▓▒░ TESTING: SURFSHARK ░▒▓

Is Surfshark working?

Surfshark merged with Nord Security in 2022, sharing audit infrastructure. Camouflage Mode obfuscates traffic; Bypasser handles split tunneling. Run the live test below to confirm your Surfshark session is actually working.

★ isvpnworking.com - Live Status Window
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⚡ live status check ⚡
checking . . .
running 3 tests on your connection, hold tight
FYI we're checking your IP, location, and 3 types of leaks. all in your browser, nothing sent to us.
visible IP →
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they think you're in →
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VPN brand detected →
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tested at →
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┌─ LEAK DETECTION RESULTS ─┐
▸ webrtc test peer-to-peer ip leak
running…
▸ dns test domain query leak
running…
▸ ipv6 test protocol exposure
running…
★ How to verify Surfshark is working
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Open the Surfshark app, hit Connect, then run the test widget at the top of this page. Three checks tell you whether Surfshark is doing its job:

  1. Visible IP changed - the IP shown above should differ from your real ISP IP. If unchanged, the tunnel is not routing traffic.
  2. Country matches your selected server - if Surfshark says you're connected to "Germany" but our checker shows your real country, the tunnel is broken.
  3. All three leak rows show SAFE - WebRTC, DNS, IPv6. If any row reads LEAK / EXPOSED, your real IP is escaping the tunnel.

Specific Surfshark settings to verify: CleanWeb, Bypasser (split tunneling), MultiHop, NoBorders, Camouflage Mode. Look for those terms in the app menu - they're the Surfshark-specific names for the protections we're testing.

★ Common Surfshark connection issues
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"Bypasser excludes our domain by mistake"

Fix: Settings -> Bypasser -> remove isvpnworking.com from 'Bypass via the VPN'. Or just disable Bypasser.

"Slow speeds on WireGuard, faster on OpenVPN"

Fix: Counterintuitive but real on Surfshark. Try OpenVPN UDP for some servers. Or Settings -> Advanced -> 'Use Small Packets' if your network needs MTU help.

"Netflix unblock fails even on streaming-tagged servers"

Fix: Try Camouflage Mode (Settings -> Connectivity). Or rotate through 3-4 different cities; Netflix blocklist updates hourly.

★ Surfshark's leak protection - what we found
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Run the widget above with Surfshark connected. Our automated check evaluates four signals: VPN brand detection (via proxycheck.io + org-name heuristic), WebRTC peer-to-peer leak, DNS routing, and IPv6 exposure.

Based on Surfshark's default configuration:

  • WebRTC: OS firewall block
  • DNS handling: Private DNS, optional CleanWeb ad/malware blocking
  • IPv6: blocked
  • Kill switch: on by default
  • Port forwarding: no
  • Obfuscation: NoBorders mode + Camouflage Mode

Notable incident in Surfshark's history: Verified by Cure53 audits 2018+2021 with all critical findings remediated

Tested with our checker: WebRTC and IPv6 rows depend on your individual Surfshark setup (server choice, kill-switch state). DNS row is a stub right now (real server-side test in progress) - so the strict checks are WebRTC and IPv6. Cross-check by running the test with Surfshark disconnected, then again with it connected.

Notes last reviewed: 2026-05-11. Settings and defaults change over time; verify in the app if it's been months.

★ Surfshark vs alternatives
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How Surfshark compares to its closest competitors on the dimensions our checker tests:

Dimension SurfsharkNordVPNCyberGhost
Headline price $2.49/mo (2-year)$3.39/mo (2-year)$2.03/mo (2-year)
Jurisdiction Netherlands (post-2021 relocation from BVI)Panama (outside 5/9/14 Eyes)Romania (EU, no mandatory retention)
Audit Deloitte 2023, Cure53 2018+2021PwC 2018, 2020, 2022; Deloitte 2023Deloitte 2022
Devices unlimited107
Port forwarding ✗✗✗
IPv6 blocksblocksblocks
Free tier 7-day mobile trialno24-hour trial only

Reality check: Cheapest of the major audited VPNs. Unlimited devices is the household killer feature. Quality matches Nord at half the price.

Verdict: Best value of the major-VPN tier. Pick if family/multi-device or budget matters more than absolute fastest.

Compare directly: Is NordVPN working? · Is CyberGhost working?

try Surfshark ↗
FAQ - Surfshark
Is Surfshark safe?[+]

Audited three times (Cure53 2018+2021, Deloitte 2023). Netherlands jurisdiction, no mandatory data retention. RAM-only servers since 2022.

Does Surfshark keep logs?[+]

No activity logs, audit-confirmed. Billing kept. Aggregate connection counts (no per-user) for fraud protection.

Does Surfshark work in China?[+]

Yes, with NoBorders mode. Less reliable than ExpressVPN in our testing; sometimes drops, but generally workable.

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