Surfshark is still the fastest VPN around – here's why speed matters

We return nan business of putting VPNs done their paces earnestly present astatine TechRadar, which is why we regularly re-test today's best VPNs to guarantee that each of our accusation and proposal is up to date. One of nan services we precocious reevaluated is Surfshark – and it didn’t disappoint.

Our best inexpensive VPN impressed pinch easy-to-use apps and a flawless grounds of unblocking streaming platforms, but really stole nan show erstwhile it came to performance. Surfshark had antecedently claimed nan apical spot successful our fastest VPN rankings and, aft our newest information of tests, continues to lead nan pack.

So, what does that mean for you – nan day-to-day user? Keep reading, and I'll explicate really Surfshark's blazing speeds use your mundane browsing.

Why is velocity important?

So, earlier we dive into nan details, you mightiness beryllium wondering why it matters if your VPN is “fast” aliases not.

Your VPN acts arsenic an intermediary betwixt your instrumentality and nan wider internet, encrypting your postulation arsenic it passes backmost and distant betwixt nan two. So, thing you do online, your VPN is doing excessively – and a VPN pinch sluggish speeds won’t beryllium capable to grip resource-intensive tasks.

The bully news is that Surfshark perfectly aced our astir caller information of velocity tests (and caput connected complete to our VPN testing methodology page to study much astir really we put VPNs done their paces). Using nan WireGuard protocol, we recorded speeds of complete 950 Mbps – maxing retired our relationship statement and putting Surfshark squarely astatine nan apical of our wide velocity rankings.

Let’s put that into perspective. Internet speeds of 100 Mbps are considered average, whereas thing complete 200 Mbps is peculiarly speedy – and what you’ll request to support a multi-user family browsing, streaming, and gaming simultaneously. Surfshark’s consequence of 950 Mbps blows these numbers retired of nan water, truthful nary matter what you get up to online, Surfshark tin support up without slowing you down.

Easy breezy browsing

VPNs person an important occupation to do – they encrypt your traffic, passing it done a unafraid VPN server earlier it travels retired to nan wider internet, making it unreadable to immoderate third-party snoopers. This gives your integer privateness a monolithic boost, which is awesome, but cipher wants it to travel astatine nan costs of performance, right?

With Surfshark, you tin link to a server successful your location state if your superior interest is shoring up your security. However, if you want to link to an overseas server to spoof your location, Surfshark tin way your postulation astir nan world successful nan blink of an eye, too, without massively impacting your speed.

In fact, during our tests, we tested Surfshark’s capacity erstwhile connecting to a US server from our UK guidelines – and still saw highest WireGuard speeds of complete 950 Mbps. There was nary important dip successful performance, underscoring Surfshark’s wide reliability, which is precisely what you want from a work you’ll beryllium utilizing each day.

In a nutshell, Surfshark is much than speedy capable to support up pinch your browsing. Whether you're checking retired what’s caller connected societal media, joining nan speech connected Reddit, aliases getting stuck successful to activity for nan time – you won't beryllium slowed to a crawl successful nan sanction of enhanced online security.

Smooth HD streaming

This is simply a large one. Tons of group usage today's best Netflix VPNs to make nan astir of their subscriptions.

Sites for illustration Netflix service up different contented to folks successful different regions, each acknowledgment to licensing agreements, which intends that personification successful nan US will person entree to a wholly different room of contented than personification successful nan UK.

Simply link to a VPN server overseas, however, and you'll fool nan tract into reasoning that you're physically located successful nan aforesaid place, too. Then, you'll person entree to that country's contented library. Easy!

Some folks trust connected free VPNs to unblock their favourite platforms – but they're conscionable not trim retired for it. They often deficiency nan unblocking powerfulness and sheer velocity to support up pinch streams.

Generally, you’ll request net speeds of astatine slightest 5 Mbps to bask HD contented and 25 Mbps to watercourse successful 4K smoothly – thing little than this mightiness consequence successful grainy image value and near-constant buffering. It’s besides worthy remembering that if respective group are connected to respective devices astatine nan aforesaid time, your request for velocity will increase, and you’ll request a much robust performance.

With Surfshark clocking successful astatine a whopping 950 Mbps, however, you’ll person nary problem unblocking and tuning successful to shows, movies, unrecorded streams, and much – and won't person to interest astir immoderate buffering aliases low-quality pictures ruining nan vibe, either.

Uninterrupted gaming

If you're connected nan hunt for a reliable gaming VPN (whether you're hopping into matchmaking lobbies aliases logging successful to your favourite MMO for nan day), Surfshark has your back.

For nan smoothest gaming experience, you’ll want net speeds of astatine slightest 50 to 100 Mbps – nan faster, nan better.

It’s important to understand that, acknowledgment to nan encryption process, immoderate VPN will effect your gaming. High-speed VPNs for illustration Surfshark, however, guarantee that unwanted broadside effects for illustration jitter are kept to a minimum – which could make each nan quality if you’re duking it retired successful Fortnite aliases Tekken 8.

Simply put, jitter is nan measurement of your ping and whether it’s fluctuating massively. The bigger nan fluctuation, nan much consequence location is of information packets arriving late, impacting your gameplay, and causing accrued latency (delay betwixt hitting a fastener and nan action playing retired connected your screen).

Surfshark will delegate you a shiny caller IP address erstwhile you link to a server, making it overmuch harder for immoderate sore losers to target you pinch a DDoS attack. You tin moreover return advantage of Surfshak's globe-spanning server web to cheque retired nan champion region-specific gaming deals and container a bargain.

Lightning-fast downloads

P2P record sharing is simply a useful measurement to switch ample files successful nan blink of an oculus – but it's not without its risks. You’re efficaciously exposing your IP reside to nan public, and successful threat of downloading dodgy files, which is why it's important to put successful a coagulated torrenting VPN.

Surfshark's speeds guarantee that your downloads will transverse nan decorativeness statement successful a flash – truthful you don't walk much clip watching nan advancement barroom than really enjoying nan point you're trying to download.

However, location are a fewer factors that power nan wide velocity of your downloads. These see nan maximum download velocity you tin expect from your net work supplier (ISP) – and nan maximum velocity of nan seeder’s connections (as good arsenic really galore seeders are disposable successful nan first place).

The bigger nan file, nan longer nan download clip – and utilizing a VPN to unafraid nan transaction tin adhd other clip to this total.

In my opinion, nan other boost of integer privateness is good worthy nan sacrifice. Surfshark's suite of security-boosting devices besides protect you from crafty bad actors and anyone trying to trace your activity backmost to you. Tough encryption renders your online activity unreadable, and a reliable kill switch will trim your net entree if Surfshark's relationship drops for immoderate reason, preventing accidental data leaks.

Then, there's besides nan truth that Surfshark abides by an audited no logs policy – truthful you tin remainder assured that nan supplier isn't keeping tabs connected what you get up to aliases what you download, either.

Does a VPN slow you down?

If you've been researching VPNs, you whitethorn person travel crossed claims that they really grind your browsing speeds to a halt. The honorable truth is that VPNs do effect your speeds – but that effect should only ever beryllium marginal.

Encrypting your traffic is an progressive process, aft all. Your VPN routes your postulation done a unafraid server earlier it goes connected to nan net – and this other measurement tin origin immoderate nominal slowdown. It's a beautiful bully tradeoff, successful my opinion, and today's speediest services tin beryllium near to do their point successful nan inheritance without immoderate noticeable impact.

If you want to optimize your VPN speeds, however, location are a fewer things to support successful mind. Firstly, you'll want to link to a server arsenic adjacent to your existent location arsenic possible, truthful your information doesn't request to recreation arsenic far. Then, it's worthy switching up your VPN protocol and utilizing WireGuard if you aren't already. It’s much lightweight than OpenVPN, arsenic it's made up of less lines of code, which translates to amended performance, a smoother browsing experience, and little frustration.