CyberGhost vs NordVPN
CyberGhost and NordVPN are two very popular VPN providers. CyberGhost has over 1.5 million users, while NordVPN has over 12 million users. NordVPN is one of the VPN industry leaders, but CyberGhost has a passionate user base and a reputation for being torrent-friendly. We examine these VPN services in-depth, so you can choose the best VPN for your online needs.
Overall winner
NordVPN
So, which VPN is best, NordVPN vs CyberGhost? Choosing the right VPN provider can be a tough choice. You need the perfect match of the features you require at the right price point. Overall, CyberGhost is cheaper, but NordVPN comes out ahead. It offers you more functionality, better speeds and content unblocking, plus higher security and privacy standards across the board.
You can test drive both VPN services with the money-back guarantee, or even the 24-hour CyberGhost free trial. But, if you’re looking to invest in a VPN, NordVPN provides better value.
Pricing
NordVPN | CyberGhost | |
1-month plan |
$11.95 per month |
$12.99 per month |
1-year plan |
$4.92 per month |
$3.99 per month |
2-year plan |
$3.71 per month |
$3.49 per month |
When looking for a VPN, price isn’t everything. You need to compare the overall price to the features that align with your needs. Plus, you’ll want a flexible plan, so you’re not locked in long-term if you don’t want to be.
NordVPN and CyberGhost offer very similar pricing models and price points. Both are equipped with a money-back guarantee, and both offer one-month, one-year, two-year, and three-year plans.
CyberGhost has a 14-day money-back guarantee on its month-by-month plans and a 45-day money-back guarantee on the lengthier plans, and NordVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on all of its plans. All you have to do is reach out to customer support if you want a refund.
CyberGhost offers more affordable plans across the board, and you’ll save about a dollar per month depending on the plan you choose. You can also add a dedicated IP address to your plan with both CyberGhost and NordVPN.
Winner: Cyberghost
CyberGhost wins this round with cheaper pricing options and a 24-hour free trial, while NordVPN doesn’t offer a free trial in any form. Plus, CyberGhost has a longer money-back guarantee.
Features
NordVPN |
CyberGhost | |
Windows |
Yes |
Yes |
macOS |
Yes |
Yes |
Linux |
Yes |
Yes |
Android |
Yes |
Yes |
iOS |
Yes |
Yes |
Connections |
6 |
7 |
Both CyberGhost and NordVPN are very feature-rich and also have a similar feature set.
NordVPN is compatible with a variety of different platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. Plus, there’s support for Amazon TV and Blackberry as well.
CyberGhost is also compatible with a variety of different platforms, including macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android. It also has support for Raspberry Pi and FireTV.
Both CyberGhost and NordVPN also work well with Chrome and Firefox browsers.
However, a lot of the CyberGhost features don’t work like they’re supposed to.
For example, CyberGhost has an ad-blocking feature, but the ad blocker doesn’t work on HTTPS sites. Since almost every site has HTTPS instead of HTTP, this feature is pretty much useless.
Unlike CyberGhost, NordVPN has an ad blocker that works. The feature is called CyberSec, and it blocks ads on both HTTP and HTTPS, plus it can block malware domain names and even website trackers.
However, one unique feature of CyberGhost that makes it easy to set up is the profile selection. There are several different use cases with configuration settings built-in, like browsing the web or even torrenting. Just choose what you want to use the VPN for, and you’re good to go.
NordVPN is equipped with all kinds of features, here are some of the most useful:
- Double VPN servers. This VPN server setup allows for double protection, which means your traffic is routed through two VPN servers.
- Tor-over-VPN servers. You can combine Tor and the power of a VPN for ultimate privacy.
- Double-hop VPN servers. These servers are designed to help you get the fastest speeds possible.
- Obfuscated servers. These servers can bypass firewall restrictions, including getting around the Great Chinese Firewall.
In terms of simultaneous connections, NordVPN offers 6 connections, while CyberGhost allows you to connect 7 devices simultaneously.
CyberGhost and NordVPN support split-tunneling. However, NordVPN only supports split tunneling on Firefox and Chrome, while CyberGhost supports split tunneling across more applications.
Winner: NordVPN
Both VPNs offer a wide range of features, but NordVPN wins with a better ad blocker and its multiple server configurations.
Security
|
NordVPN |
CyberGhost |
OpenVPN |
Yes |
Yes |
IKEv2 |
Yes |
Yes |
L2TP |
No |
Yes |
PPTP |
No |
Yes |
Kill switch |
Yes |
Yes |
NordVPN and CyberGhost have comparable security features. Both have a kill switch and the ability to connect automatically to the VPN when starting up your computer or devices. This ensures you’re always routing your online activity through a VPN.
Both VPNs utilize AES-256 encryption paired with OpenVPN, which is the most common pairing for security, performance, and ease of use.
CyberGhost supports IPSec/IKEv2, PPTP, and L2TP/IPSec connection protocols. NordVPN also supports IPSec/IKEv2, plus its unique Wireguard protocol.
Wireguard is the latest VPN protocol that uses state-of-the-art cryptography to keep your information secure, plus it’s much faster than any existing protocol.
NordVPN has also made a ton of improvements to its security protocols, like:
- Ongoing security audits. NordVPN works with Versprite, a cybersecurity firm, to conduct ongoing audits of the security standards.
- Infrastructure audits. NordVPN did an entire onsite security audit that examined the existing hardware and software for any security holes.
- Bug bounty program. NordVPN launched a bug bounty program that rewards people for finding vulnerabilities and security risks with the tool.
Winner: NordVPN
Even though NordVPN had a security breach in 2018, it’s taken steps to become one of the most secure providers today. With support for Wireguard protocol and its commitment to independent security auditing, it comes out ahead.
Speed & servers
NordVPN |
CyberGhost | |
Servers |
5500+ |
6000+ |
Countries |
59 |
88 |
Which is faster, NordVPN, or CyberGhost VPN? It can be difficult to answer this question because there are a variety of factors that influence your connection speed.
For example, you have the location of the VPN server, the speed of your wi-fi connection, your router, your physical location, and much more.
In general, NordVPN tends to outperform CyberGhost in most speed tests. NordVPN offers greater bandwidth and download speeds as well.
But, one thing that CyberGhost does do great with is ping time, which means it could be a solid VPN choice for gaming.
In terms of the number of servers, both CyberGhost and NordVPN have a similar server network of 5,000+ servers. CyberGhost has a wider distribution across 80 different countries, while NordVPN only has servers in 62 different countries.
Both VPNs also have server locations that most VPNs don’t. For example, CyberGhost has servers in Kenya, Colombia, Pakistan, and more. While, NordVPN has servers in Cyprus, Latvia, Egypt, and more.
Winner: NordVPN
Although CyberGhost has a larger server network, NordVPN pushes out ahead with its faster speeds.
Privacy
NordVPN |
CyberGhost | |
Location |
Panama |
Romania |
Zero-logs policy? |
Yes |
Yes |
Cryptocurrency |
Yes |
Yes |
The goal of a VPN is to keep your online activity private from your ISP and government. When using a VPN, your online browsing should be completely anonymous. As a result, the VPN you use needs to have zero DNS leaks of user information, plus a no-logs policy.
In some countries, VPN service providers are required to keep logs of user information, so your information isn’t really private.
Luckily, you won’t have to worry about that with these VPN providers because both CyberGhost and NordVPN have a zero logs policy. This means there’s no record of your connection logs or your online activity. No information will be recorded or stored on their servers. However, CyberGhost does save some information regarding your connection, so it’s not entirely private.
CyberGhost is based in Romania, and NordVPN is based in Panama. Neither of these countries is required by the government to keep logs. However, the parent company that owns CyberGhost has been known for producing and distributing malware in the past, so this greatly diminishes trust.
NordVPN also has its zero-log policy audited by an independent third party, which is pretty rare in the VPN space.
Regarding leak protection, NordVPN and CyberGhost will protect you with built-in leak protection.
Finally, both VPN providers give you the ability to pay with a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin via BitPay, for a completely anonymous transaction.
Winner: NordVPN
NordVPN wins the privacy round, with its clear zero-logs policy and better commitment to maintaining its user’s privacy.
Content unblocking
NordVPN |
CyberGhost | |
Netflix |
Yes |
Yes |
BBC iPlayer |
Yes |
Yes |
Hulu |
Yes |
Yes |
Amazon Prime |
Yes |
Yes |
Torrenting |
Yes |
Yes |
China |
Yes |
No |
NordVPN does a great job of unblocking Netflix across the globe, including the US, Canada, Australia, and many other Netflix-specific regions. It also unblocks other streaming services, including Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer. NordVPN also has great functionality to get around content geo-restrictions across the globe.
CyberGhost has the ability to connect to the UK or US Netflix, however, users have reported issues with Netflix being blocked. It can also unblock Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO, and many more.
CyberGhost also has servers that are dedicated for streaming purposes, however, you can also use the standard servers. The streaming speeds when using the non-streaming servers were much slower for Hulu and Amazon Prime Video.
If you’re trying to get around the Great Chinese Firewall, then you’ll want to go with NordVPN since CyberGhost doesn’t have any workaround for the Chinese Firewall.
Winner: NordVPN
NordVPN is superior at unblocking streaming networks, including geo-restrictions across the globe. Plus, it can get around the Great Chinese Firewall.