When it comes to virtual private networks, Surfshark is commonly acknowledged as one of the supreme and most cost-effective options existing in the current marketplace. Nevertheless, the fact that it may not be suitable for everyone’s requirements should not be disregarded. In case you’ve been exploring the rival AVG Secure VPN and pondering how it measures up against Surfshark, this review has got you covered. I have undertaken a direct comparison between AVG and Surfshark to assist you in determining the superior choice. To give you a hint, the most probable winner is Surfshark, owing to its improved privacy policy, broader array of servers and nations, and the option for unlimited devices.
Comparison Table of AVG vs. Surfshark
Despite both providing a VPN service, a side-by-side assessment of AVG and Surfshark brings out their contrasting features. The summary in the table below elucidates these distinctions:
| Server Count | ||
| Countries Available | ||
| Device Limit | ||
| No-logs Policy | ||
| Multi-level Authentication | ||
| Starting Price for 1-Year Plan | ||
| Starting Price for 2-Year Plan | ||
| Free Trial | ||
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Price Analysis of AVG vs. Surfshark
AVG Secure VPN Price List
AVG presents three distinct VPN-only packages, all of which are priced higher than Surfshark’s two most economical plans. The AVG VPN subscriptions range from one year as the shortest duration to three years as the lengthiest (no option available for six months or month-by-month arrangement). The cost breakdown for these three standalone VPN plans is as follows:
- 3 years:$3.75 per month.
- 2 years: $4.17 per month.
- 1 year: $4.58 per month.
AVG also presents a bundled plan, AVG Ultimate, which incorporates antivirus protection, device lock, payment protection, and other security elements alongside the VPN. This plan is priced at $4.99 per month for a one-year subscription and is roughly comparable to the Surfshark One plan (more details below).
VIEW: 10 Myths About Cybersecurity You Shouldn’t Believe (TechRepublic Premium)
AVG provides a generous 60-day complimentary trial for the VPN, albeit it mandates a credit card (Figure A). Upon registering, you will be enrolled in a two-year VPN plan, with charges being applied to your card at the conclusion of the 60-day period if you do not terminate your subscription beforehand. Additionally, AVG offers a 30-day refund guarantee if you change your mind post-subscription.
Surfshark pricing
Surfshark provides three tiers of plans for individuals, with the annual subscriptions for all being quite budget-friendly, especially when compared with AVG. The entry-level plan, Surfshark Starter, includes the VPN along with ad and cookie pop-up blockers. By upgrading to Surfshark One, users gain real-time breach alerts and antivirus protection, while Surfshark One+ includes data removal. The pricing breakdown for each individual subscription option is as follows:
- 24 months:
- Surfshark Starter: $2.19 per month + 3 additional months.
- Surfshark One: $2.69 per month + 3 additional months.
- Surfshark One+: $4.29 per month + 3 additional months.
- 12 months:
- Surfshark Starter: $2.79 per month + 3 additional months.
- Surfshark One: $3.19 per month + 3 additional months.
- Surfshark One+: $5.09 per month + 3 additional months.
- Month-to-month:
- Surfshark Starter: $15.45 per month.
- Surfshark One: $15.95 per month.
- Surfshark One+: $17.95 per month.
Surfshark also offers discounts and tailored pricing for sizable teams and businesses, albeit you need to reach out to the sales team for a personalized quote.
VIEW: Surfshark vs. NordVPN: Which VPN Is Better in 2024? (TechRepublic)
In addition to a seven-day free trial, Surfshark also extends a 30-day money-back guarantee; however, specific conditions apply to both. To access the free trial from Surfshark, you first need to download the app on your device via either the App Store or Google Play Store. Following account creation, you must opt for the yearly subscription to activate the seven-day free trial (Figure B). Note that neither the six-month plan nor the month-to-month subscription qualifies for the free trial. You are granted seven days of complimentary app usage before being billed for the annual subscription.
If seven days do not seem sufficient for testing purposes, Surfshark presents a 30-day refund policy, allowing you to reclaim your funds if requested within that period. However, specific terms within the service agreement dictate that subscriptions made via iTunes/App Store/Amazon using a prepaid or gift card, or selecting an anonymous Dedicated IP option, are ineligible for the 30-day refund. Consequently, Mac users and their counterparts must make a decision within the seven-day trial period.
For additional insights, refer to our complete Surfshark review.
AVG vs Surfshark: Feature comparison
Speed
In evaluating the speed performance of AVG and Surfshark, I initially conducted Ookla’s Speed Test without any VPN activated, obtaining baseline outcomes of 737.88 download Mbps and 605.14 upload Mbps. Upon connecting each VPN to the nearest server in Atlanta and rerunning the same test, Surfshark exhibited notably superior download speed, registering at 503.19 Mbps in contrast to AVG’s 372.39 Mbps. However, in terms of upload speeds, Surfshark was slightly behind, recording 330.90 Mbps compared to AVG’s 385.99 Mbps.
VIEW: How to Use Surfshark VPN (A Step-by-Step Guide) (TechRepublic)
In my personal experience, as shown in Figure C, Surfshark outperformed AVG in speed tests. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that connection speeds can fluctuate significantly based on factors such as device type, network conditions, server location, concurrent users, and network type.The type of document you are attempting to download or upload. Just as Surfshark proved to be quicker for me, it might not necessarily result in the same speed for you, therefore it’s recommended to conduct your own assessments.
Streaming
Watching video content was a breeze with both Surfshark and AVG Secure VPN. I effortlessly altered my location to Canada for watching The Office, and to the UK for streaming Studio Ghibli films on both services. Conversely, Hulu restricted my access when the VPN was set to any country besides the U.S.
SEE: 5 Top VPNs for Android in 2024 (TechRepublic)
Technically, a few of AVG’s servers are tailored for streaming (Figure D), but I observed no discernible disparity in speed whether using the optimized UK server or the regular one, particularly with Netflix. Only six servers of AVG are tailored, with four based in the U.S., and the remaining two in the U.K. and Germany—indicating a focus on international users keen on streaming U.S. content rather than the contrary. For broader choices, explore our suggestions for the finest VPNs for streaming.
Ease of usage
AVG features perhaps the simplest VPN interface I have experienced. The interface displays a simple toggle switch to activate or deactivate the VPN, along with a section below showing the default location chosen by AVG (Figure E). Switching locations is a breeze—simply click the “change location” button, browse through the choices, and select a new server. There isn’t even a search bar, though there are categories on the left for navigation, including servers optimized for streaming and torrenting. This minimalist design is wonderfully easy for beginners, but might disappoint advanced VPN users seeking more features.
Regarding Surfshark’s interface, it offers a more intricate layout, yet remains user-friendly. The majority of options on the compact left sidebar encourage users to subscribe to other Surfshark utilities, such as notifications regarding potential data breaches. The central section displays a catalog of accessible servers along with the current server’s status.
SEE: The 7 Prime iPhone VPNs (Recommended for 2024) (TechRepublic)
I appreciated the ease with which Surfshark allows browsing servers by country, in addition to using the search bar to locate a specific location. Furthermore, users can filter servers to display those offering static IP or MultiHop, based on their preferences. It’s also possible to mark servers as favorites, positioning them at the top of the list for quick retrieval in the future.Surfshark also provides a fantastic feature known as Rotating IP (Figure F), which automatically changes your IP address every couple of minutes to enhance security.
In my view, the added functionalities of Surfshark justify the slightly higher learning curve. Even novices who are new to VPNs will quickly grasp Surfshark.
Security and privacy
Surfshark presents various security protocols: WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 VPN. It employs strong AES-256-GCM encryption and also utilizes ChaCha20 encryption for the WireGuard protocol. Surfshark employs a 2048-bit variant of the RSA encryption keys. AVG also provides three security protocols: WireGuard, OpenVPN, and its unique Mimic protocol. AVG uses an AES 256-bit encryption key, OpenSSL, and certificate verification.
While these two VPN services are somewhat similar in terms of security, their privacy approaches are where they diverge significantly. Surfshark follows a no-logs policy (the standard practice in the industry) and offers multifactor authentication, which I highly suggest enabling. On the other hand, AVG lacks MFA and an official no-logs policy. Although AVG lays out a complex privacy policy detailing the data it tracks and doesn’t track through its VPN, this doesn’t inspire much confidence – especially given that both AVG and its parent company, Avast, were previously caught selling user data through their free antivirus software. When considering privacy concerns, my preference would be Surfshark over AVG.
Positives and Negatives of AVG
Positives of AVG
- Offering a 60-day free trial.
- Providing a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Simple interface suitable for beginners.
- Capability to connect up to 10 devices simultaneously.
Negatives of AVG
- Higher pricing compared to Surfshark.
- Lesser number of servers and locations than Surfshark.
- Unclear privacy policy.
- Lack of MFA.
- History of the parent company selling user data previously.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Surfshark
Advantages of Surfshark
- More cost-effective than AVG Secure VPN.
- Greater number of servers and locations compared to AVG.
- Capability to connect an unlimited number of devices simultaneously.
- Transparent no-logs policy.
- Availability of MFA.
Disadvantages of Surfshark
- The free trial duration is only seven days.
- 30-day money-back guarantee not applicable for Apple or Amazon purchases.
Should You Choose AVG or Surfshark for Your Organization?
Usually, picking a winner in such comparisons can be challenging, but after thoroughly investigating and testing both these VPN services, I am confident in recommending Surfshark over AVG for personal and business purposes. Surfshark comes at a lower cost than AVG, offers unlimited device connections, a larger number of locations and servers, along with superior privacy and security features, contrasting with AVG’s murky privacy policy and past controversies.
One of the key advantages of AVG is the availability of antivirus software and other features bundled with the VPN under the AVG Ultimate plan, allowing some cost savings compared to standalone prices. Nonetheless, you can also acquire antivirus protection through the Surfshark One and One+ plans, which are either equally priced or even cheaper than AVG Ultimate.
Methodology for Review
To evaluate AVG Secure VPN and Surfshark, I enrolled in their free trials and tested them based on speed, streaming capabilities, and user-friendliness. I delved into their terms of service, privacy policies, and security protocol documents. Additionally, I looked into user reviews to ensure a comprehensive evaluation beyond just my own perspective and experience as depicted in this article.
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