We are reviewing Surfshark VPN as part of our series where we are reviewing the best VPNs on the market. The reviews are especially useful if you use Android TV.
While Surfshark might not have the same brand recognition as some of the other services we have reviewed, it is a highly competitive service in terms of the quality of its network, its range of services, and value for money.
We would recommend Surfshark to anyone looking for a complete VPN service. You can protect all of your devices with a single account. For anyone looking for a VPN service specifically for Android TV, Surfshark is one of the most reliable VPNs when it comes to both streaming and torrenting entertainment content.
But read our review to find out more about Surfshark VPN and to decide whether it might be the right VPN service for you.
Surfshark VPN 2022 Review
Our Rating
We are going to award Surfshark VPN 4.5/5 stars and include it in our list of most highly recommended VPNs.
It is highly affordable and you can cover all of your devices with a single subscription. It has top-end security protocols, very fast speeds, and apps for all your devices, including both Android TV and Fire TV. All of its servers are optimized for streaming and torrenting, and it has been proven effective for both Netflix USA and BBC iPlayer, two of the most important items for many streamers.
We couldn’t give Surfshark a perfect score because it lacks good network coverage in Africa and the Middle East, but we also know that isn’t a consideration for most of the people reading this review.
That’s why we feel confident to recommend Surfshark as one of the best VPN services on the market, especially for Android TV users who are streaming, torrenting, or using Kodi.
If you want to know more about why you should be using a VPN with Android TV boxes, read our complete article here. This is especially true if you are using Kodi.
Network
When you are looking for a VPN server, you want both a large number of servers to ensure there is good capacity and the best speeds and a good geographical spread so you can “appear” in the parts of the world that you wish.
While Surfshark is not the biggest VPN network on the market, they are impressive and more than sufficient with 3,200+ servers in 65+ countries.
They have excellent server coverage in the United States, Europe, South America, and the Asia Pacific. Their coverage is light on the ground in the Middle East and Africa, but this is true of most VPN networks. If these are priorities for you, you will probably need to seek out a specialist VPN service.
Surfshark offers impressive speeds when compared to much of the competition. While all VPNs slow down connections, tests suggest that Surfshark might slow down an 88.1 Mbps connection to around 65 Mbps. This is good in comparison to some of the other major services, which may offer speeds around half of that.
All of Surfsharks servers are optimized for HD streaming with no buffering and have been tested as effectively unlocking more than 10 Netflix libraries (including the USA), BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and more.
No, not all VPNs unlock all of the streaming services. Streaming services are constantly trying to detect and block VPNs to live up to their licensing agreements. VPN servers have to work actively to stay ahead of these companies, and some do this more effectively than others.
Surfshark VPN has also been tested as working well with major P2P clients such as uTorrent, so you can torrent without delays. Their kill switch means you are unlikely to leak any data as you leave your device torrenting unsupervised, and a strict no-logs policy protects your privacy and anonymity.
Security
Surfshark is up-to-date with the latest security protocols that you would expect from all the major VPN companies. They use AES-256-GCM encryption and use IKEv2/IPsec as their standard protocol, though you can still choose OpenVPN if you prefer this option. Surfshark also offers private DNS on each server and leak protection when using their IPv4 stack.
They also have a kill switch that will cut off your internet if the VPN drops out for some reason (even the best VPNs drop out sometimes) so that none of your data can be accidentally leaked while you aren’t protected by the service.
Surfshark has all the right policies in place to protect your privacy as well. They have a strict no-logs policy, so they aren’t collecting any data on your online activity that can be shared with authorities.
This is backed up by the fact that they use RAM-only servers, so no data is being written to Surfshark’s servers as part of the VPN process.
Plus, they are based in the British Virgin Islands, where online privacy laws are very much in favor of the individual’s rights.
You also have the option to sign up anonymously, as you only need to provide an email address and no personal details. You can also pay anonymously as Surfshark offers a variety of payment methods, including cryptocurrencies and bank deposits.
Once you have an account, they use two-factor authentication to ensure that it is you who is logging on.
Surfshark also has a regular independent audit schedule, which helps reassure users that they are living up to their promises.
Usability
One of the things that sets Surfshark apart is that there is no cap on the number of devices that you can protect. You can connect an unlimited number of devices to a single Surfshark account.
They also have intuitive and easy-to-use applications for most of the major devices, including Windows, Mac, and Linux, Android, iOS, and even Fire TV, plus for Chrome and Firefox browsers.
The apps are all easy to use, with one-click activation, and an intuitive menu for browsing countries and servers. For basic users, you may never need to see more than this main page, but you can also activate advanced features in the features menu of the applications.
You can also set up auto-connect, asking the VPN to connect automatically always, just when you are on public Wi-Fi, or any time you aren’t on your home network.
Surfshark is relatively lightweight, so it will slow down your internet connection less than many other VPNs, but all VPNs slow down your internet connection. That is why we like the Whitelister feature in Surfshark, since it means you can allow certain apps and websites to bypass your VPN. So, you can use low-risk applications that don’t share any personal data much more quickly.
Features
Surfshark has lots of additional features that really make it stand out from the rest of the market.
One that we like the most is Camouflage Mode, which prevents your internet provider from seeing that you are using a VPN.
This is important, as your internet provider often determines your tariffs from the types of things you do online. We already know they charge a premium if you do a lot of streaming. If they see you are using a VPN, that might be another reason to push up prices. But with Camouflage Mode, you are protected.
If you are very serious about your anonymity, you can use MultiHop mode, which jumps your connection between different servers in different locations, making your activity even harder to track and piece together.
Surfshark also offers a service called Clean Web, which blocks ads and malware and can help avoid phishing attempts.
While this makes browsing the web less annoying, it can also save you data as ads, pop-ups, and banners can use up a considerable amount of data. That might be fine when you are on Wi-Fi but the last thing you want when you are using your own mobile data. For the same reason, Clean Web can also boost your browser speed.
This is an optional extra you can turn on or off as you desire.
Cost
Surfshark is very competitively priced for such a good quality VPN thanks to major discounts on offer when you sign up for a longer-term contract.
If you want to pay by the month, then Surfshark is around the middle of the market at $12.95 per month. But if you sign up for 24 months upfront, you can get an 81% discount and pay the equivalent of just $2.49 per month.
But SurShark VPN is also more affordable than most if you want to sign up for a shorter contract. If you go for just 6 months, you can still get a 50% discount and pay just $6.49 per month.
Sign up directly on the Surfshark website for secure payment and immediate access.
You can sign up completely anonymously, all you need to do is provide an email address. They also accept a variety of payment options, including all major cards, PayPal, and cryptocurrencies.
There is a 30-day money-back guarantee if you aren’t happy with the service for whatever reason.
The Verdict
We think that Surfshark VPN will tick the box for the vast majority of people looking for a VPN service, which is why we highly recommend it.
Firstly, it is affordable, you can pay anonymously, and it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. With a single subscription, you can connect an unlimited number of devices.
It uses all the latest security protocols, has a strict no-logs policy backed up by RAM-only servers, and is located in the British Virgin Islands. They also offer lots of additional security features such as a kill switch and MultiHop.
They have excellent server coverage and offer fast speeds. All of their servers are optimized for HD streaming and torrenting, and their service has been tested as effective on the major streaming services, including Netflix USA and BBC iPlayer.
They have easy-to-use apps for all the major devices, including Android TV and Fire TV, and there are lots of extra features you can activate if you wish for more security and better connections.
All in all, if you need a VPN service, you won’t find many better choices out there than Surfshark.
Do you use Surshark VPN? Share your experiences with the community in the comments section below.
