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Surfshark alternative · Honest take · No activity logs
Surfshark does plenty right, and we will not pretend otherwise. If you want a free way in, modern stealth protocols and a clear no-activity-logs promise, here is how ROOT VPN compares, trade-offs included.
Free forever plan. No card, unlimited data, up to 10 devices.
Surfshark is a capable VPN. Surfshark packs a lot into a cheap long-term plan: unlimited devices, CleanWeb ad and tracker blocking, and solid streaming. For a whole household on one subscription it is hard to beat on price. But it is not for everyone, and the usual reasons people go looking elsewhere are clear: inconsistent speeds, the renewal price jump, or wanting a free tier rather than a trial.
In plain terms, the sticking point is often this: Speeds can vary server to server, the cheap price is a multi-year deal that renews higher, and it is now owned by the same group as NordVPN. If that is what pushed you here, it is worth seeing what a different approach looks like.
Not more features for the sake of it, a different set of priorities.
Unlimited data and time on the free plan, no card and no trial countdown. It is funded by an optional community program you can switch off, not by logging you.
REALITY, Shadowsocks and Hysteria2 look like ordinary web traffic, so ROOT connects on school, office and country networks that block Surfshark and most other VPNs.
ROOT keeps no record of the sites you visit or what you stream, across a growing server network. Nothing stored, nothing to hand over, nothing to sell.
The honest side by side. For the full breakdown, see ROOT VPN vs Surfshark.
| ROOT VPN | Surfshark | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, then £3.99/mo | From £1.99 |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| No activity logs | Yes | Yes |
| Protocols | WireGuard, REALITY, Shadowsocks, Hysteria2 | WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2 |
| Devices | 10 | Unlimited |
| Streaming | Good | Good |
| Jurisdiction | Independent, no activity logs | Netherlands |
Surfshark packs a lot into a cheap long-term plan: unlimited devices, CleanWeb ad and tracker blocking, and solid streaming. For a whole household on one subscription it is hard to beat on price. If that is central to how you use a VPN, it may still be the right call.
Free to start with unlimited data, four protocols including REALITY and Hysteria2 for restrictive networks, and no activity logs. For a free start, restrictive networks and a simple privacy promise, ROOT is the easier yes.
Browse more, or see every option on the alternatives hub and the comparison hub.
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