CyberGhost VPN Review [2022]: Is It Safe, Fast + Easy to Use?

CyberGhost VPN is very user-friendly with 7,700+ servers across 90+ countries. In my tests, experienced a speed drop of 30% on average.

It has high-quality security features and a strict privacy policy. You can also connect up to seven simultaneous accounts.

CyberGhost excels at streaming. It has 50+ dedicated streaming server locations in 10 countries. These servers are optimized for streaming streaming apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and BBC iPlayer. My tests showed that CyberGhost’s streaming servers were able to access both the most popular and lesser-known streaming sites.

CyberGhost has industry-standard security features, such as 256-bit AES encryption or a kill switch.

• Servers that are highly secure and optimized for speed.
• Dedicated peer-to-peer (P2P) servers.
• Gaming servers dedicated to
• Smart Rules for customizing your CyberGhost VPN App.
• Ad blocking.
• and many more…

CyberGhost’s parent company has been criticized for poor security practices in the past. However, fears that CyberGhost might be unsafe are unfounded. CyberGhost has a strict no logs policy and protects user data from hackers and leaks. It has also consistently maintained the highest standards in privacy and security.

There are many things I love about CyberGhost VPN. However, CyberGhost won’t work in countries like Iran or China that have strict internet restrictions. CyberGhost VPN’s advertising blocker is also in need of improvement. During my tests, it was not able to block ads from a wide variety of websites.

Despite these issues, CyberGhost VPN remains a great VPN to stream, torrent, and browse the web in 2022. The 3-year subscription plan is very reasonable.

CyberGhost VPN offers subscriptions for one month, six months and two years. This plan often includes an additional 3 months of free service. Both the 6-month and 2-year plans come with a generous 45-day guarantee. The 1-month plan comes with a 14-day guarantee.

CyberGhost VPN Full Review

CyberGhost VPN was one of my top choices. I stress-tested all its features for several weeks to determine if it is truly one of the best VPNs available.Although there have been criticisms of CyberGhost’s parent company in the past, and there are some VPN reviewers who didn’t do their research, CyberGhost has always been strong in how it handles users privacy (and its architecture was independently audited multiple times).

CyberGhost is a great VPN. It’s easy to use, has tons of functionality, can work with most streaming services, and it really performs well.

CyberGhost VPN Features

CyberGhost VPN offers all the security features that I would expect from a premium VPN.

• 256 bit AES encryption — often called “military grade” encryption.
• Kill switch— Cuts internet connection if VPN connection is lost.
• No logs policy — does not record browsing or connection data.

CyberGhost lets you connect to up to seven devices simultaneously, which is more than the top rivals like TunnelBear and ExpressVPN (both only allow 5 devices). If you have more than 7 devices to connect, you should consider Private Internet Access (10 devices), ProtonVPN (10) or VyprVPN (30) or IPVanish (10 simultaneous connections).

CyberGhost VPN supports three VPN protocols – OpenVPN and IKEv2 as well as WireGuard. Some of these protocols don’t work with some apps. OpenVPN and IKEv2 are not available for Android. Tunnelblick is a third-party application that allows you to add OpenVPN to macOS. This can be difficult for non-technical users.

CyberGhost VPN provides built-in protection against DNS, WebRTC and IPv4 leaks. CyberGhost does not support IPv6, so traffic that uses this protocol will be susceptible to leaks. CyberGhost does not support IPv6 so it is unnecessary to worry.

CyberGhost has many additional features.

Split-tunneling

The Android version of CyberGhost VPN has split tunnelling (known as App Split Tunnel). This feature allows you to choose which apps will be routed through the VPN and which apps will be sent through your local network.CyberGhost’s split tunnelling feature was tested by me removing my mobile banking app from the VPN connection and routing all other apps through it. It worked perfectly as I expected. CyberGhost’s split tunnelling feature was flawless. It worked with both my VPN-connected and normal internet apps.

CyberGhost VPN’s Android split tunnelling is very similar to ExpressVPN, which also allows you exclude apps. ProtonVPN’s split tunneling tool is better for me. It allows you to exclude apps and IP addresses. You can also get the IP address of any website which allows you to exclude them from the VPN tunnel.

Although CyberGhost VPN does not offer split-tunneling, the “Smart Rules” section has a Exceptions tool that allows you to select which websites you do not want to be routed through the VPN. This feature was tested by me. I removed Netflix from my test network and saw a faster connection speed while watching Netflix content.

CyberGhost VPN’s split tunneling feature for Android allows you to route certain apps through your local network. However, I would love to see CyberGhost VPN include a fully-featured split tunneling tool to work with Windows instead of just using the exceptions function.

Smart Rules

CyberGhost’s Smart Rules feature, which is only available on Mac and Windows, allows you to personalize your VPN preferences. It is very easy to change CyberGhost’s settings. All you need to do to activate or disable a function is to toggle a button. There are four categories of Smart Rules that offer different options for setting up privacy and security functions.

• CyberGhost launch guidelines. After connecting to CyberGhost, you can choose to open an app (e.g. email or social media) that will automatically open.
• Wi-Fi protection. CyberGhost VPN lets you choose whether to launch the VPN connection when connecting to a secured, unsecure, or saved Wi Fi network.
• Exclusions. To make exceptions, you will need OpenVPN.
• App rules. You can set CyberGhost up to connect automatically to a server whenever you open an app.

While there are many VPNs that allow you to disable/enable certain functions manually, I don’t know any VPN that offers as much control as CyberGhost’s Smart Rules.

NoSpy Servers

CyberGhost’s NoSpy servers offer more security and speed than CyberGhost’s regular server.

CyberGhost says that NoSpy servers are made with premium hardware, and have a dedicated link. This makes them much faster than other servers. These NoSpy server have an extended bandwidth that is ideal for large file uploads and downloads.

CyberGhost VPN headquarters in Romania houses NoSpy server. CyberGhost created the servers and CyberGhost staff operate them. This makes them less vulnerable to attack than remote servers.

CyberGhost VPN’s NoSpy servers provide an additional layer of security and are optimized for speed. I tested CyberGhost VPN NoSpy servers and experienced faster speeds than when I connected via CyberGhost torrenting or streaming servers.

Overall CyberGhost VPN’s NoSpy Servers are a nice bonus to yearly payment plans. They provide faster speeds, better security, and even more speed than CyberGhost VPN’s server speeds.

My ID Guard

CyberGhost’s My ID Guard alerts you if you have your email address or passwords leaked to the dark web – allowing for you to modify your compromised credentials and protect online accounts. You can also use the basic password generator to help you create stronger passwords.My ID Guard is powered in part by “Have I been Pwned?” – and while I appreciate CyberGhost’s built-in dark Web monitoring, there are better options for protecting your passwords online. Dashlane comes with a password security dashboard and live dark web monitoring (with Dashlane agents monitoring dark web in realtime) and many other features to ensure that your passwords and online accounts remain as secure as possible.

However, if you don’t want a password manager or are comfortable with basic dark-web monitoring, MyID Guard can be a great bonus. It will allow you to see if your passwords and email have been compromised.

Content Blocker

CyberGhost VPN’s Content Blocker is designed to block both malicious and phishing websites as well as online ads.CyberGhost VPN’s Ad Blocker was not able to block ads from multiple websites.

CyberGhost, on the other hand warned me about malicious websites that Chrome did not flag as potentially hazardous. CyberGhost will alert you only if you visit a dangerous site. It won’t prevent you from downloading malware to your computer. You should be concerned about malware and I recommend you get a good internet security suite such as McAfee Total Security or Norton 360.

CyberGhost VPN’s Ad Blocker doesn’t block ads as well as ProtonVPN NetShield which blocked most ads on sites I visited. CyberGhost’s Content Blocker still detects phishing websites.

CyberGhost VPN Privacy & Security

CyberGhost VPN adheres to a strict no-logs policy. CyberGhost does not store any records about your IP address, connection timestamps, browsing history or files you downloaded.

CyberGhost VPN collects standard information like all VPNs, such as your email address and your payment details. However, this information is only used to process payments and communicate with you (e.g. to send you updates or reset your password).

CyberGhost’s website provides a brief summary of their privacy policy, which I find much more appealing than the full-length. However, the full-length version is far too lengthy and complicated. I would prefer to see the privacy policy written in a simpler format (like TunnelBear).

CyberGhost VPN is located in Romania. It doesn’t have any data-retention laws, and it’s not in the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances (a grouping of countries that share intelligence information).

Every 3 months, CyberGhost VPN publishes an transparency report that lists all requests for user information it has received from government agencies and law enforcement. It also shows how it declined to comply with every request. Although I appreciate the fact that CyberGhost VPN publishes a quarterly transparency report, I am not happy that it hasn’t been independently audited like premium VPNs such as ExpressVPN.

CyberGhost VPN has a comprehensive policy of no logs. It is not part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances and publishes transparency reports that document its refusal to comply with user data requests.

CyberGhost VPN Speed & Performance

Speed tests of CyberGhost VPN servers were conducted by me. Most had extremely fast speeds for streaming, gaming and general browsing.

The fastest speeds I experienced were when connected to a US server (my location). CyberGhost VPN maintained excellent speeds when I connected to a server in England. What surprised me most was the fact that I also had good speeds when connecting to distant countries like Australia.

I conducted a speed test without being connected to CyberGhost VPN servers in order to establish a baseline internet speed.

Next, I connected using CyberGhost’s Fast Connect feature. The speed of my downloads dropped to 4%. This was a huge improvement from when I streamed videos and played online games. I also made Skype calls.

My download speed dropped by approximately 45% after connecting to a server in the UK. Although it was quite noticeable, I was still able watch YouTube videos in HD. All of my videos began immediately and played smoothly.

My connection speed dropped by 23% when I connected to a Sydney server. This was about the same as my connection in the UK. My ping did increase a bit, though. Although it took some time for websites to load, I was amazed that streaming videos started playing almost immediately — even though I selected 1440p on YouTube.

CyberGhost VPN is very fast. It even lags a little from distant servers like Australia. I love how the VPN streamed video at 1080p and 720p quality. I connected via Quick Connect to a fast US server. The best part was the speed of my connection — there was not a single slowdown.

CyberGhost VPN Servers & IP Addresses

CyberGhost VPN offers 7,400+ servers across 90+ countries. While some VPNs may have servers in more places (HMA has servers located in over 200 countries and territories), CyberGhost’s server network should be sufficient to ensure that you can find a CyberGhost server close to your location.

CyberGhost VPN servers are mostly physical servers. This means that the server is physically located within the country from which you are connected. However, CyberGhost uses virtual servers in 29 other countries. This allows you to have an IP address in the country where you are connecting to but the server is physically in another location. Although I prefer physical servers to virtual servers, they are more reliable and secure. However, virtual servers can still be used.

CyberGhost has dedicated servers for streaming and gaming. The gaming servers have low pings which makes online multiplayer games more responsive. CyberGhost VPN’s torrenting server (in 65+ countries), is optimized for speedy P2P downloads.

CyberGhost VPN uses shared IPs. This is a good thing because you’ll be able to use the same IP address with hundreds, if not thousands, of other users. This gives you additional anonymity. CyberGhost VPN offers the possibility to purchase a unique IP address, which is exclusive to you.

The CyberGhost VPN server network is excellent. While CyberGhost VPN uses shared IPs, you can also purchase dedicated IP addresses.

CyberGhost VPN Streaming & Torrenting

CyberGhost VPN allows you to unblock popular streaming sites such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or BBC iPlayer, but only if you choose the right servers. CyberGhost offers servers that are optimized for streaming sites such as:

• Netflix – US, France and Germany.
• Amazon Prime Video — US.
• YouTube – Germany, USA, and Canada
• Disney+ – USA, Italy, and India

Even though I was in the US, Netflix blocked me from using a regular CyberGhost US server. The site was instantly unblocked by using a Netflix-optimized CyberGhost Server. I was able to watch full HD shows and documentaries without any problems.