- 2020 has been quite a year.
If anything good has come out of it,
it's gotta be the improvements I've seen in VPN services.
And today I'm going to show you one VPN specifically
and all the great upgrades it got this year,
it's Surfshark VPN,
but before we dive in deep sea with Surfshark,
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Surfshark is a relatively new VPN service,
that's why it's even more impressive that it manages
to grow so much and so quickly.
It's managed to get the title
of Best Newcomer in both 2018 and 2019, but what about now?
Did Surfshark really progress at a level of industry leaders
in just a couple of years, and where is it headed?
Is it still investing in upgrading its service
and improving its offerings?
To put it short, what has Surfshark done in 2020?
This Surfshark VPN review
of the year will answer this question for you.
I'm going to spill the beans on Surfshark VPN,
so get ready to find out what it was up to in 2020,
whether it has released any significant updates
and how it compares to other top VPN providers right now.
First up in my Surfshark review 2020, let's see
what Surfshark was up to this year.
First things first, we must discuss Surfshark WireGuard.
The WireGuard protocol has made waves in the VPN community
since it was released, and it is quite a big deal.
WireGuard is a free open source tunneling protocol
that is simpler, smarter, more secure
and much faster than the current industry standards.
It has already received widespread recognition.
In fact, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden has encouraged
the National Institute of Standards and Technology
in the US to consider WireGuard
as a replacement for IPSec and OpenVPN,
the protocols currently used there.
So what has all of this got to do with Surfshark?
Well, a handful of top VPNs were quick
on the uptake and started incorporating WireGuard
into their apps right away, Surfshark VPN is one of them.
In October of this year,
Surfshark dropped the news
that Surfshark WireGuard was supported
on the Windows, Android, Mac, and iOS apps.
This is a big deal.
Tech is constantly evolving, so if you're buying a VPN,
you would wanna pick the service
that's not only putting up the best offerings,
but that's also investing in their products
and staying on top of the trends.
Clearly, this is what Surfshark is doing.
I run VPN speed tests all the time
and the Surfshark speed tests that I ran
after WireGuard was added to the Surfshark app showed me
that Surfshark's speeds really are
among the fastest available.
Now I'm gonna review the rest of Surfshark VPN's major news
for the year,
like the Surfshark Two-Factor Authentication option
that was added in early February.
This option can be activated
in your account settings on the Surfshark website.
When two-factor authentication is on,
anyone logging into your Surfshark apps will have to enter
an extra authentication code,
which gets sent earlier to your email address,
or to an authenticator app installed on your phone.
Two-factor authentication
may not be the most memorable addition
to the Surfshark apps,
but it's an important security measure.
It adds an extra layer of security against cyber attacks.
It's important to have options like this available
when you're using a VPN.
The next big piece of news covered
in this Surfshark review is the release
of the free Trust DNS app for iOS.
Surfshark's smart DNS has been available for a little while,
and Trust DNS was already available for Android users,
but in March this year,
Surfshark released this unique Surfshark DNS app
on the Apple Store.
If you haven't heard about Trust DNS,
it is an app that helps you access censored sites
when you're in restricted countries.
The most amazing thing about this app is
that it's totally free, even if you don't own Surfshark VPN.
Having this available for iOS is an incredible advantage
to Apple users, especially if you travel a lot.
The release of Surfshark Alert
in June was the next major event
on Surfshark calendar this year.
The Alert tool scans online databases
and lets you know in real time
if any of your personal data gets leaked.
Now this is already awesome,
but if you have clients relying on you
to keep their info safe or if you oversee multiple employees
who have access to sensitive company info,
a tool like this is invaluable.
Surfshark says that over half
of all domains have been caught up in security breaches,
but with Surfshark Alert,
you can monitor these breaches and let customers
and employees know that they have taken place.
Essentially, you can stay on top of the situation,
but is this really such a big deal?
After all, there must be other
data breach detection services out there, and this is true.
However, these types
of software can be quite complex to use,
plus really expensive.
Alert costs just 99 cents a month
on top of the Surfshark's subscription,
and you get BlindSearch along with it too.
This tool is one of the Surfshark's site
and it's simple and convenient to use,
especially if you already have a Surfshark subscription.
Next, Surfshark launched their friend referral program
in July this year.
The concept is straightforward.
All participants are sent a unique link,
which they send on to their friends.
The first friend to join via your link
and stay subbed for over a month, grants you a free month
of Surfshark's subscription.
After that every friend to join means you get
about an extra half a year.
Those who join via your link also gets
an extra month free.
Personally, although this is a great way
to reward those who are passionate about the app,
I feel that this is the least exciting piece of news
in, let's face it, a pretty exciting year for Surfshark,
but now we're getting to the final piece of news
in the Surfshark review for 2020
and it's definitely newsworthy.
In July Surfshark converted its entire server network
from a hard drive based system to RAM system.
The reason behind this move is simple yet really smart.
Hard drive store information on a long-term basis,
and although Surfshark is committed to its privacy policy,
any stored information could potentially still be accessed
by a malicious third party,
if the servers are seized or hacked.
However, with a RAM based system,
the memory is automatically wiped clean
whenever the server is switched off.
Surfshark claims that they are one of the first VPN services
in the world to do this, and it is really a valuable move.
It is yet another improvement showing us
that Surfshark backs up its promises with action,
protects our privacy and stays ahead of the curve.
Guys, we've seen what Surfshark's been up to in 2020
and it's impressive, but this wouldn't be a complete year
of Surfshark VPN review
if we didn't compare it to other VPNs.
Maybe other popular VPNs have made strides
that are big or bigger in the last year.
So let's compare Surfshark offerings
to other top VPNs right now at the end of 2020.
All of these VPNs have the basics that you'd expect
from a quality VPN.
They also offer juicy extra features, which differ a little
from service to service.
Right now at the end of 2020,
they have all made the crucial move
towards incorporating WireGuard, though, CyberGhost
and ExpressVPN are a little behind with this.
NordVPN runs a WireGuard-based protocol, NordLynk instead
and it packs an even stronger punch too.
Moving on to two-factor authentication.
Some of these top VPNs are dropping behind a little.
CyberGhost charges extra
for it's two-factor authentication addon,
while Vypr does not have this option at all.
When it comes to a free DNS app,
no other VPN service offers this handy tool.
No other service has a leaks whistleblower either,
and guys, this is an incredibly powerful feature.
The other top VPNs, except for NordVPN, do offer rewards
for referrals, but they aren't as generous.
Finally, only NordVPN
and ExpressVPN have made the security conscious move
towards RAM-only servers.
Guys, I compared Surfshark's extra features
with the features offered by these other top VPNs
and even NordVPN, which is truly featured packed,
doesn't have as many a Surfshark.
Guys, Surfshark was really busy this year.
Has it managed to catch up to other top players
in its field?
Definitely.
I'd say it has even surpassed some of the best.
Guys, I hope you enjoyed this Surfshark VPN review.
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