Surfshark is usually pitched as the value pick: unlimited simultaneous connections, a competitive price and plain WireGuard under the hood. Its 2026 speed results are the most scattered of any major VPN we reviewed, which makes it a good case study in why a single number should never close the argument.
Reading the spread
Engadget, which tests six servers spread across the world, found Surfshark cost it about 5.4% of its speed on average. A lab comparison put WireGuard at 1,021 Mbps and OpenVPN at 851 Mbps. Gizmodo’s ranking, by contrast, placed Surfshark behind NordVPN and ExpressVPN, with larger losses on both download and upload. Another test showed far lower average speeds, along with slow obfuscation.
These can all be accurate. Different methods, different baselines and different server picks produce different outcomes, and Surfshark’s straightforward WireGuard setup means its results track the network path more than a custom protocol would.
Surfshark is fast enough for nearly everyone and unbeatable on connection count, but its upload penalty and obfuscation speed are worth testing if you torrent, video-call heavily or live behind restrictive networks.
Strengths and trade-offs
| Strength | Trade-off |
|---|---|
| Unlimited simultaneous devices | Larger upload penalty in some tests |
| Low price tier | Slow obfuscation reported |
| Joint PCMag Editors’ Choice for 2026 | No dedicated IP reported in one review |
Which protocol should I use?
WireGuard for speed. OpenVPN lagged it in the lab figures above.
Is it a good value?
Yes for households with many devices. Verify the renewal price, which often rises after the introductory term.
Goliry Team analysis of third-party results from Engadget, Gizmodo, PCMag, Security.org and other publishers. We did not perform these tests ourselves; your results will vary.
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