What is the best CyberGhost review in 2021?
If you are new to the world of VPNs, then let me inform you that CyberGhost is one of the most popular names out there when it comes to the best VPNs in 2021.
But when you want to decide whether to purchase a plan with CyberGhost you must be a little disappointed.
Just like me…
I tried to look around for a couple of great CyberGhost reviews to get to know what this VPN really has to offer.
The problem is that most reviews are really outdated…
While they mention they were published in 2021, they still say CyberGhost VPN has 3,500 servers… this is so 90’s news.
Because of this, I decided to sign up for a CyberGhost trial so that I can have first hand experience with this supposedly amazing VPN.
So in this CyberGhost VPN review we are going to look at the pros and cons of CyberGhost as a VPN for privacy and anonymous browsing online.
At the end of this CyberGhost review, I will also give you a few CyberGhost alternatives if you are not convinced yet.
First, let me give you a quick summary of what I found out before we dive right into the details.
CyberGhost is a VPN service provider based in Romania that offers great connection speeds, a zero logs policy and enables you to unblock Netflix in the US as well as torrent flawlessly.
Let’s now look at each of these features one by one.
Website | cyberghostvpn.com |
Servers | 6,400 |
Jurisdiction | British Virgin Islands |
Streaming | Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, iPlayer |
Speed | 4.2/5 |
Torrenting | P2P servers |
Privacy | Zero logs |
Devices | 7 |
Pricing | $ 2.75/month |
Free trial | 24 hours |
Server Collection
How many servers does CyberGhost have?
As at the time of writing this CyberGhost review, CyberGhost has 8,000+ vpn servers based in 89 different locations.
That’s quite an impressive number… in fact, it surpasses the server count that NordVPN, another very popular VPN service, has it in total.
These servers are also spread over 90 different countries which increases the chances there’ll always be a server in your country or at least closer to your physical location.
Remember the closer a server is to you, the faster your connections speed will be.
So from the standpoint of the number of servers, CyberGhost appears to be a really solid VPN option.
While the CyberGhost apps will automatically choose for you the best servers in terms of proximity and load, you have the option of manually choosing your own server to connect to.
Streaming
One of the main reasons most people would purchase a VPN service is to be able to bypass content restrictions.
While streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, HBO GO and BBC iPlayer are loved by many…
For some reason content from these sites are always restricted to certain geographic locations… so a Netflix series might be available in the US but not in Brazil.
Can CyberGhost help you watch Netflix content, say for US audience, while you are in Bulgaria?
YES.
Well, I have never been to Bulgaria, but from the tests I conducted with CyberGhost VPN, I was able to access Netflix for the US, UK, Brazil and Japan by connecting to a server based in any of these countries.
All you need to do is manually select the server that is based in the country whose content you want to access.
And not only Netflix, I was also able to stream content from Hulu, HBO GO and BBC iPlayer.
So if your main reason for buying a VPN is to be able to stream Netflix, Hulu, HBO and iPlayer content then CyberGhost is the best VPN for you.
That’s why it’s one of the best VPNs for Netflix that I recommend on this site.
When you are ready to start streaming, just head over to the app menu and tap of the “For streaming” tab.
You’ll then get a list of the best servers optimized for streaming different content in different countries… just select the country and service pair you want from there.
Alternatively, you can type the name of the streaming service you want in the search bar, say “netflix”, and you’ll be presented with a list of the best streaming servers for Netflix based on countries for you to choose from.
This really is as good as it gets…
Speed
Okay.
Are you going to have to wait 10 seconds for a YouTube video to buffer every time you are watching it, just to stay anonymous online?
While it is an agreeable fact across the board that a VPN service lowers your connection speed somehow… you’re probably asking yourself?
Will have I have to bear with slow connection speeds when working with CyberGhost?
The answer is NO.
From my tests that I carried out, even though my connections speeds dropped a little, I was still able to achieve high upload and download speeds… close to the actual speeds.
In order to test CyberGhost connection speeds, I connected to three of its server based in three different locations.
I connected to servers based in the USA, UK and Hong Kong.
Before connecting to any other CyberGhost servers my original download speed was 3.59Mbps while my upload speed was 2.29Mbps.
On connecting to a server based in the USA my download speeds dropped to 2.95Mbps while my uploads speed dropped to 0.82Mbps.
The UK based server really performed great as I was able to maintain 100% of my original download speed as well as my upload speeds.
In fact my download speed increased a little to 3.86Mbps while my upload speeds also increased to 3.79Mbps.
The Hong Kong based server has worse download speeds than all the other PrivateVPN servers I connected to.
My download speeds dropped to 2.43Mbps while my upload speeds dropped to 1.37Mbps.
On average I was able to maintain 83% of my original connection speeds which is great because I consider anything above 80% of my original speeds a fast vpn.
CyberGhost also has an additional data compression feature that compresses images and other content to reduce your data usage and increase load times.
It can be toggled ON and OFF… it’s OFF by default.
Overall though, I am impressed by the speeds I get with CyberGhost VPN.
Torrenting
This CyberGhost review in 2021 cannot be complete without talking about torrenting.
It’s one of my favorite activities online…
And what’s better than to find the best VPN service that makes it a breeze?
I was amazed by the consistent and steady torrenting speeds that I got from CyberGhost.
It offers a dedicated torrenting profile with servers in different countries that are specifically optimized for torrenting to deliver an amazing torrenting experience.
To access the dedicated torrenting servers, tap on the “For torrenting” menu option in the sidebar then select your country.
What’s more interesting?
You’ll get to see each CyberGhost dedicated torrenting server, their physical location(country), their distance from you and their current server load as a percentage…
So if you want better download speeds, you can choose a server that is closer to you and also having less server load.
The VPN app also has a setting that enables you to automatically connect your prefered CyberGhost connection whenever you launch your torrent client.
One important tip about torrenting with CyberGhost… and I learnt this the hard way.
Don’t bypass the dedicated torrenting servers and start torrenting from a normal CyberGhost VPN connection because they will block you.
As I later learned, CyberGhost blocks P2P protocols on certain servers because they slow down other user’s traffic unnecessarily and also because in some countries like Australia, they are forced by the providers to block torrent traffic.
However, if you stick to the list of the dedicated torrent servers that CyberGhost provides, you good.
You’ll enjoy safer torrenting with faster speeds.
Privacy Policy
I know I already said that CyberGhost offers you safe online browsing.
But are you safe… like really?
Let’s review CyberGhost security in terms of their user data logging policy as well as their physical location and jurisdiction.
First of all, CyberGhost is based in Romania, which is NOT part of the 14 Eyes countries that are known to collect and expose sensitive user data.
Apart from that, they also have a clear zero logs policy of user data on their official website.
While CyberGhost will keep data about your email address and payment data if you buy your plan using the standard payment methods, they don’t keep any information about your IP address, connection timestamp or session duration.
In fact, if you don’t want to give them any identifiable information, use a disposable email address during subscription and pay for your plan with cryptocurrencies, like bitcoins… then nobody will ever know who you really are.
What does this mean?
It means CyberGhost VPN does a top notch job of protecting your online activities and keeping your online adventures private.
In addition to that, just in case the Romanian government for whatever reason cracks down on them to provide your user data, they won’t have anything to hand over.
So, there I am sold on their privacy policy 100%.
If you are looking for a VPN that guarantees privacy, CyberGhost we go.
What about encryption, is your info bulletproof against hacking?
Let’s find out.
Encryption
Apart from simply not keeping your user logs, does CyberGhost VPN ensure your info is safely transmitted.
I can’t do a CyberGhost review in 2021 without detailing its encryption protocols and whether they are any good for complete security online.
CyberGhost VPN offers you military grade data encryption that is tamper proof using NSA recommended encryption protocols; IKEv2/IPSec and OpenVPN.
With this kind of data encryption, even if a malicious hacker hijacks your traffic they won’t be able to decrypt and read it.
Note that other CyberGhost reviews still mention that they use PPTP encryption protocol.
This is not the case anymore because CyberGhost dropped this encryption standard in favor of robust and secure IKEv2 and OpenVPN in January, 2021.
All these changes attest to the fact that CyberGhost wants to deliver on their promise of online security.
Some of us were a little concerned, and you should be too, when CyberGhost was acquired by Kape Technologies, an Israeli based ad tech company.
We feared they might introduce some bugs that might compromise security, just like they were accused of introducing malware in their other software bundles.
Besides, the Israeli government, just like the US and China, are very excited about 24/7 citizen surveillance…
However, as of the writing of this CyberGhost review in 2021, there has been nothing out of the ordinary.
They consistently publish their transparency reports that prove this.
So if you are worried that CyberGhost might not offer you the privacy and security you need, then don’t worry about it anymore.
It is safe to use this VPN… for now.
Security Features
What are some additional security features that make CyberGhost stand out as a top VPN service in 2021?
Every VPN service has its special features that make it a darling to different people.
While some VPNs tend to cramp a ton of features into an app that finally make the app slow, CyberGhost tends to have a balance here.
Let’s check out some of the CyberGhost VPNs pros that drew my attention.
Ads & Malware Blocker
Are you sick of these annoying ads that always pop up and start playing, often times videos without audio?
How about YouTube ads that play 10 times on a 5 minute clip? (I’m exaggerating)
Well, CyberGhost has an ad blocking feature in the “Connection features” setting where you can turn it on and off.
One it’s turned on, it will prevent your from being bombarded with ads when you are browsing or streaming.
Apart from the ads blocker, which is one of the pros of CyberGhost, it also has an amazing malware blocker that works similarly.
Here’s how it works.
CyberGhost has a database of all the known malicious and dangerous websites out there that contain viruses, trojans and malware that can harm you.
It therefore filters every website your visit against this database in order to block the malicious ones before they can cause you harm.
You can also turn the malware blocker on/off in the “Connection features” setting.
Dedicated IPs
Does CyberGhost vpn provide dedicated IPs?
Every time you connect to a vpn server you are assigned a new IP address… and this IP address will be dofferent each time you connect to the vpn.
In some instances you need to use the same IP address for example when you need to access your company network remotely or when you need an IP address to connect to your home CCTV feed securely.
This is when you need a dedicated IP.
Luckily, CyberGhost avails dedicated IPs that you can then whitelist for these services but it comes as an addon that you need to pay for separately.
You’ll need to pay an additional $5/month for a dedicated IP.
Kill Switch
It is important to always remember that, while browsing the internet with CyberGhost VPN is safe, this is only guaranteed as long as you are connected to the VPN server.
As soon your connection drops and your VPN app disconnects from the server, your real IP address is revealed and your are not secure anymore.
So, when reviewing the CyberGhost VPN, it is very important to mention whether it has a kill switch or not… and it does have a kill switch.
Its kill switch is what blocks your entire internet access when your connect drops until you reconnect.
This ensures that in any event that your VPN is disconnected, you won’t be able to access the internet.
The kill switch feature, when turned on, works great in CyberGhost as it will ensure you only access the internet when it is secure to do so.
Split Tunneling
Sometimes you need to exempt certain websites or applications from having their traffic channel through your vpn channel.
This could be the case for example when accessing your banking website which often requires you to use the same IP address each time you login or additional identify proof is required.
While most vpns allow you to specify split tunneling on an app by app basis, CyberGhost lets you specify particular websites whose traffic should not be channel through the vpn.
For any of the websites that you specify for vpn exemption, you can only access them using the OpenVPN protocol.
Either way I think it is a great feature.
China
Does CyberGhost vpn work in China?
In countries like China, Iran, Russia, UAE internet access is heavily controlled by the government and certain websites are blocked.
In addition to that, you are not allowed to use a vpn to access this restricted content.
So it requires a vpn to have a very powerful obfuscation technology in order to be able to bypass the deep packet inspection that these firewalls use and access restricted content in these countries.
Unfortunately, while writing this review, CyberGhost vpn does not work in China.
It is still not able to bypass the great firewall of China so if you are looking for a vpn that you can carry with you to China then I don’t recommend CyberGhost.
IPv6, DNS and WebRTC leaks
In order to test if CyberGhost was leaking my IPv6 address, I used ipleak.net and here is a screenshot of the results I found.
From these results it is clear that there were no IPv6, DNS or WebRTC leaks when connected to CyberGhost vpn servers.
Tor Network
Tor, also known as The Onion Router, is a very popular browser among anonymous internet browsing enthusiasts.
Even though Tor can offer you anonymous browsing by bouncing your requests through different proxy servers, the entry node always knows your real IP.
So if you want to take your Tor browsing to the next level, combine it with a VPN.
This way you get to keep your actual IP a secret too.
On the CyberGhost website, there are articles that will help you with setting up CyberGhost VPN to work with Tor.
Even though the Tor browser is generally slow because of the manner in which it operates, it’s the closest thing to complete anonymous browsing.
So, yes, CyberGhost is compatible with Tor and will happily work with it.
HTTPS Redirect
CyberGhost has a feature that when turned on, forces websites to serve https versions of their pages if available.
This automated https redirect feature will therefore ensure you only connect to the most secure pages of a website.
So you won’t accidentally land on and submit sensitive data on fake phishing sites.
Tracking Blocker
Let’s complete this 2021 review of the CyberGhost security features by looking at another interesting functionality it offers.
You already know that most websites track the pages you visit so that they can better serve you with ads.
If you turn on the online tracking blocker in CyberGhost VPN, it’ll be able to scan every website you visit for any tracking code and block them.
So you end up browsing the internet anonymous without being tracked.
Pricing
Okay, so how much does it set you back to use CyberGhost VPN.
Let’s review the CyberGhost pricing plans to see which one works best for you if you are a budget buyer.
Well, first it’s important to note that CyberGhost VPN is not the cheapest VPN service out there… most importantly so for the premium features it offers.
As of this writing CyberGhost VPN claims to have a client base of 36 millions users…
That’s a ton of users… they must really be up to something, aren’t they?
CyberGhost pricing starts from $12.99 a month for the monthly plan. High end VPN services charge $10-$13 per month.
However when you purchase 1, 2 or 3-year plans, billable upfront, the monthly plans get heavily discounted.
For 1 year you’ll pay $5.99/month($71.88), $3.69/month($88.56) for 2 years and $2.75/month($99) for 3 years.
Sometimes different plans come with some amazing extras to sweeten the deal, like a ‘One-time PC clean-up Reimage license.’
But they are only visible once you choose a plan and select a payment method.
So check out each plan before you buy to see if there’s any bundles with it.
Refund Policy
Even for the best services out there, every time there are a few people who are not satisfied by their purchase.
Could be an erroneous purchase, double purchase and some problem installing or operating the product.
Can you get your money back if you buy CyberGhost and realize you don’t like it?
Of course.
Each CyberGhost VPN plan comes with a 45 money back guarantee.
What does this mean?
Well, you have 45 days from purchase to test drive this service and see if it works for you.
If it don’t, just email support and you’ll get your money back… it’s the best way to try a premium service like CyberGhost other than offering a completely free trial and limit functionality.
Payment Options
What options do you have when making your final payment for your CyberGhost VPN subscription?
This is one of the most interesting parts of this CyberGhost review.
First of all, CyberGhost just like most VPNs out there support all the major payment methods and credit cards out there.
But most importantly, you can pay for your CyberGhost subscription plan using cryptocurrencies.
So, combine signing up for CyberGhost with a disposable email address and paying with some bitcoins… complete anonymity.
Nobody gets to know who you are… no identifiable information is shared.
So if you want complete privacy starting from purchase of the VPN all the way to actual usage, then buy a CyberGhost subscription plan right away.
Free trial
What if you would like to try CyberGhost vpn without risking any money upfront, do you get a free trial?
Well currenty CyberGhost currently offers a 24 hour free trial of their service.
You don’t even need working credit card details to activate your trial… all you need is an email address and password when creating an account to use for your login.
However, the free trial is limited to only device and is only available for Windows desktop or Mac.
Also, even though they don’t say it, you are limited to the number of servers you can connect to before you are blockers.
I don’t remember the exact number but I think I had connect to close to 10 servers before I was blocked and asked to upgrate.
Check out the screenshot below that I took of the message I kept receiving.
Basically, it is telling me that I will have to wait for 2,362 people to connect before I can then connect.
It’s great for trying this vpn but there are too many limitations within that 24 hour period.
Supported Devices
You might be looking for a VPN just to use on your notebook.
But more often than not, we access the internet using various devices… talk of your smartphone, notebook, desktop, smart tv, router etc.
Will you need to purchase a separate CyberGhost VPN plan for each of these?
Absolutely NOT.
Just with one subscription to CyberGhost you’ll be able to simultaneously connect up to 7 devices.
By simultaneous I mean, all the 7 devices streaming, downloading or browsing something at the same without a problem.
To make it even more interesting, CyberGhost provides you with apps that you can download and install for almost all of the popular operating systems.
Currently CyberGhost VPN supports Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Android TV, Fire TV, Linux, Chrome and Mozilla browsers.
These apps are also uniquely built, with simplistic user interfaces for greater user experiences.
There are also very comprehensive installation guides on the CyberGhost website for routers, Linux, Raspberry Pi, Synology NAS, VU+ Solo 2, and Chrome OS.
So as you can see, CyberGhost lets you connect to any device out there while also allowing 7 simultaneous connections… that’s great if you have a rather small number of devices for which you need to share your connection.
Customer Support
Let’s finish this 2021 CyberGhost vpn review by talking about the customer support I got from them.
First, the CyberGhost support website has a huge collection of articles and FAQs that will help you with everything from setting up to troubleshooting your apps, plugins and routers.
So if you are the DIY guy, knock yourself out.
That’s excellent. All the articles and guides are assorted by category, so you simply go straight to where you want.
If you don’t see what you want at first glance, simply type it in the search bar and you’ll get a suggestion of related articles.
In addition to the installation guides, CyberGhost also provides support through live chat that enables you to get quick answers to certain questions you might be having.
I was able to get someone to chat and tell me whether a free trial was available… like you can see in the screenshot I took above.
Considering all the other great features and premium functionality like high speed streaming and torrenting that I get with CyberGhost, I think CyberGhost is a great vpn service.
In Conclusion…
Contrary to the popular belief that VPNs will always terribly reduce your internet connection speeds, CyberGhost really amazed me at this.
PROS
- 9,500 servers
- Netfilx, Hulu, Amazon
- Fast speeds
- Torrenting allowed
- Audited zero logs
- Dedicated IP
- Kill switch
- Split tunneling
- Accepts Bitcoins
- Ad blocker
- FREE trial
CONS
- Blocked in China
- Only 7 devices
- App crashes
It is currently one of the top rated VPNs… together with NordVPN and ExpressVPN.
However, its main selling points that I discovered are its ability to deliver great speeds even for distant servers as well as its dedicated servers for torrenting and streaming which make it very secure.
From my experience, every VPN has their strengths and weaknesses…
There pros and cons.
While CyberGhost is a great VPN, one of its cons is that it cannot bypass the great firewall in China.
So if you are thinking of buying a VPN that you could use to access censored sites like Facebook and Twitter while you are in China then forget it… CyberGhost cannot help you with that.
I have instead reviewed other VPNs for China that can help you with that.
Would I recommend CyberGhost VPN?
Absolutely, YES.
If you want to be able to stream Netflix, Hulu, HBO, iPlayer at 4k quality without buffering and not pay an arm and a leg then purchase a plan with CyberGhost.
Streaming | Torrenting | Devices | Price | |
NordVPN | Netflix, Hulu, iPlayer | P2P servers | 6 | $ 3.49/m |
Surfshark | Netflix, Hulu, iPlayer | P2P servers | Unlimited | $ 1.99/m |
ExpressVPN | Netflix, Hulu, iPlayer | All servers | 5 | $ 8.32/m |
You will not regret it.
Have you used CyberGhost VPN before?
Please share your thoughts below about your experience with CyberGhost.