CyberGhost VPN 2023 Review: Features, Pricing & More (2023)

CyberGhost VPN is a virtual private network service that protects user data and online behavior using advanced encryption techniques. Besides the VPN, CyberGhost offers several useful add-ons such as antivirus and a dedicated IP address. It's a popular service with 38 million users and over 9,000 servers in dozens of countries.

Founder and CEO Robert Knapp founded CyberGhost in 2011, although it was later acquired by Kape Technologies in 2017. In addition to CyberGhost VPN, Kape also owns ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access (PIA), and ZenMate. The brand is currently headquartered in Bucharest, Romania.

Ifmost VPNs, CyberGhost works by masking your information with military-grade encryption to prevent third parties from easily accessing it. Protected information includes your data, identity and online activity.

According to the company, CyberGhost VPN protects information with 256-bit AES encryption. It runs on RAM servers that have never been hacked. The only known issue occurred when just over a hundred CyberGhost customers were affected by the 2020 Typeform breach.

What sets CyberGhost VPN apart from the competition is the company's determination to protect its users' privacy, to the point of creating "spy-free servers." As CyberGhost explains, although VPNs are designed to mask user data and activity, many use third-party data centers to do this. This means that VPN companies cannot always guarantee complete control over how data is protected or whether it is fully protected.

CyberGhost tried to avoid this problem by setting up internal servers without spying at its headquarters in Romania. These servers are fully self-maintained and managed end-to-end, allowing for maximum protection of customer information from sophisticated advertisers or multi-governmental threats. CyberGhost's self-proclaimed "paranoia" has prompted the brand to consider measures to prevent user data from falling into the wrong hands.

Advantages

CyberGhost VPN subscription benefits include:

• Competitive prices:CyberGhost VPN is an affordable option compared to similar services. Paying for a two-year contract can cost less than what you would pay annually with some VPN service providers.
• Internet speed:By selecting the "best location", CyberGhost connects you to the fastest server nearby for maximum internet speed, so you can stream shows or movies and enjoy games without lag.
• Dedicated IP address:Instead of sharing an IP with other users, CyberGhost gives you the option to set up your own dedicated IP address, which allows you to add another layer of privacy.
• Antivirus and security add-ons:CyberGhost offers downloadable virus protection for Windows. If it finds a threat, it will be automatically blocked and quarantined.
• Thousands of servers worldwide:CyberGhost VPN has over 9,000 servers in 91 countries. No matter where you are in the world, there's a fast, accessible option close at hand.
• Access to "No-Spy" servers:Upgrading to a semi-annual or annual service allows you to take advantage of CyberGhost's "no-spying" servers, servers that are continuously maintained in-house and are not accessible to third parties.

In contrast

Some disadvantages of using CyberGhost VPN are:

• Paid plan required to get "free" trial:You can try CyberGhost VPN for free, but only for about a day. The closest you can get to a trial is to sign up for the service and take advantage of the money-back guarantee.
• Parent Company Concerns:CyberGhost was bought by Kape Technologies, which also owns popular VPN services like ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access. Some have raised concerns about Kape's policies and behavior and fear it may affect the quality or reliability of CyberGhost VPN.
• There aren't as many servers as some competitors:While 9,000+ typically guarantee easy access to VPN servers around the world, there are competing VPN services with many more servers to choose from.

The main attraction of CyberGhost VPN is its privacy and protection measures, which are maintained through several key features.

Incognito-Browsing

CyberGhost VPN hides your real IP address, which keeps your online activities and login information well hidden from others. The company also provides a free private browser; It loads fast and avoids saving your footprints online. In any case, you can surf the Internet safely and anonymously.

DNS protection measures

By using a VPN you drastically reduce the risk of an accidental DNS leak, but this is not a guarantee. If your operating system restores default settings, your information may once again go through an unsecured, non-VPN route. To prevent this, CyberGhost employs several tools to protect itself, including a kill switch and adhering to a strict no-logs policy. Even before you sign up, the CyberGhost website runs a "DNS leak" test on your system.

Dedicated IP

Typically, when you use a VPN, you share an IP with other users that changes with each session. This is not the case with a dedicated IP, which stays the same no matter how many times you log in. It's a static IP that belongs only to you and is available on all your devices. A dedicated IP not only allows you to have a truly private and exclusive internet browsing experience, but also protects you from getting IP blocked due to the behavior of other VPN users.

Off-button

For web users who put their privacy and security above all else, a kill switch is essential. If an unplanned outage occurs, your computer might immediately attempt to reconnect to the Internet. However, the connection is not secure, which puts your data at risk.

CyberGhost VPN offers an automatic kill switch that monitors your connection and will immediately disconnect you from all unsecured connections for about 120 seconds until a new VPN connection can be reestablished. This kill switch is very handy because you don't have to configure it or worry about it being reset permanently until you can determine how to reset your VPN configuration.

Split-Tunneling

Split tunneling is a feature that allows you to use a VPN for some things while accessing the internet directly for other activities. This may be preferable if you have no interest in hiding your precise location but still want to protect your online activity.

CyberGhost VPN allows you to set up a split tunnel feature, especially if you set up custom rules for Android. Meanwhile, the Smart Rules feature can help you set up exceptions for websites that cannot be accessed through a VPN.

CyberGhost VPN is available on monthly, semi-annual, and annual subscription service plans. Standard VPN services are priced in the table below.

CyberGhost sometimes offers two-year subscription discounts, allowing customers to sign up for as little as $2.03 per month, paid up front and covering a period of about two years. After this period, the pricing plan will revert to the regular annual subscription price, which can be readjusted. It is best to check with the company what the annual price will be after the discount period has expired.

While CyberGhost VPN offers pricing options for monthly, semi-annual, and annual subscriptions, the pricing page doesn't offer a significant comparison between each service type. Options like simultaneous connections and the automatic kill switch appear to be standard across all pricing plans. The only difference between the plans seems to be the length of the subscription.

Free trial period

CyberGhost has perhaps one of the least impressive free trials of any paid service, and offers 24/7 access to potential customers. The idea is that users would be better off simply paying for premium features and then availing themselves of the company's money-back guarantee if they aren't satisfied. However, a 24-hour window isn't the best to get a full impression.

The good news is that while the free window may be small, there are no pitfalls or gimmicks. For example, you do not have to provide your credit card information to gain access. All the features are available and you can use them without paying anything.

If you sign up for the service but are not satisfied, your refund window will vary based on your service plan. Monthly subscribers have 14 sign-up days to avail their money-back guarantee. The window extends to 45 days for those with subscriptions of six months or more.

To set up your CyberGhost VPN software, you must first create an account. After you create an account and choose a password, you'll be given options to set up a paid monthly, semi-annual, or biennial subscription. In addition, CyberGhost offers a personal unlock key or PUK to access your account when you are locked out.

After purchase, you can enter the activation key to start using your subscription. After logging in, you can simplify your VPN experience by selecting "Best Location" and letting CyberGhost select a nearby server that is most compatible with your current location and desired speed.

For those unfamiliar with the service, it may seem intimidating.Set up and use a VPN service, like CyberGhost. It is optimized and preconfigured upon installation for most Windows and Mac users. Linux users may need to make some adjustments. If you need help getting started, CyberGhost offers a series of guides on how to download and install the service.

Certain features can be more difficult to find and update than others, e.g. B. Optimizing WiFi connection alerts and automatic kill switch. But there are instructions and customer service is available if you have any questions or encounter any issues during setup.

CyberGhost VPN is available to customers in 91 countries in 117 different locations with over 8,000 servers. The graphic below shows where you can access the many servers around the world.

Although the US has more server networks than other countries, these servers are spread across different cities. For example, there are over 100 servers in Miami and Los Angeles and 300 in New York City alone. Meanwhile, some countries have all their servers in one city; The 60 server networks in Brazil are all located in São Paulo.

Some locations have servers optimized for fast P2P torrenting, and others have server networks that are physically located within the borders of the country in question. It's always best to find a VPN server as close as possible, as distance can affect speeds.

It's common to use a VPN in another country not only to hide your location but also to access services from blocked streaming providers like Hulu or Netflix. Use caution when doing this, however, as some providers will block users from accessing their accounts if this behavior is noticed.

We tested CyberGhost VPN's speed on a Windows 11 machineOokla is publicly availableQuick test. when compared toseveral other popular VPN serviceswe found CyberGhost to be competitively fast and able to maintain decent performance. Results may vary by server and location.

CyberGhost offers various security methods not only to maintain customer privacy but also to maintain trust and security. These items, ranging from logs to transparency reports, are detailed in the following sections.

Logs from CyberGhost

CyberGhost VPN currently supports three different security protocols: OpenVPN, IKEv2 and WireGuard. To reduce future security risks, CyberGhost dropped support for PPTP and L2TP protocols in April 2022.

OpenVPN

OpenVPN is an open-source VPN that uses a secure point-to-point tunneling protocol (PPTP). This protocol relies on Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption to ensure that data shared via AES-256 encryption remains private. The good news that OpenVPN is open source is that it allows anyone to identify potential vulnerabilities and fix them.

WireGuardName

WireGuard offers an open source VPN communication protocol originally developed for Linux users but later repurposed for Microsoft and Apple devices. It works by creating an encryption tunnel between your device and the VPN server. It works with an emphasis on agility and security.

Internet Key Exchange Version 2 (IKEv2)

Developed as part of a joint venture between Microsoft and Cisco, IKEv2 is a tunneling protocol that encrypts communications between a VPN client and a VPN server. To do this, a Security Association (SA) is established to negotiate client and server security keys.

AES-256 encryption

If you use public WiFi, which is notorious for its lack of security, CyberGhost VPN protects your data by passing it through a 256-bit AES encryption tunnel between your device and the internet. Encryption is end-to-end, turning easily understandable data into unreadable ciphertext that only makes sense if someone has access to the appropriate key. Users have the option to do this automatically, with a prompt alerting them to a new Wi-Fi connection. A small downside is that you may face additional pop-ups every time your device detects a new network.

transparency reports

To be uncomplicated with its many users, CyberGhost provides a transparency report every three months; before the information was released annually, but that changed in 2019. These reports provide key statistics on the brand's infrastructure as well as the number of legal requests received.CyberGhost states that it does not work with authorities but instead keeps the community informed the requests.

Many people are still concernedwhether VPNs are safeor whether they are able to protect your privacy. In the case of CyberGhost, the brand has multiple methods in place to ensure customers' identities, activities, and data are as secure as possible. Examples of these procedures are detailed below.

NoSpy-Server

The NoSpy servers are operated independently from CyberGhost, which the company says can reduce the risk of interference and third-party exposure. In addition, all your traffic is protected by 256-AES encryption, the gold-standard encryption algorithm.

Dedicated IP address

CyberGhost offers a dedicated IP address feature for an additional fee. Dedicated IPs are not offered by most individual VPN services, but are an essential feature for most business VPN plans.

A dedicated IP address means that you are the only user connected to an immutable IP address every time you connect to the VPN network. Most VPNs use shared IP addresses by default, which means the IP addresses are shared with many other VPN users.

This isn't a bad thing in most cases, but it can lead to the "bad neighbor effect" or when other VPN users do illegal things or violate the terms of service of certain websites, which can result in an IP address being banned becomes. With your own dedicated IP address, you can completely avoid this scenario.

Aside from the extra cost, one disadvantage of a dedicated IP is that since your IP address doesn't change every time you use the VPN, websites can see your internet traffic patterns (but not you individually). CyberGhost combats this disadvantage by allowing you to switch between dedicated IPs and dynamic IPs - the ones that change and are shared with other VPN users - whenever you want.

No recording policy

As mentioned among CyberGhost's main service features, it uses a strict no-logs policy that allows its customers to avoid having their anonymity compromised despite numerous legal requests for user information. Their strict no-logs policy means the company does not store any of your personal information, such as B. Your browsing history, Domain Name System (DNS) queries, connection timestamps, bandwidth usage and any web content you have accessed.

CyberGhost does this to avoid contributing to third-party spying by government agencies, hackers, or other potentially untrustworthy entities. In addition, the brand takes care of security and privacy when browsing the Internet.

CyberGhost VPN supports a variety of devices and platforms, from laptops to smartphones. You have the option to use CyberGhost on up to seven devices, all running under a single subscription. You can limit other services to one or two devices at a time.

What platforms does CyberGhost support?

CyberGhost VPN is optimized for Windows, Mac and Linux; Certain Services may be available for some platforms and device types but not for others. Therefore, it is best to confirm this before subscribing to the service.

How many devices can you use at the same time?

CyberGhost VPN can be used on up to seven devices simultaneously, all under a single subscription. If you want to use more, you may need to create additional accounts.

Because VPNs are associated with slower browsing speeds, some people have stopped using them for fear of not being able to stream. However, since CyberGhost is optimized to run at 10 Gbps, it's a good choice for streaming. With their fastest servers, customers can stream services like Netflix and Hulu without worrying about lag or constant buffering. It also helps international users to access geo-restricted games and videos.

Sometimes CyberGhost can't work around a streaming access issue that another service can. And in situations where the VPN goes down, it can be difficult to connect to a stream when the only access is an unsecured internet connection. Despite these issues, CyberGhost remains an excellent choice for streaming.

CyberGhost vs. PIA

Although previously absolute competitors, the takeover of KapeCyberGhost und PIAsome sister companies. Despite this, the service offerings are not uniform and there are reasons to choose one VPN over another.

CyberGhost is available in more countries with much higher streaming speed than PIA. Alternatively, PIA has many more servers around the world and can be used on more devices at the same time. PIA has a longer free trial window, but CyberGhost subscribers may be able to get their money back after 45 days, compared to PIA's 30 days.

CyberGhost VPN x TorGuard VPN

Our VPN speed tests put TorGuard VPN ahead of CyberGhost VPN, but when it comes to security, CyberGhost has a better reputation. TorGuard has already been involved in a major injury and hasn't been as direct about the implications as some would prefer. Also, TorGuard does not provide a transparency report. Users who are more concerned about openness and lack of data leaks may prefer to use CyberGhost.

In addition, CyberGhost is cheaper than TorGuard and uses almost three times as many servers.

CyberGhost x NordVPN

CyberGhost vs NordVPNin price, the number of server networks, locations and usage on concurrent devices. One area where NordVPN excelled was in internet speed at 357.46 Mbps compared to CyberGhost’s 299.14 Mbps.

NordVPN was part of the security breach that also affected TorGuard VPN and VikingVPN, but the leak reportedly didn't go beyond a single server. However, the potential for such instances could make some gravitate toward CyberGhost, which has yet to experience a direct security breach.

Like most VPNs, CyberGhost is aimed at people who want to bypass geo-restrictions and surf online anonymously and securely. And it meets these requirements well.

Ultimately, CyberGhost will meet the needs of customers depending on whether it serves their personal or business needs. Although CyberGhost is often geared towards the individual, as we share below, we believe that it is suitable not only for personal use but also for business purposes.

CyberGhost for personal use

CyberGhost is a popular choice for non-commercial purposes as its high internet speed makes it suitable not only for streaming TV shows and games but also for streaming live events. Many online users may want to watch blocked programs unless they use a VPN. CyberGhost's protective approach to its users refusing to provide requested information to government agencies makes it ideal for people interested in politics or wanting to avoid censorship.

CyberGhost for commercial use

Businesses looking to protect everything from company-wide secrets to customer credit card information are increasingly turning to VPN services. CyberGhost's dedicated IP service and simultaneous use on multiple devices can work for smaller businesses, although larger businesses may need additional accounts or a more robust security service.

CyberGhost VPN was relatively quick and easy to install on both a desktop and Android phone. After downloading on Android, you must have a premium account to use the service. This does not apply to the Windows-compatible desktop version, with which we were able to test the program for free. Once downloaded, CyberGhost VPN will launch immediately, and once connected you can immediately start customizing the tool to your liking and decide whether to update and use it.

Once the 24-hour window closes, you'll need to log in to continue using the VPN. They have no automatic fees; CyberGhost allows you to try their service without fear of being forcibly bound to a contract. Still, that's a very small window of opportunity to try and make a decision.

All in all, we've found CyberGhost VPN to be a very powerful and fast VPN that doesn't cause any noticeable speed issues when browsing the web or trying to watch videos online.