Surfshark
NordVPN's cheaper sister: unlimited devices, RAM-only servers, four UK cities, Deloitte-audited, a London dedicated IP add-on, all sold on a £2.19-a-month headline that is ex VAT, A/B-tested, and renews at £6.10, a 179% step; no device-to-device network, a USD-only team plan with no fixed IP, and a US auto-renewal class action on the record.
How we testSurfshark (Surfshark B.V., Amsterdam, but governed by British Virgin Islands law; founded 2018; merged into the Nord Security group on 1 February 2022 while keeping separate infrastructure) is the volume brand of the category, and technically it is sound: 4,500-plus RAM-only servers in 100 countries with London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow in the UK, unlimited simultaneous devices, kill switch, Bypasser split tunnelling, CleanWeb ad and tracker blocking, Dynamic MultiHop and a rotating-IP option on its Nexus network, obfuscated servers, apps for every platform including Linux, and Deloitte ISAE 3000 no-logs reports in January 2023 and June 2025, available to customers in the app. Dedicated IP is a paid add-on with London among 20 locations, non-refundable, renewing at £33.24 a year for UK customers; a shared Static IP option also exists. There is no device-to-device or mesh feature: searches of Surfshark's site turn up only Nexus and router guides. Surfshark for Teams is quoted in USD from $5.90 per user a month on a one-year commitment, five licences minimum, with an admin panel but no SSO or SCIM stated and, by Surfshark's own FAQ, no dedicated IP.
The pricing is where the care is needed. Prices shown to a UK visitor on 7 September 2026 are ex VAT with "(VAT may apply)": the One plan is £13.79 month-to-month, £2.79 a month on "1 year + 3 months" (£41.85) and £2.19 a month on "2 years + 3 months" (£59.13 for 27 months, £70.96 at checkout once VAT is added). Every long plan renews as a 12-month plan "at the full price": One at £73.24 a year, or £6.10 a month, a 179% step from the intro rate, and Surfshark's renewal-price page reserves "the right to conduct A/B price testing". We saw £1.99 and £2.19 for the same plan the same day. Refunds are 30 days and exclude renewals, which is precisely the dominant theme in the one-star reviews: Trustpilot is 4.3 on 31,182 invited reviews, 9% one-star, almost all auto-renewal charges and refused refunds. A US class action, Garcia v. Surfshark B.V., filed in California in July 2025, alleges auto-renewal-law violations on the same pattern. The UK ASA upheld two complaints, in April 2022 and January 2023, about violent ad content, not pricing. Surfshark sells through multiple affiliate networks at 40% revenue share; Saaskly has no link.
Not yet tested by Saaskly: assessed on published pricing, documentation and third-party reviews.
Pros
- +Unlimited devices, RAM-only servers, four UK cities, Deloitte-audited no-logs
- +Dynamic MultiHop, rotating IP, obfuscation, CleanWeb; London dedicated IP add-on
- +Cheapest month-to-month among the big brands once you ignore the intro maths
Cons
- −Headline is ex VAT and A/B-tested; the 27-month deal renews at £6.10/mo, a 179% step
- −No device-to-device network; Teams plan is USD-only, quote-based, no fixed IP, no SSO
- −Renewal refunds excluded; Trustpilot one-stars and a 2025 US class action are about exactly that; BVI governing law
Pricing
Minimum commitment: £59.13 (£2.19/mo × 1 seat × 27 months). The least you can spend before walking away; excludes numbers, minutes and add-ons.
One (2-year + 3 months)
£13.79/mo · month-to-month
£2.19/mo on an annual commitment
Month-to-month costs 530% more
- ✓Per account, unlimited devices; £59.13 ex VAT for 27 months (£70.96 inc), then renews yearly at £73.24 (£6.10/mo); Starter £1.79/mo → £58.45/yr; One+ £3.29/mo → £88.04/yr; GBP ex VAT as shown to a UK visitor 7 Sep 2026; Dedicated IP from $3.75/mo, UK renewal £33.24/yr; Teams from $5.90/user/mo, 5 seats.
Specifications
| Rating | 3.3 |
| Month-to-month | £13.79/mo |
| Longest plan, per month | £2.19/mo (27-month term) |
| Renewal, per month | £6.10/mo |
| Renewal premium* | 179% |
| Pricing pattern | Intro discount |
| Type | Privacy VPN |
| Jurisdiction | Netherlands (entity); British Virgin Islands (governing law) |
| Owner | Nord Security |
| No-logs audit | Deloitte, 2025 (summary only) |
| Devices | Unlimited |
| Fixed IP | Paid add-on: £2.77/mo, UK available |
| Device-to-device network | Not offered |
| WireGuard | ✓ |
| Port forwarding | No |
| UK servers | ✓ |
| Business plan | ✓ |
| SSO | No |
| Linux client | ✓ |
| Open-source apps | No |
| API | No |
| MCP server | No |
| Trustpilot (reviews)† | 4.3 (31,182) |
| Intro term (months) | 27 |
| Countries | 100 |
| RAM-only servers | ✓ |
| Kill switch | ✓ |
| Split tunnelling | ✓ |
| Multi-hop | ✓ |
| Ad / tracker blocking | ✓ |
| Free tier | Trial only |
| Money-back (days) | 30 |
| 24/7 live chat | No |
| Support channels | Live chat, Ticket / email |
*Renewal premium: how much more the longest plan costs per month after its introductory term than during it, as a percentage of the intro rate. VPNs advertise the intro rate; you pay the renewal every term after. 0% means the advertised price is the real price. Prices are per month, effective (plan total ÷ months), as shown to a UK visitor on the research date, in the currency the vendor bills UK customers in; see each profile for the VAT basis.
†Trustpilot: uk.trustpilot.com TrustScore and review count on the research date. Three cells are weak signals and are shown for completeness: Cloudflare (1.4) is mostly non-customers blocked by CAPTCHAs on other companies' websites and no review mentions WARP; Tailscale (23 reviews) and Mullvad (186) are tiny unprompted samples. NordLayer has no Trustpilot profile, so its cell is blank.
Researched and drafted with AI assistance; reviewed and approved by Tim Meredith. How we use AI
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