SurfEasy VPN Review: Does it Really hide IP & maintain privacy? Let’s find out…

You are being monitored online!

Yes, that’s TRUE.

Whatever you surf on the internet, whatever you search and all the websites you visit are being monitored by the government.

Chill, you don’t need to worry as long as you are not a terrorist. (Haha… I hope you are not)

Anyways, there is an option to hide your IP address and maintain privacy over the internet.

Meet SurfEasy

Now that I have introduced SurfEasy in front of you, does it really hide your tracks so that you can’t be monitored?

For these purposes, I ran a few tests to check whether this VPN is different from the others or not.

Let’s go through each test one-by-one:

Performance (Speedtest)

If you use a VPN, it is obvious that you would choose a different location to mask your IP address. But, does that affect your internet speed?

There are several factors that may cause a reduction in internet speed while using VPN Software. So, you can’t just say it happened due to VPN.

Or did it? Let’s find out.

I used the SurfEasy VPN to connect to a location different from my Home Address (I won’t show you where I live).

But first, here is the result of the normal internet speed at my place:

Yes, that’s the speed! Now I turned on SurfEasy and the server automatically switched its location to Singapore. Speedtest at Singapore got like this:

Just a slight reduction, I was not convinced by this. So I tried to use a different location – Poland. The results were unbelievable:

Just kidding. The speed reduced by around 40%. Now I can stay in peace. So, this much reduction is expected for a VPN.

I ran my two favorite tests.

The Netflix – Accessing Netflix for Australia.

Yep, that worked fine.

Now was the time for torrent files to be checked.

It’s illegal to use torrent websites in a few nations. So, Poland was a good option for me to try torrenting. I waited for 7 long minutes…

Nah! Didn’t Work. Then I saw the plan:

Torrent protection is available if you elect the Ultra Plan. I took a subscription to the starter plan for testing.

Disappointing.

Anyways I can conclude that while using SurfEasy the speed reduces between 20%-40% (depending upon the server you choose), works well with NetFlix and you need to have an Ultra Plan for downloading torrent files. I won’t recommend it for torrent.

Ease of Use

This is a section that you often skip because it shows the user-friendliness of this VPN Software. But yes it is pretty simple to use.

Well, I faced a problem while setting up an account because I didn’t receive a link via email. I had to contact the support team.

It’s up now and easy to use.

All you need to do in the beginning is:

Once you are in, you will find a variety of options here.

Go to the download option and select the device for which you want the setup.

I will take the example of Windows. Once the software is downloaded, run the file and within a few minutes, SurfEasy is available to start.

The following options will be available to you on the main screen of the SurfEasy VPN software.

Home: Will show you the location on which your device is connected.

The Usage: Will show you how much data you have used.

Rewards: Will show you the schemes that can give you additional data.

The toggle switch given above is used to turn the VPN ON/OFF. The icon beside the setting will allow you to change the location of the server.

So the steps are easy, nice and simple enough to set up the SurfEasy VPN as well as use it.

Let us look at the available pricing plans and features:

Pricing & Features

This is the part which I like to discuss more about.

Why?

Pricing is an essential tool that would help you decide how valuable your product is. We tend to buy products that are cheap or have attractive discounts.

Take a look at their pricing plans:

So here, they offer a free trial plan. That’s great!

But if it is free, it might have some limitations. Yes, the plan has a data usage limitation of just 500 MB.

The other two plans are discounted, how? They have smartly used the Monthly and Annual toggle on the topmost section which allows you to see both the prices.

If you see the TOTAL plan includes unlimited data and tracker blocking at $4.99/month if you decide to pay monthly. But if you switch it to the annual pricing, the TOTAL plan will cost $3.99/Month which will be billed annually. Similar is the case for the ULTRA plan.

Trust me, a company works over its pricing strategies with a low-profit margin to increase sales.

But hey, they also offer a 7-Day money-back guarantee for the paid plans. So if you cancel the subscription within 7 days, you will be refunded the full amount you paid.

That’s okay, but what about the features?

See what SurfEasy has to offer:

• Strict no-log network: No data or activity is logged of your browsing or download history.
• Bank-grade encryption: To secure your information
  1000+ servers across 28 countries
• Responsive on multiple platforms
• 7-Day money-back guarantee

And a few more.

So closing this section here, I came to the conclusion that the pricing plans paid annually are cheaper than the prices that you pay monthly. Plus, the features are not that good compared to the price that this VPN Software asks for.

See Current Plans & Pricing here…

Customer Support

Customer support is important if you want your business to survive. And that includes quick response to their queries through a convenient mode of communication.

This is where the trouble for SurfEasy VPN users begins.

Although it has good features, it still lags in customer support.

Their website states that they provide chat support, but it doesn’t have one. There is only one customer support available and that is via email.

The first problem that I faced using SurfEasy was at its very first step –

During Registration!

I entered my email id to register myself and then a message appeared that told me to wait for an email containing the link to set a password.

I didn’t receive any link on my email for up to 3 hours.

So I decided to contact the Customer support team.

Yes, that’s the only response I have till now. A bit disappointing.

It had been more than 3 hours now again and I am not used to waiting for this much. Still had to wait.

And the link came next day via email and that too the customer support sent it.

Anyways, that was the installation part. Now I started using it but still – the torrent didn’t work. So I again had to contact the customer support team.

When I pressed the “HELP?” on the website, it opened up a new window where I typed in my Query:

It displayed results and an option to leave a message. Unfortunately, I had to leave a message to them as the solution to my query was not there in the given list.

And they told me to wait until they reply.

They did reply after a way too long time:

Thank You Michael, I won’t be able to use Torrent in a Starter plan.

So overall, it looks like customer support would be a little slow and this may cause a hindrance to your use. It would have been better if the response time was not delayed or if there was a live chat option provided.

Security & Privacy

One of the biggest concerns for everyone using the internet is Cybersecurity. These statistics show what percentage of people suffered from cyberattacks and how these attacks spread.

According to research carried out by the Pew Research Center, 86% of people mask their IP Address while using the internet.

This means that people are much more concerned about their privacy online. No one wants their accounts to be hacked or their data to be used by an anonymous party.

Well, VPN helps you mask your identity online.

Considering SurfEasy, it also doesn’t keep records of your activities that you do online.

They offer Bank-grade security encryption via user id and password so that your information remains secure.

Ever wondered why the advertisements related to our searches appear on some of the websites? That’s because your online activities are tracked.

Enhanced Tracker Blocker feature of SurfEasy VPN doesn’t let you get disturbed by the ads even if your cookies are enabled. This feature is available in the Total and Ultra plans of this VPN Software.

Thus, there is no such issue regarding the security and privacy offered by this VPN software. However, this VPN is not equipped with a Kill Switch. This means that there is a chance that your IP address might be revealed if the connection is dropped accidentally. No one would like to risk their privacy over the internet.

Summing this up, the SurfEasy VPN offers you security with no logs, bank-grade encryption, enhanced tracker blocker and of course, masking your IP address. The only missing feature is a Kill Switch apart from which it has reliable security.

Pros:

• Your browsing or download history is not logged in this software.
• Allows using the Software simultaneously on 5 devices with a single account.
• Supports multiple platforms – Windows, MAC, iOS, Android, and also offers extension for Chrome and Opera browsers also.
• Offers schemes to get more data limits.

Cons:

• There is no Live-chat option available. You need to send an email and wait until they reply.
• The email option of customer support takes a very long time to respond (maybe it’s just me or maybe not).
• Torrenting protection is available in the Ultra Plan only.
• The Free plan only offers a 500 MB data limit.
• No Kill Switch feature.

Conclusion: Do I recommend SurfEasy?

Coming to an end of all the tests carried out, I will give you the final verdict of whether I recommend using SurfEasy or not.

But first, let me tell you that my conclusion is totally based on the results that I got through the tests that I ran.

So, from the speed test, it can be derived that the internet speed may be reduced by 20% to 40% and also you can only use the torrent if you are an Ultra Plan subscriber. The steps to install and use this VPN are simple and easy to understand.

The pricing plans are not too bad as they also offer a free plan, but yes, with certain limitations on data usage and protection. The customer support only offers email support for which you will need to wait for their reply.

And finally, the security is reliable with the only thing missing i.e. the Kill Switch feature. Otherwise, this VPN Software is trustworthy as it doesn’t log a track of your activities.

This SurfEasy VPN review done by me is derived from the tests which I carried out, totally honest.

Not too bad, it has a free version available, of course with limitations. But, it has a free version and that too with referral schemes.

There is no harm in trying it right? So why not give it a try!.

Try SurfEasy VPN

Write your own review!

Hello, I would like to know whether my review on this VPN was too critical or just fine. Was there something that I missed here?

Let me know what you think. Please leave your comments below.