CyberGhost VPN review

CyberGhost is one of the biggest VPN service providers on the market. I really like the fact that it supports torrenting and unblocks the majority of popular online streaming services like Netflix and BBC iPlayer. CyberGhost also offers the WireGuard protocol, specialized servers, a dedicated IP option, and a 45-day money-back guarantee, which is much longer than the standard 1-month guarantees from other providers.

However, not all is perfect – CyberGhost raises a fair share of questions. For starters, the VPN apps themselves are riddled with several functionality bugs, and a lack of third-party security audits might be concerning to some potential users. CyberGhost’s parent company, Kape Technologies (also owning Private Internet Access, ExpressVPN, and ZenMate VPN) is also on the radar, with several online publications pointing out their alleged past connections with malware distribution.

So, should you be worried? Is CyberGhost VPN still a worthy option to buy – even when there are several more functional, independently-audited options like NordVPN available? That’s the biggest question we need to answer.

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In this CyberGhost VPN review, I'll take a deep dive into their service, checking if it's worth your time. I'll go through their security strength, privacy policy, additional features, pricing, and clients. This should give you a pretty good perspective, whether it helps to become a ghost when you're surfing online.

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Is CyberGhost good for streaming?

Since CyberGhost has specialized servers for streaming, it's really easy to find one that unblocks any given media platform. During our tests, CyberGhost managed to unblock every single streaming service that we tried.

Unblocking Netflix with Cyberghost

The specialized server for Netflix unblocked the US library on the first try. However, Netflix was very slow, and I had to wait around for a couple of minutes while the search results loaded. However, once the show started, there were no issues, so it may also be the fault of Netflix.

Unblocking other streaming platforms with CyberGhost

CyberGhost also works quite well with other streaming platforms. For example, we could easily access and stream content on HBO Max, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video.

BBC iPlayer also worked without a hitch and was a lot faster than Netflix. There were no errors, but I had to switch to a streaming server optimized for BBC iPlayer. The same can be said about geo-blocked YouTube videos.

As for DAZN, known as the most difficult streaming service to unblock, we were pleased to see that CyberGhost unblocked it as well.

All in all, CyberGhost is a really good VPN for streaming.

Is CyberGhost good for torrenting?

If you’re looking for a good VPN for torrenting, then CyberGhost will surely be a good fit, giving you the protection you need. It even offers specialized servers for P2P file sharing that work with all sorts of torrenting clients.

However, when it comes to connection speeds, they are quite average. When I tried downloading a Linux installation image, the average download speed was 9.3Mb/s when connected to a server in the UK, and 6.5Mb/s when connected to the US.

These speeds are similar to the ones we got when torrenting with Surfshark. So all in all, while the performance is nothing spectacular, CyberGhost is still a good torrenting VPN.

Plans and pricing

CyberGhost prices changed based on the duration of the subscription (they all offer the same features). Shorter plans are more expensive and vice versa. You also get 7 simultaneous connections with every option. That said, it’s definitely not the cheapest VPN out there.

Their 1-month plan will cost $12.99, which is not unheard of for a plan of such duration. This is the only plan with a shorter money-back guarantee policy – 14 days. All other plans have it for 45 days.

In total, there are three pricing tiers that differ in subscription duration and price.

It's a nice touch that you can choose anonymous payment options to pay for your subscription. Aside from credit cards and PayPal, it's also possible to pay with cryptocurrencies.

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Can you get CyberGhost for free?

CyberGhost VPN doesn't have a free version, but it has a 24h free trial on desktop devices and a 7-day trial on mobile devices. You don't need to provide any payment information to use it. This is unexpected because most premium VPN service providers only offer trials in the form of a money-back guarantee.

Of course, there's the money-back guarantee as well, which, depending on the plan's length, might be for 14 or 45 days. This should be plenty of time to try CyberGhost to make an informed decision about whether you want to commit to the service.

CyberGhost servers and locations

Overall, CyberGhost VPN has approximately 8000 servers in 91 countries. So, it's one of the providers with the biggest fleets. In that regard, the service sits in the same ballpark as NordVPN or PureVPN.

In terms of different region coverage, CyberGhost isn't that different from most VPN service providers:

The best coverage is in Europe, although the Americas do catch up with the number of servers. The takeaway is that their huge fleet allows them to provide coverage even in areas less-favored by VPNs, like Africa. However, keep in mind that some of their servers are virtual, meaning they aren't physically located in the country. This is the case with China, Egypt, Iran, Mexico, Morocco, and Turkey, for example.

All things considered, CyberGhost's server fleet is definitely their stronger sides. This can be extremely useful if you're located further from Europe, the Americas, or the Far East.

Does CyberGhost work in China?

We contacted CyberGhost support to ask if it works in China. The answer was simple and straightforward – yes, the CyberGhost service is supported in China as normal. You don’t need to do anything more than register with a valid email address and a password to use the CyberGhost app there.

For us, it seems a bit too simplistic, as we know that in China, many VPN providers are blocked. Some, like NordVPN, require a multi-step configuration process to work properly.

That said, we can’t really test whether CyberGhost works in China without being there physically. The support says it works, our gut feeling says it’s a little too simple of a registering process for such a country. Make of that what you will.

Speed performance: is CyberGhost fast?

• Baseline: 460Mbps download/ 470Mbps upload - WireGuard

Their WireGuard tunneling protocol is kind of bad when it comes to downloads. The average download speeds drop by nearly 69%, which is quite severe. Also, the average upload rates are even worse – 72% reductions compared to the baseline. We don’t know if this is due to poor WireGuard implementation or some other issues. One thing is clear – CyberGhost comes nowhere near NordVPN or Surfshark when it comes to speed.

CyberGhost performance with other protocols

WireGuard is all fine and dandy, but let’s take a look at how fast are the other protocols:

• Baseline: 460Mbps download/ 470Mbps upload

• WireGuard – 146Mbps/ 132Mbps
• IKEv2 – 238Mbps/ 160Mbps
• OpenVPN (UDP) – 46Mbps/174Mbps
• OpenVPN (TCP) – 109Mbps/76Mbps

IKEv2 speed performance was a step above WireGuard. Both the download and upload speeds were higher than WireGuard, which is not something that you see often. WireGuard is considered to be the fastest VPN protocol as of right now, so it is rather strange that other protocols surpass it.

OpenVPN was also faster than WireGuard in terms of upload speeds, although only a little. The upload speed was slower than WireGuard and IKEv2 combined. This is generally expected because despite OpenVPN being the oldest and the most popular tunneling protocol, its speeds are rarely faster than other protocols.

Overall, here’s how other CyberGhost protocols compare to each other:

Protocols aside, here’s how CyberGhost’s general speed compares to some other top VPN providers:

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All in all, speed-wise, CyberGhost is slow, especially when compared to a speed giant like NordVPN. CyberGhost offers speeds that will be good enough for most tasks and usage cases, but not much more. In terms of protocols, you should stick to IKEv2, as the WireGuard performance is not the best, unfortunately.

CyberGhost video review

No time to read the whole article? Check out our CyberGhost VPN video review – in just under 8 minutes, we address privacy and security, speed, interface, and much more.

Interface and ease of use

CyberGhost has clients for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, browsers, and even streaming boxes. However, they’re not all similar in terms of how easy to use or functional they are. Some make using the VPN frustrating, and some offer a seamless experience.

So let’s take a closer look at what CyberGhost apps offer and how they compare to each other:

Windows

The Windows client looks and feels great. It's unobtrusive and doesn't have lots to be confused by, making it just the thing for less tech-savvy users.

With that said, it could use some polish. For example, sometimes fallback feature that automatically connects you to OpenVPN if your selected protocol fails would kick in. Although it's a useful addition, I'd like to see more customization options regarding it. Especially since they have faster tunneling protocols.

At some points, the app was unable to connect to the selected server. The connection status indicator didn't help much. There were no indicators of whether the connection is initiating, failed, or time outed.

CyberGhost's search bar displays only countries and not the cities. However, when you open a server list of a country, only the city names are shown. In turn, the search bar doesn't let you browse through the countries anymore.

All in all though, the app looks nice, intuitive and rather feature rich. As a matter of fact, it feels like one of the best apps for new VPN users.

macOS

The Mac client of CyberGhost VPN is similar to Windows, but has some improvements.

For example, there are options to turn on data compression to reduce download data, which is useful if you have data caps as part of your Internet contract. Also, just like in the Windows version, you can block malicious ads and websites.

Automated HTTPS redirect forces websites to load in a more secure version (provided that such version even exists).

However, the app isn't issue-free. For example, the kill switch on macOS could work better. When you wake the system from a sleep state, the client successfully establishes a VPN connection, but there's still no Internet access.

Linux

CyberGhost's experience on Linux isn’t as good as it could be. Everything from the setup to use is done in such a way that is either inconvenient or even counterproductive.

To install the app on Fedora 33, you have to log in to the website and select your distribution's exact version. However, you're still given the Fedora 32 version, no matter which option you pick.

To run it, you have to run an install script, which doesn't work because it finds that your OS version is invalid. You have to manually enter the commands that the script should have performed automatically to install it.

However, if you still have Fedora 32, you won’t have any problems installing CyberGhost.

I was finally able to set it up for PopOS, and, thankfully, experienced (almost) no bugs while using it. Nevertheless, the app’s functionality could be more intuitive in general, as the command lines are a bit too long for my liking.

CyberGhost mobile apps

CyberGhost VPN on iOS and Android are mirror images of each other. They both have a pretty minimal design and offer similar features.

On Android, in terms of tunneling protocols, you're given a choice between OpenVPN and WireGuard. On iOS, it's a choice between WireGuard and IKEv2. This means, that on average iOS users will enjoy better speeds, at least until CyberGhost developers fix WireGuard.

On Android, the app asks for location permission, which is somewhat unusual, but it's used for reading the name of the Wi-Fi hotspot that you're connected to. You shouldn't read into it too much. If you don't want to give any permissions, you can still use the app as much as you want - the only feature that won't work is Automatic Wi-Fi Protection.

Overall, CyberGhost mobile clients work a bit better than their desktop counterparts, and the app design works great on mobile in general.

Browser extensions

CyberGhost also has a browser extension, but you'll hardly need an account to use it. You cannot log in to it, so if you're a subscriber, there's not much to gain from it that you wouldn't get from the app.

You're only getting four countries to choose from, but your location is successfully spoofed once you connect. It will bypass some simpler blocks, but don't expect this to work with streaming websites. There are no other features, and your traffic is only encrypted with SSL.

CyberGhost features – what’s changed over the years?

CyberGhost wasn’t always the way that it is now. Numerous features were added gradually throughout the year, and the server count increased with time as well. Here’s a brief overview of how CyberGhost evolved over the years:

• In 2011, the app was launched, and CyberGhost had only 67 servers.
• In 2014, the NoSpy proxy was introduced, as well as free extensions for the Chrome and Opera browsers.
• In November 2015, CyberGhost amped up online security by adding an ad blocker, malware protection, and online tracking prevention features, as well as a smart data compressor.
• 2018 saw the free CyberGhost Firefox extension come to life.
• In 2018 November, however, the free CyberGhost version was discontinued, making it a fully paid service.
• 2019 was a year of new features – CyberGhost added Smart Rules, Best Location, and specialized servers for downloading and streaming, as well as the One-click VPN connection.
• The same year, CyberGhost ceased supporting PPTP and L2TP protocols.
• In January 2020, CyberGhost introduced WireGuard to Linux and iOS apps.
• In 2020 September, CyberGhost launched the Dedicated IP feature.
• In 2020 October, the 8th CyberGhost version was released, with WireGuard available on all platforms.

You can find more information about all the features of CyberGhost below.

Specialized servers

CyberGhost VPN has a selection of different server types that are useful for particular tasks. This isn't something that every provider implements, so it's a welcome addition. Plus, the feature is intuitive enough even for the less tech-savvy VPN users.

There are special servers for torrenting, streaming, and gaming.

Downloading servers are optimized for torrenting. They work with P2P clients like uTorrent, and are located in countries where torrenting isn't met with harsh sanctions. The servers provide the best possible download speeds. When you open the server list, you're given the approximate distance from your location to the server and server load. You can easily filter out the servers with higher loads because their speeds won't be as fast.

Streaming servers are intended for accessing geo-blocked streaming platforms. When you go into the list, you'll quickly see which service the server is intended for. So, you get a particular server to unblock Netflix or Disney+. Although this means switching VPN server if you decide to stream from a different platform, it does make finding the right server easier.

Gaming servers are the ones with the lowest latency. Roughly speaking, this is the reaction speed of your internet connection. If response times are long, this will result in lag, which can ruin your online match. When connected to these servers, my latency increased by 10ms when compared to ping without a VPN, which is decent. Also, the connection was stable.

Dedicated IP

This feature is mostly useful for people that need to whitelist specific IPs to allow connection to your website or server. When you purchase a dedicated IP option from CyberGhost, you get assigned a unique IP address just for you. That way, you can be sure that no one else is using it. It's a perfect solution for those needing a consistent IP address for seeding torrent files or other connections.

Generally, dedicated IP isn't considered a privacy feature, and it won't bolster your anonymity. However, CyberGhost uses a unique token system that allows complete anonymity. In other words, your dedicated IP can't lead back to your email or VPN account. In turn, the company has no records of dedicated IP ownership.

It costs an additional $5 a month on top of your CyberGhost subscription and is an optional feature. If you decide to get it, you will receive a special token, which you need to activate in the special Dedicated IP section of your app. It's worth noting that they won't keep track of which accounts were associated with which tokens, so if you lose it, you won't recover it.

Ad-blocker

CyberGhost claims their ad-block feature will protect you from annoying ads that are following you through the web. So, in theory, this should make your load times faster, and help you avoid malware distributed through ad networks. Plus, it should save data on mobile devices by stopping the ads from loading.

It does block some ads, but some free tools work a little better. With CyberGhost, many ads got through, including banners, gifs, and even ads on YouTube videos. On the other hand, it is constantly working to improve the feature, so it might function better in the future.

NoSPY servers

CyberGhost's NoSPY servers are fully managed by CyberGhost, which means that no third party has access to them. This provides the user with more advanced privacy measures. The NoSpy servers are located in Romania and come with an extended bandwidth for faster speeds. They also support P2P connections, so you’ll be able to torrent without any fear of being found out.

Smart rules

Smart rules is a feature that helps to automate CyberGhost. Once configured, the app will do some tasks itself, saving you clicking time.

Some rules can be as simple as starting CyberGhost when the system reboots. It's also possible to specify a particular country or server to which CyberGhost should automatically connect.

You can also take it to the next level by automating which programs automatically start when CyberGhost initiates a connection. That way, you don't even need to wait around for a connection confirmation. The app that you're using will automatically start after your VPN app starts.

You can configure the Smart rule further by indicating to trigger your smart rules on unsafe Wi-Fi networks. Plus, there are options to allow particular websites, which effectively works as a split tunneling.

This is an awesome quality-of-life feature many other top VPNs lack. For some, this alone will be enough to warrant a subscription.

Is CyberGhost safe and secure?

CyberGhost is a secure VPN service. They're using strong encryption ciphers and have a variety of tunneling protocols. That said, they could improve their reputation by becoming more transparent as a company. They haven't published any third-party audit reports, which would be the bare minimum to prove their trustworthiness. Especially when they're owned by Kape Technologies, an organization with a dubious reputation.

Encryption and tunneling protocols

CyberGhost uses AES-256-CBC encryption to make sure that your connection remains private. Currently, such encryption is uncrackable even to the most powerful computers, so your data will stay safe.

Authentication is processed with the SHA-256 cryptographic function. It's worth mentioning that there are other providers that use even more advanced functions like SHA-512. That is not to say that CyberGhost has picked an outdated version. SHA-256 works just as well and is also very safe.

CyberGhost VPN offers strong tunneling protocols. The service supports these:

WireGuard – is a new tunneling protocol known for being extremely fast but also very safe. Most service providers are already phasing out older options to add support for this one. It's nice to see that CyberGhost isn't late to the party. Also, WireGuard is available on all the CyberGhost applications.

IKEv2 – one of the older protocols, provides good compatibility with most devices. Especially good on mobile.

OpenVPN (UDP/TCP) – still the most popular VPN protocol. CyberGhost allows you to force TCP instead of UDP mode, which is the default.

Automatic Kill switch

Just like most premium VPN services, CyberGhost has a kill switch. You can turn it on from the Privacy settings screen.

I encountered some server issues during tests. The connections were a bit unstable, so this was an opportunity to test their kill switch in action. I can confirm that it successfully triggered whenever the link to the server was lost.

However, it's a bit annoying that you can't customize the kill switch on a per-app basis. Also, you can't turn it off on mobile devices, so there's definitely room for improvement. On the other hand, having it on keeps you safe at all times.

Privacy and logging

CyberGhost doesn't log traffic data or connection logs. However, CyberGhost’s no-logs policy hasn’t been audited yet – the plan to do it by 2021 apparently didn’t work out.

There also are passages in their privacy document that may raise some eyebrows, such as the statement that they “may disclose your Personal Data to any member of our group of companies.” Considering that it is owned by Kape Technologies, a company associated with malware and which also owns PIA and ExpressVPN, this might be a little concerning. That said, CyberGhost doesn’t sell user data to any third parties.

CyberGhost is based in Romania, which, although a member of the European Union, is a privacy-friendly jurisdiction. Data retention laws pushed by the EU were declared unconstitutional in Romania.

Customer support

CyberGhost has a lot of customer support options. When I contacted their customer support agent about Linux issues via the live chat, I quickly got to an agent. The responses were quick, professional and related to the issues at hand. If they prove to be too difficult for an agent to solve, they will create a ticket and get back to you with a solution.

On their customer support portal, you can find guides and FAQs to solve your issues. They have a pretty large catalog of various tutorials, which covers even devices like consoles, and Kodi devices. It will be very useful for new users that have only recently started using VPNs.

Is CyberGhost good and worth getting?

CyberGhost is a powerful VPN service with sleek and intuitive mobile and desktop apps that will especially benefit newer users. It’s among the best for those looking to unblock Netflix and other streaming services like BBC iPlayer and Youtube, as it works with the majority of platforms.

The prices are decent, the customer support is great, and you can benefit from a long list of server locations. The one major downside I can think of is an occasional speed drop.

In terms of security, it’s a decent choice that has a no-logs policy and strong AES-256 encryption. However, there are no powerful bonus features if you’re using the service for sensitive activities.

All in all, despite a lack of polish here and there, CyberGhost is a competitive choice to consider. It’s a good VPN service for anything you can think of, from torrenting to simply keeping yourself safe online.

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