CyberGhost was founded in 2011 in Bucharest, Romania, and grew to 30 million users by 2019. We’re here to review their product and find out why the company grew so fast.
Due to its location outside of any surveillance conglomerates, along with its intuitive UI, it’s certainly one of the more interesting VPN services available.
Plus CyberGhost is one of the rare VPN providers who actually frequently update their product. Just read about server growth and product interface.
In this review, we share our delights in using this nifty VPN service.
CyberGhost VPN Specs & Offers
| VPN Name | CyberGhost |
|---|---|
| Leak Test | No Leaks |
| Logging Policy | No Logs |
| Speed | Fast |
| Torrenting | Torrenting & P2P Allowed |
| Netflix | Unblocks Netflix |
| Jurisdiction | Outside of Eyes |
| Servers / Countries | 3803 / 58 |
| Max Connections | 7 |
| Kill Switch | Has Kill Switch |
| Anonymous Payment Methods | Crypto |
| Free Trial | 3 Days |
| Refunds | 45 Days |
| Customer Support | Live Chat, Email |
| Price Starting From | $2.75 |
CyberGhost VPN Pros
Transparent Operations
CyberGhost has been one of the VPN companies that push for transparency—the others being the likes of NordVPN and ExpressVPN. It has been for some years now; since 2011 CyberGhost has been publishing a Transparency Report.
They claimed to be the first ones in the industry to publish such reports and we didn’t manage to find evidence to combat this claim. If you know of another company that did this before CyberGhost, please let us know!
The management has collectively decided that it’s best to practice the Privacy by Design principle. The Transparency Report unveils some really interesting figures.
In 2018, they received 27,747 DMCA complaints and 37 police requests. Imagine how many people were protected under these figures – a DMCA complaint to a VPN provider can affect more than one person.
Servers and Locations: A respectable server count (and growing)
As of writing, CyberGhost’s VPN service boasts a respectable count of 3803 servers (roughly +1,000 server count in 6 months!). We’ve certainly seen more, but we’ve also seen a lot less.
CyberGhost hosts their servers in multiple locations globally spread across 58 countries.
This comes as a surprise for a VPN that comparably goes for a low price.
It’s clear CyberGhost are proud of their server count, with figures being plastered all over their website and on their app.
The website lists all their locations and the number of active servers in each location.
This feature is very useful for users, as CyberGhost effectively categorizes and segregates servers depending on certain attributes.
They separate crowded servers from empty ones, while also highlighting the fastest – handy and useful. All of these little details are what places CyberGhost in our list of the best VPNs.
The Freedom to Choose Your Server
This leaves users with the freedom to choose their server, and fully customize their connection according to their needs.
Not only does their list segregate servers by traffic; they also indicate which servers allow for peer-to-peer file sharing and torrenting which removes the guesswork for the user.
As for reliability, CyberGhost provides a very stable connection.
During our review, we didn’t experience any connection drops – a great sign that they maintain their servers well.
Netflix Test: Netflix and chill away!
One of the things that we really look for in a good VPN is the ability to access geo-restricted shows on Netflix. Thankfully, CyberGhost delivers.
It’s not just the ability to get around restrictions. It’s their entire product user interface that makes this process painless.
Their main menu allows you to specifically choose a list of servers for streaming purposes. This brings you to a selection of servers with streaming websites that are unblocked. CyberGhost isn’t limited to just Netflix. Their streaming servers work for BBC iPlayer, Sky Go, Hulu, YouTube, etc.
Clicking on any of the options connects you to an appropriate VPN server that allows access to these websites.
This useful feature spares the user from trying out multiple servers before getting one to work – a painful process seasoned VPN users know all too well.
CyberGhost has consistently proven to be successful in accessing these websites.
This is a great point in CyberGhost’s favor, considering these popular streaming services are notorious for blocking out VPN IP addresses.
CyberGhost is so successful at accessing Netflix, due to the fact they have dedicated servers for getting around Netflix’s restrictions. The servers constantly change IP addresses whenever Netflix starts blocking them out. Smart!
Another contributing factor to CyberGhost’s capability to access Netflix is their value for user feedback. Users are asked whether a server is successful in accessing geo-restricted shows as one of their metrics for filtering their servers and IP addresses.
This superior function is also what got CyberGhost on our top 5 best VPNs for Netflix list.
Torrenting Policy: Good to go
Most VPN providers tend to veer away from being openly able to torrent on their servers due to the bad rap associated with torrents, CyberGhost boldly claims that their VPN service allows for this by having a “Torrent Anonymously” option right at the home menu list of torrent-optimized servers from the left-hand menu.
Torrenting and peer-to-peer file sharing will prove not to be a difficult task for CyberGhost users; despite the throttled speeds, they make torrenting through a VPN easy for their users.
CyberGhost hosts a few servers that are designated for torrenting and P2P file sharing. The list isn’t massive but it’s good enough and you can feel safe knowing your information won’t be leaked. The list also shows how many users are using the servers to torrent. Very cool stuff.
On the CyberGhost website, they have included their reason for the throttled P2P download speeds on their FAQs section.
Despite not having the fastest download speeds, we still think that the way CyberGhost has set up dedicated torrenting servers is a huge plus for the service, and for users taking advantage of it.
The groundwork has been laid; they just have to follow through by improving their speeds.
If you don’t want to worry about speeds for filesharing, here are some other VPNs that are great for torrenting.
Pricing & Plans: Excellent for longer subscriptions
When it comes to value for money, CyberGhost offers a great plan that goes for as low as $2.75 per month, a remarkable price for a feature-rich VPN with a great server count such as this.
There’s a bit of a catch to the dirt-cheap price though; you’re locked in with CyberGhost’s service for a total of 3 years. Yes, that’s a long time to commit to a service, especially if you’re looking for something temporary.
This might come as a turnoff for those who can’t commit to a subscription that spans that long; CyberGhost’s 1-year plans are priced at $4.99 per month which while still reasonable, could be too pricey for some – especially when we consider the download speeds that they offer.
A 3-day free trial is available for download, should you wish to see if CyberGhost is the right VPN for you.
On top of all that, CyberGhost annual plans come with a bonus 1-year McAfee subscription, if that interests you. Overall, we’re not huge fans of such a binding long-term contract, but at such a reasonable price, it’s hard to argue against – especially if you’re looking for something to see you through the next 3 years of Netflix, torrenting, and anonymous browsing!
Refund policy: 45 days, no questions asked
It’s quite comforting to know that CyberGhost offers a 45-day money-back guarantee, something that’s significantly longer than the more common 7-day window most VPN providers give to their subscribers. This policy is only for customers who have signed up for a 6 month (or longer) package.
For monthly subscriptions, they have the same no-questions-asked policy with a 14-day limit.
We look for such “no questions asked” policies (no one enjoys struggling to retrieve their hard-earned money), so it’s nice to see CyberGhost making refunds a painless process.
You will simply need to contact support via live chat or email.
Payment Methods: Plenty (crypto, too!)
You can purchase your subscription via credit cards (American Express, Visa, MasterCard), PayPal and BitPay.
Unfortunately, CyberGhost does not offer any discounts for those who pay with Bitcoin (unlike Trust.Zone who offers a 10% discount with crypto payments), but that’s not much of a drawback. We’re simply pleased to see such a great payment offering.
Device Compatibility: 7 devices!
CyberGhost’s subscription allows for up to 7 devices connected simultaneously on one subscription; this places them strongly above other VPN providers, who typically limit users to 5 or less.
CyberGhost’s UI is equally appealing, with a minimal and pleasing aesthetic.
The menu is as about as straightforward as it gets. The menu showcases all the VPN offers while making sure that you can access the most important features of CyberGhost with as little as 1 click.
CyberGhost is available for Windows, Mac OS, iOS, Android, the standard software offering nowadays for VPN providers.
Apart from the basic platforms, CyberGhost works with Linux, routers, and others. Setup guides are available on their website.
Product Interface: Intuitive UI
Upon opening the CyberGhost app on Android, the user is greeted with a rather intuitive 1-click solution for Wi-Fi auto-protection.
Likewise, it gives the user an option to choose which servers to connect to. The mobile app also features an option for secured streaming which allows the user to access geo-restricted streaming programs on their mobile devices.
CyberGhost VPN will show the server you’re connected to and for how long you’ve been connected for. Under account settings, you can even see free device slots. So for instance, if you have CyberGhost on for your laptop and phone, that’s 2 out of 7 — this will show as 2/7 under your account details within the VPN client.
You’ll also see remaining days of your VPN subscription. Neat.
In addition, the newest version of CyberGhost has some new features as well as getting rid of some old ones.
They removed a user feedback button where it directed you to their website to fill out a ticket. We understand that such a feature is probably not widely used so we’re OK with this.
Some of the new features include:
- Connection features – This feature lets you turn on some extra privacy and security services. The current services include ad blocking, malicious website blocking, analytics blocking, forcing HTTPS and data compression.
- Smart rules – This is a must-have tool for some power users. You can automate some things like auto-launch on startup or auto-connect. You can also set a different app to launch when CyberGhost connects. For instance, you can have TOR launch automatically as soon as CyberGhost connects. There are various rules, so make sure to look around.
Customer Support: Oh hello there! That didn’t take long!
We had a great experience with CyberGhost’s support. They offer a 24/7 Live Chat on their website and the initial response time to our request for help took less than a minute.
We didn’t have any issue for the rep to solve, but it’s pleasing to see such rapid responses.
Privacy & Security: No log policy
CyberGhost has some promising privacy claims. Naturally, we decided to test if they were indeed true.
CyberGhost boldly claims that they have a strict no-log policy.
However, as indicated in their privacy policy, CyberGhost shares their data with a third-party service called MixPanel.
While connection attempts and connection success may seem like harmless statistics, this still causes some hesitation. MixPanel is an established company and probably anonymizes the data too.
Despite our doubts with how strict they are with their no logs policy, we still think that CyberGhost values user security. It’s up to each user to trust CyberGhost, and take their word for it since there’s no way of truly knowing.
Encryption Protocols: All the great ones you’ve come to expect
CyberGhost installs an industry-standard 256-Bit AES encryption which is to-date considered uncrackable by brute force methods.
CyberGhost also offers multiple encryption protocols, such as OpenVPN, L2TP-IPsec, and PPTP. Most recommend using OpenVPN, due to its open-source nature.
IP and DNS Leak Test: All clear
CyberGhost passed the DNS and IP leak protection, one of the first things consumers are concerned with when it comes to VPNs.
CyberGhost VPN Neutral Points
VPN Speed and Performance: Decent Except in Asia
Our 2019 speed test results showed that CyberGhost retains one of the more capable VPN networks. Here are our results:
North American VPN Server Speed Test
| NA Baseline (Without VPN) |
Test Results (to NA Server) |
EU Baseline (Without VPN) |
Test Results (to EU Server) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ping (5 ms) |
18 ms (+13 ms) | Ping (90 ms) |
102 ms (+12 ms) |
| Download (98.6 Mbps) |
88.9 Mbps (-9.6 Mbps, -10%) |
Download (87.4 Mbps) |
75.3 Mbps (-12.2 Mbps, -14%) |
| Upload (98.4 Mbps) |
81.4 Mbps (-17.1 Mbps, -17%) |
Upload (56.3 Mbps) |
44.8 Mbps (-11.5 Mbps, -20%) |
European VPN Server Speed Test
| NA Baseline (Without VPN) |
Test Results (to NA Server) |
EU Baseline (Without VPN) |
Test Results (to EU Server) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ping (93 ms) |
122 ms (+29 ms) | Ping (27 ms) |
57 ms (+30 ms) |
| Download (92 Mbps) |
83.6 Mbps (-8.4 Mbps, -9%) |
Download (99.1 Mbps) |
81.2 Mbps (-17.8 Mbps, -18%) |
| Upload (58.6 Mbps) |
51 Mbps (-7.6 Mbps, -13%) |
Upload (98.7 Mbps) |
80.7 Mbps (-17.9 Mbps, -18%) |
Asian VPN Server Speed Test
| NA Baseline (Without VPN) |
Test Results (to NA Server) |
EU Baseline (Without VPN) |
Test Results (to EU Server) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ping (278 ms) |
312 ms (+34 ms) | Ping (281 ms) |
301 ms (+20 ms) |
| Download (46.9 Mbps) |
20.6 Mbps (-26.3 Mbps, -56%) |
Download (57.8 Mbps) |
31.8 Mbps (-26 Mbps, -45%) |
| Upload (7.9 Mbps) |
4.2 Mbps (-3.7 Mbps, -47%) |
Upload (6.2 Mbps) |
4.3 Mbps (-1.9 Mbps, -31%) |
In 2018 we tested our speeds from East Asia. Unfortunately, CyberGhost seems to fall somewhat short in maintaining good speeds for users in Asia.
Perhaps some digital nomads can relate to our test results.
- Latency – The farther you are from a server, the slower your latency gets, and this remains true for CyberGhost. We got ping speeds ranging from 68ms up to 314ms; unless you use the VPN for fast-paced gaming, these speeds are still considered within normal limits.
- Downloads – When it comes to web browsing and streaming videos in 1080p, CyberGhost still performed well on a decent connection. But for downloading larger files and streaming in higher resolutions; our tests showed up to almost 80% loss in speeds which severely hindered our browsing experience.
- Uploads – Uploading files and sending data through CyberGhost VPN should not be much of a worry as speed loss isn’t quite as significant as the loss of speeds when downloading files.
CyberGhost VPN Cons
CyberGhost is one of the top VPNs that we can’t complain about. If you think you have a legitimate complaint, please share with us!
CyberGhost VPN as a Business
CyberGhost SA was founded in 2011 in Bucharest, Romania. The CEO is Robert Knapp.
In 2017, it was sold to the Crossrider Group for $9.8 million. Crossrider Group is now called Kape Technologies and they’ve acquired other VPN companies like ZenMate.
According to their website, they currently serve over 30 million users. Their team includes over 70 IT professionals in Romania and Germany, support team in the Phillippines and advertising team in Israel.
Like we mentioned before, the company is one of the most transparent in the VPN industry with annual Transparency Reports.
And of course, they follow the latest trend in transparency – social media to show that the people behind the product are in a harmonious relationship with animals.
Jurisdiction
This is a controversial issue for many CyberGhost users since its deal with Crossrider in 2017.
Although Cyberghost is based in Romania, a nation that doesn’t fall under the 14 Eyes Alliance, as a London-based group, Crossrider is subject to the 14 Eyes Alliance. This has the potential to impact users who care about their privacy.
It’s unclear how much CyberGhost and Crossrider will work together on this point.
CyberGhost VPN Conclusion: Yes, we recommend CyberGhost VPN!
Overall, CyberGhost is a strong performing VPN. It’s an absolute breeze to use.
The product is intuitive enough even for the most technologically inept to understand (sorry mom). The configurable settings are enough for more advanced users to play around with and make use of.
It’s one of the best VPNs in terms of company transparency – they’ve been doing a Transparency Report since 2011!
Its performance for such a low subscription price; CyberGhost is a VPN that will shine, given you take the 3-year plunge.
We recommend CyberGhost for those users seeking for their first long-lasting VPN.
