IVPN vs Surfshark
IVPN has the higher grade on both axes: Safety 7.2 against 5.2, and Privacy 9.4 against 5.8.
IVPN
VPN with generated account IDs, no email, and cash, Monero or Bitcoin payment
Privacy
9.4/ 10
Excellent
Safety
7.2/ 10
Strong
ID never required KYC 0 Docs reviewed Full review →
Surfshark
Netherlands-based VPN with crypto checkout on desktop and a 30-day refund window
Privacy
5.8/ 10
Fair
Safety
5.2/ 10
Caution
No ID mentioned KYC 1 Docs reviewed Full review →
Side by side
| IVPN | Surfshark | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | VPNs | VPNs |
| KYC policy | ID never required | No ID mentioned |
| Custody | N/A | N/A |
| Sign-up | Random account number | Email required |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Tor onion address | No | No |
| Coins | BTC, XMR | Not published |
| Pay with | Crypto, Monero, Lightning, Cash, Card, PayPal | Card, PayPal, Crypto |
| Fees | Standard plan $2/week, $6/month or $60/year when checked | Subscription plans; 30-day money-back guarantee on the first purchase |
| Founded | 2009 | Not published |
| Jurisdiction | Gibraltar | Netherlands |
| Incidents on record | 1 | 0 |
| Published tests (180 days) | 0 | 0 |
Only IVPN
No email neededNo phone neededAccount-number loginAccepts MoneroAccepts LightningAccepts cashOpen sourceIndependent audit5+ years operating
Both
No-logs policy
Only Surfshark
Requires emailLegal entity disclosedClosed source
Where they sit among vpns
Questions
Is IVPN or Surfshark safer?
IVPN has the higher Safety grade: IVPN 7.2, Surfshark 5.2, out of 10.
Does IVPN or Surfshark require KYC?
IVPN is KYC level 0 (ID never required). Surfshark is KYC level 1 (no ID mentioned).
Which has more incidents on record?
IVPN has 1 and Surfshark has 0 documented incidents in the registry.