CyberGhost Review
A comprehensive review of the CyberGhost VPN. Is it fast and reliable?
Introduction
Overview
CyberGhost is a good, reliable VPN considering the speeds, privacy, anonymity, ease of use, and pricing.
This review of CyberGhost contains the results of tests between 3 September 2020 and 2 November 2020.
This document is a continuously being updated with fresh data each month in order to be accurate and consistent.
Is CyberGhost a good VPN? Is it worth getting?
Privacy & Anonymity Summary
It is a no-logs VPN, and they have maintained a good reputation in terms of privacy and anonymity.
Speed & Performance Summary
The speeds provided are average but consistent, and the designated servers for streaming and torrenting makes things a lot easier.
Functionality & Application Summary
Downloading the app was a little difficult since it needs logging into their website, but once downloaded, it was easy to install and use. The app is intuitive and well-built, and even the advanced settings were easy to configure.
Reputation & Support Summary
CyberGhost is owned by Kape Technologies, an online privacy and security company based in Israel. Kape was previously named Crossrider and was an online advertising company. The reputation of Crossrider is very poor since they used to develop adware and malware as browser extensions.
Price & Value Summary
At $71.88/year, there are a number of better VPNs than CyberGhost, but at $99 for three years, it is a good choice for beginners as well as for those who are looking for an affordable VPN to stay anonymous online.
Proof
How Was CyberGhost Rated?
Review Criteria
I've rated CyberGhost VPN on multiple elements across five categories, and analysed the results to give you a good understanding of the service.
Privacy & Anonymity
Does CyberGhost VPN leak any data while in use? Do they collect or store logs? Do they allow you to anonymously purchase the service? Do they employ a variety of security protocols to keep you anonymous online?
Speed & Performance
Does CyberGhost VPN offer fast speeds (on par with browsing without a VPN connection)? Are these speeds consistent? Or do they drop off or fluctuate too much?
Functionality & Application
Does CyberGhost VPN work well? Is it easy to install and use? Does it unblock geo-restricted content? Can it unblock Netflix and BBC iPlayer?
Reputation & Support
Is CyberGhost VPN a reputable seller with a strong track record of happy customers and good reviews? Does it provide outstanding customer and tech support? Does CyberGhost VPN and their parent company have a track record of honesty, transparency, and its customers' best interests at heart?
Price & Value
Does the price of the service match (or exceed) the quality of experience? Does CyberGhost VPN represent value for money?
Privacy & Anonymity
Does CyberGhost have a logging policy?
CyberGhost is a no-logs VPN. However, they do collect some anonymized information such as the connection attempt, country of origin, and successful connection logs.
Does CyberGhost have a kill switch?
The Windows client has an internet kill switch and an app kill switch.
What security protocols does CyberGhost use?
On Windows, CyberGhost supports OpenVPN and IKEv2. They support WireGuard on Linux but not on Windows as yet.
Speed & Performance
Is CyberGhost fast?
CyberGhost is not a fast VPN, but it does provide reliable speeds for daily use.
Does CyberGhost provide consistent speeds?
Yes, the speeds provided are mostly consistent.
Functionality & Application
Is CyberGhost easy to use?
The app dashboard is minimal on Windows.
It was hard to download the installation file from their website. I spent 5 minutes searching for the download button on their website, and later, in a video, I saw that we have to log in to download the app. I had to play the video on their website to understand this, and it was not written in text.
The installation was easy, there were only a couple of buttons and checkboxes. The app is well-built, intuitive, and very smooth. There are designated servers for torrenting, streaming, and anonymity. The settings structure and app design are very much similar to Namecheap VPN, but this one has a number of additional functionalities.
The settings screen is well organized and intuitive on Windows.
Selecting a server location on Windows.
The ‘connection features’ screen on Windows.
The ‘smart rules’ screen on Windows.
Does CyberGhost support split tunneling?
The split-tunneling by CyberGhost is different from what we see on most other VPNs.Users can choose the websites to exclude from passing through the VPN tunnel, and we can choose apps we want so that they work only when the VPN is connected.
Is CyberGhost good for torrenting? Do they approve of using P2P technology?
CyberGhost approves of using P2P technology, and there are designated torrenting servers. The speeds, however, are only average.
Is CyberGhost good for Netflix?
CyberGhost was able to successfully unblocked geo-restricted Netflix content in 3 out of 14 countries. I could watch Netflix content exclusive to Japan, Sweden and USA.
Is Private Internet Access good for BBC iPlayer?
Is CyberGhost good for streaming?
No, CyberGhost is not great for streaming as most of their servers are blocked by Netflix and BBC iPlayer.
What are some good features of CyberGhost?
- 6000+ servers
- Up to 7 devices
- Supports split-tunneling for websites
- Designated servers for torrenting and streaming
Reputation & Support
Is CyberGhost trustworthy?
In terms of the refund policy and money-back guarantee, CyberGhost is a trustworthy VPN. They have refunded money to eligible customers who chose to unsubscribe. But their customer support needs improvement since many customers say that the support team was not helpful.
There are no data leaks or logging policy violations from CyberGhost’s side so far.
Does CyberGhost have live chat support? Are they responsive?
Where are they based? What jurisdiction are they under?
CyberGhost is based in Romania and its headquarters is located at 70-72 Dionisie Lupu Street, District 1, 010458, Bucharest, Romania. Initially, CyberGhost was based in Germany but changed its location to Romania for favorable privacy and data retention laws.
Who is the parent company?
CyberGhost is currently owned by Kape Technologies Inc, an online privacy and security company based in Israel. Kape Technologies also owns Private Internet Access and Zenmate VPN.
Have CyberGhost or their parent company been involved in any controversies or scandals?
Kape Technologies, the parent company, was an online advertising company operating by the name Crossrider. They had earned a bad reputation by developing adware and malware in the form of browser extensions. When Crossrider turned to online privacy and security, they had to change the name due to their controversial past.
What do most customers say they like about the service?
Those who use it for streaming say that CyberGhost is great in unblocking major streaming websites like Netflix and Hulu, and they are happy with it although there are occasional failures.
What do customers most dislike about the service?
Many users complain that BBC iPlayer doesn’t work with CyberGhost. They used to ask for reviews quite often and it annoyed users a lot, but they don't do it anymore.
Price & Value
How much does CyberGhost cost per month?
CyberGhost offers 4 different plans, a monthly plan costing $12.99/month, a one- year plan costing $71.88 at $5.99/month, a two-year plan costing $88.56 at $3.69/month, and a 3-year plan costing $99 at $2.75/month. The 3-year plan adds two extra months of subscription for free.
The pricing options in USD.
Is CyberGhost worth the money?
The three-year plan is worth the money, but the monthly and yearly plans are quite expensive for the service provided. The two-year plan may be worth the money depending on how you are going to use it, considering that there are other VPNs offering similar services at the same price range.
What payment forms do they accept?
CyberGhost accepts Visa, MasterCard, and American Express credit cards, PayPal, and Bitcoin through BitPay.
Do they have a trial or a money-back guarantee? What is their refund policy?
CyberGhost offers a 45-day money-back guarantee while most other VPN providers offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. They respect their refund policy and users have got refunds, but some users reported that they were asking for feedback too many times before initiating the refund.
Conclusion
Who is CyberGhost good for?
It is a good choice for those who are looking for a reliable VPN service for daily use with a no-logs policy and some handy features. Beginners may also find it helpful since their app is very intuitive.
Who is it not suitable for?
Considering the parent company’s past, journalists and those who are looking for a VPN with strict privacy and anonymity will be better off staying away from CyberGhost. It does not provide great speeds for torrenting, so those who want to download large torrent files might want to choose a VPN with better speeds.
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