CyberGhost Review

Our Verdict

CyberGhost is an affordable and secure VPN that is popular among travelers because of its large server network, great free trial, and Wi-Fi security features. It effectively unblocks streaming services such as US Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu. However, you should take into account its drawbacks: the lack of an OpenVPN option on Mac or iOS, the inability to use it in China, and slow speeds during torrenting.

Why Trust Our Review?

We’ve spent countless hours testing and reviewing 56 different VPN services, using our objective evaluation process to recommend the best VPN software for you.

Here are some key statistics from our VPN testing:

CyberGhost is a secure, fast, and user-friendly VPN service.

This VPN service is the only one among the leading ones that provides a free trial without requiring payment details.

Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Romania, it has been owned by Kape Technologies since 2017, the same company behind popular VPN services like ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, and Zenmate.

In this CyberGhost review, we present the results of our first-hand research on how CyberGhost performs in all major categories. Our experts tested its speed, security, streaming service unblocking reliability, and more, and compared the results to leading VPN competitors like NordVPN and Proton VPN.

Keep reading to see the most important test results at a glance, or use the links on the right to jump to the section that interests you most.

Who Should Get CyberGhost VPN?

Get CyberGhost if:

• You have a need for VPN servers around the world. CyberGhost has thousands of servers located in more than a hundred locations, which means there’s almost always a server that meets your needs.
• You want to try out a premium VPN for free. CyberGhost allows you to use a genuine free trial and has a 45-day money-back guarantee. This is ideal for you if you plan to try out a VPN before purchasing a subscription.
• You need reliable customer support that you can count on. CyberGhost’s live chat support, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, is among the best we’ve experienced. Plus, it’s available in multiple languages.

Avoid CyberGhost if:

• If you’re an active torrent user, CyberGhost is a good option for you. However, it is worth considering that compared to some competitors, it can be slower, especially when using torrents. In addition, in 15 of the 91 countries where CyberGhost servers are present, the use of the P2P (Peer-to-Peer) protocol is not allowed.
• If you find yourself in a region with restrictions and censorship, CyberGhost is unfortunately not a reliable option for working in such countries, such as China. In our years of weekly testing, we have found that CyberGhost is not a reliable tool for overcoming censorship in such regions.
• If you regularly use video streaming services such as BBC iPlayer or HBO Max, you should keep in mind that CyberGhost may have trouble unblocking them. While CyberGhost is a good choice for streaming in general, we found that it has some limitations when it comes to accessing BBC iPlayer and HBO Max.

Streaming

CyberGhost works with US Netflix, Hulu & Prime Video

CyberGhost is a reliable choice for streaming, as it provides access to the US and Italian Netflix libraries, as well as Disney+ and Hulu services thanks to its dedicated servers. However, users should keep in mind that it may require periodic interruptions when trying to stream BBC iPlayer and HBO Max.

We regularly test CyberGhost for compatibility with all popular streaming services. Here’s a list of these services and the results of our tests on unblocking them with CyberGhost:

If you’re wondering if CyberGhost works with any other streaming service not mentioned above, contact us below and we’ll test it for you.

CyberGhost is a great VPN for streaming. It successfully unblocks Disney Hotstar, US Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video.

The apps clearly indicate special servers for specific content platforms. In addition, optimized servers for streaming websites in Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, and Poland are available.

All of these streaming servers change their IP addresses regularly to circumvent blocking that may be imposed by some websites, such as Netflix.

CyberGhost only streams 2 Netflix regions

In our tests, CyberGhost successfully unlocked the American and Italian versions of Netflix on all available versions of the software. However, compared to our previous tests, its effectiveness has decreased significantly.

Simply put, CyberGhost is not as effective at unblocking streaming websites. It no longer competes with more efficient VPN providers for Netflix, such as Windscribe (32 Netflix libraries) and PrivateVPN (14 Netflix libraries).

If you want to unblock more Netflix libraries, we recommend using ExpressVPN. This provider is capable of unblocking 10 different Netflix libraries in different regions, including the UK, US, Canada, and Germany.

CyberGhost Has Issues with BBC iPlayer

CyberGhost’s UK servers used to work well with BBC iPlayer, but unfortunately, they are no longer compatible with the service.

The restrictions on using VPNs on BBC iPlayer are quite strict, and few VPN providers are able to bypass the BBC iPlayer’s geo-blocking.

Works with Disney+ and Hulu, but not HBO Max

Thanks to its dedicated servers in the US and Italy, CyberGhost allows you to stream Disney+ content.

By choosing the Italian server, you can access Disney+ Star even if you have a US Disney+ account. Disney+ Star is an international alternative to a Hulu subscription, and includes a wide selection of movies and shows.

Streaming Platform	Works with CyberGhost
Netflix	Yes
Disney Plus	Yes
BBC iPlayer	Yes
HBO Max	Yes
Hulu	Yes
Hotstar	Yes
YouTube	Yes
Amazon Prime Video	Yes
All 4	Yes
ITVX	Yes

Torrenting

Slow Download Bitrate & 15 Regions that Don’t Allow P2P

CyberGhost provides dedicated servers optimized for P2P file-sharing networks, has a kill switch feature, and sets good standards for log storage. It’s definitely a safe choice for torrenting, but it’s not the best.

In our experience, the average download bitrate on CyberGhost’s torrenting servers was a bit slow, and there is no port forwarding feature. While you can use file-sharing networks on most CyberGhost servers, it’s worth noting that this is not allowed on servers located in 15 different countries.

Here’s the main information we got from our torrent tests conducted with CyberGhost:

According to our tests, download speeds on the torrent network using CyberGhost VPN averaged 3.9 MB/s, which is significantly lower than the speeds shown by Astrill VPN (10.0 MB/s) and IPVanish (9.9 MB/s).

Our tests have confirmed the effectiveness of the built-in IP and DNS leakage protection, which worked well during leakage tests.

Finding a suitable server for torrenting is easy. Just go to the Downloads tab and you’ll see a list of servers that are optimized for P2P traffic.

CyberGhost provides information about the percentage of load on each server. It is recommended that you choose a less busy server to maximize your download and upload speeds.

The built-in kill switch is automatically activated and cannot be deactivated on all platforms, which protects your real IP address in the event of an unexpected connection disconnection.

No P2P in 15 Different Countries

Most servers in the CyberGhost network allow torrenting and even encourage it. However, there are certain countries in which torrenting is prohibited, and the use of the torrent protocol is not allowed on these servers.

There is good news: after years of banning torrenting in Australia, CyberGhost has recently changed its policy. This is a big victory for torrent trackers in Oceania, although it should be noted that torrenting is still banned in New Zealand.

Unfortunately, there is also bad news for users from Africa and the Middle East, where severe restrictions are in place. If you are in West, Central, or Southern Africa, your closest option may be to connect to a server in Kenya, which is more than a thousand miles away. Given the restrictions in the Middle East, your best bet is to connect to a server in Georgia.

Despite this, you can still connect to any server while torrenting. It’s worth remembering that the farther the VPN server is from your actual location, the slower the torrent transfer may be.

No Port Forwarding

For privacy reasons, CyberGhost does not have a port forwarding setting.

VPN port forwarding isn’t necessary for torrenting, but it can improve file download speeds and bypass your router’s NAT firewall blocking.

Here’s how fast we were able to download a 20GB torrent file using CyberGhost compared to other leading VPN providers:

Torrenting Attribute	Result
Average Download Bitrate	3.9MiB/s
No. of P2P Servers	9,559
Logging Policy	No Identifying Data
Kill Switch	1
Port Forwarding	No

Speed

CyberGhost Is Fast On Nearby VPN Connections

CyberGhost’s speeds are adequate for most online activities. If you are able to connect to a server in the same country as you, the speeds will be almost as fast as any other leading VPN provider. However, if you need to connect to a remote server, things can vary. Speeds can be inconsistent, and it can often take much longer to connect to such a server.

To test CyberGhost’s speed, we established connections to CyberGhost servers on six continents and measured download and upload speeds before and after. We used a 100 Mbps internet connection, similar to what you might have in your home environment.

The table below shows the results of CyberGhost’s speed tests when connected to different servers around the world:

The local download speed loss mentioned above is only 6%, which is very good and similar to other high-speed VPN competitors such as ExpressVPN and IPVanish.

While some of these results may not look amazing, you can rest assured that CyberGhost’s speeds are sufficient for seamless web browsing, video streaming, and torrenting. It also outperforms the speeds of our sister VPN provider, as you can see in our speed tests using Zenmate.

As you can see in the graph above, CyberGhost VPN is fast on both local and long-distance connections, but sometimes it is not stable, which is evident in the noticeable speed fluctuations between different tests. It may not be up to par with its strongest competitors, but it’s still faster than most VPN providers we’ve tested.

Decent Ping Times Shouldn’t Affect Online Gaming

When connected to the nearest server, CyberGhost’s ping is sufficient for a seamless online game.

Your communication with online game servers is always accompanied by a certain delay, which often increases when using a VPN.

If you connect to a server in the same city as you, CyberGhost has an average ping of only 12 ms. A delay of less than 50 ms or close to this value will be almost imperceptible, even if you play fast-paced games like CS:GO or Fortnite.

Price & Value

Excellent Value Plus a 45-Day Money-Back Guarantee

CyberGhost offers great features at an affordable price, especially if you choose a long-term subscription. At just $2.19 per month, it’s one of the best VPNs available for a small price. They provide free trials and an extremely generous 45-day refund period, which are among the most favorable in the industry. For added privacy, you can even pay for your subscription in bitcoin.

CyberGhost VPN is an extremely affordable option, especially considering its quality. They have the option of subscribing to monthly, six-month, and two-year plans. As always, longer plans come with a significant discount:

The most economical CyberGhost subscription option costs only $2.19 per month for a two-year plan, including four additional months free. With an upfront payment of $56.94, this is 84% cheaper than the standard monthly price.

This is a great value for money. We consider CyberGhost to be one of the best affordable and budget VPNs this year.

However, CyberGhost’s monthly price can be quite high compared to some competitors, and even higher than highly rated VPN providers like NordVPN and IPVanish. If you’re not sure if you want to commit to CyberGhost for the long term, we recommend taking advantage of their trial period and money-back guarantee.

Payment & Refund Options

You can pay for CyberGhost using the following methods:

These are payment options found on many of the leading VPN services.

The ability to pay with Bitcoin is an added bonus for those seeking a higher level of anonymity.

CyberGhost also technically accepts cash payments, but they are only available on a limited basis in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, where retailers such as Amazon, MediaMarkt, and Saturn accept cash.

CyberGhost’s 45-Day Money-Back Guarantee

CyberGhost offers a 45-day money-back guarantee for subscription plans that last longer than six months. In the case of a monthly plan, the money-back guarantee is only 14 days.

Refund requests are processed within 5-10 business days, and we guarantee “no questions asked” refunds, which means no gimmicks or restrictions.

If you purchased CyberGhost from the iOS store, the refund procedure requires you to contact Apple directly.

CyberGhost Has the Best Free Trial of Any Top VPN 

CyberGhost has now discontinued the free version, except for a limited browser extension.

Instead, we offer a 24-hour free trial for desktops and laptops, a seven-day free trial for iPhones or iPads, and a three-day free trial for Android devices.

These free trial periods can be combined with a 45-day money-back guarantee to give you the opportunity to use CyberGhost for free for over 50 days.

It’s worth noting that it’s the only leading VPN service that offers a free trial without requiring you to provide payment details. These facts together make it the best option for free VPN trials in 2023.

Detailed instructions on how to sign up can be found in our guide on how to get a free CyberGhost trial.

• VISA
• Master Card
• Paypal
• American Express
• Bitcoin

Privacy & Logging Policy

CyberGhost Is Private & Safe

CyberGhost’s log retention policy is zero-tolerance, but does not contain any personally identifiable data. The information collected is general statistics about the number of successful connections to CyberGhost servers and is subject to verification by a third-party auditor. Quarterly transparency reports help to increase trust in the service.

Below is a table showing what information CyberGhost does and does not store:

CyberGhost’s full privacy policy can be found on their website.

According to CyberGhost’s privacy policy, the VPN stores anonymous connection data for statistical purposes only.

This anonymous connection data is aggregated, anonymized and cannot be linked to you personally.

Many popular VPN services collect general connection information, and CyberGhost is no exception. Although the service is very private, if you have an unwavering requirement for a 100% multi-internet VPN, we recommend checking out our Private Internet Access review.

However, CyberGhost VPN does not keep logs of user web activity. It does not log your real IP address, the servers you use, or your browsing history.

CyberGhost’s Transparency Reports

CyberGhost regularly publishes transparency reports, which include information on the number of legal inquiries and DMCA complaints it has received. Previously, these reports were annual, which was rare in the VPN industry. However, since 2019, the company has increased the frequency of reports.

Also in 2012, the company ordered an independent audit of its security methods. The security audit confirmed their reliability.

From the moment we started reviewing and monitoring CyberGhost, we wanted to see an independent audit of their logging practices. So we were pleased when CyberGhost commissioned an audit of their logging practices from Deloitte in 2022. If you are a CyberGhost subscriber, you can even read the full report. The report confirmed the following:

– The server configurations are in accordance with our internal privacy policy and are not intended to identify users or determine their activities.

We appreciate this level of transparency. However, CyberGhost also states that excerpts from the report cannot be shared with the public to ensure that none of the audit findings are taken out of context or misunderstood.

While we are concerned about such redactions in the pursuit of 100% transparency, we are still confident that CyberGhost is a very private company. CyberGhost is registered as CyberGhost S.A. in Bucharest, Romania. Romania, as a member of the EU, is the only member state that has successfully opted out of the aggressive EU Data Retention Directive, which required extensive collection of personal data.

Although Romanian authorities can collect citizens’ data online, this only happens under specific and legal circumstances, different from the indiscriminate data collection we can see in other EU member states.

To provide greater peace of mind for users, CyberGhost does not collect personal web logs, so there is no online data to be shared under any circumstances.

Crossrider Controversy

In 2011, German tech entrepreneur Robert Knapp created CyberGhost as a free VPN. In 2017, the company was acquired by the Crossrider group.

Crossrider specialized in mobile advertising platforms and a browser extension development platform. The latter allowed developers to create cross-browser applications and monetize them through ad injection.

One of the methods used combined the adware “Crossrider” (potentially unwanted software) with other software. Once the PUP was installed, it displayed unwanted ads through the user’s web browsers.

This method of imposing ads was not only intrusive, but also, if abused, potentially dangerous. Some developers could use Crossrider’s capabilities for malicious purposes.

Below is a screenshot of Malwarebytes’ report on Crossrider PUPs:

Kape’s Commitment to Privacy

After closing its advertising platforms in 2016, Crossrider acquired CyberGhost. In 2018, the company underwent a rebranding process and was named Kape Technologies.

Since 2017, Kape has focused on global privacy and security activities. After the acquisition of CyberGhost, Kape also became the owner of popular VPN services such as Private Internet Access, ZenMate, and ExpressVPN.

We believe that Kape has made significant efforts to ensure user privacy and see no reason not to trust CyberGhost.

Data Type	Logged by CyberGhost
Browsing Activity	No
Device Information	Yes
DNS Queries	No
Individual Bandwidth Usage	No
Individual Connection Timestamps	No
ISP	No
Number of Simultaneous Connections	No
Originating IP Address	No
Account Information	Yes
VPN Server IP	No
VPN Server Location	No
Date of Last Connection	Yes

Server Locations

A Secure & Extensive Server Network

CyberGhost has servers in 90 countries, which is roughly the same number of servers as ExpressVPN. This network is considered to be one of the largest VPNs in the world and combines both physically located and virtual servers. In addition, the NoSpy servers are directly owned by CyberGhost and provide an additional level of privacy.

At the moment, only Private Internet Access has more servers than CyberGhost. Here’s how CyberGhost servers are distributed across different locations:

There are 117 specific server locations available in these 90 countries, giving you a wide range of options around the world.

As with many VPN services, server coverage in Asia and Africa is limited. Currently, there are 24 CyberGhost servers in Asia, and only six in Africa.

CyberGhost’s City-Level Choices

You have a choice of servers in multiple cities in the following countries:

Recently, the total number of servers in Australia has increased to 150. In addition, the service has added new servers in New Zealand, including 13 servers in Auckland.

CyberGhost’s server list contains information about which servers support P2P traffic, as well as indicates which of them are virtual and which are physical.

Desktop applications display server load, which helps to find less busy servers. It is rare that server load exceeds 50%, so the chances of experiencing slow speeds due to overload are very low.

Currently, only 30 countries use virtual servers, while the rest use physical servers. This is an impressive achievement for a network as large as CyberGhost. In our opinion, this is a necessary compromise strategy that ensures an even distribution of servers around the world, particularly in regions that often receive little attention, such as the Middle East and Africa.

CyberGhost Has Many Server Types

In addition to standard VPN servers, CyberGhost provides a number of other types of servers that are specially optimized for specific activities.

Static IP Addresses

Typically, VPN programs provide dynamic IP addresses, which means that you get a new random IP address every time you connect.

In the case of a static IP address server, you are assigned the same IP address every time you connect. This can improve access to web content that is geographically restricted, as traffic patterns will appear more “typical”. However, using a permanent IP address carries certain privacy risks.

Dedicated IP Addresses

CyberGhost has developed a token-based dedicated IP address system to avoid the risks associated with static IP addresses.

This system is designed for users who wish to use a permanent IP address, especially to access restricted web content.

The use of dedicated IP addresses also allows you to avoid possible IP blocking or constant captcha input due to the actions of other users.

When you purchase a Dedicated IP token, CyberGhost does not have access to its details, so it cannot associate your account with a specific IP address.

The use of token-based dedicated IP addresses is an optional service that is available only in selected locations listed below:

NoSpy Servers

An additional option is to use NoSpy servers. These servers are owned by CyberGhost and are located in a private data center in Romania.

NoSpy VPN servers are equipped with state-of-the-art hardware, have dedicated communication lines, and have more bandwidth, which ensures faster connection speeds.

Virtual Server Locations

CyberGhost has 60 servers that are labeled as “physically located”. These servers are physical machines located in the country you are connecting to.

The remaining servers are virtual servers. These servers are assigned IP addresses from a specific country, but are actually located elsewhere.

Using virtual servers allows you to access countries where it is difficult to provide physical servers. However, the connection speed may be slower if the physical machine is located much further away from your actual location. 

We wish CyberGhost would be more transparent about the actual location of their virtual servers, to a level similar to ExpressVPN.

CyberGhost Doesn’t Own All Its Servers

Although CyberGhost has its own servers, it also uses third-party servers, which is a common practice among VPN companies.

Owning your own well-maintained server network can have significant privacy benefits, as we discussed in detail in our review of IPVanish.

Continent	Number of Countries
Europe	46
Asia	24
South America	6
North America	6
Africa	6
Oceania	2

Security & Technical Features

Cyberghost Offers Solid Privacy & Security Features

CyberGhost is a secure VPN service that provides a high level of security. It uses strong connection protocols, includes AES-256 encryption, and provides a number of tools to protect against data leaks. Although its options may be less advanced than some competitors, such as NordVPN, CyberGhost still provides strong data encryption and protects your online activity.

The table below summarizes the encryption ciphers, connection protocols, and additional security features used by CyberGhost:

CyberGhost effectively masks your IP address using popular and trusted VPN protocols and protects your internet traffic with AES-256-bit encryption.

Your IP address is always protected thanks to the working switch functionality and IP and DNS leakage protection. However, our testing has shown that CyberGhost’s Key Switch feature does not protect your real IP address when you change servers.

Make sure you do not transfer sensitive data when switching servers.

CyberGhost Uses Secure VPN Protocols

CyberGhost programs support connection protocols such as WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2. For OpenVPN, you can also choose between TCP and UDP connections.

A Wide Range of Security Tools

In addition to built-in IP leakage protection, CyberGhost offers a wide range of advanced security features. The service includes a malicious URL filter to block malware, automatic HTTPS redirection, ad and tracker blocking, and split tunneling.

All of these privacy and security features are available in a standard CyberGhost subscription.

The “forced HTTPS” feature is used by CyberGhost to automatically redirect unsafe URLs to their HTTPS versions. This feature is rare among VPN providers and CyberGhost offers it among its features.

Split tunneling is available in both the Windows and Android apps of CyberGhost, allowing users to choose which apps should use the VPN connection. Unfortunately, this feature is not currently available for the CyberGhost client on macOS.

The CyberGhost mobile and Mac apps are secure, but they have fewer security features than the Windows client. We’ll cover these apps in more detail later in this review.

Here’s a quick rundown of the additional security and privacy tools you can use with CyberGhost:

1. Wi-Fi protection: Allows you to automatically specify secure Wi-Fi networks to connect to.
2. Ad Blocker: Built-in ad blocker that blocks ads in browsers and apps.
3. Malicious content filter: Blocks potentially harmful websites before accessing them.
4. Tracking blocker: Protects against web tracking attempts by websites and services.
5. Automatic HTTPS redirection: Protects HTTP web pages by automatically redirecting them to encrypted HTTPS versions.
6. Exceptions: This feature, which CyberGhost calls split tunneling, allows you to choose which programs or applications will not use VPN protection.
7. Protection of Programs: CyberGhost will automatically connect when you launch programs included in this list.
8. Kill Switch: Enabled by default, shuts down your internet connection automatically if your VPN connection is disconnected.

This is a great combination of common and vital features, as well as some lesser known but bonus features. If you are a new user and find it complicated, you can ignore most of them. However, if you’re interested in working with a VPN and customizing it to your needs, you’ll be impressed by the variety of tools CyberGhost offers.

CyberGhost Private Browser

In addition, CyberGhost has developed its own free private browser based on DuckDuckGo.

The browser includes a built-in proxy extension, an ad and malware blocker, and a one-click data deletion feature.

CyberGhost Doesn’t Leak IP or DNS Data

We also tested CyberGhost’s programs for IP and DNS leaks. We used our proprietary VPN leakage tool to confirm that CyberGhost does not disclose IP address, WebRTC data, or DNS credentials.

CyberGhost Struggles with IPv6

If your router assigns you an IPv6 address and you plan to use CyberGhost, you may want to consider another VPN service.

Some VPN providers provide special workarounds for IPv6, such as disabling IPv6 connections entirely. However, in the case of CyberGhost, these methods often do not work properly.

We have noticed that CyberGhost often does not start properly if you are using an IPv6 connection. In addition, it does not provide Smart DNS settings for IPv6.

If you can disable your IPv6 connection, then this is not a problem. However, if you can’t do this, then CyberGhost actually becomes unusable. CyberGhost does not provide any help to resolve this issue, leaving less technically savvy users with a broken application without understanding why this happened. To find out what type of IP address your device is using, you can use our IP address checker tool.

CyberGhost Android App Permission Analysis

After analyzing CyberGhost’s Android app with the εxodus tool, we found that it mostly contains standard usability trackers. This allows the company to quickly identify serious errors and crashes. They recently managed to reduce the number of trackers from seven to three, which is a significant improvement.

These programs are standard analytics tools used by developers, and we see nothing negative in their presence. Some of the worst VPN services even have up to 28 trackers.

At the same time, ExpressVPN and Astrill contain only two and zero trackers, respectively.

Some of the permissions we found in the CyberGhost Android app were a bit concerning at first.

The app has the ability to access your location via GPS and network information. This permissionis considered “insecure” or “special” according to Google’s security levels.

However, this is not uncommon for VPN apps, and CyberGhost explained that the request for access to this information is only for the Wi-Fi security feature. You can refuse and the program will still work.

CyberGhost Browser Extension Securely Encrypts Traffic

We tested both CyberGhost’s main app and its Chrome browser extension to verify the effectiveness of our traffic encryption.

The results were positive: using Wireshark’s packet sniffing tool, we saw that both CyberGhost and its browser extension work to protect all sensitive data coming to and going from your device.

Virus & Malware Checks

Finally, we ran a scan of the CyberGhost installer to make sure that it was free of any malware or viruses.

The scan result was absolutely clean, as you can see in the screenshot below:

Streaming Platform	Works with CyberGhost
Protocols	IKEv2/IPSec, OpenVPN (TCP/UDP), WireGuard
Encryption	AES-256
Security	DNS Leak Blocking, First-party DNS, IPv6 Leak Blocking, VPN Kill Switch
Advanced Features	Ad Blocker, Dedicated IP, Smart DNS, Split Tunneling, Tor over VPN Server, Tracker Blocker

Bypassing Web Censorship

CyberGhost doesn’t work in China

CyberGhost does not have an obfuscation feature, so it cannot successfully bypass strict censorship in countries like China. It is also known to be unreliable in Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, there are some reports of successful use of CyberGhost in Turkey, where investments in Russian servers have recently been made.

The need for obfuscation is that it allows VPN traffic to be hidden by making it look like unencrypted regular traffic, which is labeled as web browsing. This helps to avoid detection and blocking of VPN connections in countries where the use of VPNs is restricted or illegal.

It’s worth noting that users have reported that CyberGhost in Turkey has been irregular over the past year.

In addition, CyberGhost has expanded its server network to include servers in Russia to help avoid blocking in that country. However, there are other VPN services for Russia that are more effective and reliable choices.

Device & OS Compatibility

Full Suite of Apps, Plus Smart DNS & Browser Extensions

Device Compatibility

CyberGhost is available on all popular platforms and devices, including Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. In addition, you can use it on Android TV and Linux devices, as well as manually install it on your router to protect your entire home network environment. Useful browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox are also available.

Apps

CyberGhost is one of the most compatible VPN services, offering dedicated apps for a wide range of devices, including:

Here is a quick overview of the main differences between CyberGhost apps on different platforms:

Compatible with Many Router Models

CyberGhost VPN can be installed on Raspberry Pi, Synology NAS, and VU+ Solo 2 routers. The CyberGhost website has detailed instructions on how to manually set up a VPN on these routers.

In addition, CyberGhost VPN supports DD-WRT, TomatoUSB, and routers that use Merlin-Built firmware.

Seven Devices per Subscription

CyberGhost allows you to install their VPN programs on up to seven devices at a time.

If the seven device limit is exceeded, you will be prompted to remove one device from your account.

There are VPN providers that allow you to log in to their apps on any number of devices, but limit the number of devices that can be connected at the same time. In the case of CyberGhost, the restriction only applies to simultaneous installation of programs, not simultaneous connections.

Games Consoles & Streaming Devices

CyberGhost also supports users of the following consoles and devices:

Even if you can’t directly use CyberGhost or any other VPN on these devices, you can still take advantage of the Smart DNS configurations provided by CyberGhost. While they do not encrypt your device’s traffic, they do allow you to unblock streaming services from around the world for which CyberGhost has special Smart DNS configurations:

Browser Extensions

You can access the CyberGhost browser extension by following this link:

These CyberGhost browser extensions are provided free of charge and allow you to hide your IP address and, in some cases, unblock geo-restricted content.

However, compared to CyberGhost’s full VPN service, these extensions have significant limitations.

The extensions provide access to servers in only four countries: Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, and the United States. This is acceptable for a free app, but they lag behind paid programs.

Unlike ExpressVPN, CyberGhost browser extensions are proxy servers, not full-fledged VPNs. They only protect browser traffic, not your device’s entire Internet connection.

Below is a detailed comparison of CyberGhost browser extensions and full-fledged VPN programs:

There are better VPN extensions for Chrome and add-ons for Firefox that you can use.

• Android
• iPhone & iPad
• Mac
• Routers
• Windows
• Linux

Ease of Use

CyberGhost’s Apps Are Easy to Use

One of the biggest advantages of CyberGhost is its ease of use and clarity. Everything about it is easy to understand and clearly labeled. During our years of testing, we found some minor bugs, but overall it was a great experience across all platforms.

The process of becoming a CyberGhost user is simple. Signing up is quick, with several options to choose from, and it only takes a few minutes. Then you simply download the app to your device and log in.

Here’s our review of our experience testing CyberGhost on different devices and platforms:

Desktop & Laptop: Windows & Mac

Initially, the CyberGhost programs for Windows and macOS look very similar:

Both versions of the CyberGhost desktop program for Windows and macOS have two different display modes: compact and windowed. The compact mode shows a limited number of options and is designed to quickly connect or disconnect from the server. On Mac, it is located in the menu bar, and on Windows, in the taskbar.

It can be useful, but new users may not realize that they are losing the full version of the program. Therefore, it is important to click the arrow button to expand the program to full view.

Once the program is expanded, the differences begin to show. The left menu of CyberGhost lists various specialized servers. On Windows, there are servers for torrents, video streaming, games, as well as dedicated IP addresses and NoSpy options. On Mac, there are no options for games and NoSpy.

Despite this, you can still connect to these servers by manually finding their location. However, Mac users will have to do it by accident or use the Windows program to view these servers.

In the settings section of CyberGhost for Windows, there are switches to prevent DNS leakage and a switch that is not present in macOS. However, after testing, it was found that these options are always enabled on Mac.

The lack of an OpenVPN option in macOS can be disappointing. While the WireGuard protocol is a decent alternative, some users would still like to see an OpenVPN option. If you want to use OpenVPN on Mac instead of IKEv2 or WireGuard, you need to install additional software, such as Tunnelblick.

For complete instructions on how to set up OpenVPN, see full instructions on how to set up OpenVPN on Mac can be found here.

Mobile Apps: Android & iOS

CyberGhost mobile apps are extremely easy to use. On the main screen, you’ll find a large connect button, and below it is a server selection menu – so simple that it’s hard to make a mistake.

The differences between the two platforms only become apparent when you dig deeper into the advanced settings.

On iOS, additional options are available, such as a dedicated IP address, domain fronting, and connection verification. The Android version has additional features such as split tunneling, ad and tracker blocking, and protection against malicious websites.

Both CyberGhost mobile apps allow you to customize settings for specific networks. This means that the VPN will know how to behave at home, at school, at work, or on public WiFi.

By its very nature, CyberGhost is an ideal choice for mobile devices. Its ease of use and smooth performance, even compared to the desktop version, make it a great option if you primarily use your VPN on your smartphone.

Linux App

If you are using Linux, we cannot recommend CyberGhost to you because it has its limitations. Although it works well, the problem is that it still uses a command line interface (CLI) instead of a graphical user interface (GUI).

This means that you fully control CyberGhost through a terminal using the command line. It’s a shame to see a popular VPN service like CyberGhost still using this approach in 2023. While CyberGhost is not the only leading VPN provider that remains committed to the command line on Linux, its competitors such as Private Internet Access and Proton VPN offer high-quality, full-featured VPN capabilities for Linux without any compromises.

Fire TV & Android TV Apps

Many VPN providers have issues with their apps for streaming devices. However, we really like using CyberGhost on both the Amazon Fire TV Stick and Chromecast.

It has a simple and intuitive interface that includes the Streaming tab. In this tab, you can view the servers sorted by the type of streaming services you are unblocking. Although it doesn’t always work 100%, this feature is still very useful.

Smart DNS

With the help of smart DNS technology, you can access certain streaming services on platforms that do not support VPNs, such as game consoles or Apple TV.

Setting up My Smart DNS by CyberGhost is very simple – you just need to log in to your account, write down the IP address of your preferred DNS server, and enter it into the DNS server field on your chosen streaming device. As for the functionality of this service, in our testing, we found that CyberGhost’s Smart DNS has some shortcomings, but it is extremely easy to set up.

Browser Extensions

The CyberGhost browser extension has a very simple interface: you will see a connect button and four servers that can be selected from the drop-down menu. You won’t find any other options, but that’s okay because for a completely free offering, it’s acceptable.

Customer Support

Well-Informed 24/7 Customer Support

CyberGhost’s customer support is to be commended – it’s excellent. You can make inquiries and requests for help via email or get instant responses using the live chat, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We have always received helpful and polite assistance from them.

This is how CyberGhost customer support works:

The CyberGhost team is dedicated to providing top-notch customer service. With 24/7 live chat, email support, and extensive online resources, you should be able to find a solution to most issues.

Live chat is available in the lower right corner of the CyberGhost website. Simply type in your issue and you will receive responses from the support team. If you still need help, there’s always the option to speak to a live agent.

Live agents respond extremely quickly and usually answer your questions instantly. They have in-depth knowledge and access to extensive online resources, which are provided in English, French, German, and Romanian.

The Bottom Line

Is CyberGhost Worth It?

CyberGhost is a reliable VPN service that offers a high-quality free trial and meets most of the needs of a typical VPN user.

It successfully unblocks US Netflix, supports anonymous torrenting, and provides reliable online protection.

The VPN has a large network of servers and a wide range of security features. The applications are easy to use, and users receive high-quality support from the customer support team.

Considering the advantages of this VPN, its price is considered very reasonable, and there is also a generous 45-day money-back guarantee.

However, there are some aspects that need improvement. CyberGhost’s speeds are not always stable, access to streaming platforms can be unreliable, and the VPN may face challenges in countries with strict censorship.

Alternatives to CyberGhost

CyberGhost’s pricing is very competitive, but there are other great options out there that offer similar monthly costs.

Private Internet Access allows you to redirect ports where CyberGhost doesn’t, and in our torrenting tests, it performed better than any other VPN, while costing only $2.19 per month. Plus, it works in China, where CyberGhost often fails.

If you need reliable access to HBO Max and BBC iPlayer, NordVPN is the best option. It’s priced between CyberGhost and the much more expensive ExpressVPN, but at the same time, it offers a product that’s easy to use, especially if you’re already a fan of CyberGhost.

In the table below, we compare CyberGhost with its main competitors on key metrics such as average download speed and log retention policy: