Affiliate disclosure: VPN Vetted is reader-supported. Some links below are affiliate links (marked “sponsored”): if you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We rank and recommend by published price, refund terms and audits, never by commission. Surfshark and NordVPN both belong to Nord Security (they merged under one holding company in 2022 and say they operate independently); Proton VPN is part of Proton AG and is not related to either. We hold them all to the same criteria.
Surfshark and Proton VPN prices and offer terms checked October 23, 2026, between 01:11 and 01:14 BRT, on the official US pages, in USD, before tax.
Verdict in 30 seconds
Pick Surfshark if you have many devices or a family to cover. Every Surfshark plan lists unlimited devices, and the 2-year Starter and One plans cost $67.23 for the first 27 months, the lowest upfront bill in this comparison.
Pick Proton VPN if you want a free plan, a public audit report and a flat renewal. Proton VPN Free costs $0 on one device. VPN Plus covers 10 devices and renews at $83.88 a year, close to its intro bill. Its 2026 no-logs report is public, and it is based in Switzerland.
Our opinion: Surfshark wins on devices and short-term price; Proton wins on transparency and price predictability. Both offer a 30-day money-back guarantee on paid plans.
Side-by-side table
| Surfshark | Proton VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Company and base | Surfshark B.V., Amsterdam, Netherlands; part of Nord Security since 2022 | Proton AG, Geneva, Switzerland |
| Entry paid plan (2-year intro) | Starter: $2.49/mo, $67.23 for the first 27 months | VPN Plus: $3.49/mo, $83.76 for the first 24 months |
| Published renewal (entry plan) | $79.00/year (1-year term) | $83.88/year |
| Monthly plan (entry) | $18.95 standard rate | $9.99 |
| Free plan | None on the pricing page | Yes: 1 device, servers in 10 randomly selected countries |
| Devices (paid) | Unlimited | 10 at once |
| Refund window | 30 days from signing up | 30 days from purchase |
| Latest no-logs check | Deloitte, ISAE 3000, announced June 16, 2025 | Securitum, fifth consecutive annual audit, 2026 report public |
| Report access | In the Surfshark account | Published openly |
| Kill switch | Yes, soft and strict modes | Yes |
| Multi-server routing | Dynamic MultiHop | Secure Core (all paid plans) |
| Bundles | One (antivirus, Alert, Search, Alternative ID), One+ (adds identity theft coverage, Incogni) | Proton Unlimited (Pass, Mail, Calendar, Drive) |
| Network size (provider’s claim) | 4,500+ servers in 100 countries | 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026, 01:11–01:14 BRT | Oct 23, 2026, 01:12 BRT |
Sources: surfshark.com/pricing, surfshark.com/terms-of-service/pricing, protonvpn.com/pricing and the support and audit pages listed at the end. US view, USD. Taxes are extra where they apply.
Check Surfshark price · Check Proton VPN price
Devices and family use
This is the clearest difference. Surfshark’s pricing page lists unlimited devices on Starter, One and One+. The only limit it mentions is for its free trial, which works on 3 devices until the trial ends. If you protect several phones, laptops and tablets on one subscription, that matters more than any other row in the table.
Proton VPN Plus and Proton Unlimited cover 10 devices at once, per Proton’s compare table. That is enough for most households. Proton VPN Free covers 1 device.
If device count is your main need, see our best VPN for multiple devices guide.
Privacy and audits
Surfshark. On June 16, 2025, Surfshark announced that Deloitte had verified its no-logs policy again, in an assurance engagement under the ISAE 3000 standard. Surfshark says the review covered its standard, static and multiport servers. The report is available to customers in their Surfshark account, not openly. Surfshark B.V. is registered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Since the 2022 merger it shares a holding company with NordVPN; both companies say they remain autonomous, with separate infrastructures.
Proton VPN. Proton AG is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and says it is not obligated to keep connection logs under Swiss law. Its no-logs audit page (updated June 16, 2026) reports a fifth consecutive annual audit, by Securitum, and the 2026 report is published openly. Securitum’s report says the evidence reviewed “did not indicate that the examined Proton VPN server infrastructure logs users’ browsing activity, DNS queries, destination services, network traffic contents or user-identifiable connection metadata.” Proton’s pricing page says its apps are 100% open source.
Extra routing. Surfshark’s Dynamic MultiHop sends traffic through two VPN servers. Proton’s Secure Core, on all paid plans, routes traffic through Proton servers in Iceland, Switzerland or Sweden first, which Proton says protects against a monitored exit server.
Kill switch. Surfshark offers soft and strict kill switch modes, both system-level, on iOS, macOS, Android, Windows and Linux. Proton lists Kill Switch on its paid plans and on the free plan.
Our opinion: both have independent no-logs checks; Proton is easier to verify before you buy because its report is public.
Free plan vs money-back guarantee
Proton VPN Free costs $0 with no credit card required: 1 device, medium speed and servers in 10 randomly selected countries. Proton says it has no ads and no data limits. For encrypting one laptop on public Wi-Fi, it is a real option.
Surfshark has no free plan on its pricing page. It offers a 30-day money-back guarantee: “you can ask for a refund within 30 days of signing up.” It also mentions a free trial limited to 3 devices; we could not find the trial’s length or eligibility on the pricing page, so check before relying on it.
Proton’s paid plans carry a 30-day refund too. Proton’s terms say to cancel and request the refund within 30 days of the initial purchase. Cash and bank-transfer payments are not refundable, and a refund can be requested only once per user.
Bundles: Surfshark One vs Proton plans
Surfshark’s terms of service pricing page lists what each plan contains:
- Starter: VPN, Alternative ID.
- One: VPN, Antivirus, Alert, Search, Alternative ID.
- One+: everything in One, plus Identity theft coverage and Incogni.
Surfshark’s pricing page adds that identity theft coverage is up to $1,000,000 for US residents except New York (underwritten by HSB), and that Incogni is available to US, UK, EU, Swiss and Canadian residents. The pricing page also lists an ad blocker and a cookie pop-up blocker among Surfshark’s VPN features.
Proton’s plans:
- Proton VPN Free: VPN on 1 device.
- VPN Plus: VPN on 10 devices, ad, tracker and malware blocking (NetShield), Secure Core, priority support.
- Proton Unlimited: VPN Plus features plus Proton Pass, Mail, Calendar and Drive.
Our opinion: Surfshark One is the security-suite pick (antivirus, breach alerts), while Proton Unlimited is the privacy-suite pick (encrypted email, storage and password manager). Choose by the extras you will actually use.
Price: intro vs renewal
| Plan (2-year intro) | You pay upfront | First term | Published renewal | Monthly plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surfshark Starter | $67.23 | 27 months (24 + 3 extra) | $79.00/year | $18.95 |
| Surfshark One | $67.23 | 27 months | $99.00/year | $19.95 |
| Surfshark One+ | $107.73 | 27 months | $119.00/year | $22.85 |
| Proton VPN Plus | $83.76 | 24 months | $83.88/year | $9.99 |
| Proton Unlimited | $191.76 | 24 months | $119.88/year | $12.99 |
Surfshark’s renewal figures come from its terms of service pricing page, which lists standard prices before taxes and says 2-year plans renew for a 1-year term. Surfshark says it emails a renewal reminder 30 days before the charge (except on 1-month plans) and that it may test different prices with different users. The monthly column shows Surfshark’s standard monthly rates from that page and Proton’s monthly price from its pricing page.
Intro plus one year of renewal (our arithmetic, before tax):
- Surfshark Starter: $67.23 + $79.00 = $146.23 for 39 months (about $3.75 a month).
- Surfshark One: $67.23 + $99.00 = $166.23 for 39 months (about $4.26 a month).
- Proton VPN Plus: $83.76 + $83.88 = $167.64 for 36 months (about $4.66 a month).
- Surfshark One+: $107.73 + $119.00 = $226.73 for 39 months (about $5.81 a month).
- Proton Unlimited: $191.76 + $119.88 = $311.64 for 36 months (about $8.66 a month).
After the first term, the yearly bills are close: Surfshark Starter $79.00, Proton VPN Plus $83.88. Surfshark is cheaper over three years, mainly because of the low intro bill.
Black Friday. Surfshark’s pricing page labels the One plan a “Black Friday deal” and shows a banner for it. We did not find an end date on the official pages we read, so we don’t give one. Check the checkout page before you pay.
Who should pick which
- Many devices or a family: Surfshark (unlimited devices).
- Lowest upfront cost: Surfshark Starter or One, $67.23 for 27 months.
- You want antivirus and breach alerts in one subscription: Surfshark One.
- Privacy-first, with a public audit report: Proton VPN Plus. Our opinion.
- Encrypted email and storage too: Proton Unlimited.
- You pay nothing: Proton VPN Free, on one device.
Comparing with NordVPN? Read our NordVPN vs Proton VPN comparison, or our NordVPN vs Surfshark guide (same parent group). For more on Proton alone, see our Proton VPN review; on a budget, see the best cheap VPN picks. On the law, see is using a VPN legal in the US.
Pros and cons
Surfshark
- Pros: Unlimited devices; lowest intro bill here ($67.23 for 27 months); Starter renews at $79.00/year; antivirus and breach alerts in One; Deloitte no-logs check; 30-day refund.
- Cons: No free plan; report only inside the account; Black Friday end date not published on the pages we read; may test different prices; shares a parent group with NordVPN.
Proton VPN
- Pros: Free plan; public 2026 Securitum report; Swiss base; open-source apps; VPN Plus renewal close to the intro bill; Secure Core on paid plans; cheaper monthly plan ($9.99).
- Cons: 10-device cap; higher upfront bill than Surfshark; free plan limited to one device; no refunds for cash or bank-transfer payments.
How we evaluated
We read only official pages for Surfshark and Proton VPN: pricing, terms of service pricing, refund and cancellation terms, support articles, audit announcements and ownership pages. We recorded the date and time in BRT and read the US/USD view of each pricing page. We did not run our own speed, leak or hands-on tests, and nothing here is a test result. Opinions are marked as opinions. This is general information, not legal advice.
FAQ
Is Surfshark or Proton VPN better?
It depends on your priority. Surfshark is better for many devices and the lowest upfront price. Proton VPN is better for a free plan, a public audit report and open-source apps. Our opinion: families pick Surfshark; privacy-first solo users pick Proton.
Does Surfshark have a free plan?
No. Surfshark’s pricing page lists no free plan. It offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and mentions a free trial limited to 3 devices. Proton VPN has a free plan for 1 device.
How many devices can I use with each?
Surfshark: unlimited on every paid plan. Proton VPN: 10 at once on VPN Plus and Unlimited, 1 on Free.
Which is cheaper after the first term?
They are close. Surfshark Starter renews at $79.00 a year and Proton VPN Plus at $83.88 a year, before tax (checked October 23, 2026). Surfshark One renews at $99.00 a year.
Are both audited no-logs VPNs?
Yes. Surfshark’s no-logs policy was verified by Deloitte under ISAE 3000 (announced June 16, 2025). Proton’s fifth consecutive annual audit was done by Securitum, and the 2026 report is public.
Verdict
Surfshark wins on devices and upfront price: unlimited devices and $67.23 for 27 months. Proton VPN wins on transparency and predictability: a free plan, a public audit report and a renewal close to the intro bill. Both refund within 30 days.
Check Surfshark price · Check Proton VPN price
Sources (official pages, checked on October 23, 2026)
- Surfshark, pricing (US view): https://surfshark.com/pricing (01:11 BRT)
- Surfshark, terms of service, pricing and renewal: https://surfshark.com/terms-of-service/pricing (01:14 BRT)
- Surfshark, Deloitte no-logs verification (June 16, 2025): https://surfshark.com/blog/deloitte-nologs-policy-verified-again
- Surfshark, kill switch: https://surfshark.com/features/kill-switch
- Surfshark, merger with Nord Security: https://surfshark.com/blog/surfshark-merges-with-nord-security
- Surfshark, about us (company and address): https://surfshark.com/about-us
- Proton VPN, pricing (US view): https://protonvpn.com/pricing (01:12 BRT)
- Proton VPN, no-logs audit (updated June 16, 2026): https://protonvpn.com/blog/no-logs-audit
- Proton VPN Support, Secure Core: https://protonvpn.com/support/secure-core-vpn
- Proton VPN Support, NetShield: https://protonvpn.com/support/netshield
- Proton VPN Support, cancel a subscription and refunds: https://protonvpn.com/support/cancel-vpn-subscription
- Proton, Terms of Service (refunds): https://proton.me/legal/terms