Surfshark operates under Nord Security from the Netherlands; PrivateVPN is an independently-owned Swedish company with no published audit program. The comparison is between commercial-scale infrastructure and a smaller independent operation — different product assumptions on each side.

What you get that PrivateVPN doesn't offer

Unlimited simultaneous connections — PrivateVPN caps at ten. Independently audited no-logs policy with published outcomes; PrivateVPN has no published third-party audit. Streaming access is a maintained product commitment. Security feature scope is more developed. CleanWeb ad and tracker blocking. Nord Security's established infrastructure and audit program.

What you give up

PrivateVPN is independently owned with no corporate group. Port forwarding included; Surfshark does not offer it. SOCKS5 proxy available at PrivateVPN. Simpler product scope for users who don't need Surfshark's full feature set.

What you get that Surfshark doesn't offer

Independent Swedish ownership — no parent group. Port forwarding included. SOCKS5 proxy support. Ten simultaneous connections. Simpler organizational structure.

What you give up

No published independent audit — the no-logs claim is stated but not third-party verified. Sweden is a 14-eyes member; Surfshark's Netherlands position carries EU obligations but different alliance exposure. Unlimited connections vs ten. Surfshark's streaming access, security feature scope, and CleanWeb ad blocking are not available. Nord Security's commercial infrastructure investment is not matched.