Surfshark will connect you to Netflix, and it markets its VPN to Netflix viewers on its own site, but whether Netflix plays on the other side depends on your Netflix plan, the server you pick and Netflix's own rules. Netflix blocks VPNs on its ad-supported plan and for live events, and its terms ask you to watch mainly in the country where you opened your account. Everything below comes from Surfshark's and Netflix's own pages, checked on November 4, 2026. We did not test which Netflix catalogs load through Surfshark.
What Surfshark says about Netflix
Surfshark has a page for Netflix users, and its pitch is narrower than the one most older reviews make. It says that connecting to a server in your home country lets you "access the same libraries you see from your living room," which is a promise for people traveling abroad. The page does not name any foreign Netflix catalog or say how many it can open.
The network behind that is large. Surfshark lists 4,500+ servers in 100 countries and 130+ locations, all of them RAM-only, which means nothing is written to a hard drive. One subscription covers unlimited devices at the same time, so a phone, a laptop and the living-room TV can all be connected at once without a device limit getting in the way.
Surfshark's page also says that using its service for anything illegal breaks its terms, and that you need to make sure your use follows the law and the rules of the services and websites you visit. That second part matters for Netflix.
What Netflix allows
Netflix's terms of use say you may watch "primarily within the country in which you have established your account," and only in places where Netflix has licensed the show. Licenses vary by country and often run for a limited time, which is why the catalog changes when you cross a border. The terms do not mention VPNs by name, but they do ban getting around Netflix's content protections.
Netflix's help center is more direct. When it detects a VPN or proxy, it shows error E106 with the message "You seem to be using a VPN or proxy. Please turn off any of these services and try again." It also says that VPNs aren't supported on an ad-supported plan or for watching live events. If you pay for the cheapest plan with ads, a VPN will not help you watch Netflix, whichever provider you choose.
So the safest use of Surfshark with Netflix is the one Surfshark itself describes: you keep your normal home catalog while you are away, and the VPN protects you on hotel and airport Wi-Fi at the same time.
How to watch Netflix with Surfshark
You need an active Netflix plan without ads and a Surfshark subscription. Surfshark's own setup takes three steps.
- Choose a Surfshark plan and create your account.
- Install the Surfshark app on the device you watch on. Surfshark has apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Apple TV and Fire TV, plus browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Edge.
- Press Quick-connect, or pick a server in your home country, and open Netflix once the connection is active.
Quick-connect picks the fastest server near you, which is fine at home. When you travel, choose your home country yourself so Netflix sees the location that matches your account.
Smart TVs and streaming boxes are where people get stuck. Surfshark links to setup guides for Roku, Android TV, Samsung TV and LG TV, and for any device that can't run a VPN app it suggests putting Surfshark on your router, which covers everything on that Wi-Fi network. Apple TV has its own app; our guide to setting up Surfshark on Apple TV has the steps.
If Netflix shows an error
Surfshark's help center has a page for Netflix problems, and its fixes are worth trying in this order.
For a Netflix site error, disconnect from the Surfshark server, log in to Netflix, reconnect to the same server and refresh your browser.
For a streaming error, clear your browser's cache, or delete and reinstall the Netflix app if you watch in the app. If the problem only happens on one server, try a few others. On a games console or smart TV, restart the device, or unplug it for several minutes. Surfshark also suggests a DNS leak test, because a leak means something on your device is going around the VPN. If the Netflix app keeps failing, try the Netflix website instead.
If the error appears on one Netflix profile only, switch to another profile on the same account. If Netflix keeps loading and never starts, Surfshark suggests changing the protocol to OpenVPN/UDP under Settings, then VPN Settings, then Protocol, and trying other locations.
Netflix's own advice for error E106 is to turn the VPN off. It suggests running the test at fast.com and comparing the country it shows with where you are; if they differ, a VPN is still active somewhere on your device or network. That check is useful when you want Netflix without the VPN and something keeps routing you abroad.
What it costs to try
Surfshark sells three plans, Starter, One and One+, and every one includes the VPN with unlimited devices. Starter costs $18.95 billed monthly. The 1-year Starter plan costs $44.85 for the first 15 months and the 2-year plan costs $67.23 for the first 27 months, about $2.49 a month. Both renew at $79 a year. One and One+ bundle extra Surfshark tools with the VPN; One renews at $99 a year, and its 1-year and 2-year prices matched Starter's when we checked.
You can test Netflix before you pay. Surfshark offers a 7-day free trial on its 12-month and 24-month plans, which needs a card, PayPal or Apple Pay to start and covers up to 3 devices until the trial ends. After that, a 30-day money-back guarantee applies, so you have time to check Netflix on every screen you care about. Our Surfshark listing has the full price table.
If Surfshark doesn't suit you
Surfshark's case for Netflix is the price and the lack of a device limit, which suit a family with several TVs. Other VPNs publish more about streaming. Our guide to the best VPNs for Netflix compares Surfshark with ExpressVPN, NordVPN and other providers on what each one says about Netflix, and the same Netflix rules apply to all of them.
