Browsing & traffic
Claims no storageDenies storing websites visited and browsing activity.
Policy section: Sections 1 and 2.2.1
PROVIDER PROFILE
Surfshark
A Starter subscription with unlimited simultaneous device connections.
Source-based profile. We have not performed hands-on speed, leak, or streaming tests.
Plans, with the full bill.
| Plan & term | Monthly equivalent | Upfront bill | Renewal bill | Observed / source | Keep an offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter27 months · 3 bonus included | $2.49USD / month equivalent | $67.23First 27 months | Renewal price not confirmed | 2026-11-06 Dated observation | Save this offer locally |
Tax may apply at checkout. Introductory promotions and availability may vary. A successful build does not refresh prices.
MATCH THE TIER AND THE DEVICE
What can you use with this plan?
Provider documentation describes these setup paths and conditions. We have not installed or tested them. An available app does not establish feature parity, streaming access or identical support on every operating-system version.
Starter · paid scope
Simultaneous VPN connections: Unlimited. Surfshark plan, device and platform scope (opens in a new tab)
Setup documentation describes available connection paths. It does not establish identical features on every app, server or subscription variant.
Scroll horizontally for platform conditions and official documentation.
| Platform / feature | What is established | Provider documentation |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | App listed App listed; confirm the supported OS version. | Surfshark plan, device and platform scope (opens in a new tab) |
| macOS | App listed App listed; confirm the supported OS version. | Surfshark plan, device and platform scope (opens in a new tab) |
| Linux | App listed Linux app listed; verify distribution and feature requirements. | Surfshark plan, device and platform scope (opens in a new tab) |
| Android | App listed App listed; confirm the supported OS version. | Surfshark plan, device and platform scope (opens in a new tab) |
| iPhone / iPad | App listed App listed; confirm the supported OS version. | Surfshark plan, device and platform scope (opens in a new tab) |
| Android TV | App listed App listed; confirm the supported OS version. | Surfshark plan, device and platform scope (opens in a new tab) |
| Apple TV | App listed App listed; confirm the supported OS version. | Surfshark plan, device and platform scope (opens in a new tab) |
| Router | Manual setup Manual setup listed; compatible hardware and configuration required. | Surfshark plan, device and platform scope (opens in a new tab) |
| Port forwarding | Not established Tier, server and platform requirements not established in this research. | Not established |
| Bundle scope | Documented Starter is the priced tier; One and One+ are separate bundles. Unlimited VPN connections do not imply unlimited Antivirus devices. | Surfshark plan, device and platform scope (opens in a new tab) |
Download the scoped plan and feature evidence. Unknown is not the same as unsupported; add-ons are not included in the captured base-plan price.
WHAT IS KEPT, AND FOR HOW LONG?
Logging, field by field.
Temporary VPN connection identifiers are distinct from longer-lived account, billing and support records.
Provider policy statements · VPN only; other Surfshark tools have additional processing. These are attributed claims, not StealthVPN observations of the service.
DNS queries
Not establishedSeparate DNS-query retention is not itemized in the reviewed VPN clauses.
Policy section: Sections 1 and 2.2.1
IP addresses
Temporary recordsUser ID and/or IP: deleted within 15 minutes after the session ends.
Policy section: Section 2.2.1
Session records
Temporary recordsConnection timestamps share the 15-minute post-session deletion period.
Policy section: Section 2.2.1
Bandwidth counters
Claims no storageDenies collecting used bandwidth.
Policy section: Section 1
App diagnostics
Optional collectionConsent-based VPN diagnostics: at most 7 days, or earlier withdrawal.
Policy section: Section 2.3.9
Account identity
CollectedEmail, account registration and trusted-device/login details.
Policy section: Sections 2.1.1 and 2.3.1
Payment records
CollectedSubscription/payment records; processors may handle payer IP and fuller billing data.
Policy section: Section 2.1.2
Retention & deletion
Conditions applyAccount/billing: active subscription and 2 years after last login; support: up to 6 years.
Policy section: Sections 2.1 and 2.3.2
A no-storage claim applies to the category described. It does not rule out account records, website tracking, payment-processor data or an optional feature. “Not established” means the reviewed source did not settle this field. Read the separate assessments and event record
OPEN-SOURCE PRIVACY INTELLIGENCE
Follow the jurisdiction.
Nine EyesReviewed 2026-11-06
- Service operator
- Surfshark B.V.
- Declared jurisdiction
- Netherlands
- Country-set membership
- Nine Eyes → Fourteen Eyes
- Ownership / group
- Shared holding group with Nord Security
- Parent / owner country
- Not established in this review
- Evidence basis
- Provider documents + published country-set research
What the location tells you
The Netherlands is in Nine Eyes and the broader Fourteen group, outside the Five Eyes subset. NordVPN’s Panama jurisdiction does not transfer to Surfshark.
Surfshark privacy policy (opens in a new tab) · ODNI: Five Eyes oversight council (opens in a new tab) · Daniel Byman / CSIS: Improving U.S. Intelligence Sharing with Allies and Partners, January 2025, p. 11 (PDF p. 15) (opens in a new tab)
Look through the ownership
Surfshark describes shared ownership with Nord Security and independent operation. Complete ultimate ownership and parent jurisdiction are not established here.
Surfshark: shared holding company with Nord Security (opens in a new tab)
What the provider says it retains
Read the logging categories and retention periods
Temporary VPN connection identifiers are distinct from longer-lived account, billing and support records.
Country grouping is our classification of the declared service jurisdiction. It is not evidence that a VPN shares customer data, or a finding that an unlisted jurisdiction is safe. Provider policy statements are not independently verified here. Read the practical implications
THE SOURCE, THE SCOPE, THE LIMIT
Read the privacy evidence.
An on-site evidence view, not a privacy score. Policy claims, commissioned assessments and historical events answer different questions. Event dates below retain their documented precision; a year or month is not an exact day.
Provider statementCourt recordThird-party researchCommissioned assessmentCompany filingUnresolved
Labels identify the source, not a security rating or independent StealthVPN testing. Read the document scope and limits.
Logging and retained records
Temporary VPN connection identifiers are distinct from longer-lived account, billing and support records.
Surfshark privacy policy (opens in a new tab) Field-by-field breakdown
Who operates and controls the service?
Surfshark B.V. · Netherlands
Shared holding group with Nord Security
Surfshark describes shared ownership with Nord Security and independent operation. Complete ultimate ownership and parent jurisdiction are not established here.
Surfshark privacy policy (opens in a new tab) · Surfshark: shared holding company with Nord Security (opens in a new tab)
Assessments and their boundaries
No scoped assessor document is curated here for this provider. That means not reviewed in this selection, not that the service has never been assessed.
Documented event timeline
Newest event first. Responses are attributed; an announced remediation is not independently verified by StealthVPN. A related product or former owner is identified in the event scope.
- Ownership & people
NordVPN and Surfshark share a holding group
Scope: Shared corporate group; separate service operators
Record or attributed account
Provider statementSurfshark’s company page dates its merger with Nord Security to 2022 and describes shared holding-company ownership.
Data outcome and relevance
Provider statementThe relationship establishes common corporate control, not evidence that the services share VPN traffic logs.
Response / reported subsequent action
Provider statementSurfshark says the services operate independently. Our jurisdiction dossiers continue to show the distinct service operators.
Unresolved / not establishedOpen the case and document locatorsThe complete holding-company chain, beneficial ownership and internal data-access arrangements were not established. A group relationship does not transfer NordVPN’s Panamanian operator jurisdiction to Surfshark.
No country label or corporate association is a finding of guilt, safety or customer-data access. Jurisdiction context · Investigation method.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Details worth a closer look.
Starter, One, and One+ are separate bundles even when a promotion gives them the same introductory price.
Currency depends on the offer shown to the visitor. Renewal billing was not explicit in our captured plan.
Refund window: 30 days; terms apply.
Provider documentationMORE PERSPECTIVES
Read the published reviews.
These reviews belong to their publishers. Their methods, commercial relationships and testing dates differ. Our provisional editorial metascore groups eligible overall ratings by publisher family; all original summaries and source caveats remain below.
4 review publications represent 3 source families for this service. The editorial metascore shows eligible opinions and family weighting; it does not rate this exact subscription or certify security. Inspect this provider’s speed evidence
- AV-TEST · 2025 comparative report (opens in a new tab) — Commissioned laboratory report; Commissioner: Kaspersky, which also has products in the comparison.
TechRadar · Future family
Surfshark VPN review 2026 – a fully-featured, low cost privacy solution
Overall editorial rating: 4.25 / 5REVIEW IN BRIEF
TechRadar sees Surfshark as an easy-to-use value option, praising customer support, security tools and unlimited simultaneous connections.
Main caveat: The review warns about high automatic-renewal charges and finds stronger streaming alternatives in its comparison set.
Our paraphrase · source checked 2026-11-06
Coverage: Not captured.
Article updated: 2026-10-06; originally published 2022-10-24
Test period: not captured. Article updates may cover only part of a review.
Metadata collected 2026-11-06. External publisher; may earn affiliate commissions.
Tom’s Guide · Future family
Surfshark VPN Review
Overall editorial rating: 4.45 / 5REVIEW IN BRIEF
Tom’s Guide praises the polished apps, connection speeds, streaming results and introductory value of Surfshark.
Main caveat: It flags steep renewal increases and a kill-switch issue under stress testing, while saying the IP address did not leak in that test. Port forwarding is absent.
Our paraphrase · source checked 2026-11-06
Coverage: Not captured.
Article updated: 2026-04-10; originally published 2022-10-28
Test period: not captured. Article updates may cover only part of a review.
Metadata collected 2026-11-06. External publisher; may earn affiliate commissions.
Top10VPN · Top10VPN family
Surfshark review (paid service)
Overall editorial rating · paid service: 9.0 / 10REVIEW IN BRIEF
Top10VPN favors Surfshark’s budget positioning, streaming access, broad network and support for many devices at once.
Main caveat: The reviewer finds day-to-day usability friction and some performance gaps compared with its leading alternatives. Introductory value is not the renewal bill.
Our paraphrase · source checked 2026-11-07
Coverage: Paid service; exact subscription not captured.
Article updated: 2026-09-14
Test period: not captured. Article updates may cover only part of a review.
Manually checked 2026-11-06. Affiliate-supported. The publisher’s methods describe self-funding/no paid reviews; its terms also allow commercial influence on ordering and scores. This verdict is not treated as an independent extra vote or a StealthVPN test.
RTINGS · RTINGS family
Surfshark lab review (paid service)
Private Browsing: 5.4 / 10Category ratings only; no overall score imported.
REVIEW IN BRIEF
RTINGS finds that Surfshark protects IP addresses and DNS queries during an established connection and offers substantial VPN features.
Main caveat: It reports kill-switch leaks after crashes or restarts and raises concerns about retained connection metadata. These findings explain its less favorable Private Browsing verdict.
Our paraphrase · source checked 2026-11-07
Coverage: Paid service; see source for tested tier.
Test bench update: 2026-07-13; originally published 2025-03-31
Test period: not captured. Article updates may cover only part of a review.
Manually checked 2026-11-06. Membership and affiliate-supported publisher. Category score manually checked. A retest or writing update does not date all measurements.