AVG Secure VPN vs Surfshark (2024): Which VPN Is Better?

Surfshark is broadly considered probably the greatest and most reasonably priced digital non-public networks available on the market right this moment, however that doesn’t imply it’s the fitting match for everybody’s wants. For those who’ve been trying out competitor AVG Safe VPN and are questioning the way it stacks up towards Surfshark, I’ve obtained you lined on this evaluation. I signed up for each VPNs and in contrast AVG and Surfshark head-to-head that can assist you determine which one is your best option for you. Spoiler alert: It’s nearly actually Surfshark, due to its higher privateness coverage, larger variety of servers and international locations and limitless gadgets.

AVG vs Surfshark: Comparability desk

Whereas AVG and Surfshark each provide a VPN, when you evaluate them head-to-head, the variations develop into obvious. I’ve summarized them within the chart under:

AVG vs Surfshark pricing

AVG Safe VPN pricing

AVG gives three VPN-only plans, all of that are dearer than Surfshark’s two least expensive plans. One 12 months is the shortest subscription time for the AVG VPN, with three years being the longest (there isn’t a six-month or month-to-month plan obtainable). The pricing for these three standalone VPN plans is as follows:

• 3 years: $3.75 per 30 days.
• 2 years: $4.17 per 30 days.
• 1 12 months: $4.58 per 30 days.

AVG additionally gives a bundle plan, AVG Final, that features antivirus safety, system lock, cost safety and different safety features, along with the VPN. This plan prices $4.99 a month for a one-year plan and is roughly equal to the Surfshark One plan (extra on that under).

SEE: 10 Myths About Cybersecurity You Shouldn’t Consider (TechRepublic Premium)

AVG does provide a beneficiant 60-day free trial for the VPN, however it does require a bank card (Determine A). You’ll be signed up for a two-year VPN plan, which will probably be charged to your card on the finish of the 60 days if you happen to don’t cancel your subscription upfront. AVG additionally gives a 30-day money-back assure in case you alter your thoughts after you subscribe.

Surfshark pricing

Surfshark gives three ranges of plans for people, and the yearly subscriptions for all of them are fairly reasonably priced, particularly in comparison with AVG. Surfshark Starter, the entry-level plan, consists of the VPN plus advert and cookie pop-up blockers. Surfshark One provides real-time breach alerts and antivirus safety, whereas Surfshark One+ consists of knowledge elimination. The pricing for every particular person subscription is as follows:

• 24 months:
  • Surfshark Starter: $2.19 per 30 days + 3 additional months.
  • Surfshark One: $2.69 per 30 days + 3 additional months.
  • Surfshark One+: $4.29 per 30 days + 3 additional months.
• 12 months:
  • Surfshark Starter: $2.79 per 30 days + 3 additional months.
  • Surfshark One: $3.19 per 30 days + 3 additional months.
  • Surfshark One+: $5.09 per 30 days + 3 additional months.
• Month-to-month:
  • Surfshark Starter: $15.45 per 30 days.
  • Surfshark One: $15.95 per 30 days.
  • Surfshark One+: $17.95 per 30 days.

Surfshark does provide bulk pricing and reductions for big groups and companies, however you will need to contact the gross sales crew for a customized pricing quote.

SEE: Surfshark vs. NordVPN: Which VPN Is Higher in 2024? (TechRepublic)

Surfshark gives each a seven-day free trial and a 30-day money-back assure, however there’s some fantastic print connected to every. With a view to get the free trial from Surfshark, you will need to first obtain the app to your system by both the App Retailer or the Google Play Retailer. After making an account, you will need to choose the yearly subscription, which provides you with entry to the seven-day free trial (Determine B). Neither the six-month plan nor the month-to-month plan qualify for the free trial. You should have seven days to make use of the app free of charge earlier than being charged for the yearly subscription.

If seven days don’t sound like sufficient time to you, Surfshark does provide a 30-day money-back assure, so you may nonetheless get your cash returned so long as you ask for it inside that 30-day window. Nonetheless, the fantastic print of the phrases of service states that subscriptions made by way of iTunes/App Retailer/Amazon with a pay as you go card/reward card or an nameless Devoted IP choice will not be eligible for the 30-day money-back assure. Which means that fellow Mac customers like myself should decide throughout the seven-day free trial.

For extra info, take a look at our full Surfshark evaluation.

AVG vs Surfshark: Characteristic comparability

Velocity

To check the velocity of AVG and Surfshark, I first used Ookla’s Velocity Take a look at with none VPN operating and obtained baseline outcomes of 737.88 obtain Mbps and 605.14 add Mbps. Then, I related every VPN to the closest server in Atlanta and ran the very same check once more. Surfshark did considerably higher on obtain velocity, clocking in at 503.19 Mbps in comparison with AVG’s 372.39 Mbps. Nonetheless, Surfshark fared just a little behind in terms of add speeds, measuring 330.90 Mbps in comparison with AVG’s 385.99 Mbps.

SEE: Find out how to Use Surfshark VPN (A Step-by-Step Information) (TechRepublic)

In my private expertise, Surfshark (Determine C) edged out AVG when it got here to speeds. Nonetheless, it’s value noting that connection velocity can range loads relying on what system and community you’re utilizing, what server location you’re connecting to, what number of different persons are connecting on the identical time and what sort of file you’re making an attempt to obtain or add. Simply because Surfshark was sooner for me doesn’t essentially imply that will probably be sooner for you, so it’s all the time value operating your personal checks.

Streaming

Streaming video content material was simple with each Surfshark and AVG Safe VPN. On each platforms, I used to be capable of rapidly change my location to Canada to entry The Workplace and to the UK as a way to stream Studio Ghibli movies. The reverse was true as effectively: Hulu blocked me once I set the VPN to any nation that wasn’t the U.S.

SEE: 5 Greatest VPNs for Android in 2024 (TechRepublic)

Technically, a handful of AVG’s servers are optimized for streaming (Determine D), however I didn’t discover any distinction in velocity when utilizing the optimized UK server versus the common one, no less than when it got here to Netflix. Solely six of AVG’s servers are optimized, and 4 of these are within the U.S., with the opposite two being within the U.Ok. and Germany — so they’re positively extra focused to worldwide customers desirous to stream U.S. content material relatively than the reverse. In order for you extra choices, take a look at our picks for one of the best VPNs for streaming.

Ease of use

AVG gives probably probably the most uncluttered VPN interface I’ve but to check. The display merely incorporates a toggle that turns the VPN on and off and a field under that shows the situation AVG mechanically chooses (Determine E). If I wished to vary places, all I needed to do was click on the “change location” button, scroll by the choices and choose a brand new server. There’s not even a search bar, although there are classes that you may click on by on the left facet, together with servers optimized for streaming and torrenting. This easy interface design may be very beginner-friendly however might frustrate skilled VPN customers who need extra choices.

Surfshark’s interface has a bit extra occurring, although it’s on no account troublesome to navigate. Many of the choices on the small left sidebar immediate customers to subscribe to different Surfshark merchandise, resembling notifications about potential knowledge breaches. The principle panel is taken up by an inventory of obtainable servers and the standing of the server you’re presently related to.

SEE: The 7 Greatest iPhone VPNs (Really useful for 2024) (TechRepublic)

I actually favored that Surfshark makes it simple to browse servers by nation, along with utilizing the search bar to discover a explicit location. You can even filter servers to see people who provide static IP or MultiHop, you probably have a choice for that. I used to be additionally capable of favourite explicit servers, which then confirmed up proper on the prime of the record, making them simple to search out once more sooner or later. Surfshark additionally gives a cool characteristic known as Rotating IP (Determine F), which mechanically switches your IP tackle each couple of minutes for additional safety.

Personally, I believe the extra options of Surfshark are definitely worth the ever-so-slightly increased studying curve. Even novices who’ve by no means used a VPN earlier than will rapidly get the dangle of Surfshark.

Safety and privateness

Surfshark gives a number of safety protocols: WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2 VPN. It makes use of sturdy AES-256-GCM encryption in addition to ChaCha20 encryption for the WireGuard protocol. Surfshark makes use of a 2048-bit model of the RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) encryption keys. AVG additionally gives three safety protocols: WireGuard, OpenVPN and its personal proprietary Mimic protocol. AVG additionally makes use of an AES 256-bit encryption key and OpenSSL and certificates authentication.

Whereas these two VPN providers are considerably shut in terms of safety, privateness is the place they actually start to diverge. Surfshark has a no-logs coverage (the business commonplace) and gives multifactor authentication, which I extremely suggest you allow. AVG doesn’t have an MFA or an official no-logs coverage. It does have a convoluted privateness coverage that outlines what knowledge it does and doesn’t monitor by its VPN, however that doesn’t give me loads of confidence — particularly when each AVG and its dad or mum firm, Avast, beforehand obtained busted for promoting consumer knowledge by their free antivirus software program. In the case of privateness, I’d choose Surfshark over AVG.

AVG execs and cons

AVG execs

• 60-day free trial obtainable.
• 30-day money-back assure.
• Quite simple interface is beginner-friendly.
• Join as much as 10 gadgets concurrently.

AVG cons

• Dearer than Surfshark.
• Fewer servers and places than Surfshark.
• Privateness coverage is unclear.
• Doesn’t provide MFA.
• Mum or dad firm was caught promoting consumer knowledge up to now.

Surfshark execs and cons

Surfshark execs

• Extra reasonably priced than AVG Safe VPN.
• Extra servers and places than AVG.
• Join a vast variety of gadgets without delay.
• Clear no logs coverage.
• MFA obtainable.

Surfshark cons

• Free trial is just seven days lengthy.
• 30-day money-back assure not obtainable for Apple or Amazon purchases.

Ought to your group use AVG or Surfshark?

Usually it’s tougher to select a winner in these comparisons, however after researching and testing each of those VPNs, I really feel very assured recommending Surfshark over AVG for each private and enterprise use. Surfshark is extra reasonably priced than AVG and gives limitless gadgets along with extra places and servers. Surfshark additionally has higher privateness and safety features, in distinction to AVG’s considerably checkered previous and unclear privateness coverage.

Most of AVG’s enchantment is that you may get antivirus software program and different options bundled with the VPN on the AVG Final plan and avoid wasting money that means when in comparison with the standalone costs. Nonetheless, you too can get antivirus safety on the Surfshark One and One+ plans, that are both near and even cheaper than the value of AVG Final.

Assessment methodology

To check out AVG Safe VPN and Surfshark, I signed up free of charge trials of each VPN providers and examined them for velocity, streaming and ease of use. I additionally combed over their phrases of service and privateness insurance policies, in addition to their safety protocol documentation. Lastly, I consulted consumer evaluations to make sure that my opinion and expertise weren’t the one ones represented on this article.