CyberGhost VPN offers state-of-the-art virtual private network (VPN) services through a plethora of servers across more than 85 countries. Because of its affordable pricing, gold-standard encryption algorithm, 24/7 customer support (even for far-flung Aussies) and the option to add on a dedicated internet protocol (IP) address, CyberGhost is among the best VPNs for individuals and small businesses.
Pros
- Competitive pricing
- Solid internet speed when active
- Dedicated IP address add-on
- Ad-blocking abilities
- Antivirus and security add-ons available
- Has a network of more than 9000 servers
Cons
- Need to sign up for a paid plan to get 45-day free trial
- Fewer server locations compared to its competitors
- Some CyberGhost reviews express concerns about parent company
Table of Contents
What Is CyberGhost VPN?
CyberGhost VPN is a virtual private network service that protects user data and online behaviour using advanced encryption techniques. In addition to VPN, CyberGhost offers several useful add-ons such as antivirus protection and a dedicated IP address. It is a popular service, boasting 38 million users and operating more than 9000 servers across dozens of countries.
Founder and CEO Robert Knapp launched the CyberGhost company in 2011, though 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.
Related: Best VPNs for Use in Australia
Featured Partner Offers
1
NordVPN
Plan costs
$7.33 AUD per month or $87.95 for the first year
Number of Servers
5,500
Encryption
AES-256
2
Surfshark
Price
Starting From $3.07 AUD Per Month
Number of Servers
3000+
Encryption
AES with 256 -bit keys
3
Private Internet Access (PIA)
Dedicated IP address
Yes
Number of devices
Unlimited
Encryption
AES-256
How Does CyberGhost Work?
Like most VPNs, CyberGhost works by masking your information through military-level encryption to prevent third parties from accessing it easily. The information protected includes your data, identity and online activities.
According to the company, CyberGhost VPN safeguards information using AES 256-bit encryption. It runs on RAM servers that have never been hacked. The only known issue occurred when a little over a hundred CyberGhost customers were impacted by the 2020 Typeform breach.
Key Features
CyberGhost VPN provides several useful methods of protecting customer data and ensuring their satisfaction. These key features include:
- No-logs policy: CyberGhost uses a “no-log” policy, in which the VPN service does not keep tabs on the sites you visit, items you download or any personal information. While this is good for privacy, in theory, VPN services often need third-party services to audit the effectiveness of this claim. Despite the difficulty, CyberGhost champions a “strict” policy as part of its goal of protecting user privacy across the Internet.
- Wi-Fi protection: If you use public Wi-Fi, which is notorious for its lack of security, CyberGhost VPN protects data by passing it through a 256-bit AES encryption-level tunnel between your device and the internet. Users have the option to make this automatic, with a warning that alerts them of a new Wi-Fi connection. A mild downside is that you may have to deal with extra pop-up windows every time your device detects a new network.
- Automatic kill switch: CyberGhost’s kill switch feature works by ensuring that if the VPN service suddenly gets cut, your device will get kicked off the internet automatically. This is done to prevent you from linking up with an unsecured connection. Though it could be annoying to suddenly get kicked offline, the feature is meant to protect your data quickly from unwanted access in the event the VPN is no longer available.
- Simultaneous connections: You have the option of using CyberGhost on up to seven devices, all operating on a single subscription. Other services may limit you to one or two devices at a time.
- Unlimited bandwidth and traffic: One of the drawbacks of VPN use is typically that it slows down your online browsing abilities. However, CyberGhost states that its servers operate at 10gbps. This allows users to work, stream or view video content online at optimal speeds without dealing with buffering or lagging.
CyberGhost Pricing & Plans
CyberGhost VPN is available for month-to-month, six-month and annual subscription service plans. The VPN’s standard service pricing is detailed in the table below.
CyberGhost will sometimes offer two-year subscription discounts, allowing customers to sign up for as low as $3 per month, paid upfront and covering a period of around two years. After this period, the pricing plan returns to the regular price of an annual subscription, which could be adjusted. It is best to check with the company as to what the yearly price will be once the discount period ends.
While CyberGhost VPN provides pricing options for monthly, biannual and annual subscriptions, the pricing page doesn’t lay out any notable comparisons between each type of service. Options such as simultaneous connections and the automatic kill switch seem to come standard across all pricing plans. The only difference between the plans seems to be the length of time you subscribe for.
Free Trial
CyberGhost has perhaps one of the least impressive free trials of any paid service, offering 24-hour access to potential customers. The idea is that users would be better off simply paying for premium features and then making use of the company’s money-back guarantee if they aren’t satisfied. However, a 24-hour window isn’t the best for getting a thorough impression.
The good news is that while the free window may be small, there are no traps or tricks. For instance, you do not have to give away your credit card information to gain access. Every feature is available, and you can use them without needing to pay anything at all.
Should you sign up for the service but aren’t satisfied, your refund window varies on your service plan.
Server Locations
CyberGhost VPN is available to customers in 91 countries, in 117 distinct locations, with more than 9000 servers to choose from.
Although the US has more server networks than other countries, those servers are spread out across different cities. For instance, there are more than 100 servers in Miami and Los Angeles and 300 in New York City alone. Meanwhile, some countries have all of their servers in one city; Brazil’s 60 server networks are all found in São Paulo. The company offers some 150 VPN servers in Australia—all of them in Melbourne and Sydney.
Some locations have servers optimized for fast P2P torrenting and others have server networks physically located within the borders of the nation in question. It is always best to find a VPN server that’s as close to you as possible as distance can impact speed.
It is popular to use a VPN in a different country as a means of not only hiding your location but accessing services from blocked streaming providers, such as Hulu or Netflix. But do so with caution, as some providers will lock users out of their accounts if this behavior is noticed.
CyberGhost Security
CyberGhost offers different methods of security for not only maintaining customer privacy but also trust and peace of mind. These items, ranging from protocols to transparency reports, are detailed in the following sections.
CyberGhost Protocols
Currently, CyberGhost VPN supports four different security protocols: OpenVPN, IKEv2 and WireGuard. To reduce future security risks, CyberGhost discontinued support for PPTP and L2TP protocols as of April 2022.
OpenVPN
OpenVPN is an open-source VPN that works by using a secure point-to-point tunneling protocol (PPTP). This protocol relies on secure sockets layer (SSL) encryption to ensure data that gets shared via AES-256 encryption remains private. The good news about OpenVPN being open source is it allows anyone to identify potential vulnerabilities and fix them.
WireGuard
WireGuard offers an open-source VPN communication protocol initially designed for Linux users but later repurposed for Microsoft and Apple devices. It works by creating an encryption tunnel between the device and the VPN server. It operates with an emphasis on speed 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 communication between a VPN client and a VPN server. It does so by setting up a security association (SA) to negotiate the security keys of both the client and server.
AES-256 Encryption
CyberGhost VPN safeguards information using AES 256-bit encryption. The encryption is end-to-end, and easily understandable data gets turned into unreadable ciphertext that only makes sense if one has access to the corresponding key.
Transparency Reports
To be straightforward with its many users, CyberGhost provides a transparency report every three months; previously the information got released annually, but that changed in 2019. These reports feature key statistics related to the brand’s infrastructure, as well as the number of legal requests it receives., CyberGhost states that it does not cooperate with authorities but updates the community regarding the requests.
Privacy Concerns
Many people continue to worry about whether VPNs are safe or if they’re capable of guarding their privacy. In CyberGhost’s case, the brand has various methods to ensure customer identities, activities and data are as secure as possible. Examples of these methods are detailed below.
NoSpy Servers
NoSpy servers are independently operated by CyberGhost, which the company claims can reduce the risk of interference and exposure to third parties. Plus, all of your traffic is protected by 256-AES encryption, which is the gold standard encryption algorithm.
Dedicated IP Address
CyberGhost offers a dedicated IP address feature for an additional fee. Dedicated IPs aren’t offered by most individual VPN services, but it is a core feature for most business VPN plans.
A dedicated IP address means you will be the only user that’s attached to an unchanging IP address each time you connect to the VPN network. Most VPNs use shared IP addresses by default, meaning the IP addresses are shared with a bunch of other VPN users.
This is not an intrinsically bad thing in most cases, but it could lead to the “bad neighbour effect,” or when other VPN users may do things that are illegal or go against certain websites’ terms of service, which can lead to an IP address being blacklisted. With your own dedicated IP address, you can avoid this scenario entirely.
Besides the added costs, one downside to a dedicated IP is that it allows websites to recognise your internet traffic patterns (but not you individually) because your IP address doesn’t change each time you use the VPN. CyberGhost combats this downside by letting you toggle between dedicated IPs and dynamic IPs—ones that change and are shared with other VPN users—whenever you want.
No Logs Policy
As mentioned among CyberGhost’s key service features, it uses a strict no logs policy, which allows its customers to avoid having their anonymity ever 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 browsing history, domain name system (DNS) queries, connection timestamps, bandwidth usage and any web content you accessed.
CyberGhost does this to avoid contributing to third-party spying by government agencies, hackers or other potentially untrustworthy entities. Additionally, the brand is concerned about the ability to safety and privacy of browsing online.
Speed & Performance
We tested CyberGhost VPN’s speed on a Windows 11 machine using Ookla’s publicly available speed test. When compared to several other popular VPN services, we found CyberGhost to be competitively fast and capable of maintaining decent performance. Results may vary depending on the server and its location.
Device Compatibility
CyberGhost VPN is compatible with a host of devices and platforms, from laptops to smartphones.
CyberGhost VPN is optimized for Windows, Mac and Linux; certain services may be available for some platforms and device types but not others, so it is best to confirm ahead of signing up for service.
How Many Devices Can You Use At Once?
CyberGhost VPN can be used on up to seven devices at once, all on a single subscription. If you wish to use more, it may be necessary to create additional accounts.
Is CyberGhost Good for Streaming?
Because VPNs get associated with slower browsing speeds, some people pass on using them, fearing an inability to stream. However, because CyberGhost is optimized to be as fast as possible, it is a good choice for streaming. Using its fastest servers, customers can stream services, such as Netflix and Hulu, without worrying about lags or constant buffering. It also helps international users access geo-restricted games and videos.
Sometimes CyberGhost can’t get around a streaming access issue that another service can. And in situations where the VPN goes down, it may be hard to connect to a stream if the only access is a non-secure internet connection. Despite these issues, CyberGhost remains an excellent option for streaming.
Setup & Ease of Use
For those unfamiliar with the service, it might seem intimidating to set up and use a VPN service, such as CyberGhost. It is already optimized and preconfigured at installation for most Windows and Mac users. Linux users may need to make a few adjustments. If you need help getting started, CyberGhost provides a series of guides on downloading and installing the service.
Certain features may be tougher to locate and update than others, for instance, adjusting the Wi-Fi connection alerts and automatic kill switch. But there are guides and customer service is available if you have any questions or run into issues during setup.
Customer Support
You can access customer support 24/7 from Australia through CyberGhost’s live chat function. At any time, you can also fill out a support request form. There is also a robust online tutorial where you can access articles and see the latest news such as whether there are any servers that are unavailable.
Summary: Is CyberGhost Worth It?
Like most VPNs, CyberGhost is geared toward individuals who want to bypass geo-blocking restrictions and browse online anonymously and securely. And it meets those needs well.
Ultimately, CyberGhost will service customer needs depending on whether it will serve their personal or business needs. While often geared to the individual, as we share below, we think that CyberGhost can work not only for personal use, but business as well.
CyberGhost for Personal Use
CyberGhost is a popular choice for nonbusiness use as its fast internet speed makes it not only great for streaming TV shows and games but also live-streaming events. Many online users may want to watch shows that are blocked unless they use a VPN. CyberGhost’s protective approach to their users, refusing to hand over requested information to government authorities, makes them ideal for the politically-minded or those wishing to protect their privacy.
CyberGhost for Business Use
Businesses wishing to guard everything from company-wide secrets to customer credit card information is increasingly keen on VPN services. CyberGhost’s dedicated IP service and simultaneous usage across several devices may work for smaller businesses, though larger companies may need additional accounts or a more robust security service.
Featured Partner Offers
1
NordVPN
Plan costs
$7.33 AUD per month or $87.95 for the first year
Number of Servers
5,500
Encryption
AES-256
2
Surfshark
Price
Starting From $3.07 AUD Per Month
Number of Servers
3000+
Encryption
AES with 256 -bit keys
3
Private Internet Access (PIA)
Dedicated IP address
Yes
Number of devices
Unlimited
Encryption
AES-256
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is CyberGhost a good VPN?
Yes. With a well-rounded balance of security, features and server locations, CyberGhost has been able to rank very well in our assessment of the best VPN services.
Can you use CyberGhost on multiple devices?
Yes. You can install CyberGhost on up to seven devices across various platforms, including Windows and Mac.
Is CyberGhost safe?
CyberGhost is considered safe due to its no-log policy, military-grade encryption and habit of publishing transparency reports multiple times per year. Additionally, it has yet to suffer a direct breach.
Is CyberGhost VPN free?
Although CyberGhost provides a limited free trial period of 24 hours, it is a premium service. Customers are provided a money-back guarantee where they can get free refunds if they request them within 14 days for monthly service or 45 days for six-month subscriptions or greater.
Does CyberGhost keep logs?
CyberGhost uses a strict “no-log” policy.
Can you cancel a CyberGhost subscription?
Because CyberGhost auto-renews your subscription, you will actively need to take steps to cancel it. You could get a refund depending on how soon you end the subscription.
Does CyberGhost work with Netflix?
CyberGhost can usually stream Netflix on any device. However, it may be possible the service will not work with every server or Netflix could still be blocked in certain locations.
Does CyberGhost have a kill switch?
CyberGhost has an automatic kill switch that will kick you off the Internet if the VPN goes down.
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