![]() Speeds to France and Germany were also fast, but not quite as quick as New York or the UK. Speeds to New York and the UK were generally the fastest, independent of what protocol or device we were using. Overall, the speed readings from our testing locations were as expected and consistent across the board. Speeds didn't spike or dip from one test to the next like they were prone to do previously. I was also impressed with the overall consistency of Surfshark's speed performance. As expected, speeds through the lighter-weight WireGuard protocol were faster than OpenVPN on Windows and MacOS, at 13% and 9%, respectively. On MacOS through OpenVPN, we calculated a 19% speed loss. I'm happy to report that our latest tests registered a much more acceptable 28% speed loss on Windows through OpenVPN. I brought the issue up to Surfshark then, and a company representative promised that engineers would investigate and address it. In our previous tests, Surfshark's speeds were frustratingly inconsistent and slow, especially when using the OpenVPN protocol on Windows, where I lost 77% of my regular internet speeds. ![]() During my recent tests, I ran into no such issues. The overall quality of the streams from certain regions like Australia was sporadic, with titles taking forever to load and constantly buffering. Browsing and streaming were noticeably smoother on my Windows laptop than they were previously. The 17% average speed loss we calculated in our latest tests of Surfshark's speeds is a monumental improvement over the 40% speed loss we calculated in February 2023. We ran 600 individual speed tests on Surfshark's global VPN servers to calculate a 17% average speed loss across servers, devices and protocols. In November 2023, we tested Surfshark's speeds from Ohio and Kentucky to servers in New York, the UK, Australia, Germany, France and Singapore, connecting through OpenVPN and WireGuard on Mac and Windows devices. In our latest speed tests, Surfshark was reminiscent of a Formula One racer, keeping pace with other speedsters like NordVPN and ExpressVPN. Surfshark rebounded tremendously from our previous speed tests, where it underwhelmed as an inconsistent slowpoke, sputtering along like a boxy 1989 minivan attempting to merge onto the highway. I'm thoroughly impressed with Surfshark's speed improvements over the past year. Surfshark is an excellent budget-friendly VPN Sarah Tew/CNET Speed: A massive improvement over earlier speeds Because of Surfshark's overall progress, I recommend it as a solid, budget-friendly alternative to NordVPN and ExpressVPN. Sure, there are still opportunities to grow and get better - for example, I'd like to see a more concerted and deliberate push toward increased transparency from Surfshark. ![]() I found that Surfshark isn't just one of the best providers available, but it's continuously improving. I combed through Surfshark's Privacy Policy and analyzed its recent no-logs audit report. I tested for leaks and assessed Surfshark's streaming capabilities across platforms and various streaming services. I tried Surfshark on various platforms, including MacOS, Windows, iOS, Android and Amazon Fire TV Stick. With the help of CNET's lab testing team in Kentucky, we ran hundreds of speed tests on Surfshark's worldwide servers to benchmark its performance. I evaluated Surfshark's VPN offering through extensive hands-on testing, research and conversations with Surfshark's team via email and video conference. It also made impressive strides in terms of privacy and speed since my last review. Surfshark is easy to use, boasts tons of features and is excellent for streaming. Surfshark offers tremendous value if you're willing to lock in for a year at a time, with its longer-term plans being considerably cheaper than other top players like ExpressVPN and NordVPN. If you want a well-rounded VPN solution that ranks as one of the best VPNs on the market but you don't want to pay a premium, consider Surfshark.
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