SurfEasy helps users protect their online privacy by offering a personal VPN service and a private web browser. We will cover both solutions in our review. SurfEasy is based out of Toronto, Canada and is now an Opera Software company. Their software is easy to use which makes the VPN a good solution for those who want to protect their privacy while at home or on the go.
SurfEasy Plans and Discounts
The SurfEasy Total VPN plan gives you access to their network of servers in 13 countries for $4.99 a month. Those who are willing to pay for a year up front can save 20% off which brings the priced down to $47.88 ($3.99 a month). Either way you get access to their full network and client apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. You can protect up to 5 devices on the service. All new members are covered by their 7 day money back guarantee.
You can also choose to protect your mobile devices with SurfEasy VPN. If you sign up for their Total VPN plan it covers all your devices. The other option is to subscribe to their Mobile VPN plan. As the name suggests, this plan is meant for mobile. It is further limited to a single iOS or Android device. The cost of the Mobile plan is $2.99 a month or $29.88 a year.
Sign Up Process and Payment Options
Signing up for SurfEasy is very simple and only takes a few minutes. I signed up for a month of access through PayPal to review their service. You can also choose to pay with Visa or MasterCard. The site also mentions that you can pay using Bitcoin which is more anonymous. Those who pay with PayPal or Bitcoin are only required to enter an email address to sign up for SurfEasy. Credit card purchases require name and address for billing verification.
VPN Server Locations
The SurfEasy team manages a network of VPN servers in 13 countries. You can use their client to choose the country. From there the app will choose the exact location. You do not have the option to choose the specific city with which you would like to connect. SurfEasy has servers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Spain, United Kingdom, and United States.
SurfEasy VPN Performance Testing
- SurfEasy US speed test – we tested servers in several US cities and were able to achieve 40.33 Mbps download speed in Virginia.
- SurfEasy UK speed test – testing a VPN server in the UK we were able to achieve a download speed of 13.47 Mbps.
- Conclusion – SurfEasy performed about average in our speed tests. The problem is that the client chooses which location inside a specified country to connect to. That could be an issue as our speeds varied quite a bit between server location in the United States. Note: you can expect any VPN to slow your connection some as the traffic is being encrypted.
VPN Client Software and Compatibility
Let’s take a look at the custom software SurfEasy has developed for their users. While it lacks some of the advanced features you’ll find in our top 10 list, their apps are easy to use and get the job done quite well. SurfEasy offers custom clients for Windows and Mac. They also have mobile apps for iOS and Android. Those who sign up for their Total VPN plan have full access to the software.
SurfEasy Windows in Action
The SurfEasy Windows client worked well on our Windows 10 test system. It is very easy to install. All you need to do is log in and the app will take care of the rest. You can let it choose a location or select a country of your choosing. The only downside is that you can not select a specific server location inside a country. This lead to some pretty slow connections during our testing. The client will also help you block unwanted ads.
Technical Support
The SurfEasy support staff is their to help you with any questions. They are one of the only VPN providers that offer telephone support. You can reach them by phone 7 days a week which is very impressive. Their support hours are Monday-Friday 8am to 8pm EST and on the weekends they have support available from 9am to 5pm EST. You can contact them toll free in the US or Canada 1-888-743-8102. Their UK contact number is 0800-011-9492. You can also reach their support staff via email.
SurfEasy Review : Conclusion
SurfEasy works as advertised. The app will help protect your privacy and unblock content, regardless of where you may be traveling at the time. The performance could have been better. I would like to see the app give users the opportunity to choose a specific server location rather than just the country. This would help a lot. Otherwise the SurfEasy app is easy to use. I feel comfortable recommending it to those who don’t have any technical background. The same is true for their mobile apps. SurfEasy is fairly priced from just $3.99 a month and comes with a 7 day money back guarantee.
