There are many VPNs to choose from with so many features that it can be hard to know what is best. We’ve gone through two VPNs, ProtonVPN and CyberGhost, to find out which is the best for you.
One of the big reasons people decide to purchase a VPN subscription is due to regional locks or geo-blocking stopping them from accessing certain content on Netflix or other services. But there are many differentiating features in the VPN marketplace. It’s often difficult to tell which VPN is the right fit, but this comparison is here to help.
We’ve created a quick summary of ProtonVPN versus CyberGhost, allowing you to compare the features, pricing, and other important information. We’ll also explain what each of these features do so you can decide whether you need it or not.
Highlights
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ProtonVPN vs CyberGhost pricing
| ProtonVPN | Cyberghost | ||
| Subscription periods | One month | One month | |
| One year | One year | ||
| Two years | Two years | ||
| n/a | Three years | ||
| Special offer | Save up to 33% on a two year plan | 83% discount on three year plan plus three extra months | |
| Highest price per month | $24.00 (GBP $17.38) | $12.99 (GBP $9.20) | |
| Lowest price per month | $4.00 (GBP $2.90) | $2.25 (GBP $1.59) | |
| One-year price | $48.00 (GBP $34.76) | $33.91 (GBP $24.01) | |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | 45 days |
Depending on the subscription you choose, you can get ProtonVPN for as little as $5 per month. The plus subscription is $7.49 monthly, and the visionary tier is $30 per month. There are discounts for subscribing annually, bringing the monthly cost down to as low as $4 when you commit to the year.
CyberGhost is quite expensive on a monthly subscription, coming in at $12.99 per month. But, CyberGhost offers big discounts on their multi-year plans, plus additional free months if you go with the two and three year plans. You can get it down to as low as $2.29 per month over three years.
Both of these services include a money-back guarantee. ProtonVPN has 30 days and CyberGhost offers a 45 day cooling off period. This means you can try them out for a month (or a month and half in the case of CyberGhost) and simply get your money back if you’re not impressed.
BEST DEAL FOR PROTONVPN:SAVE up to 33% on a two year plan.
BEST DEAL FOR CYBERGHOST:83% discount on three year plan plus three extra months.
ProtonVPN vs CyberGhost features
| ProtonVPN | Cyberghost | |
| Simultaneous connections | Basic: 2 Plus and Visionary: 10 |
7 |
| Operating system apps | Windows, Linux, MacOS, Android, iOS, Amazon Fire TV/ Firestick | Windows, Linux, MacOS, Android, iOS, Amazon Fire TV/ Firestick |
| Manual install devices | Routers, set-top boxes | Routers, set-top boxes |
| Split tunneling | Yes | Yes |
| Free extras | Automatic Kill Switch, browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox | Automatic Kill Switch, Antivirus, Privacy Guard, and Security Updater, ID Guard, Password Manager, CyberGhost Desktop Private Browser |
Both ProtonVPN and CyberGhost are supported on a range of operating systems and devices, with specialty apps as well as a Linux system installer. CyberGhost has many free features that come with a security suite including a password manager and other pieces of software to monitor your privacy in real time.
One of the most sought after features with VPNs is split tunnelling. In effect, this enables you to specify certain programs or websites to automatically bypass the VPN. This can be useful for certain services that will not allow you to connect if they detect you are running through a VPN. CyberGhost’s split tunneling is easy to set up. ProtonVPN has rolled it out as a new feature so expect bugs and issues for the time being.
ProtonVPN allows slightly more devices simultaneously connected with 10 compared to CyberGhost’s seven, but they are both above the industry average of five.
Comparing the lower cost plans available from both providers, CyberGhost comes in at lower cost and better value.You only get two VPN connections on the ProtonVPN Basic plan to CyberGhost’s seven on all plans. If you want more than two VPN connections with ProtonVPN you need to choose the Plus plan at $9.72 (GBP $6.89) per month compared to $2.25 (GBP $1.59) with CyberGhost.
Both come with what is known as a VPN Kill Switch, a feature that cuts off your internet connection if your VPN connection drops out. Also known as an Internet Kill Switch, or Network Lock, it helps ensure that your privacy and privacy and anonymity remain even if your VPN were to go down.
Streaming and unblocking
| ProtonVPN (Plus/Visionary subscription only) | Cyberghost | |
| Netflix | US, UK, India, Italy, Australia, Germany, Canada, Japan, France | US, UK, France, India, Japan, Netherlands |
| Hulu | US, Japan | US, Japan |
| Sky Go | No | Yes |
| Amazon Prime Video | Yes | Yes |
| BBC iPlayer | Yes | Yes |
| ABC | Yes | No |
| CBS | No | Yes |
ProtonVPN requires a Plus or Visionary subscription to access content from streaming services like Netflix. This plan costs a minimum $9.72 (GBP $6.89) per month. A three year subscription to CyberGhost offers more streaming service access at less than four times the cost at $2.25 (GBP $1.59).
ProtonVPN has many conflicting reports about what it can access. It does not have many servers or many locations. When streaming services like Netflix ban a server or IP range, ProtonVPN does not have many alternatives to go with. There are some users who report success accessing all of Netflix’s library and others who have not been able to access it for several years. Netflix in particular is known as being very proactive in blocking VPN users from accessing its catalog from overseas.
CyberGhost unblocks many more services, likely due to its much larger number of servers and locations.
Which of these VPNs work in China?
Neither work in China as standard. Many VPNs do not get around the Great Firewall of China.
Some users have reported that CyberGhost can be configured so that it works in China. You should note that the Great Firewall blocks access to the VPN websites themselves, meaning that you’ll have to subscribe to and install CyberGhost before getting to China.
CyberGhost suggests you set the configuration to L2TP protocol to get best performance but can’t guarantee it will work. ProtonVPN have a guide on how to do some advanced configuration that may allow it to work.
Setup and interface
| ProtonVPN | Cyberghost | |
| Automatic setup wizard | Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android | Windows, Android, MacOS, Linux, iOS |
| Main location selection | List and map-based | List-based |
| Extra settings pages | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile-friendly | Yes | Yes |
Both desktop versions are simple to install. The menus are slick and easy to navigate. Basic settings are clearly available with both programs offering a quick tour of the software on first opening.
CyberGhost has a clean, simple and easy to navigate interface with a large connect button. There’s also a list of locations and a handy control panel on the right hand side which can launch a lot of different functionality.
ProtonVPN uses clear visual design and color coding to make it easy to see the main features and the status of the VPN. Settings can be changed on a different page, and advanced settings are kept separate. This is reassuring as then it is less likely you’ll accidentally adjust something when clicking around.
Both offer mobile apps with the main features easily accessible, including generally one touch access to turn major features on and off.
Servers and performance
| ProtonVPN | Cyberghost | |
| Server countries | 55 | 91 |
| Total number of servers | 1246 | 7453 |
There’s no comparison here: CyberGhost has a much larger network than ProtonVPN, including coverage in more countries and more total servers.
What kind of use is this to you as an end user? Because there’s more locations and servers to connect to, CyberGhost gives you the best performance and more options.
Below, you’ll find a list of every country where these VPNs have servers:
| ProtonVPN | Cyberghost | |
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| Albania |  |
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| Algeria | |
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| Andorra | |
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| Argentina | |
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| Australia | |
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| Austria | |
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| Azerbaijan | ||
| Bahamas | |
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| Bangladesh | |
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| Belarus | |
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| Belgium | |
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| Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
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| Brazil | |
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| Bulgaria | |
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| Cambodia | |
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| Canada | |
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| Chile | |
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| China | |
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| Colombia | |
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| Costa Rica | |
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| Croatia | |
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| Cyprus | |
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| Czech Republic | |
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| Denmark | |
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| Egypt | |
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| Estonia | |
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| Finland | |
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| France | |
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| Georgia | |
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| Germany | |
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| Greece | |
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| Greenland | |
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| Hong Kong | |
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| Hungary | |
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| Iceland | |
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| India | |
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| Indonesia | |
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| Iran | |
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| Ireland | |
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| Isle of Man | |
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| Israel | |
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| Italy | |
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| Japan | |
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| Kazakhstan | |
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| Kenya | |
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| Latvia | |
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| Liechtenstein | |
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| Lithuania | |
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| Luxembourg | |
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| Macau | |
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| Macedonia | |
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| Malaysia | |
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| Malta | |
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| Mexico | |
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| Moldova | |
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| Monaco | |
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| Mongolia | |
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| Montenegro | |
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| Morocco | |
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| Netherlands | |
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| New Zealand | |
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| Nigeria | |
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| Norway | |
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| Pakistan | |
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| Panama | |
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| Peru | |
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| Philippines | |
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| Poland | |
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| Portugal | |
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| Qatar | |
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| Romania | |
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| Russia | |
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| Saudi Arabia | |
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| Serbia | |
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| Singapore | |
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| Slovakia | |
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| Slovenia | |
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| South Africa | |
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| South Korea | |
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| Spain | |
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| Sri Lanka | |
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| Sweden | |
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| Switzerland | |
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| Taiwan | |
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| Thailand | |
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| Turkey | |
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| Ukraine | |
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| United Arab Emirates | |
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| United Kingdom | |
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| United States | |
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| Venezuela | |
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| Vietnam | |
CyberGhost has servers all over the world and is present in two times as many countries as ProtonVPN.
This can be a benefit for both speed and avoiding downtime. When services like Netflix block VPN servers, having alternatives is convenient. It is also more likely that you can connect to a server closer to where you live, improving speed and lowering latency.
Security
| ProtonVPN | Cyberghost | |
| VPN protocols | OpenVPN, Smart Protocol (Windows only), IKEv2/IPSec. | OpenVPN, IKEv2, Wireguard |
| OpenVPN data encryption | AES-256 | AES-256 |
| OpenVPN control channel encryption | RSA-4096 | RSA-4096 |
| Cloaking technology | None | None |
| App security | Kill switch (all platforms) | Kill switch (all platforms) |
| DNS status | Private DNS | Private DNS |
While both VPNs use OpenVPN protocol, and IKEv2, CyberGhost also uses Wireguard. Both use 256-bit AES encryption, which given current technology (and allowing for future advancements) is practically impenetrable. There is not too much separating them here but this is the industry standard.
256-bit AES is the current gold standard for encryption, even used by governments and intelligence services worldwide. The higher the number, the higher the possible combinations of numbers needed to try and unveil a single encryption key. With 256-bit AES you’re looking at 115 quattuorvigintillion possibilities.
Both products offer a kill switch on every platform. A kill switch stops all data transfers whenever you lose connection suddenly, ensuring you never browse without protection. Additionally, these VPNs both use private DNS servers, meaning no third party ever has access to your internet traffic.
If you are browsing the internet and the VPN gets disconnected, then the kill switch helps ensure that your real IP address is not easily viewed by the bad guys. The way it works is that if the switch is set to on, no data packets can be sent in or out via the internet connection unless the VPN is enabled.
Privacy
| ProtonVPN | Cyberghost | |
| HQ base | Geneva, Switzerland | Bucharest, Romania |
| Connection logs | Yes | Yes |
| Activity logs | None | None |
| User details for signup | Email address | Email address |
| Anonymous payment options | Bitcoin | Bitcoin |
Both services are located in Europe and both comply with the GDPR. ProtonVPN states that it keeps limited logs of your activity and claims that none of it can be used to identify you. They claim that this data is needed to monitor server performance and related issues and is deleted every 30 days.
CyberGhost does keep limited logs but this is in line with most VPNs that use limited logging to keep track of basic data regarding enforcement of their device connection policies. As such, whichever of these services you use, you’ll be nearly completely anonymous online. If you’d like even greater privacy, you can sign up with a throwaway email address and pay with cryptocurrency.
Configuration
| ProtonVPN | Cyberghost | |
| Address allocation | Shared | Shared |
| Dedicated IP address possible | No | Yes |
| DDoS protection | Yes | Yes |
| NAT firewall | Yes | Yes |
These VPNs use shared address allocation. This system allows everyone to connect via one IP address that is shared, making it impossible to reliably trace activity back to a single user. CyberGhost allows you to add a dedicated IP—a static IP address used only by you—for an additional charge. Unfortunately, this isn’t an option for ProtonVPN users.
Customer service
| ProtonVPN | Cyberghost | |
| Live chat | No | Yes |
| Ticket support | Yes | Yes |
| Email support | Yes | Yes |
| Phone support | No | No |
| Searchable knowledge base | Yes | Yes |
| Video guides | No | No |
CyberGhost has a live chat feature that enables you to pose questions directly to the support team for simple problems. More in-depth issues are better suited to the website’s contact form, which is a ticket system done via email.
ProtonVPN has a contact form that they want all support enquiries to go through.
That said, there might be times when users can’t access live chat (if they’re in China, for instance). With this in mind, we sent both services three questions over email and through the contact form. You’ll find the average response time below, as well as whether our question was answered or not:
| ProtonVPN | |||
| Question | Initial response time | Number of emails | Question answered |
| Can I install ProtonVPN on a DD-WRT router? | 3 hours, 52 minutes | 1 | Yes |
| How do I set up ProtonVPN for use in China? | 4 hours, 44 minutes | 1 | Yes |
| Does protonvpn protect against WebRTC leaks? | 9 hours, 15 minutes | 1 | Yes |
| Cyberghost | |||
| Question | Initial response time | Number of emails | Question answered |
| Can I install Cyberghost on a DD-WRT router? | 5 hours, 47 minutes | 1 | Yes |
| How do I set up Cyberghost for use in China? | 9 hours, 25 mins | 1 | Yes |
| Does Cyberghost protect against WebRTC leaks? | 21 minutes | 1 | Yes |
These services had a similar average email response time. Replies were easy to follow, and both linked to their websites for step-by-step guides If live chat is unavailable for any reason, these questions can be answered by email but given that many VPN sites are blocked in China, you may have an issue getting support from ProtonVPN.
The winner: CyberGhost
There are a lot of benefits to both VPNs, but CyberGhost is the winner here. It has over 7,000 servers, so wherever you visit in the world, you can take CyberGhost with you. It also has the highest levels of encryption, and plenty of premium features like split tunneling and a kill switch.
Although it may look expensive on a monthly plan, there are substantial discounts available when you subscribe to a CyberGhost annual plan.
See also:
L’article ProtonVPN vs CyberGhost: Which Wins? est apparu en premier sur Comparitech.
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