It’s been a while since we last tried the SurfShark China review, and we did it again recently. After installing the client on our Windows system, and after a few hours of tossing and turning and changing configurations many times, we finally managed to connect to the Thailand node of the SurfShark VPN, which uses the OpenVPN (UDP) protocol with the NoBorders option turned on. NoBorders option, using the automatic selection of the nearest node to connect, we manually tried more than a dozen nodes we think the connectivity rate should be very high (the United States, Japan, etc.), can not be connected, manual nodes under any protocol can not be connected, it is disappointing to see that none of the WireGuard protocol can be connected, only to use the automatic connection to give us a little bit of hope.
Because the test results are very unsatisfactory, we do not intend to spend too much time to continue, this article will not spend too long, if readers want to go over the wall from China, there are much better wall-flipping software to choose, we do not recommend Chinese users to buy and use SurfShark VPN; if the reader’s main purpose is not to go over the wall, but to be used as a tool for privacy protection when surfing the Internet abroad, SurfShark should be good. SurfShark should work well.
SurfShark Benefits
- Unlimited number of devices, one account can be used on any number of Windows/macOS/Linux/iOS/Android devices. Personally, I think this was a great advantage a few years ago when other commercial VPNs generally had a limit on the number of devices, but as other VPNs are also removing the limitation one after the other, as well as providing the function of shared VPNs within the local area network, this advantage may not be anymore. Obvious
- Cheaply priced, SurfShark’s single-month package at €12.95 per month, annual package at €3.99 per month, and 2-year package at €2.49 per month are not overpriced among the VPNs we’ve reviewed
- Supports OpenVPN (TCP/UDP) and WireGuard protocols, as well as SmartDNS for breaking out of zone restrictions on certain services such as Netflix.
- Support Kill-Switch, Split-Tunneling (ByPasser), you can configure the traffic to go through the VPN tunnel or not for different applications.
- It comes with ad/tracking script blocking, anti-virus software, privacy search, personal information leakage warning and other features that are not part of SurfShark VPN itself, which can be purchased as a package through SurfShark One, which is not too expensive, which is a plus, but I personally feel that the pros are weak.
SurfShark Cons
- Manually selected nodes are almost not available, the three supported protocols are only OpenVPN (UDP) can barely connect, the speed is not fast, smartly said in China to use very reluctant, the quality of service and the first line of commercial VPN is not on a level, I do not understand why there are many sites are still in the Chinese users recommended!
- Relying on email registration to log in, which we consider to be a very insecure way to identify customers from a privacy point of view
- Slow, slow to start the client, slow to log in (even if the client can’t log in), slow to connect, it took us a long time to barely connect to the Thai node
- Auto-renewal catnip, after the purchase of auto-renewal is the default on, to turn off the need to contact customer service, refunds the same, the details, the good thing is that contacting customer service is still relatively simple, 可以通过网站右下角的在线客服或者写邮件到[email protected]
- Logging, from the SurfShark website after logging into the background, can be seen in the Manage Devices within the vendor will automatically record the login set up other hostname, which is completely unnecessary, I personally do not believe that the official commitment of the zero logging guarantee!
How to Try
Although SurfShark VPN promises 30 days no reason to refund, you want to try, first do not rush to buy, you can try first, the official offer in iOS/Android/macOS three platforms free 7 days trial, from the official website (macOS/Android) or Apple Store (iOS) to download the client, after the installation is complete, click Start free After installing the client, click Start free trial to start the trial, the trial service is the same as the official version, without limitations. If you try SurfShark from China and get different results from our review, don’t forget to leave a comment and let us know. At this moment, we don’t think SurfShark is very helpful for this kind of apps to go over the wall from China.
How to buy
To the official website, click on the upper right corner of the Get Surfshark button, the first choice of package, note that the default currency is the euro, if there is a coupon you can click on the bottom of the coupon input box to enter, point Continue to checkout after you can choose whether to buy additional anti-virus software and other services, these services may not be very significant to Chinese users, you can skip clicking the Continue without bundle to reach the payment step, enter the e-mail address, select the payment method, complete the payment can be. SurfShark accepts Bitcoin, PayPal, credit card, Google Pay, Amazon Pay and other payment methods, if you have the conditions to recommend the use of foreign mailboxes + Bitcoin payment can be done anonymously, the use of Bitcoin is preferred. If you don’t have bitcoin, you should pay by PayPal, and try not to use VISA/MASTER credit card issued by domestic banks.
After successful payment, auto-renewal is turned on by default, if you do not intend to use it for a long time, or use it to feel bad, please turn off the auto-renewal in time, contact the online customer service on it, and you can get an unconditional refund within 30 days, also contact the customer service.
After payment, the account will be opened, you will receive a confirmation email, pay attention to check, log in SurfShark website background, in the Home- >Apps & extensions page to download the client APP (iOS client must be downloaded from the App Store), the client needs to be logged in after the completion of the installation, the login to support the two modes, mailbox passwords or login code, login code login mode better privacy, in the client generated login code in the right corner of the website Account- Enter login code page, you can complete the login. The login code generated in the client can be entered in the Account- >Enter login code page in the upper right corner of the website background to complete the login. For questions about the use of SurfShark client, you can refer to the help center or contact online customer service.
SurfShark vs. ExpressVPN
Since ExpressVPN has been the most recommended VPN on this site, I wanted to compare SurfShark with it briefly.
For Chinese users, SurfShark VPN has a slight advantage over ExpressVPN in terms of price and unlimited number of devices, but also in terms of wall-penetrating ability, number of available nodes, connection speed, connection stability, client ease of use, etc. The two products are not at the same level of strength. In the end, whether a VPN is worth recommending to Chinese users depends on whether it can go over the wall, the current SurfShark China service status, we do not look forward to, and do not intend to continue in-depth review, not good enough to use but also to review what ah.
If readers like SurfShark VPN’s advantage of no device limit, they can consider Astrill, which is also a VPN with no limit on the number of simultaneous connections that works and works well, but the downside is that it’s quite a bit more expensive than SurfShark, so readers should decide for themselves whether or not to buy it.
summarize
Although SurfShark is inexpensive and has no limitation on the number of devices, its ability to penetrate the wall from China is too weak at the moment, and we don’t recommend its purchase for users who are in mainland China; however, if you’re using it abroad for purposes such as protecting your privacy on the Internet, breaking through streaming/game server lock zones, and secure P2P downloads, it should be a capable VPN.
