CyberGhost VPN Review 2024 — How is it? Read this first (December 2024)

CyberGhost VPN Review — Quick Summary Quick Summary

CyberGhost VPN is one of the most user-friendly and best streaming VPNs on the market. I’ve often used it while traveling over the past 5+ years, and have enjoyed an excellent streaming experience. For this review, I also ran additional tests to check how secure the VPN is, how good its speeds are, if it’s suitable for torrenting or not, and more. 

All in all, CyberGhost VPN is excellent for people new to VPNs that want to access tons of streaming platforms. The VPN has a large network of dedicated streaming servers that are optimized to work with 50+ streaming platforms (including Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video) — not to mention it’s also excellent for streaming Netflix, as it works with 15+ Netflix libraries. And its apps are very simple to use and navigate, plus they also come with really convenient automation tools. 

And the provider has other perks as well — it maintains fast speeds on both nearby and distant servers, it has a very large server network consisting of locations in 95+ countries, it provides excellent security and privacy, and it’s also very good for torrenting and gaming (it even has dedicated gaming servers that provide fast and stable speeds).

I only noticed a few drawbacks, and they’re not that major — the VPN doesn’t reliably work in restrictive countries (like China and Russia), it doesn’t come with obfuscation, its ad blocker can’t get rid of all ads, and its live chat support is not available 24/7.

But other than that, this VPN is a really solid choice since it provides very good value. Plus, its plans are really affordable, it even has a free 24-hour trial that provides access to all VPN features (and doesn’t require you to share credit card info), and it backs all long-term plans with a generous 45-day refund. It's so good that I've ranked it in my top 3 best VPNs list for years.

Quick CyberGhost VPN Review
Rating	4.7
Overall rank	3 out of #19
Works with Netflix
Server Network	Unknown number of servers in 95+ countries
Number of Devices	7
Starting Price	$2.19/month
Money-Back Guarantee	45 days (long-term plans) 14 days (shortest plan)
Coupons	CyberGhost VPN Coupon 84% OFF

CyberGhost VPN Security Features Security Features

CyberGhost VPN has all the necessary essential VPN security feature:

• 256-bit AES encryption — Makes your internet traffic 100% unreadable. This is the same level of encryption that the military and banks use.
• Kill switch — This security feature disables all internet access if the VPN connection accidentally drops. That way, it prevents data from leaking outside the encrypted VPN tunnel. The provider has a kill switch on all of its apps, including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.
• No-logs policy — The VPN doesn’t keep IP address or activity logs. So it doesn’t know what your real IP address is, and it also doesn’t track what websites you visit.
• DNS leak protection — Makes sure your DNS queries don’t leak outside of the encrypted VPN tunnel. This ensures your internet service provider (ISP) won’t be able to see what sites you connect to while using the VPN.

The provider uses the following VPN protocols: WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2/IPSec. They’re all really secure and fast, but I like WireGuard the most since it provides the fastest speeds out of the three. I also put together a table showcasing the protocol availability on the provider’s desktop and mobile apps:

Besides preventing DNS leaks, the provider’s apps also protect you from IPv6 and WebRTC leaks. This is great to see, as some top competitors (like Surfshark) only have DNS leak protection. I also ran leak tests on 10+ of the provider’s servers, and never experienced any leaks.

What’s more, the VPN also secures your data with advanced security features. For one, it uses RAM-only servers, which means that all data on a server is wiped when the server is rebooted. Also, the provider uses perfect forward secrecy (PFS) — this ensures each VPN session uses a different encryption key, so that nobody could try to compromise past or future encryption keys to spy on your data. 

CyberGhost VPN Privacy Features Privacy Features

You get excellent privacy with this VPN service — it has a strict no-logs policy, as it doesn’t collect your IP address and web traffic. What’s more, it also doesn’t log connection timestamps or bandwidth usage. The provider only records your email address (it needs it to set up your account and communicate with you) and your payment information, which it needs to process payments. 

I also like how the VPN’s no-logs policy has been independently audited in 2022 — this makes it really easy to trust its no-logs claims. 

What’s more, you also get access to a transparency report every quarter. The report details what kind of legal requests for user data the provider has received, such as police requests and DMCA complaints. The report also details how the VPN doesn’t comply with those requests.

And I also think it’s great that the VPN is located in Romania, which is a privacy-friendly location. The country is outside the jurisdiction of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance, and it also doesn’t have any mandatory data retention laws.

CyberGhost VPN Additional Features Additional Features

CyberGhost VPN has the following additional features:

• Split-tunneling.
• Content Blocker.
• Smart Rules. 
• NoSpy Servers. 
• Identity Guard. 
• Tor Support. 
• Smart DNS. 
• Dedicated IP addresses. 

Split-Tunneling

The provider’s split-tunneling allows you to choose which apps use the VPN tunnel and which apps don’t use it. For instance, you could use it to only send traffic from the Netflix app through the VPN tunnel. 

CyberGhost VPN’s split-tunneling feature is only available on Android, which is a shame since most top VPNs also include it on Windows. Now, there’s also a split-tunneling tool on Windows (called Exceptions) that is available via the Smart Rules feature, but it’s limited since it only allows you to exclude websites from the VPN tunnel, and not apps. Plus, you can only use Exceptions via the OpenVPN protocol, which is a bit inconvenient — especially since you can use split-tunneling on Android via WireGuard, which is much faster.

On the plus side, the VPN’s split-tunneling works really well. I tested it by only sending traffic from my Amazon Prime Video app through the VPN tunnel — that successfully increased my streaming speeds by about 10%.

Still, I have to mention that Private Internet Access has a much better split-tunneling tool. It lets you split-tunnel both apps and websites, which is very convenient. What’s more, Private Internet Access provides access to split-tunneling on Windows and macOS in addition to Android.

Content Blocker

The Content Blocker feature is the provider’s built-in ad blocker. CyberGhost VPN claims that it stops you from seeing ads, prevents trackers from spying on your browsing preferences, and stops you from accidentally connecting to shady websites. Content Blocker is available on most of the VPN’s apps, including Windows, macOS, and Android.

I tested Content Blocker with several HTTP websites and ad-heady sites, and the results were mixed — it’s really good at blocking malicious sites, but it only got rid of 50% of ads on the websites I visited. To be honest, I prefer Private Internet Access’ MACE feature since it gets rid of pretty much any ads (even YouTube ads) and also protects you from malicious websites.

Smart Rules

The Smart Rules tool allows you to automate VPN connections. It’s very easy to set up the automation scenarios, and the feature also works very well. Smart Rules is available on Windows and macOS, but you get more automation options on Windows.

You can set up many automation scenarios — for example, you can configure CyberGhost VPN to:

• Automatically connect to a specific VPN server on launch. 
• Automatically open a specific app when you connect to a server.
• Auto-connect to a server when it detects an unsecured or secured WiFi network.
• Automatically connect to a specific server when you launch an app of your choice.

On Windows, you also get access to a limited split-tunneling tool called Exceptions that allows you to choose which websites don’t use the VPN connection. 

NoSpy Servers

NoSpy servers provide enhanced security, as they’re housed in an in-house data center. That means only the provider’s staff has direct access to the servers. That eliminates the risk of a rogue employee in a third-party data center compromising the privacy of CyberGhost VPN users. 

What’s more, all NoSpy servers are located in Romania, which is a privacy-friendly country. It’s outside the jurisdiction of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance, and it doesn’t have mandatory data retention laws that force the VPN provider to record and store your data.

I really like that the NoSpy servers are included for free with each long-term subscription. However, if you go for the provider’s shortest plan, you won’t be able to use these servers. Also, NoSpy servers are available on the Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android apps.

Identity Guard

Identity Guard is a security tool that you can access inside your account dashboard, which is included for free with each subscription. It consists of 2 tools: a data breach monitor and a password checker. 

It’s very similar to Private Internet Access’ Identity Guard feature — and not just in name, as both tools only let you monitor 2 email addresses. But I think CyberGhost VPN’s feature is better since it also secures passwords in addition to monitoring emails. 

The data breach monitor works very well — I tested it with a brand-new email address, and it correctly detected that there were no leaks associated with it. 

And the password checker is also very good. It tells you if your password has been compromised in a leak. What’s more, it also lets you quickly generate very secure passwords that are up to 100 characters long.

Tor Support

The provider allows Tor traffic across its entire server network. This means you can first connect to a VPN server before you access the internet — this way, you get better security since your real IP address won’t be visible on the Tor network. 

But remember that using Tor together with a VPN will cause a noticeable slowdown, as Tor adds at least 3 extra layers of encryption on top of the VPN encryption. When I used CyberGhost VPN to access ProPublica’s .onion site, it took about 10 seconds for the site to fully load.

Smart DNS

All of the provider’s subscriptions come with free access to a smart DNS. This is a tool that allows you to enjoy streaming content on devices on which you can’t install VPN apps — like gaming consoles and smart TVs that don’t run Android TV or FireOS.

To use the smart DNS, you’ll need to perform a manual setup. Fortunately, CyberGhost VPN provides access to many tutorials that make the whole process pretty simple — when I configured the smart DNS on my PlayStation 4, it only took about 7 minutes to do it.

I also like that the smart DNS provides great variety — it’s optimized to work with Netflix US and Netflix UK, as well as other streaming sites from Japan, the US, the UK, and Germany.

If you plan on using this feature, keep in mind it won’t provide any security — a smart DNS doesn’t encrypt your traffic, nor does it hide your IP address. That said, the lack of encryption does provide very fast streaming speeds, which is a nice tradeoff.

Dedicated IP Addresses

For an extra cost, you can get a dedicated IP that’s only used by you — so you won’t share it with all of the other VPN users. A dedicated IP is useful if you want to avoid dealing with too many reCAPTCHAs on search engines. What’s more, a dedicated IP lets you access sites that block shared VPN IP addresses.

The provider’s dedicated IP addresses work really well. When I travel, I always use a dedicated IP to access my home country’s bank site (it blocks shared VPN IPs), and I never encountered any issues so far.

You can pick a dedicated IP address from 10+ countries, including the US, the UK, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, and Australia.

I also really like how the VPN uses a token-based system to assign dedicated IPs to users. Basically, you use a randomly-generated token that the VPN can’t access to claim your dedicated IP address. This way, not even the VPN provider will know what dedicated IP address is assigned to you, so you enjoy more privacy. Private Internet Access also uses a similar system to authenticate ownership of its dedicated IP addresses.

CyberGhost VPN Streaming Support Streaming Support

CyberGhost VPN has very good streaming support, as it works with 50+ streaming services. It’s compatible with many top streaming sites, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Max, and Disney+. Plus, it can also access other streaming services, like Crunchyroll, Comedy Central, ITV, Sky Go, and Rai Play. 

The VPN provides access to streaming sites via streaming-optimized servers in 20+ countries, like the US, the UK, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Canada, and Switzerland. These servers are configured to refresh their IP addresses very often, making it very difficult for streaming platforms to detect and block them. Unfortunately, you can’t use the provider’s regular VPN servers for streaming — I talked with 5+ different support reps, and they all confirmed that’s true.

In addition, the VPN also has a smart DNS, which is great for streaming. You can use it to access streaming content on devices that don’t work with VPN apps, like gaming consoles for example. The smart DNS tool is compatible with streaming sites from several countries, including the US, the UK, and Japan.

What’s more, I also think CyberGhost VPN is very good for streaming Netflix in particular. It’s compatible with 15+ Netflix libraries, including popular ones like Netflix US, Netflix UK, Netflix Canada, Netflix Japan, and Netflix Germany. On top of those, it also works with other libraries, like Netflix Sweden, Netflix Singapore, and Netflix Italy. So you get very good variety with this provider.

CyberGhost VPN Torrenting Support Torrenting Support

I think CyberGhost VPN is one of the best VPN services for torrenting. It doesn’t allow torrenting on all servers, but its P2P server network is still huge — it allows torrenting on servers in 80+ countries. 

Plus, I also had very good speeds for torrenting with this VPN — when I torrent a 13 GB file on a distant server, it took around 22 minutes for the download to finish. And if you torrent on Android, you can use the provider’s split-tunneling feature to boost your P2P speeds. 

In addition, you get very good security for torrenting. The provider secures your P2P traffic with a kill switch, an audited no-logs policy, and strong leak protection. Also, its Content Blocker feature is good at keeping you safe from malicious torrenting sites.

My only complaint is that the VPN is missing extra P2P-related features, like port forwarding and SOCKS5 proxy support — these features help you improve your P2P speeds. If you were looking for these kinds of features, I recommend checking out Private Internet Access instead, as it comes with both.

CyberGhost VPN Gaming Support Gaming Support

I think CyberGhost VPN is a great pick for gamers, especially since it comes with dedicated gaming servers. Those servers are configured to provide stable ping and fast gaming speeds, and I can confirm that’s true — I generally enjoyed lower ping and faster load times when using them instead of the provider’s regular servers. 

I used the VPN while playing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for a few hours, and I had great speeds. I averaged good, stable ping (113–120 ms)  while using a distant gaming server, and I didn’t experience any lag or random disconnects during my matches. 

Also, CyberGhost VPN is a great way to avoid DDoS attacks, as it hides your IP address. On top of that, all of its servers are equipped with anti-DDoS protection — so nobody can try to DDoS your connection to its servers in an attempt to disconnect you from them. 

Plus, I think its Identity Guard feature is a great way to secure the accounts you use for gaming — if your login credentials for an online game or a gaming client are compromised, the tool will instantly alert you.

Also, this VPN service comes with router support — this means you can use it to game on devices that don’t work with VPN apps, like Xbox and PlayStation consoles. 

The only thing that’s missing is cloud gaming support, like ExpressVPN has. The provider’s reps told me they can’t guarantee the VPN will be able to access cloud gaming platforms, like GeForce Now for example. I had no issues using it for cloud gaming in my tests, but I can’t guarantee you’ll have similar results.

CyberGhost VPN Server Network Server Network

CyberGhost VPN has one of the biggest server networks on the market — it provides access to locations in 95+ countries that are spread across North, Central, and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. This makes it extremely simple to use nearby servers or avoid overcrowded servers, so that you can get the fastest speeds.

I also like how the provider allows torrenting on P2P servers in 80+ countries. — 10,000+ servers in 70+ countries, to be exact. While other top VPNs allow torrenting on all servers, this server count should still be enough for any P2P user.

In addition to P2P servers, the provider also has other types of VPN servers:

• Streaming servers — It has streaming servers in 20+ countries that are optimized to work with 50+ top streaming services, including Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and Hulu.
• Gaming servers — There are 70+ gaming servers in 4 countries (the US, the UK, France, and Germany) that are optimized to provide very smooth gaming speeds.
• NoSpy servers — These are ultra-secure servers that are hosted inside the provider’s headquarters in Romania. Only its staff has access to them.

I should also note that the VPN uses virtual locations, which are servers that provide you with an IP address from the country you connect to — the only difference is that the servers themselves are located in a different country. I tested 5+ virtual locations and they all worked really well, as they provided me with the correct IP address. Plus, I really like how the provider is transparent about its use of virtual locations, as it clearly marks them on its servers page.

Finally, you also get access to dedicated IPs for a small additional cost. You can get a dedicated IP address in 10+ countries, so you get pretty good variety.

CyberGhost VPN Speed Tests Speed Test

Because I travel a lot, my original speeds are never the same. This impacts my overall VPN speeds, so I can’t really provide you all with consistent speed test results. 

Due to that, I asked my friend in Romania to handle the speed tests section for my reviews. His baseline speeds are more consistent, as he doesn’t travel like I do. Also, when he performed the following speed tests, he used the WireGuard protocol. 

He started with a speed tests without being connected to the VPN to see what his baseline speeds were:

Next, he connected to a nearby server in Bulgaria. He reported barely noticing any slowdowns — he was still able to browse sites without dealing with annoying load times, and his HD videos loaded instantly. The only difference was that 4K videos now took around 2 seconds to fully load (without the VPN, they loaded instantly).

After that, he tested a distant server in the US, and he continued to enjoy smooth speeds. The websites he accessed continued to load instantly, and so did HD videos. Also, 4K videos now loaded in around 4 seconds, but there was no buffering when skipping through them. Plus, it took around 26 minutes to torrent a 15 GB file, which is pretty good.

Finally, he connected to another distant server, but this time in South Korea. The slowdowns were a bit more noticeable this time, but still not bad — websites loaded in around 2 seconds, HD videos took 2–3 seconds to load, and 4K videos loaded in 6 seconds (and there was minor buffering at the start of the videos). Also, the 15 GB file that took 26 minutes to download on the US server now took 33 minutes to finish downloading.

On my end, I can also confirm I generally have similar results whenever I use CyberGhost VPN while traveling. I usually have fast browsing, streaming, and torrenting speeds on most nearby and distant servers, and only sometimes experience minor slowdowns on very distant servers.

CyberGhost VPN Censorship Bypassing Censorship Bypassing

Unfortunately, CyberGhost VPN is not a great pick for accessing the web in restrictive countries. Multiple support reps confirmed that they can’t guarantee that you’ll be able to use the VPN to bypass restrictions in places like China, Egypt, and Turkey. I can also confirm this — whenever I used the VPN in China, it only worked 50% of the time. 

If your main goal is to use a VPN to circumvent censorship, I recommend getting ExpressVPN instead. It consistently works without issues in tons of restrictive regions. Plus, it also provides obfuscation to hide your VPN traffic.

CyberGhost VPN Apps and Ease of Use Apps and Ease of Use

CyberGhost VPNs has apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Android TV, and Fire TV. In addition, it also provides access to browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox.

Installing its apps is extremely simple — the whole process takes 2–3 minutes at most, and it’s very simple to perform as the installation clients provide you with all the instructions you need.

Also, the provider allows 7 simultaneous connections, which is pretty decent as most top VPNs allow anywhere from 5 to 10 simultaneous connections. That said, if this isn’t enough for you, I recommend trying Private Internet Access or Surfshark instead, as they both allow unlimited simultaneous connections.

Android & iOS 

The provider’s iOS and Android mobile apps share a very similar design, so it’s very simple to switch between them. What’s more, I also like how easy it is to navigate the interface with your finger. Plus, I think it’s great that there are helpful explanations for all settings and features.  I definitely think that this is one of the best VPNs for iOS and Android out there.

Still, I think the Android app is better because it’s more feature-rich — it comes with split-tunneling and it also has the Content Blocker feature. That said, I like how both apps provide a WiFi automation feature that lets you pick if the VPN automatically connects to or disconnects from a server when you connect to a specific network.

Windows & macOS

The provider’s desktop apps are really intuitive — it’s very easy to find all the settings and features you need, and it’s great that there’s a quick-connect button that automatically connects you to the fastest server for your location. I actually think this is one of the best VPNs for Windows and macOS.

Both apps also provide access to similar features, including Content Blocker, Smart Rules, and NoSpy servers. Still, I think the Windows app is slightly better. For one, it provides access to a limited split-tunneling tool via the Smart Rules feature. Also, it provides access to all protocols (WireGuard, IKEv2/IPSec, and OpenVPN) — the macOS app only has WireGuad and IKEv2/IPSec.

Linux

CyberGhost VPN has a decent Linux app that’s available on multiple distros, including Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, PopOS, and Kali. Unfortunately, the Linux app lacks a GUI, so you’ll need to use it via command lines. 

The Linux app also provides access to the streaming and P2P servers, which is good. That said, it lacks many of the provider’s features, like split-tunneling, Content Blocker, NoSpy servers, and Smart Rules. 

To be honest, if you’re mainly interested in a Linux VPN, Private Internet Access’ Linux app is much better — it has a GUI and also comes with many additional features, including obfuscation and the provider’s ad blocker. 

Browser Extensions

The VPN’s browser extension is extremely basic — it only has a quick-connect tool, and it only lets you connect to servers in 4 countries (the US, Romania, the Netherlands, and Germany). You don’t get access to any other settings and features, and you also can’t use the provider’s specialized servers (so you can’t use it to stream, just browse the web securely).

On the plus side, the extension is completely free to use — you don’t need a CyberGhost VPN account to get access to it. Also, you get unlimited data, so you can use it to browse the web as much as you want. It’s actually my #1 pick for the best free Chrome VPN extensions.

Router Support

CyberGhost VPN allows manual router setups. It’s compatible with several router firmwares and models, including DD-WRT and Tomato. 

I really like that the VPN has helpful setup tutorials for its router setups. They’re very simple to follow and most also come with screenshots. It shouldn’t take you more than 15–20 minutes to manually configure the VPN on your router. 

However, keep in mind you can’t use all of the provider’s specialized servers on your router. You can only configure connections to its normal servers or its gaming servers. 

I should mention that if you mainly want to use the VPN on your router, you should get ExpressVPN instead. That provider is one of the only VPN services that comes with a dedicated router app, which you can easily install and use.

CyberGhost VPN Pricing and Refund Policy Pricing and Refund Policy

CyberGhost VPN is very affordable, as its plans start as low as $2.19/month. It has a 1-month, a 6-month, and a 2-year plan — you get the best value with the longest plan, as it provides the biggest savings (and it also often comes with additional months of service for free).

The VPN supports multiple payment methods, including credit and debit cards, PayPal, Google Pay, and cryptocurrencies (which provide better privacy than regular payment methods).

This is also one of the very few VPN services that comes with a free trial. It provides a free 24-hour trial on all platforms that lets you use all features and doesn’t require you to share credit card information. And if 24 hours is not enough time to test the VPN for you, there’s also an option to get a free 3-day trial on Android.

Finally, the VPN backs all long-term plans with a very generous 45-day money-back guarantee — most top VPNs only have a 30-day refund. However, if you opt for the shortest plan, you only get a 14-day money-back guarantee.

CyberGhost VPN Customer Support Customer Support

The provider comes with several customer support channels. It has live chat support, email support, and a really in-depth support library that provides access to tons of FAQs, setup guides, and troubleshooting articles.

I usually have a good experience whenever I use the provider’s live chat support. It doesn’t take more than 10–15 seconds to get in touch with a live chat rep, and most of the support reps I talked with have been very friendly and helpful. My only complaint is that CyberGhost VPN doesn’t have 24/7 live chat support (like ExpressVPN and NordVPN, for example) — and it also doesn’t provide a set live chat schedule (it simply goes offline when it’s overloaded). 

And the VPN’s email support is great too. Whenever I send an email, I usually hear back from the support team within 24 hours, which is pretty fast. Plus, the responses are always very helpful.

Finally, I’m really happy with the provider’s support library — its tutorials are very easy to follow and its FAQs are really in-depth. I almost never have to reach out to customer support over live chat or email, as the support articles usually answer all of my questions.

CyberGhost VPN Review 2024 — Final Words Final Words

CyberGhost VPN is one of the top VPNs on the market at the moment. I think it’s a great choice for streaming, as it has optimized servers that can access 50+ streaming platforms, including Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Disney+. It also has a huge server network (locations in 95+ countries), provides good speeds across all of its servers, and has super easy-to-use apps that provide convenient automation options. It’s also very secure and good for torrenting and gaming.

I only noticed a few drawbacks, but they’re minor — CyberGhost VPN doesn’t consistently work in restrictive countries like China, it lacks obfuscation, and its Content Blocker feature isn’t that great at getting rid of ads. Also, while it has live chat support, it’s a shame it’s not available 24/7.

CyberGhost VPN Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Questions