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Best VPN for iOS

Best VPN for iOS image of iPhone

iOS is the second most popular mobile operating system after Android. This is pretty incredible considering that it can only be used on Apple products like the iPhone and the iPad. Want another jaw-dropping statistic? It’s used by over a billion people around the world each day.

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re one of the billion. Since you’re in such good company, you’ll have plenty of options when it comes to choosing a VPN for your iOS device. The wide range of options means that choosing the best VPN for iPhones and iPads is a relatively straightforward process.

The trick is to ensure you’re going with the best VPN for iOS that meets your personal requirements and expectations. While all VPNs are similar, they do differ in terms of certain features and functionality that may suit different needs.

Choosing the best VPN for iOS is pretty much the same as picking the best VPN overall; most good VPN providers have a native iOS client in addition to their Windows and MacOS offerings.

Why Use a VPN on iOS?

Although Apple’s iOS products are pretty safe and stable, there are still security and privacy risks when you use them. Let’s not pretend Apple’s own App Store isn’t riddled with suspicious applications.

In today’s digital world and general tech climate, it’s good practice to use a VPN throughout your day-to-day to shield your online activities; VPNs are no longer only used by people up to no good—they are increasingly being used by regular people who simply want to ensure their security and privacy online.

In addition to improving your privacy, using a VPN also enables you to access restricted content on streaming services, get around government-backed censorship, and share your views online without fear of state persecution. They also hide your online activities from your ISP and other parties who may be snooping on you, meaning you can avoid bandwidth throttling and other nasty ISP practices (if yours does this.)

What Makes a VPN One of the ‘Best’?

While no one VPN is the same, there are certain features and characteristics which all the best VPNs share. These are—

Seamless setup: One-click installs and plug-in-and-play functionality is always nice to see. Given that iOS users are more likely to want a seamless and functional experience, this is an important factor in our picks for the best VPNs for iOS devices.
Privacy: The best VPNs will always make your privacy their #1 concern. Strong encryption (e.g. AES-256), good tunneling protocols (e.g. OpenVPN), and an anti-logging policy means that your activity is kept secret and cannot be compromised.
Bypass blocking: Whether it’s state-mandated censorship or simply streaming U.S. Netflix content in the UK, the best VPNs for iOS will consistently let you bypass any form of blocking with relative ease.

These are just three of the most important factors. Others include speed, torrenting, where the VPN’s company is located, and payment methods, among other things. These are all accounted for in our list below.

Our Picks: The 5 Best VPNs for iOS

These are what we believe are the very best VPNs for iOS devices. Whether you’re using an iPhone, iPad, or iPod, these VPNs are brilliant solutions that will do everything you could possibly need.

1. NordVPN: The best VPN for iOS devices

NordVPN is a VPN service that has a functional app made specifically for iOS. Personally, we prefer NordVPN’s app over ExpressVPN’s because it’s more well-designed and offers more flexibility.

From the main page in the app, you can see important information displayed next to the ‘quick connect’ feature that tells you information such as the best server closest to you and how full it is.

Although the app may be better (in our opinion) than ExpressVPN’s, it could still be better—this is something all VPN providers can learn from.

NordVPN also has plenty of servers with thousands of locations spread out across the world. You can connect up to six devices to the network at any given time with one single subscription, and all servers we tested in our comprehensive review of NordVPN demonstrated great results.

As far as security is concerned, NordVPN uses AES 256-bit encryption, double data encryption by routing your traffic through two servers, and OpenVPN. They also operate an anti-logging policy and an automatic kill switch, something that ExpressVPN doesn’t have (as you will see below.)

Slightly cheaper than ExpressVPN, NordVPN’s pricing starts at $11.95 for a month-to-month subscription. You can opt to pay $107.55 for 3 years, which works out at $2.99 per month. If you aren’t impressed by the service, you have 30 days to get your money back under their unconditional money-back guarantee.

Try NordVPN

2. ExpressVPN: Hands down one of the very best VPNs across the board

We’ve featured ExpressVPN at the top of every single review we’ve done so far aside from this one, and there’s a good reason for that. It’s an amazing VPN that delivers the very best in terms of functionality, service, and safety.

At the time of this review, no VPN company does better than ExpressVPN and it looks like they’ll safely hold on to their crown for a while longer.

With a native iOS app, ExpressVPN is the perfect accompaniment for any iOS device.

Located in the British Virgin Islands—far outside the jurisdiction of any international intelligence-sharing agreements such as 5 Eyes—ExpressVPN boasts a huge network of servers that span across the world. Currently, there are well over 2,000 servers across more than 100 countries.

The service is fast and ideal for streaming, boasts top-of-the-line encryption, and uses OpenVPN and traffic obfuscation. To say you’re safe while using ExpressVPN would be an understatement.

It’s worth noting that there’s no ‘Network Lock’ (kill switch) on the iOS app and you cannot change from OpenVPN to another tunneling protocol. This could be a dealbreaker for some users, which is why we gave it our #2 spot despite its other features.

It’s very easy to install ExpressVPN on an iOS device. Simply head to the App Store, download the app, and sign in. Within a matter of seconds, you’ll be connected to the ExpressVPN network.

Because it’s a trusted VPN service at the top of its game, ExpressVPN’s pricing starts at a relatively steep $12.95 a month, or $99.95 if billed annually. This comes out to about $8.32 a month, which we think is a quality investment for a reliable service that’ll get rid of your online-induced headaches.

Try ExpressVPN

3. Private Internet Access (PIA): Proven anti-logging policy

PIA has certainly been around the block – plenty of time to prove itself as a serious VPN service worthy of our notice. When they say they have a robust anti-logging policy, they’re not just paying lip service. It’s a fact that’s actually been proven twice in court where the authorities failed to force PIA to hand over information on its users.

Not that any information handed over would have been much use, though—PIA uses 256-AES encryption (and 128-AES) which protects traffic alongside the industry standard OpenVPN protocol. All this in addition to a kill switch that protects you if your connection to PIA drops makes for a very safe and secure VPN service.

In our comprehensive testing of PIA’s desktop application, we were very impressed by the speeds we managed to pull, and it’s the same story when using the iOS app; we didn’t see any huge loss of download and upload speeds.

Through PIA’s native client that runs on iOS 9 and above, you can quickly and seamlessly connect to the PIA network on your iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. Although the app is a little bit basic, it does what it needs to do—connect you to the PIA network and provide a reliable service that protects your privacy. While it would be nice to see more features, it’s not a deal breaker by any means.

PIA’s pricing is on the low side at $6.95 on a month-to-month subscription. There’s a 7-day money-back guarantee if you’re unsatisfied.

Try PIA

4. IPVanish: Great speeds and native client

Just like PIA, IPVanish has a native client for iOS that supports devices running iOS 9 and higher. It works across the entire range of iOS devices without any fuss and automatically connects you to their most suitable server whenever you’re connected to the internet (you can disable this in the app.)

Unlike NordVPN and ExpressVPN, IPVanish has a couple of extra features built into the app such as the ability to see the ping and load times in real-time.

In terms of security, IPVanish ticks all the right boxes. As well as utilizing strong encryption, users of IPVanish’s iOS app can choose which tunneling protocol they want to use such as IKEv2 and IPSec.

The downside is that OpenVPN isn’t available at the moment; nor does the app come with a kill switch. On the bright side, IPVanish doesn’t collect your online activity data while you’re connected.

One place where IPVanish falters a little is the lack of servers compared to other providers. They are also based in the U.S., a country that falls within the 5-Eyes agreement. Under previous ownership, IPVanish had a history of logging. Today, they claim that they do not log anything.

Pricing for IPVanish starts on the more expensive side at $10 per month and you can file for a refund within 7 days. It gets cheaper the longer you subscribe for; 2 years costs $3.74 billed once at $89.99.

Try IPVanish

5. CyberGhost: A service that constantly gets updated

Romanian-born VPN service CyberGhost is loved by millions of people worldwide because of the consistently reliable and private service that’s always being updated with exciting new features.

Although it was founded in 2011, CyberGhost already has a robust network of over 20 million users. This makes it by far one of today’s most interesting VPN services.

CyberGhost has a native app for iOS that looks rather slick and allows you to seamlessly connect to the CyberGhost network. Although there’s limited functionality through the iOS app, you get all the same features that you get with the desktop app, including a kill switch.

When you first fire up the CyberGhost iOS app, you’ll spot a simple and intuitive interface that lets you connect with one click, access servers that work with streaming services such as Netflix, and choose which location to connect to.

With a guaranteed anti-logging policy, AES-256 Encryption, and OpenVPN, CyberGhost keeps your browsing activity secure over its super quick network that’s more than capable of handling modern-day mobile computing.

At $2.75 per month when you subscribe to CyberGhost for 3 years, you can take advantage of all these impressive features through their intuitive iOS app. If you’re unsatisfied, you can get your money back within 30 days of your purchase.

Try CyberGhost

What VPN Do We Recommend?

You might be surprised to read that it isn’t ExpressVPN we’re recommending this time around… the winner is NordVPN!

NordVPN has the very best app for iOS devices by far—it looks good, it’s quick, it connects seamlessly, and there’s a kill switch. You get access to all the same quick servers as you would on their desktop app. Not to mention the server choices you get:

ExpressVPN’s iOS app definitely came close, but it doesn’t include a kill switch. Unfortunately, this is enough for it to lose its usual top spot—a kill switch is something that we expect to see on all VPNs.

The lack of a kill switch on many iOS VPN apps seems to demonstrate that VPN providers don’t deem it as a necessary inclusion on iOS – probably because most people are just going to use iOS VPN apps for streaming – but this does alienate a huge section of a VPN’s user base.

If you’re going to download a VPN on your iOS device, go for NordVPN—you won’t be disappointed.
Try NordVPN

Best VPNs for Windows

Windows is by far the world’s most popular operating system. Whether you’re using Windows 8 or Windows 10, there are plenty of options out there when it comes to VPNs. In this article, we’re going to cover all the best VPNs for Windows from best features to most secure or affordable.

Picking the best VPN client for Windows 7, 8, or 10 is pretty similar to picking the best VPN full stop.

Most reputable providers will have a dedicated VPN client for the latest Windows operating systems. However, there are still numerous VPNs that are only browser-based or mobile based – simply put, they don’t work well on Windows.

With the massive selection of VPNs available on the market, picking the right one can be tricky. Luckily, we’re here to help you with our selection of top picks for what are, in our view, the best VPNs for Windows.

What Makes a VPN One of the “Best”?

There’s a selection of key features that make only a small handful of VPNs the “best” available for Windows. Only a few VPNs can consistently provide all of these features and more. Some of these features include:

Netflix: Many people outside the U.S. use VPNs to access geo-blocked Netflix content. It’s no secret that U.S. Netflix has all the best TV shows and movies, after all! Netflix knows this and regularly blocks VPN providers’ servers.
Torrenting and P2P: Not all VPNs support or allow the use of P2P platforms or torrenting, and some will ban you from using their services if caught. Any good VPN will allow you to hide behind a VPN while torrenting or using P2P platforms.
Privacy: The best VPNs in our list will provide secure and complete privacy, allowing you to hide your online activities without storing any of your information, usage data, or exposing your identity through leaks or by using outdated protocols.
Censorship: People living in key countries or states that exercise control over the Internet (e.g. China) use VPNs for a secure online platform. For these people, a secure VPN is a must for expressing their views without the fear of state persecution.
Speed and Performance: Some ISPs will throttle their customers’ download speeds on key sites such as Netflix if they’re using a lot of bandwidth. By using a VPN, your ISP cannot see what sites you’re using and thus it becomes harder to throttle speeds.

These are just five of the many reasons why people opt to use a VPN. Once upon a time, VPN usage was seen as sketchy. But in an age full of privacy concerns, using a VPN is becoming the norm.

Our Picks: The 5 Best VPNs for Windows

Out of all the VPNs we’ve reviewed, these five stand tall above them all for providing the very best services. While each one has particular strengths, all five of these VPNs can be considered go-to options that perform remarkably on all modern Windows operating systems.

1. Express VPN: By far the best VPN right now

If you’ve been looking into VPNs, you’ve probably already come across ExpressVPN on a review site or two. That’s because it’s by far the best VPN available on the market right now.

ExpressVPN is registered in the British Virgin Islands. This means that it’s outside the scope of so-called 5, 7, or 14-Eyes nations that all work together to share information and intelligence. So your information can’t be requested by government agencies. Plus, ExpressVPN doesn’t log anything, period.

You get plenty for your money, too. With well over 2,000 servers and locations that are constantly being added, the ExpressVPN network is gigantic. You’re certain to find a server that will work with streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. Speeds are nothing to worry about either (assuming you have a decent Internet connection) because ExpressVPN doesn’t throttle your download speeds and all their servers are lightning fast. You can also download as much as you want and participate in P2P activities.

ExpressVPN is compatible with virtually any device (including Nintendo Switch!) through router installation. You can sign up in a matter of minutes. With payment methods that include everything from debit card to Bitcoin, it’s very hard to find a bad thing to say about ExpressVPN. They are truly the best in their class.

Still not sure? Try out ExpressVPN today with their 30-day no questions asked money-back guarantee. If you’re not satisfied, you don’t lose anything! Starting at $12.95 per month on a rolling monthly basis or $8.32 per month for a 12-month subscription (billed at $99.95), you get true value for money with ExpressVPN.

Better yet, take advantage of the 12-month subscription now and get 3 months free with the link below.
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2. NordVPN: A more affordable but still excellent option

NordVPN always ranks highly on VPN review sites, often sitting just below ExpressVPN. It’s renowned for its trustworthy and secure VPN services. With unbeatable prices and industry-leading features, it’s easy to see why millions of people around the world trust NordVPN for their day-to-day online privacy needs.

Based in Panama, NordVPN falls outside of any alliances or agreements with other nations (just like ExpressVPN). This enables them to guarantee that customer information and data will never be shared with third-party organizations.

No matter what you want to use your NordVPN subscription for, you can be sure that it will deliver. NordVPN has a huge range of servers and locations on offer, and these servers include specialty services that operate with a specific purpose in mind such as P2P, obfuscation, or double VPN.

Because of the large server network that is constantly changing and being added to, it’s easy to find a server that you can use to access geo-blocked content on streaming services such as Netflix. With virtually no loss of download speeds, you can stream content without any problems.

NordVPN really impresses when it comes to pricing. While you can opt for a 1-month plan and pay $11.95, there’s a hefty discount at $2.99 per month with their 3-year plan, billed at $107.55.

Want to make sure it really lives up to its reputation? You can try out NordVPN for free by taking advantage of their 30-day money-back guarantee. Plenty of time to test all the features for yourself.

Given how good NordVPN is, we don’t think you’ll be asking for a refund anytime soon! Other positives of this brilliant VPN service include insane security backed by industry-leading encryption methods and protocols, cryptocurrency (anonymous) payment methods, a wide range of supported devices, and a sign-up process that takes a matter of seconds.

Let’s not forget about the product interface itself. It’s surely one of the best (if not the best) VPN interfaces in the industry.

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3. CyberGhost: Constantly updated with new features

20 million people around the world use CyberGhost for its brilliant features, so it’s no surprise that it’s appearing on this list. CyberGhost is one of the best VPNs for PC and it’s compatible with all the latest versions of Windows.

Founded in 2011 in Romania, it has managed to go from a relatively obscure VPN provider to industry-leading name in less than a decade. Because it’s located in Romania, it doesn’t fall under any agreements or alliances between nations for the sharing of intelligence and security. This, in addition to their no-logging policy, use of OpenVPN, and AES-256 encryption, makes CyberGhost a go-to for anybody concerned about privacy.

In our comprehensive CyberGhost review, we put the service to the test. It passed everything with flying colors, including IP and DNS leak testing, UI and UX testing, customer support, and speed testing. Throughout all this, we didn’t experience any drops or lapses in connection and our download speeds remained consistently fast across all servers and locations we looked at.

Netflix, torrenting, and P2P are all supported on CyberGhost and it’s very easy to find a suitable server; we were able to stream Netflix shows without any problems.

There are two ways you can test out CyberGhost: try it out for free for three days, or purchase a premium subscription and take advantage of their 45-day money-back guarantee.

We recommend purchasing a premium plan. CyberGhost provides all the above and more for the budget-friendly price of $3.50 per month billed as $63 for the first 18 months, then yearly for three years total. If you prefer a rolling month-to-month service, you can pay $12.99 instead. If you invest in a subscription and aren’t completely satisfied, CyberGhost will refund you with no questions asked within 45 days of your purchase.

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4. Private Internet Access: A no-logging policy proven in court

Although Private Internet Access (PIA) is in the U.S. and thus a part of the 5, 7, and 14-Eyes alliances—an agreement that means they share information and intelligence with other nations—two court cases involving the company have shown that their strict no-logging policy is watertight.

A location in the U.S. or any other country within the 5, 7, or 14-Eyes agreements would usually be a big red flag, but Private Internet Access is committed to anonymity, even when put under legal pressure.

Twice within the past three years, PIA’s no-logging policy was tested in separate cases. The policy was held up both times when the FBI subpoenaed the company for user information, only to come home empty-handed.

PIA offers a vast range of servers around the globe. Current locations include North and South America, Europe, and Asia, and they constantly add to their offerings. In terms of speed and performance, our testing revealed very little reduction in download speeds across the servers and only small increases in ping. Just like the VPNs above, this makes PIA perfect for using Netflix and participating in P2P activities like torrenting.

PIA uses OpenVPN as one of its tunneling protocols—widely regarded as the best available—backed up by AES-128 and AES-256 encryption. AES-128 is faster, but AES-256 is more secure. So whether you need to watch Netflix or protect your privacy, you’re covered. In addition to these encryptions, PIA utilizes SHA1 (160-bit) and SHA256 for authentication, handshake encryption, and ECC.

On top of PIA’s no-logging policy, the above encryption methods and a built-in kill switch that masks your IP address if your connection drops make this VPN one of the safest and most secure services on the market.

Pricing starts at $2.91 per month when purchased as a 2-year subscription, or you can instead opt to pay $6.95 on a month-by-month basis. PIA is one of the cheapest VPNs on the market despite all the features on offer. You can try it out risk-free for 7 days thanks to their 7-day money back guarantee.

*Note: For those of you shopping over the holidays, there’s an even better, one-time deal at $2.59/month for a 2-year subscription, where the first three months are free! The yearly subscription gives you the first month for free.

If you want (proven) privacy with the reliability of American-made software, PIA is it.

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5. hide.me VPN: Another VPN committed to privacy

Based in Malaysia, hide.me is not associated with any intelligence-sharing nations under the 5, 7, or 14-Eyes agreements. Malaysia has no data retention laws, and the U.S. cannot interfere. As a result, Hide.me logs zero information.

hide.me also claims to be the “World’s Fastest VPN,” and though this may not exactly be true, it does offer impressive performance which was enough to earn it a spot on our list. After using hide.me for several hours during initial testing, we found it to be consistently reliable and noticed virtually no hampering of our download speeds when connected to their servers.

Although server speeds were good, Netflix access is intermittent and cannot be guaranteed; it depends on the server in question. Speaking of servers, there aren’t as many when compared to ExpressVPN, for example. However, hide.me handpicks all its servers for quality assurance, so the ones that are available are very good.

The VPN did not show any signs of IP or DNS leaks during our testing, and ticks all the boxes due to its use of OpenVPN and strong encryption. Their customer support is great and available through the website.

hide.me VPN has a freemium plan. However, we recommend taking advantage of their 14-day money back guarantee and taking their premium unrestricted service for a spin. Pricing is $9.99 per month for their Premium plan or $4.99 for their Plus plan that has restricted data transfer. Although hide.me VPN is more expensive, it’s a more “boutique” service that’s run by a small team of specialists who provide awesome support and spend time handpicking servers.

For these reasons, hide.me VPN is easily one of the best VPNs you can get for Windows.

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What VPN Do We Recommend?

You really can’t go wrong with ExpressVPN.

Just as the lion is the king of the jungle, ExpressVPN reigns supreme when it comes to quality VPNs.

There’s a reason it’s consistently crowned the best VPN service by review sites like ours. It has everything anybody could ever need at a budget-friendly price point. Sure, there are plenty of great alternatives out there, but if you’re looking for the cream of the crop, ExpressVPN has everything you need and more.

So save yourself a headache and try their service for 30 days with a money-back guarantee. There’s no risk with this kind of guarantee.

CyberGhost VPN Review

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.
Here are our observations:

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.

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