CyberGhost Review
CyberGhost is one of the largest VPN providers today. Founded in 2011 by Robert Knapp, the VPN service quickly become a favourite for many due to its quality plans.
CyberGhost currently has a user base of over 36 million people and continues to grow, but the question is, how does it fare when compared with some of the best VPN services around?
This VPN review covers some of CyberGhost’s best features, and the not so good ones, as well as answers to questions like:
- Is CyberGhost safe?
- Does it allow torrenting and P2P file sharing?
- Does it work with Netflix?
- Does CyberGhost really work?
Is Cyber a “truly complete VPN solution” as they claim? As the pros and cons tell, the VPN service has a range of impressive features, but there are still a few drawbacks. Following our extensive testing on this VPN service, we start off our full VPN review by looking at CyberGhost’s speed.
Before we provide answers to these questions, let us consider some CyberGhost pros and cons:
Pros
- Fast average VPN speeds
- Great VPN server network covering 90 countries
- Dedicated servers for torrenting and P2P traffic
- Strict no logging policy
- Unlocks streaming services like Netflix and BBC iPlayer
Cons
- Does not allow torrenting in the US and Australia
- Does not work in countries with high censorship
- Fast average VPN speeds
- Great VPN server network covering 90 countries
- Dedicated servers for torrenting and P2P traffic
- Strict no logging policy
- Unlocks streaming services like Netflix and BBC iPlayer
- Does not allow torrenting in the US and Australia
- Does not work in countries with high censorship
Work With
Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Sky, HBO, Torrentingi
Available on
Best Price
CyberGhost Performance - VPN Speed and Reliability Test
One of the Fastest VPN Speeds
CyberGhost will go toe to toe with some of the best VPN services in terms of download and upload speeds, but its inconsistency is a major headache for users.
However, CyberGhost’s same-country upload and download speeds are pretty impressive and reliable, but you may notice a slight drop in speed if you are connecting to international servers.
Before connecting to CyberGhost:
When connected to CyberGhost:
Our speed test results from our physical London location using a London test server.
Before connecting to CyberGhost:
- 95Mbps (download)
- 97Mbps (upload)
When connected to CyberGhost:
- 54Mbps (download)
- 77Mbps (upload)
When connected to CyberGhost, we experienced a download speed loss of 6%.
We put CyberGhost through a thorough speed testing process, in order to determine the average speeds from different locations worldwide. Here are the average speeds you can expect when in these locations:
According to our tests from our location in the UK, here are the average speeds you can expect when in these locations:
According to our tests from our location in the UK, here are the average speeds you can expect when in these locations:
| DOWNLOAD AVERAGE | UPLOAD AVERAGE | |
|---|---|---|
| Mbps | Mbps | |
| US | 51 Mbps | 41 Mbps |
| Australia | 32 Mbps | 7 Mbps |
| Germany | 78 Mbps | 74 Mbps |
| Singapore | 28 Mbps | 15 Mbps |
According to our tests from our location in the UK, here are the average speeds you can expect when in these locations:
- : Mbps (download) & Mbps (upload)
- US: 51Mbps (download) & 41Mbps (upload)
- Australia: 32Mbps (download) & 7Mbps (upload)
- Germany: 78Mbps (download) & 74Mbps (upload)
- Singapore: 28Mbps (download) & 15Mbps (upload)
Great Server Network
6500 servers in 90 Countries, 110 Locations
With 6500 servers in its VPN network, CyberGhost has one of the highest number of servers in the market. While NordVPN over 5,000 servers outnumbers it, CyberGhost still boasts a very good number.
Like IPVanish, CyberGhost owns all DNS servers in its network, meaning that the VPN service does not provide VPN connections via rented servers. CyberGhost network is heavily concentrated in countries like the US (1085), the UK (665), Germany (608), France (324) and Canada (223). The VPN service covers 13 different locations in the US at city-level, as well as 3 locations in the UK, Canada and Australia.
Bypassing Censorship
Not a Great Choice for Countries with High Censorship
We do not recommend CyberGhost for use in countries with high censorship, as it does not guarantee that you can bypass the aggressive internet censors.
CyberGhost lacks the obfuscation technology that makes VPN providers like VyprVPN and ExpressVPN to navigate through internet censorship in countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran and China.
CyberGhost even warns its users that the use of a VPN is forbidden in certain countries. The VPN also mentions that it has tools designed to make the VPN work in these countries, but users shouldn’t try them.
Basically, CyberGhost advises its users against connecting VPNs in countries where they are not legal.
Encryption and Security: One of the Safest VPNs
- Security:DNS leak blocking, VPN kill switch, IPV6 leak blocking, first-party DNS
- Protocol: PPTP; IKEv2/IPsec; OpenVPN (TCP/UDP); L2TP/IPsec
- Encryption: AES-256
- Advanced features:TOR via VPN server; split tunneling
CyberGhost is a great choice for privacy, as it is equipped with one of the most advanced security features of any VPN today. The default setting of the CyberGhost app is the OpenVPN, which encrypts web data traffic with the well secured AES-256 encryption and has a VPN kill switch to ensure the protection of your identity in the event of a connection drop.
CyberGhost is a VPN you can trust. We ran several DNS or IP leaks tests, and no leaks were found.
Streaming and Torrenting: Great Choice for Netflix and Torrenting
CyberGhost has servers optimized for Netflix, which is good news for streaming fans. These servers are easy to find within the app, and while running our tests, we never experienced any issues with unlocking Netflix when connected to CyberGhost. There is also a server optimized for BBC iPlayer on CyberGhost, and it is currently our recommended VPN for BBC iPlayer.
What’s more, according to user reports, CyberGhost successfully streams Amazon Prime Video, PlayStation Vue, Sling TV, Hulu, Now TV and Sky.
- Torrenting
CyberGhost is a great choice for torrenting, though there are a few red flags:
Its US or Australian servers do not allow torrenting. Torrenting can be pretty challenging on mobile compared to MacOS and Windows applications.
You can still torrent on mobile, but you’d have to check and select dedicated P2P servers on the website or on your desktop app, as the mobile does not have any tab for this purpose.If you are fine with CyberGhost’s P2P limitations, then you can rest assured it is a safe and reliable choice for torrenting. But if the torrenting limitations do not seem ideal for you, then you may consider some of the options in our best VPN services guide.
Logging Policy
Strong No-logs Policy and User Privacy Protection
CyberGhost has a list of anonymous information that it stores. According to their logging policy, the VPN provider “records the log-in of an anonymous account for statistical purposes. We do this once a day (all other log-ins will be ignored) and sum up each daily log-in for one month. The daily log-in data will be deleted after 24 hours, the monthly sum at the end of each month.
CyberGhost claims that the log-in they keep is the bare minimum required to ensure optimal functioning of the VPN service. Their logging policy makes it clear that user identity cannot be collected since nothing that can be used to personally identify any individual is stored.
- Jurisdiction
CyberGhost is a Romanian-based VPN provider which was acquired by Kape Technologies (formerly known as Crossrider) in 2017. Since Romania is a part of the EU where aggressive data-retention laws are in place, it may seem less than ideal to trust CyberGhost’s logging and privacy policies. However, this shouldn’t trouble you as CyberGhost does not store any data that could personally identify you.
Yes, you can trust CyberGhost with your online privacy.
Ease of Use
Incredibly Easy to Use
CyberGhost is one of the easiest VPNs to use today. The menu in the VPN’s apps come with a number of helpful tools and are clearly labeled. Users also have access to a set of demonstrative videos on the CyberGhost website where you can receive directions on how to use the apps.
Platforms & Devices
Works with all popular devices
App
Windows
Mac
iOS
Linux
Android
Router
Games Consoles & Streaming Devices
AppleTV
Amazon Fire TV
Chromecast
PlayStation
Nintendo
Xbox
CyberGhost works well with the most popular devices and operating systems today. The VPN service offers either a custom VPN apps or a manual configuration for your device. These devices include all Windows, Android, iOS, and MacOS. CyberGhost can also be used on multiple devices simultaneously, up to 7 at once, depending on your chosen plan.
You can also use CyberGhost with streaming devices and gaming consoles, by installing the VPN on your router and have your devices connected to it.
Customer Support
Great Customer Service and Live Chat Feature
CyberGhost has a 24-hour live chat service, with friendly and responsive agents readily available to address user queries within minutes. Chances are you’d likely never need the live support service, as the guides on online troubleshooting are really comprehensive.
What is the Cost of CyberGhost VPN?
CyberGhost used to have a free plan for users, but that is in the past now. The cheapest CyberGhost plan currently costs £2.15/month - 12 months plan (a save 79%), but this would require a 3-year commitment. For all of its impressive features, we think this commitment is worth the price, but if that feels like a really long time for you, then you may want to consider the 3-year subscriptions of $2.25/month saving 83% or a monthly subscription plan of £10.29/month .
CyberGhost offers its users a 45-day money back guarantee if they are dissatisfied with the service – one of the longest we have seen. But this refund policy is only available to six-month subscriptions or longer. One-month subscriptions only have a 14-day money-back guarantee.
CyberGhost has no hidden details about its refund policy. If you are not satisfied and want your money back, you will be refunded within 5-10 working days. All you need to do is contact the CyberGhost support via email or live chat, and request for a refund before the 45 days run out. The support agent may request that you fill in a short survey.
Another great feature we liked about CyberGhost is the free trial. This feature allows you enjoy all of CyberGhost’s features without having to submit your personal or payment details.
CyberGhost accepts a range of payment options, including Bitcoin, PayPal and most credit major credit cards. International payment options such as UnionPay or Alipay are currently not accepted.