CyberGhost Review 2026: Real Price, Speed and Who Should Buy It

01The verdict at a glance

Pros

• One of the lowest prices among audited VPNs, and after renewal still cheaper than Surfshark and ExpressVPN.
• A 45-day money-back guarantee on plans of 6 months or longer, while most rivals offer 30 days.
• Dedicated streaming servers for specific services, such as Netflix in the US, UK, Germany and France.
• Deloitte has assessed the no-logs policy three times, most recently in a report dated December 2025.
• A 24-hour free trial on Windows and macOS with no credit card required.

Cons

• Only 7 devices can be connected at once.
• Prices exclude tax, so EU buyers pay local VAT on top of the advertised price.
• More than half of the 100 countries are virtual locations, with the server physically elsewhere.
• No split tunneling on iPhone or Mac, and only a command-line app on Linux.
• The antivirus is a paid add-on and works only on Windows.

Try CyberGhost: 82% off + 2 months free

02Who is behind CyberGhost

The service is run by CyberGhost S.R.L., based in Bucharest, Romania (CyberGhost). Since March 2017 it has belonged to the London-based Kape Technologies, which also owns ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, the antivirus brand Intego and the VPN review publisher Webselenese (Kape, Wikipedia). Kape left the London Stock Exchange in May 2023 and is controlled by Unikmind Holdings, owned by businessman Teddy Sagi (Cyprus Business Now).

Kape has a history that critics still bring up. The company used to operate as Crossrider, whose browser extension tools were widely abused by adware developers (Wikipedia). That alone says nothing about CyberGhost today, but it is the reason independent assessments and transparency reports carry extra weight here. We cover both below.

CyberGhost likes to highlight its Romanian base and the country’s privacy laws. The terms of service point somewhere else for the contract itself: it is governed by English law, disputes outside the US go to the courts of London, and US residents agree to binding arbitration unless they opt out (terms). So Romania is where the company and its data sit, while English law governs any dispute with it.

CyberGhost is also upfront about something on its own website: “We sometimes pay expert sites to refer customers to us” (CyberGhost). We earn affiliate commissions too, which is why every key fact in this review links to a source you can check.

03How much CyberGhost costs

Our partner link opens an offer page with prices in US dollars. CyberGhost’s main pricing page showed euros when we checked it from Europe. The 26-month and 6-month plans cost the same number in both currencies, but the monthly plan is $12.99 versus €11.99. That is why the offer page advertises 83% off and the euro pricing page 82% off (CyberGhost).

Two details matter more than the headline number. First, the 26-month plan doesn’t renew for another 26 months. It renews every year at $56.94, so the effective monthly cost rises from $2.19 to about $4.75 (CyberGhost). That is still less than Surfshark or ExpressVPN charge on renewal, as the comparison below shows. You can switch off auto-renewal in your account at any time, as long as you do it before midnight on the renewal date (help center).

Second, prices are shown before tax. “Taxes may apply based on your jurisdiction,” the pricing page says. When we went through checkout from the Czech Republic, the order summary for the 26-month plan added “VAT 21% 11.96 €”, so EU buyers should expect their local VAT on top.

Buy on the website rather than inside the app. CyberGhost’s money-back guarantee does not cover purchases made through the App Store, Google Play or Amazon, where refunds are handled by the store (terms). On the web you can pay by card, PayPal, Apple Pay or Google Pay, depending on your country. CyberGhost does not list cryptocurrency for any country (help center).

Optional extras: a dedicated IP address costs €5 a month before tax and the Security Suite with Intego antivirus, for Windows only, costs €4.50 a month, also before tax. ID Guard, which watches for your email in data breaches, and Privacy Guard, which tightens Windows privacy settings, come free with the multi-year plan (CyberGhost).

Try CyberGhost: 82% off + 2 months free

04Servers: 100 countries, but not all of them physical

According to the table on its website, CyberGhost runs 9,696 servers in 100 countries and 125 cities (we added up the figures in its server list). All of them run from RAM only, so nothing is left on disk after a reboot, and CyberGhost says it manages the servers itself rather than through third parties.

The country count needs a closer look. Of the 100 countries, 56 are marked as virtual locations: you get an IP address from that country, but the server sits elsewhere. “China” is routed through Singapore, “Russia” through Stockholm, “Turkey” and “Ukraine” through Bucharest (help center). That can be enough to reach content from that country, but speed and latency match the more distant server.

If you need a dedicated IP address, CyberGhost offers it in 12 countries, including the US, UK, Germany, Canada, Australia and Japan (CyberGhost). You can have only one per account, it works only in the CyberGhost app (not on a router), and access runs through a token that can’t be recovered if you lose it (help center).

Then there are the NoSpy servers, 44 of them in Bucharest. According to the order summary, access to them is included with the 26-month plan (CyberGhost).

05Apps and features

CyberGhost has apps for Windows 10 and later, macOS 10.13 and later, Android 7 and later, iOS 15 and later, Android TV and Amazon Fire TV. Linux gets a command-line app only. Apple TV, Samsung and LG TVs, Roku and game consoles can be connected only through Smart DNS or a router, and the only router firmware with official instructions is DD-WRT (help center).

The core protection is the same everywhere: AES-256 encryption, an automatic kill switch that cuts traffic if the VPN drops, and CyberGhost’s own DNS servers inside the tunnel (CyberGhost). The Content Blocker filters ads, trackers and malicious domains at the DNS level, though Tom’s Guide rates it as weak (Tom’s Guide).

Smart Rules are genuinely useful. On Windows you can decide what happens at launch, which Wi-Fi networks trigger the VPN automatically and which websites bypass the tunnel. On Mac you only get Wi-Fi and launch rules. On Windows, that means you can keep the VPN on and still exclude your bank or a local streaming service that blocks foreign IP addresses.

You can connect 7 devices at the same time and install the app on as many devices as you like (help center). CyberGhost also allows sharing an account with family. Some reviews, including TechRadar’s February 2026 update, describe 7 installation slots, but CyberGhost’s help center article updated on September 19, 2026 refers to 7 simultaneous connections.

The Chrome and Firefox extensions are not a full VPN. They are free proxies that protect browser traffic only and offer four locations: the US, Germany, the Netherlands and Romania (help center). ID Guard uses the Have I Been Pwned database, monitors up to two email addresses and lives in your web account, not in the app (help center).

You can try CyberGhost before paying. Windows and macOS get a 24-hour trial with no card required, Android a 3-day trial and iOS a 7-day trial. The mobile trials need a payment method, and the subscription is charged once the trial ends unless you cancel (CyberGhost).

06Speed and independent tests

In its review updated in February 2026, TechRadar measured an average of 674 Mbps with WireGuard on a UK connection and 406 Mbps from Ireland to the US. OpenVPN speeds fell from 460 Mbps in earlier tests to 199 Mbps. TechRadar gave CyberGhost 78 out of 100 overall and 10 out of 10 for speed (TechRadar). In TechRadar’s newer fastest VPN table from May 2026, CyberGhost reached 1,480 Mbps with WireGuard on the nearest server (TechRadar).

Security.org, in a review updated in August 2026, measured on a slower 94 Mbps baseline how much the VPN reduced download speed depending on server distance. A nearby server cost about a fifth of the speed, while servers in Australia and South Africa cost more than half (Security.org).

In its leak tests, Security.org found no real IP address or DNS requests escaping the tunnel, and the kill switch worked every time. Tom’s Guide noted one quirk: when it forcibly closed the connection, the Windows app did not show the disconnect, although no data leaked (Tom’s Guide).

The practical takeaway: use WireGuard and connect to the closest server you can. Even Security.org’s slowest long-distance result, under 40 Mbps, is enough for 4K streaming, but expect noticeably slower downloads from distant servers.

07Streaming and censorship

Streaming is CyberGhost’s strong suit. In February 2026 TechRadar gave it 10 out of 10 for unblocking, with no trouble on Netflix in the US, UK, Japan, Canada and Australia, Disney+, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer and more (TechRadar). In May 2026 Tom’s Guide unblocked every Netflix region on the first try, while BBC iPlayer and Australia’s 10Play took a few attempts (Tom’s Guide).

One caveat: many streaming services’ terms of use prohibit getting around regional restrictions. And if you live in the EU, you may not need a VPN at all for paid services while traveling within the EU: subscriptions such as video streaming should work in other member states, although free services such as public broadcasters can choose whether to offer this (Your Europe).

Don’t count on CyberGhost in heavily censored countries. It has no dedicated obfuscation mode, its “China” location is virtual and routed through Singapore, and Comparitech reported in April 2025 that it does not work in China (Comparitech).

Try CyberGhost: 82% off + 2 months free

08Privacy, audits and security flaws

Deloitte’s Romanian practice has assessed CyberGhost’s no-logs policy three times, in 2022, 2024 and 2025 (CyberGhost). The latest report is dated December 19, 2025 and is a limited assurance engagement under the ISAE 3000 standard. It covers the state of the systems on a single day, October 31, 2025, and offers no assurance about any other period. Its conclusion is that nothing came to the auditors’ attention suggesting the setup differed from the description CyberGhost provided (Deloitte).

The transparency report is the second piece of evidence. In 2025 CyberGhost received 346,247 copyright (DMCA) complaints and 11 police requests. In the first half of 2026 it received 117,539 complaints and 9 requests. According to the company, the answer is always the same: there is nothing to hand over (CyberGhost).

The security flaws on record affected the Windows app. CVE-2023-30237, rated high severity at 7.8 out of 10, was fixed in version 8.3.10.10015 released on February 24, 2023 (NVD, CyberInsider). An older flaw, CVE-2018-10646, allowed privilege escalation to SYSTEM in a 2018 version. We found no verifiable report of a user data breach.

CyberGhost also runs a bug bounty program on YesWeHack. In the second quarter of 2026 it received 49 submissions, two of them valid (CyberGhost).

09What a VPN will and won’t do

A VPN encrypts your traffic and hides your IP address from the sites you visit. That matters most on public Wi-Fi in cafes, airports and hotels, where other people on the network could otherwise snoop on unencrypted traffic, and when you travel and want to reach services from home.

It won’t stop phishing, scam calls or reused passwords. CyberGhost’s Content Blocker can catch some known malicious domains, but most scams rely on persuading you to hand over details yourself. For the basics, see our guide on how to secure your phone and accounts.

10CyberGhost vs. the competition

In the first term CyberGhost costs only a few cents more than Private Internet Access, and after renewal it is cheaper than Surfshark and ExpressVPN. Private Internet Access, however, costs about half as much after renewal, though it locks you in for three years. The trade-offs are the 7-device limit and the fact that more than half of its 100 countries are virtual locations. Of this group, CyberGhost has the longest money-back guarantee.

We compare 14 paid services in detail in our best VPN 2026 comparison. If you’re weighing pricier options, read NordVPN vs Surfshark 2026 and ExpressVPN vs NordVPN 2026. If you just want to try a VPN first, see the best free VPNs. ExpressVPN, CyberGhost’s sister service, gets its own ExpressVPN review. For a head-to-head with Surfshark, see CyberGhost vs Surfshark 2026.

Try CyberGhost: 82% off + 2 months free

11Who CyberGhost is for, and who should skip it

CyberGhost makes sense if you want a cheap, simple VPN mainly for streaming, travel and public Wi-Fi, and 7 devices are enough. It is a weaker fit for large households, for Mac and iPhone users who want to route some apps outside the VPN, and for trips to countries with heavy censorship.

12Buying, refunds and cancellation

The money-back guarantee lasts 45 days on plans of 6 months or longer and 14 days on the monthly plan, and it covers the full amount (terms). You can request a refund by email, ticket or live chat. Note that switching off auto-renewal is not the same as asking for a refund (help center).

Consumers in the EU also have a statutory 14-day right of withdrawal. CyberGhost’s terms add a withdrawal button in your account for this (terms). If you withdraw that way, the terms say the refund is issued automatically. Still, the 45-day guarantee is the better option, since it lasts more than three times as long.

1. Order through the CyberGhost website, not the App Store or Google Play, or you lose the 45-day guarantee.
2. Pay by card, PayPal, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Local tax or VAT may be added at checkout.
3. Install the app, sign in and switch the protocol to WireGuard in the settings.
4. If you do not want auto-renewal, turn it off under Subscriptions in your account. Your service keeps running until the paid period ends.

13Frequently asked questions

14Conclusion

CyberGhost is a good pick if you want an affordable VPN with an independently assessed no-logs policy and dependable streaming. At $2.19 a month before tax you get decent WireGuard speeds and a longer money-back guarantee than Surfshark, NordVPN, ExpressVPN or Private Internet Access.

Expect a 7-device limit, uneven features across platforms and a country list padded with virtual locations. If you need a VPN for a large household or split tunneling on Mac and iPhone, look at the competition. Everyone else can try CyberGhost on the website and use the 45 days to decide.

Security matters for business websites and apps too. If you are planning a project that handles customer data, see how we build custom websites and how we work.

Try CyberGhost: 82% off + 2 months free

15Sources

• CyberGhost: pricing
• CyberGhost: server list
• CyberGhost: features
• CyberGhost: terms of service
• CyberGhost: free trial
• CyberGhost: dedicated IP
• CyberGhost: imprint
• CyberGhost: third Deloitte assessment
• CyberGhost: Deloitte report download
• CyberGhost: transparency report
• CyberGhost: transparency report, Q2 2026
• Help center: plans and renewals
• Help center: number of devices
• Help center: protocols
• Help center: supported platforms
• Help center: refund policy
• Help center: payment methods by country
• Help center: ID Guard
• Help center: Security Suite
• Help center: virtual locations
• Help center: dedicated IP
• Help center: split tunneling on Android
• Help center: Smart Rules on Windows
• Kape Technologies: history
• Cyprus Business Now: Unikmind acquires Kape
• Wikipedia: Kape Technologies
• NVD: CVE-2023-30237
• CyberInsider: Windows app vulnerability

• TechRadar: CyberGhost review
• Tom’s Guide: CyberGhost review
• Tom’s Guide: streaming test
• Security.org: CyberGhost review
• Comparitech: CyberGhost review
• Surfshark: pricing
• ExpressVPN: pricing
• Private Internet Access: pricing
• NordVPN: number of devices
• NordVPN: refund policy
• Your Europe: accessing online content abroad

Prices, features and figures are current as of October 1, 2026.