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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →NordVPN and Surfshark do not produce one winner across the board. NordVPN is the stronger default if you rank independent kill-switch results and streaming access first. Surfshark is the stronger fit if you need unlimited simultaneous connections or the lowest advertised long-term price. Which one “wins” in 2026 therefore depends on which of those criteria you weigh most.
The headline’s “12 tests” framing is not supported by the evidence available. This article does not report twelve tests, and it does not report hands-on testing of either service. It draws on vendor-published figures from Surfshark, one independent test series from RTINGS, and editorial reporting from Tom’s Guide, and it marks where each source stops.
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Device limits
Surfshark’s comparison page, updated June 11, 2026, advertises unlimited simultaneous connections. NordVPN states a limit of 10 simultaneous connections. For a household with more than ten devices online at once, or a small office sharing one account, that gap settles the question before price does. Both figures are vendor-stated, so confirm the limit on the plan you intend to buy.
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Advertised prices
The table below shows the monthly advertised rates for each provider’s entry tier, as listed on Surfshark’s comparison page (updated June 11, 2026). They are advertised rates, not verified checkout totals or renewal prices.
#1 Best Overall
- 【Five Gigabit Ports】1 Gigabit WAN Port plus 2 Gigabit WAN/LAN Ports plus 2 Gigabit LAN Port. Up to 3 WAN ports optimize bandwidth usage through one device.
- 【One USB WAN Port】Mobile broadband via 4G/3G modem is supported for WAN backup by connecting to the USB port. For complete list of compatible 4G/3G modems, please visit TP-Link website.
- 【Abundant Security Features】Advanced firewall policies, DoS defense, IP/MAC/URL filtering, speed test and more security functions protect your network and data.
- 【Highly Secure VPN】Supports up to 20× LAN-to-LAN IPsec, 16× OpenVPN, 16× L2TP, and 16× PPTP VPN connections.
- Security - SPI Firewall, VPN Pass through, FTP/H.323/PPTP/SIP/IPsec ALG, DoS Defence, Ping of Death and Local Management. Standards and Protocols IEEE 802.3, 802.3u, 802.3ab, IEEE 802.3x, IEEE 802.1q
| Billing term | Surfshark Starter | NordVPN Basic |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $16.45 | $14.99 |
| One-year plan, per month | $3.39 | $5.49 |
| Two-year plan, per month | $2.49 | $3.49 |
On these figures, Surfshark is more expensive month to month but cheaper on one- and two-year terms. The sources do not establish renewal rates after the first term, taxes, regional plan terms, or refund conditions, so check those at checkout before committing. Surfshark’s own page warns: “Note: The comparison was updated on June 11, 2026, and the information listed is subject to change.”
Speed
RTINGS, using its methodology v0.11, gives NordVPN a speed score of 7.2 and Surfshark a score of 7.3. A 0.1-point gap on that scale is too small to name a faster service. RTINGS lists separate update dates (NordVPN July 10, 2026; Surfshark July 30, 2026), so the two entries should not be read as having been run under identical conditions on the same day.
Real speed depends on the server you choose, your distance from it, the protocol, and your device. The sources do not establish latency or throughput under a common setup for either service, so the RTINGS result is best read as a near tie.
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Rank #2
- 【AC1200 Dual-band Wireless Router】Simultaneous dual-band with wireless speed up to 300 Mbps (2.4GHz) + 867 Mbps (5GHz). 2.4GHz band can handles some simple tasks like emails or web browsing while bandwidth intensive tasks such as gaming or 4K video streaming can be handled by the 5GHz band.*Speed tests are conducted on a local network. Real-world speeds may differ depending on your network configuration.*
- 【Easy Setup】Please refer to the User Manual and the Unboxing & Setup video guide on Amazon for detailed setup instructions and methods for connecting to the Internet.
- 【Pocket-friendly】Lightweight design(145g) which designed for your next trip or adventure. Alongside its portable, compact design makes it easy to take with you on the go.
- 【Full Gigabit Ports】Gigabit Wireless Internet Router with 2 Gigabit LAN ports and 1 Gigabit WAN ports, ideal for lots of internet plan and allow you to connect your wired devices directly.
- 【Keep your Internet Safe】IPv6 supported. OpenVPN & WireGuard pre-installed, compatible with 30+ VPN service providers. Cloudflare encryption supported to protect the privacy.
Leak protection and kill switch
RTINGS reports no IP or DNS leak in the checks it displays for either service. The clearer difference appears in its kill-switch tests. A kill switch blocks traffic when the VPN tunnel drops, so your real IP address is not exposed. RTINGS scores kill-switch robustness at 8.0 for NordVPN and 2.0 for Surfshark. It records a leak for Surfshark during a system reboot and no leak for NordVPN in that scenario.
A reboot is a useful stress case because a device can reach the internet before the VPN app has finished starting. If that matters for you, for example on a laptop that goes online on public Wi-Fi when it wakes, this is the clearest difference in the sources, and it favors NordVPN. These scores come from one RTINGS test series, so verify the behavior on your own device (see the checklist at the end).
Network size and streaming
Surfshark’s comparison lists more than 4,500 servers in 100 countries. It lists more than 9,400 servers for NordVPN. Tom’s Guide, in its VPN guide accessed October 7, 2026, describes NordVPN as having locations in 127 countries. The two country counts may not use the same definition, and server counts indicate capacity and spread, not speed or privacy.
Rank #3
- New-Gen WiFi Standard – WiFi 6(802.11ax) standard supporting MU-MIMO and OFDMA technology for better efficiency and throughput.Antenna : External antenna x 4. Processor : Dual-core (4 VPE). Power Supply : AC Input : 110V~240V(50~60Hz), DC Output : 12 V with max. 1.5A current.
- Ultra-fast WiFi Speed – RT-AX1800S supports 1024-QAM for dramatically faster wireless connections
- Increase Capacity and Efficiency – Supporting not only MU-MIMO but also OFDMA technique to efficiently allocate channels, communicate with multiple devices simultaneously
- 5 Gigabit ports – One Gigabit WAN port and four Gigabit LAN ports, 10X faster than 100–Base T Ethernet.
- Commercial-grade Security Anywhere – Protect your home network with AiProtection Classic, powered by Trend Micro. And when away from home, ASUS Instant Guard gives you a one-click secure VPN.
Both comparisons list 10 Gbps servers and offer dedicated IP add-ons. Surfshark’s comparison also lists dedicated IP starting rates and country availability, but those add-on figures were not verified at checkout.
On streaming, Tom’s Guide says NordVPN comes out ahead for unlocking streaming platforms. This article has not repeated those tests. Access changes as platforms block VPN addresses, so the practical check is the exact service and country you need, on the day you plan to watch.
Audits and no-logs claims
Surfshark
Surfshark’s trust center says Deloitte confirmed adherence to its no-logs policy in assurance work in 2023 and 2025. It also lists a 2026 Cure53 audit of infrastructure and the Dausos protocol, and a 2025 SecuRing infrastructure audit. These are provider-reported statements. The full reports and their scopes were not reviewed for this article.
Rank #4
- 【DUAL BAND WIFI 7 TRAVEL ROUTER】Products with US, UK, EU, AU Plug; Dual band network with wireless speed 688Mbps (2.4G)+2882Mbps (5G); Dual 2.5G Ethernet Ports (1x WAN and 1x LAN Port); USB 3.0 port.
- 【NETWORK CONTROL WITH TOUCHSCREEN SIMPLICITY】Slate 7’s touchscreen interface lets you scan QR codes for quick Wi-Fi, monitor speed in real time, toggle VPN on/off, and switch providers directly on the display. Color-coded indicators provide instant network status updates for Ethernet, Tethering, Repeater, and Cellular modes, offering a seamless, user-friendly experience.
- 【OpenWrt 23.05 FIRMWARE】The Slate 7 (GL-BE3600) is a high-performance Wi-Fi 7 travel router, built with OpenWrt 23.05 (Kernel 5.4.213) for maximum customization and advanced networking capabilities. With 512MB storage, total customization with open-source freedom and flexible installation of OpenWrt plugins.
- 【VPN CLIENT & SERVER】OpenVPN and WireGuard are pre-installed, compatible with 30+ VPN service providers (active subscription required). Simply log in to your existing VPN account with our portable wifi device, and Slate 7 automatically encrypts all network traffic within the connected network. Max. VPN speed of 100 Mbps (OpenVPN); 540 Mbps (WireGuard). *Speed tests are conducted on a local network. Real-world speeds may differ depending on your network configuration.*
- 【PERFECT PORTABLE WIFI ROUTER FOR TRAVEL】The Slate 7 is an ideal portable internet device perfect for international travel. With its mini size and travel-friendly features, the pocket Wi-Fi router is the perfect companion for travelers in need of a secure internet connectivity on the go in which includes hotels or cruise ships.
NordVPN
Tom’s Guide reports NordVPN audits in December 2025 and February 2026, describing the February audit as its sixth. Tom’s Guide does not establish the scope of those audits, and the full reports were not reviewed here.
An audit assesses the scope named in its report on the date of testing. Neither an audit nor a no-logs assurance guarantees how a provider will behave in every case, and the two providers’ records should not be treated as equivalent until you have compared what each report covers.
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Surfshark
- Clean Web
- Bypasser
- Multi Hop
Surfshark’s comparison names these features. The cited material does not describe how each one works or which plans and platforms include it, so check the plan page before counting them.
Best Value
- Next-Gen Gigabit Wi-Fi 6 Speeds: 2402 Mbps on 5 GHz and 574 Mbps on 2.4 GHz bands ensure smoother streaming and faster downloads; support VPN server and VPN client¹
- A More Responsive Experience: Enjoy smooth gaming, video streaming, and live feeds simultaneously. OFDMA makes your Wi-Fi stronger by allowing multiple clients to share one band at the same time, cutting latency and jitter.²
- Expanded Wi-Fi Coverage: 4 high-gain external antennas and Beamforming technology combine to extend strong, reliable, Wi-Fi throughout your home.
- Improved Battery Life: Target Wake Time helps your devices to communicate efficiently while consuming less power.
- Improved Cooling Design: No heat ups, no throttles. A larger heat sink and redefined case design cools the WiFi 6 system and enables your network to stay at top speeds in more versatile environments.
NordVPN
- Threat Protection
- Threat Protection Pro, described by Tom’s Guide as desktop-only and available on Plus and higher plans
The plan and platform availability of the base Threat Protection tool is not stated in these sources. Compare extras only where the plan and platform match. A mobile-only user, for example, cannot count a desktop-only tool.
Which one wins for you
The headline’s single winner depends on which criteria you rank first. The table shows how each priority resolves on the evidence above.
| Priority | Better fit | Where it is covered |
|---|---|---|
| Kill-switch behavior during a reboot in RTINGS’ test | NordVPN | Leak protection and kill switch |
| Streaming access | NordVPN | Network size and streaming |
| Unlimited simultaneous devices | Surfshark | Device limits |
| Lowest one- or two-year advertised rate | Surfshark | Advertised prices |
| Lowest month-to-month advertised rate | NordVPN | Advertised prices |
| Raw speed | Neither, on current evidence | Speed |
| IP and DNS leak checks | Neither, on current evidence | Leak protection and kill switch |
| Desktop extras | Depends on plan and platform | Extras and plan requirements |
Consider two readers. A household with twelve devices that may be online together, paying on a two-year term, has a clear reason to choose Surfshark on the two criteria that most affect it. A single-laptop user who values reboot-time kill-switch behavior and streaming access, and who pays month to month, has the opposite case. Neither service is categorically safer or faster on this evidence alone.
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What these sources do not establish
- Renewal rates, taxes, regional plan terms, refund conditions, and checkout totals.
- Usability and customer support, which these sources do not compare.
- Protocol-level security and throughput measured under a common setup for both services.
- The full scope and findings of either provider’s audit reports.
- Whether the streaming results reported by Tom’s Guide still hold today.
How to check these claims on your own setup
- Record the date, your location, your device, and a speed test with the VPN off on the same network. Keep the result so you can compare later.
- Connect to a server in the country you need and open a public IP-lookup page. Expected result: the address shows the VPN server’s location. If it shows your own location, stop and check the connection before going further.
- While connected, run a DNS leak test. Expected result: the resolvers listed belong to the VPN provider, not your internet service provider.
- On a device where a restart is harmless, enable the kill switch in the app’s settings, connect, and restart the device. Before the VPN reconnects, try to load a website. Expected result: the page does not load until the tunnel is back. If it loads from your normal connection, the kill switch did not block traffic in that situation.
- Repeat the speed test on the same server and protocol, and compare it with your baseline. Note the server location and protocol so the result can be reproduced.
- For streaming, test the exact service and country you need on the day you plan to use it, since access changes over time.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
