CyberGhost and Avira Phantom Pro are two reliable VPN services — but one is much more versatile than the other.
Avira’s VPN is the definition of a baseline product. It has one main strength — simple OpenVPN and IPSec encryption. It’s available for free, but if you want tech support and a kill switch, you’ll have to upgrade to the Pro version. With close to 40 servers in 25 locations, you won’t be unblocking Netflix (but Hulu and BBC work). Other notable features include DNS leak protection and autoconnect.
CyberGhost has all of the above-mentioned features, and much more. You get over 2,200 servers in 60+ countries, “stealth” settings for bypassing censorship in China and elsewhere, and a heap of other useful extras. Privacy is also spotless with this VPN — it’s based in Romania and operates under a strict zero-logs policy. Avira Phantom admits to storing bandwidth logs, which isn’t ideal.
So, who’s the winner in this comparison? The answer is obvious — CyberGhost. Does that make Avira Phantom a bad VPN? Not at all. The two VPNs simply serve different needs. CyberGhost is an excellent all-purpose VPN, and nothing is out of reach for it. Avira Phantom focuses on the very basics: effortless use and solid encryption. It all depends on what you want out of your VPN — and if it involves anything other than baseline protection, CyberGhost is the better choice.
Interestingly, if you compare CyberGhost VPN with NordVPN, which is our top ranked vpn, you'll see that CyberGhost VPN can learn a lot from NordVPN. Compare CyberGhost VPN with NordVPN
Ariel Hochstadt
Kate Veale