VPN Comparison
NordVPN vs Surfshark 2026 — Which One to Choose for Your Family?
NordVPN and Surfshark are the two most popular VPNs on the market. But which one is best for a family? We tested both for 3 months on speed, security, price and ease of use. Here's our straight-talking verdict.
🥇 Best overall
🛡️ NordVPN
Faster, more servers, built-in Threat Protection. The premium choice for demanding families.
💰 Best value for money
🌊 Surfshark
Unlimited devices, unbeatable price. Ideal for large families with lots of devices.
📊 Detailed comparison
| Criteria | 🛡️ NordVPN | 🌊 Surfshark |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price (2-year plan) | £2.99/month | £1.79/month |
| Simultaneous devices | 6 devices | Unlimited ♾️ |
| Number of servers | 6,400+ | 3,200+ |
| Connection speed | Very fast | Fast |
| Ad/malware blocking | ✅ Threat Protection | ✅ CleanWeb |
| Double VPN | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Kill Switch | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Audited no-log policy | ✅ Yes (PwC) | ✅ Yes |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | 30 days |
⚡ Speed — NordVPN wins
In our tests, NordVPN is consistently faster. On a 500 Mbps fibre connection, NordVPN retains 85-90% of speed versus 70-75% for Surfshark. For streaming in 4K or gaming as a family, this makes a real difference.
💷 Price — Surfshark wins
Surfshark is 40% cheaper than NordVPN on the 2-year plan. More importantly, Surfshark offers unlimited devices — ideal if you have 4 children each with a phone, tablet and laptop. NordVPN limits you to 6 simultaneous devices.
💡 Our final recommendation
👨👩👧 Family with 4+ devices → Surfshark
- Unlimited devices — protect the whole household
- 40% cheaper than NordVPN
- More than good enough for family use
🏆 You want the best, no compromise → NordVPN
- Superior speed for streaming and gaming
- Threat Protection works even with VPN off
- Unmatched reputation and reliability
🛡️ NordVPN — Special offer
From £2.99/month · 30-day money-back guarantee
🌊 Surfshark — Unlimited devices
From £1.79/month · 30-day money-back guarantee
⚠️ Affiliate links: if you buy via our links, we earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This never affects our opinions.
📚 The complete guide in PDF
30 pages · WiFi, scams, children, antivirus, VPN · Instant download
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