Detailed side-by-side comparison based on our March 2026 testing. Which VPN comes out on top?
| Feature | Surfshark | Mullvad |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 9.3/10 | 8.5/10 |
| Price (Best Plan) | $2.19/mo | $5.00/mo |
| Servers | 3,200+ | 800+ |
| Countries | 100 | 43 |
| Simultaneous Devices | Unlimited | 5 |
| Download Speed | 830 Mbps | 840 Mbps |
| Upload Speed | 420 Mbps | 440 Mbps |
| Latency | 16 ms | 13 ms |
| Protocols | WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2 | WireGuard, OpenVPN |
| Encryption | AES-256-GCM | AES-256-GCM / ChaCha20 |
| Kill Switch | Yes | Yes |
| Split Tunneling | Yes | No |
| No-Logs Policy | Verified | Verified |
| Streaming Support | Yes | No |
| Torrenting | Yes | Yes |
| Jurisdiction | Netherlands | Sweden |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days | 30 days |
In our March 2026 speed tests, Surfshark achieved download speeds of 830 Mbps compared to Mullvad's 840 Mbps. This gives Mullvad a slight speed edge, although both VPNs are fast enough for 4K streaming and gaming.
Upload speeds tell a similar story: Surfshark at 420 Mbps versus Mullvad at 440 Mbps. For latency-sensitive tasks like gaming, Surfshark's 16 ms average ping is comparable to Mullvad's 13 ms.
Both Surfshark and Mullvad offer AES-256-GCM encryption and maintain no-logs policies. Surfshark is based in Netherlands while Mullvad operates from Sweden. Both passed our DNS, WebRTC, and IPv6 leak tests without issues.
While both are excellent VPNs, Surfshark edges ahead with a 9.3/10 rating compared to Mullvad's 8.5/10. Surfshark offers and better value at $2.19/mo.
That said, Mullvad is still a strong choice, especially if you value most anonymous. You cannot go wrong with either option.