CyberGhost vs Betternet: Which wins?

The number of VPN services for you to choose from continues to grow at a rapid rate. There are now hundreds on the market, many of which claim to be the best. However, it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction, particularly because testing each VPN would be so time-consuming (and expensive!). Besides, you may find some aspects of VPNs (encryption, for example) to be too technical, particularly if it’s your first time using one.

Fortunately, there’s an easier way to find a VPN that fits your needs. In this post, we’re putting CyberGhost and Betternet side-by-side in an effort to compare and contrast what they each have to offer. We’ll look at everything from their server speeds to the speed of their response to email enquiries, breaking it all down in a format that’s easy to read and understand. Hopefully, you’ll then have a better idea of which VPN best fits your needs or whether you need to look elsewhere (we have plenty more VPN comparison posts to help!).

Just want to find out the main benefits of each VPN and make a quick decision? Here’s a bullet point list to save you some time (CyberGhost wins comfortably in this case):

Highlights

CyberGhost

• Fastest VPN we’ve tested
• Huge server network (~9,000 servers in 90+ countries)
• Extra security features including auto wifi protection
• Live chat support (available 24/7)

Betternet

• Speeds are fast enough for streaming
• Allows torrenting on its servers
• Beginner-friendly desktop and mobile apps
• Servers in dozens of countries (over 70 in all)

CyberGhost vs Betternet pricing

	CyberGhost	Betternet
Subscription periods	One month	One month
	One year	One year
	Two years
Special offer	Save 82 percent and pay just $2.29/month with the three year (+3 month) plan.	Get 38 percent off with a 12 month subscription plan.
Highest price per month	$12.99	$12.99
Lowest price per month	$2.29	$7.99
One-year price	$51.48	$95.88
Money-back guarantee	45 days	None but offers a free tier and a seven day premium trial.

While CyberGhost and Betternet both offer monthly and annual plans, CyberGhost provides a greater deal of flexibility. It has two- and three-year deals available. The longer the subscription, the more you can save. This is reflected in the fact that you pay as little as $2.29 USD a month when you choose the CyberGhost three year (+ 3 months free) subscription. This works out at just $89.31 in all, a huge discount of 82 percent.

In contrast, Betternet’s best deal is its 12-month plan. This costs $95.88 in all ($7.99/month) which is a discount of 38 percent from the monthly price. Even with this discount, Betternet’s annual plan is still far more expensive than that of CyberGhost, which costs just $51.48 per year. However, their monthly plans are both priced at $12.99.

Aside from the major pricing differences, CyberGhost is the only one of the two that comes with a money-back guarantee. While most major VPNs offer 30 days, CyberGhost’s money-back guarantee is even longer at 45 days. This provides you with plenty of time to try it out risk-free. While Betternet doesn’t have such an option, there is a 7-day free trial of the premium plan. You can also find a free tier, although this has numerous restrictions.

Best Deal for CyberGhost:Pay just $2.29 a month ($95.88 total) with the CyberGhost three year plan, a saving of 82 percent.

Best Deal for Betternet:Get 38 percent off with Betternet’s 12 month subscription plan. This works out at $7.99 monthly ($95.88 in all).

CyberGhost vs Betternet features

	CyberGhost	Betternet
Simultaneous connections	Seven	Five
Operating system apps	Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV	Windows, Mac, Android, iOS
Manual install devices	Routers, set-top boxes	None
Split tunneling	Yes (Android)	Yes (Windows)
Free extras	Chrome and Firefox browser extensions, ad blocker, private browser	Chrome browser extension

Like most VPNs, CyberGhost and Betternet are available on desktop (Windows and Mac) as well as mobile (Android and iOS). However, this is as far as it goes with Betternet. CyberGhost also has apps for Linux, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV. What’s more, it can be manually configured to work with compatible wireless routers.

If you have a lot of devices to secure, CyberGhost is your best bet. That’s because it lets you connect up to seven devices at the same time compared to the five simultaneous connections allowed by Betternet. While the two VPNs offer split tunneling (the option to choose which traffic is routed via the VPN connection), it is only available on Android in the case of CyberGhost and Windows with Betternet.

Overall, Betternet is very light on features, although it does have a browser extension for Chrome. CyberGhost also has a Chrome extension as well as one for Firefox. Remember that while a browser extension offers convenience, it only secures browser traffic and not apps.

Unlike Betternet, CyberGhost has an ad blocker and its own private browser built in.

Streaming and unblocking

	CyberGhost	Betternet
Netflix	Yes, multiple libraries including the US	Yes, multiple libraries including the US
Amazon Prime Video	Yes	No
BBC iPlayer	Yes	No
DAZN	No	No
Disney+	Yes	Yes
HBO Max	Yes	Yes
Hulu	Yes	Yes
Sky Go	Yes	No
YouTube TV	Yes	Yes

When you travel abroad, you may find that you can no longer access some of your favorite websites and services from home. A VPN can help you get around geographic restrictions by spoofing your location. However, some VPNs are better than others at unblocking, particularly when it comes to streaming services that often have the toughest restrictions.

CyberGhost is particularly strong in this respect and worked with the vast majority of streaming services we tested it against. This includes multiple Netflix libraries such as Netflix US, as well as the likes of Amazon Prime Video and BBC iPlayer. While Betternet is also able to work with Netflix, Disney+, and HBO Max, it struggled with others such as Prime Video. Both VPNs were unable to unblock DAZN due to its more extensive IP blocking.

China

Your VPN should work in almost any country you visit. One noticeable exception is China, a country notorious for its strict censorship restrictions. The Great Firewall of China blocks VPN traffic and even access to VPN websites. As such, many VPNs don’t work in the country. Unfortunately, this includes CyberGhost and Betternet.

The best VPNs for China are able to stay one step ahead. These include the likes of NordVPN, Surfshark, and ExpressVPN. However, all of these VPNs have their websites blocked in China. In order to use one in the country, you’ll need to install it ahead of your visit.

Setup and interface

	CyberGhost	Betternet
Automatic setup wizard	Windows, Mac, Android, iOS	Windows, Mac, Android, iOS
Main location selection	List-based	List-based
Extra settings page	Yes	Yes
Mobile-friendly	Yes	Yes

Even if it’s your first time using a VPN, you’re unlikely to have any issues downloading and installing CyberGhost or Betternet, both of which provide an automatic setup wizard for their desktop and mobile apps. As a result, you’ll be able to get everything set up within a matter of minutes.

CyberGhost’s desktop app manages to pack plenty of relevant information in without it feeling too cluttered. While there’s a quick-connect button to save you some time, you can also search for a server via a drop-down menu or search bar. There’s the option to favorite servers for faster future access while you can also see the distance a server is from your physical location as well as its current user load (the lower, the better).

Like its desktop app, CyberGhost’s mobile app has a quick-connect button. The interface is very clean and easy to navigate. Again, there are multiple ways to search for servers. This includes a category of streaming-friendly servers which states which streaming service each server best works with.

Betternet’s desktop and mobile apps are very similar. There’s minimal information presented at first glance with a large quick-connect button taking up much of the view. However, you can get to the full server list in a single click while the settings page is easy to navigate thanks to the various toggle buttons such as the kill switch feature.

Servers and performance

	CyberGhost	Betternet
Server countries	90+	70+
Total number of servers	8,800+	Undisclosed
Server speed	548 Mbps	52 Mbps

When it comes to network size and server speed, CyberGhost not only beats Betternet but indeed most VPNs on the market. It has close to 9,000 servers in all. What’s more, these servers are located across over 90 countries. Having access to so many servers means that not only can you access a wider range of geo-restricted content, there’s more likely to be a fast, low load server in your preferred location.

In contrast to CyberGhost, Betternet isn’t particularly transparent about the number of servers it offers. We even enquired about this number but only received a website link to server locations. The good news is that it does have servers in plenty of locations—more than 70 countries. Indeed, it even offers servers in some locations that CyberGhost doesn’t (such as Azerbaijan, Nepal, and Uruguay).

CyberGhost is faster than Betternet and it’s not remotely close. We carry out speed tests on each VPN we review and CyberGhost happens to be the fastest VPN we’ve come across. It averaged 548 Mbps whereas Betternet averaged 52 Mbps. However, Betternet’s speeds are still more than fast enough for most bandwidth-intensive activities such as streaming, particularly because there’s unlimited bandwidth (as with CyberGhost).

Here’s a list of countries in which CyberGhost and Betternet have servers:

Country	CyberGhost	Betternet
Albania
Algeria
Andorra
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Brazil
Bulgaria
Cambodia
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guatemala
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malaysia
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Myanmar
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
North Macedonia
Norway
Pakistan
Panama
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Romania
Russia
Serbia
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam

Security

	CyberGhost	Betternet
VPN protocols	WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2	Catapult Hydra
OpenVPN data encryption	256-bit AES	256-bit AES
OpenVPN control channel encryption	RSA-4096	RSA-2048
Cloaking technology	None	Proprietary protocol
App security	Kill switch, ad blocker, automatic wifi protection	Kill switch
DNS status	Private DNS	Private DNS

CyberGhost offers a little more flexibility than Betternet when it comes to the VPN protocols you can use. That’s because it offers the options of WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2. Each offers its own pros and cons, but WireGuard is increasingly popular thanks to its faster speeds. Betternet only offers Catapult Hydra, which is its own proprietary protocol. This is shared with the likes of Hotspot Shield and offers obfuscation to disguise VPN traffic and bypass blocks.

Connecting to a CyberGhost or Betternet server ensures your internet traffic is secured with 256-bit AES encryption. However, one difference is that CyberGhost’s RSA keys are longer, which makes them more difficult to crack. Both VPNs offer a kill switch so that if your VPN connection drops, your internet traffic is cut to prevent leaks. However, it’s CyberGhost that offers the most security features. Indeed, you’ll also find an ad blocker and automatic wifi protection in its apps.

Privacy

	CyberGhost	Betternet
Headquarters	Romania	United States
Connection logs	None	Yes (session duration, bandwidth consumed)
Activity logs	None	Yes, anonymized logs
User details for signup	Email address	Email address
Anonymous payment options	Bitcoin	None

If you place particular importance on your online privacy, you’ll probably want to avoid Betternet. That’s because it does keep some logs such as the duration of session and amount of bandwidth consumed. There are also some logs including websites visited (although these aren’t tied to specific users). However, it doesn’t keep any identifying logs.

CyberGhost operates a strict no-logs policy and is headquartered in Romania. Betternet operates out of the US which is a member of the Five Eyes (and 14 Eyes) intelligence alliance. Your data could therefore be shared with other countries were it to be obtained (although it’s unlikely the average user will be on the radar).

Signing up for a CyberGhost or Betternet account only requires an email address. You can always use a burner account for added anonymity. However, there’s no anonymous payment option available with Betternet. CyberGhost accepts payment in Bitcoin which, if used in conjunction with a mixer/tumbler service, can be spent anonymously.

Configuration

	CyberGhost	Betternet
Address allocation	Shared	Shared
Dedicated/static IP address possible	Yes (for an extra fee)	No
DDoS protection	No	No
NAT firewall	Yes	Yes

Most VPNs use shared address allocation. CyberGhost and Betternet are no exception. Everyone on the same server is assigned the same IP address so that all online activity is essentially mixed together. This makes it almost impossible to know which user did what. Regardless, both VPNs encrypt your traffic and neither VPN keeps identifying logs, so this shouldn’t be an issue anyway.

Betternet is somewhat limited on features and there’s no option to obtain a dedicated or static IP address. CyberGhost does let you get a dedicated IP address for an extra $3.75 a month. Available locations include the US, Canada, Australia, UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Japan. Dedicated IPs offer a number of advantages including less frequent CAPTCHAs and reduced risk of IP blacklisting.

Customer Service

	CyberGhost	Betternet
Live chat	Yes	No
Ticket support	Yes	Yes
Email support	Yes	Yes
Phone support	No	No
Average email response time	2 hours 15 minutes	1 hour 40 minutes
Searchable knowledge base	Yes	Yes
Video guides	Yes	No

In terms of customer support, only CyberGhost offers live chat 24 hours a day. This is generally the quickest way for you to get an answer to your questions. However, both VPNs have email support. To test the response time and compare it with that of other VPN providers, we sent CyberGhost and Betternet three emails each. Betternet was marginally faster with an average email response time of one hour and 40 minutes. CyberGhost took two hours and 15 minutes on average.

You may prefer to search for a solution yourself, in which case, CyberGhost has an extensive knowledge base. This includes setup guides, troubleshooting topics, and FAQs. There’s also a YouTube channel with video setup guides if you prefer. Betternet also has a help section on its website, but this is relatively sparse and, unlike CyberGhost, there are no video tutorials available. Overall, CyberGhost provides better support even if Betternet is slightly faster to respond to email enquiries.

Here are the questions we sent out to CyberGhost and Betternet, complete with response times for each:

	CyberGhost
Question	Response time	Number of emails	Question answered
Does CyberGhost work in China?	4 hours	1	Yes
Will CyberGhost slow down my internet speed?	1 hour	1	Yes
How do I install CyberGhost on my router?	1 hour 45 minutes	1	Yes

	Betternet
Question	Response time	Number of emails	Question answered
Does Betternet work in China?	2 hours	1	Yes
Will Betternet slow down my internet speed?	1 hour 30 minutes	1	Yes
How do I install Betternet on my router?	1 hour 30 minutes	1	Yes

The Winner: CyberGhost

Apps Available:

• PC
• Mac
• IOS
• Android
• Linux

Website:  www.Cyberghost.com

Money-back guarantee: 45 DAYS

While Betternet does have some advantages compared to some VPNs, it falls short in most areas compared to CyberGhost. For example, while it has servers in more than 70 countries, CyberGhost’s network covers over 90 countries. Further, Betternet doesn’t disclose how many servers it has (CyberGhost has nearly 9,000).

Based on the above findings, CyberGhost is the clear winner. It was ten times as fast as Betternet in our most recent speed tests. This makes it far more suitable for HD and 4K streaming. CyberGhost is a much stronger unblocker of content and comes with more security features including auto wifi protection and an ad blocker. Unlike Betternet, CyberGhost is a no-logs provider and, should you need it, 24/7 live chat support is available.

Despite the above, CyberGhost is significantly cheaper than Betternet when you opt for an annual or multi-year subscription. Last but not least, CyberGhost comes with a 45-day money-back guarantee. Most major VPNs offer up to 30 days (Betternet only has a 7-day free trial of its Premium tier).

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