CyberGhost VPN 2021 Review: Fast & Cheap, But is it Safe?

When I read that CyberGhost had been bought out by Kape — a company that used to be infamous for bundling adware into its downloads — alarm bells started ringing. I’ve recommended CyberGhost in the past as a trustworthy and easy-to-use VPN that suits beginners. But is it even safe to use anymore?

I did a deep dive into CyberGhost’s ownership, privacy policy, and security measures to determine whether it’s secure enough to recommend. I also looked at its server network, speeds, streaming and torrent support, and additional features to make sure it’s still as user-friendly as it has been in the past.

TLDR: CyberGhost is a solid choice — and it’s safe. Its change in ownership isn’t nearly as alarming as I thought, and it has a lot to offer — especially in terms of ease of use and unblocking your favorite streaming platforms (it’s still ideal if you’re a VPN newbie). However, I found a few areas where CyberGhost still can’t compete with other premium VPNs.

Try CyberGhost Risk-Free For 45 Days!

Short on Time? Here Are My Key Findings

Try CyberGhost Today!

CyberGhost Features — Updated in February 2021

Streaming — Unblocks 35+ Platforms, Including Netflix and Hulu

CyberGhost is a great choice for streaming. It has optimized servers for watching all the major streaming sites and can unblock Netflix (US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan), Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and HBO Max.

I wanted to see if CyberGhost unblocks US Netflix, so I connected to its optimized New York server. Given the distance between my location in Australia and the US server, I expected speeds to lag a little but I was surprised that it didn’t slow down much at all. I watched New Girl on Netflix US with minimal buffering — it only took a few seconds for each episode to load even when I was streaming in HD (which usually takes longer to load).

CyberGhost has optimized servers that unblock Netflix

I also tested CyberGhost servers in London, Tokyo, Paris, Rome, Mumbai, Helsinki, Melbourne, Toronto, Sao Paulo, and Frankfurt. They could all unblock local Netflix libraries easily and had an average speed of 35 Mbps — which is more than enough for streaming HD with no lag.

As Disney+ has improved its VPN-detection technology, I had to make sure CyberGhost could still beat its blocks. I connected to the optimized Las Vegas server — which worked to access Disney+, but it was a little slow. I was able to stream Hamilton in HD, but I had to sit through roughly 20 seconds of buffering at the beginning. I actually got faster speeds by connecting to CyberGhost’s (non-optimized) New York Server which loaded Hamilton a lot faster.

Amazon Prime Video has also been working hard to block VPNs, and most services don’t work anymore. This is why I was excited when CyberGhost unblocked Prime Video easily. I was able to watch Fleabag in HD without any buffering.

I was impressed with how well CyberGhost worked for me on Kodi — it unblocked all my favorite addons without making me wait too long for them to load. I also tested it on my Android TV using the native CyberGhost Android app. As my Android TV is pretty old and sluggish, I expected speeds to slow down with the load of the extra app — but I was wrong. The app is so lightweight I barely noticed a difference and could stream in HD without any lag.

I confirmed through my tests that CyberGhost also unblocks: Hulu, BBC iPlayer, HBO Now, HBO Max, Fubo TV, Crunchyroll, Sling TV, Eurosport, Fox Sport and FoX, NBC, CBC, Comedy Central, Globo and Globo Sportv, ESPN+, Yle, Disney+ Hotstar, Foxtel, TF1, Canal+, ORF, ruutu.fi, 6play, France TV, RTL, Europe1, 7TV, Zattoo DE, ZDF, ARD, Rai Play, Stan.

Blocked By: Sky TV

CyberGhost can’t unblock Sky TV. After trying five UK servers (Manchester-S401-i01, Manchester-S401-i08, London-s412-i13, London-s412-i16, and Berkshire-s401-i01), I asked a live chat support agent for the best server to watch Sky TV. The representative let me know that CyberGhost doesn’t work with Sky TV.

Live chat confirmed that CyberGhost doesn’t work with Sky TV.

Speeds — Most Servers Are Fast (Only a Few Aren’t)

I found that CyberGhost is fast when you use a local server but slow on international servers. I used Ookla’s speed test tool on servers in 10 countries to give you an up-to-date look at the speeds across CyberGhost’s network.

In general, my tests showed that it’s fast enough to browse (even on the slowest servers). I recorded low ping rates (high ping rates make your connection lag, which means games and streaming content buffer more). My upload and download speeds were fast enough for streaming, gaming, and torrenting (except on a few really faraway servers). Fast download speeds mean that it takes less time to load websites and download large files (like when you’re torrenting). Quick upload speeds mean that you can make video calls with high-quality picture and upload files to the cloud faster.

Local Speeds

I tested my base speed from my location in Australia first so that I had something with which to compare my results. I then used CyberGhost’s Best Server Location feature (it automatically finds you the best server based on latency, speed, and distance). Best Server Location connected me to an Australian server.

It’s normal for a VPN to slow your connection speed a little because it takes extra time for your traffic to be encrypted and travel to the VPN server. In reality, this difference isn’t large enough to make a difference when streaming, gaming, or browsing. It was just as smooth as my regular, non-VPN connection. Netflix continued streaming in HD, and I could load webpages in a few seconds.

Try CyberGhost Today! 

Long-Distance Speeds

CyberGhost slows down when you use an international server

I let CyberGhost select the fastest US server by double-clicking on “United States” in the country list. CyberGhost connected me to a server in Arizona, which decreased my speed — but I couldn’t tell. I’m based in Australia, about 13,000 km away from Arizona. I expected my speed to drop substantially because of the distance my data had to travel. I only lost 33% of my speed. This sounds like a lot, but in reality, it’s not a noticeable difference. I was able to stream in HD quality, but my videos buffered for about 20 seconds.

US Server (Phoenix, Arizona) 

I wanted to see how CyberGhost would perform when my data had to travel even farther, so I connected to a server in the UK (about 16,000 km away from me). This is where my speed loss really started to show. My download speed decreased by 94% to just 1.49 Mbps. I definitely noticed the reduced speed while browsing and streaming. It took ages for pages to load, and it was too slow to stream Netflix UK.

UK Server (London) 

Cyberghost’s local servers are quick but it doesn’t deliver consistently fast connections over longer distances.

Try CyberGhost Risk-Free For 45 Days!

Fast Enough for Gaming? Yes, on Most Servers

CyberGhost isn’t the fastest gaming VPN I’ve tested, but its local servers are reliable for gaming. The international servers slowed me down, so I would need to see more consistency across its network before I felt comfortable recommending it as a top VPN for gaming.

I installed CyberGhost on my router before running my gaming tests. It’s easy to set up (it took me less than 5 minutes). Normally, you can’t use a VPN on consoles (including PS4/PS5 and Xbox One). Installing CyberGhost on your router gets around this by protecting all the devices on your network, including your consoles.

There are two main advantages to using a VPN when you play: you can access addons and DLC from other countries and participate in matches on overseas game servers.

I was able to play World of Tanks on a US server without any noticeable lag

I played World of Tanks while connected to CyberGhost. While playing, I paid particular attention to my ping rate because a lower ping rate equals less lag. Ideally, your ping should be less than 170ms. Your download speed is also important because it affects how quickly your games load — it should be at least 3 Mbps. For more demanding games (like FPS), you need at least 12 Mbps.

There are gaming-optimized CyberGhost servers, but I noticed that all of their ping rates were 300ms or more (this is too slow for gaming). Because of this, I used Cyberghost’s regular, non-optimized servers in my tests.

I found that using a server close to my location gave me the lowest ping and the best quality gaming. If you only need a VPN for security (and not to unblock international DLC packs), use the server nearest to your location. This will give you the best speeds and fewer interruptions when you’re playing.

I tested five of CyberGhost’s regular servers and learned that my ping rate was highest on servers more than 13,000 km from my location. This makes sense because it takes more time for your traffic to reach a server that’s far away. The London (16,000 km from me) and Brazilian (14,400 km away) servers had such high ping rates that I couldn’t load World of Tanks.

CyberGhost is fast enough for gaming if you use a server within 13,000 km of your location. On more distant servers, the ping rate is too high and you might not be able to load your game.

Start Gaming with CyberGhost Now!

Server Network — A Large Network With Great Coverage

CyberGhost has a global network of 6,600 servers in 90 countries. It has an impressive 1,100+ servers in the US alone, but I was also pleasantly surprised to see servers in hard-to-reach locations like Saudi Arabia, Latvia, China, and Lithuania. This gives you plenty of servers to choose from for better speeds and for unblocking global content.

It uses RAM-based servers that can’t store data without power, so they’re wiped clean whenever they are rebooted. This makes it much more secure than regular hard drives (that many other VPN providers use). CyberGhost’s servers are also rebooted regularly, which means none of your information is permanently stored. This assures me that no one will be able to access my data since there is nothing for them to get their hands on anyway.

Alongside its regular servers, CyberGhost offers 4 types of optimized servers: 

1. NoSpy — use these servers if you need maximum security (like when you’re traveling in places like China, or if you’re a journalist).
2. P2P-optimized — use these servers when you’re torrenting or watching P2P-based sites like Popcorn Time.
3. Streaming-optimized — use these servers when you’re watching Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and other streaming sites.
4. Gaming-optimized — use these servers when you’re playing games.
5. Dedicated IP servers — use these servers if you need to access IP-restricted networks (like logging in to your workplace’s website).

No-Spy Servers — Increase Security, but at an Extra Cost

CyberGhost’s NoSpy servers make the VPN more secure — but they cost extra. The NoSpy servers are based in CyberGhost’s private data center, which means only the CyberGhost team can access them. They significantly reduce the risk of man-in-the-middle attacks since there’s no third party involved — ideal for extra protection while torrenting, for example.

The optional NoSpy server package offers premium hardware, dedicated uplinks (which increase your speed). The servers are maintained by a dedicated team of CyberGhost staff from its NoSpy data center in Romania.

I was pleased to see that NoSpy servers are available on both desktop and mobile apps so you can enjoy maximum security across all your devices.

The NoSpy server package is worth the upgrade — but the regular CyberGhost servers are still fast and secure enough on their own.

Specialized Streaming and P2P-Optimized Servers

CyberGhost’s torrenting and streaming-optimized servers automatically give you the best IP address and virtual location for each activity.

I checked with CyberGhost’s live chat team and they told me these IP addresses are regularly updated to make sure they replace any IPs that might have been blacklisted by streaming sites. Its P2P servers also give you a virtual location in a country that can access popular P2P indexes and torrenting sites that most governments block.

The streaming servers are even optimized for specific platforms so that you can hop onto the best servers for Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, and more.

Try CyberGhost Risk-Free For 45 Days!

Gaming-Optimized Servers

CyberGhost has servers that are optimized for gaming, but they didn’t work during my tests. The idea is that these servers have a lower ping rate and quicker speeds, but I found that it was actually the opposite. The ping on all of its gaming servers was too high, which made it too slow to load games. Ideally, your ping rate needs to be below 170ms for playing, and all of its servers were above 200ms.

CyberGhost’s gaming servers’ ping rates were above the maximum for gaming.

Does CyberGhost Use Virtual Server Locations? Yes

Yes, CyberGhost uses virtual server locations. That means that some of the servers aren’t actually within the specified country. For example, the Algerian servers aren’t actually in Algeria — they’re somewhere else.

Virtual servers help VPNs provide faster and more reliable connections in remote places. They also let them operate in countries where VPNs are banned (or are vulnerable to government interference).

Virtual servers can raise privacy concerns, though. For example, a server could be in a country that’s part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Surveillance pact when you think it isn’t. During my tests, I found that CyberGhost is transparent about all of its virtual locations, so you know what to expect before connecting.

CyberGhost is transparent about using virtual servers

Security & Privacy — Safe to Use

Encryption and Logging Policy — CyberGhost Doesn’t Keep Logs

CyberGhost offers 256-bit encryption (the highest level available) and keeps a strict no-logs policy. That means that your data is protected with a 256 character-long key (like a password) that encrypts your data. The longer the key, the more secure it is, and 256 bits is currently the strongest.

Putting that into perspective helps to understand why it’s important: 50 supercomputers that could check a billion billion AES keys per second would require 3×10^51 years to crack a single piece of your data. This means that even if a hacker intercepted your information, they would still not be able to read it.

CyberGhost has a no-logs policy. This means that it doesn’t store any information that can be used to trace or monitor you (like your IP address, DNS requests, or acticity). You can even sign up with Bitcoin, which makes you completely anonymous because it means CyberGhost doesn’t have access to your payment information.

Like most VPNs, CyberGhost keeps some anonymized data so it can analyze how its VPN is being used. This isn’t anything to worry about because it can’t be used to track you and is deleted every 24 hours. It also stores information like your email address for signing you in and out of your account.

However, I noticed that CyberGhost stores some of your hardware information to keep track of your simultaneous connections. The other VPNs I’ve tested have found ways around this that don’t require storing this info, but it isn’t a risk to your security or privacy.

Protect Yourself With CyberGhost!

Security Protocols

CyberGhost offers OpenVPN TCP/UDP, IKEv2, and WireGuard. The apps automatically select the best protocol for you based on your needs — but you can choose another protocol if you prefer.

CyberGhost Has Found a Way to Offer WireGuard Safely

WireGuard is the best performing protocol, but it isn’t safe to use without additional protection because it assigns your static IP addresses instead of a dynamic IP. That means you’re assigned the same IP every time you connect — and that WireGuard needs to store your IP and time stamps so it knows when to connect and disconnect you from the VPN.

But this isn’t an issue because CyberGhost pairs it with additional security features to protect you. The technical details: it combines WireGuard with a RESTful API protected by an RSA certificate, plus a daemon that can dynamically assign IP addresses where WireGuard can’t. What this really means: CyberGhost uses additional features ensure your IP address and usage data is never logged, and that none of your activity can be traced back to you when you use WireGuard. You can use WireGuard on CyberGhost’s apps for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux.

Kill Switch

All of CyberGhost’s apps feature an automatic kill switch. Although you may never need to use it, it’s important to have a kill switch because it protects you from leaks if your VPN connection temporarily goes down. Without it, your IP address and activity would be revealed — but with it, your internet is temporarily paused until the VPN connection is reestablished.

I particularly like that CyberGhost’s kill switch is automatically enabled so you’re protected as soon as you connect.

Split Tunneling

CyberGhost offers split tunneling, but only on its mobile and desktop apps. Split tunneling lets you decide which apps go through the VPN and which you access with your regular IP. This is useful for online banking and watching domestic streaming sites because you can lose access to them when you connect to a VPN.

Just remember, when you use split tunneling, anything you leave outside of the VPN is not encrypted. Don’t leave out any apps that require anonymity (like a BitTorrent client) or need to bypass geoblocks.

Location — Cyberghost’s Headquarters Are in Romania, a Privacy-Friendly Country

Romania is not part of the 14 Eyes Alliance, so it has no obligation to share your information with any government. CyberGhost won’t pass on any of your information even if it receives a legal request from a government agency.

Ownership — CyberGhost’s Parent Company Can Be Trusted

Kape Technologies owns CyberGhost — it can be trusted now, but it has a shady past. It’s a cybersecurity and digital protection investment company based in London. Kape Technologies previously worked in mobile ad and browser extension development under the name Crossrider. The company faced some backlash in 2018 when it was caught bundling adware into its downloads as part of a black hat technique known as ad injection.

However, Kape has worked hard to distance itself from Crossrider’s past. It no longer works in ad development and has switched its focus to VPNs (it owns Private Internet Access and ZenMate, too). CyberGhost operates as a separate entity and has a transparent privacy policy that focuses on your online safety and anonymity.

Security Breaches and Independent Audits

There have been no significant security breaches. In 2019, Typeform (a company CyberGhost uses to create user experience surveys) leaked 14 CyberGhost accounts’ usernames, but no passwords were revealed, so there was no risk of hacking. There have been no breaches since.

CyberGhost hasn’t been independently audited recently, but in the past, it has had independent testing carried out on its safety processes.

CyberGhost releases a Transparency Report every 3 months. This provides information about malware activity flags, key statistics about its infrastructure, and the people behind CyberGhost. This is the kind of honesty I like to see from a leading VPN. I’d like to see CyberGhost take steps to perform external audits, though, especially of its no-logs policy and server security standards so we have a clearer picture of how it operates.

App Protection

On desktop, you can add protected apps to your list, and CyberGhost will automatically launch and connect when you open them. I tried it with Netflix, and it worked flawlessly. It connected me to a US server automatically, so I was able to head straight to Netflix US without any other manual configuration. This is amazing for ease of use, and I haven’t seen another VPN offer this feature. It also means that if you’re using a risky app — like a torrenting client — you don’t need to worry about compromising your security if you accidentally forget to connect.

Try CyberGhost Risk-Free For 45 Days!

Leak Tests and Leak Protection

CyberGhost offers DNS and IP leak protection in its apps and browser extensions. Your ISP can use DNS requests and IPv6 traffic to see what you’re doing online, so you want to keep them private. This makes sure that your DNS requests are routed through CyberGhost’s DNS, and any IPv6 requests are blocked to prevent sites from seeing your real IP address. These are already switched on, so even if you’re a VPN newbie and aren’t sure what they are, you’re protected without having to worry about it.

I put CyberGhost to the test using ipleak.net to see whether there were any faults or potential leaks in my connection. I tried seven different servers: UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, Australia, and Hong Kong. I didn’t experience DNS or IP leaks on any server.

CyberGhost’s leak protection works

WiFi Protection

CyberGhost’s desktop and mobile apps can be set up to launch automatically when you connect to public WiFi. You can also set it to ask whether you want to connect to or ignore certain networks. I found this really convenient because I didn’t need to worry about remembering to turn the app on; you’re protected no matter what.

HTTPS Protection

CyberGhost offers automated HTTPS redirect. This feature forces your connection to an HTTPS-enabled site, so you only visit the most secure version of a website. If the site doesn’t have an HTTPS version, you’re still protected by CyberGhost’s encryption and other security measures. It protects you from malicious attacks on unsecured websites, where personal data like credit card details and your mailing address are easily exposed to anyone watching.

Tor Compatibility — CyberGhost Works With Tor

CyberGhost is compatible with Tor. It’s safest to use the Onion over VPN method, so just connect to a server and then launch the Tor browser. Using a VPN over Tor gives you an additional layer of security and anonymity. Hoever, it made Tor a bit slower for me since my traffic had to go through the VPN server as well as Tor’s relays.

CyberGhost Blocks Ads but Doesn’t Give Full Malware Protection

CyberGhost blocks ads and also offers protection against trackers and malicious websites (but not malware). If you open a page that’s known to contain malicious files, CyberGhost will block the site, but that doesn’t stop malware from being installed on your device. You still need to use an anti-malware program. 

You can turn each blocker on in your settings. I suggest you turn on all three of these for maximum protection. That way, you’re protected from annoying pop-ups and anything else that might infect your device or expose you.

I put the ad blocker to the test, and it functions well — it even blocks ads on Facebook. These blockers made my browsing experience much faster as I didn’t need to wait for ads to load. Plus, they save you from wasting data if you’re on a limited plan since loading ads uses extra data.

You need to enable all three blockers manually, but this allows you to control how you view and interact with ads and trackers online.

Block Annoying Ads With CyberGhost!

Torrenting — Fast P2P-Optimized Servers, but Only on Desktop

CyberGhost is a strong choice for torrenting. It has specialized torrenting servers designed for high-speed P2P sharing, while always maintaining your anonymity and security. You can find these servers under the “For Torrenting” tab in the app.

I tried servers in the US, Australia, Germany, and Mexico and I was able to download files easily and quickly on all servers.

CyberGhost has optimized P2P servers for torrenting

CyberGhost uses advanced encryption, a strict no-logs policy, and “perfect forward secrecy” to make sure you’re secure while P2P sharing. None of your activity is retained, so there’s no information that can be traced back to you.

However, it doesn’t offer a SOCKS5 proxy. This is a maximum security proxy that offers improved upload and download speeds, so it’s particularly good for torrenting.

Start Torrenting with CyberGhost

Does CyberGhost Work in China? No

CyberGhost doesn’t work in China. It has servers that can access Chinese sites, but you can’t use it if you are already in China. I contacted live support and they confirmed that this is because the Chinese government has blocked the app.

CyberGhost has been blocked by the Chinese government

China bans VPNs that aren’t controlled by the government and its Great Firewall blocks VPN traffic. Very few VPNs have managed to get around this.

To beat this ban, a VPN needs to do three things:

1. Host a .onion site that allows you to sign up to the service and install the app via the Onion network.
2. Operate obfuscated servers that change your metadata to make your traffic like regular, non-VPN traffic.
3. Offer strong security features, particularly 256-bit encryption, leak protection, and a kill switch.

CyberGhost has top-notch security features, but it doesn’t have obfuscated servers. Additionally, you can’t download the app from within China because it has been removed from Chinese app stores and its homepage has been blocked. Because of this, it doesn’t work in China. 

Device Compatibility — Works with All Major Platforms

CyberGhost works with the most popular devices and operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, Chrome, Firefox, and routers.

You need to install it on your router first for it to work on your PlayStation, XBox, and Wii because there’s no way to install a VPN app on them. For a quicker setup process, you can just use CyberGhost’s smart DNS service by changing your game console’s DNS settings — but I advise against this because smart DNS doesn’t encrypt your traffic.

There’s no app for Chromebook — but you can still use the Chrome browser extension to protect your browser traffic. There are manual workarounds to install it on Raspberry Pi, Synology NAS, and Vu+ SOLO2 (you can find easy installation guides for these on CyberGhost’s website).

Desktop Apps

CyberGhost’s desktop apps are easy to understand and use. They’re also pretty quick to install — I tested it on Windows and Mac, and both times, the app was ready to go in under 4 minutes.

The server search bar is particularly convenient — you can type in either a country or a streaming service and it will find you the best server to use. You can also click on the options in the left side menu to see all the optimized servers for streaming and P2P.

Its Smart Rules are really useful, too. You can configure them to automatically launch CyberGhost when you start the app, or when you open a specific program.

I found the desktop apps to be really straightforward

iOS and Android Apps

CyberGhost’s mobile apps have nearly all the same features you get on desktop. They have the ad, malicious website, and tracking blockers, WiFi protection, and Android has split tunneling capability (iOS doesn’t). They even have a data compression feature that compresses images and other elements on a page to reduce your internet usage.

Neither mobile app has HTTPS Redirect or DNS/IPv6 leak protection, though. That’s not to say the mobile apps are not secure — they still use advanced encryption to keep you anonymous. But, if your DNS requests leak — or you visit an IPv6-enabled website — your ISP will be able to see your activity (and the website will see your real IP).

Get Started with CyberGhost!

Browser Extensions

CyberGhost has completely free browser extensions for Firefox and Chrome. As expected, though, they come with limitations (like no kill switch and a limited number of servers).

You can install the extensions straight on your browsers as lightweight options for encrypting your browser traffic. However, nothing outside your browser is encrypted, so you can’t use the VPN with external apps (like torrenting clients, for example).

The extensions come with some security features like completely anonymous browsing, no-logs, WebRTC leak protection, online tracking blockers, malicious content blockers, and WiFi security. But they’re missing a kill switch, which is an important fail-safe for protecting your anonymity in the event you lose connection to the VPN.

They also severely restrict your server access. You only have access to 8 servers in 4 countries — the US, Germany, the Netherlands, and Romania. To put that into context, CyberGhost’s full VPN apps give you access to 6,600 servers in 90 countries. I found the free browser extension too limited when it comes to bypassing international geo-restrictions, although it’s a great option if you only need access to content in the 4 available countries.

Router App

CyberGhost is compatible with routers that support OpenVPN. You can manually configure the VPN with your router using the step-by-step guides on CyberGhost’s website. I followed the tutorials for OpenVPN on my DD-WRT router, and it’s straightforward enough that an intermediate user could set it up easily.

You can also purchase a FlashRouter that already has the CyberGhost app installed so you don’t need to configure anything yourself. I’d definitely consider this option if you’re not familiar with router configuration or just don’t want to run the risk of installing it incorrectly.

Tip: For unlimited simultaneous connections, install CyberGhost on your router. Your router is considered a single connection, so all of the other WiFi-connected devices in your household can stay protected at once.

Simultaneous Connections — Protect up to 7 Devices

You can have up to 7 simultaneous connections with your CyberGhost subscription. I tried downloading and using the VPN on 3 of my devices at once — I expected multiple connections to slow me down, but my speeds remained the same as when I had one device connected.

I found a small hack too — you can get unlimited simultaneous connections at home by installing the VPN on a router. This lets you share your subscription with your whole household. For this to work, your router has to be OpenVPN-compatible.

CyberGhost’s Optional Extras — Great Free App, but the Paid Add-Ons Aren’t Worth It

CyberGhost offers a free Secret Photo Vault app that’s separate from the VPN app, as well as a couple of paid add-ons in the VPN app itself.

• Secret Photo Vault — CyberGhost’s Secret PhotoVault is an iOS-only app that hides pictures and videos behind password protection on your iPhone or iPad. You can choose to secure your files with a PIN or biometric protection and it has additional security features, including break-in reports and a decoy password to prevent anyone else from accessing your vault. The app is free and I found it easy to use — it’s just disappointing that it’s only available for iOS.
• Dedicated IP Addresses — CyberGhost has dedicated IP addresses, but only in eight locations: two cities in each the UK, the US, and Germany, as well as one city in each France and Canada. You also have to pay for the service on top of your existing subscription. A dedicated IP can be useful for avoiding blacklists and geoblocks since it’s harder for sites to detect that you’re using a VPN when no one else is sharing the same server.
• Password Manager — When you subscribe to CyberGhost, you can choose PassCamp password manager as an optional add-on. I don’t recommend it: It’s expensive, and there are similar password managers available for free.

Get Started with CyberGhost!