Is There a Surfshark 3-Year Plan?
Many VPN users search for long-term deals, hoping to lock in the best value without worrying about frequent renewals. A 3-year plan often sounds like the perfect option, offering peace of mind and reduced costs. However, when it comes to Surfshark, there is no 3-year subscription available.
The longest plan currently offered is for 2 years, sometimes with bonus months added during promotions. This article explores why Surfshark doesn’t provide a 3-year plan, what subscription options it does offer, and why the 2-year plan remains the best choice.
What Does a 3-Year VPN Plan Mean?
A 3-year VPN plan means you pay one upfront fee for access to the VPN for 36 months. It’s a commitment that locks you in at that rate, often at a discounted price. Some users view it as nearly “set and forget,” better than renewing every year.
However, offering a 3-year subscription means the provider must commit to maintaining infrastructure, security updates, support, and server expansion for that entire period. That carries cost and risk, especially if the market or technology evolves rapidly.
Because of these reasons, many VPNs limit maximum plan lengths to 2 years (or sometimes less), to remain flexible and sustainable.
Why Surfshark Doesn’t Offer a 3-Year Plan
Surfshark currently provides subscription options for 1 month, 12 months, and 24 months. They also often include bonus months (e.g. extra months free) on longer plans.
They do not list any 36-month or 3-year option on their pricing page. There are several strong reasons for this:
- Sustainability: Running servers, securing infrastructure, and maintaining features costs money continuously. A very long plan reduces recurring revenue, making it harder to plan upgrades or security improvements.
- Technology changes: Over three years, encryption standards, protocols, and threat landscapes change. A provider needs flexibility to adapt.
- Predictable renewal cycles: With 2-year plans, users come back more often, letting the company re-evaluate pricing, offers, and improvements.
- Market flexibility: Surfshark can run promotions, revise features, and respond to competition more easily when plan lengths are shorter.
Because of these constraints, Surfshark sticks to 2-year as its longest offering, which balances value and sustainability.
Surfshark’s Current Plans: Starter, One, One+
Although there is no 3-year plan, Surfshark offers multiple plan tiers or bundles to suit different user needs. These are:
- Surfshark Starter
- Surfshark One
- Surfshark One+
All three come with the same duration options: 1 month, 12 months, and 24 months. Let’s look at what each tier offers and how their pricing works.
1. Surfshark Starter
This is the base plan. The 2-year plan (plus bonus months) goes down to $1.99/month in many markets. It includes:
- Full VPN service (all core features: encryption, server access, etc.)
- Alternative ID (features like masked email, alias generation)
- Core privacy features such as CleanWeb (ad/ tracker blocking)
The 1-year plan costs more per month (e.g. about $2.79, depending on region). The monthly plan is much more expensive per month.
2. Surfshark One
Surfshark One is a bundle that combines the VPN plus additional security features. The 2-year One plan often rates ~$2.49/month (or comparable in your region) when used with discounts.
- Everything in Starter
- Antivirus / anti-malware protection
- Real-time breach alerts
- Private search engine
- Identity monitoring tools
3. Surfshark One+
One+ is the top bundle. It includes all features of One, plus Incogni — a data removal / personal data broker removal service.
The 2-year One+ often goes down to ~$3.99/month with many discounts. The 1-year One+ plan costs more. The monthly One+ rate is the highest.
Discount Structure & 88%+ Off on 2-Year
One of the biggest incentives to pick a 2-year plan is the deep discount. Surfshark often advertises “save up to 87%” on its 2-year deals.
The Starter 2-year plan, in many promotions, is offered for $1.99/month (or equivalent in local currency), with bonus months included.
Comparatively, the monthly plan might be $15.45 or more in some markets, making long-term plans much more cost-effective.
Because of this, the 2-year plan often ends up being the “sweet spot” — giving you peace-of-mind long-term access without wildly inflated cost.
Why Users Ask About a 3-Year Plan & Risks of Lifetime Thinking
Many users want the peace of “subscribe once and forget for several years.” A 3-year plan seems like a middle ground between yearly and lifetime. But there are drawbacks to wanting an extended term beyond what providers offer:
- Too long a commitment: If service quality declines or new competitors arise, you might be stuck with a plan at a bad rate.
- Technology changes: VPN protocols, encryption standards, and security needs evolve. A plan locked in for 3 years may lag behind newer standards.
- Business changes: The provider could adjust service policies, infrastructure, or pricing on renewal. Longer plans reduce flexibility.
- Inflated expectations: People may mistake a “3-year discounted plan” for “lifetime” or “forever.” This confusion can lead to disappointment.
Because of these risks, many reliable VPNs avoid extremely long or lifetime plans. Surfshark’s 2-year limit is a balanced trade-off.
Why Surfshark’s 2-Year Plan Is the Best Choice
Given that 3-year is not offered, the 2-year plan becomes the de facto best long-term option. Here’s why:
- Deep discount: You get the greatest savings per month locked in.
- Sustainability: The provider can reasonably support infrastructure, updates, and customer support for a plan of this length.
- Feature stability: Surfshark continues adding features, maintaining servers, updating protocols — your long-term plan benefits from that.
- Money-back guarantee: Every plan (including 2-year) comes with a 30-day money-back window, so you can test without full risk.
- Unlimited devices: Even on long-term plans, you can connect many devices simultaneously.
Most users who want long-term stability without renewal headaches find that Surfshark’s 2-year plan hits the balance best.
Final Words
There is no 3-year plan offered by Surfshark. Their longest term is 2 years + optional bonus months. Surfshark offers three main tiers: Starter, One, and One+, each with 1-month, 12-month, and 24-month subscription options.
If you’re looking for a long-term VPN option, the 2-year plan is likely your best bet. It gives you stability and security without the gamble of a so-called 3-year or lifetime claim.
