Features
SurfEasy is not only easy to use and compatible with almost all devices, but it also offers a few additional benefits that other VPN providers usually do not.
First, SurfEasy lets you create torrents. All Ultra VPN plan users (see the Pricing Options section of the SurfEasy overview for more information) can enjoy unlimited torrent speeds. SurfEasy makes uploading and downloading fast and hassle-free, and thanks to its dedicated servers, all of your torrent activity is confidential, secure and fast.
SurfEasy has an advanced tracking blocker that protects you from snooping and tracking. It blocks tracking cookies that advertisers use to track your web surfing, so you can surf the web anonymously.
In addition to the excellent tracking blocker, SurfEasy has recently introduced an ad blocker feature for iOS 9 that protects your data while saving you from annoying online ads. SurfEasy is the perfect VPN provider for anyone who wants to avoid geographical restrictions.
SurfEasy even lets you access Facebook from China or stream American Netflix TV shows from Georgia. With just one click, it hides your real IP address so that you can access any website without any problems.
Speed Test
It’s not the fastest, but chances are you’ll be happy with SurfEasy’s speed. If you connect locally and use SurfEasy, you will have little to no problems.
However, for longer distance connections, SurfEasy underperforms. For cross-continental connections between the US and Australia, we measured very poor speeds.
We expect a big drop for these longer-distance connections, but SurfEasy’s price is too low to compete with better VPN services from the competition.
However, SurfEasy showed consistent performance and delivered roughly the same speed results in each test. Even though it is not the fastest, we would call it a reliable service.
SurfEasy achieves a higher ping rate than you would expect from a top VPN service. When connecting to the same country, we saw a ping increase of over 400%. Gamers will not have a smooth experience when using SurfEasy VPN.
| Connections | Ping | Upload Speed | Download Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Without VPN |
10ms |
97 Mbps |
96 Mbps |
|
With VPN |
13ms |
76 Mbps |
72 Mbps |
- USA: 10 Mbit/s (download) & 28 Mbit/s (upload)
- Germany: 35 Mbit/s (download) & 78 Mbit/s (upload)
- Singapore: 30 Mbit/s (download) & 20 Mbit/s (upload)
- Australia: 5 Mbit/s (download) & 6 Mbit/s (upload)
Pricing Plans
SurfEasy VPN offers three different plans (monthly, quarterly, and yearly). These plans are as follows.
- On the mobile side, there are servers in 16 countries, limited to one device. It costs $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year
- Total has servers in 16 countries with a 5-device limit. It costs $4.99 per month or $47.88 per year
- Ultra has servers in 25 countries, allows torrenting and has a five-device limit. $11.99 per month or $77.88 per year
In addition, SurfEasy offers an introductory plan that allows users to experience 16 countries (limited to five devices) and a usage limit of 500 MB (monthly). Users can earn rewards to get more usage. The starter service is free and is great because it allows people to test before they buy. It’s also a great option for those who need to bypass government censorship, such as in the United Arab Emirates or China.
As with the vast majority of VPNs, there are options for an annual, six-month, or one-month subscription. There are discounts for long-term subscribers. In addition, the company offers a seven-day money-back guarantee, which means that anyone can try SurfEasy risk-free.
Server Locations
All good VPN providers offer a large number of VPN servers.
In other words: If you want to know how good a VPN service really is, you should look at the number of servers it offers. If the number of VPN servers is less than fifty, it means that the “brand” of the VPN service is very average.
The higher the number of VPN servers, the higher the probability that the VPN provider is of good quality, as this will affect the speed.
Apart from that, if possible, you should choose a VPN provider that has at least one VPN server in your location. This way, you can test their best VPN servers and experience the best connection speeds. SurfEasy VPN accidentally has only ten VPN server locations
Privacy and Logging Security
SurfEasy claims to be a “log-free VPN for your device,” but figuring out what that means takes a little more time than usual.SurfEasy’s privacy policy can be found at the bottom of the “NortonLifeLock Products and Services Privacy Statement” page, an 11,000+ word document that covers each of Norton’s product lines The basics of the product.
When we finally get to the details of SurfEasy, it’s surprisingly brief. The service collects your IP address and location or access to your IP address; your device ID, name, type and (for mobile devices) operating system; the number of bytes transferred through the service; diagnostic information to “help troubleshoot service issues” and “metadata to report on product and application usage.“
All of this is a bit vague. For example, the document says you can only access this data, suggesting it’s only used for the session, but you can collect at least some of it, implying a permanent log.
SurfEasy Processing’s strong encryption is referred to as “bank security“. This helps avoid range locks and makes perfect sense for data confidentiality and security.
The no-registration policy is one of the best and most reliable benefits as security is your first priority. This policy of SurfEasy VPN guarantees that your personal information will not be stored and there is no risk that it will be sold to related third parties.
With SurfEasy you’ll be able to disguise any real location. This VPN has 256-bit SSL encryption, which means that all your data is protected against possible cybercrime.
Whenever you need to connect over a public WI-Fi network, SurfEasy provides the option to encrypt your phone or computer so that your personal information is not stolen.
User Experience
We were very pleased with the usability of the SurfEasy client across different platforms, devices and browser extensions. We decided to test their Windows software application and share our thoughts. The installation process was smooth and quick, and if you’re not sure how to configure SurfEasy on your system, there are plenty of dedicated installation guides to help you out.
As soon as you launch the app, you’re confronted with a clean, beautiful and intuitive interface that displays a world map, informs you of your location before and after establishing a VPN connection, and displays all the features enabled in the app, such as the “ad tracking blocker”.
OpenVPN is enabled by default, but you have the option to manually switch to PPTP. Leakage protection, but that will be available soon.
SurfEasy may offer a good service at a reasonable price, but can it compete with other top VPNs? It’s hard for us to say yes. Here’s how to make sure that the VPN you choose meets your needs.
Streaming
Unblocking streaming platforms is the biggest motivation for using a VPN. Due to licensing issues, these services can only display content from their region. So, if you live abroad or have been traveling, you won’t be able to watch your favorite shows or sports.
Another inconvenience is the blacklisting of VPN IP addresses accepted by VOD channels. Thanks to detection technology, these services are able to determine if you are using a VPN and then block access. However, the best VPNs have found ways to bypass this barrier and deliver content to cable providers wherever they are.
So we had to test SurfEasy’s performance in this area, since most users are looking for streaming access. And we have to say we were disappointed. When we connected to US servers, we could only unlock Netflix’s US catalog. Other services like Hulu or Amazon Prime Video were able to detect that we were using a VPN.
But it’s not just US streaming channels that are popular. BBC iPlayer, for example, is one of the most watched platforms in the UK and worldwide, thanks to its wide selection of British and international programs. However, when we connected to the UK server and tried to unblock it from abroad, we got a location error on the screen instead.
Customer Support
Another downside to using SurfEasy is the poor customer service. Interestingly, SurfEasy claims to have 24/7 customer support, an email ticketing system, and a customer service hotline, but to be as innocent and neutral as possible in my review, I decided to test their support channels in this analysis.
However, my results varied: sometimes I got a nice, quick response, sometimes they didn’t respond for days.
24/7 Live Chat
The 24/7 live chat support is designed to provide instant resolution to user queries. To test SurfEasy’s live chat support, I asked about supported tunneling protocols and did not receive a response from a SurfEasy representative within the next 24 hours.
Email Ticketing Systems
Email ticketing systems typically provide detailed solutions to most complex problems. To test SurfEasy’s email ticketing system, I submitted a free trial request. Unfortunately, I did not receive a response from SurfEasy.
Despite the great advantages that SurfEasy offers, the shortcomings of the customer support system need to be improved.
FAQ section
Regardless of the intricacies of the ticketing and live chat system, SurfEasy VPN offers a well-designed FAQ section. In the FAQ section, you can find detailed instructions and tutorials on how to set up the VPN on various devices, as well as general questions and troubleshooting tips.
SurfEasy Reddit Review
SurfEasy needs to significantly improve its reputation on Reddit. Various users see the service more as a marketing tool than a full-fledged VPN service.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Free trial
- Easy to use
- Cross-platform
- Free to use Cross-platform Free to use
- Open VPN with AES-256
- Excellent speed
- No leaks
- P2P capable
Cons
- Cannot unblock Netflix US or BBC iPlayer
- Does not accept bitcoin
- Canadian provider owned by Opera US
- Claims to have no records, but will share usage data with government if needed
- No shutdown switch
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SurfEasy VPN free of charge?
SurfEasy offers a free version of its VPN service. However, traffic is limited to 500 MB/month, which means you can use the service for a few hours at most. It is highly recommended to choose one of the paid plans to get full protection and higher data limits.
How to use BitTorrent with SurfEasy?
SurfEasy allows you to use the BitTorrent client only with the Ultra package, which is more expensive than the regular one. To optimize your VPN for BitTorrent use, simply open the SurfEasy panel, click “Area” and select “Torrenting Optimization”.
How can I remove a device from a SurfEasy VPN package?
To remove specific devices from your SurfEasy VPN plan, simply log into your SurfEasy account, locate the device you want to remove under the “Plans and Devices” tab, and click the X icon. If you want to delete all current devices and add brand new ones, click the “Delete All” button at the top of the page.
How can I cancel my SurfEasy VPN?
If you have already subscribed to SurfEasy VPN and wish to cancel your subscription, please send an email to support@SurfEasy.com with your registered email address and your support password (found in the profile section of the website).
Conclusion
The VPN service is average in all parts except speed. The network speed is very good and it is undoubtedly one of the fastest VPN. The number of servers as well as the location are satisfactory, but the server layout and dedicated servers should be increased.
They also need to become a more transparent service and establish a professional privacy policy. It is amazing how little attention we pay to such important details. The service’s protocol and encryption features are comparable to high-end VPN services, but again lack basic security features like a kill switch and IP leak protection.
Platform support should include more tools to allow users VPN to reach most devices. Customer support staff could also get more information about the service.
