CyberGhost VPN Review

The Internet has become a necessary resource for information and commerce today. However, it comes with its fair share of risks. There has been an increase in cyber attacks on Internet users in recent times. Hence, such online privacy threats have made us look for viable solutions. To protect your online privacy, you will need a VPN. In this article, we will go through Cyberghost VPN Review.

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) service assure you a risk-free Internet experience. In a nutshell, it works by masking your identity while also encrypting the data transmission to and from your device. To Know more read our article on how a VPN works. However, not every VPN on the market is the same. Though each VPN service function on the same basic principle, the difference lies in how the VPNs apply principle concepts with various protocols and structure.

Cyberghost VPN Review Summary

How to Select a VPN?

While selecting any VPN service, it is vital to understand how it implements various security aspects to provide you with a safe and smooth experience. Hence, you should judge any VPN service with the following things in mind:

• The maximum internet speed you can expect
• Security Protocols that the VPN implements
• How easy is the user interface
• Accessibility options
• Overall Features
• Multiple platform support
• Customer support
• Price perspective

CyberGhost VPN Review

With the above reference points, let’s dig into the details.

VPN Speed

When you turn on a VPN with all the encryption, you are bound to experience variations in the Internet speed. Usually, there's a slight reduction in speed, but sometimes you can get higher Internet speeds than regular.

The degree of variation in speed depends on many factors like server load, server speed, and distance to the server location.

A 30 to 35 percent reduction in speeds should be the maximum acceptable limit. Beyond this limit, it noticeably affects your Internet experience.

How fast is CyberGhost?

In order to review CyberGhost VPN Speed, I will first establish a baseline. Hence, I will switch off the VPN and take an original connection speed test.

Since now we have our ISP provided maximum speed, We will compare CyberGhost VPN speeds across various servers.

Again, do remember this reduction in speed is exclusive to my tests. Hence, you can expect similar or even better results.

Security Protocols

The primary purpose of a VPN is to provide online security while you are online. Online Privacy is not optional! With regular connections, the transmitted data can be easily intercepted by your ISP or hackers and used against your will. Encryption ensures that even if any one is monitoring your data, it is of no use.

Is Cyberghost Safe?

Many factors cumulatively affect your online privacy using a VPN.

VPN Company Location

Cyberghost is located in Romania. Hence, it is outside the fourteen Eyes. This fact is a relief as the company has no legal obligation to share any data with intelligence agencies from other countries.

Encryption Technology

A good VPN will utilize the best of encryption and security measures to hide your identity and protect information over the Internet. CyberGhost uses 256-bit AES encryption to protect the data over the network. This data encryption technique uses a 256-bit key to encrypt and decrypt data.

To put it into layman's perspective, fifty supercomputers with the capability of checking a billion (1018) AES keys per second (a hypothetical machine) would require about 3×1051 years to exhaust the 256-bit key space. That’s the level of data encryption we are taking into consideration.

Cyberghost Tunneling Protocols

Cyberghost implements protocols like OpenVPN, IKEv2, L2TP. You can let the VPN automatically manage the protocols or you can manually select it.

In case you want to select the protocol manually; Please refer to our article on how to choose the best VPN protocol for you.

No Log & Privacy Policy

CyberGhost implements a strict No-Log policy, meaning none of the user data or related logs are linked to you in any way. They have a simple and clear Privacy policy.

VPN Extra Privacy Options

There are additional security features like Double VPN & Onion Over Tor. These added security features serves the super privacy concerns but using those options you will receive slower VPN connection.

Unfortunately Cyberghost VPN does not have these options in the present version. If you are looking for the above features exclusively, you can check the following VPN Services:

• Surfshark VPN: Supports only Double VPN with unlimited device support. Check the detailed review and Surfshark vpn deals.
  
• Nord VPN: Supports both, Double VPN and Onion Over Tor. Read Nord VPN Review and Check the best Nord VPN deals as well.

User Interface

A VPN needs to have a smooth and understandable user interface. If it asks for the tech nerd out of you, it fails its purpose. Accessing specific features and settings should be hassle-free. Any user should be able to use the software with ease and locate the settings and features without any problem.

Cyberghost VPN User Interface Review

CyberGhost keeps a balance between simplicity and customization to suit the regular as well as the advanced users.

Regular Users

A login screen welcomes you when you start the program for the first time. After entering the login details, you get a simple start screen.

From here, you can click on the 'power button' to let CyberGhost connect your PC to the nearest CyberGhost server. One click of a button protects both, your identity and data. Now that's simple even for basic users.

Advanced Users

If you are an Advanced user, you can click on the yellow button on the left. Doing so gives you access to additional settings and customization. Clicking on the button gives you a wide range of parameters like selecting servers based on task (i.e., streaming, torrenting), settings, and managing account.

The UI is straightforward with a distinct categorization of options.

VPN Features

A comprehensible UI with features makes for the best user experience. A UI should aim for straightforward navigation through the program while features help to achieve the intended tasks without any hiccups.

For example, let’s say you want to choose a server providing the best streaming experience, but the VPN software does not have any option to segregate servers based on the suitability for video streaming. Thus, in that case, you might have to check each from the extensive list of servers available to find the best server for streaming. Alternatively, if the VPN software has a categorized option 'Streaming servers,' you will only have to pick from a limited list of servers which are optimized for streaming.

Cyberghost VPN Features Review

CyberGhost VPN has a host of features to streamline your internet tasks, be it streaming, torrenting, or only browsing. Further, you have additional options to control the VPNs behavior over a network, manage your account, and program settings.

Server Selection

There are three choices concerning VPN servers:

• Favorites
• All serves
• For torrenting, and streaming

'Favorites’ category stores all of your preferred servers, irrespective of their suitability for streaming, browsing or P2P connections. To mark a server as your favorite, you have to click on the corresponding 'star' in the favorite column. Favorite servers have the 'stars' highlighted in yellow.

'All servers’ lists down all the CyberGhost servers available. Currently, there are above 5000+ servers worldwide in 90 countries like United States, Canada, Australia, India, United Kingdom, Japan, and South Africa.

'For streaming' and 'torrenting' categories list all the servers suitable for video streaming and peer-to-peer connections, respectively.

Connection Features

In this section, you can control the individual elements of the overall behavior of the VPN concerning the current connection. You can opt to block ads, malicious websites, and online tracking. Further, you can force a secure connection to any website and compress data to limit your internet bandwidth usage.

Smart Rules

It helps you to set up automatic program behaviors depending on specific criteria and situations. There are four tabs under Smart rules, namely:

• Startup Rules
• Wi-Fi Protection
• Exceptions
• App Protection.

Startup Rules

It regulates the program behavior at PC startup, i.e., whether you want CyberGhost to run at startup, or connect to a network automatically when the program starts or launch an application after the VPN establishes a secure connection.

Wi-Fi Protection

This section gives you Control over the Wi-Fi networks. You can pre-define the actions when your device connects to new encrypted, open, or known Wi-Fi networks. Hence, you are always safe even when you connect to the public Wi-Fi network at your favorite hangout place.

Exceptions

In this section, you can add websites to VPN exception. It means that the sites in this exception list will not use the VPN connection. Hence, it is beneficial for websites that require you to be on your original IP address.

App Protection

You can select any app on your system and specify the actions CyberGhost will take. For instance, when you open the Chrome browser, it will connect to the internet via the VPN.  Well, that's not all; you can also select specific servers.

CyberGhost VPN Review: App settings

Under the General settings, you get the options to change the default language, theme, enable kill switch (i.e., cut off internet connection if any problem is detected) and reset all settings to default.

You cannot disable Kill Switch in CyberGhost VPN.

The Connection settings allow you to change the VPN protocols, enable or disable the random port connection, IPv6 connections, and DNS Leak Protection. CyberGhost, indeed, provides many options for fine-tuning the program's behavior according to your needs and does not lag from a customization perspective.

Restricted Content Access with CyberGhost

Apart from secured internet connectivity, VPNs also allow you to access geographically restricted content. Meaning, if you do not have Netflix available in your country, using VPN, you could switch to a server located in another country (say US or UK) and access Netflix.

Then again, every VPN does not allow you to access Geo-restricted content from all over the world. However, if you are someone who keeps jumping between countries (sometimes, even continents), having a VPN that allows you this luxury can help you a lot, especially when you are in desperate need of some entertainment to relieve the stress.

Cyberghost VPN Review: Server Locations

Presently, CyberGhost has approximately 3600 servers in 60 countries. It has servers in countries like the United States, Brazil, Argentina, United Kingdom, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Kenya, and South Africa.

Though it covers most of Europe, currently, it misses out on areas like Middle East, Russia, some parts of Asia, most of the African continent, and parts of South America like Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador.

The CyberGhost network is continuously expanding so any location that is not present right now will be on the list sooner or later, the

Multiple platform support

A VPN should not be exclusive to a single operating system. Such a case will deter its compatibility with other devices. Best VPNs will have multiple platform support with Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and others.

This multiple platform support will allow you to protect numerous devices simultaneously with a single VPN. So, you won't have to invest more to protect the devices individually. Thus, it is not only a matter of ease in maintenance but also a matter of making savings. In addition to the multiple choices on the platform, you can also connect seven devices simultaneously.

Where can you use CyberGhost VPN?

CyberGhost is available as a software package on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Linux and browser extensions for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Further, the VPN also supports the use of up to seven devices simultaneously.

Hence, that makes for a large number of common platforms that CyberGhost covers. So, it does not lack behind other VPNs in this regard.

Customer support

Post sales, excellent customer support is what makes a product successful in the market. Every product has some learning curve associated with it. If in this vital period, you do not get the necessary information and assistance, there's a risk of the product (and the brand) gaining a negative reputation among its customers.

Hence, companies have to ensure that not only do they have excellent products, but also capable customer support to assist the customers with the products.

CyberGhost VPN Review: Support and Help

It is safe to say that CyberGhost does not fall back in this regard. You get Product Guides and FAQs concerned with program usage and most frequent queries.

If the guides and FAQs do not solve your problem, you also have the option to contact the support team via Chat or by raising a ticket.

CybergGhost Pricing Plans

Price should be the last factor that you look at when comparing VPNs. That way, you have an idea of what you are getting in a VPN and how much you are paying for it. VPNs usually range around $10 per month. However, you can save more money if you subscribe for a long-term plan (say 3-year or 5-year plan).

CyberGhost charges you $12.99 for a monthly plan. If you opt for a 1-year plan or 2-year plan, the monthly charges come down to $5.99 and $3.69 respectively. However, if you opt for a 3-year plan, you will be charged $2.75 a month, that makes for a saving of $368.64 over the monthly base plan at $12.99.

Then again, if you want a dedicated IP, you have to add another $5 per month charges to the plans.

The Verdict: Should You Buy CyberGhost VPN?

Yes, it is a complete package that a VPN can offer. If it servers all your needs then there is nothing else to think. It has a simple interface which is self-explanatory. It deploys advanced security protocols to ensure your online privacy. Cyberghost keeps a list of Servers optimized for streaming location restricted content. This feature alone is helpful for a lot of people.

Cyberghost support is responsive, and they did resolve my test queries preety fast. Being a old name in the VPN section, you can trust it to secure your identity.