Surfshark vs IPVanish (2026): Which Is Better?
Surfshark scores higher overall (8.8 vs 5.5). Below is every published figure for Surfshark, IPVanish, side by side — prices and what they renew at, refund terms, audits, jurisdiction and features. Speed and streaming are not there because neither has been measured by us.
Who wins each category
- Privacy & securitySurfsharkSurfshark 8.3 · IPVanish 3.5
- SpeedTieSurfshark 0.0 · IPVanish 0.0
- StreamingTieSurfshark 0.0 · IPVanish 0.0
- Apps & easeSurfsharkSurfshark 9.4 · IPVanish 7.0
- ValueSurfsharkSurfshark 9.0 · IPVanish 8.1
Sub-scores are provisional for Surfshark and IPVanish — published audits, jurisdiction and public record rather than our own measurement; see the review; weights are privacy & security 30%, speed 25%, streaming 15%, apps & ease 15%, value 15%. Methodology
Surfshark vs IPVanish: the numbers
| Surfshark | IPVanish | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 8.8provisional — not tested by us | 5.5provisional — not tested by us |
| Rank · badge | Not ranked · Unlimited devices | Not ranked · Native Fire TV app |
| 2-year price / mo | $2.49 | $2.49 |
| 1-year price / mo | $3.19 | $3.33 |
| Monthly price | $16.45 | $14.99 |
| Renewal | Billed $67.23 for the first 27 months, then renews at $79.00 for a 1-year term. Surfshark does not put that figure on its pricing page — it is on a separate terms-of-service page, two clicks away | Billed $59.76 for the first 2 years, then renews yearly at $99.99 |
| Money-back | 30 days | 30 days |
| Simultaneous devices | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Avg download speed | Not tested by us | Not tested by us |
| Jurisdiction | Netherlands | United States |
| Owner | Nord Security | Ziff Davis |
| No-logs audit | Deloitte no-logs audit, 2025 | Leviathan Security no-logs audit, 2022 |
| Servers | 3,200+ in 100 countries | 2,400+ in 55 countries |
| Protocols | WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPsec | WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, IPSec |
| Torrenting | P2P allowed on all servers | P2P allowed on all servers |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Support | 24/7 live chat, email, help centre | 24/7 live chat, phone, email, help centre |
| Visit Surfshark | Visit IPVanish |
What each one actually costs
The advertised rate covers the first term only. These are the totals once the renewal is counted.
| Surfshark | IPVanish | |
|---|---|---|
| Plan priced | 24-month plan | 24-month plan |
| Intro rate / mo | $2.49 | $2.49 |
| Then renews at / mo | $6.58 (+164%) | $8.33 (+235%) |
| First term, up front | $59.76 | $59.76 |
| Total over 3 years | $138.72 | $159.72 |
| True cost / mo over 3 years | $3.85 | $4.44 |
| Money-back | 30 days — 30 days, published — we have not claimed one yet | 30 days — 30 days, published — we have not claimed one yet |
| Check Surfshark price | Check IPVanish price |
Surfshark is cheaper both ways — lower to start and $21.00 less across three years once the renewals are counted. Same arithmetic as our price calculator: the first term at the advertised rate, every month after it at the rate the provider publishes for renewals.
Speed by region
Neither VPN has been speed-tested by us yet, so there is nothing to chart here.
Surfshark and IPVanish have not been through our speed rig yet, so there is no region-by-region chart for this pair. Speed figures other people have published are on the Surfshark and IPVanish review, attributed to whoever measured them.
Streaming, service by service
| Surfshark | IPVanish | |
|---|---|---|
| Unblocked | 0 of 0 reported (not tested by us) | 0 of 0 reported (not tested by us) |
| Netflix US | n/r | n/r |
| Netflix UK | n/r | n/r |
| Netflix JP | n/r | n/r |
| Netflix CA | n/r | n/r |
| Netflix AU | n/r | n/r |
| Prime Video | n/r | n/r |
| Disney+ | n/r | n/r |
| Hulu | n/r | n/r |
| Max | n/r | n/r |
| Paramount+ | n/r | n/r |
| Peacock | n/r | n/r |
| BBC iPlayer | n/r | n/r |
| ITVX | n/r | n/r |
| DAZN | n/r | n/r |
| n/r — no published result found | n/r — no published result found |
Security features
| Surfshark | IPVanish | |
|---|---|---|
| Kill switch | ||
| Split tunnelling | ||
| Obfuscation / stealth | ||
| Port forwarding | ||
| Dedicated IP | ||
| Ad & tracker blocking | ||
| Multi-hop (double VPN) | ||
| RAM-only servers | ||
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, browser extensions, routers | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, routers |
Has the no-logs promise ever been tested?
Every VPN on this page says it keeps no logs. The claim only means something once someone has demanded the data — a police raid, a court order, a subpoena. Here is what happened to each of these two when that came up, and what it means if it never has.
- SurfsharkNever tested
No police raid, court order or subpoena against Surfshark has been made public. That is not a mark against it — most providers have never been asked — but it does mean the policy has never had to hold up under pressure.
Audit: Deloitte no-logs audit, 2025 · Netherlands
- IPVanishFailed
2016 request from DHS. The claim did not hold: data existed that should not have. IPVanish has changed its setup since, but this is the reason it sits where it does on privacy.
Audit: Leviathan Security no-logs audit, 2022 · United States
What each one is our top pick for
One of these scores higher overall, which does not make it the right buy for every job. These are the use cases where each one comes first on its own list.
- Surfshark3 categories
- IPVanishNo category
IPVanish is not our top pick in any of our use-case lists. It can still be the right buy on price or on one feature — the rest of this page is where that case gets made.
We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. Scores and the winner are decided by the scoring rubric before any commercial consideration. Disclosure