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• Reviews Guidelines
The reviews published on vpnMentor are written by experts that examine the products according to our strict reviewing standards. Such standards ensure that each review is based on the independent, professional and honest examination of the reviewer, and takes into account the technical capabilities and qualities of the product together with its commercial value for users, which may also affect the product's ranking on the website.
At first glance, there is little to choose between these three providers. However, after digging slightly deeper you find that only NordVPN originates in a reasonably VPN-friendly country, being based in Panama. Cyberghost has recently been acquired by an Israeli company, and HMA originates in the UK. NordVPN and Cyberghost offer a similar number of simultaneous connections with NordVPN offering 6, one more than Cyberghost; HMA falls behind in this respect only offering 2 simultaneous connections for its users. While all have good coverage, it is HMA that comes out on top with the greater number of countries with connections and the greater number of servers overall. When it comes to customer service, however, NordVPN is the only one that offers 24/7 live support. Cyberghost does have a live option but only during set hours. In terms of ways to pay, NordVPN again comes out on top, offering payment through gift cards, as well as debit and credit cards, and Bitcoins. The real difference, however, is in terms of speed, reliability, and ease of use, all areas where NordVPN comes out on top.
Features
9.4
Pricing
9.0
Ease of Use
9.6
Reliability & Support
9.2
Features
9.4
Pricing
8.8
Ease of Use
9.4
Reliability & Support
8.0
Features
10.0
Pricing
9.6
Ease of Use
10.0
Reliability & Support
10.0
Rating
Features
9.4
9.4
10.0
Pricing
9.0
8.8
9.6
Ease of Use
9.6
9.4
10.0
Reliability & Support
9.2
8.0
10.0
Reviews
Review by our expert
Matthew Amos
Cybersecurity Researcher
9.6
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 with its new ownership, I wondered if CyberGhost is even safe to use anymore.
I did a deep dive into CyberGhost’s ownershi...
Entirely AmazingNever really had any issues at all, ever. Any occasional slight slowdown is counterbalanced by being completely tweakable if necessary, and so easy to use - simple GUI. Feel safe with these guys over a long period of time, reasonable subscription fee :)
Latest negative user review
James Head
2.0
Unusable on Linux MINT 20.1 and didn't unblock 6play M6 FranceFirstly I tried to install it on the laptop I use for streaming, a four-year-old HP with 16Gb memory and 1Tb SSD running Linux Mint 20.1 but received error messages when trying to install the Linux MINT 20 App from their official website. It turns out they don't support this OS yet and had no idea when they would so their advice was to downgrade to Linux Mint 20,0.
I tried it on a Windows HP laptop but found that we were unable to access M6 6play in France. Being able to access this particular webpage, and the Molotov French TV site for streaming live TV from M6 in France was the main purpose of our getting a VPN (my wife is French). I verified that the sites were still accessible without going through the VPN, just with the content being blocked as we were in the UK.
Therefore this VPN doesn't fulfill our requirements.
HMA is a popular VPN provider with a large network of 1,080+ servers in 210+ countries.
Some of this VPN’s biggest strengths are its user-friendly interface, impressive speeds, and ability to bypass geoblocks (even Netflix's!)
It's newest update, HMA Version 5, includes new design features and an auto-generated diagnostics mode. Arguably the most impressive update is its Lightning-mode feat...
Working perfectI like this excellent service a lot. It is working absolutely perfect. I have been using it for a couple of weeks, in my PC, in my mobile and also in an Asus router.
It is easy to order and setup, no matter which device.
Latest negative user review
Matt
2.0
I wouldnt get no subscription i got one month ended up costing me 167.76 dollarsoct 16,2020
oct 6,2021 both $83.88 charged total of $167.76
That transaction from 2020 that was unauthorized as a one-month subscription instead charge me a year and could never get my money back it was October 16, 2020, I contacted them and cancel it all and call them, and made sure no more recurring was coming out after failed disputes. And now oct 6,2021 they remove 83.81 out my account even tho I cancel and stuff and I only need it for 1 month in Oct 2020 so now $167.76 I have been charged for a one-month subscription from Oct 2020 that I haven't used since then but been charged for it something got to change I need my money back this is a scam.
It’s not often that a VPN has cheap prices coupled with an excellent set of features. Yet, when my team and I looked at what NordVPN has to offer, this is exactly what we found. It offers a huge global network of servers, unblocks hundreds of streaming platforms, and has iron-clad security and privacy features — and you can get it all for just $3.30/month. I had to wonder what the catch was.
...
For NordVPN-Android – NordVPN cannotThere is no Caveat Emptor here, nothing like that at all. Nothing to worry about because NordVPN has a top-notch of KillSwitch. It has never faltered in my case. Some instances that NordVPN connection is lost for like 10 seconds while I'm "incognito" in a streaming site, I immediately check with the site with regards to my interrupted connection and my real location did not register ;-) This happened a handful of times in fact. NordVPN will not leave you out in the cold so to speak ;-)
Just that since this is a review, it must be noted since features are being enumerated that Split Tunneling and KillSwitch cannot be enabled at the same time. It's either you use one or the other.
KillSwitch is not possible if you need to exclude an app from using VPN which means to Split Tunneling. Crypto wallet apps and apps that refuse to use VPN tunnel are such examples.
"Block Connections Without VPN" being 1 of 2 conditions that must be met to be able to utilize KillSwitch, and KillSwitch will not work if Split Tunneling is enabled. Ergo,
- It's either All apps are Blocked without VPN or No Apps are Blocked at all.
I thought pausing the VPN from its Notification will take care of this but in all my Android devices that have NordVPN the pausing from the notification does not work which makes me wonder if pausing/disconnecting from notification is a feature that works in Android.
Latest negative user review
Anonymously
2.0
Skip it.Skip Nord! They make you disable the kill switch to log in. Which was not always the case. So you have to be careful every time you log in. You do not want to have a leak just because you forgot the kill switch was off.
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 with its new ownership, I wondered if CyberGhost is even safe to use anymore.
I did a deep dive into CyberGhost’s ownershi...
HMA is a popular VPN provider with a large network of 1,080+ servers in 210+ countries.
Some of this VPN’s biggest strengths are its user-friendly interface, impressive speeds, and ability to bypass geoblocks (even Netflix's!)
It's newest update, HMA Version 5, includes new design features and an auto-generated diagnostics mode. Arguably the most impressive update is its Lightning-mode feat...
It’s not often that a VPN has cheap prices coupled with an excellent set of features. Yet, when my team and I looked at what NordVPN has to offer, this is exactly what we found. It offers a huge global network of servers, unblocks hundreds of streaming platforms, and has iron-clad security and privacy features — and you can get it all for just $3.30/month. I had to wonder what the catch was.
...
Entirely AmazingNever really had any issues at all, ever. Any occasional slight slowdown is counterbalanced by being completely tweakable if necessary, and so easy to use - simple GUI. Feel safe with these guys over a long period of time, reasonable subscription fee :)
Hans Bladby
10.0
Working perfectI like this excellent service a lot. It is working absolutely perfect. I have been using it for a couple of weeks, in my PC, in my mobile and also in an Asus router.
It is easy to order and setup, no matter which device.
Marc
10.0
For NordVPN-Android – NordVPN cannotThere is no Caveat Emptor here, nothing like that at all. Nothing to worry about because NordVPN has a top-notch of KillSwitch. It has never faltered in my case. Some instances that NordVPN connection is lost for like 10 seconds while I'm "incognito" in a streaming site, I immediately check with the site with regards to my interrupted connection and my real location did not register ;-) This happened a handful of times in fact. NordVPN will not leave you out in the cold so to speak ;-)
Just that since this is a review, it must be noted since features are being enumerated that Split Tunneling and KillSwitch cannot be enabled at the same time. It's either you use one or the other.
KillSwitch is not possible if you need to exclude an app from using VPN which means to Split Tunneling. Crypto wallet apps and apps that refuse to use VPN tunnel are such examples.
"Block Connections Without VPN" being 1 of 2 conditions that must be met to be able to utilize KillSwitch, and KillSwitch will not work if Split Tunneling is enabled. Ergo,
- It's either All apps are Blocked without VPN or No Apps are Blocked at all.
I thought pausing the VPN from its Notification will take care of this but in all my Android devices that have NordVPN the pausing from the notification does not work which makes me wonder if pausing/disconnecting from notification is a feature that works in Android.
Latest negative user review
James Head
2.0
Unusable on Linux MINT 20.1 and didn't unblock 6play M6 FranceFirstly I tried to install it on the laptop I use for streaming, a four-year-old HP with 16Gb memory and 1Tb SSD running Linux Mint 20.1 but received error messages when trying to install the Linux MINT 20 App from their official website. It turns out they don't support this OS yet and had no idea when they would so their advice was to downgrade to Linux Mint 20,0.
I tried it on a Windows HP laptop but found that we were unable to access M6 6play in France. Being able to access this particular webpage, and the Molotov French TV site for streaming live TV from M6 in France was the main purpose of our getting a VPN (my wife is French). I verified that the sites were still accessible without going through the VPN, just with the content being blocked as we were in the UK.
Therefore this VPN doesn't fulfill our requirements.
Matt
2.0
I wouldnt get no subscription i got one month ended up costing me 167.76 dollarsoct 16,2020
oct 6,2021 both $83.88 charged total of $167.76
That transaction from 2020 that was unauthorized as a one-month subscription instead charge me a year and could never get my money back it was October 16, 2020, I contacted them and cancel it all and call them, and made sure no more recurring was coming out after failed disputes. And now oct 6,2021 they remove 83.81 out my account even tho I cancel and stuff and I only need it for 1 month in Oct 2020 so now $167.76 I have been charged for a one-month subscription from Oct 2020 that I haven't used since then but been charged for it something got to change I need my money back this is a scam.
Anonymously
2.0
Skip it.Skip Nord! They make you disable the kill switch to log in. Which was not always the case. So you have to be careful every time you log in. You do not want to have a leak just because you forgot the kill switch was off.
All three VPNs are great choices for various internet activity, and all come with affordable prices. NordVPN takes the lead in balancing between solid performance, superb security, excellent privacy, and fast speeds. CyberGhost may be cheaper, but NordVPN is offering some amazing deals right now.
All three VPNs are great choices for various internet activity, and all come with affordable prices. NordVPN takes the lead in balancing between solid performance, superb security, excellent privacy, and fast speeds. CyberGhost may be cheaper, but NordVPN is offering some amazing deals right now.
All three VPNs allow torrenting on selected servers. Unlike HMA, CyberGhost and NordVPN offer specific torrenting mode within their apps. However, NordVPN is a wiser choice in terms of privacy and security.
All three VPNs allow torrenting on selected servers. Unlike HMA, CyberGhost and NordVPN offer specific torrenting mode within their apps. However, NordVPN is a wiser choice in terms of privacy and security.
HMA offers a simple app for Windows, but it’s limited compared to those provided by CyberGhost and NordVPN. All three Windows apps come with a kill switch. CyberGhost’s Windows app is more user-friendly and visually appealing. On the other hand, NordVPN’s Windows app offers simplicity, ease of use, and more advanced features than CyberGhost and HMA combined.
HMA offers a simple app for Windows, but it’s limited compared to those provided by CyberGhost and NordVPN. All three Windows apps come with a kill switch. CyberGhost’s Windows app is more user-friendly and visually appealing. On the other hand, NordVPN’s Windows app offers simplicity, ease of use, and more advanced features than CyberGhost and HMA combined.
While all three VPNs offer user-friendly apps for Android users, NordVPN’s Android application is more feature-packed than those offered by CyberGhost and HMA. In addition, unlike CyberGhost and HMA, NordVPN has an automatic kill switch and a special Double VPN feature for better security and privacy.
While all three VPNs offer user-friendly apps for Android users, NordVPN’s Android application is more feature-packed than those offered by CyberGhost and HMA. In addition, unlike CyberGhost and HMA, NordVPN has an automatic kill switch and a special Double VPN feature for better security and privacy.
Despite the recent update to their Mac app, HMA is still limited and pricy compared to CyberGhost and NordVPN’s Mac apps. CyberGhost offers an exquisite Mac client with several options, but with a limited number of protocols. On the other hand, NordVPN provides a budget-friendly, full-featured application for Mac users.
Despite the recent update to their Mac app, HMA is still limited and pricy compared to CyberGhost and NordVPN’s Mac apps. CyberGhost offers an exquisite Mac client with several options, but with a limited number of protocols. On the other hand, NordVPN provides a budget-friendly, full-featured application for Mac users.
NordVPN’s iOS software client certainly towers over those offered by CyberGhost and HMA, even though all three iOS clients are appealing and user-friendly. Both NordVPN and CyberGhost offer built-in kill switches, but HMA doesn’t. NordVPN and CyberGhost also offer more organized and specific modes for streaming and anonymous browsing. In addition, NordVPN offers Double VPN, Tor over VPN, and P2P.
NordVPN’s iOS software client certainly towers over those offered by CyberGhost and HMA, even though all three iOS clients are appealing and user-friendly. Both NordVPN and CyberGhost offer built-in kill switches, but HMA doesn’t. NordVPN and CyberGhost also offer more organized and specific modes for streaming and anonymous browsing. In addition, NordVPN offers Double VPN, Tor over VPN, and P2P.
NordVPN has 1,900+ servers in the US, which is way more than HMA (190+ servers) or CyberGhost (500+ servers). All three VPNs can bypass US geo-restrictions and you can use them to stream Netflix US and HBO. In addition, NordVPN can help you unblock anti-VPN services like Amazon Prime.
NordVPN has 1,900+ servers in the US, which is way more than HMA (190+ servers) or CyberGhost (500+ servers). All three VPNs can bypass US geo-restrictions and you can use them to stream Netflix US and HBO. In addition, NordVPN can help you unblock anti-VPN services like Amazon Prime.
While all three companies have many merits, NordVPN definitely comes out ahead. It is the most reliable for working in China, although Cyberghost also works for Netflix users. All 3 work on multiple platforms. NordVPN and HMA both offer 30-day money-back guarantees, while CyberGhost offers 45 days. All provide DNS leak protection and keep no logs (to be specific HMA does keep logs, but only for diagnostic purposes). In addition, NordVPN and Cyberghost also provide kill switches, but again NordVPN is always just one step ahead especially in terms of speed, services, and security. Combined with its user-friendly approach, it is a definite winner.
