Surfshark vs Proton VPN in Australia
Surfshark and Proton VPN suit different buyers. Surfshark bills in Australian dollars and puts no limit on devices; Proton VPN is Swiss, says its apps are open source, and has a free plan. We tested both from Melbourne in October 2026, Surfshark on 16, 17, 24 and 25 October and Proton VPN on 17 and 21 October, and every result carries its date.
On our latest figures, Surfshark is cheaper per month and covers unlimited devices; Proton VPN lists servers in more countries.
Surfshark costs from A$3.49 a month on its cheapest plan, and Proton VPN from US$3.49 (about A$4.98). That makes Surfshark about A$1.49 a month cheaper at the latest exchange rate. Both offer a 30-day money-back period. Surfshark covers unlimited devices and Proton VPN 10 devices at once. Surfshark lists servers in 100 countries and Proton VPN in 149. On a local server in our own tests, Surfshark kept 94% of our download speed (October 2026) and Proton VPN 99% (October 2026). Tested on an account Surfshark gave us free of charge (16–25 Oct 2026). Tested on an account Proton VPN gave us free of charge (17–21 Oct 2026). In our current calculated comparison, Surfshark is number 1 and Proton VPN number 3.
| Detail | 1 SurfsharkVisit SurfsharkFrom A$3.49/mo · checked 3 Nov (Lowest monthly price, on the Starter plan paid upfront for 27 months; read from surfshark.com on 3 November 2026)Surfshark review | 3 Proton VPNPartner offerVisit Proton VPNFrom US$3.49/mo · checked 3 Nov (Lowest monthly price (about A$4.98), on the VPN Plus plan paid upfront for 2 years; read from protonvpn.com on 3 November 2026)Proton VPN review |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ||
| Lowest monthly price | A$3.49 27 months, A$94.23 upfrontLowest | US$3.49 (about A$4.98) 2 years, US$83.76 upfront |
| Renewal price | – | US$83.88 per year |
| Money-back period | 30 days | 30 days |
| Devices and servers | ||
| Devices at once | UnlimitedMost | 10 |
| Countries with servers | 100 | 149Most |
| Australian cities | 5 Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney | 5 (cities not named on its site) |
| Our speed test | ||
| Local server, from Melbourne | 94% of download speed kept on a local server tested October 2026 | 99% of download speed kept on a local server tested October 2026 |
| Apps and privacy | ||
| Protocols | Dausos, IKEv2, OpenVPN, WireGuard | OpenVPN, Stealth, StealthVPN, WireGuard |
| Features | Ad and tracker blocker, Dedicated IP, Kill switch, Multi-hop (two servers), Obfuscation, RAM-only servers, Split tunnelling | Ad and tracker blocker, Kill switch, Multi-hop (two servers), Obfuscation, Port forwarding, Split tunnelling |
| Privacy and audits | Based in the Netherlands Audited by Deloitte, Cure53, says the provider | Based in Switzerland Audited by Securitum, says the provider |
| Links | Visit SurfsharkFrom A$3.49/mo · checked 3 Nov (Lowest monthly price, on the Starter plan paid upfront for 27 months; read from surfshark.com on 3 November 2026)Surfshark review | Partner offerVisit Proton VPNFrom US$3.49/mo · checked 3 Nov (Lowest monthly price (about A$4.98), on the VPN Plus plan paid upfront for 2 years; read from protonvpn.com on 3 November 2026)Proton VPN review |
SurfsharkPrice
- Lowest monthly price
- A$3.49
27 months, A$94.23 upfrontLowest - Renewal price
- –
- Money-back period
- 30 days
Devices and servers
- Devices at once
- UnlimitedMost
- Countries with servers
- 100
- Australian cities
- 5
Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
Our speed test
- Local server, from Melbourne
- 94% of download speed kept on a local server
tested October 2026
Apps and privacy
- Protocols
- Dausos, IKEv2, OpenVPN, WireGuard
- Features
- Ad and tracker blocker, Dedicated IP, Kill switch, Multi-hop (two servers), Obfuscation, RAM-only servers, Split tunnelling
- Privacy and audits
- Based in the Netherlands
Audited by Deloitte, Cure53, says the provider
Proton VPNPrice
- Lowest monthly price
- US$3.49 (about A$4.98)
2 years, US$83.76 upfront - Renewal price
- US$83.88
per year - Money-back period
- 30 days
Devices and servers
- Devices at once
- 10
- Countries with servers
- 149Most
- Australian cities
- 5 (cities not named on its site)
Our speed test
- Local server, from Melbourne
- 99% of download speed kept on a local server
tested October 2026
Apps and privacy
- Protocols
- OpenVPN, Stealth, StealthVPN, WireGuard
- Features
- Ad and tracker blocker, Kill switch, Multi-hop (two servers), Obfuscation, Port forwarding, Split tunnelling
- Privacy and audits
- Based in Switzerland
Audited by Securitum, says the provider
– means we do not have that detail yet. Our speed results show the date we ran them. Add a third VPN to this comparison
Full reviews: Surfshark review · Proton VPN review
Guides for both
- UK VPN: British servers from Australia
- US VPN: American servers from Australia
- Japan VPN: Japanese servers from Australia
- India VPN: Indian servers from Australia
- Best VPN for Netflix in Australia
- How to watch AFL and NRL overseas
- Is torrenting illegal in Australia?
- The definitive VPN guide: how a VPN works