Surfshark vs Proton VPN 2026: Household Value or Verifiable Privacy?
Surfshark scores higher in our testing (4.6 vs 4.4) and covers unlimited devices. Proton VPN is the pick when you want public audit reports, open-source apps, and a free plan to start on.
Sarah VossConsumer Technology Editor
Updated October 6, 2026
Surfshark scores higher in our testing (4.6 vs 4.4) and covers unlimited devices. Proton VPN is the pick if you want to read the audits yourself: Swiss jurisdiction, open-source apps, and published yearly no-logs reports.
Spec comparison
| Spec | Surfshark | Proton VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Servers / countries | 4,500+ servers in 100 countries [V1] | 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries [P1] |
| Jurisdiction | Netherlands (Surfshark B.V., Amsterdam) [V1] | Switzerland (Proton AG, Geneva) [P1] |
| No-logs audits | Deloitte assurance in 2023 and 2025 (ISAE 3000). The full report is available only inside a Surfshark account [V2][V3] | Securitum audits every year from 2022 through 2026, with public reports [P2][P3] |
| Simultaneous devices | Unlimited [V1] | 10 on VPN Plus. Free plan: 1 [P1][P4] |
| Protocols | WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, Dausos [V5] | WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, Stealth, Smart Protocol [P6] |
| Streaming | Reliable on major US libraries in our April 2026 testing [T1] | VPN Plus lists streaming support [P1]. Our April 2026 results are in the Proton VPN review [T2] |
| Torrenting / P2P | P2P locations are marked on the server list [V6] | P2P servers, plus port forwarding on paid plans for Windows, macOS, and Linux [P5] |
| Free option | No free plan. The free trial is limited to 3 devices [V1] | Free plan with no data cap, on 1 device [P4] |
| Money-back window | 30 days [V1] | 30 days [P1] |
| Server storage | RAM-only servers [V2] | Not stated on the Proton pages we checked on Oct 6, 2026 |
Category-by-Category Breakdown
Devices
Surfshark winsPrivacy & audits
Proton VPN winsJurisdiction
Proton VPN winsSpeed
Surfshark winsStreaming
Surfshark winsTorrenting
Proton VPN winsFree option
Proton VPN winsPrice
DrawSpeed data from Tunnel Report benchmark suite. Pricing from provider websites.
Speed
These medians are from our April 2026 review pages, not a new test run. Surfshark's US domestic median was 820 Mbps, with 640 Mbps to London, 610 Mbps to Frankfurt, and a 690 Mbps domestic floor [T1].
Proton VPN's US domestic median was 650 Mbps, with 520 Mbps to London, 490 Mbps to Frankfurt, and a 480 Mbps domestic floor [T2]. Surfshark is the faster of the two in that cycle. Proton is still fast enough for streaming and remote work.
Price
Both providers show an introductory price and a later renewal rate. Surfshark's pricing FAQ says a 2-year plan is billed once up front and then renews annually at "the applicable renewal price" [V1]. Proton's plan cards use the line "Billed at … for the first …, then renews at …" [P1].
Surfshark's pricing payload on Oct 6, 2026 listed conflicting recurring fields for the same plan, and Proton's static page still rendered price placeholders, so this page does not state a dollar amount.
Which VPN Should You Actually Pick?
Pick Surfshark if you're covering a whole household — phones, laptops, and several TVs — on one plan, or you want the higher-scoring all-rounder in our testing (4.6).
Pick Proton VPN if you want public audit reports and open-source apps, need port forwarding for torrents, or want to start on a free plan.
Sarah VossConsumer Technology Editor
Consumer tech reporter who covered the broadband beat at two national outlets before joining Tunnel Report. Sarah translates dense security concepts into buying decisions real people can act on, and she has zero patience for marketing jargon.
Related Coverage
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Surfshark or Proton VPN better for torrenting?
Both allow P2P. Proton VPN adds port forwarding on paid plans [P5]. Surfshark marks P2P locations on its server list [V6].
Does either have a free plan?
Proton VPN Free has no data cap but covers 1 device [P4]. Surfshark has no free plan; its free trial is limited to 3 devices [V1].
Sources & References
- [V1] Surfshark. Pricing (2026). https://surfshark.com/pricing (accessed Oct 6, 2026).
- [V2] Surfshark. No-logs policy (2026). https://surfshark.com/features/no-logs (accessed Oct 6, 2026).
- [V3] Surfshark. Deloitte no-logs policy verified again (Jun 16, 2025) (2025). https://surfshark.com/blog/deloitte-nologs-policy-verified-again (accessed Oct 6, 2026).
- [V5] Surfshark. VPN protocols (2026). https://surfshark.com/features/surfshark-vpn-protocols (accessed Oct 6, 2026).
- [V6] Surfshark. Server list (2026). https://surfshark.com/servers (accessed Oct 6, 2026).
- [P1] Proton VPN. Pricing (2026). https://protonvpn.com/pricing (accessed Oct 6, 2026).
- [P2] Proton VPN. For 5th year running, Proton VPN passes external no-logs audit (2026). https://protonvpn.com/blog/no-logs-audit (accessed Oct 6, 2026).
- [P3] Securitum. Proton VPN no-log report 2025 (PDF) (2025). https://www.securitum.com/public-reports/securitum-protonvpn-nologs-2025.pdf (accessed Oct 6, 2026).
- [P3b] TechRadar. Proton VPN's no-logs policy holds up under scrutiny of fourth independent audit (2025). https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/proton-vpns-no-logs-policy-holds-up-under-scrutiny-of-fourth-independent-audit (accessed Oct 6, 2026).
- [P4] Proton VPN. Free VPN (2026). https://protonvpn.com/free-vpn (accessed Oct 6, 2026).
- [P5] Proton VPN Support. Port forwarding (2026). https://protonvpn.com/support/port-forwarding (accessed Oct 6, 2026).
- [P6] Proton VPN Support. How to change VPN protocols (2026). https://protonvpn.com/support/how-to-change-vpn-protocols (accessed Oct 6, 2026).
- [T1] Tunnel Report. Surfshark Review 2026 (2026). https://tunnelreport.com/reviews/surfshark (accessed Oct 6, 2026).
- [T2] Tunnel Report. Proton VPN Review 2026 (2026). https://tunnelreport.com/reviews/protonvpn (accessed Oct 6, 2026).