CyberGhost vs NordVPN: which VPN to choose?

Although there are many VPN service providers, few can climb to the ranks of the best VPNs, like NordVPN and CyberGhost. Both can be described as anonymous VPN services with large server fleets and many use cases.

However, first impressions can be very misleading. So, the goal of this NordVPN and CyberGhost comparison is to put two and two together. I'll do this by stacking both services in categories like speed, features, protection, and pricing.

NordVPN vs CyberGhost comparison: overview

NordVPN and CyberGhost are both speedy and secure VPNs that encrypt your internet connection. NordVPN offers more security choices and extra features for virtual privacy, while CyberGhost is budget-friendly, especially with long-term plans and a larger server network. When comparing NordVPN vs CyberGhost, NordVPN shines in unblocking content and providing robust security and privacy features.

	NordVPN	CyberGhost VPN
⭐ Rating:	4.9 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★	4.2 ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
🥇 Overall rank:	#1 out of #43	#5 out of #43
🖥️ Servers:	6,300 + servers in 111 countries	11,500 + servers in 100 countries
📖 No logs policy:	No logs	Independently-audited
💵 Price:	From $3.09/month	From $2.03/month
🔥 Coupons:	NordVPN coupon 74% OFF	CyberGhost VPN coupon 84% OFF
🔒 VPN protocols:	OpenVPN, WireGuard (NordLynx), IKEv2/IPsec	WireGuard, IKEv2, OpenVPN (TCP/UDP)
🍿 Streaming services:	Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and more	Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Disney+
🖥️ Platforms:	Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
📥 Simultaneous connections:	10	7
💁🏻 Support:	Knowledge base, FAQs, email, 24/7 live chat	24/7 live chat, Knowledge base, FAQs

Plans and pricing

CyberGhost and NordVPN both offer comparable monthly prices – CyberGhost is available for $12.99/month, while NordVPN charges $12.99/month.

Plan	CyberGhost	NordVPN
1 month	-	$12.99/month
6 months	$6.99/month	–
1 year	–	$4.99/month
2 years	$2.03/month	$3.09/month
	Check Pricing	Check Pricing

Moving further, NordVPN offers a yearly plan for $4.99/month. CyberGhost doesn't provide such an option and, instead, offers a 6-month plan that costs $6.99/month. In this case, even for a year, NordVPN is cheaper than CyberGhost is for half a year.

If we look at the longest plan that NordVPN has, it costs $3.09/month for two years. CyberGhost's two-year option is $2.03/month. While the difference might not seem so big, over the two-year period, it becomes more significant.

It's also worth mentioning that both services have a money-back guarantee. NordVPN users can get their money back in 30 days after purchasing the service, while the users of CyberGhost can do this in 45 days.

And if you're looking for some better deals to save extra money, you can check out our pages for CyberGhost coupon codes and NordVPN coupon codes.

Security overview: NordVPN vs CyberGhost

In terms of security, CyberGhost, and NordVPN are evenly matched contestants. They're both using AES-256-CBC cipher, making their encryption unbreakable even by the most powerful computers. The difference comes from their hashing functions: NordVPN uses a more advanced SHA-512 hash function, while CyberGhost relies on SHA-256. It's a minor difference, but it's worth noting. Both services also rely on identical tunneling protocols.

The difference is in the bonus features: NordVPN has great bonus features like Double VPN, Onion over VPN, and Obfuscated servers, which CyberGhost doesn't offer.

Transparency

CyberGhost has been independently audited by Deloitte and proved that they have a strict zero-logs policy. Moreover, the company releases a yearly transparency report covering police requests, malware flags, and DMCA complaints.

Meanwhile, NordVPN has passed several audits, where their logging policy was verified by PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers). They also hired VerSprite agency to conduct penetration tests on their applications to patch up all potential weak spots.

Logging

Both CyberGhost and NordVPN have very similar privacy policies. Both promise that they're not logging your data and have only the utmost respect for your privacy. Additionally, as mentioned before, NordVPN and CyberGhost had their privacy policies checked by third party audits. And they passed with flying colors.

Speed comparison: CyberGhost vs NordVPN

Both NordVPN and CyberGhost are using fast and reliable protocols to get seamless performance. NordVPN's NordLynx in architecture is pretty much the same as WireGuard that CyberGhost uses. However, our test results clearly shows that NordVPN with NordLynx is much faster. Their download speeds differ by more than 150 Mbps. So, the speed drop from the baseline is 36% for NordVPN, and 67% for CyberGhost. The difference isn't as severe with upload speed, but NordLynx is still faster. It's a difference between 54% and 62% drop.

• Baseline: 1 ms/300 Mbps download/300 Mbps upload

NordLynx (WireGuard)	NordVPN	CyberGhost
Download average	259 Mbps	96 Mbps
Upload average	137 Mbps	112 Mbps

IKEv2 is a standard protocol, so both NordVPN and CyberGhost enter this battle on equal terms. However, NordVPN's reduction in download speed is only 28%, which is a great result. CyberGhost reduces your download speed by 50%. There are no surprises in upload speeds: NordVPN's drop off is 83%, while CyberGhost reaches 91.4%. Considering that IKEv2 is one of the fastest CyberGhost tunneling protocols, it still gets defeated by a pretty huge margin.

IKEv2	NordVPN	CyberGhost
Download average	215 Mbps	149.9 Mbps
Upload average	50.6 Mbps	25.8 Mbps

OpenVPN UDP is universally the faster option than TCP. However, it stays fast only on NordVPN, reducing the average download speed by only 34%. CyberGhost's response is an 85% drop, which is more than twice as slow. The only case where NordVPN is slower is the upload speed, as it reduces 77.2%, while CyberGhost takes the lead with a 56% drop.

OpenVPN UDP	NordVPN	CyberGhost
Download average	197.2 Mbps	43.6 Mbps
Upload average	68.4 Mbps	132.2 Mbps

OpenVPN TCP mode only managed to connect on NordVPN. The speed drops are pretty huge, 89% for download and 90% for upload. But that is to be expected from a protocol that performs additional data verification checks. What wasn't expected is that CyberGhost didn't show up for the race. It refused to connect in TCP mode returning DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error. So, this makes NordVPN a winner by CyberGhost's disqualification.

OpenVPN TCP	NordVPN	CyberGhost
Download average	32.5 Mbps	n/a
Upload average	27.5 Mbps	n/a

Overall, NordVPN is faster across the board.

Features overview

When it comes to features, both NordVPN and CyberGhost VPN service providers have something to offer. Yet, NordVPN has a bit more to offer and the apps are more polished. Almost everything you can do with CyberGhost, you can do better with NordVPN.

Special servers

Both CyberGhost and NordVPN have special servers suited for particular tasks. CyberGhost has servers for streaming, gaming, and torrenting. As their name suggests: streaming servers unblock media streaming platforms, gaming servers have the lowest latency, and torrenting servers support P2P connections. There is a separate category for NoSpy servers, but these cost extra and aren't included in the basic subscription. These servers are located in a private data center managed by CyberGhost's in-house team.

NordVPN doesn't put servers into entertainment categories. You can unblock geo-restricted streaming websites or games with almost any of their standard servers. However, they do have specialized servers:

• Double VPN – a setup that combines two separate VPN servers, passing your connection through two intermediaries before reaching the intended destination.
• Onion over VPN – setup that uses the Tor network. It passes your connection through a VPN server and then several encrypted and randomized nodes before reaching the intended destination.
• Obfuscated – a setup which scrambles your OpenVPN traffic to make it indistinguishable from regular browsing. This helps to avoid VPN usage alerts in restricted countries.
• P2P – such servers will have configurations that allow them to take advantage of the best speeds and allow P2P traffic connections. You can torrent on any other server, but if P2P traffic is detected, you will automatically be assigned to this type.

NordVPN has a more versatile fleet of servers than CyberGhost. Plus, they're in the process of converting their whole network into diskless servers. This is also done at no additional cost to the user.

With all that said, CyberGhost does have higher numbers of servers and server locations. In some situations, this may provide a unique benefit to the user.

Dedicated IP

NordVPN and CyberGhost have dedicated IP options for those who purchase the access separately. With CyberGhost, dedicated IP costs vary depending on the period you need it from. The prices start from $2.50/month. You can get a dedicated IP address in the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Singapore, Japan, or Australia. Meanwhile, the NordVPN is a bit more expensive – $5.83/month. You can also choose from the Netherlands, Germany, the US, France, and the UK.

Web filters

Both services have web filters in place to reduce tracking and show ads. NordVPN's version is called Threat Protection. It has anti-malware capabilities and uses proprietary DNS servers to filter out blacklisted hostnames. The blocked pages are those that are flagged with malware and spyware. It's also available on all their platforms.

CyberGhost also uses DNS filtering to filter out the search results, but they call it an Ad blocker. However, they weirdly have two Ad-block toggles. There are additional toggles for malicious websites and trackers.

However, even when all of them were turned on, some ads are still there.

Exclusive features

NordVPN introduces SmartPlay to unblock geographically restricted websites and SmartDNS to help unlock streaming platforms that don’t even support VPNs (e.g., smart TVs and consoles).

They have also implemented additional features like connection pausing or dark web monitoring.

In contrast, the only thing that CyberGhost has is their Smart Rules, which also can be configured on NordVPN.

Server locations

Both NordVPN and CyberGhost have a great selection of servers around the world. Nevertheless, CyberGhost beats NordVPN in this category, covering 100 countries, whereas NordVPN has servers in 60 different countries. Additionally, CyberGhost offers more than 11500 servers, while NordVPN has over 6300.

	CyberGhost VPN	NordVPN
Servers	11500	6300
Countries	100	111
Americas	12	7
Europe	45	36
Asia Pacific	22	11
Middle East & Africa	12	4

Netflix and streaming performance

NordVPN and CyberGhost both stand out in their ability to unblock various websites and streaming platforms. Although CyberGhost has specialized servers for streaming, it doesn't mean that it has a leading horse in this race. NordVPN's SmartPlay works just as well when unblocking geo-restricted streaming media pages.

In fact, during tests, it didn't struggle when unblocking Netflix libraries, giving no proxy errors. It breezed through BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and YouTube's restrictions without any problems, and I was able to watch otherwise unavailable media.

Meanwhile, CyberGhost's performance was also satisfactory. Using their streaming servers, I managed to unblock Netflix, and once I started the show, the speed was good, with no annoying buffering interruptions. BBC iPlayer and YouTube also had no problems and worked as well as if I wasn't using a VPN.

Overall, NordVPN seems like a better-rounded service for streaming. The upside is that you don't even need to switch the server when you want to switch between Netflix and Hulu. This only makes the service more convenient for all your media needs.

Torrenting

Both NordVPN and CyberGhost have specialized servers for P2P connections. With NordVPN, most countries will have P2P servers alongside regular ones, so there will be plenty of options if you want to pick the closest. You can also use torrent connections on standard servers. However, once the torrent traffic is detected, you will instantly be reconnected to a P2P-compatible server.

CyberGhost has a separate tab for torrenting servers, where you'll be able to filter them according to the distance to your location. It's pretty intuitive to use, so most users will quickly find their way around the app. However, I did notice that during tests, the speeds never exceeded 40 Mbps (5 MB/s). So, they must be using some throttling measures to save their server's bandwidth capacity.

In contrast, NordVPN had no noticeable throttling measures, making it a winner in this category.

Platforms, interface, and ease of use

In terms of compatibility, NordVPN and CyberGhost are available in many forms on many platforms. So, no matter what devices you own, you'll be able to use both services. However, the fact that they are available doesn't mean that your experience will be just as good.

	NordVPN	CyberGhost
Supported OS	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Other software and devices	Kodi, Android TVs, Fire devices	Android TVs, Fire TV Stick
Browser extensions	Chrome, Brave, Firefox, Edge	Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave
Simultaneous connections	10	7

Desktop apps

On desktop, NordVPN Windows and macOS versions are functional and streamlined. They give you the option to use a map, presets, or country list to connect, making your VPN experience effortless.

CyberGhost clients are nicely designed and intuitive, but they could use polish in some senses (the double ad-blocker toggle being an example). Although both providers' Linux versions aren't too spectacular, NordVPN provided much better support for more distributions. While CyberGhost didn't have up-to-date guides or setups on their official website.

Mobile apps

Mobile apps port the best practices of the desktop experience to Android and iOS clients. This means that since NordVPN had pretty good desktop clients, this translates well into their mobile counterparts. They are even pushing the envelope with what's possible, introducing features such as split tunneling and a configurable kill switch on Android.

Meanwhile, CyberGhost provides a basic version that doesn't include a kill switch toggle. Which is a big disappointment.

All things considered, CyberGhost and NordVPN apps are different – one has a map, while the other is more minimal. CyberGhost is missing some features on mobile clients that can be a gamechanger. So, if you want a wide suite of clients that are not only full of features but convenient to use, you'll have to stick with NordVPN.

Customer support

NordVPN and CyberGhost rely on the same customer support tools. They both have a knowledge base with guides and tips, and there's a FAQ section with relevant questions.

For contact with customer support representatives, both CyberGhost, and NordVPN primarily rely on their live chat feature. Both providers have improved their customer support service quality, and it doesn't take too long to get in touch with an agent. Similarly, when the question is more complex, a ticket gets created, and you are contacted via email.

NordVPN also has a chatbot, optional and skippable if you'd rather talk to a human. Still, it does provide some verification for simple cases. In short, based on my experience, this category is tied between the two providers.

Comparison methodology: NordVPN vs CyberGhost

Here's a recap of the criteria we examined when comparing NordVPN vs Surfshark VPN.

• Pricing system. The cost setup should come with reasonable prices, including free trials, money-back guarantees, substantial discounts, and a diverse payment methods.
• Security features. Top-notch VPNs should have additional security tools that effectively handle any cybersecurity threats you might encounter online.
• Connection strength. A good VPN should maintain high upload and download speeds, no matter which country location you choose.
• Server network. The server network affects VPN speed and determines the variety of foreign content users can access. Extra credit for those VPNs with specialty servers.
• Bypassing censorship. Overcoming censorship can be tough, but robust VPNs should handle most challenges, no matter the technology for it used.
• Valuable extras. Users should have the chance to personalize numerous settings to tailor the product to their specific requirements, adding extra value to the service.
• Customer support. Users should have various options to contact the service's representatives and get assistance with resolving different technical issues.
• Streaming capabilities. A reliable VPN should unlock a wide range of international video content and maintain fast connections for smooth, lag-free streaming.
• P2P support. P2P support is a debated issue. While some providers limit traffic to prevent piracy, credit is given to those with minimal or no restrictions.

NordVPN vs CyberGhost – which one wins?

In the fight between NordVPN vs CyberGhost, there are a few surprises.

Category	NordVPN	CyberGhost
Speed	✅	❌
Features	✅	❌
Protection	✅	❌
Streaming	✅	❌
Torrenting	✅	❌
Servers	❌	✅
Price	❌	✅
Ease of use	✅	❌
Customer support	✅	✅

NordVPN is significantly faster and ran into fewer issues in the process. Although both services have comparable safety measures, NordVPN has more of them. CyberGhost does have its uses for torrenting and streaming, but NordVPN is also great in those areas.

Pricing may be the only area where NordVPN just doesn't have a good counterpunch. That said, its platforms do have more features, and thus, more use. One could argue that CyberGhost is a more newbie-friendly VPN service, but that does come at the cost of more advanced features.

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