Surfshark vs. Atlas VPN: Which VPN is Superior?

Comparing VPNs is not as black-and-white as most people think. While it’s true that there are specs you can compare side-by-side (see the table above), it’s necessary to delve deeper if you want to genuinely know which VPN will work better for you. This requires a more detailed examination of each option.

Of course, not everyone has the time for such a task. That’s where our expertise and experience come in. We test VPNs on the daily, and in this guide, we’ll give you the details you need to compare two of our highest-rated VPNs: Surfshark and Atlas VPN.

Surfshark and Atlas VPN: Overview

We listed Surfshark and Atlas VPN as two of our favorite VPNs for completely different reasons. Surfshark made our list because of its impressive security, stemming from the fact that it offers lots of additional safety features we don’t normally see in VPNs. Atlas VPN, on the other hand, is a perfectly practical VPN because it offers a free version and affordable VPN subscriptions.

Surfshark, based in the Netherlands, started in 2018 and has since grown tremendously in popularity. It reached one million users in just 30 months since its launch1, and it continues to attract users thanks to its innovative approach to cybersecurity. It even has thriving antivirus software. Learn more from our Surfshark antivirus review.

Meanwhile, Atlas VPN was founded a year later than Surfshark, but it claims to have over six million active users.2 This is probably due to the fact that it offers a completely free VPN (one of the best free VPNs we’ve tested). As a company, Atlas VPN remains modest in size, but it has the backing of one of the most trusted digital security companies: Nord Security. Nord, the company behind NordVPN, acquired Atlas VPN in 2021.

Server Comparison

Surfshark and Atlas VPN both have a sizable server network, but right off the bat, it’s clear that Surfshark has the advantage. Surfshark has over 3,200 servers in operation as opposed to Atlas VPN, which has only about 1,000. More than just the pure number of servers, though, Surfshark has servers in twice as many locations (100 countries) than Atlas VPN (49 countries). If you’re looking for a VPN to use for traveling, Surfshark is going to be the better option.

In terms of the quality of the servers, Surfshark and Atlas VPN were evenly matched. Both use servers with up to 10 Gbps bandwidth. More bandwidth means better speed, less congestion, and a smoother experience overall. Let’s see how that translates to both Surfshark and Atlas VPN’s performance in the next comparison category: Speed.

Speed Comparison

Surfshark and Atlas VPN both made the top 12 when we compared the fastest VPNs. In fact, Surfshark was 10th overall and Atlas was 11th out of the dozens of VPNs we tested, making them part of the elite group.

Surfshark and Atlas VPN were neck and neck in all three speed categories. For the download speed, both VPNs retained over 90 percent of our original network speed. Atlas VPN gave us better upload speeds, with a speed loss of only about 32 percent compared to Surfshark’s 50 percent. And in terms of latency, Surfshark bested Atlas VPN with a 136 ms (milliseconds) latency versus the latter’s 154 ms ping.

Of course, unless you’re a “power user” and the exact speed measured matter a lot, those numbers aren’t going to make a huge difference. The bottom line is that both VPNs are fast.

Security: Encryption and VPN Protocols

Most people use VPNs to encrypt and secure their online data. VPNs use encryption and VPN protocols to meet such needs.

When it comes to those, Surfshark is one of the top options. In addition to offering 256-bit AES military-grade encryption and tried-and-tested VPN protocols like OpenVPN and WireGuard, Surfshark offers a host of privacy-friendly features. For example, you can use Camouflage Mode to bypass monitoring from a restrictive network administrator or government, or No-Borders mode to connect only to servers in privacy-friendly countries.

Atlas VPN also offers secure encryption (256-bit AES) and extra privacy features like SafeSwap and malware blocking. SafeSwap regularly rotates a user’s IP address to make tracking nearly impossible, while malware blocking stops users from accessing websites known for hosting malware. That said, Atlas VPN does not offer the OpenVPN protocol, which is the most versatile. Instead, it offers only WireGuard and IKEv2.

Overall, Surfshark takes the win in this category. The availability of OpenVPN is a huge factor, but so are the added options for increased privacy and security. While Atlas VPN is by no means weak, it’s not as good as Surfshark in this area.

Standard VPN Features

There are three common features that we see in most of the top VPNs: A network kill switch, split tunneling, and multi-hop.

• Kill switch: Pauses your internet connection if your VPN connection drops to avoid a data leak
• Split tunneling: Splits your device’s traffic into two: a secure network for sites and apps that need VPN protection and a public network for apps and sites that are not VPN-friendly
• Multihop: Connects you to two consecutive VPN servers to double the encryption and your privacy

Surfshark and Atlas VPN both offer those three features, but each has a unique and interesting take on the multihop function.

Surfshark’s multihop feature is called Dynamic MultiHop, which allows you to pair any two servers from the multihop server menu. Usually, a VPN with multihop already has pre-set server pairings (e.g. United States-Japan). The second server location will be reflected as your final VPN IP address. With Dynamic MultiHop, you can create your own pairings and, thus, determine your VPN location, allowing for more flexibility.

Atlas VPN’s multihop feature is called MultiHop+, and it focuses more on privacy and making users untraceable. Rather than having a fixed server pairing, Atlas rotates the second server from a pool of available locations. One minute, you could appear to be browsing from Japan, and the next minute your traffic is being routed through a U.K. server.

Both multihop options are good, but they cater to different users. Surfshark focuses more on flexibility, while Atlas is better for privacy and anonymity.

Privacy and Data Logging

Speaking of privacy, one absolute must for a VPN is a watertight privacy policy. Most VPNs advertise that they are a “zero-log” VPN, meaning that they don’t log users’ browsing data. Surfshark and Atlas are among those VPNs.

Surfshark’s move to the Netherlands sparked concern because the country is a member of the Nine Eyes alliance, an international committee of countries with a shared goal of protecting their territories through intelligence sharing. That is a good thing, but VPNs based in those countries can be subjected to laws that could require them to give up data they have on a user. By the way, Atlas is based in New York, and the U.S. is also a member of the intelligence alliance.

Fortunately for users of both Surfshark and Atlas, the “no-logs” policy protects them from data-logging. Atlas VPN explicitly mentions that it does not collect browsing data, activity history, and IP addresses from its users, and Surfshark even went further by having an independent third party check its “no-logs” claims.

Overall, we found both Surfshark and Atlas trustworthy in terms of protecting and keeping users’ privacy.3

Pricing

No VPN comparison is complete without taking a look at the cost. Which is more affordable, Surfshark or Atlas? The answer is “it depends.”

In terms of price alone, Atlas is more affordable. Depending on your subscription, you could save up to $10 by choosing Atlas VPN over Surfshark.

However, in terms of value, we think Surfshark offers more for how much it charges. It has a noticeably larger server network and better privacy and security features than Atlas, but it charges no more than $1 per month. That $10 difference we mentioned earlier is for a 24-month subscription, so really, we’re talking about such a marginal price difference here.

In any case, take a look at Atlas and Surfshark’s pricing and decide for yourself.

Recap: Which Is Better?

After taking a closer look at Surfshark and Atlas VPN, Surfshark ultimately emerged as our favorite. It simply does things a little better than Atlas. It offers more servers, more extra features, and more protections against online threats. We’d definitely recommend Surfshark over Atlas VPN.

We were also impressed by Atlas VPN, though. Even though it’s more affordable, it was able to match Surfshark in certain areas, such as in speed. There is also the freemium VPN option from Atlas, which is its greatest asset. If you’re not ready to spend money on a VPN yet, we recommend giving the free Atlas VPN a whirl.