IVPN vs Surfshark
Both are free/open-source alternatives to NordVPN. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
IVPN
Open-source, anonymous signup, a true privacy purist.
IVPN is a small, privacy-first provider with fully open-source apps, a multi-year audit record with Cure53, and a publicly named owner. Signup is anonymous — no email required — and it accepts cash and crypto. It keeps no connection, traffic, timestamp, or bandwidth logs, and deliberately stays lean rather than chasing streaming features. A close cousin of Mullvad in philosophy, for people who want maximum transparency.
Surfshark
The cheapest full-featured commercial VPN — unlimited devices.
Surfshark is the value pick among mainstream commercial VPNs: cheap on a long plan, unlimited simultaneous devices, a big server network, and a no-logs policy audited by Deloitte. It is closed-source (proprietary apps and its own protocol), and it briefly holds your IP during an active session to prevent abuse, deleting it within about 15 minutes of disconnect. If you want a polished, feature-rich VPN and price matters more to you than open-source transparency, it's the strongest commercial option here.
Side by side
| IVPN | Surfshark | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty Score | 85 | 42 |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Self-hostable | No | No |
| Local-first | No | No |
| License | GPL-3.0 (apps) | Proprietary |
| Pricing | From about $6/month; anonymous account, no email required | ~$2/month on a 2-year plan; about $15/month month-to-month |
IVPN edges it on the Sovereignty Score, but the right pick depends on the trade-offs below.
IVPN
Strengths
- +Fully open-source apps, audited by Cure53
- +Anonymous signup, cash/crypto accepted
- +Publicly named owner and clear trust page
- +Strict no-logs (no connection or bandwidth data)
Trade-offs
- −Pricier than the cheap commercial VPNs
- −Not built for streaming unblocking
- −Smaller server network
Surfshark
Strengths
- +Very cheap on a long plan; unlimited devices
- +No-logs policy audited by Deloitte (2023 and 2025)
- +Feature-rich — streaming, ad/tracker blocking, big network
Trade-offs
- −Closed-source apps and proprietary protocol
- −Temporarily stores your IP during a session (deleted ~15 min after)
- −The cheap price requires a long prepaid commitment
More NordVPN head-to-heads
Facts verified 2026-07-14. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.