CyberGhost VPN Review 2026: A Reliable Pick for Streaming and Beginners
CyberGhost provided competitive speeds when we connected to local servers, but long-distance performance lagged behind top competitors significantly.
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Last Updated on Aug 05, 2026
What We Like
- Dedicated streaming servers: In our tests, CyberGhost’s specific servers labeled for Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video reliably bypassed each service’s VPN blockers, with no trial and error required.
- Romania-based jurisdiction: CyberGhost is headquartered outside of the Five, Nine and Fourteen Eyes data sharing alliance. That prevents foreign governments from requiring CyberGhost to turn over data.
- Generous refund window: The 45-day money-back guarantee on plans of six months or longer is one of the most generous in the industry.
What We Don't Like
- Sluggish long-distance speeds: When connecting to servers in Australia and South Africa, our download speeds dropped by more than 55 percent. That's noticeably slower than NordVPN and Surfshark for long-distance connections.
- Kape Technologies ownership: CyberGhost is owned by Kape Technologies, which also owns ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access. Each brand operates independently, but it’s worth knowing if ownership transparency matters to you.
- Seven simultaneous connections: Most competitors offer at least ten simultaneous connections, with some offering unlimited, at a comparable price.
Bottom Line
the security.brief
Our cybersecurity experts tested CyberGhost’s streaming servers and found they reliably bypassed geo-restricted content, making it great for beginners.
CyberGhost is built around a simple idea: anyone can use it without reading a manual. It’s owned by Kape Technologies, the same parent company behind ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access, though each brand operates independently. For most everyday users, it delivers, with over 11,500 servers across 100+ countries. For power users who need multi-hop connections, consistent long-distance speeds, or a built-in threat blocker, it falls short.
We ran hands-on tests of CyberGhost on Windows, macOS, and Android devices to assess its speeds, ability to access streaming sites, DNS and IP Leak prevention, and kill switch reliability. Here’s how it stacks up against the best VPNs on the market.
Did You Know: The global VPN market was valued at $88.96 billion in 2025.1 Further, a 2023 Pew Research Center survey found that 73 percent of U.S. adults are concerned about how companies use their personal data.2 Those two stats show that tools like CyberGhost have never been more relevant
What We Tested
For this review, we tested CyberGhost’s performance in several key areas. We also verified that mission-critical features like the kill switch and streaming unblocking work. Here’s exactly what we cover in the review:
- Speed tests: We ran 50 speed tests across five server locations, both nearby and long-distance, and compared the results against our baseline connection speed to see CyberGhost’s impact.
- DNS and IP leak tests: We connected to multiple servers and verified that neither our real IP address nor DNS requests leaked outside the VPN tunnel.
- Kill switch: To confirm the kill switch would cut our internet traffic immediately and consistently, we manually disrupted the VPN connection 10 times.
- Streaming access: Using both standard and dedicated streaming servers, we tested how reliably CyberGhost could bypass VPN blockers of popular streaming sites including Netflix US, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime Video.
- App usability: We evaluated the setup process, navigation, and day-to-day use across Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS.
Expert Note: CyberGhost is a great streaming VPN with dedicated streaming servers. Unlike some VPNs that route all traffic through the same server pool, CyberGhost labels specific servers for individual streaming platforms. Finding a working connection during testing was much faster and didn’t require cycling through servers hoping one sticks.
Speed and Performance
So what’s included in a CyberGhost subscription? A comprehensive set of features, based on our testing. The specific features may vary depending on your device – for instance, split tunneling is available for Windows and Android, but not for macOS or iOS. All in all, though, these are the features you can expect from CyberGhost.
| Server Location | Avg. Download Speed | Avg. Upload Speed | Download Speed Reduction | Upload Speed Reduction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline (no VPN) | 94.0 Mbps | 91.0 Mbps | — | — |
| Nearby (US East) | 76.4 Mbps | 68.1 Mbps | ~19% | ~25% |
| Mid-distance (UK) | 61.3 Mbps | 54.7 Mbps | ~35% | ~40% |
| Long-distance (Australia) | 41.2 Mbps | 34.9 Mbps | ~56% | ~62% |
| Long-distance (South Africa) | 38.7 Mbps | 31.4 Mbps | ~59% | ~65% |
The nearby server numbers are perfectly usable for streaming, browsing, and casual downloads. We were able to stream 4K videos without buffering, and video uploads to our YouTube channel went like normal. That said, the long-distance drop is hard to ignore, especially if you regularly connect to servers in the Asia-Pacific or Southern Hemisphere regions. NordVPN and Surfshark — two of the fastest VPNs we’ve tested — both maintained download speeds above 60 Mbps on Australia and South Africa servers.
Latency averaged 44ms on nearby servers, which is fine for streaming and general use. It’s even usable as a gaming VPN. On long-distance servers, however, latency climbed above 180ms, which rules out CyberGhost for competitive gaming on those connections. That said, this latency jump is common with most VPN providers.
Testing Note: We ran all VPN speed tests 10 times per location and averaged the results to calculate the speed reduction percentage. Results reflect WireGuard protocol performance on a 94 Mbps baseline connection.
Privacy and Security
CyberGhost is headquartered in Bucharest, Romania, which sits outside both the Five, Nine and Fourteen Eyes intelligence-sharing alliances. That means outside nations can’t require CyberGhost to hand over data. Romania itself also does not compel VPN providers to log or hand over user data in the same way that US or UK law can. For users concerned with government-level surveillance, that’s a meaningful advantage over providers based in surveillance-friendly countries.
Additionally, CyberGhost is a no-logs VPN. The company claims it does not store records of your IP address, browsing history, connection timestamps, or bandwidth usage. That policy has been independently audited by Deloitte, most recently in 2025. We like that the last audit was recent, but we prefer annual audits, like NordVPN provides. Still, getting audited by a major cybersecurity firm is a meaningful credibility signal.
Leak Tests
On the more technical side of CyberGhost, our DNS and IP leak tests confirmed leak-free VPN operation. CyberGhost performed cleanly across all five server locations we tested. No real IP address or DNS requests escaped the VPN tunnel. The kill switch also worked as expected every time, cutting our internet traffic immediately when we manually dropped the VPN connection. We ran the kill switch test 10 times, and it worked every time.
>> Try It Out: Our Free DNS Leak Test Tool
Encryption and VPN Protocols
CyberGhost supports AES-256 and ChaCha20 for encryption, depending on the VPN protocol you choose. All three major protocols — WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 — are offered. In our tests, WireGuard proved to be the most balanced. It uses ChaCha20 for encryption, and speeds were fastest on desktop and mobile. It’s the protocol we used when we ran our VPN speed tests.
We’d also like to call out CyberGhost’s NoSpy servers, a premium subset of servers operated exclusively by CyberGhost’s own team in Romania. They’re not hosted in third-party data centers, making them a genuine privacy upgrade worth using on sensitive connections.
Privacy Note: CyberGhost is owned by Kape Technologies, a British-Israeli holding company that also owns ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access.3 Each brand runs its own audits and operates independently. But if your threat model requires you to avoid entities with connections to multiple VPN products, consider an independently owned provider like Proton VPN instead.
Features
It’s worth noting that CyberGhost’s feature set isn’t the most extensive, especially compared to heavy-hitters like NordVPN and Surfshark that offer multiple cybersecurity tools. CyberGhost keeps things simple, but it does cover the critical features everyday VPN users look for. Here are some of the features that stood out during our tests:
- Dedicated streaming and torrenting servers: The app has labeled servers for Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and major torrent use cases. In our tests, these servers worked reliably on the first try for all four platforms, proving the worth of having dedicated streaming servers.
- NoSpy servers: These are servers operated exclusively by CyberGhost in Romania, making them more privacy-focused than servers in data centers. They’re worth using if privacy is your main concern, especially since they didn’t cause any noticeable slowdowns during our tests.
- Smart Rules: In the app, you can set automatic behaviors, such as launching CyberGhost when you connect to a specific Wi-Fi network or enabling the VPN at system startup. It’s a useful feature for building consistent privacy habits without having to think about it.
- Split tunneling: Available on Windows and Android, split tunneling is a common VPN feature that lets you route specific apps outside the VPN while keeping the rest of your traffic protected. This is useful if you have apps or websites that block all VPN connections.
Missing features are also worth pointing out. For example, CyberGhost doesn’t support multi-hop routing, which is when a VPN routes traffic through multiple servers (usually two) for extra privacy. It’s not an everyday feature — it slows the connection down significantly — but it might come in handy for tasks that require extra confidentiality.
We were also surprised that it does not have a built-in ad blocker or malware blocker, features that have become more common in VPNs in recent years. Additionally, CyberGhost only supports seven simultaneous connections. Most competitors, like NordVPN, offer a 10-device limit. Surfshark and Private Internet Access even support unlimited devices.
We don’t think those limitations are deal-breakers, but they’re worth noting. Check out our list of the best cheap VPNs for alternatives that offer services at a similar price without those drawbacks.
User Experience
CyberGhost’s apps are among the most beginner-friendly we’ve tested. On Windows, the home screen opens to a large connect button, your current server location, and a clean server list sorted by country. We connected to a US East server in under ten seconds on first launch, with no configuration required. We also found the dedicated streaming servers list easy to use. The servers are listed by platform name rather than server address, which removes most of the guesswork when setting up a VPN for Netflix or BBC iPlayer specifically.
On macOS, the experience was nearly identical, though we noticed the Smart Rules feature (which lets you auto-launch the VPN on specific networks) was easier to find on Windows than on Mac. On both platforms, switching between the WireGuard and OpenVPN protocols took about four seconds without dropping our connection during the swap.
The Android app was the smoothest of the four platforms we tested. Protocol switching was instant, and when we forced a disconnect by toggling airplane mode, the kill switch cut traffic within two seconds on all four tests. The iOS app performed similarly but took slightly longer to reconnect after an interruption, averaging around eight seconds across five tests compared to five seconds on Android. Also, the iOS app lacks split tunneling.
Pricing
When it comes to pricing, CyberGhost is generally affordable with rates starting at about $2 per month. That’s if you’re ready to pay for two years upfront; otherwise, the monthly and six-month plans cost more. Considering CyberGhost offers a 45-day money-back guarantee, we think the two-year plan is well worth it. Just note that renewal rates are higher than introductory prices, as is standard for the industry.
| Plan | Monthly Rate | Billed As | Money-Back Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-Year Plan | $2.19/mo | $56.94 for 2 years | 45 days |
| 6-Month Plan | $6.99/mo | $41.94 every 6 months | 45 days |
| Monthly Plan | $12.99/mo | $12.99 for one month | 14 days |
All plans include the full feature set, with no stripped-down entry tier. The two-year plan offers the best value, but promotional rates can vary, so check CyberGhost’s website for current pricing. If you’re not ready to commit, see our picks for the best free VPNs as a starting point.
Pricing Note: CyberGhost’s introductory two-year rate is one of the most competitive in the industry, but renewal pricing doubles your rate. Mark your renewal date and check whether resubscribing as a new customer is cheaper than auto-renewing. With most VPN providers, it is.
How CyberGhost Compares to the Top VPNs
CyberGhost holds up well as a mid-tier option, but it trails our top picks in a few key areas. Here’s how it stacks up against NordVPN and Surfshark, the two VPNs we recommend most often. For a deeper look at either, see our NordVPN review and Surfshark review.
| Feature | CyberGhost | NordVPN | Surfshark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (2-yr plan) | $2.19/mo | $3.49/mo | $2.49/mo |
| Server count | 11,500+ in 100+ countries | 9,000+ in 167+ countries | 4,500+ in 100 countries |
| Nearby download speed | 76.4 Mbps | 88.2 Mbps | 85.7 Mbps |
| Long-distance speed drop | ~55-59% | ~18-22% | ~20-25% |
| No-logs audit | Yes (Deloitte, 2025) | Yes (annual) | Yes (annual) |
| Simultaneous connections | 7 | 10 | Unlimited |
| Multi-hop / double VPN | No | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in threat blocker | No | Yes | Yes |
| Dedicated streaming servers | Yes | No | No |
| Money-back guarantee | 45 days | 30 days | 30 days |
CyberGhost’s dedicated streaming servers and 45-day refund window stand out as genuine advantages. However, our testing shows that NordVPN and Surfshark offer better speed, audit frequency, device limits, and advanced features. If streaming is your primary use case and you’re new to VPNs, CyberGhost is a reasonable pick. For most other users, our top picks are worth the slight price difference.
>> Compare: CyberGhost vs. NordVPN
Our Verdict: Who Is CyberGhost For?
CyberGhost is best suited for users who want a reliable, easy-to-use VPN primarily for streaming and general privacy. It doesn’t have advanced features like multi-hop or a built-in threat blocker, but that makes it easier to use. That’s why we recommend it for VPN beginners – the apps are well-designed, setup is quick, and the labeled streaming servers save a lot of time and guesswork.
That being said, if you’re an experienced user who needs consistently fast speeds across all server locations or more robust privacy tools, there are stronger options available. NordVPN, Surfshark, and Proton VPN all offer more in those regards. CyberGhost holds its own for everyday use and is priced fairly for what it delivers, but it’s not a particularly advanced VPN.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is CyberGhost a good VPN?
CyberGhost is a good VPN for casual users who prioritize streaming access and ease of use. It has a large server network, dedicated streaming servers that reliably unblock Netflix, Disney+, and BBC iPlayer, and beginner-friendly apps across all major platforms. It falls short of top-tier picks like NordVPN on long-distance speed and advanced features, but for everyday privacy and streaming it performs well.
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Is CyberGhost safe to use?
Yes. CyberGhost uses AES-256 encryption, has a no-logs policy independently audited by Deloitte, and is based in Romania, a jurisdiction outside the Five, Nine and Fourteen Eyes intelligence-sharing alliances. In our testing, it passed all DNS and IP leak tests and the kill switch worked consistently. The one caveat worth knowing is that CyberGhost is owned by Kape Technologies, which also owns ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access. The brands operate independently, but users with strict privacy requirements may prefer an independently owned provider like Proton VPN.
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How fast is CyberGhost?
On nearby servers, CyberGhost reduced our baseline speeds by about 19 percent, which is competitive with most mid-tier VPNs. On long-distance servers, specifically Australia and South Africa in our tests, speeds dropped significantly by more than 55 percent. For streaming and everyday browsing on nearby servers, the speeds are more than adequate. For users who regularly connect to distant server locations, we suggest picking something else.
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Does CyberGhost work with Netflix?
Yes. CyberGhost has dedicated servers specifically labeled for Netflix US, and in our testing it unblocked Netflix reliably on the first try. It also successfully unblocked Disney+, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime Video using their respective dedicated streaming servers. Results can vary over time as streaming services update their VPN detection, but CyberGhost’s dedicated streaming servers tend to be more reliable than generic servers.
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How much does CyberGhost cost?
CyberGhost’s two-year plan starts at $2.19 per month, making it one of the more affordable premium VPNs available. The six-month plan runs $6.99 per month and the monthly plan is $12.99 per month. All plans include the full feature set including dedicated streaming servers and NoSpy server access. The six-month and two-year plans come with a 45-day money-back guarantee. Keep in mind that renewal rates for two-year plans are double that of the introductory price.
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Precedence Research. (2025). Virtual Private Network (VPN) Market Size, Share and Forecast to 2034. https://www.precedenceresearch.com/virtual-private-network-market
- Pew Research Center. (2023). How Americans View Data Privacy. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/10/PI_2023.10.18_Data-Privacy_FINAL.pdf
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Bloomberg. (2021). Kape Technologies Agrees to Buy ExpressVPN for $936 Million. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-13/kape-technologies-agrees-to-buy-expressvpn-for-936-million
