Surfshark VPN vs. PrivadoVPN 2024: Battle of the Budget VPNs

Virtual private network (VPN) users are spoiled for choice these days, with tons of options available at every price point and features to suit almost any need. Surfshark VPN offers an excellent feature set and solid performance at a very affordable price, while PrivadoVPN is available for $1.48/mo (billed every two years), making it a true bargain.

In this comparison, we’ll help you decide whether that super-low price is worth the tradeoffs.

Surfshark VPN vs. PrivadoVPN at a glance

Comparing Surfshark VPN and PrivadoVPN comes down to one thing: price. Surfshark is a bit more expensive (although still very affordable), but you get more features and performance.

PrivadoVPN is more affordable — it’s one of the cheapest VPNs on the market — but you don’t get quite the same level of performance, server choices, or extra features that Surfshark offers.

• Surfshark VPN: Best overall value and performance
• PrivadoVPN: Best for users on a tight budget

How do Surfshark VPN and PrivadoVPN compare?

Price	From $1.99/mo (billed every two years)	From $1.48/mo (billed every two years)
Max # of connected devices	Unlimited	Unlimited
24/7 customer support
Compatibility	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS,and more	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS,and more
# of servers	3,200+ servers in 100 countries	Unlisted in 48 countries
VPN protocol	OpenVPN, IKEv2, WireGuard	OpenVPN, IKEv2, WireGuard, SOCKS5
No-logs policy	No logs	No logs
Unblocks Netflix?
Learn more	Get Surfshark VPN Read Surfshark VPN Review	Get PrivadoVPN Read PrivadoVPN Review

Surfshark VPN pros and cons

Surfshark is one of the best VPNs on the market. It performs very well, maintaining speeds better than many competitors in our testing. It also allows unlimited simultaneous device connections, which is almost unheard of in the VPN world.

Surfshark offers a slew of useful features, such as a rotating IP, which changes your IP address automatically every 5-10 minutes, and the CleanWeb ad blocker. It also has a strict no-logs policy and is a great streaming VPN.

Best of all, it’s one of the most affordable VPNs on the market, coming in as low as $1.99/mo (billed every two years)

Surfshark’s main downside is that it’s headquartered in the Netherlands, which is part of the Nine Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance. This means there’s the potential for your data to be shared with other countries if there’s a need.

Granted, with no logs, there shouldn’t be anything to share, but it’s still worth noting.

PrivadoVPN pros and cons

PrivadoVPN is a relatively new VPN option, having been founded in 2019. Its main claim to fame is the price. PrivadoVPN is perfect for users looking to save money on a VPN, for as little as $1.48/mo (billed every two years).

It also offers a limited free plan, which is nice for testing out the service. Very light users could potentially get away with using the free plan long term.

Aside from the low price point, PrivadoVPN also offers a simple plan structure. Unlike Surfshark, there’s just one plan, so all you need to decide is how long you want to commit: 1 month, 1 year, or 2 years.

PrivadoVPN allows unlimited simultaneous connections and is compatible with all the most popular platforms.

PrivadoVPN’s biggest disadvantage is the relatively low server count. The company advertises “hundreds of servers” across 48 countries, while many competitors boast thousands of VPN servers.

On the upside, they’re all physical servers, which tend to be more reliable and secure than virtual ones.

Surfshark VPN vs. PrivadoVPN: prices

		Our Pick
Price range	$1.99–$17.95/mo	Free–$10.99/mo
Best value plan	24-month Surfshark One plan for $2.49/mo (billed every two years)	24-month plan for $1.48/mo (billed every two years)
Money-back guarantee	Yes — 30 days	Yes — 30 days
Learn more	Get Surfshark VPN Read Surfshark VPN Review	Get PrivadoVPN Read PrivadoVPN Review

Surfshark starts at a modest $1.99/mo (billed every two years) for the 2-year Surfshark Starter plan and can run as high as $20.65/mo for a 1-month subscription to Surfshark One+ (all the Surfshark features and extras, plus the Incogni data removal tool).

The monthly subscriptions are far more expensive than the yearly or 2-year options and really only make sense if you’re testing the VPN but aren’t ready to commit. The 2-year Surfshark One plan is the best Surfshark value, in our opinion — you get all the features except Incogni for a price that’s barely more than the base plan.

PrivadoVPN starts at $1.48/mo (billed every two years) for the 2-year plan and runs up to $10.99/mo for the month-to-month option. That’s obviously quite a bit lower than Surfshark, which is PrivadoVPN’s main selling point. The 2-year plan is also the best value by a large margin.

Both providers offer 30-day money-back guarantees, so you can give them a fair shot and request a refund if you’re not satisfied.

Both providers also have free trial options. Surfshark has a 7-day free trial available through the Apple Store and Google Play, and PrivadoVPN has a free tier you can try for as long as you want.

Payment options

Both Surfshark and PrivadoVPN offer a range of payment options. PrivadoVPN, in particular, accepts a ton of different payment methods.

This is important — VPNs are all about privacy, and some users are using them in highly sensitive situations.

Surfshark VPN payment options

• Credit or debit card
• PayPal
• Google Pay
• Amazon Pay
• Cryptocurrency

PrivadoVPN payment options

• Credit or debit card
• PayPal
• Cryptocurrency
• Other options, like Mint and Sofort

Which VPN is faster?

When testing VPNs, we pay special attention to their performance. Since they’re routing your traffic through additional servers, pretty much every VPN will slow your speed down somewhat. However, some cause more of a hit than others.

We run speed tests on our plain connection without the VPN. Then we run more speed tests connected to VPN servers in the same country and then also in other countries and continents to see how well things work. The table below shows how much of a performance hit each VPN had in each situation.

Server location	Our Pick
US	3.6% slower	18.3% slower
Canada	8.6% slower	22.5% slower
UK	9.1% slower	28.2% slower
AU	33.8% slower	27% slower
Learn more	Get Surfshark VPN Read Surfshark VPN Review	Get PrivadoVPN Read PrivadoVPN Review

Surfshark performed better in every test except Australia. PrivadoVPN didn’t do badly at all — these numbers are actually better than some competitors.

Note that in these tests, physical distance to the server makes a big difference, which is why the U.K. and Australian servers appear to perform so much worse — they’re further away from the test location (either the U.S. or Canada).

Surfshark

PrivadoVPN

Which VPN is more secure?

Feature	Our Pick
Number of servers	3,200+ servers in 100 countries	Unlisted in 48 countries
No-logs policy	No logs	No logs
VPN headquarters	The Netherlands	Switzerland
Encryption	AES-256 and ChaCha20	AES-256
VPN protocol	OpenVPN, IKEv2, WireGuard	OpenVPN, IKEv2, WireGuard, SOCKS5
Kill switch
Split tunneling
DNS leak protection
Ad blocker
Learn more	Get Surfshark VPN Read Surfshark VPN Review	Get PrivadoVPN Read PrivadoVPN Review

When it comes to security, there are a lot of similarities between Surfshark and PrivadoVPN. Both have strong no-logs policies, both offer good encryption and the same choice of VPN protocols, and both have features like a kill switch, split tunneling, and an ad blocker to ensure your browsing stays as private and secure as possible.

The main differences are in the server counts and VPN headquarters. Surfshark offers significantly more servers and countries, giving users more choices for where to route their traffic.

More servers also help with performance — if servers get overloaded, there are more to fall back on. We think this is a big deal and a potential reason to choose Surfshark over PrivadoVPN.

Headquarters is tricky. Surfshark is headquartered in the Netherlands, which is part of the Nine Eyes intelligence network. PrivadoVPN is headquartered in Switzerland, which has excellent data privacy laws and is not part of any intelligence alliance.

In theory, your data might be more secure with PrivadoVPN. In practice, they both have solid no-logs policies, so it’s not likely to be a huge issue for most users.

Speaking of no-logs policies, Surfshark’s policy has been audited and verified by Deloitte, an independent third party, so you can trust that it’s truly keeping no logs. PrivadoVPN has not had such an audit performed, so you’ll have to take the company’s word for it.

Surfshark VPN vs. PrivadoVPN: compatibility and customer support

Windows
macOS
Android
iOS
Linux
Routers
Smart devices
Browser extensions	Yes — Chrome, Firefox, Edge
24/7 customer support
Customer support options	Live chat, email, online guides	Email, online guides
Learn more	Get Surfshark VPN Read Surfshark VPN Review	Get PrivadoVPN Read PrivadoVPN Review

We didn’t have major problems with either interface in our testing — both are easy to use and reliable. Both also have compatibility with a good range of devices, including most of the popular platforms.

The main exception is PrivadoVPN’s lack of browser extensions, which are nice to have but not essential since most users are likely to have the VPN installed on their device anyway. PrivadoVPN also doesn’t offer a native Linux or router app at this time, but you can install it manually.

In terms of customer support, Surfshark offers more options, including live chat. PrivadoVPN seems to have dropped that option from its site, which is a shame. Your only real way to get help with PrivadoVPN is to open a support ticket.

That said, we used this method with PrivadoVPN to ask a question and received a response within a few hours, which isn’t bad. Both providers offer 24/7 support.

Surfshark VPN vs. PrivadoVPN FAQs

Is Surfshark VPN or PrivadoVPN better?

The answer to this question really depends on what you’re looking for in a VPN. Surfshark has a lot going for it — a low price, a solid feature set, unlimited connections, and a strict no-logs policy make it a great all-around choice.

PrivadoVPN falls a bit behind in most of these categories, but makes up for it with an even lower price, making it ideal for users who just want an affordable VPN, period.

If we have to crown a winner, it’s Surfshark. Surfshark’s price isn’t that much higher than PrivadoVPN’s, and for that tiny bump, you get a lot more for your money. It’s a fantastic VPN, and one we highly recommend.

Surfshark VPN vs. PrivadoVPN alternatives

You’ve got plenty of options if neither Surfshark nor PrivadoVPN meets your needs. We’ve tested a lot of VPNs, and three of our favorites are NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Proton VPN.

• NordVPN: Our favorite all-around, NordVPN has fast speeds and tons of features at an affordable price.
• ExpressVPN: It’s an excellent VPN with wide compatibility, but ExpressVPN is a bit pricier than most.
• Proton VPN: Proton VPN is an easy-to-use option from a highly privacy-focused company.

Best for	Best overall VPN, most reliable	Best for wide compatibility	Best speeds and free plan
Price	From $2.99/mo (billed every two years)	From $6.25/mo (billed annually)	From $2.99/mo (billed every two years)
Max # of connected devices	10	8	10
24/7 customer support
Compatibility	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Android TV, Apple TV	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, Chrome, Fire TV, Apple TV	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, Chrome, Firefox, Android TV
# of servers	6,300+ servers in 111 countries	Servers in 105 countries (exact number not specified)	4,900+ servers in 91 countries
VPN protocol	OpenVPN, NordLynx, IKEv2	Lightway, OpenVPN, IKEv2	OpenVPN, WireGuard, Stealth
No-logs policy	No logs	No logs	No logs
Unblocks Netflix?
Learn more	Get NordVPN Read NordVPN Review	Get ExpressVPN Read ExpressVPN Review	Get Proton VPN Read Proton VPN Review