CyberGhost VPN is a provider that has been around for as long as I can remember.

It used to be a fun VPN with a novelty logo, but in recent years, they’ve been pushing hard with both expansion and features in a move to be seen as serious premium provider.

The question is how has all this expansion affected the service they offer?

I’ve been taking a fresh look at this popular VPN service to see if CyberGhost is still living up to its reputation as a top-quality VPN in 2024.

1. Service

Speeds

First up in my CyberGhost Review I looked at speed. After testing VPNs for more than ten years I’ve come to know this is one of the most critical features of any VPN.

Nobody likes slow internet and the last thing you want is your new VPN causing you to have speeds reminiscent of the 90s.

A good connection speed will allow you to access video content with ease and in high quality, so websites such as Netflix will work seamlessly.

I have been using CyberGhost VPN services over a number of years for everything from browsing websites, using Skype, to downloading and streaming movies. I have had no problems with download speed for any of this.

I didn’t notice any slowdowns for everyday tasks nor any unexpected service dropouts when connected to CyberGhost for long periods.

To put CyberGhost to the test, I wanted to push their service to the limit and so I ran some speed tests.

I downloaded a test file on a residential connection in the UK and then ran the same speed test across a random selection of CyberGhost VPN’s servers. This is exactly the same kind of connection you will have at home so you can use my test results as a guide.

During this speed trial, I was using a Windows PC at the time with Wireguard using 256-bit encryption.

My speed without being connected to the VPN was: 404.08 Mbps

I achieved the following download speeds during my speed tests while connected to CyberGhost VPN’s servers:

• UK – 279.2 Mbps
• France – 284.8 Mbps
• Netherlands – 262.8 Mbps
• Switzerland – 252.2 Mbps
• Sweden – 242.7 Mbps
• New York, US – 180.2 Mbps
• Australia – 40.3 Mbps

As you can see from my internet speed tests CyberGhost VPN’s speeds are respectable but they aren’t the best I’ve seen.

In comparison to ExpressVPN, which achieved a UK server speed of 361.4 Mbps, a massive 29% faster than CyberGhost’s achievement.

Even lesser known and respected ZoogVPN achieved speeds of 299 Mbps, a 7% increase on CyberGhost’s speeds showing them up to be a little lacklustre.

There is a marked improvement in speed from last year’s results in which we used OpenVPN but the connection speed to a server as far away as Australia is lacking.

It’s worth noting that the further a server is from your location, the slower the speed test results will be. But this is true of almost all VPNs, not just CyberGhost VPN.

Streaming video at high-quality on streaming platforms like Amazon Prime won’t be an issue even when you connect to a server at a distance, such as in the US.

CyberGhost’s optimized servers are ideal to unblock Netflix and other streaming services. I found the speeds to be good, but not amazing.

Logging

CyberGhost VPN claims to be a fully no-logging policy VPN service. They clearly state in their privacy policy that they store no records of what you do while connecting to a server nor any metadata about you either.

Metadata is the who (you) and the where (your location).

This means CyberGhost VPN doesn’t record VPN traffic details of the date you connect to the internet, what times you connected, or what servers you connected to. This is important for keeping your internet traffic confidential.

This can be as important as actually logging content of what you do because the times you connect and other such details can reveal a lot about your usage.

In the past CyberGhost failed to have their no-logging policy claims independently tested, but this changed when CyberGhost was audited by the independent company Deloitte.

This impressed me as it’s something CyberGhost had been lacking over the past few years, and now it ensures that their service is a reliable VPN.

In 2011 CyberGhost were one of the first VPN companies to release a transparency report. In 2019, they upped their game and now release an updated transparency report every 3 months.

The report discloses any requests that have been made from governments, ISPs, etc, and details the actions taken by CyberGhost to ensure your privacy.

Equally, there have been no legal cases to suggest that their no logs policy claims aren’t sound either, which when paired with the third party audit is a pretty good sign they can be trusted.

Based on these measures you should be mostly confident that CyberGhost VPN offers a dependable no logs guarantee.

Your data and browsing history should be safe with CyberGhost, so you can browse with private internet access.

Simultaneous Connections

Your CyberGhost VPN subscription allows you to use their service on up to seven-devices at the same time.

This is a decent number simultaneous connections and will be more than sufficient for most of you. But it certainly isn’t the highest.

CyberGhost works slightly different from other services in that the type of device connected is tied to your account.

If you hit the 7-device limit, then you will need to de-register one device before being allowed to connect any further devices.

This isn’t common and I found this a bit inconvenient and unnecessary although it’s a way of stopping users from abusing the service by sharing it easily with others.

In comparison to other VPN providers, 7 concurrent connections is mid-range. Take a look at what the competition is offering.

In Comparison:

• ExpressVPN – 8 connections
• Surfshark – Unlimited connections
• IPVanish – Unlimited Connections
• VyprVPN – 5 connections
• NordVPN – 6 connections

Jurisdiction

CyberGhost is registered in Bucharest, Romania which is part of the EU.

It is however owned by Kape Technologies, the VPN behemoth that also owns ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, and ZenMate.

This is great if you’re trying to avoid services in either the 5-eyes or 14-eyes surveillance networks.

Romania is part of neither which means they don’t actively work with countries like the US and UK to share intelligence data. It also has decent domestic data retention laws. But as a member of the EU, it is possible that some data sharing takes place.

There are however no legal requirements for CyberGhost VPN to retain data on their user’s activity.

They have a host of servers based in Romania that they call ‘nospy servers’. This is a great feature and adds more weight to their no log privacy policy.

Customer Support

CyberGhost’s customer service allows you to contact their teams via three methods:

• 24/7 Live Chat
• Direct Email
• Support Ticket

I was pleased to see a live chat customer service option that will enable you to get quick answers to any questions you have. This is how most customers like to engage with their VPN provider.

I particularly liked that this service was available around the clock.

In my testing of their customer service, I found their 24/7 live chat to be knowledgeable and helpful although I was referred to fill in a support ticket on odd occasions when the query was more advanced and live chat need specialised advice.

When this happened, the email and customer service ticket response times were quick, with answers taking no more than a few hours to come through even on weekends.

I found CyberGhost VPN’s service support team are great, providing you with helpful and knowledgeable VPN experts to help you with all your VPN related problems.

There is also plenty of information, guides, and FAQs available on the CyberGhost website too.

Overall, my opinion of the the CyberGhost support is high and is as good as any other provider.

2. Server Locations

The CyberGhost VPN server network has exploded over the past few years, growing from 60 countries in my 2018 CyberGhost VPN review to 91 countries last year and now a huge 100 countries.

In 2018 there were 2,747 server options and in the space of a couple of years, this increased to some 9,700 individual VPN servers. This has now increased to over 11,400 servers.

This means CyberGhost has one of the largest VPN server bases in the world, full of IP addresses for you to connect to.

CyberGhost’s owners Kape Technologies also owns Private Internet Access, which is a rather large VPN service that has the largest network of VPN servers in the world. So it’s clear that Kape are pushing CyberGhost in the same direction, which is no bad good thing.

The more servers you have available to you, the more content you’ll be able to unblock. I found having multiple servers in each country is useful, so you don’t have to keep using the same server.

CyberGhost’s broad network has good coverage across North, Central and South America, Europe, Asia and the Australian region. Their provision of US servers is particularly impressive and have a growing UK server list.

Africa and the Middle East are somewhat under-resourced, which is common in the VPN industry but there is even a handful of locations across these regions too.

If you’re located in either of those areas they you may need to consider if your needs are met.

It is important to note that not all servers are physically located in the country itself, but some are virtual locations which are also known as virtual servers. These get a negative press sometimes as they can impact speeds but in my testing, I don’t find any problems with CyberGhost.

This is a massive increase and shows that CyberGhost VPN is continuing to invest in its infrastructure. This is a VPN that will allow you to hide your real IP Address (static IP address or dynamic) and change it to one of many IP addresses from different locations.

CyberGhost even offer a selection of dedicated IP addresses, allowing you to use the same IP address each time you connect to the VPN apps.

A dedicated IP address is available for an additional monthly fee of $2.50 (£1.96). However, you’ll have to sign up for a lengthy 2-years to bag this price.

If you opted to pay monthly or take just one month then you’ll need to fork out $5 which I feel is a little on the expensive side.

Optimised servers

CyberGhost’s servers also include one of the broadest ranges of optimszed server lists for specific needs. For example, torrenting has a range of optimised servers for this task and don’t block torrent traffic.

I also noted the specialised servers for streaming which are optimised for speed to give you the best possible streaming experience. In my usage I found these more time than not to work better than their regular servers when I was watching TV.

These ‘Streaming Friendly’ optimised servers are located across the world including places like the US. They are specially selected local servers to enable you to access specific TV services.

If your reason for using a VPN is watching TV then I feel you will benefit from these.

They’ve got servers in the US and beyond to unblock and access everything from Netflix to BBC iPlayer, Hulu to Sky Go and much more.

I’ve made use of the specialised streaming servers regularly when watching football from the UK or streaming US Netflix.

There are also gaming optimised servers available too.

These gaming servers are something that most VPN services don’t offer but are designed specifically for gamers to optimise the features they need. I think these are a big plus if you’re heavily into gaming.

3. Security and Safety

Protocols & Encryption

The CyberGhost VPN service offers access to the usual VPN protocol options, WireGuard, OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec and IKEv2.

There are different levels of protocol availability depending on what device you’re using but this is standard across the industry. The full range of VPN protocols is offered on the CyberGhost desktop app.

The WireGuard protocol is particularly worth taking a look at.

It mixes OpenVPN’s tight security with the IKEv2’s fast speeds. Thankfully you’ll have no trouble configuring it because you simple choose the option in the app.

Using the desktop’s ability to use a random port can help bypass VPN blocking on certain platforms.

PPTP hasn’t been available on the CyberGhost app for some time but if you need to use it then it can still be configured manually. I would advise against this though since it is much less secure than the protocols that remain.

All CyberGhost’s protocols now offer 256-bit encryption, which is top grade. While I don’t like the term, you’ll often find it described as ‘military encryption’.

OpenVPN makes use of AES-256-CBC encryption.

Authentication is handled by a 4096-bit RSA key which is at the top end of the scale. While one or two other providers do offer this, it’s not common and credit to CyberGhost for offering it as standard.

These high-level security features are great for many reasons including using public Wi-Fi.

DNS Leak Testing

In running a DNS leak test, I discovered none when using CyberGhost VPN’s range of clients.

Their applications all come with a dedicated ‘DNS Leak Protection’ option but even when this wasn’t enabled, my testing discovered no leaks using all the most popular leak testing services.

These included ‘Extended Tests’.

It’s worth remembering that DNS leaks can be privacy critical as they allow outside services (including your Internet Service Provider) to monitor the names of websites you’re visiting.

It is also a requirement to retain logs of sites visited in some countries including the UK, so this is something you definitely want to avoid.

I was extremely pleased to see that CyberGhost actively protects against this issue with an effective DNS leak test feature.

Have there been any security incidents?

There are no known security incidents related to the CyberGhost service.

In December 2022, CyberGhost was independently audited by Deloitte and passed with flying colours. I was impressed with this move and it makes CyberGhost’s no-log claims even more credible.

CyberGhost was initially started and owned by German entrepreneur, Robert Knapp.

In 2017 CyberGhost was purchased by a company called Crossrider which rebranded shortly after to Kape.

Kape is owned by billionaire businessman Teddy Sagi who along with owning many business interests was jailed some 20-years ago for 9-months in Israel and “convicted of bribery, securities fraud, and aggravated fraud”.

Parent company Kape owns CyberGhost alongside VPN services, PrivateInternetAccess, ZenMate, and ExpressVPN.

Crossrider has been fingered in the past for installing adware and malware on user’s systems which may give some cause for concern to the uber-privacy-conscious among our readers.

But rest assured there are no suggestions that CyberGhost is being used for any such purposes. We are keeping a close eye and if this changes, you will be among the first to know.

Most importantly, so far there have been no publicly reported incidents that would dent the credibility of CyberGhost.

Is CyberGhost suitable for Torrenting?

Yes, CyberGhost is an excellent choice for use with Torrents and P2P and is completely and totally safe for this type of usage.

In fact, CyberGhost’s optimised server offering which is available on all their clients come with a number of dedicated servers for this very purpose.

You will be able to simply open up one of their applications and you’ll have access to their ‘for torrenting’ servers.

While these don’t include the entire CyberGhost network, it does include a large range of server locations across the world.

At current count, there are around 73 different countries with a server available for torrent use with CyberGhost, keeping you protected wherever you’re downloading in the world.

Security features like the kill switch also make this an ideal VPN for torrenting too because they’ll cut your connection should the VPN lose connection.

4. Apps

Mobile Apps

I discovered that CyberGhost offers easy to use mobile VPN apps for both Android and Apple iOS mobile devices.

So no matter what type of phone or tablet you’ve got, you can protect your internet connection by connecting to a VPN location.

The applications are straightforward to use and even if you’re not good with technology you could, if you wanted, click to Connect and let the mobile apps (Android apps and iOS app) automatically connect doing the work for you.

If you’re planning on getting your aging parents into VPN technology or you want a hassle free experience then I feel this will be beneficial for you.

I made use of the Android app mostly and found the app ease of use has been kept in mind for the end-user.

It’ll connect you to the best location available allowing you to then forget about it.

If you want to choose a server then there’s a dedicated area that opens in a new window displaying a server by country. You can either click to connect to the best available there or drill down even deeper and select an individual server.

The “Streaming friendly” choices are also available on the CyberGhost mobile apps too so if you’re after unblocking and watching a streaming platform, then you’re covered too.

Behind the scenes, there are a few options you can play around with. As detailed earlier, these are all based around blocking malware, adverts, online tracking and data compression.

A split-tunneling feature allows you to select applications to fall outside the VPN connection which is useful and you can switch between TCP and UDP protocols if needed.

I tested this with my banking app which usually throws up security issues when it looks like it is being accessed overseas and it worked perfectly.

A kill switch is also available too. I didn’t find the connection drops much but it’s reassuring to have this feature enabled just in case.

Overall I found that the apps are well designed and I liked the fact you could choose a dedicated streaming service server for specific purposes. This made unblocking apps like Netflix a breeze.

Desktop Apps

CyberGhost VPN’s desktop application is available for Windows and Mac OS computers and also now for Linux too.

They can either be used in a slimline window that looks similar to the mobile app and deals directly with connection or expanded to a larger window that gives you more options to play around with.

Connection and limited server selection can be made from the reduced window but anything more and you’ll need to expand.

You can select servers by country including individual servers, servers ‘for torrenting’ or servers ‘for streaming’.

Like the mobile counterpart, the ‘for streaming’ option comes in use, allowing you to connect to the correct server to unblock whatever streaming site you’re trying to access.

There’s a section dedicated to ‘Smart Rules’ and a neat feature is allowing you to have Windows client or the Mac app fall outside the VPN connection.

If, for example, you wanted to protect your online privacy but for some reason needed your email client to use your regular connection, then this feature covers your needs. I regularly use this feature on CyberGhost’s Windows app while I’m working, it’s pretty handy.

Further options on the iOS and Windows app include DNS Leak Protection and an option to disable IPv6 connections to prevent leaks from occurring there.

The CyberGhost iOS and Windows app sports an automatic kill switch feature that has not always been present and is a vital tool for any VPN to offer.

A kill switch cuts your connection to the internet if your VPN connection is interrupted. If you are using a VPN in countries where your online activity could get you in trouble, a kill switch is an essential feature on Windows and Mac devices.

As with the mobile app, CyberGhost provides you with easy to use options such as split tunneling to help you with using native apps such as banking applications or even betting apps, both often require you to be in your native country to use them.

Overall I found that the the desktop apps for Windows and Mac devices are easy to use.

The only downside is that I’m not a massive fan of the layout of the apps.

While the slimline mode takes up little space, when you expand this it is three sections long covering much of your desktop even on widescreen monitors.

I would love to see this layout improved in future to be a little more compact but overall, with security features like the automatic kill switch and good speeds, these apps are very impressive.

Plus, if you’re a bit of a technophobe, then you can use the auto-connect feature to automatically connect you to a VPN server without you needing to configure anything confusing.

I tested the app with my parents and they didn’t struggle to make a connection to the US so they could access Netflix US so the apps are about as user-friendly as you can get.

Other Apps

Alongside the desktop and mobile apps we have already profiled, CyberGhost also has a Google Chrome and Firefox browser extension, and supports Xbox Series X/S, One & Xbox 360.

They also support PlayStation 3 & PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and have a TV app for Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, and various other smart TV models.

The Amazon Fire TV CyberGhost VPN app works across Fire TV, Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Cube devices. It’s one of the best designs I’ve come across because it allows easy navigation across your large TV screen.

Navigating around the CyberGhost VPN app works well on a large TV screen and connection can be made quickly just by clicking the connect button. If you need to select a specific country then that’s just one click and a menu away.

I like that the ‘Streaming Friendly’ options are available in the Fire TV app because after all, it’s unblocking streaming sites that you’re mostly going to be interested in on your TV.

You can also install CyberGhost onto a range of VPN-enabled routers although these require manual installation rather than simply downloading an app. Compared to other providers this is standard.

5. Streaming

Does CyberGhost work with Netflix?

Yes, CyberGhost works with Netflix, especially the most sought after region, the US Netflix catalogue.

They also have specific servers to access Netflix UK, Germany, Canada, Italy, Spain, and France.

These dedicated VPN servers make it easy to connect and start streaming without the need for server hopping to find one that works. This is often the case when accessing Netflix with other VPN providers.

Simply connect to a Netflix optimised server and you’re good to go.

As you know, server location is directly linked to connection speed (closer servers will mean faster speeds, and servers that are further away will have some additional speed loss), luckily CyberGhost has a large server base which you can use with Netflix, helping you unblock lots of new content.

For you this means you won’t suffering any buffering issues or slow spinning circles ruining your viewing enjoyment.

I found this feature useful while I was travelling across Asia, I could connect to many nearby servers while maintaining a fast connection speed.

This was great for accessing TV series I’d started in the UK and weren’t available in the likes of Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Does CyberGhost work with BBC iPlayer?

When testing I found that BBC iPlayer works fine on the CyberGhost service and just like Netflix, there’s a dedicated server option for accessing the BBC iPlayer quickly and easily.

The good news for you means you can access BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world. So you won’t need to miss any of your favourite BBC shows when travelling etc.

Does CyberGhost work with Amazon Prime Video?

Again, there is good news for fans of Amazon Prime Video. CyberGhost also offers a range of dedicated VPN connections that can unblock this streaming service around the world too.

Countries where CyberGhost is able to unblock Amazon Prime Video include France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the USA.

In my testing I was successful on most occasions with UK and US Amazon Prime but did find it very hit and miss with other countries.

Even the US and UK services suffered on occasion.

Does CyberGhost work with Disney Plus?

The other really big streaming platform is Disney+ and this too can be unblocked just about anywhere in the world if you are using CyberGhost.

There are dedicated and optimised servers for Disney+ in India, Italy, and the USA, and I had no trouble unblocking Disney+ in the UK using these servers too.

I used this to watch The Mandalorian from start to finish while I was in Thailand that doesn’t have access to Disney Plus directly.

6. Price

The CyberGhost VPN subscription options follow the industry-standard VPN package choice in that there’s one standard package that differs only by price.

What you’ll immediately be bowled over by is the offer prices available. If you subscribe to CyberGhost for what are admittedly long periods, then you’ll make some huge savings.

As with most other providers the monthly cost is high and more than likely artificially inflated to push you towards the longer subscriptions.

The current prices at the time of writing are:

• 2-Years: $2.19 /month + 2 months free (£1.71)
• 6-Months: $6.99/ month (£5.48)
• 1-Month: $12.99 /month (£10.19)

Like many providers the packages change regularly, but over the past twelve months I haven’t seen any manjor changes.

I would recommend avoiding the one month package because it’s expensive. Comparing this to other providers it’s within a similar price range.

While the 2-year package offers fantastic value, it’s worth remembering that the quality of VPNs can differ over time. While the VPN client provides an excellent all-around service right now, there’s no guarantee that this will be the case in two years.

That’s not to say anything will change but it’s a consideration you’ll need to factor.

But, how do these prices compare to other VPN providers of similar quality?

Well, ExpressVPN at their very cheapest will set you back $6.67 p/m for on their longest 12-month package.

NordVPN comes in at $3.42 a month and you’ll need to lock yourself into a CyberGhost matching 2-year plan.

Surfshark is just $2.49 per month for their basic package but again you’ll need to take their 2-year package to get these prices.

The only other notable feature is that the 1-month package has a 14-day money-back guarantee while the longer packages have a much longer 45-day money-back guarantee.

14-days is well below average while the 45-day money-back guarantee available with the other packages is one of the best around.

Payment types vary by country but Paypal, Credit Card, BitPay and GooglePay are accepted in most countries.

Other payment options include Amazon Pay, SEPA Direct Debit, iDEAL, Qiwi, UnionPay, WebMoney but these are country dependent.

7. Verdict

Overall I found that CyberGhost is one of the most improved VPNs in recent years. This year I feel the service has continued to offer good value for money.

This year they have continued to go from strength to strength.

I’m pleased to see that pricing continues to be competitive and their 2-year deal offers unbeatable value for money.

I’m most impressed with the range of specialised servers on offer as these allow you to carry out certain functions without the need to hunt down the correct server for your needs.

I’m impressed by the server selection in a wide range of countries, including many US server options (although it’s worth remembering some of these new servers are ‘virtual locations’) there are a growing number of servers specifically designed to unblock streaming services and facilitate other platforms.

Another bonus is the dedicated IP option, which can be a little expensive if paying monthly, so you’ll need to take the 2-year package to bag a good deal.

I especially like their streaming feature that includes optimised streaming servers to unblock all of the most popular streaming services. Everything from Netflix to Hulu, Disney+ to Amazon Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer to Sky Go works with the service and I had no problem watching most of these while travelling.

I also appreciate their strict no-logs policy. Having a no-logging policy gives you peace of mind knowing your privacy, personal data, and security is in good hands. Nobody wants their activity being stored in the form of connection logs etc.

This has been improved even further by the third party audit by Deloitte, which confirmed CyberGhost’s no logging claims. I’m pleased to see they finally carried out this audit.

However, other leading providers like ExpressVPN and NordVPN are carrying these out on a regular basis so CyberGhost may need to up their frequency to keep up.

CybetGhost VPN offers 7 concurrent connections which in my mind is more than enough for the average user but there are providers like Surfshark and IPVanish who offer unlimited connections.

I’m not a fan of the system that CyberGhost use which means you have to deregister devices but it is what it is.

All the apps have privacy tools such as a built-in kill switch and split tunnelling, so whether you are using your phone, or a desktop such as a Windows client, you can ensure you have private internet access on all of your devices and the kill switch and split tunnelling options protect you if you have any problems.

They even have some browser extensions which provide you with the protection you need on your web browser, which isn’t just convenient, but also an additional layer of security for you while you use the internet.

I’m not a huge fan of browser extensions but if you have the need for them then they’re there.

I found the connection speeds on the service were good. You won’t be writing home about the speed and there are faster providers, again like ExpressVPN and NordVPN, but they’re fast enough for most tasks.

If you use CyberGhost you’ll have no trouble carrying out speed intensive tasks such as streaming high-quality video or downloading large files quickly.

Overall it’s hard to find too much fault with CyberGhost.

I’m not a huge fan of the layout of the CyberGhost desktop app (such as Windows) when expanded but that’s more of a personal niggle than a significant problem and their monthly pricing is a little on the steep side when you compare it to some of its competitors.

Speeds could be better and I think they need to revisit their cancellation policy to make it easier.

But the CyberGhost service is definitely one you want to be considering as it’s one of the best VPN providers around, it is easy to use and won’t confuse you with too much technical jargon.

They’re not quite up there with the top two providers ExpressVPN and NordVPN but if you’re looking for an alternative they could very well be the answer for you.

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Other services to consider

• ExpressVPN Review | The best VPN
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