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Surfshark vs Proton VPN

Unlimited devices and add-on security tools, against a free plan, a Swiss base and published audit reports. How Surfshark and Proton VPN compare.

PrivacyTechReview Editorial Team Editor-in-Chief: Kirill Prosandeev Updated Oct 30, 2026

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The short version

Surfshark is run by Surfshark B.V. in the Netherlands; Proton VPN by Proton AG in Geneva, Switzerland, the company behind Proton Mail. Both have apps for computers, phones, Android TV, Fire TV and Apple TV, a kill switch on Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android, and no-logs policies checked by outside firms: Deloitte in 2023 and 2025 for Surfshark, with the reports for subscribers only, and Securitum every year since 2022 for Proton, which publishes them. They differ most on devices and on what comes with the VPN. Surfshark allows an unlimited number of devices on every plan, under a fair-usage policy, and adds antivirus and breach alerts in One and data removal in One+. Proton has a free plan for one device with no data cap, covers 10 devices on its paid plans, and bundles its paid Mail, Calendar, Drive and Pass in Proton Unlimited. Pick Surfshark if you need more than 10 devices on one account or want antivirus in the same subscription; pick Proton VPN if you want to start free or read the audit reports before you pay.

Side-by-side

Surfshark

Best for
Many devices on one VPN account
Company and jurisdiction
Surfshark B.V., Amsterdam, the Netherlands; its terms are governed by British Virgin Islands law. Surfshark says it and Nord Security merged under one holding company in 2022 while operating independently.
Devices at once
Unlimited on every plan, under a fair-usage policy. The antivirus covers up to 5 devices and the free trial up to 3.
Plans
Starter, One and One+, each in 1-, 12- and 24-month terms, all with the same VPN.
No-logs evidence
Deloitte, in 2023 and again in 2025. The reports are available only to subscribers, inside their Surfshark account.
Free plan or trial
No free plan. A 7-day trial for new users, started on Surfshark's website with a 12- or 24-month plan and a card, PayPal or Apple Pay entered up front; it covers up to 3 devices.
Refund window
Within 30 days of your first purchase, once per service and not on renewals; Surfshark's trial pages say the 30 days start when the trial ends.
Platforms
Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and iPad, Android, Apple TV, Android TV and Fire TV, plus Chrome, Firefox and Edge extensions and manual router setup. No app for Roku, consoles or other smart TVs.
Kill switch and split tunneling
Kill switch on Windows, Mac, Linux (not the Flatpak package), iPhone and Android. Bypasser split tunneling for apps and websites on Windows, Mac and Android, and for websites only on iPhone.
Extras beyond the VPN
CleanWeb and Alternative ID in every plan; antivirus and Alert from One; Incogni and US identity theft coverage in One+
Skip it if
You want a free plan or a public audit report

Proton VPN

Best for
Public no-logs audits, free or paid
Company and jurisdiction
Proton AG, Geneva, Switzerland, the company behind Proton Mail. Proton says its main shareholder is the Proton Foundation, a Swiss nonprofit.
Devices at once
1 on the free plan; 10 on VPN Plus and Proton Unlimited; up to 10 for each member on Proton Duo and Proton Family.
Plans
Proton Free, VPN Plus, Proton Unlimited, Proton Duo and Proton Family. VPN Plus adds servers in more than 140 countries, streaming support and P2P; Duo and Family extend Unlimited to 2 or up to 6 accounts.
No-logs evidence
Securitum, every year since 2022; the latest report is dated May 2026. Proton says it publishes the full reports for anyone to read.
Free plan or trial
A free plan with no data cap or time limit, Proton says: one device, servers in 10 countries Proton picks for you, and no streaming guarantee or BitTorrent. No time-limited trial of VPN Plus.
Refund window
A full refund within 30 days of the initial purchase, for subscriptions bought directly from Proton, once per user and not for cash or bank-transfer payments.
Platforms
Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and iPad, Android, Chromebook, Android TV, Fire TV and Apple TV (paid plans only), plus Chrome and Firefox extensions and manual router setup. Proton says all its apps are open source.
Kill switch and split tunneling
Kill switch on Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad and Android, on every plan. Split tunneling on paid plans for Windows, Linux, Android, Android TV and the browser extensions, experimental on Mac and not on iPhone or iPad; on most platforms it doesn't work alongside the kill switch (Windows is the exception).
Extras beyond the VPN
NetShield and Secure Core on paid plans; Proton Unlimited adds paid Proton Mail, Calendar, Drive and Pass
Skip it if
You need location choice or several devices for free

How to choose between them

  • Count your devices. Surfshark sets no number on any plan, though its terms let it limit an immoderate number of connections. Proton allows one device on Free and 10 on its paid plans, or up to 10 for each member of Duo and Family.
  • Decide whether you'd start free. Proton's free plan has no data cap but covers one device, picks your country from a list of 10, and leaves out streaming support and BitTorrent. Surfshark has no free plan; its 7-day trial needs a 12- or 24-month plan and payment details up front.
  • List the extras you'd use. Surfshark's One adds antivirus on Windows, Mac and Android plus breach alerts, and One+ adds Incogni data removal and US identity theft coverage. Proton's paid plans add NetShield and Secure Core, and Unlimited adds its paid Mail, Calendar, Drive and Pass.
  • Check split tunneling on your devices. On iPhone, Surfshark's Bypasser handles only websites and Proton offers none. On a Mac, Surfshark lists Bypasser and Proton's split tunneling is experimental.

Want the detail? Read the full Surfshark review and Proton VPN review, or see how six VPNs we review line up in Best VPN.

Who should pick which

Pick it if this is you

Surfshark · One VPN account for every device in the house

Pick Surfshark if you need more than 10 devices on one account, or antivirus in the same subscription — not if you want to start on a free plan or read the no-logs report before you pay.

  • Unlimited simultaneous devices on every plan
  • No-logs policy checked by Deloitte in 2023 and 2025

Ad

Check Surfshark price

Opens Surfshark's official site

Pick it if this is you

Proton VPN · An audited no-logs VPN with a no-data-cap free plan

Pick Proton VPN if you want a free plan for one device with no data cap, public no-logs audit reports, or the VPN bundled with Proton Mail, Drive and Pass — not if you need more than 10 devices on one account or antivirus in the same plan.

  • Free plan with no data cap or ads
  • Securitum no-logs audits every year since 2022

Ad

Check Proton VPN price

Opens Proton VPN's official site

Sources · checked Oct 30, 2026

Frequently asked questions

Surfshark or Proton VPN: which is better?
Neither is better on every count; it depends on what you need. Surfshark suits households with many devices, or people who want antivirus and breach alerts in the same subscription. Proton VPN suits people who want a free plan for one device, audit reports they can read in full, or the VPN bundled with Proton Mail and Drive. We haven't tested either; this compares their own published pages.
Is Proton VPN safer than Surfshark?
We can't measure that, but the evidence each publishes differs. Proton's no-logs policy has been audited by Securitum every year since 2022, with the reports public; Surfshark's was checked by Deloitte in 2023 and 2025, with the reports for subscribers only. Proton's apps are open source, and an independent researcher assessed them in November 2025; Surfshark publishes SecuRing and Cure53 findings on its apps, network and Dausos protocol from 2025 and 2026. Both publish transparency reports on government requests. Surfshark's September 9, 2026 report says an outsider accessed a misconfigured internal test server, some internal engineering material and a separate proxy server, flagged on August 31 and contained on September 2, and that no user data or VPN services were affected. Proton is in Switzerland, though in July 2025 it said it is moving most of its physical infrastructure out of the country.
Surfshark One vs Proton VPN Plus: what's the difference?
Both include the full paid VPN. Surfshark One covers unlimited devices and adds antivirus for Windows, Mac and Android (up to five devices), Surfshark Alert for email, credit card and ID leaks, and scam protection. Proton VPN Plus covers 10 devices and adds NetShield ad blocking, Secure Core, P2P, port forwarding on desktop and streaming support, and comes with the free versions of Proton Mail, Drive and Pass. Surfshark's ad blocker, CleanWeb, is already in its entry plan, Starter.
Surfshark or Proton VPN for streaming or torrenting?
By each one's own pages: Surfshark says its VPN works with Netflix, advises connecting to a server in your home country, and notes that streaming services block individual IP addresses. Proton guarantees streaming support only on paid plans and notes that watching Netflix titles not licensed where you are is against Netflix's policy. For P2P, Surfshark's server list marks P2P by country and its terms forbid distributing copyright-protected material; Proton allows P2P only on paid plans, on servers in countries it says allow file sharing, with port forwarding in its Windows, Mac and Linux apps. We haven't tested either.
Are Surfshark and Proton VPN the same company?
No. Surfshark is run by Surfshark B.V. in Amsterdam, which says it shares a holding company with Nord Security, NordVPN's parent, while operating independently. Proton VPN is run by Proton AG in Geneva, which also makes Proton Mail; Proton says its main shareholder is the Proton Foundation, a Swiss nonprofit.
Can I use Surfshark and Proton VPN on the same number of devices?
No. Surfshark allows an unlimited number at once on every plan, under a fair-usage policy; its antivirus covers five devices and its free trial three. Proton allows one device on its free plan and 10 at once on VPN Plus and Proton Unlimited, and on Duo and Family each member gets up to 10.