Surfshark Speed Test: Real-World Performance Results
Surfshark speed test: 695 Mbps on 1 Gbps fiber, ranked #4 of 22. Full protocol benchmarks and methodology.
title: “Surfshark Speed Test: Real Lab Results Across Protocols and Networks” description: “Independent Surfshark speed test data showing 695 Mbps throughput, 20 ms latency, and protocol-by-protocol breakdowns on fiber, cable, WiFi, and mobile networks.” date: 2025-01-15 lastmod: 2025-07-12 tags: [“surfshark”, “speed test”, “VPN speed”, “WireGuard”]
How Fast Is Surfshark?
Surfshark ranked #4 of 22 VPNs tested in our speed lab. It delivered 695 Mbps average throughput on a 1 Gbps fiber connection using WireGuard. Latency measured 20 ms with 0.2% packet loss and a stability variance of ±22 Mbps. That throughput retains roughly 70% of baseline speed, placing Surfshark among the fastest consumer VPNs available.
Speed Results by Protocol
Protocol choice changes Surfshark’s performance dramatically. We tested three protocols on the same 1 Gbps fiber line. Each protocol ran 15 consecutive tests across 3 server locations.
WireGuard
WireGuard produced the best numbers across every metric. Average throughput hit 695 Mbps with latency at 20 ms. Connection time averaged 1.2 seconds from click to encrypted tunnel. Stability stayed tight at ±22 Mbps over 30-minute sustained transfers.
OpenVPN (UDP)
OpenVPN UDP dropped throughput to 310 Mbps on the same connection. Latency rose to 38 ms with stability variance widening to ±45 Mbps. CPU usage on our test machine jumped 18% compared to WireGuard. OpenVPN remains useful for bypassing network restrictions but costs real speed.
IKEv2
IKEv2 landed between the two at 480 Mbps average throughput. Latency measured 28 ms with ±30 Mbps stability variance. Reconnection after network switches took under 0.8 seconds, making it the fastest protocol for mobile handoffs. Overall throughput still trails WireGuard by 31%.
| Protocol | Throughput | Latency | Stability | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WireGuard | 695 Mbps | 20 ms | ±22 Mbps | General use, streaming |
| IKEv2 | 480 Mbps | 28 ms | ±30 Mbps | Mobile devices |
| OpenVPN UDP | 310 Mbps | 38 ms | ±45 Mbps | Restricted networks |
Performance Across Network Types
VPN speed depends heavily on your underlying connection. We tested Surfshark on four common network types using WireGuard throughout.
Fiber (1 Gbps)
Surfshark retained 69.5% of the baseline 1 Gbps connection. Peak throughput touched 740 Mbps during burst transfers. Upload speeds averaged 620 Mbps, a 68% retention rate. Fiber users get the most raw throughput from Surfshark.
Cable (300 Mbps)
On a 300 Mbps cable connection, Surfshark delivered 245 Mbps downstream. That represents 81.7% speed retention, higher than fiber in percentage terms. Latency added 8 ms over baseline. Cable users will barely notice the VPN overhead during daily browsing.
Public WiFi (50 Mbps)
Public WiFi testing at 50 Mbps baseline showed 41 Mbps through the VPN tunnel. Speed retention hit 82% with latency at 35 ms total. Jitter measured higher at ±12 Mbps due to WiFi interference. The encryption overhead matters less on slower connections.
Mobile (5G, 200 Mbps)
5G testing averaged 155 Mbps with Surfshark connected using IKEv2. Network handoffs between towers caused 0.4-second micro-disconnects. WireGuard on mobile delivered 170 Mbps but handled handoffs slightly worse. IKEv2 remains the better mobile protocol despite 9% lower throughput.
Streaming Performance
4K streaming requires 25 Mbps sustained. Surfshark delivered 8 to 28 times that minimum depending on connection type.
We tested 60-minute 4K streams across Netflix, Disney+, and YouTube. Buffer events occurred zero times on fiber and cable connections. Public WiFi produced one brief quality drop at the 34-minute mark. Bitrate held steady at maximum quality for 98.3% of total viewing time across all tests.
Surfshark’s MultiHop feature reduced streaming throughput to 420 Mbps on fiber. That still far exceeds 4K requirements. Smart DNS mode, called SmartDNS, added zero measurable overhead since it skips encryption entirely.
Gaming Latency
Competitive gaming demands low latency more than high throughput. Surfshark’s 20 ms baseline latency works for most online games.
We tested on servers within 500 miles of our lab. Ping times ranged from 18 to 24 ms across 200 measurements. Connecting to servers 3,000 miles away pushed latency to 78 ms. Jitter stayed under 5 ms on nearby servers, acceptable for first-person shooters.
For comparison, our #1 ranked VPN measured 14 ms on identical routes. That 6 ms gap between first and fourth place rarely impacts gameplay outside professional esports. Packet loss at 0.2% means roughly 1 in 500 packets needs retransmission.
Torrenting Throughput
Sustained download speeds matter most for large file transfers. Surfshark’s WireGuard protocol maintained 680 Mbps during our 10 GB test file download.
Port forwarding is not available on Surfshark, which limits initial peer connections. Once connected to a healthy swarm, throughput stabilized within 45 seconds. Upload throughput averaged 590 Mbps, useful for maintaining share ratios. P2P traffic routes through designated servers automatically.
How Surfshark Compares to the Top 5
We ranked the five fastest VPNs from our 22-provider test. All measurements use WireGuard on 1 Gbps fiber.
| Rank | Provider | Throughput | Latency | Packet Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | NordVPN | 780 Mbps | 14 ms | 0.1% |
| #2 | ExpressVPN | 750 Mbps | 16 ms | 0.1% |
| #3 | PIA | 710 Mbps | 18 ms | 0.2% |
| #4 | Surfshark | 695 Mbps | 20 ms | 0.2% |
| #5 | Mullvad | 670 Mbps | 22 ms | 0.3% |
Surfshark trails NordVPN by 85 Mbps and ExpressVPN by 55 Mbps. The gap between #3 and #4 narrows to just 15 Mbps. Surfshark costs less per month than every provider ranked above it, offering the best speed-per-dollar ratio.
Testing Methodology
Our speed lab uses a dedicated 1 Gbps symmetric fiber line in a controlled environment. We eliminate variables by testing at 3 AM local time with zero competing traffic.
Each VPN runs 15 sequential tests per protocol per server location. We test 3 server locations per region: nearest, mid-range (1,500 miles), and cross-continent (5,000+ miles). Results above reflect the nearest-server averages unless stated otherwise.
Hardware includes a Ryzen 7 5800X desktop, 32 GB RAM, and a 2.5 GbE NIC. We measure throughput via iPerf3, latency via ICMP ping sequences of 200 packets, and jitter via continuous UDP streams. All tests use the latest stable VPN client version at time of testing.
Why Is Surfshark Slow? Troubleshooting Guide
If Surfshark feels sluggish, the issue usually traces to protocol selection or server distance. OpenVPN cuts speeds by 55% compared to WireGuard. Switching protocols takes under 10 seconds in the app settings.
Server distance adds roughly 1 ms latency per 60 miles of cable distance. Connecting to a server 5,000 miles away can push latency above 100 ms. Always select the nearest server unless you need a specific geographic location.
Other fixes include disabling CleanWeb ad blocking during speed-sensitive tasks. Antivirus software scanning VPN traffic adds 5 to 15% overhead on some systems. Restarting the app clears stale connections that accumulate during long sessions.
FAQ
Is Surfshark the Fastest VPN?
No. Surfshark ranks #4 of 22 tested VPNs at 695 Mbps. NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Private Internet Access measured faster in our lab. However, Surfshark sits within 12% of the top speed and costs less than all three faster options.
Why Is My Surfshark Connection Slow?
Check your protocol setting first. OpenVPN delivers 310 Mbps versus WireGuard’s 695 Mbps on identical hardware. Distant server selection, background antivirus scanning, and WiFi congestion cause most remaining slowdowns. Switching to WireGuard and a closer server fixes the issue 80% of the time.
Which Surfshark Protocol Is Fastest?
WireGuard is the fastest Surfshark protocol at 695 Mbps average throughput. IKEv2 follows at 480 Mbps, then OpenVPN UDP at 310 Mbps. WireGuard also produces the lowest latency at 20 ms and the tightest stability at ±22 Mbps variance.