Surfshark

Surfshark was launched in 2018 by introducing its first VPN application for iOS devices. In 2018, Surfshark underwent an external audit by a German cybersecurity firm Cure53,[5] but just for their browser extensions. Surfshark has 3,200+ servers in 65 countries.

In September 2019, Surfshark launched an Android app called Trust DNS. The app works as a DNS resolver that can provide access to websites in highly restrictive countries.[6] In October 2019, Surfshark became one of the first ten VPN packages to receive an official seal of approval granted by an independent IT-Security Institute AV-TEST. In 2020, Surfshark was named the best VPN of 2020 by CNN.[7]

In mid-2021, Surfshark began the process to merge with their competitor Nord Security, parent company of the popular NordVPN.[8] The merger was finalised in early 2022, with both brands continuing to operate independently.

In December 2019, Surfshark implemented GPS-Spoofing for Android, allowing users to hide their device’s physical geo-location by changing it to one of the server’s locations.[9] In its applications, Surfshark uses IKEv2, OpenVPN and WireGuard tunneling protocols. All data transferred via Surfshark servers is encrypted using an AES-256-GCM encryption standard.[10]

In July 2020, Surfshark announced its entire server network is running on RAM-only servers.[11][12][13] Surfshark VPN service comes with a Kill Switch, a Double VPN feature called MultiHop, and a split-tunneling feature (Whitelister).[14] It also offers an ad and malware prevention feature CleanWeb that blocks ads on the DNS level.[15] In October 2021, Surfshark announced they would be relocating to The Netherlands, primarily for business reasons, so it is a bit less friendly.