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Updated September 28, 2026 · ShieldCue Editorial Team

Ghostery vs Surfshark One (Antivirus)

Ghostery scores 9.2 and Surfshark One (Antivirus) 8.5 out of 10. Compare their differences and shared features below.
Surfshark One (Antivirus)

Surfshark One (Antivirus)

8.5/10
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Ghostery

Ghostery

Higher score in this comparison

9.2/10
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Ghostery vs Surfshark One (Antivirus): the differences

Ghostery vs Surfshark One (Antivirus)
CompareGhosteryGhosteryReviewSee alternativesSee alternativesSurfshark One (Antivirus)Surfshark One (Antivirus)ReviewVisitVisit
Free planYesHas itNo
Free plan limitsAll features free with no limitations; optional contributions support development7-day free trial, 3 devices
PlatformsChrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera, Brave, iOS, IPadOS, Android, Meta QuestWindows, MacOS, Android
Logging policyNo personal data collected; daily non-personal extension telemetry (opt-in extra telemetry); website access data kept four weeksNo-logs policy, independently verified by Deloitte in 2023 and 2025; RAM-only server network
JurisdictionDENL
Privacy tool typeAd blocker, SearchPrivate dns, Ad blocker, SearchCovers more
ProtocolsNot confirmedDoh
Open sourceYesNot confirmed

We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings. Partners with a live offer in your country come first, then every other brand by score.

Key differences

  • Ghostery scores higher overall: 9.2 vs 8.5.
  • Free plan: only Ghostery.
  • Platforms: only Ghostery offers Chrome, Firefox, Safari.
  • Platforms: only Surfshark One (Antivirus) offers Windows, MacOS.
  • Support channels: only Surfshark One (Antivirus) offers Chat.
  • Founded is lower at Ghostery: 2009 vs 2018.
  • Pricing model: only Ghostery offers Free.
  • Pricing model: only Surfshark One (Antivirus) offers Budget.
  • Privacy tool type: only Surfshark One (Antivirus) offers Private dns.

Our verdict on each

Ghostery

Ghostery is the pick if you want ad blocking and private search with nothing to pay: free covers every feature, while tools in the same group often sit near €7.89 a month. The extension is open source, runs on Chrome, Firefox and Safari, and the company behind it answers under DE.

Read the full Ghostery review

Surfshark One (Antivirus)

Surfshark One puts antivirus and a VPN in the same subscription, which separates it from the plans next to it. It suits households that want one bill across a few devices, with a first-year price of €75.33 and a monthly option at €2.49.

Read the full Surfshark One (Antivirus) review

Score breakdown

Ghostery vs Surfshark One (Antivirus)
AreaGhosterySurfshark One (Antivirus)
Cost9.1Higher8.4
Offer9.1Higher8.9Extras list a VPN, cover runs to 5 devices on Windows, macOS and Android, and a trial of 7 days is offered.
Privacy9.4Higher8.1

Which one suits you

Pick Ghostery if cost and free plan matter most.

Pick Surfshark One (Antivirus) if privacy tool type matter most.

Sources behind this comparison

Ghostery

  • ghostery.com: 11 facts, checked September 26, 2026
  • en.wikipedia.org: 1 fact, checked September 26, 2026

Surfshark One (Antivirus)

  • surfshark.com: 12 facts, checked September 26, 2026

How they place

Ghostery vs Surfshark One (Antivirus)
RankingGhosterySurfshark One (Antivirus)
Privacy tools69 of 2819 of 281
Ad blockers and private DNS23 of 638 of 63
Private browsers and search engines13 of 555 of 55

Every fact side by side

Ghostery vs Surfshark One (Antivirus)
FactGhosterySurfshark One (Antivirus)
Pricing modelFreeBudget
Legal entityGhostery GmbHSurfshark B.V.
HeadquartersGermanyNetherlands
Founded2009Lower2018
Support channelsEmail, Help centreEmail, Chat, Help centreCovers more

Identity protection

Ghostery vs Surfshark One (Antivirus)
FactGhosterySurfshark One (Antivirus)
Monthly priceNot confirmed€2.49
Insurance amountNot confirmed$1,000,000
Free trial lengthNot confirmed7 days

Pros and cons

Ghostery

Pros

  • free pricing with every feature free and no limits on the free plan, contributions optional
  • Open source, so the extension can be read and rebuilt by anyone
  • Runs on Chrome, Firefox and Safari

Cons

  • Support runs on email and help centre only, so there is no live chat and no phone line
  • free is the whole pricing model, so there is no paid tier with added features or priority support
  • Logging is light but partial: daily non-personal extension telemetry runs, extra telemetry is opt-in, and website access data is kept for a set period

Surfshark One (Antivirus)

Pros

  • Extras include a VPN, so protection and privacy arrive on one subscription (vpn)
  • Covers 5 devices on Windows, macOS and Android
  • A trial of 7 days lets you test the paid tier first

Cons

  • No free version, so a subscription is the only way to run the protection
  • Support runs on email, chat and help centre, with no phone line among them
  • 5 devices sits under the group median of 7

Who each suits

Ghostery

Who it suits

  • People who want ad blocking and private search without paying
  • Readers who care that the extension is open source and inspectable
  • Multi-device households, since Chrome, Firefox and Safari covers desktop browsers, phones, tablets and headsets

Who should look elsewhere

  • EasyOptOuts, if your goal is data-broker opt-out requests rather than blocking ads, since it has no free plan
  • Apple Hide My Email, if you want email aliases: they are free with an Apple Account, though changing the forward-to address needs iCloud+
  • Apple Inc. for the same reason, as its free aliases come with an Apple Account and forward-to changes need iCloud+

Surfshark One (Antivirus)

Who it suits

  • Readers who already pay for a VPN and want malware protection on the same bill
  • Households that fit within 5 covered devices
  • People who want one subscription across security tools rather than several separate buys

Who should look elsewhere

  • Apple Inc. users, who get security features across iOS, iPadOS and macOS from the operating system itself
  • Comodo (Xcitium) users who need room for 50 devices on a single plan
  • ESET Brasil readers after a different first-year quote, since its first-year price is BRL 64.22

Current offers

Surfshark One (Antivirus)

Current offer

  • First period offer

    Surfshark One 24-month plan with 3 extra months: EUR 75.33 for the first 27 months (Save 85%)

    Surfshark One plan on the 24-month term; Starter EUR 67.23 and One+ EUR 121.23 also discounted; VAT may apply

    Source, checked September 26, 2026

  • Free trial

    Free trial: 7 days free

    Free trial limited to 3 devices; 30-day money-back guarantee if you subscribe after the trial

    Source, checked September 26, 2026

Questions about each

Ghostery

How much does Ghostery cost?+

Ghostery runs on free pricing, so the extension costs nothing and the free plan has no limitations. Contributions are optional and go toward development, so there is no subscription to renew or cancel. Tools in the privacy group commonly sit at €7.89 a month, which is the cost Ghostery does not charge.

Which devices can I run Ghostery on?+

Chrome, Firefox and Safari are all supported, so the same free plan covers desktop browsers, phones, tablets and Meta Quest. The extension blocks ads and trackers and handles private search on each of those platforms, with no difference between the mobile and desktop builds.

Surfshark One (Antivirus)

What does Surfshark One cost at the start and after renewal?+

The first-year price is €75.33, and the monthly option is listed at €2.49. Set the opening figure against the group median of €49.95. What a renewal costs depends on the checkout terms, so the total shown at the point of payment is the figure to check.

Does the plan include a VPN or is that bought separately?+

A VPN is bundled into the same plan and listed among the extras, so antivirus and privacy cover arrive on one subscription rather than two. That bundling is what separates this offer from antivirus sold on its own. Around 97.1% of the products in this group also bundle a VPN.

Other options to compare

Surfshark One (Antivirus)

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Ghostery

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