NordVPN vs Surfshark: logging rules, renewal bills and how many devices you get

NordVPN is the better pick if privacy is your main concern: it scores 5.58 of 10 against Surfshark's 5.30, and its two winning areas, privacy and security, count for more in the total than Surfshark's three wins. Surfshark still takes price, network and platforms, so if your budget or your device count decides for you, the gap barely matters.

The privacy gap: a 15-minute IP record and a Nine Eyes address

Two facts separate the policies. Surfshark's own privacy policy states it keeps the connection IP together with the user ID and timestamps for a short window, deleting it within 15 minutes after the session; NordVPN's policy says it does not collect the connection IP at all. The second fact is jurisdiction. NordVPN, run by nordvpn S.A. in Panama City with Nord Security as its parent company, sits outside the 5, 9 and 14 Eyes alliances, while Surfshark B.V. (KvK 81967985) sits in Amsterdam, a Nine Eyes country.

Both publish a transparency report, both had their no-logs policy audited independently (NordVPN five times since 2018, Surfshark by Deloitte), and neither publishes a warrant canary. Surfshark's retention list is longer elsewhere too: account data for 2 years after the last login, support records for 6, payment records for 10, plus analytics through AppsFlyer and Firebase. NordVPN erases last-session details within 15 minutes of the session ending and keeps a flag showing whether the account used the service in the last 90 days.

Security: post-quantum and a bug bounty on one side, outside audits on the other

NordVPN publishes more of the hardening list: post-quantum encryption in all apps, its own Private DNS for leak protection, a HackerOne bug bounty and two in-house protocols (NordLynx on WireGuard, NordWhisper for restricted networks). Surfshark does not publish DNS leak protection, post-quantum encryption or a bug bounty, but it wins points back with audits NordVPN does not list: Deloitte for no-logs and infrastructure, Cure53 for infrastructure. Both share kill switch, WireGuard, OpenVPN, RAM-only servers, two-factor sign-in and multi-hop; Surfshark also lists IKEv2.

What 27 months cost and what the second bill looks like

The last column is where the pricing story turns. NordVPN's Basic renews at 3.3 times its intro rate, the main reason its price score sits far below Surfshark's. Surfshark publishes no renewal amount at all, so the real second bill is unknown; set a reminder before month 27 and check the rate yourself. In euro conversion the cheapest rates come to €3.00 versus €2.14, and Surfshark's top plan costs the same as NordVPN's mid tier.

Higher tiers add extras: NordVPN Complete and Prime bundle antivirus, a password manager and 1 TB encrypted storage, with Prime adding identity theft insurance and credit monitoring. Surfshark One covers antivirus and Alert, One+ adds Incogni; no password manager or cloud storage exists on its side.

Trial, refund limits and paying without a card

Surfshark offers a 7-day trial (the trial terms are spelled out on our page), but only on 12- and 24-month plans, with a card, PayPal or Apple Pay attached and an automatic charge after the week ends. NordVPN skips the trial and leans on its 30-day money-back guarantee. Surfshark's refund carries more exclusions: one per service, no recurring payments, gift or prepaid cards. Both take cards, PayPal and crypto, and both let you cancel auto-renewal from your account. If you'd rather keep a bank card out of it entirely, NordVPN sells prepaid cards at retailers and takes BTC, ETH, LTC and a stablecoin; Surfshark accepts crypto through Coingate but no cash.

More servers or faster ports, and apps for routers and TVs

NordVPN's map is larger (150 countries, 7,115 servers against Surfshark's 100 and 4,500+), yet Surfshark edges the network score because it lists 10 Gbps servers and NordVPN does not publish any. On platforms Surfshark leads clearly: 12 against 9, adding router, Fire TV and game console apps, plus unlimited simultaneous devices under fair use where NordVPN caps at 10. Censorship bypass is level at 1.9 because obfuscation is the only scored feature for both (obfuscated servers plus NordWhisper against NoBorders mode).

NordVPN and Surfshark FAQ

Is Surfshark faster than NordVPN?

Unknown here: VPNRadarLab scores published documents and runs no speed tests. NordVPN cites 800+ Mbps from third-party tests; Surfshark advertises 10 Gbps ports.

Does either one promise streaming access?

No named platform appears in either provider's pages.

Which suits torrent users?

NordVPN slightly: it lists dedicated P2P servers and offers port forwarding via a dedicated IP, which improves seeding. Surfshark marks P2P servers but does not publish port forwarding.

How many devices can one subscription cover?

Ten on NordVPN; Surfshark sets no fixed limit under fair usage (3 during the trial).

Where each one makes sense

• Privacy-first buyer: NordVPN, for the no-connection-IP policy and a Panama jurisdiction.
• Household with a router, Fire TV and many devices: Surfshark, for unlimited connections and wider platform coverage.
• Tight budget for the first two years: Surfshark, once you verify the unpublished renewal rate before it lands.