4 alternatives comparedLast verified 2026-04-21 Live pricing
Looking for an alternative to Surfshark?
Whether you need better pricing, different features, or a tool that fits your workflow,
we've compared 4 verified vpn alternatives below.
Every price is checked daily against vendor pages — no stale data, no guesswork.
Prices in USD, verified from the United States. Regional pricing may vary.
Mullvad is the anti-marketing VPN. €5/month flat — same price whether you pay monthly, annually, or for a decade. No promos, no 'first-term discount,' no renewal shock. They've held this pricing since 2009. If you want a VPN that doesn't try to manipulate you, Mullvad is the only option.
Flat €5/month — same price whether monthly, annual, or decade commitment. No promos, no manipulation
No email required to sign up — account is just a number, maximum privacy
DAITA (Defense Against AI-guided Traffic Analysis) — unique anti-surveillance feature
Proton VPN is the most ethically-positioned VPN — built by the team behind ProtonMail, all apps open-source, based in Switzerland with no data retention requirements. The Free tier is genuinely usable (1 device, 10 countries, medium speed). Proton Unlimited at $9.99/mo annual bundles VPN + Mail + Drive (500GB) + Password Manager — replaces ~4 other subscriptions.
Only VPN in this comparison with a legitimately useful free tier — 1 device, real speed, 10 countries
All apps open-source — you can audit the code for backdoors, telemetry, or logging
Switzerland jurisdiction has the strongest privacy protections in the category
NordVPN is the most-marketed VPN in the world and generally delivers on the core product: fast servers, reliable streaming unlocks, mature apps. The Basic 2-year plan at $3.09/mo is one of the cheapest serious VPN rates — but it's first-term promo pricing that renews at $12.99/mo. Plus and Complete tiers bundle password manager and cloud storage respectively.
7000+ servers across 118 countries — largest network in this comparison
Streaming access (Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer) is consistently reliable — best in category
Third-party audited no-logs policy — provides real credibility vs claims-only competitors
ExpressVPN is the premium VPN — consistently most expensive, consistently most reliable. 2-year at $6.67/mo is 2x NordVPN's equivalent tier ($3.09) but you're paying for RAM-only servers, proprietary Lightway protocol, and unmatched streaming reliability. For non-technical users who want it to just work, ExpressVPN is the safe choice.
RAM-only server architecture — no persistent data to seize even if servers are compromised
Lightway protocol is faster than OpenVPN and has shipped more feature improvements than WireGuard in 2025-2026
Most consistent streaming service unlocks — Netflix, Disney+, BBC iPlayer work reliably across 20+ regions