The annual surge of Black Friday VPN deals is upon us, and two specific bundles are leading the way: NordVPN Plus and Surfshark One.
These plans aren’t just the best VPNs for entry-level users. They both offer world-class VPN functionality with essential security extras, including antivirus protection and password managers. Realistically, however, we think Surfshark is the best option for outright value, while NordVPN is far superior for sheer performance.
Surfshark One starts from $2.19/month, while NordVPN Plus starts at $3.89/month. Both come with three months extra included on two-year plans, and both are at the lowest price we’ve seen them reach so far this year. So, which is worth your money?
I’ve been hands-on with both throughout 2025 and here’s my verdict.
Features
There’s very little to split the two in terms of features. Both VPNs offer split-tunnelled and multi-hop connections, though Surfshark’s Nexus gives it the edge on the latter.
Surfshark offers a rotating IP and static IP connection but lacks dedicated obfuscated servers, while NordVPN lacks Surfshark’s rotating IP capabilities but instead offers Onion over VPN, obfuscated, and P2P-optimized connections.
Surfshark is a capable obfuscation and P2P VPN; it simply optimizes all of its servers for these practices.
Edited version:
There’s very little to split the two in terms of features. Both VPNs offer split-tunnelled and multi-hop connections, though Surfshark’s Nexus gives it the edge on the latter.
Surfshark gives you flexibility, with both rotating IP and static IP address options. It also handles P2P and obfuscation seamlessly because any server you connect to is automatically optimized for secure torrenting, and it disguises your VPN traffic across its entire network.
NordVPN, on the other hand, offers a specialized server suite that users must manually select. These include obfuscated servers (essential for bypassing strict firewalls in censored regions), P2P-optimized connections (for dedicated, high-speed torrenting), and Onion over VPN (which routes your traffic through the Tor network for extreme privacy).
NordVPN: NordPass, Onion-over VPN, P2P and Obfuscated servers
Surfshark: Antivirus, Search, Alternative ID , Rotating IP
Outside of the VPN connection, both plans give you data breach alerts and malware, ad, tracker, and phishing site protection. Surfshark takes this a step further by adding full antivirus capabilities, though the results paint an interesting picture.
NordVPN significantly outperformed Surfshark’s equivalent tools. In our testing, NordVPN blocked 91% of phishing sites compared to Surfshark’s 38%. It maintained this lead in malware defense, blocking 86% of malicious sites against Surfark’s 68%. While both were close on ad blocking, our tests suggest NordVPN provides a more robust security bundle.
It’s also worth mentioning that NordVPN performed far better in our latest streaming tests, unblocking every service we tested without issue. It also recorded faster speeds than Surfshark in most of our tests, and offers servers in more locations.
▶ Grab Surfshark’s Black Friday VPN deal
From here, however, Surfshark runs away with it. With Surfshark One, you’ll get access to both Secure Search and Alternative ID. Secure Search does exactly what it suggests, giving you a browser with no ads, no trackers, and secure connections, but Alternative ID is where things get interesting.
Alternative ID gives you a whole new identity – name, address, email address, and phone number (for an added fee). This identity can be used to sign up for online accounts, newsletters, and discounts, without handing over your actual details to these sites.
Pricing
Surfshark is the best cheap VPN out there, so unsurprising that it’s notably cheaper than NordVPN. What’s more, it’s even more noticeable when comparing Surfshark One and NordVPN Plus.
|
Surfshark One |
NordVPN Plus |
|
|---|---|---|
|
1-month |
$17.95 |
$13.99 |
|
1-year |
$3.39/month ($50.85 upfront) |
$5.49/month ($82.35 upfront) |
|
2-year |
$2.19/month ($59.13 upfront) |
$3.89/month ($105.03 upfront) |
Clearly, unless you happen to only need a VPN for a month, Surfshark is outright cheaper – over $40 cheaper on two-year plans!
Verdict
NordVPN is the best VPN overall for good reason, and as such, it costs more. That said, it’s the lowest price we’ve seen this year, so if you’re considering it, now’s a great time – especially since it’s currently offering three free extra months.
No VPN beats Surfshark for value-for-money, though. You get loads of unique features, unlimited simultaneous connections, and performance that still beats most VPNs out there. Plus, it’s also offering three extra months and a 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re unhappy.
So, if you’re after unbeatable VPN protection, pick NordVPN. Alternatively, for the best added features and value overall, Surfshark is the best bet.
