Security & privacy tools / Compare
OpenVPN vs Surfshark
Both do 1 of the same security & privacy tools task. Below is what each says about its own limits and pricing, and how each ranks on signals we can measure or quote.
Disclosure: agathox makes some of the tools listed here. They are labelled and scored by the same method as every other tool.
A
OpenVPN
Secure your business with OpenVPN. Flexible SMB VPN solutions for remote access and remote work, self-hosted or cloud-managed with zero trust security.
Signals score: 3.8 / 5 · not a hands-on test
Visit openvpn.netB
Surfshark
Protect your devices, identity, & data ● Scam & phishing protection ● Identity theft protection ● Device security ● Secure connection ● Fast VPN
Signals score: 4.1 / 5 · not a hands-on test
Visit surfshark.comPricing, limits and privacy
- Free tier
- A: Access Server free plan allows up to 2 simultaneous connections, free forever, no credit card required. New sign-ups start with a 14-day trial of up to 100 connections, then move to the free plan.
- B: Free tier: Not stated. A free trial is mentioned in the FAQ, limited to 3 devices; its length is not stated.
- Paid plan
- A: Growth plan is $7 per connection per month, monthly or yearly billing, up to 2,000 connections. Enterprise and IoT is custom priced via sales.
- B: Starter and One are $2.49/mo ($67.23 for first 27 months); One+ is $3.99/mo ($107.73 for first 27 months). 24, 12 and 1 month terms shown; only the 24-month price is stated. 30-day money-back guarantee. Prices may vary with VAT, currency and coupons; renewal prices not stated.
- Signup
- A: Plans link to an account sign-up page and the FAQ mentions free plan sign-ups, but the page does not state explicitly that an account is required.
- B: Policy describes account creation with email, but does not say whether an account is required.
- Watermark
- A: Not applicable.
- B: Not applicable.
- Where files go
- A: The privacy policy covers website data, not VPN traffic. It says nothing specific about logging VPN traffic. Website logs record IP addresses, user-agent strings and URLs. No retention period is stated.
- B: Policy says no browsing information or traffic is stored. Temporary connection details (user ID and/or IP, timestamps) are deleted within 15 minutes after a session ends. Account data kept while subscribed plus 2 years after last login.
From each tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-01. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them. Sources are listed on each tool's page.
Compare on a task
Neither tool has been hands-on tested on these tasks yet, and we do not guess. Open a task to see both ranked with every other tool.
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