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A VPN will always be a little slower than your raw internet connection, since your traffic is taking a longer path. But if Surfshark feels much slower than usual, a few specific things are almost always the cause, and most are fixable in a couple of minutes.
Connect to a Closer Server
Distance matters more than almost anything else. The farther your data has to travel to the VPN server and back, the slower the connection feels. If you don’t specifically need a server in another country, pick the closest one to your actual location for the best speed.
Try a Different Server in the Same Area
Even the closest server can be slow if too many people are using it at once. Try switching to a different server in the same city or country. This alone often fixes a slowdown that has nothing to do with your actual internet connection.
Switch the Protocol
Different connection protocols trade off speed differently. WireGuard is generally the fastest option in most cases. If you’re using OpenVPN or IKEv2 and speed is the priority, switching to WireGuard in the app’s settings is worth trying first.
Check for Other Apps Competing for Bandwidth
A slowdown that feels VPN-specific is often actually a bandwidth problem happening at the same time. Cloud backup services, auto-updating apps, and streaming devices elsewhere on the same network can all quietly eat into the bandwidth your VPN connection has to work with. Close anything downloading or syncing in the background, and check if other devices on your network are streaming or downloading heavily, before concluding the VPN itself is the bottleneck. Surfshark’s unlimited device connections make this an easy thing to overlook if you have several devices connected at once.
Turn Off Extra Features You’re Not Using
Surfshark includes extra features like ad blocking and malware protection built into the app. These are useful, but they do add a small amount of processing overhead. If speed matters more than these extras right now, turning them off temporarily can help, especially on an older device.
Test Your Connection Without the VPN On
Before assuming Surfshark is the problem, run a speed test with the VPN turned off. If your regular internet is already slow, no VPN setting will fix that; the issue is with your internet connection itself, not Surfshark.
Switch From Wi-Fi to a Wired Connection
Wireless interference can look exactly like a VPN slowdown. If you’re on a laptop or desktop near your router, plugging in an ethernet cable and testing again tells you quickly whether Wi-Fi itself is part of the problem.
Compare Surfshark’s plans directly if speed is the main thing you care about when choosing a VPN.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much slower should I expect a VPN to make my connection?
A well-optimized VPN connection on a nearby server usually costs somewhere around 10 to 20 percent of your raw speed under normal conditions. If you’re losing much more than that, one of the fixes above is likely to help.
Does the time of day affect VPN speed?
Yes. Servers tend to be busier during peak evening hours in their region, which can slow things down. If a server is consistently slow at the same time each day, trying a different server location can help.
Will changing my DNS settings actually help?
It can, in some cases. Slow DNS resolution can add a delay before your connection even starts loading a page. Switching to a fast public DNS service is a reasonable thing to try if the steps above don’t fully solve it, though it’s a smaller factor than server distance and protocol choice.