CyberGhost started its services in 2011 with the mission of protecting users’ digital privacy. It is popular among users for its competitive features, extensive server network, and impressive supportive features that many top-ranked VPN lacks.
However, there is a debate over CyberGhost’s parent company. The founder owns two other VPNs and has been involved in infecting devices with malware and adware. However, there haven’t been any reports of users having a bad experience with the CyberGhost VPN. It is all because its no-log policy and yearly transparency reports prove that it is a reliable VPN to use.
Many VPN providers claim to provide excellent security and protection when tested, but they could not prove their stance. To know if CyberGhost is also among such service providers or is worth buying, I decided to try the VPN myself. This CyberGhost review will provide you with a detailed insight into whether the VPN is worth using or it’s only hyped up. So, let’s begin with this.
Who Owns CyberGhost?
In 2011, a German IT specialist and entrepreneur founded the company CyberGhost S.A in Romania. It comprises 65 employees and holds its offices in Romania and Germany. However, in 2017 the company was acquired by an Israeli firm, Crossrider, for $9.2 million.
Crossrider is now named Kape Technologies and also owns ZenMate and Private Internet Access VPN. The company was accused of distributing malware and adware via infected software bundles and fake Adobe Flash updates. Also, it is registered in the UK, which is subject to data retention and internet privacy laws.
However, CyberGhost insists that it operate as a standalone company from Romania and be subjected to Romanian law. Romania is not a member state of the five eyes, nine eyes, and 14 eyes alliance. It means that the company does not share user data with intelligence agencies from other countries. Also, Romania is a free country regarding global internet freedom and follows no mandatory data retention laws.
Quick Overview
CyberGhost VPN is a complete package of both privacy and security features. Each feature guarantees maximum online protection and ensures that you enjoy some added benefits while browsing the web. Below is a quick overview of all the features that CyberGhost offers to users.
| Features | Explanation |
| Encryption | Uses AES-256 bit encryption (standard) |
| VPN protocol | OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard |
| Servers | More than 7000 servers in 91 countries |
| P2P support | Dedicated servers with no bandwidth limit. |
| Device support | Seven simultaneous connections on Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, FireTV, Smart TV. |
| Browser Extensions | Chrome and Firefox |
| Kill Switch | It has an active working kill switch protection |
| Jurisdiction | Romania |
| Log policy | Keeps log |
| Log audit | Do not have a log audit report |
| Website | www.cyberghostvpn.com |
By now, you might start believing that CyberGhost is one of the best and most trustworthy VPNs. But, for sure, there is more it has to offer to the users. Now, let’s move forward and dive deep into each feature to know what exactly their function is and how they secure your browsing experience.
Security Features
If CyberGhost VPN leaks your IP address, DNS, or WebRTC, it isn’t fulfilling the security requirements. Hence, you must test CyberGhost for VPN leaks.
– IP Leak Protection
CyberGhost VPN hides your actual IP address and ensures complete anonymity over the web. No IP leak was found when the VPN was tested for IP leak test.
– DNS Leak Protection
A VPN leaking your DNS can put your online security at significant risk. Thus, a VPN needs to protect against DNS leaks by encrypting the DNS servers. CyberGhost does tackle this efficiently and prevents DNS leaks by using its private DNS servers. To clear your doubts, you can also run a DNS leak test through this test tool.
– WebRTC Leak Protection
WebRTC has some great benefits like it ensures a smoother file sharing, streaming, and video call experience. But since it requires each device to know the other’s IP addresses, it can result in IP leaks. CyberGhost provides WebRTC leak protection also when tested so, no leaks were found. It shows how devoted the VPN is to providing maximum online protection.
– Encryption
VPN encryption ensures the level of data security and privacy a VPN provides. CyberGhost uses the top-notch level of encryption to ensure that your data traffic remains private.
The VPN uses the highest and uncrackable AES-256 bit encryption, 4096-bit RSA key, and SHA-256 cryptographic function. But, many other service providers use a much-advanced function like SHA-512 to secure the users’ data. Besides this, CyberGhost uses OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard encryption protocols to send encrypted data over the internet.
- By default, CyberGhost uses Open (UDP), but it suggests using the TCP port for a more reliable connection.
- The IKEv2 protocol establishes fast and secure connections to the nearest servers. It is best for mobile devices or when you want to switch between mobile data and Wi-Fi.
- WireGuard is the latest and much-improved protocol with the potential for improved performance. It uses state-of-the-art cryptography and a newer ChaCha20 cipher which enhances security and safety.
So, as far as security is concerned, CyberGhost seems good!
Privacy Features
With a bundle of privacy-enhancing features, CyberGhost claims to provide maximum online protection over the web. Here is a detailed insight into the privacy features offered by CyberGhost VPN.
– Logging Policy
Many service providers claim to have a zero-log policy, but they fail to prove it. Fortunately, CyberGhost doesn’t store the activity or connection logs, but it does keep some anonymized data that includes:
- Approximate location
- Transaction information
- Connection attempts along with the IP address are stored in an anonymized format.
From the above screenshot, it is clear that with CyberGhost VPN, none of your data would be logged. The VPN provider has a verified log audit report. But, the last time CyberGhost underwent an independent audit was back in 2012 by QSCERT. Since then, the company has published transparency reports. It reveals the number of requests the company received asking for users’ data, but they don’t have anything to provide since they don’t log any data.
As a whole, CyberGhost is a private VPN and won’t keep your data logs.
– Kill Switch
Like many other premium service providers, CyberGhost also comes with a built-in kill switch for all apps. The kill switch protects your data and IP address if your VPN connection malfunctions. Whenever the VPN drops, the kill switch pauses the internet connection and prevents VPN leaks.
If your VPN kill switch is not working properly, this can leak your IP address. Thus, it is essential to test your kill switch and ensure that your IP address and other sensitive information are secure.
– Ad and Malware Blocker
An ad and malware blocker adds a layer of protection while you surf the web. CyberGhost VPN comes with an ad blocker that improves the overall browsing experience by filtering out intrusive ads and loading the web pages faster.
At times, ads have malware embedded within them that can further harm your online and device security. An ad-blocker also blocks such ads and prevents malware from infecting your device. If you’re using CyberGhost on your mobile phone, this feature can help save money and battery.
Besides blocking ads, CyberGhost detects and blocks potential websites containing malware. Also, it prevents online tracking and ensures maximum protection. To benefit from these features, head to the VPN settings option and configure your VPN settings.
– Split Tunneling
The split tunneling feature allows you to select the apps you want to access via the VPN tunnel and the apps you want to access through your main connection. CyberGhost does offer a split tunneling feature that is also helpful in saving bandwidth and thus ensures fast speed during torrenting.
Unfortunately, the split tunneling feature is not available for iOS, macOS, and Linux platforms.
– Dedicated IP Address
Another attractive feature that CyberGhost offers is a dedicated IP address. It is a unique IP address assigned to a single domain account that seeks some extra online privacy. Anyone using a dedicated IP address won’t face the issue of an IP address getting blocked.
You have to pay an additional amount to enjoy the perks of a dedicated IP address offered by CyberGhost. The VPN uses a token-based system for its dedicated IP addresses meaning that the IP addresses are not tied to your VPN account.
Supported Features
As mentioned earlier, CyberGhost also comes with some impressive extra supported features that improve their overall performance. The following mentioned below are the supported features offered by the Romanian service provider.
– Specialized Servers
CyberGhost VPN offers specialized servers each designed for specific tasks. For example, the streaming servers are optimized for streaming platforms, while P2P servers ensure fast torrent downloads. Similarly, the gaming servers provide low latency and fast speed.
When you use the VPN for streaming, torrenting, and gaming, the VPN assures that you are connected to the relevant servers that enhance your experience. You can find these server options in the Select Server Option.
– NoSpy Servers
CyberGhost also comes with impressive NoSpy servers that are owned and operated independently. These servers are present in some private data centers in Romania where the CyberGhost team manages them. These servers are helpful because they come with extra bandwidth that allows you to enjoy fast connection speed. Also, some of these servers are P2P optimized, therefore, you can enhance your torrent downloading experience with the NoSpy servers.
Connecting to the NoSpy servers also means that you can enjoy greater anonymity and strong data encryption. But these servers are not easy to find or access because you have to search these servers in different server locations. Also, you have to pay an extra amount of $4.99 per month to use the NoSpy servers.
– Smart Rules
It is an impressive and innovative feature that many other top VPNs lack. It helps automate the CyberGhost VPN and make sure that the app does some of the tasks itself. You can use this feature in several different ways. Like, you can configure the Smart rule on unprotected Wi-Fi networks or specify a country or server where CyberGhost should be automatically connected.
Moreover, it also allows particular websites to work as split tunneling effectively.
– PassCamp Password Manager
Recently, CyberGhost announced that it is teaming up with PassCamp to offer a reliable password manager to all VPN users. It is an excellent initiative towards protecting users’ digital privacy. With CyberGhost’s password manager, users can create strong passwords for their accounts and offer other benefits, like secure sharing and unlimited password storage.
But, again, this is a paid-on feature. You will be charged $3.49 monthly to use this feature.
Does CyberGhost Support Torrenting?
CyberGhost allows unlimited torrenting. Its P2P specialized servers give the best speed for downloading torrents based on your location and network. They can also provide you a virtual location within a country that has access to the popular P2P indexes and torrenting sites. You can easily find the P2P servers in the “For Torrenting” section of the app.
Also, with the split tunneling or app protection feature, you can specify the apps you want to connect via the VPN and make your torrenting experience more private.
Does CyberGhost Unblocks Netflix?
Streaming Netflix is another reason why people use a VPN. CyberGhost is among those VPN that allows users to unblock Netflix and watch their favorite TV shows and movies. The VPN regularly updates its servers that work with Netflix. Also, fast speed and P2P optimized servers for streaming make it easy to stream Netflix without any buffering and connection lags.
When tested, CyberGhost successfully unlocked US, Canada, Germany, Australia, and France Netflix libraries. Other than Netflix, the VPN also unblocks BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime, making it a good VPN for streaming.
CyberGhost Security Suite
Like NordVPN, CyberGhost is also expanding its security services. Currently, CyberGhost offers Security Suite only on Windows platforms, but it will surely be available on other platforms in the future. By paying an extra $5.99 per month, you can add the Security Suite on your Windows device that includes antivirus, privacy guard, and an automatic app update feature to protect your digital privacy.
Here is some more information about the CyberGhost VPN.
How Many Users Can Use It?
The majority of the VPN allows up to five or six simultaneous connections, and CyberGhost VPN is no exception. On a single subscription account, you can connect up to seven devices at a time.
How Many Servers Does CyberGhost Offer?
Unlike many other top VPN providers, CyberGhost has an extensive server network that results in fast connection. It consists of more than 7000 servers located in 91 countries, making it one of the largest and the most varied service providers.
Does CyberGhost Offer a Free Trial?
CyberGhost VPN is a premium VPN that offers a one-day free trial option on the desktop version and a 7-day free trial on mobile devices. To enjoy the free trial period, you don’t need to provide your credit card information, unlike most other premium service providers.
Does CyberGhost Have a Refund Policy?
Yes, CyberGhost VPN also offers a refund policy depending on the subscription plan you have purchased. If you have a monthly subscription plan, you can request a refund within the first 14 days after your subscription starts. But, if you have a more extended subscription package, then you have a 45 days money-back guarantee opportunity.
Is CyberGhost Safe to Use?
Yes, CyberGhost VPN is safe to use. It uses secure AES-256 bit encryption and various tunneling protocols to protect your data from all snooping eyes. Also, there are various security and privacy-focused features that ensure that it is reliable to use.
Final Verdict
CyberGhost VPN is a good option to consider. It uses strong encryption, secure tunneling protocols and offers some impressive supported features. Also, it has an extensive server network more than Nord and ExpressVPN and allows streaming, torrenting, and gaming without any issues.
But, the VPN should work on its no-log policy and submit a third-party log audit report to improve its reputation and compete with other top-rated service providers.
