NordVPN Owns Surfshark Now. Should You Be Worried?
In 2022, Nord Security quietly merged with Surfshark. Two of the biggest VPN brands — supposedly competitors — now owned by the same company. When you see “NordVPN vs Surfshark” comparisons, you’re comparing siblings.
I was actually a Surfshark subscriber when this happened. Woke up to the news that my “independent alternative” was now owned by the company I’d chosen it over. That moment is what made me start digging into VPN ownership properly — and it’s why this article exists.
The flagship. 6,400+ servers, 111 countries. The brand everyone knows.
The budget option. Unlimited devices. Now owned by Nord Security.
Password manager competing with 1Password and Bitwarden.
Encrypted cloud storage.
Business VPN for enterprise teams.
Was budget tier. Now discontinued and folded into Surfshark.
The case for concern
One company controlling multiple major VPNs means a single point of failure. If Nord Security faces a breach or government pressure, it affects everything. And without real competition between its own brands, there’s less pressure to innovate or keep prices low.
The case for calm
NordVPN has published multiple independent audits from Deloitte and PwC. RAM-only servers. Based in Panama. Disclosed a 2019 breach proactively before anyone found it. Compare that to Kape (ExpressVPN’s owner) — Nord looks like a model citizen.