle Drosselung. Marketingseiten verweisen zusätzlich auf eine externe TechRadar-Einstufung als 'the fastest VPN out there' sowie auf 10-Gbit- und erste 100-Gbit-Server.provider claim |
| Latency and gaming suitability | Die getesteten Erfahrungen widersprechen sich deutlich. Comparitech fand beim Spieletest über nahe Server 'no dropped connections, no lagging, or freeze-ups'. Cloudwards maß dagegen im Schnitt über 1000 Prozent höhere Latenz und beschrieb League of Legends über einen US-Server als kaum spielbar ('each input took forever to load'). VPNmentor erlebte auf einem Schweizer Server mit 65 ms Ping zufälliges Einfrieren des Charakters und stufte Server in Singapur und Schweden als unspielbar ein. CyberInsider maß unabhängig davon reine Downloadraten von 117 bis 141 MBit/s auf nahen und 131 MBit/s auf US-Servern, ohne eigenen Spieletest, und wies auf spürbar schlechtere Werte bei aktiviertem Multi-Hop hin.disputed | Eine Gaming-Unterseite räumt ein: 'A VPN can sometimes introduce latency (ping) and potentially affect gaming performance', empfiehlt aber das Ausprobieren verschiedener Serverstandorte, um die Latenz zu senken oder ISP-Drosselung beim Gaming zu umgehen.provider claim |
| SMTP and port 25 handling | Not documented on fetched Wayback/review pagesprovider claim | Not stated on fetched home/features/privacy/pricing pagesprovider claim |
| Official support in restrictive countries | Die FAQ widmet China, Iran und der Türkei einen eigenen Abschnitt und empfiehlt dort Stealth VPN sowie kaskadierte Verbindungen über einen erreichbaren regionalen Server.provider 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 | Bconfirmed | Aconfirmed |
| Tracker load of the website | Privacy policy covered website cookies historicallyprovider claim | Privacy policy details cookie/analytics categories on surfshark.comprovider claim |
| URL of the warrant canary | Historical warrant canary page (service discontinued)provider claim | none foundprovider claim |
| Length and readability of the legal documents | Technical privacy-focused documentation historicallyprovider claim | Standard long-form ToS linked from pricing; readability not specially simplifiedprovider claim |
| Marketing claims contradicting the provider's own terms | Discontinued service — historical claims onlyprovider claim | Home advertises 4500+ RAM-only servers and 100+ countries; pricing heavily uses multi-month intro discounts with free trialprovider claim |
All sourced criteria (158)
| Perfect Privacy | Surfshark | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal company name | CyberDock IT Solutions GmbHconfirmed | Surfshark B.V.provider claim |
| Trademark holder, if different | CyberDock IT Solutions GmbH / Perfect Privacy brandprovider claim | Surfshark (founder Vytautas Kaziukonis); merged under holding with Nord Security in 2022 while operating independentlyprovider claim |
| Year founded | 2008provider claim | 2018provider claim |
| Headquarters (country) | DEconfirmed | NLprovider claim |
| Other relevant jurisdictions | DE (Hamburg HRB 152750)confirmed | Britische Jungferninseln (früherer Registrierungsort, bis zur Verlagerung in die Niederlande 2021)confirmed |
| Intelligence alliance of the home country | 14 Eyesconfirmed | Nine Eyesprovider claim |
| Parent group / holding | CyberDock IT Solutions GmbH (Hamburg)provider claim | Cyberspace (gemeinsame Holding von Surfshark und Nord Security, Niederlande)confirmed |
| Beneficial owners publicly known | partly knownprovider claim | partly knownprovider claim |
| Ownership structure | owners undisclosedprovider claim | founder ownedprovider claim |
| Leadership team publicly named | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Verifiable postal address for legal service | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Sister VPN brands in the group | none documentedprovider claim | NordVPN (Nord Security)confirmed |
| Group owns VPN review and comparison sites | none documentedprovider claim | none disclosed on about pageprovider claim |
| Runs an affiliate programme | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Typical commission rate | Affiliate program exists; commission terms on affiliate page (fetch timeout — program linked from site)provider claim | Ab 40 Prozent Umsatzbeteiligung an Neuverkäufen, Cookie-Laufzeit 30 Tage, Mindestauszahlung 100 USD.provider claim |
| YouTube and influencer sponsoring | unknownprovider claim | unknownprovider claim |
| Documented misleading advertising claims | none_knownprovider claim | none_knownprovider claim |
| Acquisition history / former name | Originally Switzerland-based (from 2008); later operated by CyberDock IT Solutions GmbH in Hamburg, Germany; technical entity claimed as Webinvest International SA (Panama)provider claim | Fusionsvereinbarung mit Nord Security, am 01.02.2022 vom Anbieter und am 02.02.2022 per Pressemitteilung bekanntgegeben.confirmed |
| Operating status | discontinuedconfirmed | activeconfirmed |
| Discontinuation date | 01/30/2026provider claim | ? |
| User base migrated to | noneprovider claim | noneprovider claim |
| Core statement of the logging policy | No user traffic logs; no IP addresses, access times/duration, or per-user bandwidth stored; account holds login, expiry, emailconfirmed | Laut Datenschutzerklärung werden besuchte IP-Adressen, Browserverlauf, Sitzungsinformationen, Verbindungszeitstempel, genutzte Bandbreite und Netzwerkverkehr nicht erhoben.provider claim |
| Activity and traffic logs | noneconfirmed | noneconfirmed |
| Connection logs | noneconfirmed | per sessionprovider claim |
| Storage of the real IP address | not storedconfirmed | transient onlyprovider claim |
| Storage of the assigned VPN IP | not storedprovider claim | not storedprovider claim |
| Precision of stored timestamps | noneconfirmed | noneprovider claim |
| Recording of transferred data volume | aggregate onlyconfirmed | not recordedconfirmed |
| Enforcement of the device limit | Unlimited simultaneous connections (vendor claim; mirrored in reviews)provider claim | Unlimited simultaneous connectionsprovider claim |
| Minimum account data required | username/password, account expiry, emailconfirmed | E-Mail-Adresse, verschlüsseltes Passwort, Registrierungsdatum, gegebenenfalls Gutscheincode sowie Abonnement- und Zahlungsdaten.provider claim |
| Telemetry in the apps | noneprovider claim | cannot be disabledprovider claim |
| Trackers and SDKs in the Android app | None — vendor claimed in-house development without third parties (Wayback home)provider claim | Laut Datenschutzerklärung Iterable, Firebase Analytics (Google), Purchasely und AppsFlyer.provider claim |
| Trackers in the iOS app | No iOS app (CyberInsider con); N/A for first-party iOS SDKsprovider claim | AppsFlyer; Firebase Analytics; Iterable; Purchasely (named in privacy policy as marketing/application analytics providers)confirmed |
| Trackers and cookies on the website | Google Analytics with anonymizeIp; advertising cookies disclosedprovider claim | Privacy policy discloses site analytics/cookies categoriesprovider claim |
| Data shared with third parties | Payment processors (Paymentwall, PayPal, Stripe, Bitcoin processors); Google Analytics on website with anonymized IPprovider 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 | VPN: no connection data retained; account credentials/email/expiry retained for billing/supportprovider 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 | noprovider claim | yesconfirmed |
| No-logs audit details | No-logs policy described as involuntarily tested via police server seizures (notably 2016 Golem/heise reporting); vendor claimed regular internal/external audits on Wayback homepageprovider claim | 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 | not publishedprovider claim | full reportconfirmed |
| App and client audits | Vendor claimed regular internal/external audits on Wayback homepage; no named app-audit firm/report URL foundprovider 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 | No public infra audit report found; involuntary 2016 seizure treated as practical no-logs test in secondary sourcesprovider 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 | 2016 Netherlands server seizure reported; no customer data recovered (vendor/community narrative on archived pages and reviews)provider claim | Im Transparenzbericht für April bis Juni 2026 nennt Surfshark 33 behördliche Anfragen und einen Durchsuchungsbeschluss aus April 2026.provider claim |
| Transparency report | noneprovider claim | regularprovider claim |
| Warrant canary | staleprovider claim | noneprovider claim |
| Security incidents and data leaks | Police seizures of VPN hardware/servers reported (heise 2010; Golem 2016); operator framed seizures as validating no-logs (no user data found)confirmed | None disclosed on fetched home/features/privacy pagesprovider claim |
| Bug bounty programme | Perfect Privacy responsible disclosureprovider claim | Eigenes Programm ohne externe Plattform, Meldungen per E-Mail an security@surfshark.com.provider claim |
| Handling of reported vulnerabilities | ? | Surfshark security advisories via blogprovider claim |
| Open source clients | someprovider 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 | Historically recommended in privacy community reviews; CyberInsider and SafetyDetectives reviewed it; recommendations withdrawn after Jan 2026 shutdownprovider claim | Press quotes on features page (e.g., speed/reviews)provider claim |
| WireGuard | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| OpenVPN over UDP | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| OpenVPN over TCP | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| IKEv2/IPsec | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Proprietary protocol | Stealth VPN (DPI obfuscation wrapping VPN to look like HTTPS)provider claim | Dausosconfirmed |
| Legacy protocols still offered | SSH2 tunnelprovider claim | none advertised; WireGuard, IKEv2, OpenVPN used with Dedicated IPprovider claim |
| Default data cipher | AES-256 (OpenVPN)provider claim | 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 | AES-256-GCMprovider claim |
| Key exchange and authentication | OpenVPN / IPsec industry standards (details not fully specified on feature pages)provider 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 | yesprovider claim |
| Post-quantum key exchange | not availableprovider claim | on by defaultconfirmed |
| Own DNS resolvers | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| DNS leak protection | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| IPv6 handling | routed through tunnelprovider claim | unclearprovider claim |
| WebRTC protection or guidance | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Obfuscation methods | Stealth VPN (HTTPS-like masking against DPI)provider 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 | unclearprovider claim | per user reportsprovider claim |
| Kill switch | system-wideprovider claim | system-wideprovider claim |
| Permanent lockdown | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Split tunneling | yes (app split-tunneling per SafetyDetectives review of the service)provider 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 | freely combinableprovider claim | freely combinableprovider claim |
| Tor integration (Onion over VPN) | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Port forwarding | availableprovider claim | not availableprovider claim |
| Surcharge for a dedicated IP | €0.00provider claim | €4.00provider claim |
| SOCKS5 proxy | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| HTTP proxy | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Smart DNS | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Ad and tracker filtering in DNS | configurableprovider claim | fixed listprovider claim |
| Malware and phishing filter | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Custom DNS servers allowed | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Local network access toggle | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Auto connect rules | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Private device network (mesh) | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| GPS location override (Android) | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Traffic analysis defence | Stealth VPN Technology / NeuroRouting historically offeredprovider claim | Obfuscated servers; NoBorders for restricted networksprovider claim |
| IPv6 inside the tunnel | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Obfuscation without configuration | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Number of servers | 55 Serverprovider claim | 4,500 Serverprovider claim |
| Number of countries | 23 Laenderprovider claim | 100 Laenderprovider claim |
| Number of cities | 35 Staedteprovider claim | 0 Staedteprovider claim |
| Virtual locations | no virtual locationsprovider claim | not labelledprovider claim |
| RAM-only servers (diskless) | entire networkprovider claim | entire networkconfirmed |
| Hardware ownership | colocationprovider claim | mixedprovider claim |
| Own AS (autonomous system) | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| 10 Gbps ports | some serversprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| P2P and file sharing | entire networkprovider claim | dedicated locationsprovider claim |
| Public server list | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Public status page | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Known upstream hosting providers | 100% dedicated bare-metal / root servers (no cloud VPS); operators not individually named on fetched pagesprovider claim | not disclosed on fetched servers/about pagesprovider claim |
| Windows app | native appprovider claim | native appprovider claim |
| macOS app | native appprovider claim | native appprovider claim |
| Linux app with GUI | native appprovider claim | native appprovider claim |
| Linux command line | manual config onlyprovider claim | native appprovider claim |
| Android app | native appprovider claim | native appprovider claim |
| iOS app | native appprovider claim | native appprovider claim |
| Android TV app | not availableprovider claim | native appprovider claim |
| Apple TV app | not availableprovider claim | native appprovider claim |
| Fire 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 | VPN Routers documentation linked in footerprovider 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 | yesprovider claim |
| Command line documented | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Simultaneous devices | unlimited / personal multi-device use allowed; no sharing credentialsprovider 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 | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Monero | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Bitcoin | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Lightning | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Retail gift cards | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| PayPal | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Credit and debit card | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| SEPA payment | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Monthly price | €12.99provider claim | €15.00provider claim |
| Effective price on the longest term | €8.95provider claim | €2.49provider claim |
| Price change at renewal | same priceprovider claim | very large increaseprovider claim |
| Flat pricing without permanent discounts | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Free tier and its limits | noneprovider claim | none (trials/guarantees only)provider claim |
| Money-back window | 7 Tageprovider claim | 30 Tageprovider claim |
| Cancellation path | cancel in accountprovider claim | cancel in accountprovider claim |
| P2P policy in the terms of service | entire networkprovider claim | dedicated locationsprovider claim |
| Streaming unblocking officially advertised | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Netflix regions reported | Poor / largely incompatible with Netflix and Disney+ per CyberInsider testing notesprovider claim | Keine konkreten Länder-Kataloge genannt. Die Netflix-Unterseite spricht nur allgemein davon, sich mit einem Server im Heimatland zu verbinden, um die dortige Bibliothek zu sehen.provider claim |
| Other streaming services | CyberInsider: does not work well with streaming sites such as Netflix and Disney Plusprovider 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 | no limitprovider claim | no limitprovider claim |
| Data cap | noneprovider claim | noneprovider claim |
| Speed measurement references | VPNmentor maß im eigenen Test von einem UK-Standort aus per IKEv2 einen durchschnittlichen Geschwindigkeitsverlust von 35 Prozent bei nahegelegenen Servern und 55 Prozent bei entfernten Servern, auf einzelnen Servern über 90 Prozent.confirmed | Der Support-Artikel nennt einen typischen Geschwindigkeitsverlust von 20 bis 30 Prozent gegenüber der ungeschützten Verbindung als Folge der Verschlüsselung, keine artifizielle Drosselung. Marketingseiten verweisen zusätzlich auf eine externe TechRadar-Einstufung als 'the fastest VPN out there' sowie auf 10-Gbit- und erste 100-Gbit-Server.provider claim |
| Latency and gaming suitability | Die getesteten Erfahrungen widersprechen sich deutlich. Comparitech fand beim Spieletest über nahe Server 'no dropped connections, no lagging, or freeze-ups'. Cloudwards maß dagegen im Schnitt über 1000 Prozent höhere Latenz und beschrieb League of Legends über einen US-Server als kaum spielbar ('each input took forever to load'). VPNmentor erlebte auf einem Schweizer Server mit 65 ms Ping zufälliges Einfrieren des Charakters und stufte Server in Singapur und Schweden als unspielbar ein. CyberInsider maß unabhängig davon reine Downloadraten von 117 bis 141 MBit/s auf nahen und 131 MBit/s auf US-Servern, ohne eigenen Spieletest, und wies auf spürbar schlechtere Werte bei aktiviertem Multi-Hop hin.disputed | Eine Gaming-Unterseite räumt ein: 'A VPN can sometimes introduce latency (ping) and potentially affect gaming performance', empfiehlt aber das Ausprobieren verschiedener Serverstandorte, um die Latenz zu senken oder ISP-Drosselung beim Gaming zu umgehen.provider claim |
| SMTP and port 25 handling | Not documented on fetched Wayback/review pagesprovider claim | Not stated on fetched home/features/privacy/pricing pagesprovider claim |
| Official support in restrictive countries | Die FAQ widmet China, Iran und der Türkei einen eigenen Abschnitt und empfiehlt dort Stealth VPN sowie kaskadierte Verbindungen über einen erreichbaren regionalen Server.provider 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 | yesconfirmed | 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 | Bconfirmed | Aconfirmed |
| Tracker load of the website | Privacy policy covered website cookies historicallyprovider claim | Privacy policy details cookie/analytics categories on surfshark.comprovider claim |
| URL of the warrant canary | Historical warrant canary page (service discontinued)provider claim | none foundprovider claim |
| Length and readability of the legal documents | Technical privacy-focused documentation historicallyprovider claim | Standard long-form ToS linked from pricing; readability not specially simplifiedprovider claim |
| Marketing claims contradicting the provider's own terms | Discontinued service — historical claims onlyprovider claim | Home advertises 4500+ RAM-only servers and 100+ countries; pricing heavily uses multi-month intro discounts with free trialprovider claim |