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Search for Surfshark and Netflix and one number keeps coming back: thirty libraries. It appears in guides dated 2026. As far as we can trace it, though, the figure comes from a Cybernews article of January 2024, which also recommended Surfshark’s SmartDNS for smart TVs.
Surfshark retired SmartDNS on 2 February 2026. Tests published this year, meanwhile, count between fourteen and twenty working libraries, and an older one found nine. None of that means Surfshark fails with Netflix. It does mean the thirty is out of date, and the TV advice attached to it no longer works.
Surfshark and Netflix: The Short Answer
Yes, Surfshark works with Netflix. The US, UK and Canadian libraries opened in every recent test we found, and Gizmodo’s September 2026 test got all twenty of the catalogues it tried.
The number of libraries depends on the test. Gizmodo counts twenty, Wizcase fourteen, and Top10VPN, testing in May 2025, found nine. The thirty repeated elsewhere is the oldest figure of the set.
The caveat is your TV. SmartDNS is gone, so a television without a Surfshark app now needs a router running the VPN. Old SmartDNS settings, left in place, can stop the TV connecting at all. Our Surfshark review covers the rest of the service.
Where the Thirty Comes From
Cybernews reported thirty libraries in January 2024, in an article that also pointed smart-TV owners to SmartDNS. Since then the figure has travelled. CyberInsider’s Surfshark guide from June 2026 still says up to thirty, while the same site’s Netflix round-up this month says Surfshark officially supports ten regions, and then lists seventeen countries.
That inconsistency is not unusual. Library counts get copied from page to page and updated less often than the tests behind them. So the useful question is not which number is right, but when each one was measured.
| Source and date | What they reported | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Cybernews, January 2024 | 30 libraries | Oldest; recommended SmartDNS |
| Top10VPN, May 2025 | 9 catalogues; Australia, Japan, Turkey blocked | A year and a half old |
| CyberInsider, June 2026 | Up to 30 | Repeats the older figure |
| Gizmodo, September 2026 | All 20 catalogues it tried | Newest test |
| Wizcase, September 2026 | 14 countries, often several attempts | Newest, least positive |
What the 2026 Tests Agree On
The big three libraries work. The US, UK and Canada opened for Gizmodo, and VPNpro’s August comparison of nine providers found all of them could reach those three. VPNpro placed Surfshark among the runners-up, behind NordVPN, which belongs to the same parent company, Nord Security.
Japan is the contested one. Gizmodo’s September test included it among the working libraries, while Top10VPN in 2025 got only Netflix Originals there. If Japan’s catalogue is your reason for buying, check a recent test that names it, and our Japan guide explains what that library holds.
Reliability is where they differ. Wizcase’s team found Surfshark working in fourteen countries but often needing several attempts to connect to a working server. Gizmodo, by contrast, reported no such trouble on its twenty.
The Caveat: SmartDNS Is Gone
Surfshark’s support page states that SmartDNS stopped being supported on 2 February 2026. It tells anyone still using it to set the TV’s DNS back to automatic, or to enter a resolver manually, such as Surfshark’s public one at 194.169.169.169.
Leaving the old settings in place causes a worse problem. Comparitech reported that TVs still pointing at the retired SmartDNS servers can lose their connection entirely, not just the foreign catalogue. Our smart TV guide walks through resetting them.
What replaces it depends on the device. Apple TV now has a native Surfshark app on tvOS 17 or later, as Surfshark’s own setup page confirms, and Fire TV has had one for years. A TV with no app store support needs the VPN on your router instead. Our Apple TV guide, our Roku guide and our router guide cover each route.
Speed and Picture Quality
Netflix recommends 15 Mbps for Ultra HD. CNET measured a 21% average download loss with Surfshark, against 18% for ExpressVPN and 2.9% for NordVPN, according to our speed table. On most home connections that still leaves plenty for 4K.
On a slower line, however, a fifth of the speed can decide whether 4K holds or drops to HD. Our speed guide explains what affects the loss, including server distance and protocol.
Unlimited Devices, Limited Screens
Surfshark allows unlimited devices on one subscription, so every phone, laptop and TV in a household can run it at once. Our multi-device guide compares that with the capped alternatives.
Netflix, however, sets its own limit. Its Standard plan streams on two screens at a time and Premium on four, whatever VPN is running. So unlimited VPN connections do not add Netflix screens; they only mean the VPN never becomes the bottleneck.
Two restrictions sit on the Netflix side as well. Netflix states that VPNs are not supported on its ad-supported plan or for live events, as our Netflix guide records. No provider changes either, because the restriction belongs to the account rather than the connection.
If Netflix Blocks Surfshark
Switch servers first. Wizcase’s experience suggests it may take more than one try, so move to another server in the same country before changing anything else.
Then try NoBorders or Camouflage Mode. Gizmodo recommends both when a server is flagged. They are designed to make the connection look less like a VPN.
Then check the device. Clearing the browser cache, or trying the app on another device, separates a flagged server from a local problem. That guide, linked above, covers the proxy error in more detail.
Surfshark Against ExpressVPN and NordVPN for Netflix
Surfshark costs less than both. Its Starter plan is $67.23 for the first 27 months, with a reported renewal of $79 a year, as our Surfshark price page explains. It also allows unlimited devices, which matters in a household where several people stream at once.
The testing edge, though, sits with NordVPN. VPNpro ranked it first, and NordVPN against Surfshark sets out what the higher price buys. For ExpressVPN, our ExpressVPN and Netflix page compares the same kind of evidence, and ExpressVPN against Surfshark covers the rest.
How We Research
We took the library counts from Cybernews, Top10VPN, CyberInsider, Gizmodo and Wizcase, and the comparative ranking from VPNpro, each named with its date where used and read on 25 September 2026. Surfshark’s own support pages supplied the SmartDNS shutdown and the Apple TV requirements, and Comparitech the effect of stale settings. CNET’s speed figures come via our speed table, and the price from our Surfshark price page. We did not test Surfshark with Netflix ourselves, so we report what each tester found. Our full approach lives on the About Us page.
Surfshark and Netflix FAQ
Yes. The US, UK and Canadian libraries worked in every recent test we found, and Gizmodo’s September 2026 test opened all twenty catalogues it tried. Results can change as Netflix blocks addresses, so test within the refund window.
It depends on the source and the date. Gizmodo counts twenty and Wizcase fourteen in 2026, while Top10VPN found nine in 2025. The thirty often quoted traces back to a Cybernews article from January 2024.
No. Surfshark stopped supporting SmartDNS on 2 February 2026. Use its Apple TV or Fire TV app, or a router running the VPN, and reset any old SmartDNS settings on your TV.
NordVPN tested better in VPNpro’s 2026 comparison and loses less speed in CNET’s figures. Surfshark costs less and allows unlimited devices. Both belong to Nord Security.
On most home connections, yes. Netflix recommends 15 Mbps for Ultra HD, and CNET measured a 21% average download loss with Surfshark. On a slow line that loss can push 4K down to HD.
The Verdict
Surfshark works with Netflix, but not in the way many guides describe. The thirty-library figure is from 2024, the SmartDNS route is gone, and this year’s tests count fourteen to twenty working libraries.
That is still a good result at Surfshark’s price, especially for a household with many screens. Check a 2026 test that names your library, reset any old SmartDNS settings on your TV, and use the 30 days to confirm it on the device you actually watch on.