hide.me vs Surfshark

Comparing: two VPNs
Decided by: Independent no-logs audits
Last reviewed: 2026-08-26

hide.meTakes bitcoin

One of the first VPNs ever audited, re-audited a decade later, with a free tier that does not cap your data at all.

SurfsharkTakes bitcoin

Unlimited devices and Deloitte-verified no-logs, from a company that merged into the same group as NordVPN in 2022.

No verdict

No verdict: both carry 2 independent audits, so the rows below decide by jurisdiction, price and how you want to pay.

Criterion: Independent no-logs audits
hide.me: 2
Surfshark: 2

hide.me and Surfshark, fact by fact

Every row is from the two reviews as of their review dates, with sources on each. A check marks the side a decidable criterion favours; rows without one are information, not a score.

hide.me and Surfshark compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
Fact	hide.me	Surfshark
Independent audits	2, latest 2024	2, latest 2025
Real-world tests	0	0
Incidents on record	0	0
Market exits	0	0
Owner	eVenture Limited	Nord Security
Jurisdiction	Malaysia	Netherlands
Eyes alliance	Outside	Nine Eyes
Price	Free tier, or from $2.59/mo	From $2.49/mo on the 2yr plan
Money-back	30 days	30 days
Crypto accepted	bitcoin, monero, ethereum, litecoin, dogecoin, solana	bitcoin, litecoin, ethereum, bitcoin cash, dogecoin
Anonymous signup	No	No
Free tier	No data cap, 8 locations, one device, reduced speeds, no card needed	None
Servers	Vendor states roughly 2,600 servers across 92 locations, with free users limited to eight of them	Vendor states more than 4,500 servers across 100 countries, all upgraded to 10Gbps ports
Last reviewed	2026-08-26	2026-08-26

No-logs evidence, side by side

Dated audits and real-world tests from each review. An empty column is a finding: the claim has not been independently checked.

hide.me

2024Audit by Securitum: no-logs policy and the RAM-only server infrastructure, with a published summary report
2015Audit by DefenseCode: one of the first independent examinations of a VPN provider's logging claims

Surfshark

2025Audit by Deloitte: independent assurance that the service does not monitor or log user activity, announced June 2025
2023Audit by Deloitte: first Deloitte no-logs assurance engagement on the server configurations

Frequently asked questions

Is hide.me or Surfshark better for privacy?

No verdict: both carry 2 independent audits, so the rows below decide by jurisdiction, price and how you want to pay. Audits, court and seizure records and incidents are dated on each review with their sources.

Can I pay hide.me or Surfshark with bitcoin?

hide.me takes bitcoin, monero, ethereum, litecoin, dogecoin and solana (processor: In-house). Surfshark takes bitcoin, litecoin, ethereum, bitcoin cash and dogecoin (processor: CoinGate). Each review quotes the vendor's own refund sentence for crypto purchases verbatim.

Which is cheaper, hide.me or Surfshark?

hide.me: Free tier, or from $2.59/mo. Surfshark: From $2.49/mo on the 2yr plan. Money-back: hide.me 30 days, Surfshark 30 days. Prices are from each vendor's own page as of the review date.

Where are hide.me and Surfshark based?

hide.me: Malaysia (outside the five, nine and fourteen eyes alliances). Surfshark: Netherlands (nine eyes member). A jurisdiction matters less than a court record showing what the provider could hand over; the reviews carry those where they exist.

The full reviews: hide.me and Surfshark, each with its sources, and every VPN we review.

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