a complete VPN that lacks transparency

CyberGhostVPN is today a leader in the world of online security thanks to its communication strength and the quality of handling of its applications. But is it a service that deserves your attention? Answer in this review.

CYBERGHOST VPN FEATURES

WHO IS CYBERGHOST VPN?

CyberGhost VPN was born in 2004 under the company of the same name “CyberGhost SA”, based in Romania. Initially free, the service quickly adapted to the growing VPN market by adopting a monthly and then annual subscription model. In 2017, the group was taken over by the company Crossrider, which initially specialized in Adware (or adware), which seriously tarnished the reputation of the VPN. CyberGhost has since defended itself against any collusion with the former activities of its parent company and advocates a healthy economic model.

The group renamed since 2018 Kape Technologies PLC owns other VPN services like ZenMate or Private Internet Access. CyberGhost now claims no less than 38 million users and relies on a communication policy based on partnerships with influencers.

INTERFACE / GETTING STARTED

CyberGhost is clearly one of the most intuitive and easy-to-learn VPNs on the market. First, the service is entirely available in French, which is a definite advantage over many of its competitors who still ignore the language of Molière. Once the app is installed, very few manipulations are required to connect to a server and use the service without the need for technical background.

The interface is as clear as it is instinctive while having a logical layout of menus and functions. The default display goes straight to the point and offers to connect with a single click to an optimized remote server or via a chosen destination. Once connected, the VPN displays the packets received and sent, the server protocol used and the connection duration in real time. The side menu (in the PC version) displays the list of all available servers, the distance to which they are located and to designate them as favorites.

Ease of use is really at the heart of the experience since CyberGhost allows you to connect directly to servers optimized for each type of use: streaming from foreign VOD platforms (Netflix US among others), for online gaming , for downloading in P2P or even using a dedicated IP (optional, however).

Other advanced options complete the picture with in particular the activation or not of DNS filtering to avoid advertisements and trackers during navigation or even the kill switch automatique. This completely cuts the connection in the event of a connectivity problem with a server so as not to compromise its anonymity. To complete the picture, it is possible to establish specific rules for an application to avoid having to disconnect from the VPN as soon as you launch a program that does not use it.

CyberGhost also has a function called ” split-tunneling » through the tab “Smart Rules” allowing you to define a secure connection to a specific service while keeping your local IP for the rest, we are thinking in particular of printers connected to the home network.

Regarding Linux, CyberGhost does not offer a graphical interface and is content to use the configuration via the command line terminal to operate. Concretely, only informed users will have full use of it, even if an FAQ is available on the VPN site.

On mobile (Android, iOS), the experience is almost identical, if not almost even easier to use. We also appreciate the general unification of the interfaces which makes everything coherent, especially in the context of simultaneous connections. However, not everything is 100% unified. Only the Wireguard protocol is used on mobile and we notice the presence of the split-tunnelingbut currently only on Android devices.

CyberGhost is also accessible directly from a browser extension (Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox, etc.), but this does not have the performance or functionality of the version. desktop or mobile. First, it is limited only to web browsing and a handful of servers are accessible. In addition, to unlock geoblocks linked in particular to VOD services, only a paid subscription is capable of doing so.

SERVERS AND PERFORMANCE

This is the sinews of war on the side of VPN services, the number of servers and the overall performance are an integral part of the characteristics of such a service. In terms of numbers, CyberGhost can boast of offering more than 7100 servers in 91 different countries. It is neither more nor less than the most provided VPN service on this side. However, do these figures have an impact on the performance side? Here are the results obtained following various tests carried out with a Parisian wired fiber connection and from the Nperf site.

*Tests were performed in automatic protocol assignment

Although CyberGhost speeds are not always as high as those of the competition, particularly Nord VPN or Surfshark, they are nevertheless largely sufficient for watching videos online. streaming from an American server in the best possible quality, which corresponds to the most common use of a VPN. During our tests, most VOD platforms were perfectly accessible (Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+) without even having to create private browsing sessions. In addition, mobile applications have made the switch perfectly without having to go through a browser.

Inevitably, downloading is much more difficult from a server based on the other side of the world. It is also necessary to make a cross on the cloud gamingbut it’s not surprising that the ping is so high outside of a server located in the same country.

CyberGhost has also made efforts on the availability of servers in certain authoritarian countries. To the list of countries to which it is now possible to connect in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Egypt and even China, even if Iraq and Syria are still missing.

By default, CyberGhost automatically assigns a connection protocol. It is also strange that the service currently favors Open VPN via a connection to a foreign server and that the WireGuard protocol, which is more efficient, more economical and widely promoted, is relayed second-hand from a Windows computer. It is also still unavailable on the macOS application. Depending on your needs, it is however possible to change protocols in the settings, but we would have liked the option to be more accessible, as it is embedded in the general settings. Even more troubling, WireGuard is still exclusive to Android platforms on mobile where iOS has to make do with Open VPN. Despite the total absence of DNS leaks, CyberGhost still has some work to do to unify its apps and their functionality.

PRIVACY POLICY

This is essential when talking about internet security, the protection of personal data and privacy is a critical point for any VPN service. CyberGhost puts forward its policy of non-retention of data to reassure its customers, to the point of making it a marketing argument. All this is nevertheless for information only and nothing really indicates that this is the case apart from its own transparency report dating from 2020. The latter is issued by the VPN itself according to its own research and not by a firm. independent.

This question is all the more legitimate when you know the parent company of CyberGhost, Kape Technologies PLC and its background in the world of Adware before devoting its activity to cybersecurity. Officially, CyberGhost claims not to keep anything regarding the use of the service such as the user’s IP address, the time and duration of the internal session that passes through its servers or even the sites visited. However, this does not prevent the VPN from keeping the information provided during registration, namely the first and last name, the email address and the means of payment. This is certainly common to the majority of other VPN providers, but does not necessarily inspire confidence.

This feeling is further underscored when one notices that CyberGhost offers its own Romania-based servers dubbed “NoSpy”. These are more secure servers guaranteeing a “Zero Log” policy since they are not under agreement with the jurisdiction of the Fives Eyes and even its extension to the 14 eyes.

In all cases, we were able to observe the effectiveness of the mode kill switch which automatically cuts the connection of your PC or your mobile in the event of a problem with a server.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

On the technical assistance side, we cannot say that the CyberGhost model is frankly a success. First, the support is only accessible in two ways: via form or via chat. The first is quite winded and requires a lot of information. Certainly not all of them are mandatory, but going through it is not the most practical, especially when the response is slow thereafter.

The chat meanwhile is often unavailable in French and we very often come across the Zendesk bot (communication tool for customer service) which is not the most relevant or the most responsive. On the other hand, once you have come across human assistance, the contact is very cordial and responsive. It is therefore a jagged point for a service now having more than 10 years of seniority.

PRICES

Like most VPN services, CyberGhost offers several subscription plans. These range from 1 month to 3 years. Basically, even if the prices change quite quickly during the year, it is always more advantageous to go through the 3-year subscription which naturally has the biggest discount.

However, don’t be fooled, this is simply a method to encourage you to take the longest subscription to capture customers in the long term. Compared to other VPN services, the prices are not so prohibitive and still average. CyberGhost still offers a 45-day trial during which a full refund is possible.