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SurfEasy Review

Daniel Rosehill

In a Nutshell

SurfEasy VPN is a Canadian VPN with a 5 simultaneous connection limit. It’s fully Torrent compatible and supports Windows, iOS, Mac, and Android. The speeds we achieved through their network were good and overall it’s a tool that we would be happy to recommend.

pros

  • Both Windows and Mac versions
  • Strong 256 bit encryption

cons

  • Based in Canada (not a privacy sanctuary)
  • No client for Linux

Surfeasy Surfeasy Compare All

SurfEasy at a Glance

Best for: People looking for a VPN with add-on privacy protection features

Price: $5.99 per month or $29.88 per year 

Location: Servers in 44 countries

Netflix: Netflix success!

Torrenting: Torrenting is allowed

Logging: No logging policy

Number of Devices: 5

Operating Systems: Windows, iOS, MacOS, Android

Browser Extensions: No

Privacy

Surfeasy markets itself as a no log VPN provider claiming “We don’t retain any logs related to your online, browsing or downloading activity, so even we don’t know what you’re up to”.

However the link in the footer for ‘privacy’ redirected to NortonLifeLock’s privacy document—as did the legal terms. A clearer plain language resource on SurfEasy’s own online real estate would give me more confidence in using the service if logging were a major concern.

Features

SurfEasy Optimization

Whether you’re looking for the best server for downloading torrents or just streaming regular content, SurfEasy has an automatic tool that will save you the trouble of testing various connection servers one by one. Users simply need to keep the appropriate option ticked and the connection to any server they choose will be optimized for that activity.

Launch at Startup

Many VPN users prefer to configure their connection to boot when their computer does. An ‘always on’ VPN means that outgoing internet traffic is always encrypted—theoretically preventing cybercrooks from snooping on network traffic. An easy launch on startup selection box makes it easy for users to configure their VPN connections to run in this way.

AltSurfeasy launch in startup

Speed

How fast is SurfEasy VPN? To answer that question I tried out a few different connection points. My office internet connection has a baseline of 90 Mbps.

The best speed I achieved was conveniently through the US server which also worked to unblock Netflix. Unfortunately, the speeds I experienced on some of the other servers were less impressive. Connecting through Singapore, for example, slowed by internet connection down to 7.5Mbps. And my connection speed in the UK, on the download, was only 12 Mbps.

While the connection process in all cases was quick, it’s equally fair to say that this isn’t the fastest VPN I have come across.

Connect point
Speed (Mbps)

Home

90

US

33

Singapore

7.5

UK

12

Surfeasy speed test
Surfeasy speed test

Pricing and Deals

SurfEasy is available as either a monthly subscription or as a yearly plan. Both allow access for up to 5 devices on the network. The monthly subscription costs $5.99/month and the yearly plan costs $29.88 per year. Both have identical feature sets including unlimited bandwidth, ad tracker blocking, and full support for torrenting.

Subscription type
Month to month
Yearly

Cost

$5.99

$29.88

Torrents

Surfeasy offers full compatibility with torrents and the team has put together help resources for users that need to use the VPN for this purpose. Additionally the Windows client has an option for selecting a server that is most suitable for torrenting rather than browsing the internet.

Netflix

If you’re based in Denmark but want to stream Chef’s Table BBQ on Netflix you may have a problem. Alternatively, you could use Surfeasy and geolocate to a US-based server. The good news for Netflix lovers is that Surfeasy has escaped the reaches of Netflix’s VPN-blocking efforts—at least for the time being. I was able to get a good quality stream running at a very reasonable connection speed of 33 Mbps.

Client Setup

Setting up the Windows client is quick and easy. First, I downloaded the executable installation file from SurfEasy’s website. After that I followed the installation steps and agreed to the license agreement. A few minutes later I was ready to connect to my first server.

Apps

SurfEasy makes 2 applications for Android and iOS. The applications have the same set of features as the desktop clients. These can be downloaded through the Google Play store and the Apple iTunes store. The Android version features live customer support and ad tracker blocking.

How Does Surfeasy VPN Compare?


SurfEasy
MullvadVPN
NordVPN

Price

$5.99 per month

€5 per month

$11.95 per month

Number of Devices

5

5

6

Number of Servers

1,000 servers in 28 countries

737

1,960

Best for

Those looking for a simple VPN with Windows compatibility

Serious privacy enthusiasts

Those that want a variety of server types

P2P or Bittorrent (Yes/No)

Yes

Yes

Yes

Customer Support

Canadians are famously friendly which will come as good news for those that run into trouble while trying to get SurfEasy VPN as their team is based in Canada. The company operates a toll free number (US and Canada) as well as a freephone line in the UK. Finally support is offered over live chat and by email. There is also a well developed online knowledge base available for customers to use. Overall, Surfeasy VPN has not economized in the support department so any user that runs into difficulties should be well covered.

Ease of Use

I tried out the Windows app for this review which was very straightforward to use. After installing the program I simply needed to choose a connection server and a few seconds later I had an encrypted VPN connection at my disposal.

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FAQs

How Can I Use BitTorrent with Surfeasy?

No special steps are required, but users should (ideally) make sure that the ‘Torrent Optimized’ checkbox is selected before connecting.

Can I install SurfEasy on my router?

No, SurfEasy does not have a router compatible client yet.

Is there a Linux client?

No, not currently.

Bottom Line

SurfEasy is a simple VPN tool with a few clients for different operating systems. It certainly does not come jam packed with features and the connection speeds through some of the servers were on the slow side. Nevertheless, it’s an easy to use and reliable tool that would be a well appreciated addition to any Windows user looking for a simple and straightforward client.

Daniel Rosehill (BCL, MA) is a freelance PR consultant and writer specializing in developing and executing thought leadership-led communications strategies for clients in the technology sector. He writes for Top10.com and his interests include backups and disaster recovery, Linux and open source, and cloud computing. Daniel is a graduate of University College Cork (BCL / Law) and City University, London (MA / Political Journalism).
Surfeasy

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