Best Alternative to Surfshark: PrivateVPN Compared

Surfshark has built a strong reputation as a full-featured privacy suite, bundling its VPN with antivirus, data-broker removal (Incogni), identity monitoring (Alert), and virtual identity tools. But that breadth comes with tradeoffs: pricing is promo-driven with renewal rates that jump after the intro term, throughput lags slightly behind ExpressVPN and NordVPN in benchmarks, and the antivirus bundle isn't a substitute for dedicated endpoint protection. If you're looking for something leaner, cheaper at the low end, or better suited to a specific use case like torrenting with port forwarding, it's worth seeing how the alternatives stack up.

PrivateVPN

PrivateVPN takes a fundamentally different approach than Surfshark by running a much smaller network — just 200+ servers across 63 countries, compared to Surfshark's 4,500+ servers in 100+ countries. That's the clearest tradeoff to weigh: fewer servers means less flexibility if one is congested or blocked by a streaming platform, but PrivateVPN still covers the basics solidly, with AES-256 encryption, a no-logs policy, a kill switch, and support for OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard.

Where PrivateVPN actually pulls ahead is torrenting setups that need port forwarding — a feature it still offers manually through its client, and one that several larger competitors have scaled back or dropped entirely. It also supports up to 10 simultaneous device connections, which is generous compared to ExpressVPN's 8, though it doesn't match Surfshark's unlimited-device model for large households.

On pricing, PrivateVPN's monthly plan runs around $9.90/month with no discount, while its headline 36-month plan can bring the per-month cost down to roughly $2–$2.50 when paid upfront, sometimes with a few free bonus months thrown in. That's a different pricing shape than Surfshark's three-tier structure (Starter, One, One+), since PrivateVPN doesn't bundle antivirus, data removal, or identity monitoring — it's a more narrowly focused VPN product. A 30-day money-back guarantee applies, the same standard window Surfshark offers, though committing to 36 months upfront is a bigger leap of faith than Surfshark's shorter long-term tiers.

PrivateVPN makes the most sense if you're specifically doing torrenting and need port forwarding to work, if you're a budget-conscious user willing to commit to a multi-year plan for a very low per-month rate, or if you have a device-heavy household and don't need Surfshark's unlimited connection count to get solid multi-device coverage.

Which One Should You Choose

Surfshark remains the stronger pick if you want a bundled privacy suite — unlimited devices, data-broker removal, identity monitoring, and antivirus all under one subscription — and you're covering a lot of devices across a household. PrivateVPN is worth choosing instead if your priority is torrenting with real port forwarding support, you want a rock-bottom long-term price and don't need the extra privacy tools, or a smaller, more focused VPN product suits you better than a full suite. Which one wins out really comes down to whether you value breadth of features or a narrower, cheaper, torrent-friendly tool.