AirVPN vs Surfshark
Side-by-side comparison based on Reddit & Twitter discussions
Community Pick
AirVPN
Based on community sentiment and discussions
AirVPN
Winner
Approval Rate
85%
28 recommend · 5 warn
Data Quality
High
Reviews
38
Reviewers
28
Best for:
Torrenters who specifically need port forwarding
Privacy-focused people who want minimal tracking and anonymous payment options
Linux users and home-lab folks using Docker, Gluetun, Sonarr, or similar tools
People who like tweaking settings and having more control
AirVPN has a strong reputation online as a privacy-first VPN that gives you a lot of control. People especially like it for torrenting because it still offers port forwarding, which can help you conne...
Approval Rate
52%
127 recommend · 116 warn
Data Quality
High
Reviews
413
Reviewers
344
Best for:
People who want a cheaper VPN that still works for streaming
Households with lots of devices
Everyday users who want something simple on Windows, Android, and iOS
Surfshark comes up a lot as a good-value VPN that’s easy to live with day to day. People like that it’s usually cheaper than the big-name alternatives, works well for streaming (Netflix, Hulu, YouTube...
Performance by Use Case
| Use Case | AirVPN | Winner | Surfshark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Streaming | 0% (2) | → | 68% (52) |
| Torrenting | 90% (12) | ← | 33% (7) |
| Privacy | 100% (12) | ← | 42% (86) |
| Censorship | - | → | 47% (21) |
| Gaming | - | - | 33% (6) |
| Travel | - | → | 50% (2) |
| Work | - | → | 50% (4) |
| Router | - | - | -- (1) |
| Mobile | - | → | 50% (2) |
| Price | - | → | 67% (37) |
AirVPN
Strengths
- Port forwarding for torrenting
- Privacy-focused and no trackers
- Anonymous payment options
- Lots of control and advanced settings
- Linux-friendly for tinkerers
Weaknesses
- Can be complicated to set up
- Speeds can feel inconsistent
- Not a simple app experience
- Split tunneling (like excluding Plex) can be a headache
Surfshark
Strengths
- Unlimited devices
- Good value for the price
- Works well with popular streaming services
- Generally fast speeds
- Useful safety features like a kill switch
Weaknesses
- Billing and renewal issues
- Support can be slow or unhelpful
- Some streaming apps still detect/block it
- Trust concerns about company ownership/jurisdiction
- Occasional location/IP accuracy complaints