CyberGhost review: an affordable, high-performance VPN

CyberGhost is a pocket-friendly VPN service that offers an excellent feature set, top-notch security, and access to geo-blocked content on popular streaming websites like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and HBO Max. In addition to basics like a kill switch and split tunneling, CyberGhost offers VPN automation features, a powerful malware and ad blocker, and dedicated IP addresses.

Whether you want to access game content in different regions, stream geo-blocked content, or protect yourself against hackers when using public WiFi, CyberGhost is an excellent pick of the best VPN services and one of the best gaming VPNs. Moreover, the VPN protects your connection with VPN protocols like OpenVPN, WireGuard, or IKEv2, combined with AES-256 encryption.

CyberGhost has a strict no-logging policy, so you never have to worry about privacy when connected to a CyberGhost server. Also, CyberGhost is headquartered in Bucharest, Romania, which is outside of the Five, Nine, and Fourteen Eyes Alliance.

Its interface is fairly intuitive and easy to get used to. However, you can always get real-time help using live chat or use CyberGhost’s extensive knowledge base to get answers. To learn more about CyberGhost, and whether it’s the right VPN for you, read our extensive CyberGhost review below.

Pros:

• Built-in automation features
• Special servers for streaming and torrenting
• Dedicated IP addresses

Cons:

• Slow on distant servers
• No third-party privacy audit

Specs

CyberGhost VPN overview:

Speed

CyberGhost is fast enough for buffer-free streaming. If you like streaming on websites like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and HBO Max, CyberGhost is an excellent pick. I was able to unblock all the popular streaming websites without a hitch. However, I couldn’t unblock the U.S. content library on Amazon Prime Video using CyberGhost.

While CyberGhost isn’t one of the fastest VPNs on the market, it does offer P2P servers optimized for P2P downloads. You can connect to a P2P server from the “For downloading” section on the CyberGhost app.

Since the latency can vary greatly across servers, CyberGhost isn’t the best gaming VPN. In most cases, the latency hovers between 155 and 250—a massive range. Also, the speeds tend to fluctuate considerably when connected to distant servers.

Security and Privacy

CyberGhost is one of the best VPNs when it comes to security. The most secure VPNs offer two key things: best-in-class VPN protocols and strong encryption ciphers. The app lets you choose between three protocols—OpenVPN, WireGuard, and IKEv2. However, OpenVPN isn’t available on the macOS and iOS apps, and IKEv2 isn’t available on the Android app.

OpenVPN and WireGuard both offer excellent security, while IKEv2 is best when using the VPN on your phone. WireGuard is an open-source VPN protocol with a smaller codebase than OpenVPN that offers equivalent security and superior performance.

CyberGhost uses the AES-256 encryption cipher. It’s virtually unbreakable using any current technology. I ran WebRTC, IP, and DNS leak tests using IPleak.org and found no problems using CyberGhost VPN. CyberGhost commits to zero-logging so privacy isn’t a major concern. The VPN’s privacy policy states that CyberGhost collects information such as the user’s IP address and approximate location when you use its website.

However, it doesn’t store any connection logs associated with your IP, so the service can never associate the information with a specific user. In fact, CyberGhost underwent an independent audit by Deloitte to scrutinize its service and add a layer of trust for its customers.

Features

CyberGhost offers an extensive feature set, as you’d expect from any top VPN service.

Supported Devices and Operating Systems

CyberGhost works on all major devices and operating systems, including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux. It also has browser extensions for Firefox and Chrome. You can install the service on Amazon Fire Sticks and Android and Apple smart TVs.

Basic Features

CyberGhost offers all the essentials, including a kill switch and split tunneling. A kill switch protects you against abrupt drops in the VPN connection by blocking your device’s internet access. On the other hand, split tunneling lets you split your internet traffic between encrypted and unencrypted tunnels.

For example, suppose you’re streaming content on Netflix UK and need to access your online banking account. The banking portal might not let you log in unless your device has an IP address that belongs to your country. Using split tunneling helps you use the VPN connection to stream content on Netflix and access the online banking portal via the unencrypted connection simultaneously.

Split tunneling isn’t available on macOS, though. The Windows app offers URL-based split tunneling, which lets you exclude URLs you want to use the unencrypted connection for. The Android and iOS apps use app-based split tunneling, which allows you to exclude the apps you want to use the encrypted connection for.

Server Network

CyberGhost is a VPN with one of the largest server networks, with over 7,000 servers spread across 90+ countries. Only a few other VPN services, like ExpressVPN, have servers in more countries.

Some of these servers, like the ones in India, are virtual servers. VPN providers generally have virtual servers in locations where the law threatens the user’s privacy or security in some way. Most of CyberGhost’s servers are located in Europe, while the Middle East and Africa have the lowest share of servers.

CyberGhost has two types of servers, including P2P and streaming-optimized servers. The VPN also offers NoSpy servers, which help conceal VPN usage. These are especially helpful when using a VPN in China, but they cost extra.

Ad and Malware Blockers

CyberGhost has a “Block content” option that blocks ads, trackers, and malware. Note that this feature only works with the WireGuard protocol. While most malware blockers filter traffic at the browser or DNS level, CyberGhost blocks ads at the network level. The blocker examines each server request individually instead of blocking DNS requests from domains and hostnames that serve ads.

Automation Features

The “smart rules” option helps automate various VPN tasks. For example, you can create a rule that triggers CyberGhost to launch an app whenever you connect to a VPN server. Similarly, you can configure the app to connect to a specific server whenever you launch an app on your device. If you’re going to use CyberGhost for one specific purpose, such as streaming or torrenting, creating smart rules can save you a few clicks.

Usability

CyberGhost’s desktop interface is among the best ones out there. It’s well-designed, detailed, and intuitive. Clicking on the icon in the system tray opens a docked window. If you want to access the full interface, click on the arrow at the top right.

The home screen lists all the servers along with the server load expressed as a percentage. This lets you select the server that will offer optimum performance. The app has a separate section for P2P and streaming-optimized servers. The mobile app is the opposite of the desktop app in the sense that the home screen is pretty bare-bones. All options are tucked away in the settings.

The dedicated IP address is available in ten countries, including the US, UK, and Canada. CyberGhost uses a token-based system for dedicated IPs, removing any association between your IP address and your account.

Value for money

CyberGhost is among the best cheap VPN services on the market. The best deal costs $2.19 per month and requires you to pay for two years. Alternatively, you can opt for one of the following shorter-term plans:

• Half-yearly plan: $6.99 per month
• Monthly plan: $12.99 per month
• 2 year plan: $2.19 per month

Dedicated IP addresses cost $2.50 per month.

CyberGhost doesn’t offer a free version or trial. However, you can try CyberGhost using its 45-day money-back guarantee on all plans, except the monthly plan, which offers a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Streaming Performance

CyberGhost is a decent VPN for streaming. It manages to bypass the geo-blocks on most streaming platforms, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer.

I used the streaming-optimized servers for each of these services. If you use the regular servers, you might have trouble accessing geo-blocked content on these sites.

To use the streaming-optimized servers, select the “For streaming” section on the app, find the relevant server for the specific site and location you want to access and connect to that server.

Streaming quality is great as long as you stream in standard, and sometimes high quality. However, streaming in 4K might lead to some minor buffering. Over the past few years, CyberGhost has also added streaming-optimized servers for streaming sites like DAZN, SkyGo, and TV Now.

Support

CyberGhost has an extensive knowledge base where you’ll find guides, articles, and FAQs. It’s categorized based on the type of asset (guides, troubleshooting articles, and FAQs) and operating system, so it’s easy to navigate and find answers.

If the knowledge base doesn’t help, you can always reach out to CyberGhost via email or live chat. Live chat support is excellent. I tried asking for some help when I had trouble installing the app on my Windows device, and I had a reply in less than a minute.

Verdict

If you’re looking for a cost-effective VPN service that offers an extensive feature set and a great user interface, CyberGhost is the right choice for you. It offers top-notch security, bypasses geo-blocks on all popular streaming websites and offers decent connection speeds.

If you’re not sure that CyberGhost is the best VPN for you, remember that you can try it out and claim a full refund for up to 45 days (except on the monthly plan).

For the price, CyberGhost offers most features you’d want in a VPN, such as streaming-optimized servers and best-in-class VPN protocols like WireGuard. Here’s a quick summary of CyberGhost’s performance on each parameter we evaluated in this review:

• Speed (7/10): CyberGhost isn’t the fastest VPN around, but it’s not painfully slow. It’s adequately fast for buffer-free streaming, but not fast enough for gaming at the highest level.
• Security and privacy (9/10): CyberGhost is a secure, no-logs VPN.
• Usability (9/10): CyberGhost VPN’s desktop app has an excellent interface that’s detailed and intuitive. The mobile interface is clean, with options housed in the settings section. Both apps seem aptly designed for the available screen space.
• Cost (8/10): The VPN service costs far less than premium VPN services like ExpressVPN. Cheaper services do exist, but CyberGhost’s best deal offers great value for money.
• Streaming performance (7/10): You can unblock content on all popular streaming platforms. However, you might face an occasional issue unblocking content in cases where CyberGhost doesn’t have a streaming-optimized server for the specific location and streaming service.
• Support (9/10): The knowledge base is extensive, and live chat support is quick. The support staff is polite and knowledgeable.