Proton VPN vs Surfshark VPN

Proton VPN's apps are fully open-source and have been independently audited — you can literally read the code. Surfshark has a no-logs policy and has passed audits, but it's owned by Nord Security, the same parent company as NordVPN. That's not a scandal, but in a category where the entire value proposition is 'trust us with your traffic,' having a single corporate entity control two of the biggest VPNs in the world is a legitimate concern worth naming.

PCMag's independent testing found Surfshark had the best upload and download speeds of any VPN they tested — and Proton VPN's own users acknowledge it's slightly slower than top competitors. For most browsing this won't matter, but if you're streaming 4K, gaming, or doing large file transfers over VPN regularly, Surfshark's speed advantage is real and consistent, not a one-off benchmark.

Proton VPN caps you at 10 simultaneous connections, which is fine for most individuals but starts to pinch for families. Surfshark has no limit whatsoever — one subscription covers every phone, laptop, smart TV, and router in your home. If you're the person in your family who manages everyone's tech, Surfshark's unlimited connections policy alone might justify the choice.

Most free VPNs are either data-capped to uselessness or monetizing your traffic to survive — that's the business model. Proton's free tier has no data cap, is funded by paid subscribers, and runs on the same no-logs infrastructure as the paid plan. The catch is limited server selection, but for someone who needs occasional VPN use without paying, this is genuinely rare and trustworthy in a sea of sketchy free options.