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Is Surfshark VPN Safe?

Surfshark VPN privacy label · by SURFSHARK LTD · checked November 2026

  • Recently updated
App Privacy label Developer-reported · checked November 1, 2026
Used to track you
0types

None declared

Linked to you
4types
Not linked to you
3types
Short answer

Mostly a question of trust: Surfshark VPN collects data linked to you but declares no tracking. The sensitive items are user content. In total the label lists 5 data types; 44% of privacy protection apps we checked declare tracking.

At a glance

Surfshark VPN privacy in one look

Data exposure on the label
Linked to you
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4

Built only from the developer's App Store label. It describes disclosure, not tested behaviour.

Verdict from the label
Linked to you, no tracking

Surfshark VPN collects 4 data types tied to your identity but declares no tracking.

Try it

Did Surfshark VPN ask for something?

Pick the permission prompt you saw. We compare it with what Surfshark VPN's developer declared.

It asked me for access to…
Tap a prompt to compare it with the label.
Not on the label

Location is not on Surfshark VPN's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.

Matches the label

Surfshark VPN lists User Content on its label, linked to you. Choose Limited Access and pick only the photos you want to share.

Not on the label

Contacts is not on Surfshark VPN's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.

Not declared on the label

Surfshark VPN declares no tracking, so a tracking prompt would contradict its label. Decline it, and consider reporting the mismatch to Apple.

Not on the label

Health & Fitness is not on Surfshark VPN's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.

A permission is what the app can reach on your iPhone; the label is what the developer says leaves it. They answer different questions.

Line by line

What Surfshark VPN collects, explained

Data typeWhat it coversWhere to limit it
User ContentSensitiveLinked to you Messages, photos, videos, audio recordings, documents and support chats you create or upload. Settings › Privacy & Security › Photos: choose Limited Access or None; review Microphone and Files access too.
Contact InfoNot linked to you Your name, email address, phone number or postal address. Use Sign in with Apple with Hide My Email where offered, and check the app's account and marketing preferences.
IdentifiersLinked to youNot linked to you An account ID, screen name, customer number or a device-level ID such as the advertising identifier. Settings › Privacy & Security › Tracking: turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track, or tap Ask App Not to Track when prompted.
Usage DataLinked to you What you tap, open and view inside the app, plus which ads you have seen. There is no single iOS switch. Look for an analytics or personalised-ads toggle in the app's own settings.
DiagnosticsLinked to youNot linked to you Crash logs, launch times, hang rates and energy use. Settings › Privacy & Security › Analytics & Improvements › Share With App Developers controls what Apple passes on; the app's own crash reporting is separate.
Reading the label

What Surfshark VPN's label means for you

Surfshark VPN's label has 4 types under “Data Linked to You”, 3 types under “Data Not Linked to You”. A data type can appear in more than one section when it is used for different purposes — for example, identifiers used for both analytics and advertising.

Surfshark VPN declares no tracking, which means the developer says it does not combine your data with other companies' data for advertising or sell it to data brokers. The data linked to you — user content, identifiers, usage data and diagnostics — is still tied to your identity, typically through an account, and is covered by the developer's privacy policy and retention rules.

The items that deserve the most attention are user content. This is the content you actually care about. Where it is stored, who can read it and how it is backed up matters more than any other line on the label.

Privacy tools — VPNs, blockers and scanners — can see a lot of your traffic. A privacy app that collects identifiers or usage data deserves a careful read. Check whether the app logs traffic or DNS queries and who operates its servers.

Among the 147 privacy protection apps in our snapshot with a label, 44% declare tracking, 62% collect data linked to you and 22% say they collect nothing. Surfshark VPN lists 5 data types, more than the average of 3.1 for this group.

Productivity apps tend to collect the work you do in them — documents, notes and files — so User Content is common. The question is whether it syncs to the developer's servers and how it is protected there.

On your iPhone

Settings to check for Surfshark VPN

  1. 1

    Tracking

    Settings › Privacy & Security › Tracking. If “Allow Apps to Request to Track” is off, apps cannot ask, and they are told to treat you as having declined. You can also turn it off for this app alone.

  2. 2

    Photos

    Settings › Privacy & Security › Photos. Limited Access lets you pick exactly which pictures the app can see; Add Photos Only lets it save without reading your library.

  3. 3

    Sign-in

    When creating an account, Sign in with Apple can give the app a relay address from Hide My Email instead of your real one.

  4. 4

    Lock the app

    On iOS 18 and later, touch and hold the icon and choose Require Face ID. Anyone who picks up your unlocked phone then needs your face, fingerprint or passcode to open it.

  5. 5

    Notifications

    Settings › Notifications › Surfshark VPN › Show Previews: When Unlocked keeps message and account details off the Lock Screen.

Cross-app tracking

Does Surfshark VPN track you?

No tracking declared

There is no “Data Used to Track You” section on Surfshark VPN's label.

Does Surfshark VPN track you? Full answer and how to stop it →

iOS 18 and later

Lock Surfshark VPN behind Face ID

  1. Find Surfshark VPN on your Home Screen or in App Library.
  2. Touch and hold the icon until the quick-actions menu opens.
  3. Tap Require Face ID (or Require Touch ID / Require Passcode, depending on your iPhone).
  4. Tap Require Face ID again to confirm. Surfshark VPN now asks for authentication every time it opens.

The lock is an iPhone feature, so it works whether or not Surfshark VPN has a passcode of its own. It does not change what the app sends to its developer.

From the App Store record

About Surfshark VPN

DeveloperSURFSHARK LTD
App Store categoryProductivity (also Utilities)
Latest version5.1.0, released October 2026
First releasedAugust 2018
RequiresiOS 17.0 or later
Size503 MB
Age rating4+
Languages13 (EN, FR, DE, IT, JA, KO, PL, PT…)
Bundle IDcom.surfshark.vpnclient.ios

The current version shipped in October 2026, so the app is actively maintained and its label is likely current. Labels are updated by developers when practices change.

Read with care

What the label cannot tell you

  • A label is self-reported. Apple publishes the developer's answers and can reject apps that misrepresent them, but it does not independently verify what Surfshark VPN sends.
  • It does not say where data is stored, how long it is kept, whether it is encrypted, or which companies receive it. The privacy policy covers those points.
  • Optional data counts: if a feature lets you add something (a profile photo, a phone number), the type is listed even if you never use the feature.
  • Data handled only on your iPhone is not 'collected', so a no-collection label is compatible with an app that reads your files locally.
  • Third-party sign-in, payment processors and SDKs are supposed to be included, but a label can lag behind a new version.

The question to ask Surfshark VPN's developer: Does the privacy app itself log what I do?

How it compares

Surfshark VPN vs similar privacy protection apps

Data types listed on each App Store privacy label
Tracks youLinked to youNot linkedCollects nothing

Fewer types is not automatically safer: a cloud backup app has to collect your files to work. Compare like with like.

Checking another app?

Look up any of our apps in seconds, or put two labels side by side.

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All privacy protection apps → Who tracks you? A–Z → Apps that collect user content → Privacy label decoder →

Do it now

Your Surfshark VPN privacy checklist

Tick what you have done
Tick each step as you do it on your iPhone.

Done. You have applied every control the label points to.

Quick quiz

True or false?

  1. Q1Surfshark VPN's privacy label says it uses data to track you.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    False: there is no Data Used to Track You section on Surfshark VPN's label.

  2. Q2Apple tests every app to confirm its privacy label is accurate.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    Labels are self-reported by developers. Apple can reject or remove apps that misrepresent practices, but it does not audit each label.

  3. Q3Surfshark VPN collects User Content.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    True: User Content appears on its label.

  4. Q4Data “Not Linked to You” is never sent off your iPhone.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    It is collected and sent; the developer says it is de-identified rather than tied to your account or device.

  5. Q5Tapping “Ask App Not to Track” can stop an app from working.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    Apple's rules require apps to work the same whether or not you allow tracking.

Questions people ask

Surfshark VPN privacy FAQ

Is Surfshark VPN safe to use?
Based on its App Store privacy label, surfshark VPN collects 4 data types tied to your identity but declares no tracking. Whether that is acceptable depends on what you will store in it. The label is developer-reported, not an independent security test.
Does Surfshark VPN track you?
No. Surfshark VPN's label has no Data Used to Track You section.
What data does Surfshark VPN collect?
User content, contact info, identifiers, usage data and diagnostics. Of these, user content, identifiers, usage data and diagnostics are linked to your identity.
Who makes Surfshark VPN?
SURFSHARK LTD, according to the App Store. It was first released in August 2018 and the current version is 5.1.0.
Can I lock Surfshark VPN with Face ID?
On iOS 18 or later, touch and hold Surfshark VPN's icon and choose Require Face ID (or Touch ID / Passcode). This is an iPhone feature and works for most downloaded apps, whether or not the app has its own lock. If you don't see the option, update iOS.
How does Surfshark VPN compare with other privacy protection apps?
Across 147 privacy protection apps with labels in our snapshot, 44% declare tracking and 22% say they collect no data. Surfshark VPN lists 5 data types against an average of 3.1.
Does the privacy app itself log what I do?
The privacy label cannot answer that. Look for it in Surfshark VPN's privacy policy or support pages, linked from the App Store listing. Check whether the app logs traffic or DNS queries and who operates its servers.
How do I delete my data from Surfshark VPN?
Apps that let you create an account must also let you start account deletion from inside the app (an App Store rule since June 2022). Deleting the app from your iPhone alone does not delete data already sent to the developer.
Facts on this page come from Surfshark VPN on the App Store, as reported by the developer. Checked 2026-11-01. How we collect data · Report a correction