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Surfshark vs AirVPN sets polish against transparency. Surfshark, a Nord Security brand based in the Netherlands, allows unlimited devices, has two audits in our table and costs $67.23 for its first 27 months on Starter, then about $79 a year, according to Security.org and VPNOverview. AirVPN, from Perugia, Italy, has no audit but publishes live statistics for every server, runs the open-source Eddie client, needs no email to sign up and gives free port forwarding on up to 20 ports.
This guide compares evidence, torrenting, anonymity, apps, streaming and fit.
Polish or Transparency
Neither approach is wrong: polished apps reduce mistakes for beginners, while detailed settings let experts tune the connection for their network.
Surfshark’s apps are built for one-tap use across every device in a home. AirVPN’s Eddie client has twelve tabs of settings, our review found, and rewards people who want to see and control everything.
Pick by how much you want to configure yourself.
Surfshark vs AirVPN on Evidence
Open-source code lets outside experts read how a client handles data, which partly offsets the lack of an audit, though it does not cover the servers themselves.
Surfshark has two audits in our table. AirVPN has none, but its open-source clients and live server statistics let anyone inspect parts of how it works. In 2024 it stopped serving users in Italy rather than apply the Piracy Shield blocklists, our review notes.
Our AirVPN review explains that decision.
Surfshark vs AirVPN for Torrenting and Anonymity
AirVPN gives free port forwarding on up to 20 ports, which suits torrent clients and home servers. We found no port forwarding for Surfshark in our sources.
Torrent users and self-hosters will prefer AirVPN. Our torrenting guide covers others.
AirVPN needs no email and accepts seven cryptocurrencies among its payment options. Surfshark uses an email account and standard payment methods.
For anonymity, AirVPN is clearly ahead.
Devices and Streaming
Surfshark sets no device limit; AirVPN allows five connections. A router running AirVPN can cover the rest of a home.
Large households fit better on Surfshark’s plan.
Reviewers report AirVPN failing on major streaming platforms, our review notes. Testers cover Surfshark’s streaming widely, and it has apps for TVs and sticks, though it has turned off Smart DNS.
For streaming, Surfshark is the better fit of the two.
Testing Each and Jurisdiction
AirVPN’s refund position is unclear, our review found, so its three-day plan is the safe way to test it. Check Surfshark’s refund terms at checkout.
Test torrenting and streaming during whichever window applies.
AirVPN is based in Italy, a Fourteen Eyes member where data retention applies to telecoms rather than VPNs, our review notes. Surfshark is in the Netherlands.
Our Five Eyes guide explains the alliances.
Eddie and Mobile Apps
On Android, AirVPN offers its own client, and on any platform you can use its configuration generator with standard WireGuard or OpenVPN apps.
AirVPN’s Eddie client runs on Windows, macOS and Linux with twelve tabs of preferences, our review found, but there is no graphical Eddie client on iOS, where you use standard WireGuard or OpenVPN apps instead. Surfshark’s apps look the same across devices.
Beginners will find Surfshark far easier on phones and tablets.
Live Server Statistics and Piracy Shield
AirVPN publishes its server list with live load and users for each one, so you can pick a quiet server before connecting. Surfshark picks a server for you by default.
That transparency is part of AirVPN’s appeal for technical users.
Italy’s Piracy Shield system requires providers to block listed sites quickly. Rather than apply those blocklists, AirVPN stopped serving users in Italy in 2024, our review notes, which shows how it handles pressure on its users.
It remains based in Perugia, Italy.
Kill Switch and Network Lock, and Who Each Is For
Eddie’s network lock blocks traffic outside the tunnel, and Surfshark includes a kill switch in its apps. Test either by switching Wi-Fi off and on while connected.
Run a DNS leak test after setup.
Families, streamers and beginners fit Surfshark’s unlimited devices and simple apps. Self-hosters, torrent users and privacy purists fit AirVPN’s free ports, anonymous sign-up and open-source tools.
Test AirVPN on its three-day plan before committing.
Home Servers and Routers
AirVPN’s free forwarded ports suit people who run a home server, a seedbox or remote access behind the VPN. A router running AirVPN through WireGuard or OpenVPN files can cover devices without apps, within its five-connection limit.
Surfshark suits households that want many devices covered without that setup.
Surfshark’s Plans
Surfshark sells three tiers, Starter, One and One+, with the higher two adding security services beyond the VPN; One+ includes identity theft coverage in the US, its pricing page says. AirVPN sells one service with different lengths. For a head-to-head, see our CyberGhost vs AirVPN comparison.
Starter is the fairest tier to compare with AirVPN’s single plan.
How We Research
This page draws on our AirVPN review, AirVPN’s site, Surfshark’s pricing pages and our audit and price tables. We cross-checked these sources against each other, and where they conflict or something can’t be verified, we say so in the text rather than guessing. We checked time-sensitive figures, including prices in US dollars, on 8 October 2026. The main source we relied on is AirVPN’s site. Our full approach lives on the About Us page.
Surfshark vs AirVPN FAQ
Surfshark for ease, devices and streaming; AirVPN for ports and anonymity.
Yes, free on up to 20 ports.
No; Surfshark has two audits.
Yes, and pay with cryptocurrency.
Surfshark, with no limit; AirVPN allows five.
The Verdict
Surfshark vs AirVPN: Surfshark for easy apps, unlimited devices and streaming; AirVPN for open-source transparency, anonymity and free ports.