Feed aggregator

4K resolution, AI tracking, and video quality that's "exceptionally high."

The compromise was bigger than initially thought, and it seems some accounts were broken into even before that.

Picking the right headphones for the right situation is key. For everyday use, exercising and lengthy listening time, three is the perfect number for a headphones collection. Here are my picks.

As the best up-and-coming players are divvied up over three days in Pittsburg, see how to watch NFL Draft 2026 live streams around the world.

A new study looks at an unexpected force that helped played a critical role in shaping the lives of ancient humans.

(Image credit: Smith Collection/Gado)

Commentary: One big product frontier still looms for Apple. Will smart glasses have their AirPods moment at last?

The VPN Trust Initiative (VTI) has formally responded to the UK government's consultation, warning that treating VPNs as a loophole could jeopardize young people's online safety by exposing them to greater harm.

If you’re a large business or enterprise-grade business looking for the best data recovery software, Ontrack EasyRecovery can be a good choice. With more than 40 years of experience, the platform claims a million customers with 120 petabytes of recovered data.

However, instead of taking the provider’s word for it, we’ve put Ontrack EasyRecovery through tests of our own to see if it lives up to its reputation. Read on as we discuss Ontrack EasyRecovery in detail, including its best features, pricing, installation, and in-use experience.

Ontrack EasyRecovery: Plans and pricing

Ontrack EasyRecovery does not offer a unified pricing page where you can view the prices of the different products at a glance. You’ll have to manually click on the “Buy Now” button on various product pages to actually see how much the products cost, which can be a bit of a buzzkill.

That said, we found the pricing pretty competitive and at par with other data recovery software around. For example, its Home version costs $59.99 for a year for Windows and $69.99 for Mac. Similarly, the Professional version costs $99.99, while the Premium plan comes at $129.99. The Technician version costs $199 and covers 3 devices, and lastly, the Toolkit costs $299 for up to three machines.

(Image credit: Ontrack EasyRecovery)

Although Ontrack EasyRecovery offers a free plan, it is one of the most limited versions we have seen across the board. You can recover up to 1GB of data, but with an upper cap of 25MB per file. This makes it impossible to recover any file more than 25MB using the free version.

Ontrack EasyRecovery: Features

On the face of it, Ontrack EasyRecovery may not appear as feature-rich as some competing data recovery tools. However, it stands out as one of the few platforms designed to meet the needs of enterprise-grade users as well as government organizations. This level of adoption speaks volumes about its reliability and advanced recovery capabilities.

(Image credit: Future)

EasyRecovery is available for both Windows and Mac and supports FAT, NTFS, or exFAT file systems, as well as HFS, HFS+, and APFS formatted drives. The best part about it is that you can save the results of your scan and resume the recovery process later.

The provider offers various products catering to a wide range of users – from home users trying to recover deleted, trashed, or virus-infected files to professional users recovering multiple data loss events. EasyRecovery can create disk images, which lets you work on a copy of the drive instead of risking further damage to the original.

Additionally, you can also monitor hard drive health and recover data from CDs and DVDs. There’s also a Premium version, which can repair corrupt photos and videos and clone HDDs and SSDs, enabling seamless migration or backup of entire drives.

Moving up, the Enterprise version is an on-premise technician plan, which can rebuild broken RAIDs and volumes and create virtual RAIDs. This comes in handy in complex scenarios where RAID configurations are broken or disks are missing.

Lastly, there's the Technician version, which offers licenses for commercial use and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux (only this version) devices.

Scanning

The provider offers two scanning modes: full scan and deep scan. However, the actual scanning process is pretty slow. It took me more than half an hour to scan a 500 GB external hard disk with a quick scan. A deep scan can take 4 to 5 hours, depending on the scan location and complexity of file types.

(Image credit: Future)

On average, data recovery software consumes around 8 to 15% of CPU processing power while actively scanning for lost files. However, on my Windows 11 system, EasyRecovery averaged just 3 to 4% CPU usage during the scan.

(Image credit: Future)

While this is impressively low for a typically resource-intensive process, it also raises some concerns about performance. In practice, the lighter CPU footprint appeared to come at the cost of scan depth and overall effectiveness, since the scans were not able to detect certain deleted files from the drive.

Ontrack EasyRecovery: Installation and in-use experience

The interface is modern and quickly navigable. It is easy to go over, and you can find your way to the first scan within a couple of minutes without any hassle. There’s also a handy preview mode, which you can turn on to preview the files being scanned.

However, it appeared more of a cosmetic feature during our tests, since you cannot actually click or recover anything until the scan has finally been completed.

(Image credit: Future)

The left panel shows you the files being scanned in a tree view and file type view, along with the deleted list. However, none of these lists will populate until the scan completes. Comparatively, tools like Wondershare Recoverit and EaseUS let you recover files while the scan is running in the background.

(Image credit: Future)

That said, EasyRecovery offers a handy preview feature where you can preview the files before recovering them. However, it may not work if the files were deleted a long time ago or have been corrupted beyond repair.

Ontrack EasyRecovery: How we tested

We sourced Mozart's album from the Internet Archive, which contains 101 MB of data and 22 files, including 13 JPGs, 4 PNGs, 2 MP3s, and 2 FLAC files, to test data recovery capabilities across various formats. However, since EasyRecovery caps the per-file recovery limit at just 25 MB, we adopted a different approach to test it out.

We scanned our external 1.3 TB NTFS hard drive after copying and deleting certain PDF files and images on it, each within the prescribed limit. After the initial scan was done, we clicked on the file and hit recover. Within a minute, the files appeared in our destination folder with their contents intact.

Ontrack EasyRecovery: Support

Upon visiting the Ontrack website, we couldn’t find a traditional “Support” section. However, the “Contact Us” page is fairly comprehensive, offering multiple options including general inquiries, technical support, job status tracking, and even emergency services. Users can get in touch with Ontrack specialists directly via the contact form or by calling them.

There’s also a dedicated option to track ongoing recovery jobs through a client portal, along with 24/7 emergency services for time-sensitive situations. While the platform does cover some general FAQs on its site, there isn’t much detailed guidance on performing specific recovery tasks. That said, the availability of direct human support and round-the-clock assistance helps bridge that gap for most users.

(Image credit: Ontrack EasyRecovery)Ontrack EasyRecovery: The competition

Arcserve UDP and MiniTool Data Recovery are two popular alternatives to Ontrack EasyRecovery. Both come with comprehensive file recovery options for events such as accidental deletion, virus attack, and disk failure. Arcserve is more geared toward business clients, and it is great at data recovery in environments that use large volumes of data. It is also very effective at minimizing data loss when it comes to cloud applications.

MiniTool is designed more for at-home or small-business use than it is for corporate settings, and the highest tier plan is, in fact, called Personal Ultimate, with a pricing scheme that changes with the duration of your license and not with any additional features or functionality.

Of the three, Arcserve is the best option for enterprise-grade data recovery, while MiniTool can only be used in private or home settings and EasyRecovery provides a great middle-ground for individuals and small or medium-sized businesses.

Ontrack EasyRecovery: Final verdict

Despite its slow scanning process, Ontrack EasyRecovery is very good at its core function, which is finding and recovering lost files. It is one of the few platforms that offers enterprise-grade software for large organizations as well as governments. It can recover data from PCs, RAID volumes, HDDs, SSDs, and even supports Linux systems on higher-tier plans. It is beginner-friendly and easy to navigate with a handy preview feature.

However, its free plan is very limited, as it allows recovering files up to a maximum size of 25MB only, which makes it practically unusable for serious data recovery testing. Overall, if you’re looking for a dependable, no-frills recovery tool backed by strong industry credibility, EasyRecovery is a solid choice.

We've listed the best data recovery service.

When it comes to gaming mice, I think the Razer DeathAdder is still one of the best cheap options out there, and it's now a bargain for under £20 at Amazon.

I tried both Whoop and Bevel to see if they really are strikingly, infringingly similar.

DM Disk Editor and Data Recovery Software (DMDE) is a popular name among data recovery loyalists. It’s not as flashy as some other modern tools, but those in the data recovery domain often swear by DMDE’s reliable recovery features.

In this article, we’ve put DMDE to the test to see if all the community chatter about this oldish-looking data recovery software is worth it. Read on till the end as we discuss DMDE’s performance, interface, pricing, and our final verdict based on in-house tests.

DMDE: Plans & pricing

(Image credit: DMDE)

DMDE has one of the most generous free plans we have seen across the board. Its free version allows you to recover up to 4,000 files from a selected directory per request, without any limit on the number of requests you can make.

This means you can potentially use DMDE for free forever if you have the time to recover each directory individually, with a hard upper cap of 4,000 files per directory. However, this usually involves a lot of time and organizational headaches, which is why you should consider one of its extremely affordable paid plans.

You can get started with its Express plan, which costs $9.95 per month or $20 per year. This is ideal for individual users who want to recover a few files every now and then. Alternatively, you can opt for the Standard plan, which costs $48 for a perpetual license. This is recommended for regular home users and small businesses with personal recovery needs.

Lastly, there’s the Professional plan, which costs $95 for a single OS family and $133 for multi-OS. This plan is designed for medium and large enterprises, with several professional features such as read support for E01 disk image files, log support to resume disk copying, DMA mode support in DOS, and I/O handler script customization.

DMDE: Key features

DMDE supports a wide range of operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, and even DOS, along with a host of file systems such as FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, HFS+, HFSX, Ext2, Ext3, Ext4, and so on. And if that’s not enough, you can provide DMDE with a custom file type, and the platform can recognize signature patterns to find and recover similar files from your desired location.

Besides this, DMDE is very good at detecting and restoring lost partitions, even after a complete partition wipeout. It can recover boot sectors and partition headers and works with both legacy and modern partition styles, which is very useful if you are trying to restore old systems.

However, it’s DMDE’s RAID reconstructor that sets it apart from other recovery software on the market. Its RAID module allows you to build a virtual RAID from either individual disks or disk images, while supporting RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 4, RAID 5, RAID 6, delayed parity, custom striping, JBOD/spanned disks, along with automatic detection of RAID configurations.

(Image credit: Future)

This lets you recover data even when the original RAID is broken or inaccessible, without needing to rebuild it physically. Since everything is done virtually, your source disks remain safe throughout the process.

Scanning

I was impressed by the number of scanning options DMDE offers. For starters, there are quick and deep scan options that you can choose based on your recovery needs. Besides this, before each scan begins, you can preset various parameters. For example, you can choose which area of the disk to scan or whether you want to scan raw file signatures.

(Image credit: Future)

DMDE’s quick scan is much faster than some other recovery software. However, given its lackluster interface, you won’t see a prominent scanning status bar – only a small battery-style bar. That said, if the scan takes longer than expected, you can save the scans to load later. You also have the option to view the files being scanned by clicking the ‘Open Volume’ option at the bottom.

Once you see the deleted file you want to recover, select the small checkbox on the left and click ‘Recover’. You’ll again see some advanced selection options, where you’ll need to choose the recovery destination and filter out results based on file size, last modified date, and IDs.

(Image credit: Future)

Once you hit ‘Recover’, the files will appear in your chosen destination within a matter of minutes. However, do note that in the free edition, files can be processed from the active panel only. So, you’ll need to open a subdirectory in the active panel before you can recover any files.

DMDE: Installation and in-use

Installing DMDE is a piece of cake – a simple click of the free download button on its website will install the application on your system. Follow the prompts to complete installation, and it will automatically launch on completion.

(Image credit: Future)

Unlike most data recovery software, which welcomes you with a homepage or dashboard, DMDE is pretty vanilla. All you’ll see is a disk selection window, where you’ll need to select the disk you want to scan or choose other features you want to access.

Now, the first thing that struck me was how old the interface looked. DMDE seems to be stuck in the ’90s, and using it feels like you’re cranking up an old motorcycle on a new highway. Needless to say, there’s a steep learning curve involved. You’ll have to fiddle with tiny menu options to find what you’re looking for.

Thankfully, there are ample resources on its website that guide you through the process. Even then, it can take you a few days to get the hang of this oldish-looking software.

DMDE: How we tested 

I installed the free version of DMDE on my Windows 11 system, with 16GB of RAM and a 12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-12500H processor. To test DMDE’s versatility, I downloaded Mozart's album from the Internet Archive, which consisted of 22 files – 13 JPG files, 4 PNG files, 2 MP3 files, 2 FLAC files, and 1 torrent file.

I copied this folder onto a 1.36 TB NTFS hard drive and connected it to my Windows 11 system. I then deleted this folder and emptied the Recycle Bin. After this, I ran a quick scan with DMDE. I clicked ‘Open Volume’ while the scan was still running and found the said Mozart folder. I opened the folder to select the files I wanted to recover and clicked ‘Recover’, and within a minute, the files appeared in my chosen destination in perfect condition.

DMDE: Support

(Image credit: DMDE)

Additionally, there’s a FAQ section that covers common issues and usage questions. While it’s not as detailed as we would like, it still gets the job done for most basic queries.

(Image credit: DMDE)DMDE: Final verdict

DMDE is one of the most value-for-money data recovery software solutions we have tested. At an annual cost of $20, you get advanced scanning features that support all common and even customizable file formats across systems like Windows, macOS, Linux, and DOS.

Not only can you recover lost partitions, but DMDE’s RAID reconstructor also allows you to build a virtual RAID while automatically detecting RAID configurations. Its quick scan is fairly fast and allows you to recover files while the scan is still in progress. You also have the option to save scans and resume them at a later date.

The only downside to DMDE is its outdated interface and steep learning curve. You’ll have to find your way around the menus and hidden settings. However, once you get past that, DMDE is a reliable recovery tool that rewards patience with powerful results.

The LG C5 was one of 2025's top TVs and after comparing it with this year's LG C6, the latter is a worthy successor.

Samsung Galaxy A57 two-minute review

According to sales figures, Samsung's budget-friendly A-series phones generally sell better than their pricier S-series siblings (aka the best Samsung phones). So, while the Galaxy S26 Ultra is the brand's newest flashy flagship, a good deal more buyers are probably considering the Samsung Galaxy A57 instead.

For those not versed in the Samsung taxonomy, here's a quick recap: 'A' = cheap, '5' denotes the place in the lineup (it goes 0-5), and '7' is the generation (this is the 2026 model). That's all to say that the Galaxy A57 is the brand's most advanced mid-ranger of 2026, succeeding the Galaxy A56.

Like the S26 family, this is an iterative upgrade, bringing spec tweaks and a new (but familiar) roster of colors, rather than any truly significant changes. Mind you, a price hike makes those same specs look a little bit less appealing this year, given that you're paying extra for them.

The largely unchanged specs list means you're getting similar highs and lows to last year's model. The A57's display is one standout feature, with the bright, bold screen a blessing for your Prime Video binge or commute-based gaming sessions.

Samsung's software is another treat; One UI largely avoids the problems that befall OS packages on many other mid-range phones, and there's much less feature-bloat here than you'll find on the Galaxy S-series phones.

The perks return, but so do the pitfalls. The A57's Exynos processor is simply no good for gaming, and I'd recommend doing your photo editing on a computer, too. For that matter, pictures taken on the A57 aren't up to snuff, which is a surprise given Samsung's usual pedigree in the field.

If you want a phone that just works, without drowning you in AI or automation features, you'll like the Galaxy A57. It won't suit avid photographers, gamers, or people who want a bit more out of their mobile, but it's a reliable workhorse for the average buyer. Its battery life is also solid, and the slightly shrunk frame will fit in your hands a little better than most large-screen phones.

Galaxy A-series phones are understandably popular, but with the price hike, this latest model is a tad harder to recommend than normal. It's definitely worth picking up if you find a solid discount, but with competitors from Nothing, Google, and various Chinese brands offering more for less right now, Samsung's top-end mid-range phone feels a little less valuable than it should.

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

• Released on April 10, 2026
• Starts at $549 / £529 / AU$749, but for different variants
• Price hike over Galaxy A56

The Samsung Galaxy A57 was announced on March 25, 2026, alongside the more affordable A37. It went on sale several weeks later, on April 10.

There are three variants of the phone, with availability changing by region. The only model everyone gets costs $609 / £529 / AU$849, and that’s for 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. A cheaper model with only 128GB storage is available in the US and Australia, for $549 / AU$749, while Brits get a super-charged 12GB RAM and 512GB storage model for £699. I tested the 8GB / 256GB model for this review.

For ease of viewing, here are those prices in table form:

Samsung Galaxy A57 pricing

US

UK

AU

8GB / 128GB

$549

N/A

AU$749

8GB / 256GB

$609

£529

AU$849

12GB / 512GB

N/A

£699

N/A

No matter where you live, one thing’s for certain: the A57 has seen a significant price hike versus the Galaxy A56. That model started at $499 / £499 / AU$699 — again for different variants, which the table below details — meaning buyers of the new phone will have to shell out much more than they would have for last year’s model.

Given that the A56 wasn't particularly competitive in terms of price, either, an even higher price tag for the A57 will understandably give buyers pause.

Samsung Galaxy A56 pricing

US

UK

AU

8GB / 128GB

$499

N/A

AU$699

8GB / 256GB

$549

£499

AU$799

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: specsSamsung Galaxy A57 specs

Dimensions:

161.5 x 76.8 x 6.9 mm

Weight:

179g

Screen:

6.7-inch FHD (1080 x 2340) 120Hz AMOLED

Chipset:

Exynos 1680

RAM:

8/12GB

Storage:

128/256/512GB

OS:

Android 16, OneUI 8.5

Primary camera:

50MP, f/1.8

Ultra-wide camera:

12MP, f/2.2

Macro camera

5MP, f/2.4

Front camera:

12MP, f/2.2

Audio:

Stereo speakers

Battery:

5,000mAh

Charging:

45W wired

Colors:

Awesome Navy, Awesome Gray, Awesome Icyblue, Awesome Lilac

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: design

(Image credit: Future)

• Thin and light phone
• Some neat design touches that improve comfort
• Four color options, all sadly lifeless

To some degree, the Samsung Galaxy A57 has inherited a trait from the ill-fated Galaxy S25 Edge: thinness. The phone’s training regimen has seen it shrink to 6.9mm thick, which is thinner than anything else in Samsung’s roster beyond the Edge.

This doesn’t result in a massive overhaul of the Galaxy A’s hand-feel, not with the height and width still stretching the hand, but it’s a nice touch that makes the device look a little more svelte.

There’s clearly also been some weight loss, with the Galaxy A57 tipping the scales to 179g; again, this is a spec beaten only by Samsung’s year-old lean machine.

Samsung has toned down the fun of its A-series color options over the past few years, and it’s no different this time around. I tested the ‘Awesome’ Icyblue (scare quotes my own), and there’s also Awesome Navy, Awesome Lilac, and Awesome Gray (now that’s what I call an oxymoron). So that’s blue, blue, nearly-blue, and gray.

On the right edge of the A57, the power button is within easy thumb reach, and the volume rocker is only a small stretch higher. I appreciated that the phone’s edge slowly curves up just ahead of the power button, which meant it was simple to naturally find the button with my thumb without needing to look.

The A57 has a triple-camera rear module on the back, which looks identical to those of the last few A-series generations, and it doesn’t stick out too far, so the phone didn’t wobble much when I put it flat on a table.

The Galaxy A57 also has an IP68 certification, which means it’s safe against ingress from small particles, and can survive submersion in water of up to 1.5m for up to 30 minutes (that may sound specific, but it’s what the ‘8’ stands for). When a phone has IP68, you can rest assured that it’s safe for all everyday functions.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: display

(Image credit: Future)

• 6.7 inches, 1080 x 2340 resolution
• 120Hz refresh rate, 1,900 nits max brightness
• Super AMOLED Plus gives display punch

The Samsung Galaxy A57 gets a 6.7-inch display, with a thin bezel that's broken up only by a small punch-hole for the front-facing camera.

Like the A56’s panel, it has a 1080 x 2340 resolution and hits a 120Hz refresh rate, so it’ll handle anything Netflix or your chosen mobile game can throw at it.

Colors are bright and vibrant, thanks in part to two upgrades over the previous model: a higher max brightness (1,900 nits) and the use of a Super AMOLED Plus panel, which offers a wider color gamut. It’s been said before, and it’s truer than ever now: it’s hard to find a better screen on a mid-range phone than on a Galaxy A-series device.

The A57 also has what Samsung calls Vision Booster, a feature that turns brightness and vibrancy up to 11 when the device recognizes that you’re watching content outdoors (as in, grappling with the shiny, reflective sunlight on the display). I didn’t have an A56 to test it against, and it’s not a feature that you can manually toggle, but I never had a problem using the A57 while outdoors.

A fingerprint sensor embedded under the phone's display worked well in my experience, never failing to recognize my thumb.

• Display score: 4.5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: software

(Image credit: Future)

• Android 16 with One UI 8.5
• Six years of OS updates
• Software is cleaner and simpler than rivals'

Out of the box, the Galaxy A57 runs Android 16, the latest version of Android at the time of its release, with Samsung pledging six major Android updates to the phone.

This isn’t stock Android but One UI 8.5, which the Samsung Galaxy S26 also runs on, except here you get a tuned-down version of that same software.

Some may miss the flagship phone’s various premium features (you don't get generative AI tools like Drawing Assist, for instance), but I actually preferred the Galaxy A57's interface: you don't get inundated with AI features, random reminders, and gimmicky tools that do little.

One feature you do get is an upgraded version of Circle to Search. If you press and hold the home button, you can circle anything on screen and Google search it. The selling point of this feature is that it gives you the ability to find the outfits of people you see online — a pretty niche use case, it must be said — but I found Circle to Search pretty useful for searching for actors I recognized, settings in videos that I wanted to locate, and sports teams that I didn't recognize by their uniforms.

A common feature of mid-range smartphones is bloatware, but the Galaxy A57 is pristine and clean out of the box. You get barely any unwanted pre-installed apps (I can overlook Netflix and Spotify, given how ubiquitous they are), and there are barely any Samsung apps pre-installed either.

I’m a fan of the look of One UI, and it offers loads of customization options. You can bend the wallpaper, color palette, and icons to your will, and add Samsung-made widgets and tools that change how you use the phone.

I like to set up Modes on Galaxy phones, which let me quickly change various settings at the tap of a button. For example, I can design a Game mode, which mutes notifications and boosts screen and performance power, or set up a Sleep mode, which automatically turns on my alarm and switches the display to an eye-friendly grayscale. To easily switch these Modes on and off, I can plonk a carousel on my home page. It's pretty impressive stuff.

• Software score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: cameras

(Image credit: Future)

• 50MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, and 5MP macro cameras
• Cameras lack some vibrancy and optimization
• A range of useful camera features

Samsung has been using the same camera setup on its A50-series for years now (the A53 was the last model with a different main sensor), and in 2026, it's starting to show show its age. It’s simply not competitive compared to other similar-priced phones.

The main camera is a 50MP f/1.8 unit, which is joined by a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide lens and a 5MP f/2.4 macro lens. Around the front, there's a 12MP f/2.2 selfie snapper.

In anything shy of blinding sunshine or studio lighting, the Galaxy A57 struggled to capture an adequate level of vibrancy or color detail — for instance, in the camera samples below, you’ll see foliage that looks desaturated and lacks dynamic range. An upgraded ISP (Image Signal Processing) chip was cited as an upgrade with this phone, but it's not made a significant improvement.

Get some strong sunlight, and some colors do seep through, but you can’t control how sunny it is outside, and besides, sunshine didn't always fix the problem. Other phones do well to edit photos to pull out the contrast and boost the saturation if needs be, and I was surprised by how light-touch (read: ineffectual) the Galaxy A57 could be.

For some praise, I'll point to the auxiliary lenses. I was impressed by how consistent the color was between lenses — I often find ultra-wides lack the color of their main siblings — and the lack of distortion on the wide lens. The macro was a little finicky at finding focus on close subjects, but it's definitely more useful than many others I've tested (though it doesn't come close to making up for the lack of a dedicated zoom camera).

Selfies on the Galaxy A57 were a little better, offering some contrast that will make social media pictures look postable, though, as you can see in the pictures below, Portrait mode struggled with fluffy strands of hair.

The A57 offers you a reasonable range of expected camera modes, including Night and Samsung's stalwart Food, and there's also the A-series-exclusive Fun mode, which basically offers you Snapchat filters on your camera app. Single Take isn't available by default, but you can enable it via the Camera Assistant app in the Samsung Store.

Video recording hits 60fps at 1080p or 30fps at 4K, with a slow-mo app that doesn't reveal its framerate.

Once you've taken a photo, you can use a few tools to brush it up in the Gallery app. There's no built-in chatbot to AI slopify your pictures like in the S26 series, and instead, you get Object Eraser and a remaster tool, which auto-applies edits. The latter's actually pretty good, and I found it reliable for adding some zest to the default pictures that otherwise lacked it.

• Camera score: 3.5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy A57 camera samplesThis morning picture, taken at sunrise, was captured using the 1x camera.FutureThis view was captured on the ultra-wide camera, to contrast the futher shots.FutureThis view was captured using the main camera, to compare its field of view.FutureThis shot was captured at 2x zoom, using the main lens with digital cropping.FutureThis macro shot shows details you can capture using the lens.FutureWith sufficient light, the A57 performed okay, although it still couldn't adequately capture the zingy colors of a toy like this.FutureAt close distances, the A57 could focus well when not in macro mode.FutureThis selfie was taken in standard mode, to contrast the Portrait mode shot next.FutureThis selfie was taken in Portrait mode, to contrast the standard pic previously.FutureEven in the glorious light of sunrise, the A57 struggled with dynamic range and color.FutureSamsung Galaxy A57 review: performance and audio

(Image credit: Future)

• Samsung's Exynos 1680 chip + 8GB RAM (for most)
• Fine for everyday use, not for gaming
• Bluetooth 6.0 for audio

Samsung’s Galaxy A-series phones have never won awards for their blazing-fast performance — plenty of Chinese mobiles at this price point can run rings around them — and the Galaxy A57 is no different.

The phone has an Exynos 1680 chipset, made by Samsung itself, paired with 8GB RAM in most versions.

Geekbench 6 multi-core benchmark tests returned scores in the 4,400s. That’s a step above the 3,900s we saw in the A56, but less than half of what the S26 Ultra returned, and a big step below similar-priced alternatives I’ve tested recently, like the 8,600-scoring Poco X8 Pro Max. Unfortunately, every 3DMark test I ran crashed, which wasn't necessarily the fault of the phone (sometimes, new devices just don’t like benchmarking software), but it did mean I wasn’t able to dig much further into the A57's numbered performance…

… until I started actually playing games.

The A57 could handle well-optimized games like Call of Duty: Mobile, but only on lower graphics settings. Try to match the display quality with some resolution or graphics effects, and the handset would suffer. It would also heat up a little during longer gaming sessions, which is not something you'll encounter with most Snapdragon-powered phones, for instance.

So, the Galaxy A57 is no performance wunderkind, even if you can play certain titles with compromises. But if you're not a gamer, you can ignore all that, as the phone has all the performance credentials necessary for non-intensive everyday tasks like scrolling and streaming. If I weren't an avid gamer, I'd probably deem the Galaxy A57 powerful enough for me.

Audio-wise, you’re looking at support for Bluetooth 6.0, with the built-in stereo speakers about as passable as on any other phone at this price point. And no, there’s no 3.5mm jack, so you’ll have to use the USB-C port for wired audio.

• Performance score: 3.5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: battery life

(Image credit: Future)

• Average-sized 5,000mAh battery
• Single day of use per charge
• 45W charging powers the phone in roughly 90 mins

The Samsung Galaxy A57 has a 5,000mAh battery, which is the same size battery as you'll find in the A56, as well as the flagship Galaxy S26 Ultra.

A capacity like this is, in most phones, shorthand for ‘all-day battery life’. That’s no different with the Galaxy A57 — I could use the device as much as I wanted, without worrying that it’d run out of juice.

You won’t get two days of battery life, though — not unless you don’t use your phone very much. For average use, you’ll get about a day and a half all in.

The A57 powers at 45W, so it’s not particularly fast, and with a compatible charger, you’ll get from empty to full in about an hour and a half. When the handset’s plugged in, it’ll tell you how long it’ll take to power up at its current speed, which is a really useful quality of life feature that I appreciated.

• Battery score: 3.5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: value

(Image credit: Future)

Samsung's Galaxy A-series phones are reliable and have some great traits, but they don't offer as impressive value for money as their competitors. Bear in mind that A57 isn't cheap; at its price, it's firmly in the 'mid-range' category.

Many rivals at a similar price point will offer you one or two incredible specs along with a few average ones, like a huge battery, incredibly fast charging, a top-end processor, or a telephoto zoom camera. If you wanted the A57's specs from another brand, you'd probably find them for much less money.

Samsung does nothing to sweeten the deal, and so it's hard to argue that the A57 offers particularly exciting value for money. But as reliability and longevity go, there aren't many 'safer' all-round options than this one.

• Value score: 3.5 / 5

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy A57?Samsung Galaxy A57 scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

It's just not priced in a competitive way. Sorry, Samsung.

3.5 / 5

Design

It may come in some pretty ugly colors, but the thin and light phone belies some pretty neat design features.

4 / 5

Display

The A57 has a good-looking screen that works well outdoors.

4.5 / 5

Software

The interface is clean, with no unnecessary extra apps or tools, and you get plenty of software support.

4 / 5

Camera

I was surprised how dull pictures looked, though some modes offer a little bit of fun.

3 / 5

Performance

The Exynos 1680 chipset doesn't cut it for advanced gaming, but the phone's fine for everyday use.

3.5 / 5

Battery

The 5,000mAh battery and 45W charging are roughly average for a mid-priced phone.

3.5 / 5

Buy it if...

You need something lightweight
The A57 is one of the lightest and thinnest phones I've ever seen, and it'll be svelte even if you clad it in a case.

You watch a lot of videos
The phone's great-looking display is a treat for people who spend a lot of time looking at social media or streaming services.

You don't want to pay for annoying features that you'll ignore
Samsung has stripped out the S-series' AI guff to deliver a clean, easy-to-use interface.

Don't buy it if...

You need a great camera phone
There are some useful modes, but the optimization just isn't there for good-looking pictures.

You need lots of performance power
If you need a phone that'll blast through PUBG or CoD: Mobile with ease, this isn't the one for you.

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: Also consider

Interested in the Samsung Galaxy A57 but want to know what else is out there? Here are some other mid-range gems you may want to consider.

Google Pixel 10a
Like the Galaxy A-series, the Pixel A-series offers cut-priced versions of flagships. The Pixel 10a is small and comes in fun colors, with a price slightly below the A57.

Read our full Google Pixel 10a review

iPhone 17e
Apple's own flagship-alternative is much smaller and only has one camera, but it runs faster and is your most affordable ticket to iOS.

Read our full iPhone 17e review

Nothing Phone (4a) Pro
Nothing's mid-range powerhouse undercuts the Galaxy, yet offers you a telephoto camera, a bigger display, and much more processing power. You just have to get over its divisive design.

Read our full Nothing Phone (4a) Pro review

Samsung Galaxy A57

Google Pixel 10a

iPhone 17e

Nothing Phone (4a) Pro

Starting price (at launch):

$549.99 / £529 / AU$749

$499 / £499 / AU$849

$599 / £599 / AU$999

$499 / £499 (about AU$1,000)

Dimensions:

161.5 x 76.8 x 6.9 mm

154.7 x 73.3 x 8.9 mm

146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm

163.7 x 76.6 x 8 mm

Weight:

179g

185g

169g

210g

OS (at launch):

One UI 8.5, Android 16

Android 16

iOS 26

Nothing OS 4.1, Android 16

Screen Size:

6.7-inch

6.3-inch

6.1-inch

6.83-inch

Resolution:

2340 x 1080

2424 x 1080

2532 x 1170

2800 x 1260

CPU:

Exynos 1680

Google Tensor G4

A19 Bionic

Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4

RAM:

8GB / 12GB

8GB

Not specified

8GB / 12GB

Storage (from):

128GB / 256GB / 512GB

128GB / 256GB

256GB / 512GB

128GB / 256GB

Battery:

5,000mAh

5,100mAh

4,005mAh

5,080mAh

Rear Cameras:

50MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, 5MP macro

48MP main, 13MP ultra-wide

48MP

50MP wide, 50MP periscope telephoto, 8MP ultra-wide

Front camera:

12MP

13MP

12MP

32MP

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy A57

(Image credit: Future)

• Review test period = 2 weeks
• Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback
• Tools used = Geekbench 6, 3D Mark, native Android stats

I tested the Samsung Galaxy A57 for just over two weeks before writing this review, after receiving a test sample from Samsung.

In part, testing was done experientially: I used it as I would any other smartphone, which included taking it on holiday to take pictures, conducting video calls, and streaming music and movies. I also put it through a barrage of 'lab-style' tests like benchmarks on Geekbench and 3D Mark, as well as through battery tests.

I've been reviewing smartphones for TechRadar since early 2019, and in that time have tested all manner of mobiles, including past Samsung Galaxy devices and plenty of other mid-range and affordable Androids.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed April 2026

The Samsung Galaxy A57 has a thin body, clean software, and a good-looking screen, making it great as an everyday phone. But it struggles with performance and photography.

Looking for the best data recovery software? There are hundreds of applications on the market that claim to bring back your lost data, but not all of them might work for you. This is why we’ve put in the effort to find only the best data recovery platforms that actually work.

In this article, we’ll be reviewing Auslogics File Recovery. Available only for Windows, it can help you recover deleted files, even from reallocated disks, and search multiple drives simultaneously. So, is this the hard drive data recovery software you need? Our Auslogics File Recovery review will help you decide.

Auslogics File Recovery: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: Auslogics File Recovery)

Auslogics File Recovery is one of the most affordable data recovery software options on the market, costing just $18.87 per year for three PC licenses. This comes down to around $6 to recover your data on each PC.

However, my biggest complaint with Auslogics is that it has a very limited free plan, which only lets you recover lost applications. You cannot search for or restore images, videos, audio, or documents with the free plan.

In comparison, peers like EaseUS, Wondershare Recoverit, and Stellar Data Recovery allow limited recovery of various file types even on their free versions. But there's a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try the complete Auslogics package risk-free before committing.

Auslogics File Recovery: Features

Auslogics goes beyond the traditional functionalities of a data recovery software, offering several other add-ons for comprehensive system upkeep and recovery. For starters, the software supports all major file types, including NTFS, FAT16, FAT32, and exFAT, on devices such as hard drives, memory cards, and USB storage devices. That said, it cannot recover data from CDs or DVDs.

Even if you have lost a disk partition on your drive, Auslogics' partition recovery feature allows you to scan and restore files from reallocated disks. There's also a pretty useful disk image tool, which allows you to make an exact copy of your drive with all the information on it, including deleted information. This freezes the current state of your drive, allowing you to work safely without risking total disk failure.

Another useful feature is the Wipe Free Space utility, which permanently removes previously deleted files so that they cannot be recovered at a later stage. When you usually delete files on a system, they aren't completely erased. The system marks that space as available, while the actual data sits there until new data overwrites it.

(Image credit: Future)

Auslogics’ Wipe Free Space overwrites the free space with random data, thereby erasing traces of previously deleted files. This can come in handy when you've deleted sensitive information or while selling or donating your hard drive.

Scanning

Auslogics’ scanning is fairly quick. We “quick” scanned 400GB of data on our Windows 11 Intel Core i5 system, which it was able to complete within 7 to 10 minutes. Once the scan is done, you can sort results based on file type and date, and also view them in three modes – list, detailed, and preview.

(Image credit: Future)

However, you can only view the deleted files once the scan is complete. This means that even if you’re trying to recover a small application, you'll have to wait for the entire deep scan to finish, which can take up to two to three hours depending on your disk size.

That said, what I like the most about Auslogics is that it allows you to customize various search criteria before starting the scan for more accurate results.

(Image credit: Future)

For instance, if you remember exactly when the deleted files were last modified or accessed, you can specify that time and date range in the settings.

(Image credit: Future)

Similarly, you can also search by specific file names or choose to skip zero file size and temporary system files. There is also an option to perform a deep scan.

Auslogics File Recovery: Installation and in-use

Installing Auslogics is pretty simple. You will find the free download button on the homepage. Just click on that to start the download and install the file once it completes. The main interface is well designed, with a window divided into three panes. Although it isn’t as modern as EaseUS or Stellar, it is surely an upgrade over DMDE’s old-school interface.

(Image credit: Future)

On the left-hand side, you will see various tools that Auslogics offers, whereas at the center, there is an option to select which items you want to scan.

There is a very handy in-built reports utility that shows you system metrics such as CPU usage, disk and network speeds, and memory consumption at a glance. You can also hit the create system report button to create a pretty detailed report with information like operating system, installed programs, partitions, CPU and cache properties, power management functions, and a whole lot more.

(Image credit: Future)

Instead of digging through multiple Windows settings, you get all critical system insights in one place, saving time and simplifying diagnostics.

Auslogics File Recovery: How we tested

We have tested several data recovery software, and in doing so, we usually download Mozart's album from the Internet Archive, copy them onto an external hard disk, and then delete them to test out the software's capabilities. This album contains a mix of various file types: PNG, JPG, MP3, and torrent.

However, since Auslogics only allows recovering software, we followed a slightly different approach. We scanned our entire Windows 11 system to look for deleted applications. The scan ran for a good 7-10 minutes, after which it pulled up a list of lost software. We randomly clicked on an application and hit restore, which Auslogics was able to do successfully.

Auslogics File Recovery: Support

The company’s website has fairly detailed answers to commonly asked questions, so that’s a good place to start if you run into issues with the software.

(Image credit: Auslogics File Recovery)

You can also submit your queries directly through the “Contact Us” section, which allows you to raise tech support requests as well as media, business, or partnership-related inquiries. This provides a straightforward way to reach the team for more specific concerns that may not be covered in standard support resources. However, there's no live chat or phone option.

Auslogics File Recovery: Final verdict

Auslogics is one of the most affordable data recovery software options you can get, costing less than $10 per PC for an entire year. However, this doesn’t mean that the product compromises on features. You get utilities like partition recovery, which lets you restore files from unallocated spaces, and a disk imaging tool that helps you save failing hard drives by allowing you to create an exact copy.

The software supports various common file types, such as FAT16/32 and exFAT. There is also a handy built-in reports feature that lets you pull complete system information with just a click. The installation is straightforward, and the user experience has been designed with beginners in mind. That said, it is only available for Windows systems, and its free plan does not allow you to recover images, videos, documents, or audio files.

Wondershare is one of the big names when it comes to creative tools and PC utilities. So, it’s no wonder that its Wondershare Recoverit excels as one of the best data recovery software.

It has a superb interface, and behind that you’ll find a robust set of features that can recover photos and video – and, if you’re happy to pay for higher levels, you’ll benefit from video repair options and bootable recovery tools too. There's even support for recovering from NAS and Linux devices depending on the version you buy.

We've put the software to the test to see if it can recover data to the extent it claims. Read on till the end for the full review, along with pros, cons, interface, and user experience.

Wondershare Recoverit: Plans & pricing

(Image credit: Wondershare Recoverit)

Wondershare Recoverit plans start at $59.99 for its monthly subscription, with the annual plan costing $99.99 and the lifetime perpetual costing $129.99. Although this might sound steep for some users, each of these plans covers two PCs, which means you are effectively paying only half to recover data on a single PC.

This is a big advantage over platforms like EaseUS, which offer the same pricing structure but only for a single license. Plus, just like EaseUS, the only difference between these plans is the licensing duration – all other features stay uniform under each plan.

Overall, Recoverit is an affordable data recovery option, especially if you want to recover data from more than one device. You can also bag an extra 10% discount via a code that keeps flashing on the pricing page.

There’s also a free plan you can use to test out Recoverit’s capabilities. However, you can only recover 500MB of data with it, which is much less than what EaseUS (2GB) and Stellar Data Recovery (1GB) offer.

Wondershare Recoverit: Features

Recoverit is one of the few data recovery tools that supports Linux, besides Windows, Mac, and NAS devices. You can recover more than 1,000+ file formats, including photos, videos, and documents, from SD cards, external drives, crashed computers, HDDs, SSDs, GoPro devices, cameras, the Recycle Bin, and much more.

I found Wondershare Recoverit pretty good at recovering fragmented media on my disk. Unlike other tools that rely on signature-based recovery, Recoverit uses advanced machine learning algorithms for pattern-based reconstruction, which allows it to reconstruct missing pixels, corrupted headers, and broken frames.

Besides this, Recoverit has a dedicated video repair engine where you can upload a sample video from the same device, allowing the software to learn its encoding structure and rebuild the corrupted video based on that pattern.

While the provider claims it uses AI for its reconstruction process, saying so would be an overstatement. That said, Recoverit is more advanced with its repair-driven recovery approach, which integrates a multi-stage repair mechanism, but calling it AI-based is not the right approach.

Scanning

One thing that impressed me was Recoverit’s fast scanning speeds. You simply need to select a drive location and hit the scan button to start the process. Much like EaseUS, Recoverit also initially runs a quick scan followed by a deep scan, but at a much faster pace. I was able to scan 640GB of data within 2 hours, whereas Stellar took more than 5 hours for the same.

(Image credit: Future)

The best part is that you can view deleted files while the scan is still ongoing, allowing you to recover them as well. This is better than Stellar Data Recovery, where you have to wait for the entire scanning process to complete before you can recover anything.

Recoverit was also very light on CPU resources, consuming just 6% to 8% of processing power on average, which is very low for a data processing application.

Wondershare Recoverit: Installation and in-use experience

Much like other data recovery software we have tested, Recoverit is also pretty easy to install. You’ll find the free download button on its website, and with just a single click, the installation process is underway.

(Image credit: Future)

However, in my testing, Recoverit takes slightly longer to install compared to EaseUS and Stellar. That said, the in-use and navigation experience is better than both applications.

The interface is pretty sleek and modern, with a dark theme. You'll see all your scannable devices in the central pane. All you have to do is select a drive location to start the scan. I noticed that scanning internal drives was much quicker than external hard disks.

(Image credit: Future)

A handy feature that Recoverit offers is AI-based file detection, where you will see a small banner during the scan in which its engine helps pick certain files for you to recover. While this is a feature different from competitors, I did not find it adding much utility to the process.

Once you select the file and click on recover, you'll need to choose the recovery location, and your files will be recovered almost instantly. However, one complaint is that Recoverit tries to push users towards its paid subscriptions after each scan, which can be pretty irritating after a point.

The biggest drawback, however, is that you must complete the recovery immediately after the scan is done. If you head back to the home page, your current scan results are lost, and you'll have to start from scratch. It would have been better if the free plan offered a feature to save scans for later use.

Wondershare Recoverit: How we tested

To evaluate performance, I began by installing the free version of Wondershare Recoverit on a Windows 11 machine equipped with 16GB RAM and a 12th Gen Intel Core i5-12500H processor.

For the recovery test, I sourced a Mozart album from the Internet Archive, containing 22 files across multiple formats: 13 JPGs, 4 PNGs, 2 MP3s, 2 FLAC files, and a torrent file. This dataset was transferred to a 1.36 TB NTFS hard drive connected to the system.

After confirming the files were accessible, I permanently deleted the folder and cleared the Recycle Bin to simulate a real-world data loss scenario. I then initiated a scan using Wondershare Recoverit.

With a quick scanning process, Recoverit successfully identified and recovered the entire dataset without any missing files, demonstrating reliable recovery performance under controlled conditions.

Wondershare Recoverit: Photo recovery

As you've seen, the user can easily see images and other files that Recoverit has found during the scanning process. You're also able to instantly start restoration just by clicking in a damaged file – perfect if you can already spot the photos you need. Results are filterable with a broader range of variables than on most other apps, so it’s easier to find your lost images, and you’ll get warned if your disk or drive has any issues.

It’s very easy to use, and Wondershare’s app delivers thorough, in-depth scanning results. This is no surprise when you consider that Wondershare uses 35 data recovery patents to get the job done.

We’ve only got minor issues with scans using this app: In our latest review we were only performing quick scans in a small virtual drive, so results were displayed in seconds. Still, in previous reviews we found scans of larger drives are not particularly fast, especially if you deploy a deep scan.

Photo previews aren’t very well-supported. That’s irritating if you want to look at files before committing to restoration. This is also crucial if you're simply installing Wondershare Recoverit to check if it can detect your missing files before paying for a subscription. As we mentioned, the free version of the app also refused to restore any files for us, even those well below the promised 100 MB quota.

Still, there are many impressive aspects to Recoverit beyond the interface. It’s been verified to work with more than 2,000 different devices, including PC and Mac drives and SSDs, USB memory sticks, SD cards, cameras and external hard drives – it’ll hunt down photos on virtually anything. It also supports more than 1,000 different file formats, which is extensive. Photographers will be pleased to see RAW, PSD and CRW files among all of the key mainstream formats.

This app works with formatted drives, raw disks, partitions, and drives with invalid partition tables or excessive fragmentation. It works on Windows and Mac, too. Support is also excellent: it’s available 24 hours per day, and it’s free.

There are loads of extra features available, although some are only included at higher payment tiers. You’re able to create bootable disks and USB drives to recover photography from crashed PCs, and there’s also video repair, scanning and fragment merging on offer. Sadly, those video repair options don’t extend to photographs.

If you do want video repair, you can select "Enhanced Recovery" from within the Utility. This will only work for drives though : you can't choose specific folders. The utility also only supports the more common video formats like MP4, MOV and AVI. There's a feedback option if you want to request more obscure formats like Theora (OGV).

If the files you've recovered are corrupted, you can also try to repair them with Wondershare's Repairit. This is available as a desktop app, online and via e-mail as a service.

Wondershare Recoverit: Final verdict

Wondershare Recoverit is an affordable data recovery platform that uses advanced machine learning algorithms to find and recover lost data files. It supports more than 1,000+ file formats across various devices, including cameras, external hard drives, and USB sticks.

We found it to be one of the best platforms to recover and reconstruct lost media files, thanks to its pattern-based, repair-driven recovery approach. While most data recovery platforms offer a single license at an average of $65 to $80, the Recoverit license for two PCs starts at $59.99.

The interface is just right for beginners, and the installation process is seamless. However, the free plan only allows 500 MB of data recovery, which isn't sufficient for most users. In our testing with the free tier, we also didn't find an option to save scans, which means you'll have to re-scan the drive if you want to recover files multiple times.

We've tested the best free file recovery software.

In this Stellar Data Recovery review, we’ve examined every aspect of one of the best data recovery software programs in the world. Stellar Data Recovery is a popular data restoration application, around for more than two decades now.

It claims to help you recover lost or deleted files across various formats and devices. However, has the application evolved enough to fit modern data recovery needs? We’ve carried out detailed testing of the Stellar Data Recovery platform, highlighting its best features, pricing, installation and hands-on experience.

Special reader offer - $20 off 1-year license
Act now to get a Stellar Data Recovery subscription with a 20% discount, which means you can get a 1-year sub for $79.99. All you have to do is enter the code Techradar20 when you checkout to claim your $20% off the listed price.View Deal

Stellar Data Recovery: Plans & pricing

(Image credit: Stellar Data Recovery)

You get three plans to choose from, starting with the Standard plan costing $59.99 per year. This is the base plan, which allows you to recover lost, formatted, and deleted data from any storage media.

After this is the Professional plan at $89.99 per year, which also facilitates lost partition recovery, data recovery from unbootable systems, RAW hard drives, and damaged optical disks beyond basic recovery in the Standard plan.

The highest-tier plan is the Premium one, costing $99.99 per year, which, in addition to everything in the Professional plan, also allows you to repair corrupt videos and photos and extract thumbnails of images. All three plans can also be bought for a lifetime, costing $99, $149, and $199, respectively.

Besides this, you also get a limited free plan you can use to try out the product before committing to a purchase. It lets you recover 1GB of data, which is less than what EaseUS allows (2GB).

Stellar Data Recovery: Features

(Image credit: Stellar)

Stellar offers data recovery apps for Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android – Linux is not supported yet. It supports a wide range of devices such as hard drives, SSDs, USB sticks, SD cards, external drives, and more.

However, I didn't find its supported file systems on its official product page. Only after digging into its documentation did we find that Stellar supports APFS, HFS+, HFS, along with NTFS, FAT (including FAT16 and FAT32), and exFAT.

Stellar also supports custom file types, allowing you to add raw file formats. You can upload a few files of the same format, and the software detects the file structure and extracts signature patterns to find similar files in your desired location. Alternatively, you can manually define the file extension, header, and footer, which allows Stellar to scan their binary structure and find byte patterns.

(Image credit: Future)

Saying that Stellar offers forensic-level data recovery would be an overkill. However, it does try to get close to such software through its byte-to-byte disk backup and restoration, which it calls disk imaging and recovery. This allows you to generate an image of an entire or a specific range of the hard disk, partition, or volume to recover data from it.

Instead of working directly on the storage device or drive, Stellar lets you perform recovery operations on this image file, reducing the risk of further damage. This comes in handy in case of failing hard drives and prevents permanent data loss.

Additionally, you can also scan encrypted storage as well as FileVault on Macs. Simply provide the password to unlock the drive for recovery.

Scanning

Stellar gives you two options: quick scan and deep scan, with a dedicated toggle button that you can select before starting the process. I chose the quick scan mode to scan an external NVMe hard disk, which took more than 25 minutes to complete, which is way longer than some competitors. As the scan goes on, you can see the list of all folders on your disk, as well as a dedicated file list that divides the data based on file type.

(Image credit: Future)

However, you cannot view the list of deleted items until the scan is complete, which is a bit disappointing. Competitors like EaseUS allow you to recover data while the scan is being run in the background. With Stellar, you have to wait until the scan is complete to be able to recover data.

That said, one good thing about Stellar is that it allows you to pause scans and resume them later. This comes in handy when you are scanning a bulky disk or working on an extended data recovery project.

(Image credit: Future)

Also, the software doesn’t consume a lot of CPU resources. The usage averaged 7-10% while the scans were running, which is pretty modest for a data recovery app.

Stellar Data Recovery: Installation and in-use experience

Installing Stellar is pretty simple. You'll find the free download button on its main website. Click on it and install the .exe file that downloads. Hit “Next” a few times and then click on “Finish” once the installation process is done. The whole process takes about 3 to 5 minutes, and the app launches as soon as installation is done.

(Image credit: Future)

The main interface is pretty modern, where you will find a list of all connected devices, physical disks, and common location addresses for you to recover data from. Since we had hooked up our external hard drive, we selected that location and ran a quick scan, which was a slow process as iterated above.

(Image credit: Future)

Now, the “pause” and “stop” features offered by Stellar are a bit buggy. If you click on “pause”, there is no way for you to go back to the main screen and scan any other drive. You must complete one particular scan first.

And if you click on “stop”, you will have to re-scan the whole drive from scratch the next time. Even if you want to recover a small 10 MB file, you will have to wait for the entire scanning process to complete before you can do that.

There’s also a bit of a learning curve involved with the software, which isn't ideal for beginners.

Stellar Data Recovery: How we tested

I first installed the free version of EaseUS on my Windows 11 system, with 16GB of RAM and a 12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-12500H processor.

To test Stellar’s data recovery capability, I first downloaded an album of Mozart's music from the Internet Archive, which consisted of 22 files – 13 JPG files, 4 PNG files, 2 MP3 files, 2 FLAC files, and 1 torrent file. I copied this folder onto a 1.36 TB NTFS hard drive and connected it to my Windows 11 system.

I then deleted this folder and emptied the Recycle Bin. After this, I ran a scan with Stellar to find and recover the folder. Although the scan took longer than expected, Stellar was able to recover all the files in question.

Stellar Data Recovery: Support

Stellar Data Recovery users have access to phone, live chat, and online ticket support. Phone support is available worldwide, but only in English. We tested the live chat briefly and were connected with a friendly, knowledgeable agent within a minute.

There are also a few different self-help options available. The FAQ section provides simple answers to common questions, and the comprehensive knowledge base contains excellent step by step instructions on how to perform basic tasks like data recovery as well as helpful information like which file formats are supported by preview.

Stellar Data Recovery: The competition

There are numerous alternatives to Stellar Data Recovery which could better fit your needs. For example, the Ashampoo Undeleter is significantly cheaper (just $14.99 for a lifetime license) and is great for simple file recovery.

Data Rescue 5 is a more expensive alternative (starting at a $99 one-off payment for five recovery drives), but it comes with a selection of powerful features comparable to those of Stellar Data Recovery.

Stellar Data Recovery: Final verdict

Overall, Stellar does a pretty good job at its core function, which is recovering deleted or lost files. While the app experience is a bit buggy and scans take longer than expected, Stellar still offers decent value for money, considering you can get an annual plan for $59.99.

Features like disk imaging and recovery, which facilitate byte-to-byte disk backup and recovery, and the ability to pause and resume scans are an absolute win. The software is also not heavy on your computing resources, allowing you to go about your work while scans run in the background. All in all, Stellar Data Recovery stands as a reliable and well-rounded data recovery solution.

Check out the best free data recovery software and the best data recovery services.

How we tested Surfshark

There are two parts to our Surfshark review testing: lab testing and real world user experience. We do this to combine objectivity and subjectivity in our VPN reviews.

When I talk about “we” in this review, I’m referring to how Surfshark has performed in our VPN lab testing, as undertaken by TechRadar’s VPN Technical Editor, Mike Williams.

When I say that “I” did something in this review, I’m referring to me, Dan Sung, Editor in Chief of VPN at TechRadar, and I’m offering real world examples and insights from what I’ve learned using this product over many months.

Read more about our Surfshark testing methodology below▼

Surfshark review scores

Below is a breakdown of our Surfshark review scores for each category of testing. Click on the links in the Comments column for a deeper read on our thoughts.

Category

Score

Comments

Total

85 / 100

Excellent value with plenty of feature choice. One of the best value VPNs available. Read more ▼

Price plans & value

10 / 10

Surfshark is the best cheap VPN available. Choose the Surfshark One tier, which includes a full antivirus product, for the best value price plan. Read more ▼

Features

10 / 10

Surfshark’s Alternative ID fake profile feature is one of many useful in-app products in this very well put together VPN. Read more ▼

Server network

9 / 10

Surfshark is slightly lower on server locations than some but its global reach is excellent and the Nexus infrastructure brings huge network benefits. Read more ▼

Read all of Surfshark's review scores ▼

Privacy

9 / 10

Surfshark has very high standards of privacy and extensive privacy features. This is only slightly tarnished by its choice of jurisdiction. Read more ▼

Security

9 / 10

Surfshark scores well for security thanks to its built-in antivirus and its near-flawless kill switch. Its PQE could be more developed though. Read more ▼

Speed

8 / 10

Still the fastest VPN at full tilt but the connection is less consistent than others, and speeds are more average using distant servers. Read more ▼

Unblocking streams

7 / 10

Surfshark unblocks Netflix libraries, Disney Plus, Prime Video and BBC iPlayer but it struggles with some niche streaming services where rival VPNs don't. Read more ▼

P2P & Torrenting

4 / 5

Torrenting is solid and seamless with Surfshark but there's no help from the company itself on how to do it. There's no port forwarding either. Read more ▼

Apps & Compatibility

5 / 5

Surfshark has excellent apps covering all modern platforms. Its iOS app is uncommonly good; iPhone users should definitely consider Surfshark. Read more ▼

Usability

4 / 5

Surfshark is easy on the eye and a pleasure to use. Any quibbles we have on the kill switch toggle are really very minor. Read more ▼

Accessibility

2 / 5

Surfshark is a reasonable choice for partially sighted users but there are better VPNs for accessibility. Language support is average and keyboard-only access is poor. Read more ▼

Customer support

4 / 5

Surfshark has excellent customer service. Its support site is one of the best out there its live chat and email channels bring timely solutions. Read more ▼

Track record

4 / 5

Surfshark has a clean record for data breaches. It passed a no-logs audit in 2025 but that ought to be repeated annually, and we'd like apps and infrastructure audits, too. Read more ▼

Surfshark price plans

• Surfshark starts at $1.99 per month and is the best cheap VPN.
• Surfshark One is the best value of the three plans.
• Surfshark is the only premium VPN company with a 7-day free trial.

Surfshark normally starts at $1.99 per month, which is an excellent price for a top VPN, but there are actually three different Surfshark plans to choose from – Starter, One and One+.

This week, Surfshark is offering TechRadar readers exclusive access to its lowest-ever price. That means you can pick up a 2-year deal for just $1.78 a month, bringing the total cost for 28 months protection to less than $50.

You can sign up for just 1 month, 1 year or 2 years. Obviously, the longer you commit to, the cheaper the price you can get.

Whichever you choose, you get unlimited device connections, i.e. you can install a Surfshark app on as many different devices as you like on a single Surfshark account. There is a fair usage policy you can read on this but you'll be fine with 10-15, or even more devices, unless they’re all on, constantly, and downloading all the time.

Read more about Surfshark's price plans ▼

Even so, this unlimited connections policy is rare among the top VPNs and, for many, a good reason to choose it if you find the 10 device connections of NordVPN, ExpressVPN and Proton VPN, for example, not enough for your needs.

Like all VPNs, though, you do have to pay the total price for the entire length of and Surfshark plan upfront. The graph below is a good comparison of the total cost of each of the best VPN services we recommend at TechRadar.

Do be warned that unlike all other VPN companies (apart from NordVPN) Surfshark adds local tax to its advertised prices at checkout. So, if you’re in the UK, for example, you’ll have to pay VAT on top. And, of course, remember that these prices will fluctuate over the year.

Total price of each Surfshark plan (without tax)

Surfshark Starter

Surfshark One

Surfshark One+

1-month total price

$15.45

$17.95

$20.85

1-year total price

$47.85

$50.85

$94.35

2-year total price

$53.73

$67.23

$113.13

Surfshark is considerably cheaper than its biggest rivals. NordVPN’s cheapest 2-year plan is about 50% more expensive than Surfshark's. ExpressVPN Basic is nearly twice the price!

The table above shows the total prices for each Surfshark tier and plan length.

What sticks out to us from these totals are two things. First, the 1-month prices are terrible. Given Surfshark has a 7-day free trial, we’d advise you to sign up for a week instead and decide in that time if you want to commit for longer. Then, either go for the one or two-year plan.

The second, and more obvious, point on value is that the two-year plans are pretty tempting. You get the second year of Surfshark Starter, for example, for less than $10. That’s pretty compelling at that band, but arguably, it’s not quite as good for Surfshark One with the extra year only effectively half-price.

Per month cost of the three Surfshark plans

Surfshark Starter

Surfshark One

Surfshark One+

1-month price

$15.45/month

$17.95/month

$20.85/month

1-year price

$3.19/month

$3.39/month

$6.29/month

2-year price

$1.99/month

$2.49/month

$4.19/month

In other words, there's little point in going for 1-year Starter plan when the 2-year version isn't much more, but there's a decent argument for only shelling out for 12 months of Surfshark One.

If you’re looking for a real value proposition, though, it’s in the difference between Surfshark Starter and Surfshark One on the 1-year contract – just a couple of bucks, really which feels like a real no-brainer. There’s no point in going for the 1-year Starter when you can pick up Surfshark’s antivirus and ID breach alerts with the One plan instead.

Above is a table of the price per month for each Surfshark plan which is a slightly easier way to appreciate the value offer of each one.

There are cheaper VPNs out there – PrivadoVPN ($1.11) is a good option – but Surshark is an undeniable pound-for-pound sweet spot for price and features.

Score: 10/10

Features: What can Surfshark do?

• Alternative ID is a superb email and postal address protection tool.
• Surfshark is one of very few VPNs with a full antivirus included.
• ID breach alerts didn't spot my leaked credit card information.

Don’t be fooled by the price. Surfshark Starter is a very well stocked bundle.

Alongside the VPN product itself, the most significant feature is CleanWeb. It’s a catch-all name for Surfshark’s advert and cookie consent pop-up blocking system which aims to allow you to surf the web in relative peace.

I've used similar systems from competitors, like NordVPN’s Threat Protection and Proton VPN’s NetShield. You can read more about CleanWeb in the Privacy section of this review.

Margarito Philip Leland – my Surfshark Alternative ID profile. Easy to edit. Ready to copy and paste. Available on all Surfshark plans. (Image credit: Future Publishing)

Alternative ID is an important feature to pay attention to. Other VPN providers, such as Proton VPN, offer fake email addresses that will front for your own while still allowing emails to get through.

Read more about Surfshark's features ▼

You get a randomly generated email address – to use to fill out online forms, or give to people you don’t like, or whatever your need – and it automatically forwards any mail it receives to your real email address. You then cut it off and generate another email alias when you’re done with receiving whatever marketing mail it’s now attracted.

Proton offers this too but Surfshark takes it further.

Alternative ID is, in fact, a broader ID. It’s a name, postal address, email and even phone number (US only) to plug in online and stop scammers, spammers, and everyone else seeing your real details.

Right now, for example, I’m Margarito Philip Leland of 21 North 28th Ave East, Duluth, Minnesota, DOB 07/26/2005. Don’t bother trying to contact me because I’ll have ditched this ID by the time you're reading this article.

Surfshark Starter

Surfshark One

Surfshark One+

VPN

✅

✅

✅

Ad blocker

✅

✅

✅

Cookie pop-up blocker

✅

✅

✅

Alternative ID

✅

✅

✅

Search

❌

✅

✅

Web content blocker

❌

✅

✅

ID breach alerts

❌

✅

✅

Antivirus

❌

✅

✅

Email scam checker

❌

✅

✅

Incogni data removal

❌

❌

✅

Identity theft coverage

❌

❌

✅

I had a go at manually editing my Alternative ID persona. There are 10 email domains to choose from with options from the US, France, South Korea and Armenia, but I found I could write anything I wanted as the first part of the address.

For postal mail, the options I got were Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Germany Portugal and the US. Name and DOB can both be anything you want.

It's a great feature for signing up to services, giving to online stores and registering with news websites without having to worry about the spam. There's a handy quick-copy area on the homepage of the Surfshark app too which made filling in online forms all the faster. There's really very little not to love about it.

The only sad part is that the Alt number part is only in beta right now. It’s also only available in the States and you can’t use it to receive SMS verification codes, sadly, either. Still, I look forward to testing it out once it arrives in Europe.

Surfshark One

If you’re after antivirus too, then it’s time to step up to Surfshark One. PIA and Norton are the only other VPNs we recommend to have a full antivirus built-in along with the VPN.

NordVPN's Threat Protection Pro does have some AV features but it won't scan any apps and files you download, install, and use in real-time – and put a halt to any funny business before it’s too late – like Surfshark will.

The Surfshark antivirus ran daily scans of my entire device when I enabled it, and you can set to have it done at any time of day of your choosing. For obvious reasons, I opted for the dead of night.

You can toggle off either of these scans, and you can even opt out of scans of your storage drives, too.

None of these put our mobile battery life under any particular noticeable stress. With the real-time protection only kicking in when we installed apps and our daily scan set to nighttime when the phone was plugged in anyway, the extra processes were never a burden.

The clean look and feel of Surfshark Search – no sponsored links, no ads, just the search results you're looking for. Available with Surfshark One and One+. (Image credit: Future Publishing)

You can select to exclude certain apps if they keep pulling up false positives but it wasn't something I found I needed to do.

Surfshark One allows you to take the CleanWeb theme a little further with the Web Content Blocker tool, launched in October 2025. Still in beta, it still worked like a charm when I tried it.

It's very similar to Windscribe's content blocker. You choose from a list of eight different kinds of questionable content and decide what you don't want to be accessible through your browser. That includes adult sites, gambling, tobacco and vaping, hate and profanity, and others, as well as sites hosting phishing, scams, and malware.

What's really nice is that I was able to use it as a way of blocking access to these sites on my kids' phones without having to get involved with the often expensive and generally not particularly parental control apps.

That works because Web Content Blocker can be set up differently for each device you have and because you get unlimited devices connected to a single Surfshark account. I also really like that you don't have to have the VPN on to have Web Content Blocker activated, because I don't want the VPN masking my kids' browsing habits from me either.

The menu of content you can prevent access to with Surfshark's new web content blocker tool. (Image credit: Future Publishing)

Surfshark also launched Email Scam Checking for One (and One+) plans at a similar time. The tool uses AI to scan your emails for signs of a scam and flags any concerns found. Right now, it's only available for Gmail, but Surfshark is planning to extend support for the tool in future.

Lastly, and definitely not least, is Surfshark’s own private search engine. It's a super-clean, advert and sponsored results-free experience. Apart from the fact that it didn’t rank TechRadar very high for the term ‘Surfshark review’, I loved using it.

you can search without seeing a single ad, with no cookies or trackers, and Surfshark promises that it won't store anything about your search habits

You can choose any search location you like from a list of about 40 different countries without seeing a single ad, with no cookies or trackers, and Surfshark promises that it won't store anything about your search habits. ‘The real incognito mode’ is how it describes itself. I found it useful for comparing prices of clothing between the US and UK.

It’s actually quite refreshing and a bit of a reminder of what search looked like back in the day. It’s pretty amazing to realise what all of Google’s small changes have done to its experience over time, in comparison, but that’s a discussion for another place.

Honestly, it would take a bit of a push for me to use Surfshark's search all the time – it's hard to break the habit of the last 25 years – but with tabs for Web, Images and Videos only and gloriously uncluttered results, I'll certainly make the effort every now and then.

ID breach alerts

Alerts is a section unto itself in the Surfshark app. It's available in Surfshark One and One+ but I wanted to draw special attention to it because of something that happened while I was writing this review. More on that in a moment

Alerts (or 'ID breach alerts' as you'll find it called in the literature) scans the internet for any data breaches featuring your email addresses, credit card numbers and ID numbers too. It felt a bit strange handing over my info to Surfshark so that it could run those checks but the company promises that it doesn’t retain it.

Now, here's the interesting thing: chance had it that I was the victim of an attempted scam as I was writing this very section. I got a phone call from someone very convincingly pretending to be my credit card provider. They knew my card details, my name, my home address and clearly my phone number too.

They knew my card details, my name, my home address and clearly my phone number too.

They claimed to be from the fraud department and were questioning two transactions apparently made on my card in the UAE for around 27,000 Dirhams, and was I aware of them? Clearly I was not. So, the well spoken operator said they would then refund the amount to my account.

He asked me to open the app where I'd see a request for the refund. I opened the app. There was a request. But it was not for a refund. It was to make a payment of 27,000 Dirhams, about £5000.

"Press Confirm," they said.

"This is asking me to confirm a payment," I replied.

"No, this is the refund. Press confirm."

"No. It says 'payment'. I don't trust you."

They hung up.

I froze my card. I contacted my issuer and, I'm still shaking a bit at how close I just came to being defrauded. With stories about different UK retail stores getting hacked popping up every week, perhaps it's of little surprise.

My compromised credit card showing as 'no leaks found' according to the Surfshark Alert credit card monitoring system. Not a feature that's worked for me. Available with Surfshark One and One+. (Image credit: Future Publishing)

I'm also a little bit scared about my details too, and I'm pretty glad I'm writing reviews about products like Surfshark and that I've got the tools to help deal with this.

So, with that in mind, I put this particular bank card's details into Surfshark's credit card monitoring system. Sadly, Surfshark Alerts said No Leaks Found after scanning for a breach of this information. Hopefully, it will register it as exposed in the coming months but it's been a few weeks and I've seen no change yet.

It doesn't mean that Alerts doesn't work. It's very possible that my information was hacked and not exposed on the internet. It's just a pity that Alerts wasn't able to help in this instance.

If you're looking for a VPN for a very complete set of privacy and security features, then Surfshark is a great option

Alerts did a lot better with my email address. When I put in my general junky email, used for online forms and shops and such – where was Alternative ID when I needed it years ago – I was unsurprised to see 25 leak alerts. Thanks Adobe, DuoLingo, Last.fm, Houzz, Kickstarter MyFitnessPal and a bunch of other sites and services that are lucky I don’t have time to name and shame.

Surfshark detailed what was leaked of mine in each breach and then makes recommendations of what to do next. Probably a good idea to do what it says but, quite honestly, with 25 breaches do deal with, there just isn't enough time in the day. Hopefully, I'll be able to lower that number with every update of this page.

Surfshark One+

Top of the Surfshark price plan tree is Surfshark One+ which adds the Incogni which is designed to prevent the misuse of your personal data online.

If Alerts is your data health examination, then Incogni aims to be the cure. It's a data removal service which is currently only available in the US, UK, Canada, EU and Switzerland because of legal reasons. Those reasons are that, in those regions, data brokers are legally required to remove your details from their records when asked. And that’s what Incogni does on your behalf.

I’ve definitely noticed getting less spam in that time

I’ve actually been lucky enough to use Incogni on a long-term test now for over two years and apart from the odd email report, there’s not much visible that actually happens. I’ve definitely noticed getting less spam in that time but part of that has also been down to being more careful what I sign up for and whether I’m using my real ID or not.

Ultimately, it’s really difficult to evaluate and I wish I could give better advice here given that it's over 60% extra on top of the Surfshark One price.

Thankfully, you can also get up to $1 million in identity theft coverage if you get a One+ plan in the US. A bit like Incogni, it's difficult to tangibly assess the benefits of this without having my identity stolen, but it certainly adds value to the plan, given the massive price jump from a One plan.

While the effectiveness of all of Surfshark's tools is not crystal clear, it's obvious by looking at the VPN feature comparison table that customers get lots of them to use, more so than most other VPN service providers.

If you're looking for a VPN for a very complete set of privacy and security features, then Surfshark is a great option, and at an excellent price point too.

Score: 10/10

Server network and locations

• 100 countries with servers, 142 server locations, over 4,500 total servers.
• Very few servers in Africa but that's similar to other VPNs.
• FastTrack technology to bring higher network speeds in coming months.

Surfshark doesn’t cover quite as many countries (100) and locations (142) as the server network market leader NordVPN (135 countries and 211 locations), but it still gets top marks in this department.

That’s because its global spread is well chosen. It largely keeps up with just as many server countries in the traditionally less well-covered continents of Asia, South America and Oceania as most of its rival VPNs.

In fact, the European server network is as robust as the rest of the pack, too. It’s only Africa and the Middle East where, like ExpressVPN, it's noticeably shorter than NordVPN and Proton VPN.

Server list on the Surfshark Windows app. Plenty of US server locations available. (Image credit: Future)

Surfshark's 34 North America server locations are fine, just short of Proton's 35. But recent improvements to other VPNs mean its far below the likes of NordVPN (74) and ExpressVPN (71).

Read more about Surfshark's server network ▼

Surfshark states on its server list that some of the locations are virtual, and that’s refreshing given that other VPNs hide that. We spot checked the actual likely location of 25 servers on Surfshark’s list. It was accurate in all but one case where the company had accidentally marked Peru down as a virtual server when it really is based in Lima. If there are to be mistakes, then we’re certainly glad that they’re false positive ones.

Sever networks are about more than just quantity, though. Surfshark uses RAM-only servers which brings important benefits that we discuss in the Privacy section.

That's more or less a VPN industry standard but where Surfshark elevates itself is with how it connects those servers together. It's developed a holistic use of all of those pathways in what it calls its Nexus network infrastructure. It connects users to the entire network rather than the single VPN server they're choosing.

Through that system Surfshark can offer a fair few benefits, not least of which is FastTrack smart routing technology which aims to speed up connection by choosing the most time efficient pathways through the network.

It uses globally distributed probes which monitor the Surfshark network in real-time. They keep track of capacity and performance. That way the FastTrack system can figure out how to route VPN traffic to ensure that users get the fastest possible connections while still taking them to the end-point server that they've selected, and with an appropriate IP address.

FastTrack launched in August, 2025. Right now, it's only available on macOS and only when connecting to the Seattle, Vancouver or Sydney servers but Surfshark claims it's made up to 70% speed improvements for customers. We look forward to the company rolling it out across the board soon.

Something a little closer to home for those in Europe is the arrival of Surfshark's first 100 Gbps servers as unveiled in Amsterdam in October 2025. That's a 10 times improvement in server bandwidth designed to cope for the modern demands of 4K streaming, gaming, VR, and remote work.

It's certainly a good headline but, cynicism aside, it's an excellent sign. Surfshark has been a market leader when it comes to investing in the future of its server network in 2025.

Everlink, released in June, 2025, is another network quality boost from Surfshark. It's a patented backup system for your VPN connection. The idea is that if the VPN drops, your app doesn’t disconnect immediately. Instead, Everlink automatically connects you to a new and working server.

It might take a few seconds and, if you happen to be browsing at the time, it’s possible you’ll find a web page that doesn't download properly. But, for the most part, Surfshark says you won’t even notice anything.

We don’t have a test for Everlink yet, but it sounds promising. Dropped connections aren’t just a usability hassle, they also risk data and IP leaks. If Everlink can reduce unexpected disconnections, then that’s very good privacy news.

The other big benefits of Nexus, and its flexible, multi-server pathways, are Surfshark's rotating IP tech, new multi-IP tech, and its excellent MultiHop system. You can read more about those in the Privacy section.

For now, suffice to say that Surfshark's server network is cutting-edge and, from everything we've seen, we're only expecting improvements over the next 12 months.

Score: 9/10

Privacy

• Super clear, user-friendly privacy policy; no-logs system.
• Top privacy features: Camouflage Mode, MultiHop & Rotating IP.
• Subject to possible 'Nine Eyes' international information sharing agreement.

Surfshark operates using a no-logs system. Its servers do record some information to check user access (encrypted credentials, timestamps and billing information) but it’s lost around 15 minutes after each user session. It never stores anything to do with traffic data such as destination IPs, DNS queries, data transferred, downloaded files or browsing history.

This is exactly how a secure VPN should operate and, having read through Surfshark’s privacy policy, we’re satisfied that there’s nothing else amiss here either. Surfshark uses standard good practice all the way.

As privacy policies go, it’s actually incredibly user friendly and worth taking a look at for yourself. It’s organised into a set of easily digestible questions and answers rather than swathes of contract-style legalese.

Surfshark doesn’t have its own, proprietary obfuscation technology like Proton VPN’s Stealth protocol. So, if it’s vital that you’re not spotted using a VPN, Surfshark probably isn’t the best option.

Read more about Surfshark's privacy credentials ▼

Nonetheless, it still offers ‘Camouflage Mode’ which kicks into action whenever you choose OpenVPN. The company says that it hides your traffic to bypass content filters. OpenVPN also means you’ll be on Surfshark’s dedicated Obfuscated Servers which are designed to make it particularly hard for your ISP to see that you’re connected to a VPN.

You can use the OpenVPN protocol in both UDP and TCP form. The former is better when high speeds are important (streaming, gaming or VoIP) and TCP is good for the kind of reliability you need when web browsing, emailing or during P2P file transfer.

If you’d rather err on the side of speed, then just stick with Surfshark's default option of WireGuard. IKEv2 is also a choice on Android, Mac and iOS but not Windows.

Like most of the best VPNs, Surfshark uses RAM-only servers with no hard drives or SSDs where it could store data. That makes it both faster and safer, from the user's point of view.

Any time RAM-only servers are switched off, any data stored on them temporarily is lost. So, if those servers are seized, then the parties taking ownership of them get nothing but the hardware in their hands. Equally, changes from a malicious software attacks could be undone by Surfshark simply turning the servers off and on again – an IT help centre’s dream.

The effect here is that no user data is logged or kept in any way, so you can rest assure that your online activities are kept utterly private by Surfshark.

Surfshark received a number of user complaints when it changed its legal jurisdiction from the British Virgin Islands to the Netherlands, given that the Dutch are part of the Nine Eyes international information sharing agreement but given there are no logs to share, it's hard to see that there’s any real disadvantage here. Don't let it put you off unless you really feel like you need that double layer of protection.

no user data is logged or kept in any way, so you can rest assure that your online activities are kept utterly private by Surfshark

Surfshark has some interesting options for the privacy-conscious when it comes to server connection. Normally, you connect to a server and it assigns you a random IP address until you disconnect and then a different one next time. But you can choose to maintain a static IP instead. This means that it remains the same throughout your session.

Now, in terms of privacy that’s maybe not great. It leaves more browsing behaviour connected to a single IP that a third party could trace from start to finish and therefore have a clearer picture about what a single user is doing. Keep up that browsing behaviour pattern long enough and they might even be able to figure out who you are.

At the same time, a static IP can be useful. There are web services that work by white listing IP addresses. A static IP that’s known and accepted will make it easier to access them wherever you are. It might remove a layer of authentication each time you access.

In general, though, static IPs aren’t a great idea for VPN traffic because it makes it easier to track you. So, we’d recommend enable the Rotating IP option, even if that makes for more CAPTCHAs.

That said, if you do often get blocked trying to access a certain site, and then find a Surfshark server that works, you might want add that location as a favourite and use it as a static IP.

Rotating IPs makes it harder for a website or web service to track you in its logs. In a single, long session, you’ll appear as multiple visitors. So, this is a definite boost to Surfshark’s privacy credentials. Only ExpressVPN offers something similar with its ShuffleIP.

Multihop (available on all Surfshark plans) is fully customisable. Create a connection to travel through any pair of Surfshark servers to help maximize privacy. (Image credit: Future Publishing)

Quite the opposite to a static IP, then, the system automatically connects you via a different IP address after 2-10 minutes – and all without the real world experience of a disconnection. (Streaming was a little more glitchy when using IP rotation, though, so do consider switching it off if you run into problems.)

You get a little status message letting you know when your next IP rotation will be and what address you’re assigned, although, actually, in practice, the timing was often quicker than stated. And, when we checked with WhatIsMyIPAddress.com, the address reported by Surfshark was accurate every single time.

So, how does Surfshark manage to switch your IP without dropping the connection? That's down to its Nexus network infrastructure (see Server Network section), ensuring that there's always a server somewhere along the path to provide online access while the IP on the destination server is switched.

The other excellent privacy application of the Nexus structure is Surfshark’s brilliantly flexible MultiHop VPN system, which is one of the very best out there.

The joined up nature of the Nexus-powered servers means that, unlike other VPNs, you can create your own double jump server pathways between almost any locations available, instead of the small handful of pre-programmed routing options that most other VPN providers offer.

That allows users to design custom, faster MultiHop connections, with start and end point servers which aren’t too far away from you and from one another.

In fact, you can even choose Fastest Location or Nearest Country within the MultiHop menu for the Nexus system to make the best suggestion for you. We particularly like that you can see latency speeds next to the options on the list so that you can really aim for maximal performance.

We checked to see the kind of effect you can expect when using two servers per connection like this. Using a pathway of two servers nearby (in our case, two different Ireland server locations) produced speeds very similar a single hop transatlantic connection which we benchmarked at 391Mbps. It was only once we started picking huge journeys, around the word for the first hop and then back all the way for the second, that we noticed speeds dipping.

Surfshark also launched Multi IP for Mac users in November 2025. This slightly differs from rotating IP, in that it gives you a new IP for every new website or session you start, but consequently serves the same goal of retaining a connection while reducing the ability of third parties to track what you do. Similarly, it also offers slightly less robust protection than a multihop connection. Regardless, it's a super handy feature for Mac users if you're looking to remain secure without risking sacrificing speed.

Of course, there’s no need to sacrifice speed on all your apps and services if you use Surfshark’s split-tunnel feature, Bypasser. It works on all four major platforms and allowed us to pick both individual apps and websites to either specifically exclude or include from the VPN tunnel.

This is a great way of working if you want to use Surfshark for something specific like torrenting, or if you want to watch your local streaming service without confusing it into thinking that you’re trying to tune in from somewhere else.

The only real privacy feature absent from the Surfshark roster is Tor Over VPN. We could still use the Tor browser manually after connecting to Surfshark on our Windows laptop but it’s not built into the app. If Tor's added layer of online anonymity is a feature you need, then you’ll want to use Proton VPN or NordVPN instead.

Unlike other VPNs, you can create your own double jump server pathways between almost any locations

Surfshark’s CleanWeb function takes care of your search by stripping out as many trackers and ads as possible. There’s a bit of a slow down when it comes to page load time but the results are well worth it.

It took all of the cookie consent requests out of our browsing as we read the football pages of the UK and European news sites. And the grey blocks where adverts used to be were certainly less distracting than all the sticky videos and other images that usually get in the way.

If you want to go the whole hog, though, try Surfshark’s very own in-app private search, available on Surfshark One and One+ plans. More details on that in the Features section above.

Score: 9/10

Security

• Excellent kill switch available on all major platforms.
• Decent phishing and malware protection boosted by a browser extension.
• Post-quantum encryption not available on all platforms

Surfshark's choice of VPN encryption, and it's platter of security features, give us plenty of reasons for confidence. It doesn't hit the same heights as the other top VPNs in all of our results below but then it's a fraction of the price of most of them and our tests are pretty exacting.

Surfshark’s AES-256-GCM and ChaCha20 encryption algorithms are pretty standard, solid stuff when it comes to incredibly hard to crack encoding of your internet traffic.

The company uses 2048-bit RSA encryption keys which is easily enough safeguarding. Proton VPN takes things a little further with 4096-bit keys just in case you have extreme security demands.

Kill switch warning on the Surfshark Windows app explaining how kill switches work. (Image credit: Future)

A more pressing for issue for Surfshark is its post-quantum encryption (PQE) credentials. It deserves increasing attention as quantum computers, and their extreme number crunching powers, arrive on the scene.

Read more about Surfshark's security credentials ▼

Surfshark doesn’t have a huge amount to say about PQE on its website, just that “Surfshark has implemented post-quantum protection on top of the WireGuard protocol”.

Not wanting to remain behind the curve as we head into 2026, Surfshark recently announced that post-quantum cryptography (PQC) has been integrated into the WireGuard protocol for more devices.

The measure will enhance user security when it comes to quantum computing threats, like breaches and "harvest now, decrypt later" attacks, and is enabled by default on most platforms. These include Mac, Linux, and Android.

Although iOS and Windows are two big omissions from that list, getting them covered, too, should be the next step in Surfshark's plan of post-quantum protection.

This is nothing out of the ordinary currently. PQE technology in VPNs is still very much in the embryonic stage.

Only ExpressVPN has gone further in its 1200-word blog post about its implementation of PQE in its Lightway protocol.

Surfshark recently announced that post-quantum cryptography (PQC) has been integrated into the WireGuard protocol

Until then, there’s still plenty to keep you safe with Surfshark.

Auto-connect is a handy feature that prevents accidental leaks of your real IP address. It's a great privacy-boosted, and we really like Surfshark's version of it.

Once activated, it automatically connected using the VPN on any network that I specifically didn't mark as Trusted. I didn't want it to auto-connect on my home Wi-Fi, for example, where I want to choose what my ISP does and doesn't see, depending on what apps and services I'm accessing.

What I really like is that I can also choose which VPN server I want Surfshark to auto-connect to. I set it to auto-connect the 'Fastest connection' preset no matter what.

Auto-connect looks and works the same across iOS, Windows and Mac. The only exception is on Android which also allows you to use it on mobile networks too – great for privacy on the go.

The gold standard for IP leak safety, though, is the VPN kill switch and Surfshark’s got full marks in our tests. There’s a kill switch on all platforms, as we would expect.

It comes in two forms: Soft Mode, which blocks your internet access if the VPN unexpectedly drops; and Strict Mode which simply blocks any internet access unless the VPN is connected in the first place.

Strict Mode is the more secure option, certainly, but I found that it slowed my speeds a little. I also encountered more CAPTCHAs and blocked websites during my day-to-day browsing, as well as issues with apps that aren't compatible with the VPN.

Soft Mode is the better option for most people, especially as Surfshark's kill switch performs well by itself.

Surfshark is one of the only VPNs with a full antivirus built in. This is the desktop version. It's available on Surfshark One and One+. (Image credit: Future Publishing)

We tried breaking the VPN connection in a few different ways – turning the router on and off, walking out of range of a Wi-Fi hotspot, stopping services, closing processes and more – and Surfshark blocked the internet every time.

The only difference between Surfshark and the very best in this department, NordVPN, is that Surfshark didn’t always manage to recover the application and reconnect every time. NordVPN’s activated the switch, spotted the precise problem, resolved it, and then got us up and running again without us really noticing that anything had happened.

Surfshark still performed far better than most VPNs, and correctly blocked our internet in every test, though, and that’s what most matters for security.

Surfshark’s CleanWeb feature helps out for security, as well as its ad blocking and cookie consent pop-up blocking features we mentioned in the Privacy section. It cuts out phishing and malware websites too.

We tested CleanWeb with 50 up-to-date URLs for each, from the very newest phishing and malware sites sourced on the day of testing itself.

Surfshark's effectiveness for blocking sites that host phishing attacks is a little subpar, blocking only 48%. It's around half as effective as ExpressVPN (76%) and Proton VPN (88%), and a long way behind NordVPN (92%).

It's also adequate forad blocking, blocking 44% of ads, and if you use the Surfshark browser extension (available on Firefox, Chrome, and Edge) alongside your platform app, you'll maximize its chances of succeeding.

Surprisingly, ExpressVPN and Proton VPN didn't manage to detect and block access to any of the latest malware hosting sites in our last lab test. So, even the fact that Surfshark score 28% is actually a pretty strong result.

What's more, CleanWeb is available with all Surfshark plans, which start as low as $1.99 per month. NordVPN's high scores come courtesy with Threat Protection Pro technology which is not included in its entry level tier. To get the benefits of Threat Protection Pro, you'd need to pay a minimum of $3.89 per month – nearly double the price.

Also, bear in mind that the bar we set for the test above is a high one. The figures above would be considerably higher if we tested CleanWeb, and the others, against threats that were even just two days old. Nonetheless, the biggest names in antivirus, such as Norton, Bitdefender, and Avira deliver results to the same tests that are up above 90%.

So, is Surfshark’s CleanWeb a replacement for the very best dedicated AV? Not quite, but it’s well worth using and, like most of Surfshark's features, a bargain. More to the point, it will protect users against most of the nasties out there. So, do switch it on if you have it.

Score: 9/10

Speed

• Among the fastest WireGuard VPNs to local servers.
• OpenVPN speeds are good too, and long-distance performance has improved.
• Surfshark has considerably higher latency and jitter than other top VPNs.

Previously rated as the fastest VPN available, Surfshark has taken a bit of a dip in our latest round of speed testing but still has a strong claim to that title.

What’s more, we still think Surfshark is a good performer in the gran scheme of things. Anyone looking for a fast VPN should not be put off.

We’ve recently broadened our VPN lab speed testing process. We take even more data points than before and have increased our maximum speed capacity from 1 Gbps up to 10 Gbps.

Read more about Surfshark's speed ▼

Surfshark's fastest protocol, WireGuard – available on all Surfshark apps – clocked the second-fastest download speed when we connected to the nearest server to our lab's speed rig. At a median average of 1021 Mbps, it's fractionally bested by NordVPN's NordLynx, which achieved 1249 Mbps

Over long distance (Europe to the US) Surfshark looked much better than previously, though. Its 935 Mbps score is considerably higher than the competition. That's something to consider if you're set to be accessing far-flung servers on a regular basis.

We were pleased to see download speeds are good with the more privacy-focused OpenVPN protocol on Surfshark, achieving 825 Mbps. This is also more than NordVPN's mere 688 Mbps.

However, Surfshark's speed claims take a further knock when you consider overall performance. For almost all distances and protocols, we recorded latency and jitter rates than were pretty much twice as bad as the other top VPNs.

In real terms, that means we would expect higher levels of lag than usual when gaming and more buffering than most when streaming, the latter of which was certainly true in my home streaming experience. (More on that in the Streaming section just below.)

High jitter can lead to poor quality real-time applications, although I didn't notice any problems when I used Surfshark during WhatsApp voice calls or when video conferencing on Google Meet for work.

All in all, though, it's a mixed picture and not quite what we were hoping for.

A VPN engineer once said to me that, beyond certain speeds, it's really latency that's more important when considering VPN performance. If that's true, then Surfshark's fast download data feels a bit hollow.

Of course, speed testing is only ever a snapshot of a moment, with little regard for comparative server network conditions. All the same, despite the headline figures, we'd hope for a better show from Surfshark next time.

Score: 8/10

Unblocking streaming services

• Surfshark unblocks Netflix libraries, and other services, but with major inconsistency.
• Struggles to unblock US-only YouTube content from other countries.
• CleanWeb needs disabling to stream ad-funded streaming services.

Surfshark isn’t quite in the same league as NordVPN when it comes to unblocking streaming services but it’s mostly a good choice on this front.

Like NordVPN, and most of the best VPN services, all of Surfshark’s servers are optimzed for streaming. I didn’t need to waste any time trying to find lists of streaming servers. I just found the country I wanted and connected to any server on the list.

We tested Surfshark to see if it could unblock Netflix in five different locations and it struggled. It took several attempts to access the US library, and failed entirely in the UK and Australia. That said, we had no issues in Canada or Japan.

Amazon US/UK

Disney+ US/UK

YouTube US

NordVPN

✅

✅

❌

Surfshark

❌

❌

❌

ExpressVPN

❌

✅

✅

Proton VPN

✅

❌

❌

Read more about Surfshark's streaming service unblocking ▼

We also found that Surfshark servers couldn't be used to unblock Amazon Prime Video in the US or Australia, Canada, or Japan, no matter how we tried, though the UK was fine. This is a change from our last test when Surfshark saw success with this service.

YouTube US is one that none of our VPN services managed to unblock this time. We choose a licensed US-geo-locked test video and we weren't able to stream it from the UK with Surfshark or any of the others. This is worth considering if you tend to watch YouTube more than any other platform, although most videos tend not to be geo-specific.

Peacock was another US service Surfshark struggled with. While it would access the site successfully, the stream would then drop out on several instances during a one to two hour watching session. This is something we never experienced with other providers.

Surfshark proved useful at unblocking all of the free streaming services we tried in the UK and Australia, though. It has a cross next to ITV in the table below because Surfshark didn't manage to unblock it at the first attempt but, again, it did succeed after a server switch.

Surfshark had previously had similar issues when trying to access 10Play in Australia but there were no troubles in this round of tests.

BBC iPlayer

ITV

Channel 4

TVNZ Plus

NordVPN Plus

✅

✅

✅

✅

Surfshark

✅

✅

✅

✅

ExpressVPN

✅

✅

✅

✅

Proton VPN

✅

❌

❌

❌

It's worth noting that you may need to disable CleanWeb when trying to watch shows on ad-funded streaming services such as Channel 4 and ITV. CleanWeb's built-in ad-blocker, and the streamer's need to serve reels of ads before and between the programming, don't work well together and cause things to grind to a halt.

The only downside, of course, is that it does leave you without web-based malware blocking for a time. So, make sure you're watching a trusted service. And make sure to turn CleanWeb back on after.

When we tested Proton VPN we found the same problem but the significant difference there is that we could turn off just the ad-blocking of NetShield while leaving the malware protection running. We also didn’t have to disconnect and reconnect to change the setting, unlike with CleanWeb.

Ultimately, if you're not prepared to tinker – and why should you – then NordVPN is the best streaming VPN but let Surfshark's results in this department put you off. It's still good for unblocking streams.

Score: 7/10

P2P and torrenting

• Torrenting supported at all of Surfsharks server locations.
• Search for P2P optimized servers for best performance.
• No port forwarding.

Surfshark works well for torrenting thanks to its high download speeds and reliable privacy.

I opted for the OpenVPN protocol using TCP to be doubly sure my ISP wouldn't be able to see what I was up to. Sure enough, I've had no nasty letters through the post.

Using uTorrent, I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary as I chose a selection of different file sizes to download. Knowing that Surfshark performs significantly better over short connection distances (see Speed section) I made sure to choose the closest server possible.

All of Surfshark’s locations support torrenting but only some are optimised for P2P use and they’re not so easy to find as with Proton VPN or NordVPN, both which have P2P filters on their server choice lists in the apps.

We figured out that you can type ‘P2P’ into the search field of the server location list with Surfshark and the system will narrow to include only the torrenting optimized servers, but even then it’s very hard to tell that that’s what you’re looking at. There’s nothing in the knowledge base or help sections about it. How most people are supposed to discover this is a bit of a mystery.

The actual torrenting experience, though, once connected, is very similar to any of the top VPNs. My connection speed was limited more by the number and quality of peers for the file I tried to download.

Like many VPNs these days, Surfshark does not support port forwarding for reasons of security – understandable given that’s a VPN’s prime function. You can read Surfshark’s take on it here.

The article even suggests a way you can set up port forwarding manually but, if that’s really something you want that much, then you’re best off choosing Proton VPN which supports the feature directly in its apps.

Score: 4/5

Compatibility

• Surfshark is compatible with all modern platforms.
• Exceptionally large feature set available for iPhone users.
• Use browser extensions for maximum privacy.

Surfshark does a good job of keeping consistency in look, feel, and functionality across its suite of apps. In fact, it scores better than most top VPN vendors with almost all of its features supported on mobile as well as desktop.

iPhone users should take particular notice. Surfshark’s iOS app is exceptionally well stocked compared to the normally underpowered versions peddled by most VPN companies. Split tunneling, auto connect, and use of all three of Surfshark’s VPN protocols are present and correct on both major mobile operating systems.

Like all the very top VPNs, Surfshark is compatible with every modern platform you’d care to mention. There are apps for the likes of Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Linux as well as the usual big four of Windows, Mac, Android and iOS.

Features available on iPhone

Surfshark

NordVPN

ExpressVPN

Proton VPN

Kill switch

✅

✅ (automatic)

✅

✅

Autoconnect

✅

✅

❌

❌

Split tunneling

✅ (websites only)

❌

❌

❌

Protocols

WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2

NordLynx, OpenVPN

Lightway, OpenVPN, IKEv2

WireGuard, Stealth

Malware blocking

✅

❌

✅

✅

GPS spoofing

❌

❌

❌

❌

Custom DNS

❌

❌

❌

❌

Read more about Surfshark's compatibility ▼

There are also Chrome, Edge and Firefox browser extensions and these are more important than you might think.

We’d recommend using Surfshark from within your browser to get the most out of the CleanWeb phishing, advert and malware blocking abilities of your VPN, for example. It’ll keep you a little safer online even if the VPN itself is turned off. See the Security section for more details.

But, there's more. Surfshark's browser extensions can mask your real location better than using just using your device's VPN app alone. That's because some websites can ask your browser its country-level location. That’s not something that’s related to your IP address.

We found we got fewer CAPTCHAs when we tried it. Searching Google for VPN-related terms often digs up request for bicycles, buses and road crossing identifications but it was a rare event with Surfshark's Chrome extension on.

We’d recommend using Surfshark from within your browser to get the most out of the CleanWeb phishing, advert and malware blocking abilities of your VPN

The browser extension doubles down on protecting your real location with its ‘Block WebRTC’ feature too. WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communications) is another internet technology which can be used by websites to find your real IP address. Surfshark’s browser extension should stop any red flags by making sure WebRTC doesn’t run on your device.

Putting a VPN onto your router is never a piece of cake but, like most good VPNs, it is possible with Surfshark. It requires a manual installation of the software but, beginners, be not afraid – there is an excellent post on the Surfshark blog of how to get this done, and a supporting article with information for specific routers, protocols (WireGuard/OpenVPN/IKEv3 and firmware (OpenWRT / OPNsense / TP-Link).

Surfshark does a good job of maintaining all of its apps with regular updates to many of them throughout the year.

We took a look at the number of updates that the big VPN providers made to their iOS apps between January and December 2025 for an indicator of how well they support their software. iOS apps are often the least well maintained.

@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Open+Sans:wght@400;700&display=swap'); #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 *, #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 *:before, #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 *:after { box-sizing: border-box !important; margin: 0; padding: 0; border: 0; font-size: 100%; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 { font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif !important; } /* Main Wrappers */ #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 { position: relative !important; overflow: visible !important; --riv-primary: #2E6E93; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-inner-wrapper { color: #1F2937 !important; background-color: #ffffff !important; padding: 1.5rem 1.5rem 2rem !important; border-radius: 0.5rem !important; box-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) !important; margin: 1rem 0 !important; display: flex !important; flex-direction: column !important; } /* Typography */ #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-chart-title { font-weight: bold !important; text-align: center !important; margin-bottom: 0.5rem !important; color: #1F2937 !important; font-size: 1.25rem !important; line-height: 1.2 !important; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif !important; text-transform: none !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-chart-subhead { font-size: 1rem !important; font-weight: 500 !important; text-align: center !important; margin-bottom: 2rem !important; color: #6B7280 !important; line-height: 1.7 !important; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif !important; display: block !important; text-transform: none !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .rv-chart-caption { font-size: 15px !important; color: #6B7280 !important; text-align: center !important; font-style: normal !important; font-weight: normal !important; line-height: 1.7 !important; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif !important; display: block !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .sr-only { position: absolute !important; width: 1px !important; height: 1px !important; padding: 0 !important; margin: -1px !important; overflow: hidden !important; clip: rect(0,0,0,0) !important; white-space: nowrap !important; border: 0 !important; } /* Footer */ #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-bottom-bar { display: flex !important; flex-direction: column !important; align-items: center !important; margin-top: 0.5rem !important; gap: 1rem !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-footer-content { text-align: center !important; width: 100% !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-logo { display: block !important; margin: 0 auto !important; width: 120px !important; max-width: 120px !important; height: auto !important; object-fit: contain !important; } /* Display Mode Controls */ #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-dropdown-container { text-align: center !important; margin-bottom: 16px !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-dropdown { width: 100% !important; max-width: 350px !important; padding: 8px 12px !important; font-size: 14px !important; line-height: 1.2 !important; border: 2px solid #d1d5db !important; border-radius: 8px !important; background-color: #ffffff !important; color: #374151 !important; cursor: pointer !important; appearance: none !important; background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' fill='none' viewBox='0 0 20 20'%3e%3cpath stroke='%236b7280' stroke-linecap='round' stroke-linejoin='round' stroke-width='1.5' d='m6 8 4 4 4-4'/%3e%3c/svg%3e") !important; background-position: right 12px center !important; background-repeat: no-repeat !important; background-size: 14px !important; padding-right: 35px !important; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-dropdown:hover { border-color: var(--riv-primary) !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-carousel-title-controls { display: flex !important; justify-content: space-between !important; align-items: center !important; margin-bottom: 16px !important; width: 100% !important; gap: 12px !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-carousel-nav-btn { background: transparent !important; border: 1px solid #d1d5db !important; border-radius: 6px !important; padding: 6px 10px !important; cursor: pointer !important; font-size: 13px !important; color: #6b7280 !important; display: flex !important; align-items: center !important; gap: 4px !important; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-carousel-nav-btn:hover { border-color: #9ca3af !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-carousel-counter { font-size: 14px !important; color: #6b7280 !important; text-align: center !important; margin-top: 1rem !important; } /* Legend */ #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-legend { display: flex !important; justify-content: center !important; flex-wrap: wrap !important; gap: 8px 16px !important; margin: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; margin-top: 1rem !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-legend-item { display: flex !important; align-items: center !important; gap: 6px !important; font-size: 14px !important; color: #4B5563 !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-legend-color { width: 12px !important; height: 12px !important; border-radius: 3px !important; } /* Chart Core Styles */ #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-benchmark-group { margin-bottom: 1rem !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-benchmark-title { font-size: 18px !important; font-weight: 600 !important; margin-bottom: 16px !important; margin-top: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; text-align: center !important; color: var(--riv-primary) !important; flex: 1 !important; min-width: 0 !important; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.3 !important; text-transform: none !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-bar-row, #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-stacked-product { display: flex !important; align-items: center !important; width: 100% !important; margin-bottom: 0.75rem !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-bar-label { width: 150px !important; flex-shrink: 0 !important; font-size: 14px !important; color: #4B5563 !important; padding-right: 10px !important; text-align: right !important; font-weight: 500 !important; display: block !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-bar-container { flex-grow: 1 !important; background-color: #E5E7EB !important; border-radius: 4px !important; height: 25px !important; border: 1px solid #D1D5DB !important; position: relative !important; display: flex !important; align-items: center !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-bar { height: 100% !important; border-radius: 3px !important; display: flex !important; align-items: center !important; transition: opacity 0.2s ease, width 0.8s ease-out !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-bar:hover { opacity: 0.8 !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-bar-inner-content { display: flex !important; justify-content: space-between !important; align-items: center !important; width: 100% !important; height: 100% !important; padding: 0 8px !important; color: white !important; font-size: 14px !important; font-weight: bold !important; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px rgba(0,0,0,0.3) !important; overflow: hidden !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-bar-inner-label { white-space: nowrap !important; overflow: hidden !important; text-overflow: ellipsis !important; padding-right: 8px !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-bar-inner-value { flex-shrink: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-bar-value-outside { padding-left: 8px !important; font-size: 14px !important; font-weight: bold !important; color: #4B5563 !important; white-space: nowrap !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-bar-label.fv-primary-product { font-weight: bold !important; color: var(--riv-primary) !important; } /* Stacked Bar */ #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-stacked-bar { display: flex !important; overflow: hidden !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-stacked-segment { height: 100% !important; display: flex !important; align-items: center !important; justify-content: flex-end !important; padding-right: 8px !important; border-right: 1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.3) !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-stacked-segment:last-child { border-right: none !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-segment-value { font-size: 14px !important; font-weight: bold !important; color: white !important; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px rgba(0,0,0,0.3) !important; } /* Grouped Bar */ #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-grouped-bar-product { display: flex !important; flex-direction: column !important; width: 100% !important; margin-bottom: 1.25rem !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-grouped-product-title-wrapper { padding-left: 150px !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-grouped-product-title { width: 100% !important; text-align: left !important; padding-right: 0 !important; margin-bottom: 0.5rem !important; font-weight: 700 !important; font-size: 14px !important; color: #4B5563 !important; text-transform: none !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-bar-cluster { width: 100% !important; flex-grow: 1 !important; display: flex !important; flex-direction: column !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-bar-cluster .fv-bar-row { margin-bottom: 3px !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-bar-cluster .fv-bar-container { height: 20px !important; } /* Line Chart Grid */ #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .riv-grid line { stroke: #D1D5DB !important; stroke-dasharray: 3 3 !important; } /* X-Axis */ #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-x-axis-wrapper { display: flex !important; width: 100% !important; margin-top: 0.5rem !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-x-axis-label-space { width: 150px !important; padding-right: 10px !important; flex-shrink: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-x-axis-chart-space { flex-grow: 1 !important; padding-right: 8px !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-x-axis-wrapper.fv-grouped-x-axis { margin-left: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-x-axis-line { border-top: 1px solid #D1D5DB !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-x-axis-ticks { display: flex !important; justify-content: space-between !important; padding-top: 4px !important; font-size: 13px !important; color: #6B7280 !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-x-axis-ticks span { position: relative !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-x-axis-ticks span::before { content: '' !important; position: absolute !important; top: -6px !important; left: 50% !important; transform: translateX(-50%) !important; width: 2px !important; height: 4px !important; background-color: #D1D5DB !important; border-radius: 1px !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-x-axis-unit { text-align: center !important; font-size: 14px !important; color: #6B7280 !important; margin-top: 8px !important; display: block !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-x-axis-title { text-align: center !important; font-size: 15px !important; color: #6B7280 !important; margin-top: 8px !important; margin-bottom: 16px !important; line-height: 1.5 !important; padding: 0 1rem !important; display: block !important; font-weight: bold !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-y-axis-title { font-size: 15px !important; color: #6B7280 !important; line-height: 1.5 !important; text-align: left !important; padding-left: 5.83% !important; /* Aligns with Y-axis line inside SVG (35/600) */ margin-bottom: 4px !important; display: block !important; font-weight: bold !important; } /* Mobile / Forced Mobile View */ #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75.mobile-view .fv-pie-container { flex-direction: column !important; gap: 1rem !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75.mobile-view .fv-grouped-product-title-wrapper { padding-left: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75.mobile-view .fv-bar-row, #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75.mobile-view .fv-stacked-product, #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75.mobile-view .fv-grouped-bar-product { flex-direction: column !important; align-items: flex-start !important; margin-bottom: 1.25rem !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75.mobile-view .fv-bar-label, #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75.mobile-view .fv-grouped-product-title { width: 100% !important; text-align: left !important; padding-right: 0 !important; margin-bottom: 0.25rem !important; font-size: 14px !important; font-weight: 700 !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75.mobile-view .fv-bar-container, #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75.mobile-view .fv-bar-cluster { width: 100% !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75.mobile-view .fv-x-axis-wrapper { margin-left: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75.mobile-view .fv-x-axis-label-space { display: none !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75.mobile-view .fv-x-axis-chart-space { padding-right: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75.mobile-view .fv-benchmark-title { font-size: 16px !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75.mobile-view .fv-logo { width: 60px !important; max-width: 60px !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75.mobile-view .fv-carousel-nav-btn { padding: 6px 8px !important; font-size: 11px !important; } @media (max-width: 500px) { #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-pie-container { flex-direction: column !important; gap: 1rem !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-grouped-product-title-wrapper { padding-left: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-bar-row, #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-stacked-product { flex-direction: column !important; align-items: flex-start !important; margin-bottom: 1.25rem !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-bar-label:not(.fv-grouped-product-title) { width: 100% !important; text-align: left !important; padding-right: 0 !important; margin-bottom: 0.25rem !important; font-size: 14px !important; font-weight: 700 !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-bar-container { width: 100% !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-x-axis-wrapper:not(.fv-grouped-x-axis) { margin-left: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-x-axis-label-space:not(.fv-grouped-x-axis .fv-x-axis-label-space) { display: none !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-x-axis-chart-space { padding-right: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-benchmark-title { font-size: 16px !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-logo { width: 60px !important; max-width: 60px !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-carousel-nav-btn { padding: 6px 8px !important; font-size: 11px !important; } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 .fv-y-axis-title { padding-left: 5% !important; /* (30/600) for mobile view */ } #fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75.fv-contains-line-chart .fv-footer-content { margin-left: -1rem !important; margin-right: -1rem !important; } } { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Dataset", "name": "iOS app updates in 2025", "description": "This is the number of updates the iOS apps of each of these VPNs has had in 2025", "creator": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "TechRadar", "logo": "https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dAwPEozB9GMMhAngdFJTHb.png" }, "isAccessibleForFree": true, "dateCreated": "2025-12-17T13:48:55.374Z", "citation": "Surfshark's apps are well cared for by the development team. The real outliers here are CyberGhost and PIA, neither of which appear to be putting much into app development right now.", "keywords": [ "NordVPN", "Surfshark", "ExpressVPN", "Proton VPN", "PureVPN", "Mullvad", "IPVanish", "Windscribe", "CyberGhost", "Private Internet Access", "iOS app updates", "benchmark", "comparison", "performance", "review", "TechRadar" ], "measurementTechnique": "Performance Benchmarking", "variableMeasured": [ { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "NordVPN – iOS app updates", "value": 23, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Surfshark – iOS app updates", "value": 21, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "ExpressVPN – iOS app updates", "value": 25, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Proton VPN – iOS app updates", "value": 22, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "PureVPN – iOS app updates", "value": 18, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Mullvad – iOS app updates", "value": 9, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "IPVanish – iOS app updates", "value": 10, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Windscribe – iOS app updates", "value": 11, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "CyberGhost – iOS app updates", "value": 0, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Private Internet Access – iOS app updates", "value": 3, "unitText": "number" } ]} iOS app updates in 2025

This is the number of updates the iOS apps of each of these VPNs has had in 2025

iOS app updates NordVPN 23 Surfshark 21 ExpressVPN 25 Proton VPN 22 PureVPN 18 Mullvad 9 IPVanish 10 Windscribe 11 CyberGhost 0 Private Internet Access 3 iOS app updates Data ProductValue (number) NordVPN 23 Surfshark 21 ExpressVPN 25 Proton VPN 22 PureVPN 18 Mullvad 9 IPVanish 10 Windscribe 11 CyberGhost 0 Private Internet Access 3 Surfshark's apps are well cared for by the development team. The real outliers here are CyberGhost and PIA, neither of which appear to be putting much into app development right now. (function() { function initialize() { var chartWrapper = document.getElementById('fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75'); if (!chartWrapper) { console.error('Chart wrapper with ID fv-chart-1765979335374-rw1ncji75 not found.'); return; } function animateBars(chartElement) { if (!chartElement) return; var bars = chartElement.querySelectorAll('.fv-bar, .fv-stacked-segment'); bars.forEach(function(bar, index) { var targetWidth = bar.dataset.targetWidth; if (targetWidth === undefined) return; // Bars start at width: 0% in HTML, so we just animate them setTimeout(function() { bar.style.width = targetWidth + '%'; }, index * 50 + 100); }); } function animateLineChart(chartElement) { if (!chartElement) return; var lineSvg = chartElement.querySelector('svg'); if (!lineSvg) return; var paths = lineSvg.querySelectorAll('.riv-line-path'); paths.forEach(function(p, i) { if (typeof p.getTotalLength === 'function') { var len = p.getTotalLength(); p.style.transition = 'none'; p.style.strokeDasharray = len; p.style.strokeDashoffset = len; p.getBoundingClientRect(); setTimeout(function() { p.style.transition = 'stroke-dashoffset 1s ease-out ' + (i * 0.1) + 's'; p.style.strokeDashoffset = '0'; }, 100); } }); var dots = lineSvg.querySelectorAll('.riv-dot'); dots.forEach(function(dot, i) { dot.style.opacity = '0'; setTimeout(function() { dot.style.transition = 'opacity 0.3s ease'; dot.style.opacity = '1'; }, 500 + i * 10); }); } var charts = chartWrapper.querySelectorAll('.fv-chart-item'); // Animate initial view if ("All Charts" === "All Charts") { charts.forEach(function(chart) { var chartType = chart.dataset.chartType; if (chartType === 'Line') { animateLineChart(chart); } else if (chartType !== 'Pie') { animateBars(chart); } }); } else if (charts.length > 0) { var firstChart = charts[0]; var firstChartType = firstChart.dataset.chartType; if (firstChartType === 'Line') { animateLineChart(firstChart); } else if (firstChartType !== 'Pie') { animateBars(firstChart); } } if (charts.length > 1 && "All Charts" !== "All Charts") { var currentChartIndex = 0; var subheadEl = chartWrapper.querySelector('.fv-chart-subhead'); var captionEl = chartWrapper.querySelector('.rv-chart-caption'); var placeholderSubhead = "Subhead to describe the test and what's being measured and why"; var placeholderCaption = "Add your caption to explain the data, the learnings and the key takeaways of the data being visualized"; var globalSubheadJSON = "This is the number of updates the iOS apps of each of these VPNs has had in 2025"; var globalCaptionJSON = "Surfshark's apps are well cared for by the development team. The real outliers here are CyberGhost and PIA, neither of which appear to be putting much into app development right now."; var globalSubhead = globalSubheadJSON === placeholderSubhead ? '' : globalSubheadJSON; var globalCaption = globalCaptionJSON === placeholderCaption ? '' : globalCaptionJSON; var subheadOverrides = {}; var captionOverrides = {}; var chartInfo = [{"id":"bar-iOS app updates","title":"iOS app updates"}]; var captionOverrideKeys = Object.keys(captionOverrides); var singleCaptionOverrideValue = captionOverrideKeys.length === 1 ? captionOverrides[captionOverrideKeys[0]] : null; if (singleCaptionOverrideValue === placeholderCaption) { singleCaptionOverrideValue = ''; } function showChart(index) { if (index < 0 || index >= charts.length) return; charts.forEach(function(chart, i) { chart.style.display = i === index ? 'block' : 'none'; }); currentChartIndex = index; var activeChart = charts[index]; var chartType = activeChart.dataset.chartType; if (chartType === 'Line') { animateLineChart(activeChart); } else if (chartType !== 'Pie') { animateBars(activeChart); } var activeChartId = chartInfo[index].id; if (subheadEl) { var subheadContent = (subheadOverrides[activeChartId] !== undefined) ? (subheadOverrides[activeChartId] === placeholderSubhead ? '' : subheadOverrides[activeChartId]) : globalSubhead; subheadEl.innerHTML = subheadContent; } if (captionEl) { var captionContent; if (captionOverrides[activeChartId] !== undefined) { captionContent = captionOverrides[activeChartId] === placeholderCaption ? '' : captionOverrides[activeChartId]; } else if (singleCaptionOverrideValue !== null) { captionContent = singleCaptionOverrideValue; } else { captionContent = globalCaption; } captionEl.innerHTML = captionContent; var captionContainer = captionEl.closest('.fv-footer-content'); if (captionContainer) { var hasContent = captionContent && captionContent.trim() !== ''; var shouldShow = hasContent || (captionContainer.parentElement && captionContainer.parentElement.querySelector('.fv-logo')); if (captionContainer.parentElement) captionContainer.parentElement.style.display = shouldShow ? 'flex' : 'none'; captionContainer.style.display = hasContent ? 'block' : 'none'; } } var dropdown = chartWrapper.querySelector('.fv-dropdown'); if (dropdown) dropdown.value = index; var carouselTitle = chartWrapper.querySelector('.fv-carousel-title-controls .fv-benchmark-title'); if (carouselTitle) carouselTitle.innerHTML = chartInfo[index].title; var counter = chartWrapper.querySelector('.fv-carousel-counter'); if (counter) counter.textContent = (index + 1) + ' of ' + charts.length; } var dropdown = chartWrapper.querySelector('.fv-dropdown'); if (dropdown) dropdown.addEventListener('change', function(e) { showChart(parseInt(e.target.value)) }); var prevBtn = chartWrapper.querySelector('.fv-carousel-nav-btn.prev'); if (prevBtn) prevBtn.addEventListener('click', function() { showChart((currentChartIndex - 1 + charts.length) % charts.length) }); var nextBtn = chartWrapper.querySelector('.fv-carousel-nav-btn.next'); if (nextBtn) nextBtn.addEventListener('click', function() { showChart((currentChartIndex + 1) % charts.length) }); } chartWrapper.querySelectorAll('.riv-line-legend').forEach(function(legend) { var chartId = legend.dataset.chart; var chart = document.getElementById(chartId); // Uses page-unique ID if (!chart) return; var lines = chart.querySelectorAll('.riv-line-path'); var dots = chart.querySelectorAll('.riv-dot'); legend.querySelectorAll('.riv-legend-item').forEach(function(item) { var productName = item.dataset.product; var line = chart.querySelector('.riv-line-path[data-product="' + productName + '"]'); var productDots = chart.querySelectorAll('.riv-dot[data-product="' + productName + '"]'); var highlight = function() { if (legend.querySelector('.isolated')) return; lines.forEach(function(l) { l.style.opacity = '0.3' }); dots.forEach(function(d) { d.style.opacity = '0.3' }); if (line) line.style.opacity = '1'; productDots.forEach(function(d) { d.style.opacity = '1' }); }; var clearHighlight = function() { if (legend.querySelector('.isolated')) return; lines.forEach(function(l) { l.style.opacity = '1' }); dots.forEach(function(d) { d.style.opacity = '1' }); }; var toggleIsolate = function() { var isIsolated = item.classList.contains('isolated'); legend.querySelectorAll('.riv-legend-item').forEach(function(i) { i.classList.remove('isolated') }); if (isIsolated) { lines.forEach(function(l) { l.style.opacity = '1' }); dots.forEach(function(d) { d.style.opacity = '1' }); } else { item.classList.add('isolated'); lines.forEach(function(l) { l.style.opacity = '0.3' }); dots.forEach(function(d) { d.style.opacity = '0.3' }); if (line) line.style.opacity = '1'; productDots.forEach(function(d) { d.style.opacity = '1' }); } }; item.addEventListener('mouseenter', highlight); item.addEventListener('focus', highlight); item.addEventListener('mouseleave', clearHighlight); item.addEventListener('blur', clearHighlight); item.addEventListener('click', toggleIsolate); item.addEventListener('keydown', function(e) { if (e.key === 'Enter' || e.key === ' ') { e.preventDefault(); toggleIsolate(); } }); }); }); } if (document.readyState === 'loading') { document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', initialize); } else { initialize(); } function sendMessageToParentWindow(typeOfMessage, message = null) { let url = (window.location.ancestorOrigins && window.location.ancestorOrigins.length > 0) ? window.location.ancestorOrigins[0] : '*'; window.parent.postMessage({ analytics: { ...message } }, url); } sendMessageToParentWindow('analytics', { type: "fv-loaded", timestamp: new Date().toISOString() }); })();

Looking at the table above, Surfshark is certainly one of the better companies for this with it pretty much on a par with other top VPNs Proton VPN, NordVPN and ExpressVPN.

The overall story for us here is that Surfshark has done a really good job, and we’re confident that it will continue to do so on whatever platform you wish to use.

Score: 5/5

Usability

• Make sure to disable the auto-renew function on set-up.
• Clear and consistent UX across all major Surfshark apps.
• Kill switch mode should be clearer on the UI.

After signing up for a Surshark account (don’t forget to take advantage of the Surfshark 7-day free trial while it’s here), the Surfshark online dashboard is a good place to start.

There’s a handy set-up guide to make sure you get the best of all the features – connecting to the VPN, setting up Antivirus, data leak alerts, Surfshark’s search and how to use Alternative ID. All well worth your time.

It’s also a good place to download your apps and extensions. The Download apps panel is surprisingly complete. There are QR codes to scan and buttons both of which offer direct links to the relevant app stores for smart TVs, browser extensions and Linux as well as the big four laptop, phone and tablet apps. You can even pick up the Android APK for any side-loading you might need to do.

Read more about Surfshark's usability ▼

The only thing to watch out for is that we got a little confused by the Windows app installer. It said “Welcome to Surshark One Security Suite Setup Wizard”, when we’d only purchased Surfsharker Starter originally. Sadly, it wasn’t a free upgrade. Ignore it. That’s how the standard installer lookers.

You can access the help center, view the length left of your subscription and, of course, upgrade to a dedicated IP address and an Alternative ID phone number while you're there, should you wish.

Switch off auto-renew and avoid a nasty price hike

Our top tip of all, though, is to head immediately to the Payments tab in the Your Subscriptions section of the My Account menu where you can switch off auto-renew and avoid a nasty price hike once the term of your original subscription ends. Ignore this at your peril, or face paying about twice what you did originally per month on a 12-month contract.

If you do get stung by Surfshark’s auto-renewal, though, don’t panic. The company cares about its reputation and its customers. A little sweet talk to the customer support within a week and you’re highly likely to get a refund.

User Experience

The Surfshark user experience is pretty much identical across the range. There are differences – Android has a home tab, Windows and iOS don’t, for example – but the look and feel is consistent and all the features and settings are in very similar places.

Like all good VPN apps, there are short explainers next to most of the settings and that’s important because it’s by far and away the easiest way to learn about the product. Only Proton VPN stands out as superior on this front with an info button that opens up some really clear pop-up explainers, that are as easy to understand as they are to dismiss.

There’s no map on any Surfshark app. All server locations are listed in alphabetical order and that’s perfectly sensible and easy to navigate. There’s also a search bar to stop you having to scroll to the bottom for UK, US and everything else that’s useful down there.

You can even search for the kind of server you want, instead of the location. Type in ‘P2P’ if you want one for torrenting, for example. We typed in ‘Frank’ and got not only the main Frankfurt server but also a list of those with static IPs as well as the preset MultiHop route of Frankfurt via the GB-London server.

Surfshark home page running on Android. It's a very clear interface easy access to VPN server selection and connection. There is tabbed access to the settings and product features at the bottom. (Image credit: Future Publishing)

If that’s not fast enough for you, there are connection shortcuts with buttons for your recently used servers, your fastest available connection and your nearest country too. There are also stars next to each server in the list so that you can favourite ones that you like or use most often.

We prefer the tabbed layout on the Windows app compared to the mobile versions but then that’s not a huge surprise given that there’s more space to play with on a laptop screen. The tabs make a bit more sense on a computer (VPN, Alternative ID, Alerts, Antivirus, Search and Settings). It’s quick access to pretty much everything you need right there.

Compare that to the four tabs on Android – Home, Products, News, Settings. News doesn’t really offer much but head to Products and you’ll find a list of the same tabbed sections as on the Windows app. In other words, access to the same areas is one step removed. It’s not a big deal and it still works fine.

The desktop apps are still actually quite small – more than the budget mobile port look and feel of cheaper VPNs like Hide.me, Windscribe and PrivadoVPN but nothing like the luxury of space you get with NordVPN, Proton VPN or ExpressVPN.

We don’t really mind that. It’s still attractive, tidy and maybe a massive VPN software windows is exactly the kind of getting-in-the-way that VPNs shouldn’t do. It’s also kind of fitting of Surfshark’s more reasonable price point.

Surfshark's desktop application is not a full screen desktop experience but I don't have a problem with that. It's neat, tidy, easy to use and doesn't get in the way of your other apps and files. (Image credit: Future Publishing)

It’s also a misnomer to think that its size means less complexity. The Surfshark Windows app has 23 buttons, icons and other areas where you can click something. NordVPN’s Windows app also has 23. Proton VPN comes in at a similar 19.

If you want something really stripped back but still nicely put together, then go for ExpressVPN with its 13 – but then that does mean fewer functions at your fingertips. It depends on what you’d rather trade off.

Probably the only part of the Windows UX that we find a bit odd is the VPN home page itself, or, more specifically, the information that’s on there. There’s data on connection time, VPN IP address, up and download data so far, what protocol you’re using and whether or not CleanWeb is on.

It’ll also tell you when the kill switch is enabled, but, the strange part is that it says nothing about the kill switch at all when it’s off – and that’s exactly when you need to know about the kill switch: when it’s not protecting you!

Oddly, Android users can tell if it’s off because it’s displayed as a toggle rather than the word On or Off.

Is it a problem? Well, potentially but you can avoid it by making sure your kill switch is activated by default. Otherwise, it would be a concern if your real IP was leaking and you didn’t know about it.

That aside, we really have no complaints to make about how Surshark has put its apps together. They’re easy on the eye and generally a pleasure to use.

Score: 4/5

Accessibility

• Middling accessibility score for the Surfshark website.
• Average language support.
• Extremely poor for keyboard-only use.

Surfshark's accessibility credentials are so-so, at best with both the website and number of languages available in-app about average. Keyboard support is really quite poor but Siri voice commands for VPN functionality save the day for iOS users.

We used AccessibilityChecker to scan Surfshark’s home page and it came out with a score of 23%. It’s only a single page but it’s a good indicator of what to expect across its website.

That’s a long way behind the likes of Mullvad (95%) and NordVPN (65%), but in the same ballpark as providers like Proton VPN (35%), ExpressVPN (32%) and Private Internet Access (10%).

The audit report showed that Surfshark’s website passed all navigation tests. It was deemed to also have increasing issues surrounding screen reader support.

Read more about Surfshark's accessibility ▼

Equally, the site uses an appropriate color scheme, and text with strong contrast, even though it didn’t match color contrast standards across a few elements.

There’s clearly room for improvement here, but this isn’t a bad score. If you’re partially sighted, then, there are better options out there than Surfshark.

Looking at Surfshark’s desktop apps, we found that the Windows application supports 13 languages including common options such as English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional.)

There are 13 languages supported on Surfshark. Not as many as other VPNs and a few key options missing. (Image credit: Future Publishing)

But it’s missing others – Arabic, Norwegian, Swedish, Turkish – and many VPNs provide more. Norton VPN supports 26 languages, for instance, and Proton VPN has 28. So, if you would rather have a VPN that talks your native tongue, you might find more luck elsewhere.

Next we tried ditching our mouse. If a user can’t operate a mouse, they should be able to access every feature of the app from the keyboard. Sadly, Surfshark has extremely poor keyboard support.

Pressing Tab allowed us to move around the window, but in many cases the app didn’t highlight the current element (the button, the list, or whatever else we were accessing), leaving us with no idea where we were.

@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Open+Sans:wght@400;700&display=swap'); #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x *, #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x *:before, #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x *:after { box-sizing: border-box !important; margin: 0; padding: 0; border: 0; font-size: 100%; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x { font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif !important; } /* Main Wrappers */ #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x { position: relative !important; overflow: visible !important; --riv-primary: #2E6E93; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-inner-wrapper { color: #1F2937 !important; background-color: #ffffff !important; padding: 1.5rem 1.5rem 2rem !important; border-radius: 0.5rem !important; box-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) !important; margin: 1rem 0 !important; display: flex !important; flex-direction: column !important; } /* Typography */ #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-chart-title { font-weight: bold !important; text-align: center !important; margin-bottom: 0.5rem !important; color: #1F2937 !important; font-size: 1.5rem !important; line-height: 1.2 !important; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif !important; text-transform: none !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-chart-subhead { font-size: 1.1rem !important; font-weight: 500 !important; text-align: center !important; margin-bottom: 2rem !important; color: #6B7280 !important; line-height: 1.7 !important; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif !important; display: block !important; text-transform: none !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .rv-chart-caption { font-size: 15px !important; color: #6B7280 !important; text-align: center !important; font-style: normal !important; font-weight: normal !important; line-height: 1.7 !important; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif !important; display: block !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .sr-only { position: absolute !important; width: 1px !important; height: 1px !important; padding: 0 !important; margin: -1px !important; overflow: hidden !important; clip: rect(0,0,0,0) !important; white-space: nowrap !important; border: 0 !important; } /* Footer */ #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bottom-bar { display: flex !important; flex-direction: column !important; align-items: center !important; margin-top: 0.5rem !important; gap: 1rem !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-footer-content { text-align: center !important; width: 100% !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-logo { display: block !important; margin: 0 auto !important; width: 120px !important; max-width: 120px !important; height: auto !important; object-fit: contain !important; } /* Display Mode Controls */ #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-dropdown-container { text-align: center !important; margin-bottom: 16px !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-dropdown { width: 100% !important; max-width: 350px !important; padding: 8px 12px !important; font-size: 14px !important; line-height: 1.2 !important; border: 2px solid #d1d5db !important; border-radius: 8px !important; background-color: #ffffff !important; color: #374151 !important; cursor: pointer !important; appearance: none !important; background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' fill='none' viewBox='0 0 20 20'%3e%3cpath stroke='%236b7280' stroke-linecap='round' stroke-linejoin='round' stroke-width='1.5' d='m6 8 4 4 4-4'/%3e%3c/svg%3e") !important; background-position: right 12px center !important; background-repeat: no-repeat !important; background-size: 14px !important; padding-right: 35px !important; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-dropdown:hover { border-color: var(--riv-primary) !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-carousel-title-controls { display: flex !important; justify-content: space-between !important; align-items: center !important; margin-bottom: 16px !important; width: 100% !important; gap: 12px !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-carousel-nav-btn { background: transparent !important; border: 1px solid #d1d5db !important; border-radius: 6px !important; padding: 6px 10px !important; cursor: pointer !important; font-size: 13px !important; color: #6b7280 !important; display: flex !important; align-items: center !important; gap: 4px !important; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-carousel-nav-btn:hover { border-color: #9ca3af !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-carousel-counter { font-size: 14px !important; color: #6b7280 !important; text-align: center !important; margin-top: 1rem !important; } /* Legend */ #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-legend { display: flex !important; justify-content: center !important; flex-wrap: wrap !important; gap: 8px 16px !important; margin: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; margin-top: 1rem !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-legend-item { display: flex !important; align-items: center !important; gap: 6px !important; font-size: 14px !important; color: #4B5563 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-legend-color { width: 12px !important; height: 12px !important; border-radius: 3px !important; } /* Chart Core Styles */ #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-benchmark-group { margin-bottom: 1rem !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-benchmark-title { font-size: 18px !important; font-weight: 600 !important; margin-bottom: 16px !important; margin-top: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; text-align: center !important; color: var(--riv-primary) !important; flex: 1 !important; min-width: 0 !important; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.3 !important; text-transform: none !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-row, #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-stacked-product { display: flex !important; align-items: center !important; width: 100% !important; margin-bottom: 0.75rem !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-label { width: 150px !important; flex-shrink: 0 !important; font-size: 14px !important; color: #4B5563 !important; padding-right: 10px !important; text-align: right !important; font-weight: 500 !important; display: block !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-container { flex-grow: 1 !important; background-color: #E5E7EB !important; border-radius: 4px !important; height: 25px !important; border: 1px solid #D1D5DB !important; position: relative !important; display: flex !important; align-items: center !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar { height: 100% !important; border-radius: 3px !important; display: flex !important; align-items: center !important; transition: opacity 0.2s ease, width 0.8s ease-out !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar:hover { opacity: 0.8 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-inner-content { display: flex !important; justify-content: space-between !important; align-items: center !important; width: 100% !important; height: 100% !important; padding: 0 8px !important; color: white !important; font-size: 14px !important; font-weight: bold !important; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px rgba(0,0,0,0.3) !important; overflow: hidden !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-inner-label { white-space: nowrap !important; overflow: hidden !important; text-overflow: ellipsis !important; padding-right: 8px !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-inner-value { flex-shrink: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-value-outside { padding-left: 8px !important; font-size: 14px !important; font-weight: bold !important; color: #4B5563 !important; white-space: nowrap !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-label.fv-primary-product { font-weight: bold !important; color: var(--riv-primary) !important; } /* Stacked Bar */ #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-stacked-bar { display: flex !important; overflow: hidden !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-stacked-segment { height: 100% !important; display: flex !important; align-items: center !important; justify-content: flex-end !important; padding-right: 8px !important; border-right: 1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.3) !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-stacked-segment:last-child { border-right: none !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-segment-value { font-size: 14px !important; font-weight: bold !important; color: white !important; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px rgba(0,0,0,0.3) !important; } /* Grouped Bar */ #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-grouped-bar-product { display: flex !important; flex-direction: column !important; width: 100% !important; margin-bottom: 1.25rem !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-grouped-product-title-wrapper { padding-left: 150px !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-grouped-product-title { width: 100% !important; text-align: left !important; padding-right: 0 !important; margin-bottom: 0.5rem !important; font-weight: 700 !important; font-size: 14px !important; color: #4B5563 !important; text-transform: none !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-cluster { width: 100% !important; flex-grow: 1 !important; display: flex !important; flex-direction: column !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-cluster .fv-bar-row { margin-bottom: 3px !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-cluster .fv-bar-container { height: 20px !important; } /* Line Chart Grid */ #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .riv-grid line { stroke: #D1D5DB !important; stroke-dasharray: 3 3 !important; } /* X-Axis */ #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-x-axis-wrapper { display: flex !important; width: 100% !important; margin-top: 0.5rem !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-x-axis-label-space { width: 150px !important; padding-right: 10px !important; flex-shrink: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-x-axis-chart-space { flex-grow: 1 !important; padding-right: 8px !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-x-axis-wrapper.fv-grouped-x-axis { margin-left: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-x-axis-line { border-top: 1px solid #D1D5DB !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-x-axis-ticks { display: flex !important; justify-content: space-between !important; padding-top: 4px !important; font-size: 13px !important; color: #6B7280 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-x-axis-unit { text-align: center !important; font-size: 14px !important; color: #6B7280 !important; margin-top: 8px !important; display: block !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-x-axis-title { text-align: center !important; font-size: 15px !important; color: #6B7280 !important; margin-top: 8px !important; margin-bottom: 16px !important; line-height: 1.5 !important; padding: 0 1rem !important; display: block !important; font-weight: bold !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-y-axis-title { font-size: 15px !important; color: #6B7280 !important; line-height: 1.5 !important; text-align: left !important; padding-left: 5.83% !important; /* Aligns with Y-axis line inside SVG (35/600) */ margin-bottom: 4px !important; display: block !important; font-weight: bold !important; } /* Mobile / Forced Mobile View */ #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-pie-container { flex-direction: column !important; gap: 1rem !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-grouped-product-title-wrapper { padding-left: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-bar-row, #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-stacked-product, #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-grouped-bar-product { flex-direction: column !important; align-items: flex-start !important; margin-bottom: 1.25rem !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-bar-label, #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-grouped-product-title { width: 100% !important; text-align: left !important; padding-right: 0 !important; margin-bottom: 0.25rem !important; font-size: 14px !important; font-weight: 700 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-bar-container, #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-bar-cluster { width: 100% !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-x-axis-wrapper { margin-left: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-x-axis-label-space { display: none !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-x-axis-chart-space { padding-right: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-benchmark-title { font-size: 16px !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-logo { width: 60px !important; max-width: 60px !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-carousel-nav-btn { padding: 6px 8px !important; font-size: 11px !important; } @media (max-width: 500px) { #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-pie-container { flex-direction: column !important; gap: 1rem !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-grouped-product-title-wrapper { padding-left: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-row, #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-stacked-product { flex-direction: column !important; align-items: flex-start !important; margin-bottom: 1.25rem !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-label:not(.fv-grouped-product-title) { width: 100% !important; text-align: left !important; padding-right: 0 !important; margin-bottom: 0.25rem !important; font-size: 14px !important; font-weight: 700 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-container { width: 100% !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-x-axis-wrapper:not(.fv-grouped-x-axis) { margin-left: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-x-axis-label-space:not(.fv-grouped-x-axis .fv-x-axis-label-space) { display: none !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-x-axis-chart-space { padding-right: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-benchmark-title { font-size: 16px !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-logo { width: 60px !important; max-width: 60px !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-carousel-nav-btn { padding: 6px 8px !important; font-size: 11px !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-y-axis-title { padding-left: 5% !important; /* (30/600) for mobile view */ } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.fv-contains-line-chart .fv-footer-content { margin-left: -1rem !important; margin-right: -1rem !important; } } { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Dataset", "name": "Language support", "description": "Language options available in the Windows apps of each of these VPNs.", "creator": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "TechRadar", "logo": "https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dAwPEozB9GMMhAngdFJTHb.png" }, "isAccessibleForFree": true, "dateCreated": "2025-11-05T12:11:56.263Z", "citation": "Very average levels of language support for Surfshark. Worth checking to see if the languages you need for your VPN are included before you subscribe.", "keywords": [ "NordVPN", "Surfshark", "ExpressVPN", "Proton VPN", "PureVPN", "Mullvad", "IPVanish", "Windscribe", "CyberGhost", "Private Internet Access", "Languages supported", "no. of languages available", "benchmark", "comparison", "performance", "review", "TechRadar" ], "measurementTechnique": "Performance Benchmarking", "variableMeasured": [ { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "NordVPN – Languages supported", "value": 13, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Surfshark – Languages supported", "value": 13, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "ExpressVPN – Languages supported", "value": 17, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Proton VPN – Languages supported", "value": 31, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "PureVPN – Languages supported", "value": 12, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Mullvad – Languages supported", "value": 20, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "IPVanish – Languages supported", "value": 8, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Windscribe – Languages supported", "value": 20, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "CyberGhost – Languages supported", "value": 12, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Private Internet Access – Languages supported", "value": 18, "unitText": "number" } ]} Language support

Language options available in the Windows apps of each of these VPNs.

no. of languages available NordVPN 13 Surfshark 13 ExpressVPN 17 Proton VPN 31 PureVPN 12 Mullvad 20 IPVanish 8 Windscribe 20 CyberGhost 12 Private Internet Access 18 010203040 number no. of languages available Data ProductValue (number) NordVPN 13 Surfshark 13 ExpressVPN 17 Proton VPN 31 PureVPN 12 Mullvad 20 IPVanish 8 Windscribe 20 CyberGhost 12 Private Internet Access 18 Very average levels of language support for Surfshark. Worth checking to see if the languages you need for your VPN are included before you subscribe. (function() { function initialize() { var chartWrapper = document.getElementById('fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x'); if (!chartWrapper) { console.error('Chart wrapper with ID fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x not found.'); return; } function animateBars(chartElement) { if (!chartElement) return; var bars = chartElement.querySelectorAll('.fv-bar, .fv-stacked-segment'); bars.forEach(function(bar, index) { var targetWidth = bar.dataset.targetWidth; if (targetWidth === undefined) return; // Bars start at width: 0% in HTML, so we just animate them setTimeout(function() { bar.style.width = targetWidth + '%'; }, index * 50 + 100); }); } function animateLineChart(chartElement) { if (!chartElement) return; var lineSvg = chartElement.querySelector('svg'); if (!lineSvg) return; var paths = lineSvg.querySelectorAll('.riv-line-path'); paths.forEach(function(p, i) { if (typeof p.getTotalLength === 'function') { var len = p.getTotalLength(); p.style.transition = 'none'; p.style.strokeDasharray = len; p.style.strokeDashoffset = len; p.getBoundingClientRect(); setTimeout(function() { p.style.transition = 'stroke-dashoffset 1s ease-out ' + (i * 0.1) + 's'; p.style.strokeDashoffset = '0'; }, 100); } }); var dots = lineSvg.querySelectorAll('.riv-dot'); dots.forEach(function(dot, i) { dot.style.opacity = '0'; setTimeout(function() { dot.style.transition = 'opacity 0.3s ease'; dot.style.opacity = '1'; }, 500 + i * 10); }); } var charts = chartWrapper.querySelectorAll('.fv-chart-item'); // Animate initial view if ("All Charts" === "All Charts") { charts.forEach(function(chart) { var chartType = chart.dataset.chartType; if (chartType === 'Line') { animateLineChart(chart); } else if (chartType !== 'Pie') { animateBars(chart); } }); } else if (charts.length > 0) { var firstChart = charts[0]; var firstChartType = firstChart.dataset.chartType; if (firstChartType === 'Line') { animateLineChart(firstChart); } else if (firstChartType !== 'Pie') { animateBars(firstChart); } } if (charts.length > 1 && "All Charts" !== "All Charts") { var currentChartIndex = 0; var subheadEl = chartWrapper.querySelector('.fv-chart-subhead'); var captionEl = chartWrapper.querySelector('.rv-chart-caption'); var globalSubhead = "Language options available in the Windows apps of each of these VPNs."; var globalCaption = "Very average levels of language support for Surfshark. Worth checking to see if the languages you need for your VPN are included before you subscribe."; var subheadOverrides = {}; var captionOverrides = {}; var chartInfo = [{"id":"bar-Languages supported","title":"no. of languages available"}]; function showChart(index) { if (index < 0 || index >= charts.length) return; charts.forEach(function(chart, i) { chart.style.display = i === index ? 'block' : 'none'; }); currentChartIndex = index; var activeChart = charts[index]; var chartType = activeChart.dataset.chartType; if (chartType === 'Line') { animateLineChart(activeChart); } else if (chartType !== 'Pie') { animateBars(activeChart); } var activeChartId = chartInfo[index].id; if (subheadEl) subheadEl.innerHTML = subheadOverrides[activeChartId] || globalSubhead; if (captionEl) { var captionContent = captionOverrides[activeChartId] || globalCaption; captionEl.innerHTML = captionContent; if (captionEl.parentElement) { captionEl.parentElement.style.display = (captionContent && captionContent.trim() !== '') ? 'block' : 'none'; } } var dropdown = chartWrapper.querySelector('.fv-dropdown'); if (dropdown) dropdown.value = index; var carouselTitle = chartWrapper.querySelector('.fv-carousel-title-controls .fv-benchmark-title'); if (carouselTitle) carouselTitle.innerHTML = chartInfo[index].title; var counter = chartWrapper.querySelector('.fv-carousel-counter'); if (counter) counter.textContent = (index + 1) + ' of ' + charts.length; } var dropdown = chartWrapper.querySelector('.fv-dropdown'); if (dropdown) dropdown.addEventListener('change', function(e) { showChart(parseInt(e.target.value)) }); var prevBtn = chartWrapper.querySelector('.fv-carousel-nav-btn.prev'); if (prevBtn) prevBtn.addEventListener('click', function() { showChart((currentChartIndex - 1 + charts.length) % charts.length) }); var nextBtn = chartWrapper.querySelector('.fv-carousel-nav-btn.next'); if (nextBtn) nextBtn.addEventListener('click', function() { showChart((currentChartIndex + 1) % charts.length) }); } chartWrapper.querySelectorAll('.riv-line-legend').forEach(function(legend) { var chartId = legend.dataset.chart; var chart = document.getElementById(chartId); // Uses page-unique ID if (!chart) return; var lines = chart.querySelectorAll('.riv-line-path'); var dots = chart.querySelectorAll('.riv-dot'); legend.querySelectorAll('.riv-legend-item').forEach(function(item) { var productName = item.dataset.product; var line = chart.querySelector('.riv-line-path[data-product="' + productName + '"]'); var productDots = chart.querySelectorAll('.riv-dot[data-product="' + productName + '"]'); var highlight = function() { if (legend.querySelector('.isolated')) return; lines.forEach(function(l) { l.style.opacity = '0.3' }); dots.forEach(function(d) { d.style.opacity = '0.3' }); if (line) line.style.opacity = '1'; productDots.forEach(function(d) { d.style.opacity = '1' }); }; var clearHighlight = function() { if (legend.querySelector('.isolated')) return; lines.forEach(function(l) { l.style.opacity = '1' }); dots.forEach(function(d) { d.style.opacity = '1' }); }; var toggleIsolate = function() { var isIsolated = item.classList.contains('isolated'); legend.querySelectorAll('.riv-legend-item').forEach(function(i) { i.classList.remove('isolated') }); if (isIsolated) { lines.forEach(function(l) { l.style.opacity = '1' }); dots.forEach(function(d) { d.style.opacity = '1' }); } else { item.classList.add('isolated'); lines.forEach(function(l) { l.style.opacity = '0.3' }); dots.forEach(function(d) { d.style.opacity = '0.3' }); if (line) line.style.opacity = '1'; productDots.forEach(function(d) { d.style.opacity = '1' }); } }; item.addEventListener('mouseenter', highlight); item.addEventListener('focus', highlight); item.addEventListener('mouseleave', clearHighlight); item.addEventListener('blur', clearHighlight); item.addEventListener('click', toggleIsolate); item.addEventListener('keydown', function(e) { if (e.key === 'Enter' || e.key === ' ') { e.preventDefault(); toggleIsolate(); } }); }); }); } if (document.readyState === 'loading') { document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', initialize); } else { initialize(); } function sendMessageToParentWindow(typeOfMessage, message = null) { let url = (window.location.ancestorOrigins && window.location.ancestorOrigins.length > 0) ? window.location.ancestorOrigins[0] : '*'; window.parent.postMessage({ analytics: { ...message } }, url); } sendMessageToParentWindow('analytics', { type: "fv-loaded", timestamp: new Date().toISOString() }); })();

Even when we could see we had reached an important element, like the location list, it turned out not to be optimized for keyboard use.

For example, PIA’s Windows app allowed us to scroll up and down to highlight a country, and connected as soon as we hit Enter. That’s easy and intuitive, we figured it out right away.

With Surfshark, we could browse up and down the location list with the keyboard, but hitting Enter did nothing. Experimenting, hitting Tab and then Enter allowed us to connect some of the time, but we regularly got lost and had to use our mouse to start again.

Overall, if you need keyboard support then Surfshark’s Windows app isn’t a good choice. Check out PIA instead.

Score: 2/5

Customer support

• Surfshark has 24/7 live chat, email and site customer support.
• Handy and easy to use on-site knowledge base.
• Email support will reply with a solution within 24-hours.

Surfshark offers customer support via a support site, live chat (24/7) and email (24/7).

We test VPN support sites by searching for common technical terms and issues, and exploring what comes up. Surfshark’s support site scores well for its vast number of articles.

When we searched for ‘DNS’, for instance, the site gave us 120 results including plenty of useful guides. That compares to 60 for ExpressVPN, and only 5 for Hotspot Shield (and only one of those was useful for setup or troubleshooting).

The only subject area almost completely absent was P2P and torrenting but perhaps for obvious thorny legal reasons.

Read more about Surfshark customer support ▼

All the help articles we read were well written, clear, nicely laid-out and very, very non-threatening.

Most Surfshark support users won't need the search, though, because the site is very well organised.

It displays links to its most important articles on the front page, grouped into topics such as ‘Getting Started’, ‘Fixing Issues’, ‘Billing’ and ‘Account’. It’s likely that many visitors will find the article they need in a couple of clicks.

We noticed that some of the support articles were a little out-of-date. Screenshots didn’t always match the latest version of the app, for instance. But that’s not unusual with VPNs that have a large number of articles, and we didn’t spot any guides where this genuinely had a significant negative result, like telling us to take an action which was no longer possible, for instance.

More to the point, all the articles we read were well written, clear, nicely laid-out and very, very non-threatening. Most people will feel confident of following the advice of this resource and rightly so.

Surfshark’s live chat appears to be well staffed. We were able to talk to helpful agents within a couple of minutes of opening a session. Getting some information about how to set the VPN up for P2P seemed like a good idea and the online agent did not let us down.

Surfshark’s live chat appears to be well staffed, and we were able to talk to helpful agents within a couple of minutes.

They said that all of their servers were fit to use for P2P, they suggested OpenVPN, with UDP for better speeds, and to make sure we had the kill switch on. All pretty sage stuff. And the whole chat took less than 5 minutes once we’d gone through a couple of layers of AI bot automation.

Email support isn’t as speedy. Proton VPN replied to a test question in minutes during its last review; Surfshark says it will reply in 24 hours, and our 21-hour wait suggests that’s about right.

Our reply was short, but friendly, accurate, and with an invitation to keep asking if we needed more help, and that earns a thumbs up from us.

Score: 4/5

User reviews

Like all user reviews, you should take Surfshark's scores on the Trustpilot and the mobile app stores with a pinch of salt, but they do paint the picture of a VPN that you can trust.

Across Google Play and the Apple App Store, it holds ratings on par with the very top VPNs. It's 4.3/5 Trustpilot rating is based on over 27,000 reviews. Around 9% of those are 1-star reviews.

Read them, and you'll most likely find that they're complaints over the auto-renewal system that most VPNs use, and it's easy to make sure that you don't become one of those statistics. You can turn auto-renew off from any point after signing up. Please do it.

Google Play

App Store

Trustpilot

NordVPN

4.6

4.7

4.2

Windscribe

4.6

4.6

4.7

Surfshark

4.6

4.7

4.3

Proton VPN

4.6

4.6

2.0

ExpressVPN

4.7

4.7

4.0

Track record: can you trust Surfshark?

• Surfshark has never suffered any hacks or data leaks.
• Apps, logging policy and server infrastructure has all been audited.
• We'd like to see audits undertaken on an annual basis.

Surfshark has not had to suffer the ignominy of any major hacks or bugs that have gone public, and the NIST Vulnerability Database doesn’t have a single item with the keyword 'Surfshark'. That’s quite unusual.

Proton VPN has three old bugs in the database; ExpressVPN has three; NordVPN also has three old vulnerabilities (all from 2018.) Surfshark does have the advantage of being the youngest of all of these VPNs, though, launched, as it was, in 2018. For the record, Proton VPN is only one year older.

It’s a positive sign that hackers and security researchers haven’t found any major issues in Surfshark’s apps.

The biggest uproar was when the company decided to switch its legal HQ from the British Virgin Islands to the Netherlands.

Surfshark did cause controversy when it added a ‘fake news detector’ feature to its browser extension. The idea was to highlight sources of misinformation, but the feature falsely flagged too many legitimate sites. It also raised a few eyebrows for privacy issues with the idea that this automated feature would decide, on its own, whether a particular source was trustworthy or not. Surfshark removed the feature in 2022 and the company hasn’t tried anything similar since.

Read more about Surfshark's track record▼

For sure, the biggest uproar, though, was when the company decided to switch its legal HQ from the British Virgin Islands to the Netherlands, as we mentioned in the Privacy section of this review.

Audited, but not as well or regularly as Proton VPN

Surfshark has had all the significant parts of its processes and infrastructure audited by third parties over the years but it could do with ramping up the frequency.

Surfshark had its no-logs policy reviewed by Deloitte in 2022. The report was released in January 2023 and agreed that Surfshark’s claims matched its real-life user data procedures. More recently its no-logs claims were audited in June, 2025, and, again, everything was found to be ship shape. (The full report is available to Surfshark users.)

It’s good to see any VPN provider have the courage to put itself through a public audit, but we'd like to see Surfshark do this a little more regularly.

Proton VPN has a no-logs audit every year, and Surfshark needs to do something similar. We’d like to see regular audits of the apps, too.

Thankfully, Surfshark has had another infrastructure audit now as of the start of 2026. Conducted by SecuRing, the testing wasn't as intensive as other audits we've seen, but found no major concerns.

It’s good to see any VPN provider have the courage to put itself through a public audit, but this can’t be a one-off event.

So, while it's not doing quite as much as other top VPNs in this regard, there's not a great deal to flaw Surfshark on here either.

Score: 4/5

Final verdict

(Image credit: Future / Gemini)

Surfshark is an excellent VPN. We rate it as the second best VPN for overall use. We also rate it as the best cheap VPN available.

We recommend the Surfshark Starter plan (from $1.99 per month) or Surfshark One (from $2.29 per month) which comes with antivirus built in. Both offer a 7-day free trial.

Surfshark is an excellent VPN. We rate it as the second best VPN for overall use. We also rate it as the best cheap VPN available.

We recommend the Surfshark Starter plan (from $1.99 per month) or Surfshark One (from $2.29 per month) which comes with antivirus built in. Both offer a 7-day free trial.

Who should use Surfshark?

✅ Anyone looking for cheap VPN: You can get two years of service for less than $70 total and there's a 7-day free trial which means you can try it out for nothing.

✅ People who want an antivirus product with their VPN: Surfshark is one of the few VPNs with a full antivirus system. None of NordVPN, Proton VPN nor ExpressVPN offer this. Make sure to sign up to Surfshark One or One+ for antivirus.

✅ P2P users looking for a good torrenting VPN: Surfshark gave us fast speeds when torrenting and is very easy to use.

Surfshark One – get the 7-day free trial

We rate Surfshark One as the best Surfshark plan. It's only a few dollars more than Starter and brings some worthwhile benefits:

✅ Full antivirus
✅ Data leak alerts
✅ Ad-free Surfshark search engine

Best of all, there's currently a 7-day free trial of Surfshark.View Deal

Who should try a different VPN instead?

❌ Streamers: Surfshark can certainly unblock most streaming services from abroad but it can be a little fiddly for some important ones like Disney Plus and ITV. NordVPN is better for streaming.

1. NordVPN – from $2.99 per month
The best VPN overall and best for streaming
If watching geo-blocked streaming services is the main reason you want a VPN, then NordVPN is a better choice than Surfshark. It's our #1 rated VPN overall and unblocked every streaming service in our tests at the first attempt. It's easy to use and excellent at everything else too. The only downside is that it's more expensive than Surfshark but you get what you pay for. Try it for yourself with a 30-day money-back guarantee.View Deal

Surfshark FAQsDoes Surfshark have a free trial?

Yes, a free 7-day trial is available to new users signing up to 1 and 2-year contracts for any of Surfshark's plans.

Is Surfshark VPN owned by China?

No. Surfshark was founded in 2018 by Vytautas Kaziukonis. It has offices in Lithuania and Poland, where the company remains today. Surfshark was registered in the British Virgin Islands until 2021 when its legal home was switched to the Netherlands.

Surfshark merged with NordVPN in 2022. The company offices are on the same campus in Vilnius, Lithuania, but remain separate from one another.

Is Surfshark VPN trusted?

Yes. Surfshark operates according to secure and trustworthy VPN practices. It uses a RAM-only server network and has an audited no-logs policy to prove that it does not collect of store user data. Surfshark has never had a hack or data leak. You can read more about this in the Track Record section of this review.

Is Surfshark blocked by Netflix?

No. We were able to access five different global Netflix libraries. These were Japan, USA, Canada, UK and Australia. Surfshark was able to unblock Netflix in these locations at the first time of trying – so without switching to any different servers and without changing any settings. (Read more about it in the Streaming section of this review.) We recommend Surfshark as a good VPN for watching Netflix wherever you go.

What are the downsides of Surfshark?

Even though Surfshark is excellent for unblocking Netflix streams, it's not quite as great for streaming as some other VPNs, such as NordVPN and ExpressVPN.

Is Surfshark legal in the US?

Yes. Surfshark is legal to use in the US and in all other locations where VPN use is not banned. VPN bans exist in countries such as Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, India, Saudi Arabia and a few other places. Find out more about where VPNs are banned.

Surfshark testing methodology

I’ve tested and written about VPNs for over five years. I’ve had Surfshark installed on my Windows PC and my mobile phone during that time along with nine other VPNs. Of those, Surfshark is my go-to VPN for my phone even when I'm not reviewing it.

I like the Android app and I particularly like having my Alternative ID at hand to copy into registration fields when I’m signing up for new sites and services. You can read my thoughts on Alternative ID in the Features section.

I use Surfshark most days and I update this review with my thoughts on the service and new Surfshark features each month. The latest this time is the Web Content Blocker tool which you can read about in the Features section too.

Our VPN test lab is where we put all VPNs through the same battery of tests to ensure a level playing field. Mike has been lab testing VPNs for over 11 years and has developed TechRadar’s VPN testing methodology over that time.

Read more our Surfshark testing methodology ▼

Each VPN is put through full lab testing every six months. As with all the VPNs, Surfshark has been tested for speed, ad-blocking, anti-phasing and malware, streaming service unblocking, local IP address leaks and the server network has been spot-checked to confirm that the VPN server locations are accurate.

As well as this, Surfshark’s privacy and security credentials have been checked in-lab by reading through the company’s privacy policy in detail and by looking through VPN configuration files and monitoring connection logs to ensure that each VPN protocol will operate appropriately.

Surfshark is my go-to VPN for my mobile phone even when I'm not reviewing it.

I have subjectively user tested the rest of Surfshark’s in-app privacy and security features on my own devices in real-world situations – on my mobile connection, on public Wi-Fi and on my home network too. These include Search, Autoconnect, Alert, and Alternative ID. You can read our findings in the Privacy and Security sections.

As with all of our VPN lab tests, Surfshark’s speed testing took place on our cloud PC set-up over a 10 Gbps line. We took 10 measurements from two different server locations (Dublin and Los Angeles) and recorded both local and transatlantic VPN connection speeds. We did this on both WireGuard (for a measure of the fastest speeds) and on OpenVPN (for those who wish to use a more secure connection).

Surfshark apps running on the four major operating systems in the TechRadar VPN lab. (Image credit: Future)

Our final scores are a median average of each set of 10 to avoid any skew from outlier data points. As with all VPN speed testing, it only provides a snapshot in time but, in our experience, it’s representative of average performance.

I’ve added my real-world user experience of Surfshark's speed performance to Mike’s results. You can read about both in the Speed section of this review

Mike tested Surfshark’s CleanWeb tool (anti-phishing and anti-malware) by exposing it to the 100 latest phishing and malware websites and seeing what percentage of these it could detect and block. You can see results in the Security section where I’ve added my thoughts on what it’s like to browse websites using CleanWeb, whether it makes a difference to the number of ads seen on pages, and whether it was able to reduce cookie consent pop-ups.

To test streaming service unblocking, Mike built a tool to sequentially run through a series of streaming platforms, as accessed from a different set of global locations. These include Netflix access to content libraries in Japan, the US, UK, Australia and Canada, access to Prime Video, Disney Plus, and local free streaming services such as BBC iPlayer, ITV, Channel 4, 10Play, 9Now and more.

The streaming tool checks whether or not Surfshark is able to access these services from abroad. If it fails, we try to access these services using different servers or by making tweaks to Surfshark’s set-up. For us, there’s a big difference in usability between a VPN that we need to tweak and one which will offer access first time.

Surfshark has been tested for speed, ad-blocking, anti-phasing and malware, streaming service unblocking, local IP address leaks and the server network has been spot-checked

I do a lot of streaming from abroad using VPNs – particularly with services such as Peacock, Sling and FuboTV. I regularly use Surfshark on my Windows PC for this. You can read my thoughts about Surfshark’s streaming quality and consistency, as well as Mike’s lab results, in the Streaming section of this review.

Finally, and certainly not least for the lab testing, is kill switches. This is arguably the most important feature we test in the lab. Mike sets up software to record the reported IP address of his test devices and switches on the VPN. He then performs a series of ways to break the VPN’s operation and checks that the kill switch kicks in without registering any leaks of the lab’s actual IP address.

The last port of call in our Surfshark testing was to test out its customer support. Mike puts his VPN knowledge to some pretty fiendish use and approaches live chat and email support with a complicated but not impossible technical query. You can see how Surfshark did in our Customer Support section.

Do take a look at our VPN lab testing methodology for a more detailed idea of Mike’s process.

This review has been fact checked across the VPN team, as well as with information provided by Surfshark. We update this review each month to include any new Surfshark features, or information about the product, to make sure that what you’re reading is 100% up to date and as you would find the product if you downloaded and used it today.

If you notice anything in your experience of using Surfshark that does not tally with what you read on this page, please let us know in the comments, or by emailing us direct, and we will endeavour to provide you with product support information or include corrections and warnings to other users, depending on which is appropriate.

Leica is co-developing a bespoke 'true Leica sensor' with Chinese sensor manufacturer Gpixel for the next generation of Leica cameras. Here's what we can expect.

If you’re a small business looking for a reliable data backup and data recovery software, CrashPlan might be what you’re looking for. It allows you to take periodic backups of all system files with unlimited storage, with an option to recover data if you end up accidentally deleting it from your system.

In this article, we’ll discuss the various features CrashPlan offers, along with its pricing, installation, and in-use experience. Stick around till the end to find out if CrashPlan is what you’re looking for.

 CrashPlan: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: CrashPlan)

For small businesses, CrashPlan’s pricing starts at $8/user/month for up to 249 employees. The platform also offers longer-term plans, with its annual cost at $88/user/year and $158/user for a two-year period.

There's also a Microsoft 365 plan which lets you back up Exchange Online, SharePoint, and OneDrive, with pooled cloud storage of 50 GB, costing $4/user/month, or $44/user/year, or $79/user for two years. You can also get additional storage at a cost of $1/month for 100 GB.

The best thing about CrashPlan is that it offers a fully functional 14-day free trial with access to all features it has to offer, including unlimited storage. This allows you to test out the software before purchasing a subscription.

CrashPlan: Features

CrashPlan is primarily a backup solution that lets you take periodic backups of important files and drives on operating systems such as Windows, Mac, and Linux.

CrashPlan uses a time-based versioning system that saves multiple versions of files as they are updated, based on preset time intervals such as 15 minutes, 60 minutes, daily, weekly, or monthly. This allows you to get a more granular history for recent edits, along with all versions stored in backup archives.

(Image credit: Future)

Data recovery is only an additional feature offered by the platform, which works very differently from other data recovery software we have seen.

The likes of EaseUS and Stellar Data Recovery scan for file system metadata to look for files that may have been deleted but not removed from memory. This is possible only if the data has not yet been overwritten. The longer the time elapsed from the point of deletion, the more difficult the recovery becomes.

(Image credit: Future)

However, CrashPlan adopts a very different approach. It first lets you back up files from your system to remote cloud storage and then allows you to download data from that storage even if you have deleted the original files on your system. So this works as long as the data exists in the backup. However, one major downside to this is that there is a hard upper cap limit of 90 days for restoration.

CrashPlan: Installation and in-use experience

CrashPlan is fairly easy to install – you will find a free download button on its website for that. I found the interface to be pretty clean and modern, with a bit of a learning curve involved. There are a fair deal of settings you need to play with to strike the perfect balance between backup and productivity.

(Image credit: Future)

For example, there's an exclusive ‘Backup Sets’ option, which lets you configure which files, locations, and drives you want to be backed up regularly. You can also choose the backup schedule, either keeping it up to date at all times or running backups only at specified times. Besides this, there's also an option to exclude certain files from the backup selection.

(Image credit: Future)

Under the ‘Usage’ Settings section, you'll find other preferences, such as sending alerts when devices are not backed up for a certain number of days or logging you out after a certain period of inactivity. This option is set at 15 minutes by default, which I found to be quite low. We recommend setting it at least 60 minutes so that you don't have to log in repeatedly.

Overall, the in-use experience is pretty good and intuitive with zero lags. That said, you might need a bit of time to get a hang of the platform. There are tons of user guides and YouTube videos to help you around.

CrashPlan: Efficiency 

One of the biggest advantages to CrashPlan is that not only can you set the software to continuously back up files from your computer to the cloud, but also schedule periodic transfers, seamlessly incorporating the application into your workflow.

(Image credit: CrashPlan)

It’s also worth noting that CrashPlan gives you the option to throttle your file transfers to save bandwidth. This setting is sensitive to when your computer is idle, so it’s easy to have the bulk of your uploads take place overnight.

CrashPlan: Support 

If you’re having trouble figuring out how to recover deleted files, you can get in touch with CrashPlan’s support team by live chat, email, or phone. Phone and chat support are only available during normal US business hours Monday to Friday.

Email help is available 24/7, although you may wait several hours for an answer if you send a request during the middle of the night in the US.

For questions about the software and data restoration, CrashPlan also has an extensive online documentation library. Most of the help articles come with walkthrough videos, which is helpful when you’re first learning the software.

How we tested CrashPlan's performance

To test out CrashPlan's capabilities, we signed up for their 14-day free trial and installed the application on our Windows 11 system with a 12th Gen Intel i5 processor. We then chose an MP4 file of around 840 GB to back up on the cloud server. The whole process took 10 minutes.

After this, we went ahead and deleted the file from our system and emptied the Recycle Bin. Then, we restored the same file from the cloud server, which took another 10 minutes or so. The file was not damaged and was restored with all its contents intact.

We repeated the same process with some other files and folders, and each time, CrashPlan was able to restore the files perfectly.

CrashPlan: Final verdict

CrashPlan is a data backup software first, with recovery as an ancillary feature. It is ideal if you are a small business that wants to regularly back up sensitive business data and recover it in case of accidental loss. However, recovery only works for 90 days, beyond which the files may be permanently lost.

The pricing is fairly affordable compared to other backup software, with a modern and sleek interface. However, there is a bit of a learning curve involved, and it would take a few days to get a hang of the platform.

If you're only looking for a dedicated data recovery option, platforms like EaseUS, Wondershare Recoverit, and Stellar Data Recovery might be better options.