NordVPN vs Surfshark: sister services, different strengths

NordVPN and Surfshark are close enough that most buyers end up asking what really separates them. CNET calls them sister services under the same parent company, and the answer is not a gap in quality. It is a trade: NordVPN is stronger on speed, reach and privacy tools, while Surfshark is cheaper and has no limit on devices.

In my scoring Surfshark totals 8.2 and NordVPN 8.0. The core features score goes to NordVPN and the value score goes to Surfshark, and that split is the whole story of this page. My NordVPN review and Surfshark review go deeper on each product, so here I stay on the choice between them.

The two at a glance

The figures below come from the two official pricing pages and two comparison articles, an older one published in 2025 and a newer one. The sources do not always agree, so I treat a server count as a rough size and not a promise.

Speed and latency

Speed is the clearest win for NordVPN, though the size of the win depends on who measured. In a side-by-side test against a server in Australia, Security.org saw download speed fall 5.8% on NordVPN and 7.8% on Surfshark, and both stayed under 10%. Upload speed was the real difference: it fell 4.1% on NordVPN and roughly half on Surfshark.

CNET’s 2025 benchmarks showed a wider gap, with an average download loss of 3% for NordVPN and 21% for Surfshark. It looks for a loss under 25%, so Surfshark still passes, and it describes the service as fast enough for most people. The methods differ, so I read the two results together as one direction: NordVPN keeps more of your line.

Latency decides the call for gaming and video calls. The same test measured 78 ms on NordVPN and 136 ms on Surfshark, and its authors treat 80 ms or less as the mark for gaming. One far-away server is a harsh test, so I read it as a direction and not as a verdict on every location.

For streaming and browsing none of this should bother you. Neither service caused buffering in the test above, and the 2025 comparison says either one is comfortable for 4K video. Speed matters most for uploads, competitive games and torrents, and if those are not your use, I would not let it make the decision.

Servers and streaming

NordVPN has the larger network, and the sources count it differently. The older comparison puts it in 126 countries, while the newer one gives 167 in its table and 137 in a summary box on the same page. I would not lean on any one figure. Every source agrees on the direction, with Surfshark at 4,500-plus servers in 100 countries on its own pricing page.

The older comparison adds that NordVPN has the stronger selection in Africa and the Middle East, which matters if you travel there or want regional content from those places. For Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific, both give broad coverage, so the extra reach only pays off for a minority of readers.

Netflix is close to a draw. One comparison had no trouble reaching it on either service, and the other found both excellent for Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max and BBC iPlayer. The harder test is a service that works to detect VPNs. In a Disney+ check, NordVPN got through seven times out of 10 and Surfshark six times out of 10, and the reviewer credits NordVPN’s larger pool of server addresses for the difference.

The older comparison is mixed on this point. It lists trouble unblocking Disney Plus in tests as a drawback of Surfshark, and then calls both services excellent for streaming. I would treat streaming as a tie with a small edge to NordVPN, and I would use the refund window to check the one service you care about. If streaming is your main reason for buying, my list of the best VPNs for streaming compares the options beyond these two.

Privacy and jurisdiction

On paper, jurisdiction favors NordVPN. It is based in Panama, which both comparisons place outside the Five, Nine and 14 Eyes alliances. Surfshark’s own terms say you contract with Surfshark B.V., a company established in the Netherlands, which both comparisons list as part of the Nine Eyes. The contract itself stays under British Virgin Islands law, as before the move. Surfshark answers with a promise to keep no logs and with regular audits, and both services run all of their servers from RAM.

The logging policies are not identical, though neither records your browsing. Security.org read both policies and found that NordVPN keeps more kinds of data, among them a username, the IP address used for payment and the time of the last session. Surfshark keeps an encrypted password and an anonymized IP address for the devices that connect, and its system removes that address less than 15 minutes after you disconnect.

For most people the tools matter more than the map. The older comparison gives NordVPN the edge for people with serious privacy needs, such as journalists, activists or asylum seekers, because of Onion over VPN, double VPN servers and NordWhisper, a protocol that tries to hide VPN use. Surfshark’s counter is Dynamic MultiHop, where you choose both servers in a double hop, and the newer comparison found that slightly better than the 10 preset server pairs that NordVPN gives you.

I gave both services 8.0 for privacy and data. NordVPN earns credit for its jurisdiction and its extra tools but retains more kinds of account data, and each of my reviews lists the other points that held its score below the top. Because the two share a parent company, choosing between them is not a choice between independent businesses, which I count against both.

Devices, apps and extras

The biggest practical gap is the device limit. Surfshark’s pricing page lists unlimited devices, while NordVPN’s page allows up to 10 devices on one account. Ten covers one person or a small family, but unlimited starts to matter once phones, tablets, laptops, TVs and a router all need cover.

App coverage is the same for both in the older comparison: Apple TV, Fire TV and Android TV, plus Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, with browsers and routers on top. Split tunneling is where Surfshark pulls ahead on Apple hardware. Its Bypasser feature works on macOS and iOS, where most VPNs offer none, though the iOS version covers websites only. On desktop, the newer comparison found Surfshark’s version more flexible, because it can exclude single websites and IP addresses, where NordVPN only excludes whole apps.

The bundles go in different directions. On the NordVPN side, Complete includes 1 TB of encrypted cloud storage along with a password manager, a next-gen antivirus and an ad and tracker blocker, and Prime adds identity theft insurance of up to $1,000,000 for US residents outside New York. Surfshark’s One plan adds an antivirus and breach-style alerts, and its One+ plan adds data removal through Incogni. The newer comparison prefers NordVPN’s bundles for the password manager, and prefers Surfshark’s antivirus because it protects in real time.

My rule is to buy the bundle you would otherwise pay for separately. If you want a password manager on the same bill, NordVPN Complete is the closer fit. If you want an antivirus and data removal, Surfshark One+ is. Otherwise pay for the VPN alone and keep the extras off the bill.

Pricing and renewal

Prices from the NordVPN and Surfshark pricing pages, checked September 2026.

Both pages sell two-year plans with 3 extra months, so each first term runs 27 months. That is the span to compare: $94.23 for NordVPN Basic against $67.23 for Surfshark Starter, a difference of $27.00. The two entry plans are not identical, since the older comparison notes that Surfshark’s cheapest plan includes Alternative ID, a masked email and personal detail generator, while NordVPN’s base plan sticks to the VPN and ad blocking.

Renewal is where the two diverge. NordVPN’s page says Basic renews at $139.08 a year, and $139.08 ÷ 12 = $11.59 a month, over three times what the first term costs each month. Surfshark’s page does not state its renewal price. The 2025 article reported $79 a year for Surfshark against $140 for NordVPN, so I expect the gap to point the same way, but check the figure at checkout before you pay.

Month to month, NordVPN’s page lists Basic at $14.99. One comparison lists $15.45 for Surfshark’s monthly VPN-only plan and $12.99 for NordVPN’s, which differs from the pricing page, so I trust the page for NordVPN. If renewal cost is your main worry, my list of the best cheap VPNs looks at what you pay after the first term.

Each page offers a refund window. NordVPN gives 30 days to ask for one, and Surfshark gives 30 days as well. That is the practical way to try either service, so put the end of the window in your calendar on the day you buy.

How they scored

NordVPN totals 8.0. I give it 9.0 for core features, 8.5 for ease of use, 8.0 for privacy and data, 6.5 for value and 7.0 for support. Value is the weak point because the renewal is steep and NordVPN allows fewer devices than Surfshark.

Surfshark totals 8.2. It gets 8.5 for core features, 8.5 for ease of use, 8.0 for privacy and data, 8.0 for value and 7.5 for support. It gives up ground to NordVPN on core features because its speed and reach are lower in the tests above, and it earns that ground back on value.

Both totals follow the weighting described on the How I test page.

Who should buy which

• NordVPN fits you if speed matters, whether for gaming, uploads or a big household of heavy users. It also fits if you travel to Africa or the Middle East, or want Onion over VPN. Accept the renewal price and put a date in your calendar before the first term runs out.
• Surfshark fits you if you have more than 10 devices, if the long-run price matters most, or if you want split tunneling on a Mac or an iPhone. For a typical household this is the one I would buy, and it is also the higher scorer in my ratings.
• Either works if you mostly stream and browse. Both handled Netflix in the comparisons I read, and the refund window lets you test the one service you care about.
• Neither suits you if you want a provider that is independent of the other. For that, my ranking of the best VPNs has alternatives.

FAQ

Sources

• NordVPN, pricing page
• Surfshark, pricing page
• CNET, NordVPN vs. Surfshark comparison
• Security.org, Surfshark vs. NordVPN comparison
• NordVPN review
• Surfshark review
• How I test