Surfshark alternatives for more privacy, a cheaper bill or a card-free test

Each complaint about Surfshark points to a different replacement: X-VPN for privacy, LunoVPN for anonymous sign-up, Private Internet Access or Hide.me for a predictable bill, the free plans of X-VPN and Hide.me for a card-free test. Three of eleven rivals outscore it overall, and none beats it on censorship bypass.

Privacy and blocked networks: the two scores that hold Surfshark back

Platforms (9.0), network (7.2) and unlimited devices are where Surfshark collects points. Privacy at 4.4 and bypass at 1.9 drag the total down.

Ten of the eleven alternatives outrank Surfshark on privacy; on bypass the ceiling is a tie.

Leaving the 9 Eyes and the 15-minute record

The Dutch registration costs Surfshark most of the alliance points, since the Netherlands sits in the 9 Eyes. Its privacy policy also has it store your account ID, connection IP and timestamps for up to 15 minutes after each session. A Deloitte audit and a transparency report win back some credit; the site gives zero for unpublished items such as a warrant canary or a proven court case. The full logging picture is laid out on VPNRadarLab.

On privacy, X-VPN is the strongest move on the page: Singapore-based, outside every alliance, and it says it keeps neither the connecting IP nor the session times. LunoVPN's sign-up is the most anonymous, with a random 16-digit account number and Monero, but it is registered in the USA. NordVPN is registered in Panama, outside the alliances, and its security score (7.1) beats Surfshark's 6.1; separately, it keeps last-session information for up to 15 minutes after a session, just as Surfshark does. Moving between Private Internet Access, ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN keeps you with the same parent company, Kape Technologies, and nothing more.

Paying less now, and knowing the second bill

Surfshark charges $2.49 a month on the two-year deal, $15.45 rolling, with no published renewal price. Six rivals undercut the long rate.

If the hidden second bill is the worry, Private Internet Access renews at the same price and refunds within 30 days of a renewal, and Hide.me promises every plan renews at the same price and duration. Month-to-month, LunoVPN's $3.99 beats Surfshark's rolling rate by more than three times.

Testing without a card: free plans, short trials and longer refunds

Surfshark's 7-day trial requires a 12- or 24-month plan plus a card, PayPal or Apple Pay on file, and it bills itself automatically after the week. X-VPN and Hide.me both run free plans: 26 free regions with ads, or unlimited data on 8 locations with one device. CyberGhost allows 45 days for refunds on plans of six months or longer.

Port forwarding for torrent and home-server users

Surfshark runs P2P servers but does not publish port forwarding, which matters for seeding or self-hosting. LunoVPN and Hide.me include it, PureVPN sells it as an add-on from $1.49 a month, FastestVPN at $1.20, and NordVPN routes it through a dedicated IP.

Censored networks: no gain from switching

Seven alternatives score exactly Surfshark's 1.9 on bypass and four score 0.0; none scores higher. None of the eleven publishes VLESS Reality, Trojan, Shadowsocks or Hysteria2. Hide.me at least offers StealthGuard and SoftEther for hostile networks. Switching here buys you nothing.

Reasons to keep Surfshark

Unlimited devices, apps for consoles and routers, 4,500+ servers across 100 countries and 24/7 chat. Few rivals match that combination.

Before you cancel Surfshark

Is Surfshark Alternative ID another VPN?

No. It is Surfshark's own identity-protection add-on (with Alert and, on One+, Incogni), not a VPN, and it sits outside the refund.

Which alternative takes cash or crypto without an email?

NordVPN accepts cash via retail prepaid cards; LunoVPN takes Monero and logs you in with an account number.

Does any alternative claim streaming Surfshark does not?

FastestVPN names a Netflix USA server, X-VPN claims Netflix and BBC iPlayer, VeePN shows a Netflix logo. The score counts what providers assert; Surfshark asserts nothing, so it collects no streaming points.

Where to land, gap by gap

• Privacy and no stored IP: X-VPN.
• Anonymous sign-up: LunoVPN.
• Cheapest long deal: FastestVPN.
• A renewal you can see in advance: Private Internet Access or Hide.me.
• Free testing: X-VPN or Hide.me.
• For censored networks, moving brings no benefit.