CyberGhost VPN – Review
On the other hand, CyberGhost offers a VPN service based on over 7,800 servers located in 91 countries, many of which also allow torrent downloads (an aspect not always guaranteed by sector providers), through apps that embrace the most used platforms, such as Windows, Mac, iOS and Android.
One of the most interesting aspects is also the possibility of connecting up to 7 devices simultaneously, another rather rare feature among VPNs, which travel on average 5 devices at a time (with the exception of Surfshark , the whose aggressive policy is also reflected in unlimited connections), so if you have a large family or need to use multiple devices at the same time, this VPN gives you plenty of leeway.
Read also: The best VPNs of 2022 Another rather unusual element is the possibility of purchasing dedicated IPs by paying a little extra on the chosen subscription. In this way, you will be sure to always use the same IP, unique and exclusively yours, every time you decide to use the service.
This is an important advantage if you need to access networks that impose IP-based restrictions, typically in corporate settings. Furthermore, another aspect that should not be underestimated is that it will be less likely to end up on the block lists of streaming platforms such as Netflix , Amazon Prime Video or Disney + , which implement measures of this type precisely to counter the use of VPNs. The fact is, using a pool of common IPs, it can always happen that a user ends up on a blacklist due to their online behavior, as a result you could end up using a compromised IP address. Using one 100% yours and nobody else's, therefore, you will avoid this eventuality.
Of course, the downside is a fixed IP address will make you more recognizable, but luckily, with CyberGhost you have the possibility to switch from a default to a dynamic IP on the fly, to differentiate your use cases.
CyberGhost VPN – Plans and Pricing
CyberGhost VPN is one of those providers who decided to offer the user a certain choice in terms of plans. Of course, as often happens, the convenience lies in the longer-term plans, however, considering the monthly price of the multi-year plans against a fairly above average monthly rate, it could be a good investment.A Another unusual aspect compared to other VPNs is that CyberGhost offers a 45-day money-back guarantee, compared to 30 offered by the competition, which is another reason why it might be worth getting a plan.
Here are the plans CyberGhost VPN Rate Lists :
1 month | €11.99 with a single billing for 6 months | €6.99 per month with a single annual billing for 2 years | €2.03 per month with a single two-year billing + 4 months (time-limited offer) By adding €1.15 more per month, you will also get an antivirus created in collaboration with Intego and Security Updater, which manages security updates to maintain your Windows PC is always protected.
Multi-year plans currently include access to CyberGhost ID Guard and Privacy Guard , two security features that monitor for any breaches involving your identity and keep your your privacy, as well as exclusive discounts for the purchase of a dedicated IP and a password manager.
» Click here to check all VPN offers
Privacy
Unlike other providers, Cyberghost VPN treats the issue of the no-log policy very explicitly, putting on paper the fact that the company does not keep track of traffic data and browsing history, as well as other information that may was traced back to the user.
In the terms of service, the company claims that it doesn't even know the source IPs of the users of the service, among other things, however there is no independent audit to confirm such declarations.
Yes, because, at least to date, Cyberghost has never turned to an external agency to validate the effectiveness of its no-log policy, limiting itself to having created a transparency report (English language only), in which it shares various information, including legal requests received.
The company claims that it is not subject to data retention obligations from Romania, the country in which it is based Consequently, Cyberghost could not provide them even in the face of legally binding requests.
Therefore it will be up to the user to decide whether to believe in the truthfulness of the company or not, in any case we have made some small checks, such as verifying any DNS leaks via IPLeak.net , all with esi to negative, so we didn't find any problems.
Performance
One of the first things you can do to test a VPN service is to conduct speed test. In our case, we tested a few locations in the US and UK via SpeedTest's command line and then switched to the web counterpart, but there are other sites we can recommend, such as nPerf.com and SpeedOf.me (which we also use). in the tests).
To obtain relevant results, it is necessary to test each site several times, trying the different protocols and comparing them with each other. To obtain more precise data, then, it is advisable to repeat the test sessions in the morning and in the evening, to take into account the different traffic volumes (probably, in the morning the users are at work or at school, while in the evening the traffic increases towards streaming services and online gaming).
These, broadly speaking, are how we test VPNs, and in the case of CyberGhost, we saw these results, over 1 Gbps connections:
WireGuard : about 660 Mbps in UK and 840 Mbps in USA. OpenVPN : about 360 Mbps in UK
Streaming services and other features
It's no secret that unblocking streaming services can get complicated lately. Some providers, such as Netflix, have waged open war on VPNs, giving developers a lot of trouble as they always have to update apps to get around regional blocks.
This is especially true for Netflix's US catalog , and many VPNs fail to unblock it. Fortunately, Cyberghost is not among them: in fact, the app offers a tab dedicated to streaming, accessible from the list of server locations, where you will find remote machines specially configured for accessing Netflix, iPlayer, Hulu, Prime Video, Disney Plus, HBO Max and, of course, Netflix.
We had no problems accessing the international catalogs of these services, which is extremely good for those looking for a VPN mainly for streaming.
Torrents
Moving on to another aspect, P2P and torrent downloading are not always supported by VPNs. Even in this case, however, Cyberghost offers some servers that support peer-to-peer: not all, mind you, but the company is very transparent, indicating on the site that some servers had to disable P2P support for strategic or legal.In any case, always in the list of servers, you will find another tab dedicated to downloading torrents, so you don't have to manually search for compatible servers.
Configuration and apps
The configuration of the app is simple and straightforward, the installer for Windows is small and compact and, in general, all the apps are quite user-friendly.Sadly, the same cannot be said about configuring OpenVPN on the router, with a procedure that is a little too cumbersome for our tastes. In fact, you need to log into your account, add the target device profile, choose the required features, such as malware protection and ad blocking, choose between TCP and UDP protocol, destination country and other steps that require you to write down a custom server name, username and password, as well as a download of a compressed archive containing the OVPN file and certificates. In short, not exactly a fast thing, even if it has the advantage of giving the user complete control of the connection, with greater safety margins.
As we said, the apps are functional and simple. The Windows client is light and uncluttered, with clear indications of connection status, you can control different aspects, such as client startup rules and exceptions, i.e. sites that shouldn't go through the VPN tunnel. Overall, it's rare to see so many options on a VPN client, and while they might be a bit overwhelming for beginners, more outside experts will appreciate the fine-grained control of their VPN.
The the Mac counterpart, unfortunately, does not offer all the features of the Windows version, and even if the great configurability of the aforementioned client is also missing, the app for macOS is still functional and simple to use, just a pity the lack of options relating to exceptions.
The mobile apps, on the other hand, prove to be quite interesting, in contrast to other VPNs whose iOS and Android apps are too often underpowered. In the case of Cyberghost, the mobile applications offer different features of the desktop versions, such as the ability to use random ports, block certain content and, above all, activate split tunneling , a technology that allows you to choose which apps should use the VPN and which are not, all with a few simple steps.
Too bad, however, that the kill switch is not available, i.e. the mechanism that completely interrupts the connection in the event of problems on the VPN such as service interruptions or crashes of the client.
Due to the restrictions imposed by Apple, then, the iOS app offers a few fewer functions than the Android version, in any case, it is also extremely easy to use and equipped with useful tools , including the ability to set up the IKEv2 or WireGuard protocol, but not OpenVPN, or automatic connection to unsecured or user-defined networks.
Support
Also CyberGhost, like others VPN services, offers a knowledge base, unfortunately a bit elementary and not always useful. Sometimes, the search engine seems not to be too smart and, in general, the articles seem a bit dated.Thankfully, however, the live chat assistance proved to be up to par , we were able to speak quickly with an operator who was able to help us even by answering rather technical questions. So, in case of problems, there is at least one communication channel you can rely on without too many problems.
Verdict
CyberGhost is a decidedly interesting VPN, with excellent speeds and simple but highly configurable. Today, unblocking streaming services is becoming quite difficult, but CyberGhost VPN is coping admirably.Sure, the lack of independent audits could be a little confusing, but to date there is no indication that the service is not reliable or transparent to users.
Considering the great subscription plans, the various extras included with multi-year subscriptions and the 45-day money-back guarantee, it might be worth a try .
» Click here to subscribe to CyberGhost VPN
