Surfshark Review Australia

Reviewed by Laurence Deer, founder and reviewer in Melbourne, testing VPNs since 2019

Surfshark

Price checked 3 NovTested 25 OctNumber 1 of 16 in our calculated order

BestVPN score 7.2 out of 10

• Speed7.5
• Streaming6.4
• Security6.0
• Value9.1
• Australia10.0

From our own tests and published figures, newest 3 Nov 2026. How we score

Our verdict

Good for households with many devices

Surfshark suits a household that wants one account for every device: there is no device limit and it bills in Australian dollars. In our October 2026 tests it barely slowed our Melbourne line and played BBC iPlayer and Netflix UK. The catches: Prime Video refused it in Melbourne and Sydney, and on default settings our home address showed for a few seconds when we changed servers.

From A$3.49 a month

Starter plan, paying for 27 months, A$94.23 upfront. Renewal price not shown on its pricing page. Lowest plan of each VPN we track: A$1.58 to A$17.84.

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)

Price and plan details read from surfshark.com.

Choose it if

• You want one account for every device in the house
• You want British TV (iPlayer and Netflix UK played, October 2026)
• You want SBS On Demand, 9Now and ABC iview with the VPN on
• You want to pay in Australian dollars
• You torrent at home (no slowdown in our October 2026 test)

Skip it if

• You watch Prime Video with the VPN on (blocked in Melbourne and Sydney, October 2026)
• You want American or Japanese Netflix (both blocked, October 2026)
• You need a Mac kill switch you can count on (ours misbehaved, October 2026)
• You want to see the renewal price before you pay

Surfshark: key facts

Money-back

30 daysVPNs we track: 7 to 45 days

Free trial

7 daysCompare VPN free trials

Devices at once

UnlimitedVPNs we track: 2 to unlimited

Server countries

100VPNs we track: 30 to 150

Australian cities

5Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Company, audits, protocols and features

Company

Based in the Netherlands

Audits

Deloitte and Cure53, says Surfshark

Protocols

Dausos, IKEv2, OpenVPN, WireGuard

Features

Ad and tracker blocker, Dedicated IP, Kill switch, Multi-hop (two servers), Obfuscation, RAM-only servers, Split tunnelling

As Surfshark's own site lists them, read 2 Nov 2026.

Surfshark test results

Speed, Australian server

94% keptOf our download speed with the VPN off. Tested 25 Oct 2026

DNS leaks

None foundTested 25 Oct 2026

Streaming

6 of 9 playedPluto TV✓ playedBBC iPlayer✓ playedNetflix UK✓ playedSBS On Demand✓ played9Now✓ playedABC iview✓ playedNetflix US✕ blockedNetflix Japan✕ blockedPrime Video✕ blocked9 more opened but we did not play them. Tested 16–25 Oct 2026

Speed kept by the VPNs we have tested (2021 to 2026 rounds): 44% to 100% or more.

Tested on an account Surfshark gave us free of charge (16–25 Oct 2026).

Surfshark: what has changed

• 26 Oct 2026 Review text last edited
• 25 Oct 2026 Our latest test round: local speed, overseas speed, streaming, leaks, kill switch settings (drop test not run) and torrenting
• 20 Oct 2026 Price down: One+ plan (27 months), A$6.29 to A$5.59 a month

Prices are read from Surfshark's website every morning (last read 3 Nov 2026) and its feature pages weekly; we record every change we see.

What stood out

Surfshark’s weak spot is the moment you change servers, and ordinary leak checks miss it. DNS stayed private around every switch. Only an IP check every second and a half caught our home address between Tokyo and London.

The kill switch closes that gap, when it behaves. With it on, a Melbourne-to-Sydney switch never showed our address. But after I turned it off, it kept the Mac offline for about 50 minutes.

NordVPN went through the same kind of switch on its defaults and never showed our address. In Melbourne, though, Surfshark kept a little more of our line than NordVPN at both sittings we ran them side by side.

From our tests in Melbourne, October 2026.

Who should buy Surfshark?

Buy it if you want one account for every phone, laptop and TV in the house: Surfshark sets no device limit. It also suits British TV fans, and the ABC, SBS and Nine apps kept working with it on in our October 2026 tests.

Skip it if you watch Prime Video with the VPN on, want American or Japanese Netflix, or need a Mac kill switch you can rely on today. The VPNs under alternatives cover those.

Surfshark tested from Melbourne: October 2026 results

Surfshark is fast at home and good for British TV, but it showed our real address during server switches. Every result below is dated, from our tests in October 2026.

We ran Surfshark’s Mac app on our test Mac mini in Melbourne, on our NBN line and default settings, measuring the line with the VPN off before each set.

Speed: close to our line in Melbourne; overseas costs more

Surfshark barely slows a Melbourne NBN line. On its Melbourne server in October 2026 it kept 94% of our download speed, the third-highest of the seven VPNs in our current round. NordVPN kept a little less that afternoon.

That left 50 Mbps, far more than Netflix recommends for one 4K stream. Ping was 12 ms, about the same as with the VPN off.

One evening was slower. On 24 October the app chose a Melbourne server on a different network, which kept noticeably less and had one ping spike.

Overseas servers keep less, as distance always costs. Los Angeles kept 43%, Tokyo 79% and London 55%. All three left enough for 4K by Netflix’s own guidance.

Further out, South Africa kept 44% and Brazil 23%. Both left enough for HD video; Brazil not enough for 4K.

Surfshark’s India server is a virtual location. The app labels it that way, and our IP check placed it in London, so a site that looks up your address sees Britain, not India.

Speed kept

Melbourne home connection · October 2026

Australian server	94%
Japan	79%
United Kingdom	55%
South Africa	44%
United States	43%
India virtual location, server in London, United Kingdom	31%
Brazil	23%

Download, upload and ping in Mbps, and how we measured

From our test bench Melbourne, October 2026

Australian server, tested from Melbourne, October 2026

Connection	Download	Upload	Ping
No VPN	53 Mbps	17.9 Mbps	11.7 ms
Surfshark, Australian server	50 Mbps −5.7%	18 Mbps +0.6%	12.2 ms

Overseas servers, tested from Melbourne, October 2026

Server in	Download	Upload
United States	23 Mbps −56.6%	5.50 Mbps −69.6%
United Kingdom	29.3 Mbps −44.8%	5.80 Mbps −67.6%
Japan	41.7 Mbps −21.3%	8.10 Mbps −55.0%
India virtual location, server in London, United Kingdom	16.4 Mbps −69.2%	11 Mbps −31.3%
Brazil	12.4 Mbps −76.7%	5.80 Mbps −64.1%
South Africa	23.4 Mbps −55.9%	4.70 Mbps −70.9%

A virtual location is a server the app lists under one country that actually sits in another; its speed is the speed to that other place.

Our own measurements on a Melbourne home connection of about 53 Mbps at the time, October 2026. Changes are against the speed of the same line with the VPN off, measured the same day.

Share of our download speed kept with Surfshark on, against the same line with the VPN off, measured the same day.

Leaks: DNS stayed private, but a server switch showed my address

• DNS: no leak on any server we tried in October 2026, from Melbourne to Johannesburg. Lookups stayed on Surfshark’s network, so our internet provider could not see which sites we visited.
• WebRTC: browserleaks.com saw only the VPN’s address on Melbourne, so a video-call page could not see our real one.
• IPv6: our line has no IPv6, so we could not test it. If your NBN connection uses IPv6, we cannot yet say whether Surfshark covers it.
• Switching servers, default settings: failed twice. Between Tokyo and London our home address showed for about 4 seconds the first time and 3 to 6 seconds the second.
• Switching servers, kill switch on: passed. From Melbourne to Sydney our address never showed; the Mac was offline for about 12 seconds instead.

A few seconds is enough for a torrent client or a background tab to reveal your real address. The app does warn that it disconnects briefly when you change location.

Kill switch: off by default, and erratic on our Mac

Surfshark’s kill switch stops the switching leak, but it was erratic on our Mac in October 2026. Kill Switch (Beta) covers the whole Mac, where NordVPN’s Mac app only closes the apps you choose.

It starts off, and turning it on installs a helper that needs the Mac’s admin password. On the first try the app said “Kill Switch couldn’t be turned on”, although the toggle showed on.

Three hours later it turned on with no error, and it hid our address through a Melbourne-to-Sydney switch. The Sydney connection then dropped in and out, without showing our address.

Then I turned it off. A minute later a change to a US server failed with “There was an unexpected issue”, and a banner said the kill switch had disabled the internet connection. The Mac stayed offline until we restored it about 50 minutes later.

Australian TV and banking

Surfshark works for the free-to-air apps, not for Prime Video. SBS On Demand, 9Now and ABC iview all played on its Melbourne server in October 2026, and 9Now served the Melbourne feed.

Prime Video showed “Video Unavailable” with error 7035 on Melbourne on two evenings, and on Sydney. Two servers on different networks failed, so the block follows Surfshark, not one server.

The same episode of The Terminal List played on NordVPN’s Melbourne server. For Prime Video on Surfshark, switch the VPN off, or try Bypasser, its split tunnelling, which we have not tested with Prime.

Everyday use in Australia

Melbourne home connection · dated per row

ABC iview	✓ Played24 Oct 2026
SBS On Demand	✓ Played24 Oct 2026
9Now	✓ PlayedIt served the VIC feed: 9Now placed the server in VIC.24 Oct 2026
Prime Video	✕ Blocked25 Oct 2026
Stan	Site opened, not playedNo account, so we could not press play.24 Oct 2026
Binge	Site opened, not playedNo account, so we could not press play.24 Oct 2026
Kayo	Site opened, not playedNo account, so we could not press play.24 Oct 2026
Banking and myGov	✓ Opened normallyCommBank NetBank, NAB Internet Banking, myGov: log-on pages only; we did not sign in25 Oct 2026
Connection to Sydney (games)	12 ms with the VPN, 26 ms withouttime to connect to an AWS Sydney server, one sitting; not an in-game ping25 Oct 2026

"Site opened, not played" means the service's site loaded through the VPN but we had no account to play anything.

Stan, Kayo and Binge only loaded their home pages, because we have no accounts to press Play. 7plus shows an HDCP error on our test Mac with or without a VPN, so we could not test it.

CommBank NetBank, NAB Internet Banking and myGov opened their log-on pages normally with the VPN on, on two days in October 2026. We did not sign in, so we cannot say whether a bank asks for extra checks after that.

Gaming: fine from Melbourne, too far for UK or US games

Surfshark’s Melbourne server will not add lag to games hosted in Sydney. In October 2026 a connection to Amazon’s Sydney data centre took 12 ms through it, against 26 ms with the VPN off.

That is a stand-in for a game server, not a ping measured inside a game.

Overseas servers are for streaming, not playing. London’s ping of 300 to 310 ms and Los Angeles’ 248 ms rule out fast online games, but make no difference to iPlayer. Our VPN for gaming guide compares every VPN we have tested.

Overseas streaming: iPlayer and Netflix UK played; Netflix US and Japan did not

Surfshark is a good pick for British TV and a poor one for American Netflix, on our October 2026 tests.

What played

Melbourne · our own tries, dated per service

Netflix US	✕ Blocked16 Oct 2026
Netflix UK	✓ Played16 Oct 2026
Netflix Japan	✕ Blocked16 Oct 2026
Pluto TV	✓ Played16 Oct 2026
BBC iPlayer	✓ Played17 Oct 2026
ABEMA	Site opened, not played16 Oct 2026

"Site opened, not played" means the service's site loaded through the VPN but we did not play anything.

• United Kingdom: BBC iPlayer played Panorama on a London server, signed in to a BBC account. Netflix UK showed its UK library and started The Gentlemen with a UK advert. ITVX and Channel 4 loaded; we did not press Play.
• United States: Netflix showed “You seem to be using a VPN or proxy” on Los Angeles and New York. A Pluto TV live channel played on Los Angeles, and Tubi and Hulu’s US sites loaded.
• Japan: Netflix began loading Japanese rows, then showed the same VPN or proxy error. ABEMA and TVer loaded with no region block; we did not play anything. Netflix Japan has played for us only on Mysterium VPN.

We used one Netflix profile, which shows the Australian library with the VPN off, and judged each server by Netflix’s region cues and by pressing Play.

Streaming services block VPN servers and sometimes let them back in, so each result holds for the day we tested. NordVPN played iPlayer three days after iPlayer refused it on five UK servers.

Torrenting: worked, and the VPN did not slow it

Torrenting on Surfshark’s Melbourne server ran at about the same speed as with the VPN off, in October 2026. We downloaded the official Debian DVD torrent for 2 minutes, with uploads capped and no seeding.

VPN	Our torrent speed	P2P policy	Kill switch	Port forwarding	Audited by
Surfshark	4.13 MiB/s tested October 2026	Allowed in our test tested October 2026	✓ Listed	Not listed	Deloitte, Cure53

Torrent speed is the average download rate we measured on an Australian server, with its date. Features and auditors are as each provider lists them; "Not checked" means we have not recorded it yet.

For a big download, the VPN is not the bottleneck: the people sharing the file and your NBN plan set the pace. NordVPN did much the same on its own Melbourne server, so this test will not pick between them.

Setting it up: three things start off

Three useful settings start off, so check them after you install. The kill switch, CleanWeb (Surfshark’s ad and tracker blocker) and Auto connect were all off in the Mac app in October 2026.

CleanWeb only works while the VPN is connected, so switch it on in the VPN settings if you want fewer ads.

Expect some upselling. The Alert, Antivirus and Search tabs showed “Get Surfshark One” prompts on our account, so we did not test those extras.

Still to test

Next: a morning speed sitting on Melbourne, Los Angeles, London and Tokyo, and a third server switch on default settings.

We also want to retry Netflix and press Play on ITVX and ABEMA. Not tried yet: the iPhone and Android apps, a video call through London and a support chat. Each result will be added here, dated.

What other Surfshark reviews found

Security.org had better luck with Netflix: it changed region without trouble in September 2026, where Netflix US and Japan blocked us. Top10VPN measured a 4% speed loss on a nearby server, in line with our best Melbourne runs.

Both test from outside Australia, so their speeds will not match a Melbourne line. Summaries and links are under Surfshark reviews on other sites near the end of this page.

Surfshark deal in Australia (checked 3 Nov 2026)

Surfshark price in Australia

Surfshark’s lowest price is A$3.49 a month when you pay for 27 months upfront. Surfshark's pricing page does not show what the plan renews at.

It shows Australian visitors prices in Australian dollars, so there is no exchange rate to work out. Check at checkout whether GST is added.

VAT/GST may apply.

Checked 3 Nov 2026 Price and plan details read from surfshark.com.

Visit Surfshark

The monthly figure spreads the upfront total over two years plus three bonus months. Surfshark’s pricing page does not show what each plan renews at, so check that at checkout too.

Starter is the VPN with a few extras. One and One+ add security tools such as antivirus and data removal. If you only want a VPN, compare Starter with other providers.

The table is read from Surfshark’s pricing page and updates automatically. Named offers, such as a Black Friday deal, go on our VPN deals in Australia page once we have checked them.

Free trial, cancelling and refunds

Every plan lets you ask for your money back within 30 days. We have not tested Surfshark’s refund process.

New customers also get a 7-day free trial on 12-month and 24-month plans bought on Surfshark’s website, on up to three devices. You enter a card, PayPal or Apple Pay up front.

The plan is charged when the week ends unless you turn off auto-renewal in your account, and the money-back guarantee still covers you after that. Compare it in our VPN free trial guide.

Is Surfshark safe? Privacy, audits and the Netherlands

Surfshark publishes more audit detail than most VPNs. It says Deloitte has verified its no-logs claim in two assurance reports under ISAE 3000, an international standard for checking non-financial controls.

It also names Cure53 as auditor of its infrastructure and publishes transparency reports on legal requests. Every server runs in RAM only, it says, so nothing stored survives a reboot.

One caution: Security.org (September 2026) says Surfshark “may record IP addresses”, which it calls poor practice for a no-logs VPN. If that matters to you, read Surfshark’s privacy policy before you buy.

Surfshark is based in the Netherlands, which it says does not require companies to store or report user data. Security.org points out that the Netherlands is in the Nine Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance, so its government can compel Surfshark to hand over customer information.

Surfshark apps, devices and Australian servers

Surfshark puts no limit on simultaneous devices. For a busy household, that is the main practical difference from NordVPN and ExpressVPN, which cap an account.

Its server list names Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. We have tested Melbourne and Sydney so far.

It supports WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2, plus Dausos, a protocol of its own. The extras that matter:

• Bypasser is split tunnelling: your banking app or Stan can skip the VPN while everything else uses it.
• Dynamic MultiHop routes you through two servers, for extra privacy at a speed cost.
• CleanWeb blocks ads and trackers while the VPN is connected.
• Obfuscation disguises VPN traffic on networks that block VPNs, such as some hotel and office Wi-Fi.
• Dedicated IP gives you an address of your own.

Using Surfshark in Australia

• Australian servers: Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, according to Surfshark's server list.
• Billing: priced in Australian dollars.
• Where it is based: the Netherlands, according to its own site.
• Refund period: 30 days.

Australian law requires internet providers to keep customers' metadata for two years. A VPN encrypts the connection between your device and the VPN server, so your internet provider can see that you are using a VPN but not which sites you visit. It does not make you anonymous to the VPN provider itself, which is why the provider's logging policy and audits matter.

Alternatives to Surfshark

These are picked by a fact in our data, not by commission. For a head-to-head, read NordVPN vs Surfshark or Surfshark vs ExpressVPN, or see the full Best VPN for Australia table.

PrivadoVPN

Lowest advertised price we track: US$1.11 a month

Visit PrivadoVPN

NordVPN

Servers in 150 countries, the most we track

Visit NordVPN

Private Internet Access

No limit on devices per account

Visit Private Internet Access

Surfshark FAQ

How we keep this review current

Prices, plans and server details are read from Surfshark’s own website, with the date of the last check beside each figure. Each test result carries the date it was measured, and every retest is added here with its own date.

Sources

• Surfshark’s own pages, read on 13 October 2026: pricing, servers, Australian servers, features and no-logs policy.
• Its free trial help article and free trial page, read on 23 October 2026.
• Independent reviews: Security.org (September 2026) and Top10VPN (updated September 2026).
• Our tests of the Mac app in Melbourne: 16 and 17 October 2026, 24 October (9.03 to 9.12 pm) and 25 October (2.46 to 3.07 pm, 5.58 to 6.10 pm).