Proton VPN vs Surfshark

At a Glance

Proton VPN and Surfshark represent two different theories of what a VPN subscription should be. From Geneva, Proton VPN treats it as a trust product: open-source apps, published audits, Swiss jurisdiction, and a free tier that exists to make privacy accessible rather than to upsell you. Surfshark treats it as a household utility: unlimited device connections, aggressive multi-year pricing, and a growing bundle of security extras stacked on top of the tunnel. Both are credible European providers in our VPN category, and both maintain audited no-logs policies. Which one fits depends on whether you are buying verifiable privacy or maximum coverage per euro.

Transparency and Trust Model

Here the two providers are not really playing the same game.

Proton VPN publishes every client application as open source under GPLv3, and independent auditors — SEC Consult and Securitum — have reviewed the code across Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. Its no-logs policy has been tested in Swiss legal proceedings, where Proton had no connection data to hand over. You do not have to take the company's word for anything; the evidence is inspectable.

Surfshark's trust posture is solid but conventional. Deloitte has independently audited its no-logs policy, all servers are RAM-only so data cannot persist across a reboot, and the company publishes a transparency report and a warrant canary. Those are genuine credentials that many VPN providers cannot match. What Surfshark does not offer is source code you can read. Its apps are closed, so verification stops at the auditor's report.

For most households that distinction is academic. To journalists, security professionals, or anyone whose threat model demands verification over attestation, it is the whole decision.

Edge: Proton VPN. Open code, published audits, and a court-tested no-logs record set a transparency bar Surfshark does not attempt to clear.

Pricing and the Free Tier

The free tier is Proton VPN's signature move. It offers unlimited data, no advertising, and the same no-logs policy as paid plans, limited to one device and servers in five randomly assigned countries, with no streaming or P2P. Nothing else in the mainstream VPN market matches it: you can run Proton VPN indefinitely without paying or handing over payment details. Paid plans, at our last verification in March 2026, listed VPN Plus at EUR 9.99 monthly or EUR 4.99 per month annually. Proton Unlimited, at EUR 9.99 per month annually, bundles the VPN with Mail, Drive, Calendar, and Pass. Proton loads current checkout prices dynamically, so confirm today's figures on its pricing page.

Surfshark has no free tier, and its monthly rate is forgettable. Its 24-month introductory pricing is not. As of August 2026, Surfshark lists Starter at EUR 2.49 per month, One at EUR 2.79, and One+ at EUR 4.49, each with three bonus months included. Those are among the lowest sustained prices in the premium VPN market, with the standard caveat that renewal rates run higher after the introductory period. A 30-day money-back guarantee stands in for a trial.

Both score 9.0 for value in our ratings, which captures the split honestly. Proton delivers value at zero euros; Surfshark delivers it at scale on long commitments.

Edge: Split. Proton VPN wins for anyone unwilling to commit money upfront. Surfshark wins on cost for anyone comfortable prepaying two years.

Devices and Household Coverage

Surfshark's unlimited simultaneous connections remain unique among major providers, and the feature does exactly what it promises. One subscription covers every phone, laptop, tablet, smart TV, and router in the building, which is why its per-device economics improve with every gadget you add. Router support and smart TV coverage extend that reach to devices that cannot run VPN apps at all.

Proton VPN allows 10 connections on paid plans and a single connection on the free tier. Ten is enough for most individuals and couples, but a full household with teenagers and a shelf of streaming hardware will feel the ceiling. There is no router-level workaround in Proton's official platform list, and no dedicated IP option for business use either.

Edge: Surfshark. For device-heavy households, unlimited connections is the deciding feature, and Proton has no answer to it.

Feature Philosophy: Privacy Engineering vs Security Bundle

Both stacks go beyond a basic tunnel, but they grow in different directions.

Proton VPN's standout features are privacy engineering. Secure Core relays every connection through Proton-run data centres in Switzerland, Iceland, and Sweden ahead of the exit hop, which strips the exit server of any view of where you actually connected from. Stealth protocol disguises VPN traffic on censored networks, NetShield blocks ads and trackers at the DNS level, and VPN Accelerator claws back speed on long-distance routes. Every feature answers the same question: how do we make surveillance harder?

Surfshark's stack answers a different question: what else can one subscription protect? CleanWeb handles DNS-level ad and malware blocking on every plan, MultiHop provides double-VPN routing, and rotating IP changes your address mid-session without disconnecting. Beyond the tunnel, the One suite adds antivirus, data-breach alerts, and webcam protection, while One+ folds in the Incogni data-removal service that files opt-out requests with data brokers. Surfshark's own product notes concede that some servers show inconsistent speeds, a fair trade against the breadth on offer.

Edge: Split. Proton VPN for depth of privacy engineering; Surfshark for breadth as an all-in-one security bundle.

Jurisdiction and Ownership

Proton AG operates under the Swiss Federal Data Protection Act, which imposes no mandatory data retention on VPN providers, and Switzerland belongs to none of the Five, Nine, or Fourteen Eyes intelligence alliances. The country is not an EU member, but it holds an EU adequacy decision, so data protection is recognised as equivalent. Proton remains an independent company, and the free tier is funded by its own paying subscribers rather than by an owner's balance sheet.

Surfshark B.V. is incorporated in Amsterdam, which puts it under Dutch law and GDPR — a real advantage the Swiss provider cannot claim, and one reason it scores 8.5 on EU compliance. The Netherlands also imposes no data retention mandate on VPN providers. One complication is corporate. Surfshark merged with Nord Security, NordVPN's parent, in 2022, and continues to operate independently from Amsterdam under that Lithuanian-owned umbrella. Still, the consolidation of two major VPN brands under one owner is a legitimate concern for anyone who values market competition. We cover that relationship directly in our NordVPN vs Surfshark comparison.

Edge: Proton VPN on independence and jurisdictional separation, scoring 9.5 for EU compliance against Surfshark's 8.5. Surfshark's EU incorporation is genuine, but its ownership story requires more trust.

When to Choose Proton VPN

Pick Proton VPN if your priority is privacy you can verify rather than privacy you are promised. The combination of open-source apps, published third-party audits, Swiss jurisdiction, and a no-logs policy proven in court is unmatched in this pairing, and arguably in the category. Anyone who wants to evaluate a VPN without spending money should start here too, because the free tier is a real product rather than a demo.

It also suits people already inside the Proton ecosystem. If Proton Mail is your inbox, the Unlimited bundle turns the VPN into an increment on a subscription you already justify. Accept the trade-offs going in: a 10-device ceiling, no dedicated IPs, and speeds that trail rivals on some routes.

When to Choose Surfshark

Pick Surfshark if you are protecting a household rather than a person. Unlimited simultaneous connections plus router and smart TV support means one cheap subscription covers everything with a network interface. No competitor in this comparison, or in our wider VPN category, undercuts its two-year pricing. The bundled antivirus, breach monitoring, and Incogni data removal can also replace tools you might otherwise pay for separately.

You should be comfortable with two compromises. Surfshark's apps are closed source, so its audited no-logs claims rest on attestation rather than inspection. And its 2022 merger with Nord Security means your budget challenger shares an owner with the market leader it once undercut — an arrangement we examine from NordVPN's side as well.

The Verdict

This comparison is unusually clean because the two products optimise for different buyers and barely pretend otherwise.

Surfshark edges the overall ratings, 8.4 to 8.2, on the strength of ease of use, support, and sheer value per device. As a household utility — many devices, low committed cost, security extras included — it is the more practical purchase, and its Dutch incorporation keeps it honestly European despite the Nord Security umbrella.

Proton VPN is the more principled product. It is the only serious VPN you can use free forever, and the only one in this pairing whose code you can read. Its jurisdiction and independence also hold up best under a hostile threat model. Those qualities cost something: fewer covered devices, no bundled antivirus, and paid pricing that Surfshark undercuts on long terms.

Buy Surfshark to protect a home. Choose Proton VPN to protect a principle — or to pay nothing at all while deciding whether you need either.

FAQ

Is Proton VPN or Surfshark better for privacy?

Proton VPN has the stronger privacy evidence. Its apps are open source and independently audited, its no-logs policy has been verified in Swiss legal proceedings, and Swiss law imposes no data retention on VPN providers. Surfshark's no-logs policy is independently audited by Deloitte and runs on RAM-only servers, which is credible, but its closed-source apps cannot be inspected directly.

Which is cheaper, Proton VPN or Surfshark?

Proton VPN is cheaper at zero commitment, because its free tier offers unlimited data on one device indefinitely. For paid coverage, Surfshark's 24-month introductory pricing — from EUR 2.49 per month for Starter as of August 2026, with three bonus months — undercuts Proton's paid plans, especially across multiple devices. Renewal rates rise after the introductory term.

Are Proton VPN and Surfshark both European companies?

Yes, with a distinction. Surfshark B.V. is incorporated in Amsterdam, making it an EU company under Dutch law and GDPR, though it has operated under Nord Security's Lithuanian-owned umbrella since their 2022 merger. Proton AG is Swiss, so it sits outside the EU but under Switzerland's strong federal privacy law, with an EU adequacy decision covering data transfers.

Does Surfshark really allow unlimited devices?

Yes. A single Surfshark subscription covers unlimited simultaneous connections, and the company still advertises this as of August 2026 — unique among major VPN providers. Proton VPN allows 10 simultaneous connections on paid plans and one on the free tier.

Can I try either VPN before paying?

Only Proton VPN can be used without paying at all: the free tier has no data cap, no ads, and no time limit. Surfshark has no free tier, so evaluation runs through its 30-day money-back guarantee instead.