Assessment of CyberGhost VPN

If you’re considering CyberGhost as your VPN provider, it’s always a good idea to read a CyberGhost review first.

Free Version
500+ Servers
Simultaneous VPN Connections	7
Blocks Ads
Server Locations	90 Countries
Geographically Diverse Servers
Free Version Data Limit	No Free Version

To secure your privacy, use a VPN to encrypt web traffic through a remote server. CyberGhost VPN is a top VPN, with the largest network and seven simultaneous connections.

However, it is costly and lacks some features of top-tier products. Proton VPN offers more features at a better price and is our Editors’ Choice. CyberGhost is one of the most reliable VPN services on the market. There are many VPN providers on the market, but CyberGhost is one of the most reliable and trustworthy.

CyberGhost VPN subscription starts at $12.99 per month, higher than the average of $9.78. Mullvad VPN, the Editors’ Choice, charges $5.32 per month, significantly lower.

CyberGhost VPN offers a discount for longer subscriptions like other VPNs. A 28-month plan is $56.94 and is renewed annually. However, it can be confusing and may become an annual plan. While tempting, we recommend starting with a monthly plan.

Monthly customers pay an extra $59.88 per year for high-security NoSpy servers. Long-term plans get NoSpy for free. NoSpy servers are discussed in detail below.

There are many free VPNs available that are serviceable. TunnelBear VPN has a free offering with a 500MB data cap, but access to a global server network. Proton VPN offers our favorite free subscription without a data cap but with limited servers.

CyberGhost VPN accepts credit cards, PayPal, and Bitcoin. Paying with Bitcoin means losing add-ons. Editors’ Choice winners IVPN and Mullvad VPN allow cash payments to their HQs.

With CyberGhost VPN, you can use seven devices at once. The industry average is five devices. Atlas VPN, Avira Phantom VPN, IPVanish VPN, Surfshark VPN, and TunnelBear VPN have no device limit.

CyberGhost VPN offers NoSpy servers in Romania. These servers have increased physical security. Proton VPN has similar Secure Core servers but for multi-hop connections. Access to NoSpy servers can’t be added to existing subscriptions, and we couldn’t test them. We’ll update this review when we test the NoSpy servers.

CyberGhost VPN claims to offer malware and ad blocking as an additional feature. However, it’s best to use standalone tracker blockers and antivirus software. CyberGhost VPN doesn’t support routing through the Tor anonymization network, unlike NordVPN and Proton VPN. The VPN does include split tunneling, which lets you exclude certain URLs from the VPN connection.

To add another layer of privacy, CyberGhost VPN provides dedicated IP addresses. These IPs make your traffic appear to come from the same location and may make it look less like VPN traffic.

CyberGhost VPN uses a tokenized system to distribute dedicated IPs without keeping records of who uses which one. For an additional $5 per month, dedicated IP addresses are available in Canada, France, Germany, the UK, and the US.

VPN companies are expanding their range of products, like NordVPN with a password manager and antivirus. CyberGhost VPN offers a license for Boxcryptor cloud storage file encryption with long subscriptions.

A free email monitoring service called ID Guard is available with NordVPN. CyberGhost previously had a password manager, but it’s no longer accepting new sign-ups and will shut down the service on January 1, 2023.

CyberGhost VPN offers a Security Suite for Windows at an extra cost. The Suite includes antivirus protection, Privacy Guard, and Security Updater. The cost of the Security Suite varies based on the length of the VPN subscription. The tool is available to anyone with a CyberGhost VPN account but only works on Windows 7, 8, or 10.

Intego, a company that specializes in Mac antivirus, powers CyberGhost VPN’s antivirus. However, when tested for Windows malware detection, Intego’s Mac product performed poorly. CyberGhost Security Suite for Windows is still untested, so its efficacy remains unknown.

WireGuard is a newer, faster VPN protocol with better encryption technology. It is open-source and becoming a new standard. CyberGhost VPN supports WireGuard on all platforms, including Fire Stick TV, Android, and iOS. The VPN also supports Linux, macOS, Windows, and routers.

VPN server variety means more options for server selection and location spoofing. A larger server network improves the chances of finding a nearby server. The more locations offered, the better for users trying to maintain anonymity.

With servers in 91 countries, CyberGhost VPN has an impressive number of 9,200 servers. However, it falls short compared to HMA VPN’s 190 countries and ExpressVPN’s 94 countries.

CyberGhost VPN has a mix of servers in many global locations, including Africa and South America. Despite most of its servers being in the UK and US, it offers servers in regions with repressive internet policies like China, Hong Kong, Russia, Turkey, and Vietnam. This gives users more choices for picking the perfect server and bypassing online censorship.

Different VPN servers have unique features and virtual servers are software-defined servers hosted on hardware servers. VPN services configure all types of servers to appear in locations other than their actual location.

CyberGhost VPN has a list of all its server locations that indicate whether they are virtual locations, which we appreciate for transparency purposes. Virtual servers and locations are not necessarily problematic, but knowing how data is handled and where it goes is crucial.

According to a company representative, CyberGhost VPN rents some of its server infrastructure. However, the NoSpy servers are directly owned by the company. All servers are encrypted and run on RAM, preventing data storage on a hard drive. Even if a server is physically removed, no data is accessible.

Trust is vital when using security or privacy software, especially VPNs that could have access to your online activities. A VPN should protect your activities, which is why you use one. CyberGhost VPN generally does a good job of ensuring user privacy. Here’s a summary of how they do it.

CyberGhost VPN’s privacy policy is comprehensive but can be difficult to read. It provides information about data collection and use. TunnelBear VPN’s simplified policy is an example of how CyberGhost VPN could make it easier for customers to understand. CyberGhost VPN should consider creating a more straightforward and informative policy.

CyberGhost VPN’s documentation states that it doesn’t store any sensitive user information, which is great. This includes IP addresses, browsing history, and other session-related data.

While the company does collect some aggregate data about connection attempts and successes, it doesn’t log user activity. A representative confirmed that CyberGhost VPN also doesn’t track the identity of its customers on any server.

Knowing the legal jurisdiction of a VPN company is important in case of law enforcement issues. CyberGhost VPN is headquartered in Bucharest, Romania, and operates under Romanian law, with offices across Europe. The company claims it cannot comply with legal requests for information because they do not have personal user data. CyberGhost VPN’s transparency report, which is compiled quarterly, backs up this claim.

CyberGhost S.R.L. is owned by the parent company Kape Technologies PLC, which also owns ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access VPN. Kape was once known as the adware company Crossrider.

To browse the web safely and anonymously, you should use a VPN like CyberGhost. 

To protect your online privacy and secure your internet connection, you should use CyberGhost VPN.

CyberGhost works flawlessly to protect your online privacy and security. Additionally, a VPN tunnel created by CyberGhost ensures that your internet traffic is encrypted and secure.  CyberGhost also offers additional features such as ad-blocking and malware protection.

CyberGhost announced completing an independent audit with Deloitte in September 2022. The audit was aimed at ensuring the company’s privacy policy is supported by its infrastructure. Although the audit’s terms restrict access, the company should make it available to customers. I would highly recommend the VPN to anyone planning to install a VPN

CyberGhost uses advanced encryption and security protocols to protect your online activities. If you want to ensure your online safety and anonymity, find CyberGhost VPN.

When testing CyberGhost VPN’s Windows app on a desktop, we were notified of maximum installations. We had to delete some devices before we could proceed, as CyberGhost VPN only allows seven simultaneous logins. The company only records the operating system and device model. We suggest the service limit simultaneous connections rather than installations.

The recent visual update uses a dark blue and gray color scheme with orange highlights. A central button connects to what the app believes is the best server. Expanding the app reveals a detailed server selector and extensive settings. The app matches the look and feel of Windows 10 but lacks the distinctiveness of TunnelBear VPN.

The pulldown menu below the connection button lets you change your VPN location. Expanding the list reveals all servers in that location, and allows adding favorites. Users enjoy the flexibility of this feature, with load and user numbers also visible. CyberGhost VPN’s server lists for gaming, torrenting, and streaming enhance network options.

The privacy Settings panel has toggles for DNS leaks and a kill switch. The Block Content toggle blocks ads, trackers, and malicious domains. Ad blocking for VPNs is not tested by PCMag.

CyberGhost VPN’s Smart Rules panel allows specific behaviors to be set. Options include startup connections and Wi-Fi network detection. Editing Smart Rules is necessary for a set-and-forget experience.

The Smart Rules Exceptions tab designates URLs outside of the VPN connection. This is useful for banking and streaming services. The App Rules tab automatically connects CyberGhost VPN when launching designated apps. Unfortunately, it doesn’t allow routing app traffic outside the VPN.

The settings menu has advanced security features such as a random port and VPN protocol. You can block IPv6 connections, and choose IKEv2, OpenVPN, or WireGuard. Most features may not require changes, but their availability is appreciated. The app automatically selects the best VPN protocol, but manual selection is possible.

Netflix aggressively blocks VPNs, and CyberGhost VPN had issues in testing. Only a subset of content was streamed via a New York-based VPN. Streaming problems persisted on servers optimized for Netflix. VPN and Netflix blocking is constantly changing.

DNS and IP address leaks should be avoided in VPNs. The IP address was hidden and DNS information was secure in our DNS Leak Test tool test. Note that we only tested one server, and others may not be properly configured.

To connect to the VPN and secure your internet connection, you need to install CyberGhost on your device.

On a Samsung A71, CyberGhost VPN was tested. The Android VPN app shares the iOS client’s look.

Android’s CyberGhost VPN features include split tunneling and a content blocker. You can also choose your MTU size and VPN protocol, and enable random port connections. CyberGhost VPN also has Domain Fronting to bypass censorship when the API is unreachable.

We ensured our privacy by using the DNSLeakTest.com tool while connected to a server in Mexico City. The test results showed that the VPN server didn’t expose our real IP address.

Watching live streams on Twitch. tv, while connected to the same server in Mexico, took 4 to 5 seconds to load, but the video quality was good with no interruptions. YouTube videos had near-instant load time and no buffering or lag issues.

Installing the CyberGhost VPN iPhone VPN client on an iPhone XS running iOS 14.4.2 was trouble-free. While the purple, yellow, and grey color combination is not as whimsical as TunnelBear VPN, the app is user-friendly. It is easy enough to navigate through the app’s interface.

Underneath a giant connection button labeled Best Connection, users can view individual servers to choose from. This feature provides a high level of control over server choices and is uncommon in iOS VPN apps. The app’s interface is designed to be user-friendly and easy to navigate.

The iOS version lacks most Windows features but has a Connection Checker and protocol switching. Connection Checker helps check internet connectivity and server accessibility. VPN protocol can be changed on the iOS version.

Securing personal information is crucial in a VPN service. During an extended test using DNSLeakTest.com on a server in the Bahamas, we confirmed our DNS information and IP address remained hidden, ensuring protection.

While connected to a server in Nassau, Bahamas, we logged into YouTube Premium and found that the videos loaded quickly without any buffering. Twitch. tv streams took about 5 seconds to load but played without interruption. YouTube informed us that we may still see ads despite our monthly membership due to our location, but we did not encounter any ads.

We couldn’t find CyberGhost VPN’s MacOS VPN app in the App Store. Instead, we downloaded it from the vendor’s website and installed it on a MacBook Air (2020) running Big Sur 11.2.2.

CyberGhost VPN’s MacOS version has a simple, purple and yellow interface. The small window expands to show all servers. It allows users to choose servers for specific activities. However, it doesn’t have as many features as the Windows version.

We encountered an issue during testing where the CyberGhost VPN connection persisted even after uninstalling the client. The developer admitted to a missing dialog box that should have prevented this issue. To avoid this problem, users can quit the application before uninstalling it, but we hope CyberGhost will address this in future updates.

To ensure our information remained secure, we visited DNSLeakTest.com and performed an extended test. The server we used, based in Sao Paolo, Brazil, did not leak our IP address or DNS information.

After connecting to the server in Brazil, we logged into YouTube Premium and watched videos, which loaded within two seconds and played smoothly. Next, we visited Twitch. tv and played a live stream, which took four seconds to load, but played without buffering or lagging. Overall, we had a good streaming experience with CyberGhost VPN.

We tested CyberGhost VPN Android app on a Dell Chrome 3100 with an Intel Celeron Processor. The app’s interface takes up the entire screen on Chrome OS, but it can be minimized to the toolbar. This is unusual compared to other VPN apps.

CyberGhost VPN on Chrome OS only offers split tunneling and a content blocker. Additionally, there’s an option to set up a dedicated IP address.

Running a series of comparative tests with Ookla’s internet speed test tool, we assess the impact of using a VPN on internet speeds. Our feature on how we test VPNs provides more details on our methodology and the testing limitations.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has limited our access to the PCMag Labs, necessitating some changes in how we test VPN speeds. We have since moved to a rolling testing model and will update you with the latest results as they become available. You can compare CyberGhost VPN with all the VPNs we’ve tested in the chart below.

Comparative testing provides a useful basis for comparison but is not a comprehensive evaluation of each VPN service. Results of the same tests conducted at different times or locations are likely to vary. It’s essential to consider factors like cost, features, and privacy protection, not just speed.

A Solid ChoiceCyberGhost VPN’s large server list is ideal for users with specific needs. Its fast speed test scores and deployment of WireGuard enable various activities. The company’s third-party audit and app design are also impressive.

CyberGhost VPN is adding more security tools to justify its high price. It could benefit from offering multi-hop and split tunneling for app traffic like its competitors. Although we trust the service, it should improve its privacy policy to make it more user-friendly.

Despite CyberGhost VPN’s size, its competitors can outperform it in terms of features or price. Proton VPN, which is the overall Editors’ Choice winner, is an example of a VPN that excels in both areas.

If you encounter any issues with CyberGhost VPN, you can reach out to CyberGhost support for assistance.

Many experts have said that CyberGhost VPN is one of the best options out there to keep you safe online.  Additionally, if you want a VPN that offers strong encryption and reliable privacy features, CyberGhost is worth checking out. 

I’ve been trying to find that CyberGhost VPN everywhere, but it seems like it’s sold out everywhere I look.