Surfshark has made a reputation for itself as a high digital personal community choice available in the market immediately. It provides reasonably priced pricing throughout all its plans, offers quick and dependable speeds and doesn’t skimp out on consumer safety and performance.
Norton Safe VPN, alternatively, is a VPN from fashionable safety and antivirus supplier Norton. Whereas it provides good VPN speeds, it has a small server community and doesn’t embody any standout options to set it aside from opponents.
Surfshark VPN: Greatest for many companies on the lookout for a high-quality VPN with quick speeds, sturdy safety and reasonably priced pricing.
Norton Safe VPN: Greatest for Norton 360 product customers who want primary safety and a simple-to-use VPN utility.
ESET PROTECT Superior
Workers per Firm Measurement
Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Massive (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+)
Any Firm Measurement
Any Firm Measurement
Options
Superior Menace Protection, Full Disk Encryption , Trendy Endpoint Safety, and extra
ManageEngine Log360
Workers per Firm Measurement
Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Massive (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+)
Micro (0-49 Workers), Small (50-249 Workers), Medium (250-999 Workers), Massive (1,000-4,999 Workers), Enterprise (5,000+ Workers)
Micro, Small, Medium, Massive, Enterprise
Options
Exercise Dashboard, Superior Menace Analytics, Analytics/Reporting, and extra
Graylog
Workers per Firm Measurement
Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Massive (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+)
Medium (250-999 Workers), Massive (1,000-4,999 Workers), Enterprise (5,000+ Workers)
Medium, Massive, Enterprise
Options
Anomaly Detection, Audit Logs, Compliance Reporting, and extra
Surfshark vs. Norton Safe VPN: Comparability
Surfshark VPNNorton Safe VPN
Our rating4.6 / 53.0 / 5
Safety protocolsOpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPSec
No. of servers$3,2001,000–2,000 (reportedly)
VPN server locations100 countries28 international locations
Knowledge breach monitoringYes (Surfshark Starter)Sure (by way of Norton 360)
Simultaneous system locationsUnlimitedUp to 10 units
Free trial or free versionMobile free trialNone
Beginning worth$2.79 monthly (annual)$2.49 monthly (annual)
Surfshark vs. Norton Safe VPN: Pricing
Surfshark’s subscriptions revolve round their essential VPN service, with add-ons as you go up with every paid plan. All premium Surfshark plans permit limitless simultaneous system connections, whereas Norton solely permits as much as 10 units related unexpectedly — relying on the plan you buy.
SEE: Easy methods to Use Norton Safe VPN (A Step-by-Step Information) (TechRepublic)
Norton Safe VPN will also be bought with different Norton merchandise as a part of its Norton 360 bundle of companies. For those who’re not eager on its different software program, you may also buy the VPN as a standalone product.
For extra on Surfshark and Norton Safe VPN, try our full Surfshark overview and full Norton Safe VPN overview.
Surfshark pricing
Surfshark provides three subscription tiers: Surfshark Starter, One and One+. Starter offers primary VPN performance, an advert blocker and a masked electronic mail generator. In the meantime, One provides onto that with real-time electronic mail breach alerts, an antivirus and webcam safety.
Surfshark StarterSurfshark OneSurfshark One+
1 month$15.45 monthly$15.95 monthly$17.95 monthly
1 12 months$2.79 monthly$3.19 monthly$5.09 monthly
2 years$2.19 monthly$2.69 monthly$4.29 monthly
Lastly, One+ contains all options plus knowledge elimination from firm databases and from folks search websites. Whereas I want Surfshark supplied a free model, it does have a free trial of its cellular app and a 30-day money-back assure for all its purposes.
Norton Safe VPN pricing
Norton is exclusive in that it bases its VPN pricing in your desired variety of system connections. That is against most VPNs, which categorize their costs relying on contract size.
1 system$29.99 first 12 months or $2.49 monthly
5 devices39.99 first 12 months or $3.33 monthly
10 units$59.99 first 12 months or $4.99 monthly
One nitpick I’ve with Norton Safe VPN’s subscriptions is that their costs are for the primary 12 months solely, with a potential enhance after the primary 12 months upon renewal. I might’ve most popular it if Norton supplied the identical worth previous the primary 12 months of subscription — particularly since this isn’t unusual amongst different suppliers.
Fortuitously, Norton has a 60-day money-back assure, which supplies customers ample time to check their software program and request for a refund through the allotted time.
Surfshark vs. Norton Safe VPN: Function comparability
Safety protocols and encryption
Winner: Surfshark
Each Surfshark and Norton Safe VPN make the most of AES-256 encryption algorithm for his or her VPN companies — which is nice to see, particularly since AES-256 is taken into account the business customary and arguably probably the most safe encryption algorithm immediately.
SEE: Easy methods to Use Surfshark VPN (A Step-by-Step Information) (TechRepublic)
The deciding issue is that Surfshark contains OpenVPN, WireGuard and IKEv2 safety protocols, which, for my cash, are the three greatest protocols we would like in a contemporary VPN. That is compared to Norton, which lacks the trendy and speed-oriented WireGuard safety protocol.
To Norton’s credit score, its Safe VPN additionally provides each OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPSec. However for customers who need a mixture of each safety and pace in tunneling protocols, Surfshark is greatest for you.
VPN server community and areas
Winner: Surfshark
Within the server division, Surfshark comes out on high with its 3,200 servers throughout 100 international locations. Alternatively, Norton Safe VPN has a a lot smaller 28-country server community, with a reported server rely amounting to only one,000 to 2,000 servers.
Server infrastructure is considered one of Norton’s essential downsides, as its 2,000-server rely is far smaller than the typical 3,000–4,000 server networks we see on common with trendy VPNs. Its nation unfold can be miniscule in comparison with Surfshark, limiting customers’ skill to entry geographically numerous areas worldwide.
In case your essential purpose with a VPN is to entry geo-restricted content material, I like to recommend Surfshark given its far bigger server rely and site unfold.
Third-party audits and unbiased testing
Winner: Surfshark
Whereas each VPNs supply no-logs insurance policies claiming they don’t file consumer knowledge, solely Surfshark has undergone a third-party audit, which has confirmed that it’s actually no-logs. Surfshark’s unbiased audit was performed by Deloitte in 2023, the place it was discovered that the VPN supplier had correctly configured its inner programs “in accordance with Surfshark’s description of its no-logs coverage.”
SEE: Is a VPN Actually Value It in 2024? (TechRepublic)
Alternatively, Norton Safe VPN is but to bear any third occasion audit or unbiased testing presently. Regardless of being a well-liked safety supplier, I extremely encourage selecting a VPN that may supply verifiable knowledge regarding its no-logs coverage.
Efficiency and pace
Winner: Tie
Surprisingly, I discovered each Surfshark and Norton Safe VPN carried out properly by way of pace and stability. The 2 VPNs carried out equally in day-to-day use of normal searching, researching and streaming content material, in addition to after I performed add and obtain assessments.
One caveat I’ve to say is that Norton Safe VPN’s smaller server community might hinder its skill to supply customers constant speeds throughout totally different areas. As a result of server pace depends on how shut you’re to a server’s location, you’ll have a better probability of getting good speeds with Surfshark, given its extra numerous location rely.
For instance, in the event you use Norton Safe VPN and are in a rustic that’s not supplied on its server community, you’ll doubtless expertise slower speeds or a much less dependable connection.
Regardless of this, my testing confirmed each VPNs can present persistently quick and steady speeds — offered your location is accommodated by the VPN’s server community.
Standout safety features
Winner: Surfshark
Other than its base VPN performance, Surfshark boasts a variety of further options geared in the direction of elevated safety. With its Starter plan, you’ve got entry to an antivirus, real-time breach alerts and a personal search instrument.
The nifty factor right here is that they’re all accessible inside the Surfshark VPN app itself, permitting customers to make use of Surfshark as a kind of safety hub in a single desktop utility. Alternatively, Norton provides comparable options like antivirus software program and darkish net monitoring, however these are all separate companies that aren’t built-in inside the VPN itself.
With Norton Safe VPN, you get an advert and tracker blocker, break up tunneling and a kill change, and that’s it. Whereas these are good options, Surfshark provides these similar options in its app as properly.
Ease of use
Winner: Tie
By way of consumer expertise, Surfshark and Norton Safe VPN each include desktop purposes which can be straightforward to make use of and nice to take a look at. Surfshark does an excellent job of organizing its utility and categorizing its safety features intuitively.
Alternatively, Norton Safe VPN can be user-friendly and takes a extra minimalist strategy in comparison with Surfshark. This can be a product of its extra primary VPN software program with an absence of further options, but it surely’s plain that the app can present a seamless expertise nonetheless.
Surfshark execs and cons
Professionals
100-country server community.
Constantly quick speeds.
Has WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2.
Inexpensive pricing throughout plans.
Cons
Norton Safe VPN execs and cons
Professionals
Quick and steady VPN pace.
Consumer-friendly utility.
Might be bundled with different Norton merchandise.
Cons
Miniscule server community.
Hasn’t undergone a third-party safety audit.
Lacks standout safety features.
Ought to your group use Surfshark or Norton Safe VPN?
For my part, it’s clear-cut that almost all organizations ought to decide to make use of Surfshark over Norton Safe VPN. Whereas Norton Safe VPN performs properly, it merely lacks many options we count on in a contemporary VPN.
Specifically, Norton Safe VPN’s server community spanning solely 28 international locations is simply too small in comparison with Surfshark’s 100-country and three,200-server community and infrastructure. Surfshark additionally contains extra standout safety features, similar to a built-in antivirus and actual time breach alerts, in comparison with Norton’s extra primary VPN providing.
SEE: 10 Myths about Cybersecurity You Shouldn’t Imagine (TechRepublic Premium)
I additionally give the win to Surfshark by way of third-party testing, as its safety audit provides a far safer wager to customers and companies. I’m hopeful that Norton decides to have their VPN examined by unbiased safety consultants sooner or later, however for now, Surfshark is the smarter alternative.
To not point out Surfshark’s reasonably priced pricing, easy-to-use utility and persistently quick efficiency — making Surfshark our winner for this head-to-head VPN comparability.
I solely advocate Norton Safe VPN to companies which can be already invested in Norton’s safety merchandise and simply need further VPN performance with their present suite of options. In any other case, Surfshark ought to be your choose between the 2.
Methodology
My comparability of Surfshark and Norton Safe VPN concerned hands-on time with each VPNs and an in depth evaluation of every service’s options, value and real-world efficiency.
To guage every product, each VPNs have been scored on every part from their pricing to their safety protocols. Specifically, we took under consideration 5 essential pillars with their corresponding weights:
Pricing (20%).
Core VPN options (30%).
Ease of use (15%).
Buyer help (30%).
Knowledgeable evaluation (5%).
I additionally supplemented my findings with real-world consumer suggestions and respected evaluations to spherical out my evaluation of each merchandise.
For pace and efficiency, I examined each VPNs on a Home windows laptop and ran them by means of Ookla’s public Speedtest. Lastly, I additionally thought of how every VPN might greatest cater to several types of customers, use circumstances and organizations.