CyberGhost VPN Review 2024 — Is It Among the Top VPNs?
Highly recommended
CyberGhost VPN Review — My Quick Thoughts
I really think that CyberGhost VPN is among the top VPNs on the market right now. I’ve been using it on and off over the past 10+ years, both at home and while traveling, and I generally had a really good experience with this provider.
I mainly think that CyberGhost VPN is great for streaming. That’s because it has streaming-optimized servers in 20+ countries that work with 50+ streaming platforms. In addition, you also get access to o a smart DNS that’s useful for streaming on devices that are not compatible with VPN apps.
Plus, the provider is also good for gaming, and it’s great for beginners. That’s because it also comes with dedicated gaming servers, and because its apps are very intuitive as well (plus, the desktop apps provide convenient automation).
Other than that, CyberGhost VPN also has other great perks — it has a huge server network with locations in 95+ countries, it provides very good speeds on both nearby and distant servers, it comes with high-end security and privacy features, and it has good torrenting support.
There are really only a few issues I should mention — the VPN doesn’t consistently work in restrictive countries like China and Russia, it’s missing obfuscation (an extra feature most top VPNs have), and its live chat support isn’t available 24/7.
Price-wise, its plans start at $2.03/month. The provider also has monthly and yearly plans, and the longest plan usually comes with additional months of service for free. Also, there’s a free trial, and CyberGhost VPN backs all long-term plans with a 45-day money-back guarantee — its shortest plan comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee.
| 🥇 Overall Rank | 3 out of #19 |
| 🌍 Server Network | Unknown number of servers in 95+ countries |
| 💻 Number of Devices | 7 |
| 🎁 Free Plan |  |
| 💸 Starting Price | $2.03/month |
| 💰 Money-Back Guarantee | 45 days (long-term plans) 14 days (shortest plan) |
CyberGhost VPN Security and Privacy Security and Privacy
CyberGhost VPN comes with all industry-standard security and privacy features — basically, what I would expect any top VPN to have. CyberGhost VPN has 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch, DNS leak protection, and a strict no-logs policy. I’ll talk more in-depth about each feature below.
Security Features
| CyberGhost VPN Security | |
|---|---|
| Uses 256-bit AES Encryption |  |
| Has a Kill Switch | |
| Has DNS Leak Protection | |
| VPN Protocols | WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPSec |
| Passed My Leak Tests | |
With CyberGhost VPN, you get the following:
- 256-bit AES encryption. This is military-grade encryption that makes all of your web traffic completely unreadable, so that third parties can’t monitor it to see what you’re doing on the internet.
- Kill switch. This is a security feature that disables your internet access if the VPN disconnects — it does this to protect you from traffic leaks. All of the provider’s apps come with a kill switch (Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android).
- DNS leak protection. CyberGhost VPN runs its own encrypted DNS servers. This ensures that your DNS queries never leak outside the VPN tunnel — if that were to happen, your internet service provider (ISP) would be able to see what sites you’re accessing, despite using a VPN.
Also, CyberGhost VPN provides access to secure VPN protocols. It uses WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2/IPSec — all of them are very secure, but I really like that WireGuard is present since it’s also super fast.
Plus, the provider also has IPv6 and WebRTC leak protection (in addition to DNS leak protection). I ran multiple leak tests on 10 different VPN servers, and I’m happy to say I never experienced any leaks.
Furthermore, CyberGhost VPN uses RAM-only servers. This means the VPN only writes data to the RAM, and not the hard drive. This way, every time a server is rebooted, all data is wiped.
Also, the VPN uses perfect forward secrecy (PFS). This is an advanced security tool that ensures each VPN connection uses a different encryption key. This way, there’s no risk that cybercriminals could try to compromise encryption keys from past or future connections to spy on your traffic.
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN provides excellent security features — it has all industry-standard security tools, it doesn’t leak any data, and it also has advanced security features, including RAM-only servers, full leak protection, and PFS.
Privacy Features
| CyberGhost VPN Privacy | |
|---|---|
| Logs User IP Addresses | |
| Logs User Traffic | |
| Audited No-Logs Policy | |
| Headquarters | Romania |
CyberGhost VPN comes with a strict no-logs policy, which is something I’d expect from any good VPN. Its privacy policy clearly states that the provider doesn’t log user IP addresses and web traffic — this means CyberGhost VPN can’t see your real location and what you do on the internet while you’re connected to its servers.
And the VPN also doesn’t log connection timestamps and bandwidth usage. It only collects your email address, which it needs to set up your account and communicate with you. Also, it collects payment-related data, which it needs to process transactions.
I also like how the provider’s no-logs policy is audited. This means a security auditing firm thoroughly checked out the provider’s no-logs claims against its server infrastructure, app functionality, and employee guidelines to make sure the provider truly doesn’t log anything that could compromise a user’s privacy.
Plus, CyberGhost VPN also releases transparency reports. These reports detail what kind of requests the VPN provider received for user data, like legal requests and DMCA complaints. The reports also detail how CyberGhost VPN doesn’t comply with any of those requests.
Finally, the VPN is headquartered in Romania. This is great, as the country has good privacy laws, and it’s also located outside the jurisdiction of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances — that’s a group of countries that share surveillance data with each other.
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN is excellent for protecting your privacy, as it comes with a strict no-logs policy that has been audited and proven true. In addition, the VPN releases regular transparency reports, and is also located in a privacy-friendly country.
CyberGhost VPN Extra Features Extra Features
| CyberGhost VPN Extra Features | |
|---|---|
| Split-Tunneling | |
| Blocks Ads | |
| Blocks Malicious Sites | |
| Obfuscation | |
| Smart DNS | |
CyberGhost VPN comes with most extras you’d expect from a top VPN. This includes split-tunneling, an ad blocker (called Content Blocker), and a smart DNS. Don’t worry if you’re not familiar with these features — I’ll discuss them in-depth below.
The only thing that’s missing is obfuscation, which is an extra security feature that hides your VPN traffic (basically, it makes it look like regular internet traffic). This feature is used to bypass VPN traffic blocks in restrictive countries, and to get extra privacy. If this is a deal-breaker for you, try ExpressVPN instead (it supports obfuscation on all servers.
With CyberGhost VPN, you get access to the following:
- Split-tunneling.
- Content Blocker.
- Smart DNS.
- Smart Rules.
- Identity Guard.
- NoSpy Servers.
- Dedicated IP Addresses.
- Tor Support.
Split-Tunneling
Split-tunneling is a feature that lets you pick which apps or sites use the VPN, and which ones don’t. I generally recommend using this feature to improve VPN speeds — the less data that goes through your VPN connection, the faster your speeds will be. For example, when I used the split-tunnel tool to only route Netflix traffic through CyberGhost VPN, that increased my streaming speeds by about 10%, which is pretty good.
The provider’s split-tunneling tool is only available on its Android app. I think this is a shame since many top competitors (like ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access, for example) support split-tunneling on Android and many other platforms, like Windows and macOS.
Technically, CyberGhost VPN has a type of split-tunneling on Windows. This is available via its Smart Rules feature — basically, there’s an option to exclude websites from the VPN connection. That said, I still think you’re better off getting Private Internet Access if you want to split-tunnel sites. It lets you do that on Windows and its other desktop apps, and it also lets you use any protocol you want (CyberGhost VPN limits Smart Rules’ split-tunneling to the OpenVPN protocol).
On the plus side, split-tunneling works really well on Android. Whenever I use it, I never experience any bugs or issues, and the app traffic is correctly routed through or excluded from the VPN connection.
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN lets you split-tunnel app traffic, but it only supports this on Android. Technically, you can split-tunnel sites on Windows via a separate feature, but it’s pretty limited. On the plus side, split-tunneling on Android works very well.
Content Blocker
CyberGhost VPN has a tool that blocks ads, ad trackers, and shady sites. Its feature is usually called Content Blocker, but I have also seen it called Block Content. The tool is supposed to stop ads from loading on the web pages you visit, prevent ad trackers from associating your real IP address with your online preferences, and block connections to malicious websites.
I used this feature on several occasions when surfing the web, and it works pretty well. For me, it always stopped ads from loading on search engines and ad-heavy sites (like media outlets). I also tried to intentionally access some HTTP websites, and Content Blocker prevented me from doing it.
Content Blocker is available on the Windows, macOS, and Android apps. This is pretty good cross-platform support, though if you’d like a similar feature that also works on Linux and iOS, check out ExpressVPN’s Advanced Protection tool instead. Alternatively, if you’d like more functionality, try NordVPN’s Threat Protection feature — in addition to ads, ad trackers, and malicious sites, it also blocks malware-infected downloads and alerts you about app vulnerabilities.
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN has a feature that blocks ads and protects you from shady sites. It’s available on most of its apps, and it also works very well.
Smart DNS
CyberGhost VPN has a smart DNS, which is a useful streaming tool. Basically, it’s a feature that only routes your DNS traffic through a different server — it doesn’t encrypt your data or hide your IP address. By routing your DNS data, a smart DNS might allow you to access unavailable websites.
You’d normally want to use the smart DNS on devices that don’t support VPN apps — for example, gaming consoles like Xbox and PlayStation. To use the smart DNS, you need to perform a manual setup. But it’s pretty straightforward (it shouldn’t take you more than 5–7 minutes to do it), as CyberGhost VPN has helpful step-by-step tutorials.
The provider’s smart DNS works with top sites from multiple countries, including the US, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and Japan. Usually, when a top VPN has a smart DNS, it only works with sites from one or two countries, so it’s great that CyberGhost VPN offers this level of variety.
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN provides access to a smart DNS that’s easy to set up, and which is also compatible with popular streaming services from up to 5 countries.
Smart Rules
The Smart Rules feature lets you automate VPN connections, which I find incredibly convenient. For example, you can use Smart Rules to configure the VPN to automatically connect to the fastest server and launch a specific app when you open the VPN client.
Smart Rules is only available on Windows and macOS, but it’s better on Windows in my opinion — on macOS, you get slightly fewer automation options. Here’s a quick look at how Smart Rules differs on both platforms:
| Smart Rules on Windows | • Allows you to automate VPN connections on VPN client launch • Allows you to automatically launch a specific app after the VPN connects. • Allows you to choose how the VPN behaves when it detects a secured or unsecured Wi-Fi network. • Allows you to exclude specific websites from the VPN connection. • Lets you configure the VPN client to automatically launch and connect to a specific server after you launch a specific app.der='Cyberghost'] |
| Smart Rules on macOS | • Lets you choose how the VPN connection behaves when the VPN detects a new secured or unsecured Wi-Fi network. • Lets you automate VPN connections when you launch the VPN app. • Allows you to automatically launch a specific app after establishing a VPN connection. |
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN allows you to automate VPN connections depending on which Wi-Fi networks you access, and which apps you launch. The feature is available on both Windows and macOS, but I like it better on Windows.
Identity Guard
Identity Guard provides data breach monitoring and a password checker. While the feature is not available built into CyberGhost VPN’s apps, I still consider it an extra feature since you get access to it inside the provider’s account dashboard. Plus, you also get free access to it, which is really nice.
The data breach monitoring is really good — I tried it out with 2 test emails, and it correctly flagged the one that was involved in a few data breaches. The feature showcased which breaches the email was compromised in, and provided details about them. Just keep in mind that you can only use this feature to monitor 2 email addresses.
And Identity Guard’s password checker is very good too. You can use it to quickly check if any of the passwords you’re using for your online accounts have been compromised in a data breach. In addition, you can also use a password generator to come up with a very secure login — you can generate passwords up to 100 characters in length, and you can choose to include numbers and symbols.
This feature is kinda similar to Private Internet Access’ own Identity Guard tool. Both vendors provide access to Identity Guard in the account dashboard, and allow you to monitor 2 email addresses for data breaches. But I think CyberGhost VPN’s Identity Guard is still better since it also comes with the password checker.
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN provides access to really good data breach monitoring and password health monitoring via Identity Guard, which is located in the account dashboard.
NoSpy Servers
The provider’s NoSpy servers are intended to be used by people who need high-end privacy, such as activists, journalists, and political dissidents (or anyone else who values security and privacy a lot). That’s because all NoSpy servers are 100% owned and operated by CyberGhost VPN’s in-house staff — this completely eliminates the risk of a rogue data center employee or a data center error compromising user data.
Plus, the NoSpy servers are located in Romania, which is good for user privacy. The country isn’t part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances, and it also doesn’t have any laws that could force companies like CyberGhost to compromise user data.
You get free access to these servers if you get the provider’s long-term plans. But these servers are unfortunately not available via the shortest plan (not even as a paid add-on). Also, the NoSpy servers are available on the provider’s Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS apps.
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN provides free access via its long-term plans to NoSpy servers, which are completely owned and operated by the provider’s in-house staff (so they provide extremely strong security and privacy).
Dedicated IP Addresses
For an additional cost, CyberGhost VPN lets you get a dedicated IP address. This is an IP address that’s only assigned to you — so, you don’t share it with other VPN users. The vendor gives you an option of dedicated IPs from 5+ countries, including the US, the UK, Singapore, Belgium, and Canada.
Like Private Internet Access, CyberGhost VPN uses a privacy-focused system to assign dedicated IPs. Basically, when you buy a dedicated IP address, you get a token, which you then use inside the provider’s apps to have the dedicated IP assigned to you. This way, Cyberghost VPN only associates the dedicated IP with the token — so, it won’t know which dedicated IP is assigned to your user account.
Dedicated IPs are usually useful for avoiding reCAPTCHAs and accessing bank sites. With a dedicated IP, you’re much less likely to have to complete reCAPTACHAs when using search engines while connected to the VPN. And it’s easier to securely access your bank’s site via a dedicated IP, as most bank sites block shared VPN IP addresses.
If you don’t like that this is a paid add-on, try PrivateVPN instead. That VPN provider offers free access to dedicated IP addresses in 10+ countries. Just keep in mind that PrivateVPN’s dedicated IPs are dynamic — so, every time you connect to a dedicated IP server, you get a different dedicated IP. Normally, paid dedicated IP addresses are static, meaning they always stay the same.
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN offers you the possibility to get a dedicated IP address from 5+ countries for a small additional cost. I really like how the vendor uses a token-based system to assign dedicated IPs to protect users’ privacy.
Tor Support
CyberGhost VPN supports dark web traffic across all of its servers. This basically means you can first connect to CyberGhost VPN before using the Tor browser to surf the dark web. I recommend doing this to protect your privacy on the dark web — if the Tor network were to somehow suffer a leak, only CyberGhost VPN’s IP address would be exposed.
If you do use the VPN with Tor, keep in mind the slowdowns will be noticeable. Tor is already pretty slow since it encrypts your data at least three times — adding VPN encryption on top of that will only make the slowdown bigger. For example, when I used CyberGhost VPN to access a dark web site, it took up to 15 seconds for the web page to fully load.
But if you’re mainly interested in browsing the dark web with a VPN, try NordVPN instead. In addition to allowing Tor traffic on all servers, it also has specialized servers that automatically route your data through the Tor network — that essentially means you can actually access dark web sites in regular browsers, like Chrome and Firefox.
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN allows Tor traffic on all of its servers, which means you can use the VPN to keep your data safe while you surf the dark web.
Does CyberGhost VPN Work in China?
Unfortunately, I don’t think CyberGhost VPN is a good pick for users in China. I talked with several of the provider’s support reps, and they all told me the VPN can’t guarantee 100% uptime in China. I can also confirm this on my end — whenever I try to use CyberGhost VPN in China, it only works 50% of the time.
If this is a deal-breaker, just get ExpressVPN instead — it’s the #1 VPN for China in my opinion, as it consistently works in that region without any issues. That’s because it changes its server IPs super fast to avoid IP blocks, and also because it supports obfuscation on servers in 100+ countries.
Does CyberGhost VPN Work in Other Restrictive Countries?
| 🇷🇺 Russia | Maybe |
| 🇦🇪 UAE | Maybe |
| 🇮🇷 Iran | Maybe |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | Maybe |
Same as with China, there’s no guarantee CyberGhost VPN will work in other restrictive regions, like Russia, the UAE, and Turkey. Whether you live in such places or just travel through them, it’s best to just use ExpressVPN (again) since it’s one of the only VPN services out there that’s actually able to consistently access the web in such regions.
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN isn’t a good pick for users in China or other restrictive countries, as it doesn’t consistently bypass censorship in such places. It’s much better to just use ExpressVPN in this case.
CyberGhost VPN Server Network Server Network
| CyberGhost VPN Server Network | |
|---|---|
| Number of Countries | 95+ |
| Number of Servers | Unknown |
| Has P2P Servers | (P2P servers in 80+ countries) |
| Dedicated IP Addresses | |
CyberGhost VPN comes with a huge server network, with locations in 95+ countries. While the provider doesn’t say how many servers it has, I don’t think that’s an issue since it has server locations in so many countries — so, pretty much any user will be able to connect to nearby servers to get fast speeds. To be honest, the provider’s number of countries is on par with other top competitors, like ExpressVPN (100+ countries) and Surfshark (95+ countries).
I also like how good the provider’s P2P support is — it allows torrenting on dedicated P2P servers in 80+ countries. This is really great, as some top VPNs only let you download torrents on a small number of server locations.
CyberGhost VPN also has other types of “specialized” servers:
- Streaming-optimized servers. These are servers optimized to work very well with 50+ streaming sites. The VPN has streaming-optimized servers in 20+ countries.
- Gaming servers. These are servers that are optimized to provide very smooth speeds while playing online games. CyberGhost VPN has gaming servers in 4 countries.
- NoSpy servers. These are security-focused servers that are located at the VPN provider’s headquarters in Romania.
Also, for a small cost, you can get a dedicated IP address from 5+ countries. I think dedicated IPs are really useful for securely accessing bank sites and avoiding annoying reCAPTACHAs on search engines.
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN provides access to a very large server network, with locations in 95+ countries. Plus, the provider also has a large P2P server network, other useful types of servers (including gaming, streaming, and NoSpy servers), and dedicated IPs.
CyberGhost VPN Streaming Streaming
| CyberGhost VPN Streaming | |
|---|---|
| Works With Netflix | |
| Number of Netflix Libraries | 15+ |
| Works With BBC iPlayer | |
| Works With Disney+ | |
| Works With Amazon Prime Video | |
| Smart DNS | |
I think CyberGhost VPN is very good for streaming, as it’s compatible with 50+ top streaming services, such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+. It also works with other streaming platforms, like Channel 4, ESPN+, Play SRF, Mediaset, Digi Online, DAZN, and ARD.
The provider accesses streaming content via dedicated streaming servers in 20+ countries. These streaming servers are configured to refresh their IP addresses very fast, which makes it difficult for streaming services to detect and block them. True, it’d be more convenient if CyberGhost VPN would support streaming on all servers, but I don’t think this is a big issue considering how many sites the provider is compatible with.
Also, CyberGhost VPN is really good for accessing Netflix too. The VPN’s streaming servers are optimized to work with 15+ Netflix libraries, so you get excellent variety. Plus, the VPN works with popular libraries, like Netflix US, Netflix UK, Netflix Japan, and Netflix Canada.
Finally, I also like how the VPN has a smart DNS. You can use this streaming tool to watch streaming content on devices that don’t work with VPN apps, like certain smart TV models or gaming consoles. And the provider’s smart DNS can access top sites from up to 5 countries, which is really good.
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN provides very good streaming support — it’s compatible with 50+ streaming platforms, it works with 15+ Netflix libraries, and it also comes with a smart DNS.
CyberGhost VPN Torrenting Torrenting
| CyberGhost VPN Torrenting | |
|---|---|
| P2P Support | (P2P servers in 80+ countries) |
| Port Forwarding | |
| SOCKS5 Proxy Support | |
I think CyberGhost VPN has really good torrenting support. It allows P2P downloads across servers in 80+ countries, which means it’s easy to use nearby server locations to download torrents to get the fastest speeds.
Plus, the VPN offers great security and privacy for torrenting. It protects your P2P traffic with a kill switch and an audited no-logs policy. Also, it has really good leak protection, and it has an ad-blocking tool that can get rid of ads on P2P sites, and also protect you from shady torrenting sites. And you can use its Identity Guard feature to secure the logins you use for private torrent trackers.
That said, I think Private Internet Access is a much better pick for torrenting. It allows P2P downloads on servers in 90+ countries, and it has the same level of security as CyberGhost VPN. But, on top of that, it also comes with port forwarding (lets you connect to more peers) and SOCKS5 proxies (hides your IP address, but doesn’t provide encryption) — both of those features can increase your P2P speeds.
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN provides pretty good P2P support, as it allows torrenting on servers in 80+ countries. Also, it has very strong security and privacy features to keep you safe while torrenting.
CyberGhost VPN Gaming Gaming
| CyberGhost VPN Gaming | |
|---|---|
| Ping While Gaming on Distant Servers | 127–138 ms |
| Servers Have Anti-DDoS Protection | |
| Router Support | |
| Cloud Gaming Support | |
I really like using CyberGhost VPN while gaming. The VPN maintains really good gaming speeds, as I always maintain stable and average ping when playing online games (like Team Fortress 2 and Dota 2) on distant servers. What’s more, I never experience random disconnects from the gaming servers or game-breaking lag.
I also like how the VPN has dedicated gaming servers. These servers are optimized to provide better ping than the provider’s non-gaming servers. I tried this out, and I can confirm that CyberGhost VPN’s claims about its gaming servers are pretty accurate — while my ping on its gaming servers wasn’t significantly lower than on its regular servers, it was a bit more stable, so the ping values didn’t fluctuate a lot.
Plus, if you game while connected to CyberGhost VPN, you’re safe from Distributed-Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks. These are cyber attacks that can force you offline, usually up to a few hours at a time — but since the VPN service hides your real IP address, wannabe hackers can’t use it to target your network with DDoS attacks. In addition, all of the provider’s servers have anti-DDoS protection, which means cybercriminals can’t DDoS your VPN connection to disconnect you from the VPN.
I also want to mention that this VPN provider has good router support. You can manually configure it on your router, which allows you to use CyberGhost VPN to play online games on devices that don’t support VPN apps, like gaming consoles for example. And yes, the VPN allows you to set up connections to its gaming servers on your router.
The only thing that’s missing is cloud gaming support. While CyberGhost VPN worked okay with cloud gaming platforms in my tests, I can’t guarantee you’ll experience the same results. If this is a deal-breaker, it’s better to just use ExpressVPN instead since it guarantees compatibility with cloud gaming services.
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN provides great gaming support — its maintains smooth speeds, it has dedicated gaming servers, it’s great for protecting yourself against DDoS attacks, and it has good router support. The only thing it doesn’t have is guaranteed cloud gaming support.
CyberGhost VPN Speeds Speeds
| Website Load Time | HD Videos Load Time | Time to Torrent a 10 GB File | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline Speeds (Without a VPN) | Instantly | Instantly | 10–11 minutes |
| Speeds on Nearby VPN Servers | Instantly | Instantly | 13–14 minutes |
| Speeds on Distant VPN Servers | Instantly | 2 seconds | 15–18 minutes |
CyberGhost VPN is one of the fastest VPN services out there. I can’t say I’m very surprised by this, as the VPN has servers in 95+ countries. So, it’s very easy to use nearby server locations to get very fast speeds. Not to mention you also get access to the WireGuard protocol, which is very fast.
I ran multiple speed tests for this review, and the results were always amazing. I had instant load times when visiting sites and watching HD videos on nearby VPN servers, and my torrenting speeds were great too (they were almost as fast as my non-VPN P2P speeds). And on distant servers, site load times remained instantaneous, and I only noticed very minor slowdowns when it came to HD video load times and P2P speeds.
Also, don’t forget that you can use split-tunneling to boost your speeds on Android. I tried out this feature with my Netflix app, and I had good results — I only sent Netflix traffic through the VPN, and that boosted my VPN streaming speeds by about 10–12%, which is pretty good.
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN provides very fast speeds across all of its servers. In my tests, it maintained very good browsing, streaming, and torrenting speeds across both nearby and distant VPN servers. Plus, you also get access to split-tunneling to further boost your speeds (though, it’s only available on Android).
CyberGhost VPN Pricing Pricing
| CyberGhost VPN Pricing | |
|---|---|
| Starting Price | $2.03/month |
| Free Plan | |
| Accepts Cryptocurrencies | |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 45 days (long-term plans) 14 days (shortest plan) |
CyberGhost VPN has really affordable prices — they start as low as $2.03/month. And in addition to being so budget-friendly, it also provides excellent value, and its longest plan also offers a significant discount (plus, it usually comes with extra months of service for free).
You can also pay for your subscription via multiple methods. CyberGhost VPN accepts credit/debit cards, PayPal, and even cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin). I’m actually happy to see that cryptocurrency payments are available, as they provide better privacy than standard payment methods.
Plus, the VPN also comes with a free trial (it’s one of the only services to have this). You get a 24-hour trial via its website, and a 3-day trial on Android. The trial is completely free, you don’t need to provide any payment details to be eligible for it, and it provides access to all of the VPN’s features. If you do use the trial and decide you want to buy the VPN, just remember to cancel the trial and get a subscription via the provider’s site to make sure your purchase is covered by its refund policy.
Also, the VPN has a generous 45-day refund for all long-term plans, which offers more than enough time to test the VPN to make sure it’s right for you. If you only get the shortest plan, you’re covered by a 14-day money-back guarantee, which is still pretty good in my opinion.
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN is one of the most affordable VPN providers on the market. It also provides excellent value, has a free trial, accepts cryptocurrency payments, and has a generous 45-day money-back guarantee for all long-term plans (the shortest plan comes with a 14-day refund).
CyberGhost VPN Simultaneous Connections Simultaneous Connections
CyberGhost VPN allows you to connect up to 7 devices. The is in the middle of the industry average of 5–10 simultaneous connections. I personally think it’s pretty good, though I could see how a large family or someone who owns lots of web-connected devices wouldn’t find 7 connections enough.
You could technically use the VPN on unlimited devices by setting it up on your router. By doing this, all of the devices in your home that use the router to access the web will use CyberGhost VPN’s connection to do so — and setting up the VPN on your router only counts as one device. But to do that, you will need to perform a manual setup, which could be inconvenient.
If you’re not okay with what I said above, try Private Internet Access instead. This VPN service allows unlimited simultaneous connections, which means you can install and use the VPN provider on as many devices as you want.
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN allows up to 7 simultaneous connections, which is pretty decent and I think should be enough for most users. If that’s not enough, you could try setting up the VPN on your router, or getting a VPN with unlimited connections instead.
CyberGhost VPN Platform Availability and Ease of Use Platform Availability and Ease of Use
CyberGhost VPN provides access to intuitive apps for most devices. This includes Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Android TV, Fire TV, and Chromebook. It also has manual router support and browser extensions. But there’s sadly no Apple TV app yet (if this is an issue, just get ExpressVPN or Private Internet Access instead).
Downloading and installing CyberGhost VPN is extremely straightforward. The whole process won’t take more than 2–3 minutes — and all of the provider’s apps provide helpful instructions during setup.
To see how CyberGhost VPN works on different platforms, just use this list:
Windows and macOS
I really like how easy to use CyberGhost VPN’s Windows and macOS apps are. The interface is easy to navigate, and there’s a quick-connect feature that automatically picks the fastest server location for you. Plus, both apps share a similar design, so it’s extremely easy to switch between them (if you happen to own both macOS and Windows devices).
Also, both apps are feature-rich, as they provide access to almost all extras. You get access to Content Blocker, Smart Rules, and NoSpy servers on both Windows and macOS. That said, the Windows app has a slightly better version of the Smart Rules feature — it provides slightly more automation options, including an option to exclude sites from the VPN tunnel (so, a limited type of split-tunneling).
| Split-Tunneling | Content Blocker | Smart Rules | NoSpy Servers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows App | Limited website split-tunneling available via Smart Rules | | | |
| macOS App | | | | |
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN has a very intuitive VPN app for both Windows and macOS devices. Plus, both desktop apps are equipped with more or less the same additional features — the only difference is that the Windows app has a slightly better version of the Smart Rules feature.
Android and iOS
Both of CyberGhost VPN’s mobile apps are very intuitive. It’s very easy to find the list of servers and manually connect to a server — plus, I like how there’s a search field for quick access to your desired locations. In addition, the apps also provide helpful explanations for all settings and features, which is great.
But the Android app is definitely the better option in terms of features. While both mobile apps provide access to NoSpy servers, only the CyberGhost app for Android also comes with Content Blocker and Split-Tunneling. And if you’re wondering about the Smart Rules feature, it’s not available on mobile.
| Split-Tunneling | Content Blocker | Smart Rules | NoSpy Servers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | | | | |
| iOS App | | | | |
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN’s Android and iOS apps are very simple to navigate, and they also don’t feel overwhelming to use (especially if you’re new to VPNs). But while they’re both secure, the Android app is more feature-rich.
Linux
CyberGhost VPN has a decent Linux app that works on most top distros, including Ubuntu, Mint, Kali, Fedora, CentOS, and PopOS. Just keep in mind that the app is a command-line interface (CLI) app — if you don’t want to deal with command lines and would like to use a graphical user interface (GUI), just get Private Internet Access instead.
The app is secure and provides access to most VPN server types, like regular, streaming, and torrenting servers. But since it’s a CLI app, you don’t get access to the provider’s additional features, like split-tunneling, Smart Rules, and Content Blocker. On the plus side, I like how it’s possible to use the WireGuard protocol, as that VPN protocol is very fast (in addition to being really secure).
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN provides access to a pretty good Linux app, which is compatible with many popular distros, and which also provides access to streaming and P2P servers. That said, the app lacks a GUI, so it doesn’t come with the provider’s extra features.
Smart TV
CyberGhost VPN has a really good app for Android TV and Fire TV. The app design is clearly designed with TV users in mind, as the interface is simple to navigate with your remote — it really doesn’t take more than a few seconds to find and connect to a server or change several settings.
The smart TV apps are also very feature-rich. They come with both OpenVPN and WireGuard, and there’s also a connection testing tool that lets you quickly check if your device can connect to the provider’s servers. You also get access to CyberGhost VPN’s streaming servers, as well as its Content Blocker and split-tunneling tools.
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN’s smart TV apps are really good — they’re simple to navigate and use, and they provide access to WireGuad, the streaming servers, Content Blocker, split-tunneling, and more.
Browser Extensions
CyberGhost VPN’s browser extensions are very simplistic, but also 100% free. This is actually one of the only VPNs on the market that provides complete free access to a browser extension. Also, the browser extensions work on Chromium browsers and Firefox.
That said, the extension is not the same as the VPN app. You can only use servers in 4 countries — the US, Romania, the Netherlands, and Germany. Other than that, you don’t get access to any other server locations (not even the streaming or P2P servers) or VPN features. Also, there’s no paid premium version of the extension that would provide access to more tools and servers.
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN provides free access to its browser extensions — but keep in mind the extension is very limited compared to the VPN, as it only has servers in 4 countries, and you don’t get any extra features.
Routers
CyberGhost VPN supports manual setups on multiple routers. It works on popular router models and firmwares, such as Tomato, Synology NAS, and DD-WRT.
You also get access to helpful setup tutorials — pretty much all of them include step-by-step explanations and screenshots, which help make the router setup process straightforward. On average, I don’t think it would take you more than 15 minutes to manually configure CyberGhost VPN on your router.
But I still think that ExpressVPN is the overall better choice for routers. Unlike CyberGhost VPN, it has a router app, which is easier to install and use compared to performing a manual router setup. And if you have extra money to spare, ExpressVPN even has a dedicated VPN router you can buy, which comes with the VPN pre-installed on it.
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN has good router support, as it supports manual setups on popular models and firmwares. In addition, it also provides access to helpful setup tutorials (most of which include screenshots).
CyberGhost VPN Customer Support Customer Support
| CyberGhost VPN Customer Support | |
|---|---|
| Live Chat | |
| Email Support | |
| Support Articles | |
I think CyberGhost VPN provides great customer support. It provides access to multiple support channels, including live chat support, and email support, and an in-depth support library that’s chock-full of frequently asked questions (FAQs), setup tutorials, and troubleshooting guides.
I’m really happy with the provider’s support library. All of its tutorials and guides are very easy to read, as the format is really reader-friendly. Plus, I really like how most of the articles come with helpful screenshots. To be honest, I rarely had to reach out to the provider’s support reps over live chat or email, as the support guides usually answered all of my questions.
I also tried out the live chat support, and it’s pretty good, but there’s room for improvement. While CyberGhost VPN claims its live chat is available 24/7, that’s not really the case — I tried it out at random times of the day over the course of several weeks, and I wasn’t always able to connect to a live chat rep. And while most support reps were able to answer all of my questions, I did come across a few live chat reps that weren’t very helpful.
On the plus side, the email support is really good. It usually takes less than 24 hours to get a reply, which is pretty standard for most top VPN providers. And the email reps are also friendly, and seem a bit more knowledgeable than the live chat reps.
Conclusion: CyberGhost VPN comes with pretty good customer support — it has a very helpful support library, pretty decent live chat support, and really good email support. I just wish that the live chat support would be available 24/7, and that all live chat reps would be knowledgeable (I came across a few that weren’t helpful).
What I’d Like CyberGhost VPN to Improve
There’s really not a lot I can complain about. CyberGhost VPN is definitely among the top VPNs on the market — that said, if it were to fix all of the issues highlighted below, it could even compete with ExpressVPN for the #1 spot.
The main issue is that CyberGhost VPN doesn’t work in restrictive countries. Many of its reps told me they can’t guarantee 100% uptime in restrictive regions, such as China and Russia. And I can also confirm on my end that I’ve never been able to consistently use this VPN to access the web while traveling through China.
Also, the provider is missing obfuscation — at this point, I kind of consider this an essential additional feature, as most top VPNs provide access to it. I know that even if it were available, there’s a chance the VPN still wouldn’t work in restrictive regions, but you could still use obfuscation to enjoy additional privacy.
And, finally, I wish CyberGhost would actually provide 24/7 live chat support — right now, it only claims that its live chat is 24/7. Unfortunately, while reviewing the VPN over the past weeks, I wasn’t able to get in touch with a live chat rep every single time I tried to use this support channel (plus, not all live chat reps I talked to were knowledgeable).
CyberGhost VPN Review — The Bottom Line The Bottom Line
I honestly think CyberGhost VPN is one of the best services in 2024. It has very good streaming support (it works with 50+ streaming sites), it’s great for gaming, it’s very easy to use, and it has a huge server network. Also, it’s extremely secure, and it maintains very fast speeds for all online activities on both nearby and distant servers.
There are only a few minor issues worth mentioning — the VPN can’t consistently bypass censorship in countries like China and the UAE, it’s missing obfuscation (an additional security feature that most top VPNs have), and its live chat support isn’t available 24/7 (even though CyberGhost VPN claims it is).
CyberGhost VPN Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Questions
