ProtonVPN is independently owned by Proton AG in Switzerland. Surfshark operates under Nord Security — the same corporate group as NordVPN — registered in the Netherlands. The ownership and jurisdictional basis separate before the feature comparison begins.

What you get that Surfshark doesn't offer

Proton AG independent ownership — no parent group, no shared corporate structure with other commercial VPNs. Swiss registration provides cleaner separation from EU data-retention frameworks than Surfshark's Netherlands position, which carries EU membership obligations. Open-source clients on all platforms, verifiable by any researcher. Secure Core double-hop through hardened Swiss or Icelandic servers. Privacy and security depth lead the comparison. Free tier with unlimited bandwidth.

What you give up

Surfshark allows unlimited simultaneous connections — ProtonVPN caps at ten on paid plans. Device support gap is practical for households with many concurrent devices. Long-term value position is more accommodating at Surfshark. CleanWeb ad-blocking is functionally comparable to ProtonVPN's NetShield.

What you get that ProtonVPN doesn't offer

Unlimited simultaneous connections — no ceiling regardless of household size. More accommodating long-term value position. Broader device support by connection count. CleanWeb ad, tracker, and malware blocking. Nord Security's audit infrastructure — the same framework that underpins NordVPN.

What you give up

Netherlands is an EU member state subject to data-retention directives — ProtonVPN's Swiss basis sits outside those frameworks. Surfshark is part of Nord Security — a corporate group, not an independent operator. Clients are not fully open-source. Privacy and security depth trail ProtonVPN's across measured dimensions. Secure Core's double-hop architecture has no Surfshark equivalent.