CyberGhost VPN review: A streaming specialist with cheap fees

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If you're on the lookout for a VPN that will unblock region-restricted content and protect your data without costing the earth, CyberGhost could tick a lot of boxes for you. It has an impressive fleet of over 9,200 servers across 91 countries, including some specialty servers optimized for specific streaming services. So whether you want to unblock BBC iPlayer, Hulu, ESPN+, and more, CyberGhost will have servers that should work seamlessly.

On top of this, CyberGhost has plenty of sophisticated security features to keep your data safe, including a kill switch, DNS leak protection, and military-grade encryption. It also imposes a strict no-logs policy that's been independently audited. So it doesn't keep any records of your traffic.

Better yet, it has 24/7 live chat customer support and seven simultaneous connections as standard. This represents genuinely good value for money, particularly when you consider that CyberGhost's prices start from just $2.03 a month with the current promotion. 

But, while CyberGhost looks good on paper, is it as secure and reliable as it sounds? We've put it to the test in our hands-on CyberGhost VPN review to help you decide if this is the right VPN to suit your needs. Let's get started.

Installation and Setup

Getting CyberGhost up and running on my machine was quick and painless. I use a Mac, and it downloaded and installed in under a minute. Once I'd signed up for an account, I was given a list of operating systems to download and install the CyberGhost app. However, it's worth noting that there are fewer features for MacOS and iOS. So, while it didn't take me long to download, the Android version is far superior.

As soon as I launched it for the first time, I had to agree to the terms and conditions and re-enter my email address and password. Once I'd done this, it immediately gave me the option to connect to a VPN in a popular destination. For me, the locations that came up were France, Germany, the UK, and the US. Once I selected a server, it connected to it within a few seconds, and I was all set. 

If I wanted to connect to a server in a different location, I clicked on Add New Favorite and was presented with the full list of countries to choose from. The layout is clean and intuitive, with an easy way to save servers as favorites so you can connect to them as soon as you log in. 

Overall, I found the experience extremely fast, efficient, and user-friendly.

Features

Despite its wallet-friendly prices, CyberGhost is packed with sophisticated features to protect your data and enhance your overall experience. However, as mentioned above, there are fewer features on Apple devices, including no automatic kill switch, ad and malware site blocking on iPhones, and DNS leak protection. This can make for a more basic experience if you're on a Mac, iPhone, or iPad.

One of the first things you'll notice when logging into CyberGhost is its specialty servers for specific streaming services. As you scroll through server options, you'll notice that some have been optimized for platforms such as BBC iPlayer, Netflix, 9Now, and Hulu.

When testing these out, they did provide a slightly smoother streaming experience for the services mentioned. I could access the content seamlessly and log in without any error messages. I could also stream on these platforms without having to deal with buffering.

CyberGhost displays a percentage for each server to indicate the server load at the time. The lower the percentage, the faster your speeds should be. This is helpful information when choosing which server to connect to, as you can avoid ones with a high percentage.

In addition, CyberGhost offers industry-standard AES 256 encryption to ensure your data is impossible to hack. And it comes with the WireGuard, IKEv2, OpenVPN protocols, and robust DNS leak protection. 

The Android version of the app has a rudimentary split tunneling feature that enables you to choose apps you want to exclude from your VPN connection. As with other popular VPN apps, this isn't available on Apple devices, but, oddly, CyberGhost hasn't enabled it for Windows. There's no option to split tunnel individual websites either. Of all the big VPNs, not many do, in all honesty, but if you really need it, you can get it with Surfshark.

Elsewhere, you'll get access to a half-decent ad blocker and the option to purchase a dedicated IP address. This means that you have an IP address that's unique to you. It's an ideal solution if you need a consistent IP address for reliable streaming or seeding torrent files, although you do have to pay a few extra dollars a month for the privilege.

CyberGhost also has NoSpy servers that it manages, meaning there is no third party that can access them. These servers give users more advanced security, extended bandwidth, and faster speeds. They even support P2P connections, meaning you can torrent without worrying that anyone will be able to see what you're doing.

Server Locations

You'd be hard-pressed to find a VPN with more servers than CyberGhost, which boasts a huge fleet of 9,200 servers across 91 countries. However, a few VPNs offer servers across a broader range of countries, with providers like Surfshark and ExpressVPN each covering over 100 countries.

That being said, while most of its servers are in popular destinations, such as the UK, Germany, and the US, it still offers a wide choice across locations that VPN providers don't always cover. So, if you want a solution with a strong offering across Africa, South America, and Hong Kong, CyberGhost has the edge over many other VPNs. It also includes virtual servers in regions with very restrictive internet privacy policies, such as China, Turkey, and Russia.

But, of course, it's not all about the quantity of servers. They need to be high-quality, too. And CyberGhost's fleet is made up of encrypted, RAM-only servers, so your data will never end up being stored on a physical hard drive. This will prevent a hacker from being able to access your sensitive information.

Performance and Speed

As we mentioned above, CyberGhost uses the well-known WireGuard protocol to ensure fast and reliable speeds without lag. And this was definitely backed up when I tried it out.

I performed several speed tests during peak times. And when I connected to a server, it barely affected the speeds I got. Before connecting to CyberGhost, my download speed was 218 Mbps. And when I connected to a busy CyberGhost server in mainland China, the speeds dropped to 211 Mbps. This is only a tiny decrease that didn't slow down my browsing, streaming, or gaming experience in any way. 

Having said that, I did experience some connectivity issues and the odd error message while I was connected, which was pretty frustrating. This suggests there may be a few issues with how CyberGhost has implemented the WireGuard protocol. However, if this were to be improved, CyberGhost's speed and performance would be among the best I've tested.

Pricing and Plans

With prices starting from as little as $2.03 a month, CyberGhost is one of the cheapest VPNs around and comes highly recommended in our best VPN deals guide. Unlike many other providers, CyberGhost offers one premium package to all its users, rather than a basic plan and a more expensive version with additional security features.

The only difference in price plans is how long you sign up for. A one-month rolling contract will cost you $12.99 a month, or you could get it for $6.99 a month if you sign up for a six-month plan. But if you're willing to commit to CyberGhost for two years, the price drops to just $2.03 a month, with some additional months thrown in for free. So this works out at brilliant value for money, provided you're willing to sign up for a lengthy contract.

With the two longer-term plans, you get a free 45-day money-back guarantee and a free 14-day money-back guarantee with the one-month plan. So you can test it to see if it's right for you before committing.

Considering that CyberGhost is a safe option that doesn't skimp on security, the two-year subscription has an impressively low price tag. And because you get seven simultaneous connections, you can use it across multiple devices without paying extra.

You can pay for CyberGhost using cryptocurrencies, as well as PayPal, Amazon Pay, or your credit card, giving you plenty of secure payment options.

Privacy and Security

CyberGhost is based in Romania, a member of the European Union. However, despite this, it's a pretty privacy-friendly country. For one thing, Romania isn't part of the Fourteen Eyes intelligence-sharing group. And it declared the data retention laws the EU recommended unconstitutional. So, it's committed to protecting the privacy of internet users in its jurisdiction.

Speaking of which, CyberGhost operates under an independently audited zero-logs policy. This means that it doesn't store any connection logs or traffic data. Deloitte independently audited this in September 2022, and CyberGhost was shown to be as good as its word. The audit proved that CyberGhost wasn't storing any data.

Customer Support

CyberGhost has a range of helpful customer service options if you run into any issues. First, its website has an intuitive FAQ section to help you resolve common queries. This includes extensive tutorials, guides, and how-tos ideal for first-time VPN users.

And if this doesn't help, CyberGhost has a 24/7 live chat option available to all its customers. When testing this out, I received a prompt and genuinely helpful response that resolved my problem in a matter of minutes.

However, if the problem is too complex to be resolved over live chat, the CyberGhost customer support team will create a ticket for your issue, and they will get back to you via email.

Unfortunately, CyberGhost doesn't have a phone line. However, at this price point, that's probably expecting too much. And the live chat function and ticketing system work well. So there's plenty of helpful support available if you need it.