Norton Secure VPN vs. Surfshark

Norton has protected devices for decades with its trusted, respected, and state-of-the-art antivirus software. We’d even go so far as to say it’s one of our favorite antivirus softwares. It would seem normal, then, to consider using its VPN to keep your devices safe while you browse the internet.

But how does it compare to other critically acclaimed VPNs, such as Surfshark? Is it faster and more secure? Do you get access to additional digital-security tools with your subscription?

Unfortunately, Norton Secure VPN has many shortcomings compared to Surfshark, such as the number of available servers and its ability to access streaming services in other countries.

Allow us to explain why we recommend sticking with Surfshark.

Head-to-Head

About Norton

The Norton brand is synonymous with antivirus software, which the company launched in 1990. Over the years, it has introduced other digital-security tools, including a VPN in 2019.

It’s a trusted brand, but its parent company, Gen Digital, is headquartered in the United States, which is part of the Five Eyes Alliance. The government could force Norton to share customer details. The VPN, however, doesn’t log those details or store any information that can identify you when you’re connected to a server. It didn’t make our list of the best no-log VPNs, though, since its policy has not been audited by a third party.

>> Read About: Norton Secure VPN Review

About Surfshark

Surfshark’s VPN launched in 2018, a year before Norton Secure VPN. The company has since released additional digital products to protect customers online.

Its headquarters are in the Netherlands, which is a member of the 14 Eyes Alliance. Like Norton, however, it doesn’t store any customer information. User IDs and IP addresses are logged when you connect to the VPN, but the details are deleted within 15 minutes after disconnecting. Cybersecurity firm Cure53 audited Surfshark and confirmed its practice.1

>> Check Out: Surfshark VPN Review

Who Provides Greater Value

We took a closer look at Norton Secure VPN and Surfshark subscriptions to see which one stretches your dollar further. Both allow you to pay for the VPN on its own or with other digital-security products, but Norton’s plans restrict the number of devices you can protect.

Norton Secure VPN Pricing

The prices are only for Norton Secure VPN. It can also be purchased as part of the Norton 360 suite, which includes antivirus, malware, ransomware, and hacking protection.

A Standard Norton 360 Plan is $39.99 for the first year, before increasing to $94.99, and you can use the apps on only three devices. A Deluxe plan will set you back $49.99 in year one, and then increase to $119.99. It will protect five devices and give you access to additional security tools.

Another issue is that you’re forced to set up a Norton account before purchasing the VPN. Once you’re logged in, you can pay for your subscription using Google Pay, PayPal, or a credit card.

Surfshark

The Surfshark Starter plan provides access to the VPN and a couple of identity-protection tools. With Surfshark One and Surfshark One+, you’ll also get antivirus software, breach alerts, and several other security tools.

One key difference between the two VPNs is that you can use Surfshark’s suite of apps on as many devices as you like. You can also pay monthly or yearly, and there are significant discounts for paying for two years up front. That’s why Surfshark made our list of the best cheap VPNs even though it’s more expensive than Norton Secure VPN.

Surfshark also lets you pay for a subscription without setting up an account, but you’ll need one to log in to the VPN. Payment can be made with a credit card, PayPal, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, and cryptocurrency.

Verdict on plans and pricing: The ability to connect to unlimited devices gives Surfshark the victory in this category. It also provides additional flexibility for the frequency of payment. You can even buy the VPN without creating an account.

Comparing Vital Features

When we’re comparing two VPNs, there are a few key features we always look for. The first is the total number of servers, since more servers makes your VPN more reliable and gives you more locations to choose from. We consider a kill switch and split tunneling essential VPN features, since they make it easier and safer to use your VPN. A dedicated IP address can come in handy when you need a consistent IP address while using the VPN.

Here’s how Norton Secure VPN and Surfshark stack up against each other.

Verdict on features: Norton Secure VPN falls short in features compared to Surfshark. The number of simultaneous connections, servers, and locations is lacking, plus the kill switch and split tunneling are unavailable on some devices. You also can’t get a dedicated IP address, which may be a deal-breaker.

Testing Connection Speeds

Since Norton Secure VPN doesn’t provide all features for Apple devices, we conducted our speed tests on a Windows laptop. We started by taking a baseline reading.

• Download: 106.21 Mbps
• Upload: 18.30 Mbps
• Ping: 8 ms

We then logged on to a server in the U.K. Surfshark gave us a selection of cities, including Glasgow, London, Manchester, and Edinburgh. It could also pick the fastest one, which is what we did. Norton, however, had only one server available. Below are the results of our speed tests.

Verdict on speed: The download speeds and ping were similar. Surfshark narrowly gained an advantage with upload speeds. We also prefer to have the option to choose a city so we can determine the best location for our needs. For example, we use servers with a lower ping when playing online multiplayer games.

Looking for Leaks

Using the same U.K. server as the speed test, we ran leak tests on dnsleaktest.com and ipleak.net. We wanted to ensure our IP address, DNS, and location were hidden when connected to the VPN. That’s an essential step when testing if your VPN is working.

Verdict on privacy: Norton Secure VPN passed all tests. That was no surprise, considering the company’s history in the digital-security industry. We also thought Surfshark would pass, since it uses state-of-the-art encryption and protocols to protect identities online. For this category, it’s a draw.

Accessing Global Entertainment

One of the deciding factors for us when choosing a VPN is its ability to access streaming services not available in the U.S. We like to take a peek at Netflix catalogs to find movies and TV shows unavailable in our region.

VPNs are also a great way to download large files, such as torrents, without fear of speed throttling from your internet service provider. Gamers use them to access servers with low latency and to avoid potential DDoS attacks from other players online.

Streaming Services

We had no luck accessing the U.K.’s Netflix, Disney+, or Prime Video catalogs when using Norton Secure VPN. Whenever we hit play on a TV show or movie, the VPN message appeared on our screens, giving us the same dreaded feeling as the Windows blue screen of death. Fortunately, we could watch content on BBC iPlayer and ITV.

Surfshark let us watch anything we wanted. We were like kids in a candy store on Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video. The services had no idea we were connected to a VPN, which made it easy to change our Netflix region. BBC iPlayer and ITV also worked. One minute, we were watching “Jurassic World: Dominion” on U.K. Netflix, and the next, we had “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning” screening from Japan Netflix.

Downloading Torrents

The good news is that Norton Secure VPN has a server designed explicitly for torrenting. It’s even called Torrent-Optimized Region. The bad news is that it’s the only P2P server that allows you to transfer large files. That means it’s susceptible to slowdowns if the server gets overwhelmed.

Surfshark has multiple P2P servers available. You can choose them from the locations menu or wait for the VPN to switch when you’re connected. Once it detects you’re torrenting, it will automatically connect to an optimized server so you get your files faster. That’s why it’s one of our favorite VPNs for torrenting and Norton Secure VPN is not.

Multiplayer Gaming

We couldn’t test Norton Secure VPN on consoles, because you can’t use it on routers. So we logged on to Steam and downloaded Apex Legends on our Windows laptop. The only issue was that we couldn’t choose a server with a lower ping than our regular connection.

The latency was 11 ms when using the U.S. server, compared to our usual 8 ms. That doesn’t sound like much, but it makes a huge difference when you’re raging because you swore you shot first and someone else is scooping up all your items.

Surfshark provided several options with lower latency. We found one with 7 ms and connected to the server for a few games. The experience was identical to not using a VPN, in that we still lost all our games but we had a good time.

Verdict on streaming, gaming, and torrenting: Surfshark outperformed Norton Secure VPN when streaming, torrenting, and gaming. The deal-breaker was the option to choose from multiple servers within a country. Having additional P2P servers was also beneficial for torrenting.

Device Compatibility

Before you choose a VPN, you should ensure it’s available for your preferred devices, including a router. Surfshark has a dedicated app for several platforms and browsers, while Norton Secure VPN is available only for specific hardware.

Verdict on compatible devices: You’ll need to choose wisely which devices you use Norton Secure VPN on, particularly if you’re on a lower-tier plan. You also can’t connect it to your router or entertainment devices such as smart TVs. Surfshark, on the other hand, is compatible with almost any digital device. It even has a guide for Raspberry Pi.

What Do Customers Say?

Norton Secure VPN has hundreds of thousands of reviews on Apple’s App Store and the Google Play store. It currently has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 at both stores.

The rating for Surfshark is higher, but there aren’t quite as many reviews. It’s rated 4.8 on the App Store and 4.5 on Google Play. Here are some of the pros and cons customers shared about their experiences.

Verdict on Customer Reviews: Norton may have more reviews on the App Store and Google Play, but Surfshark has higher scores from customers.

Getting Customer Support

We had no trouble activating our VPNs, but it’s always good to see how easy it is to get customer support. Fortunately, it was effortless with Norton and Surfshark.

Both brands have help centers filled with guides to walk you through setting up the VPN and troubleshooting issues that arise. There is also a live chat function available. A virtual assistant will triage your inquiry to the right person, or the bot will try to solve common problems by directing you to a web page.

The responses were fast when we got to a human, and all our questions were answered.

Verdict on Support Options: We’ll call this one a draw. Surfshark and Norton made it easy to speak to someone. Norton also provides access to a community where customers help one another.

Verdict: Norton Secure VPN or Surfshark?

We would trust Norton to rid our devices of viruses and other nasties trying to steal our information, but its VPN wouldn’t be our first choice. It feels like an add-on to the Norton 360 suite rather than a full-fledged service designed to protect all our devices.

Surfshark’s VPN keeps an unlimited number of devices safe and is optimized for streaming content from other countries, downloading torrents, and gaming online. Its premium subscriptions even include a suite of digital-security tools.

For those reasons, we recommend choosing Surfshark over Norton for your VPN needs.