Surfshark Review for Expats (2026): Is It Worth It?

Looking for a Surfshark review for expats? While Surfshark is a well-known VPN, we no longer actively recommend it to expats after it rejected our affiliate partnership. Instead, this guide reviews the three VPN providers we do recommend — NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and ProtonVPN — and explains how they compare to Surfshark so you can make an informed decision.

This Surfshark review for expats alternative guide covers pricing, streaming performance, speed, reliability in restrictive countries, and privacy features — everything you need to choose the right VPN for living abroad.

Surfshark Review for Expats: How It Compares to Our Top 3

Surfshark has two well-known advantages: unlimited simultaneous device connections and low pricing. However, for expats living in restrictive countries like China, UAE, or Turkey — where reliable obfuscation is critical — Surfshark has been less consistent than NordVPN and ExpressVPN in our testing. Here’s how it stacks up:

Feature	Surfshark	NordVPN	ExpressVPN	ProtonVPN
Price (best plan)	~$2.19/month	$3.09/month	$6.67/month	$4.99/month
Servers	3,200+ / 100 countries	6,300+ / 111 countries	3,000+ / 105 countries	4,800+ / 91 countries
Devices	Unlimited	10	8	10
China reliability	Inconsistent	✅ Excellent	✅ Excellent	✅ Good
Jurisdiction	Netherlands (EU)	Panama	British Virgin Islands	Switzerland
Free tier	No	No	No	✅ Yes

Surfshark Review for Expats: What Surfshark Does Well

To give a fair Surfshark review for expats, it’s worth acknowledging where Surfshark genuinely excels:

• Unlimited device connections — The only major VPN offering truly unlimited simultaneous connections. Ideal for large families sharing one account
• Competitive pricing — At ~$2.19/month on 2-year plans, it’s among the cheapest premium VPNs available
• CleanWeb — Built-in ad and malware blocker works well for general browsing security
• NoBorders mode — Automatically activates in restrictive regions, though less reliable than NordVPN’s obfuscated servers
• Streaming performance — Works with Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Hulu on most servers

Surfshark Review for Expats: Where It Falls Short

Based on our testing and the experience of expats in restrictive countries, Surfshark has meaningful limitations compared to our recommended alternatives:

Reliability in Restrictive Countries

In our testing in China and UAE, Surfshark was less consistent than NordVPN and ExpressVPN. NordVPN’s dedicated obfuscated servers and ExpressVPN’s automatic obfuscation proved more reliable during periods of heightened VPN blocking. For expats in restrictive countries, this is the most important limitation.

EU Jurisdiction

Surfshark is based in the Netherlands — inside the EU and the Fourteen Eyes intelligence alliance. This is less favourable than NordVPN (Panama), ExpressVPN (British Virgin Islands), or ProtonVPN (Switzerland) from a privacy perspective. EU data retention directives could theoretically affect Surfshark’s legal obligations.

Smaller Server Network

With 3,200+ servers in 100 countries, Surfshark’s network is smaller than NordVPN (6,300+ servers, 111 countries) and ProtonVPN (4,800+ servers, 91 countries). Fewer servers can mean more congestion during peak hours.

Best Surfshark Alternatives for Expats

Based on our extensive testing, these are the three best alternatives to Surfshark for expats — covering every use case that Surfshark targets:

1. NordVPN — Best Overall Surfshark Alternative

NordVPN is the best Surfshark alternative for most expats. It offers a larger server network (6,300+ vs 3,200+), more reliable performance in restrictive countries, and better privacy jurisdiction (Panama vs Netherlands). The price difference is minimal — about $0.90/month more than Surfshark on comparable plans. Read our full NordVPN review for expats for detailed test results.

• ✅ Better reliability in China, UAE, Turkey than Surfshark
• ✅ Larger server network — 6,300+ vs 3,200+
• ✅ Panama jurisdiction — stronger than Surfshark’s Netherlands base
• ✅ 73% off right now — competitive with Surfshark pricing

2. ExpressVPN — Fastest Surfshark Alternative

ExpressVPN outperforms Surfshark on speed in every test we’ve run — its Lightway protocol delivers 85-100 Mbps versus Surfshark’s 75-85 Mbps on comparable connections. It also has a stronger track record in China than Surfshark, with automatic obfuscation requiring no manual setup.

• ✅ Faster than Surfshark on all tested connections
• ✅ Automatic obfuscation — more convenient than Surfshark’s NoBorders mode
• ✅ Most reliable in China of any VPN we’ve tested
• ✅ TrustedServer technology — RAM-only servers for privacy

3. ProtonVPN — Best Privacy-Focused Surfshark Alternative

For expats who chose Surfshark for its price, ProtonVPN’s free tier is particularly compelling. Unlike Surfshark, ProtonVPN offers a genuinely unlimited free plan — though without streaming support. For privacy, ProtonVPN’s Swiss jurisdiction and open-source code are significantly stronger than Surfshark’s EU base.

• ✅ Free tier available — lower entry cost than Surfshark
• ✅ Swiss jurisdiction — stronger privacy than Surfshark’s Netherlands base
• ✅ Open-source, independently audited code
• ✅ Secure Core multi-hop architecture for maximum protection

4. IPVanish — Best for Unlimited Device Connections

IPVanish is the ideal choice for expat families and users with many devices. Unlike most VPNs that limit you to 6-10 simultaneous connections, IPVanish offers truly unlimited simultaneous connections on a single subscription — meaning you can protect every phone, laptop, tablet, and smart TV in your household at no extra cost.

Why IPVanish Works Well for Expats

• Unlimited simultaneous device connections — unique advantage for families
• 2,200+ servers in 75+ locations worldwide
• Owned and operated server infrastructure for maximum reliability
• WireGuard protocol support for fast, modern speeds
• Independently audited no-logs policy
• 24/7 customer support via live chat
• 30-day money-back guarantee

IPVanish Pricing: Competitive pricing with frequent promotions. 30-day money-back guarantee.

IPVanish is particularly valuable for expat households with multiple people sharing a subscription — children’s devices, a partner’s phone, smart TVs, and work laptops can all be protected simultaneously without any limits.

Surfshark Review for Expats: Verdict

This Surfshark review for expats concludes that while Surfshark has genuine strengths — particularly unlimited device connections and competitive pricing — it falls short for expats in the areas that matter most: reliability in restrictive countries, privacy jurisdiction, and server network size.

For most expats, NordVPN is the best Surfshark alternative — delivering better performance in restrictive countries, a larger server network, and stronger privacy jurisdiction at only slightly higher cost. ExpressVPN is the premium choice for maximum speed and automatic obfuscation. ProtonVPN is the best alternative for privacy-first expats, with a unique free tier.

All VPNs offer 30-day money-back guarantees