Surfshark vs Windscribe
We give Surfshark a 2.8 GPA and Windscribe a 2.6, out of 4.0. Surfshark grades higher on value for money and ease of use. Windscribe grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Surfshark
VPN with no device limit, sold alone or in security bundles
Windscribe
VPN with a 10GB free plan and pay-per-location pricing
How we grade them
| 2.8GPASurfsharkGood | 2.6GPAWindscribeGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BThe 2-year Starter plan bills $67.23 for the first 27 months, so two years cost about $2.80 a month, inside the cheaper quarter of VPNs. After that it renews at $79 a year, above the middle of the pack. Going monthly is $16.45. | CPro is $69 a year and stays at that price, so two years cost $138, about $5.75 a month, above the middle of the pack. Build A Plan starts at $3 a month for 3 locations, but each adds only 10GB of data. |
| Free plan and trial | DA 7-day free trial on 1- and 2-year plans bought on the website, but it needs PayPal, Apple Pay or a card and is limited to 3 devices. The money-back guarantee doesn't count. | C10GB a month free once you confirm an email, with servers in 10 countries including the US, UK and Germany. Plenty for café Wi-Fi, but streaming will burn through it, and most locations are Pro only. |
| Features | BUnlimited devices, ad and cookie pop-up blocking, Bypasser, Rotating IP, MultiHop, masked emails with Alternative ID, and antivirus and breach alerts on One. More than 4,500 servers in 100 countries. Nothing in the listing is missing. | BUnlimited devices, the R.O.B.E.R.T blocker for ads, trackers and malware, double hop, split tunneling, a firewall and config generators for routers, across 69+ countries on Pro. It covers the whole job. |
| Ease of use | A4.7 from about 132,000 App Store ratings. Sign in, hit connect, done. | BNo App Store rating on record, but you install the app, confirm an email and connect, with nothing else to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BMac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android and browser extensions. There's no integration list or API on record, so it stops at B. | BMac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android and browser extensions, plus config files for routers. There's no integration list or API on record, so it stops at B. |
| Best for | covering every device in the house cheaply | a free VPN with room to grow |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Surfshark and Windscribe. How we grade
Price against what you get
Surfshark starts at $6.58 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Windscribe starts at $3 a month and scores 3.0.
Surfshark scores higher, and starts $3.58 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other VPNs on the chart, none scores higher than Surfshark for less, and none scores higher than Windscribe for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Surfshark starts at $79 per year at renewal (Starter), after a first 27 months for $67.23. Windscribe starts at $3 per month for 3 locations (Build A Plan).
- Windscribe has a free plan. Surfshark does not, though it has a free trial.
- Windscribe is open source, according to its own site.
At a glance
| Surfshark | Windscribe | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $79 per year at renewal (Starter), after a first 27 months for $67.23 | $3 per month for 3 locations (Build A Plan) |
| Free plan | None | 10GB of data a month once you confirm an email address, with servers in 10 countries including the US, Canada, the UK and Germany. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of 1- and 2-year plans bought on the website, limited to 3 devices | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Surfshark B.V. | Windscribe Limited |
| Price read from | surfshark.com | windscribe.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Surfshark
- Households with more devices than a capped VPN allows
- Buyers who want antivirus and breach alerts in the same subscription
- People who hand out masked email addresses when signing up to sites
Windscribe
- Light users who can live within 10GB a month for free
- People who only need one or two countries and want to pay per location
- Households connecting many devices to one account
Worth knowing
Surfshark
- The advertised $2.49 a month covers only the first 27 months of a 2-year plan; after that it renews yearly at $79, $99 or $119 depending on the plan.
- The 30-day money-back guarantee excludes Alternative Number purchases, anonymous dedicated IPs and most reseller or gift-card purchases.
- Identity theft coverage is for US residents outside New York State, and Incogni only serves the US, UK, EU, Switzerland and Canada.
- The free trial needs PayPal, Apple Pay or a credit card and applies only to 1- and 2-year plans bought on the website.
Windscribe
- The free plan stops at 10GB a month and needs a confirmed email; most locations are Pro only.
- Build A Plan locations each add only 10GB a month rather than unlimited data.
- Static IPs and team accounts are sold separately, and their prices are not on the plans page.
- Account sharing is prohibited by the plan terms.
Key features
Surfshark
- Unlimited devices
- One subscription connects as many devices at once as you like. During the free trial the limit is three.
- Ad and cookie pop-up blocking
- The VPN apps include an ad blocker and a blocker for cookie consent pop-ups.
- Bypasser, Rotating IP and MultiHop
- Bypasser lets chosen apps and sites skip the VPN, Rotating IP changes your address during a session, and Dynamic MultiHop routes traffic through two servers.
- Alternative ID
- Generates a masked email address that forwards to your inbox and a made-up persona for sign-ups. A virtual phone number is a paid add-on.
- Antivirus and breach alerts
- The One and One+ plans add real-time and scheduled antivirus scans, webcam protection, and alerts when your email, card or ID details leak.
- Server network
- More than 4,500 servers in 100 countries, which Surfshark says have all been upgraded to 10Gbps.
Windscribe
- Free plan
- 10GB a month once your email is confirmed, with servers in 10 countries. Pro locations stay locked.
- Build A Plan
- Pay $1 a month per Pro location you want, from a $3 minimum and up to 7 locations, each adding 10GB of data.
- R.O.B.E.R.T
- A customizable server-side blocker for ads, trackers and malware, included with Pro.
- Unlimited connections
- Use one account on as many devices at once as you like, with apps and browser extensions for each platform.
- Config generators
- Generate OpenVPN, IKEv2 and WireGuard configurations for routers and devices without an app.
- Double hop, split tunneling and firewall
- Route through two servers, choose which apps skip the VPN, and block traffic outside the tunnel.
Plans
Surfshark
Starter, 2 years$79
per year at renewal, after a first term of 27 months
VPN and Alternative ID. The first 27 months cost $67.23 ($2.49 a month), then it renews each year at $79.
Starter, 1 year$79
per year at renewal, after a first term of 15 months
VPN and Alternative ID. The first 15 months cost $50.85 ($3.39 a month), then it renews each year at $79.
Starter, 1 month$16.45
per month
VPN and Alternative ID, billed monthly at the same price each month.
One, 2 years$99
per year at renewal, after a first term of 27 months
Adds Antivirus, Alert and Search. First 27 months $67.23, the same as Starter. Also 1 year ($50.85 first 15 months) or $18.95 a month.
One+, 2 years$119
per year at renewal, after a first term of 27 months
Adds Incogni data removal and US identity theft cover. First 27 months $121.23. Also 1 year ($112.35 first 15 months) or $21.85 a month.
Windscribe
Free$0
10GB a month with a confirmed email, and servers in 10 countries: the US, Canada, UK, Hong Kong, France, Germany and four more.
Build A Plan$3
per month for 3 locations, then $1 per extra location
$1 per Pro location per month, from 3 up to 7 locations; each adds 10GB to your monthly data. For more, the page points to Pro.
Pro Yearly$69
per year
$5.75 a month. Unlimited data, every location in 69+ countries, R.O.B.E.R.T and config generators.
Pro Monthly$9
per month
The same Pro features as yearly, billed $9 every month.
Ways to pay less
Surfshark
- Other savings
First 27 months of a 2-year plan from $67.23
Starter and One cost $67.23 for the first 27 months (24 plus 3 extra) and One+ $121.23. The plans then renew every 12 months at $79, $99 and $119.
- Other savings
First 15 months of a 1-year plan from $50.85
Starter and One cost $50.85 for the first 15 months (12 plus 3 extra) and One+ $112.35, before renewing yearly at the full price.
- Education
Student discount through Student Beans
Students who verify their status with Student Beans get a discount code for checkout. Surfshark's page does not state the size of the discount.
Windscribe
- Annual discount
About 36% off with yearly billing
Pro Yearly costs $69 a year, against $108 for twelve months of Pro Monthly at $9.
