Surfshark vs X-VPN (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Surfshark: it is third in our ranking of VPNs, though X-VPN grades higher (3.0 against 2.8) on the free plan.
Checked Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Surfshark grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, 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
X-VPN
VPN with an unlimited-data free plan and discounted first terms
Which one is for you
Pick Surfshark if
- Fits if your household has more devices than a capped VPN allows
- Works for handing out masked email addresses to sites you don't trust
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $18.95 a month for Starter
- Watch out: the $2.49 a month covers the first 27 months only; it then renews at $79, $99 or $119 a year
- Skip it if you want to try it without a card, as the 7-day trial needs a payment method and covers 3 devices
- Not for you if you want identity theft cover outside the US or in New York, or Incogni outside the US, UK, EU, Switzerland and Canada
- Watch out: the refund excludes Alternative Number, anonymous dedicated IPs and most reseller or gift-card purchases
Pick X-VPN if
- Fits if you want a free VPN with no data cap and can live with 26 regions
- Works for households with phones, TVs and consoles
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: kill switch, split tunnelling and the full server network are Premium
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $11.99
- Watch out: the 12 and 24-month prices are first-term only and renew at $71.99 a year
- Watch out: crypto, gift card and phone-credit payments are non-refundable
- Not for you if you need more than 5 devices at once
How we grade them
| 2.8GPASurfsharkGood | 3.0GPAX-VPNVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 $18.95. | BFree with unlimited data, and Premium is $2.99 a month on the 24-month term. But it renews at $71.99 a year, about $6 a month, and monthly is $11.99. |
| 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. | BBasic needs no account, has unlimited data and speed, and offers 26 regions. The global network, kill switch and split tunnelling need Premium. |
| 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. | BSeveral protocols, AES-256, kill switch, split tunnelling, static IP, ad blocker, 10,000 servers claimed in 80+ countries. No core gap is named in the listing. |
| Ease of use | A4.7 from about 132,000 App Store ratings. Sign in, hit connect, done. | BNo store rating on record. Install and connect, no email needed for Basic. |
| 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. | BWindows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, a Chrome extension, TVs, routers and consoles. Phones and computers, no API. |
| Best for | covering every device in the house | a free VPN with no data cap |
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 X-VPN. 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. X-VPN starts at $6 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.0.
Surfshark scores higher, and starts $0.58 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 1 scores higher than X-VPN 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
At a glance
| Surfshark | X-VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $79 per year at renewal (Starter), after a first 27 months for $67.23 | $71.99 per year at renewal, after a first 24 months for $69.99 |
| Free plan | None | Basic is free with no sign-up, unlimited data and speed, and a choice of 26 regions. |
| 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. | LightningLink Networks Pte. Ltd. |
| Price read from | surfshark.com | xvpn.io |
| Checked | Nov 2, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
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.
X-VPN
- Free users choose from 26 regions; the global network, kill switch and split tunneling need Premium.
- Premium's advertised prices are first-term prices: the 12-month and 24-month plans renew at $71.99 every 12 months.
- Payments made with cryptocurrency, gift cards or phone credit are non-refundable, and app-store purchases follow the store's refund rules.
- One subscription covers up to 5 devices at the same time.
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.
X-VPN
- Free VPN without limits on data
- Basic needs no email or payment details and has no data cap; free users pick from 26 regions, including the UK, Canada, Australia and 13 US cities.
- Large server network
- The site claims over 10,000 servers in 80+ countries, with the 24/7 live support the vendor advertises.
- Protocols
- A self-developed protocol, plus OpenVPN and WireGuard, with AES-256 encryption and post-quantum cryptography per the home page.
- Premium extras
- Kill switch, split tunneling, static IP, an ad blocker, a tracker blocker, search protection, a PC cleaner and dark web monitoring, per the pricing page.
- Many device types
- Apps for desktop, phones, TVs, routers, game consoles and a Chrome extension, with up to 5 devices connected at once.
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 $44.85 ($2.99 a month), then it renews each year at $79.
Starter, 1 month$18.95
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 ($44.85 first 15 months) or $19.95 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 $107.73. Also 1 year ($104.85 first 15 months) or $22.85 a month.
X-VPN
Basic$0
Free VPN with unlimited data and speed, AES-256 encryption, a kill switch and RAM-only servers per the home page; the pricing comparison limits it to free locations.
Premium, 1 month$11.99
per month
Unlimited VPN, global servers, advanced functions, ad and tracker blocker, search protection and PC Cleaner. Renews monthly.
Premium, 12 months$71.99
per year at renewal, after a first term of 12 months
The first 12 months cost $47.99, then it auto-renews at $71.99 every 12 months.
Premium, 24 months$71.99
per year at renewal, after a first term of 24 months
The first 24 months cost $69.99 (advertised as $2.99 a month and 76% off), then it auto-renews at $71.99 every 12 months.
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+ $107.73 in a Black Friday deal. The plans then renew every 12 months at $79, $99 and $119.
- Other savings
First 15 months of a 1-year plan from $44.85
Starter and One cost $44.85 for the first 15 months (12 plus 3 extra) and One+ $104.85, 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.
X-VPN
- Other savings
First-term pricing on 12 and 24 months
The first 12 months are $47.99, or the first 24 months are $69.99; both then renew at $71.99 every 12 months. The page shows 76% off the monthly price.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Surfshark or X-VPN?
As of Nov 12, 2026, X-VPN is cheaper to start with: $6 a month when paid by the year, against $6.58 a month when paid by the year for Surfshark. Surfshark starts at $79 per year at renewal (Starter), after a first 27 months for $67.23, and X-VPN starts at $71.99 per year at renewal, after a first 24 months for $69.99.
Which has a free plan, Surfshark or X-VPN?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only X-VPN has a free plan. Surfshark does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.