Disclosure:
Professional Reviews

vpnMentor contains reviews that are written by our community reviewers, and are based on the reviewers' independent and professional examination of the products/services.

• Ownership

vpnMentor is owned by Kape Technologies PLC, which owns the following products: ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, ZenMate, Private Internet Access, and Intego, which may be reviewed on this website.

• Affiliate Commissions

vpnMentor contains reviews that were written by our experts and follow the strict reviewing standards, including ethical standards, that we have adopted. Such standards require that each review will be based on an independent, honest and professional examination of the reviewer. That being said, we may earn a commission when a user completes an action using our links, which will however not affect the review but might affect the rankings. The latter are determined on the basis of customer satisfaction of previous sales and compensation received.

• 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. The rankings we publish may take into consideration the affiliate commissions we earn for purchases through links on our website.

CyberGhost VPN vs Hotspot Shield 2022

After comparing these VPNs, we have a winner!

Rated: 9.5/10
%s User Reviews
More Info
Rated: 8.8/10
%s User Reviews
More Info

Which VPN is better?

Author Image Catherine Ablett
Catherine Ablett

Cybersecurity Researcher

CyberGhost VPN and Hotspot Shield both offer users a range of great features and benefits, however, their approaches to privacy are very different. While CyberGhost has a strict no logging policy, Hotspot Shield has been the subject of an investigation into its data collection methods and is recognized as keeping partial logs. When it comes to how secure your connections are, CyberGhost offers military grade 256-bit AES encryption, IP and DNS leak protection, and a kill switch. Hotspot Shield does not offer a kill switch and its encryption is either 256-bit or 128-bit AES depending on the operating system you are using. It does however, run OpenVPN, which is more stable and secure than either PPTP or LT2P. While Hotspot Shield does have more server locations than CyberGhost at the current time, CyberGhost boast around five times more servers. CyberGhost also offers users two more simultaneous connections per license than Hotspot Shield, with seven to its five.

Rating

Features 9.5/10
Pricing 9.0/10
Ease of Use 9.6/10
Reliability & Support 9.2/10
Features 8.8/10
Pricing 9.0/10
Ease of Use 9.0/10
Reliability & Support 8.6/10

Reviews

Review by our expert
Author Image Matthew Amos
Matthew Amos

Editor

9.4/10

CyberGhost is one of the most affordable VPNs on the market — you can get a subscription for as low as $2.29/month. I sometimes assume that price indicates quality, but with VPNs, I've been proven wrong before. So I wanted to see whether CyberGhost can really deliver at such a low price. I did a deep dive into CyberGhost’s privacy policy and security measures to determine whether it’s secu...

Read all
Latest positive user review
B
Bob
8.0/10
VPN Leaks

I have used Cyberghost for 3 years and experienced 4 identity leaks in that time when I thought I was ... protected. Since then (about a year ago) I only use the "optimized for P2P" servers and have not had a problem. The kill switch seems to work as intended. I can't understand how the leaks happened because the kill switch was enabled all the time.More

Latest negative user review
D
Dimitrii
2.0/10
Not functioning on my laptop & support is useless

Despite numerous back-and-forth emails with the support, they haven't managed to get it to work or eve... n install it on one of my computers. It worked ok on the machines. They never acknowledged their software was buggy, instead, they tried to convince me I have an issue with the laptop. They also refused to provide a refund. Absolutely unprofessional.More

Read the full review
More Info
Review by our expert
Author Image Kennedy Otieno
Kennedy Otieno

Cybersecurity Researcher

8.0/10

Hotspot Shield claims its proprietary Hydra protocol makes it faster than most VPNs — but is that true? I tested HSS on my fast internet connection (it allows up to 1Gbps speeds) to discover how it does with streaming, gaming, and torrenting. Mostly, I had a seamless internet experience — watching shows on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video without buffering. Its 1,800 servers in 80 countries ...

Read all
Latest positive user review
G
George
8.0/10
Great Interface, easy to use and smooth/zippy.

It just feels well put together. Turns on automatically, which is no bad thing (if you don't like that... , turn the damn thing off with a click). The speed is consistently above average, and on a couple of inadvertent occasions, the Kill Switch operated as it should. I especially like the GUI, which is really simple, solid, yet has a refined/slick feel - far superior to a few I've tried but won't name here. I see no issues with it, although the security issues pointed out in the article are a bit alarming. I'm using the 'Business' version. Nice VPN, IMO.More

Latest negative user review
A
Alt
2.0/10
Blocked by Real-Debrid on just about every us city and nearly all countries

Easy to connect speed pretty good multiple platforms not great from streaming.. which is where you nee... d the speed. Nord vpn and Express are both cooperative providers with real-debrid meaning no connection problems. Even if you do find a server that connects frequently this is blocked during streaming.More

Read the full review
More Info

Pricing

Starting price $2.29/month
Money Back Guarantee (Days) 45 Days
Number of devices per license 7 devices
See Plans
Starting price $2.99/month
Money Back Guarantee (Days) 45 Days
Number of devices per license 5 devices
See Plans

Best VPNs by category

Best VPNs Overall

CyberGhost VPN has the greater number of servers, offers greater security with a kill switch, IP and DNS leak protection, and 256-bit AES encryption throughout. Both offer fast and reliable connections with unlimited bandwidth and can be used on all major operating systems. Both offer a 45-day money-back guarantee. CyberGhost and Hotspot Shield can both be used to access geo-restricted content, including Netflix, however, CyberGhost does run into problems with BBC iPlayer. Hotspot Shield’s users benefit from the vendors Catapult Hydra data compression technology; however, these need to be weighed against its logging policies and previous investigations into its use of data. You can get CyberGhost for a great price if you use one of these coupon codes.

Best VPNs for Torrents

CyberGhost allows torrenting across specific servers and is registered in Romania, which does not have very strict censorship or surveillance laws currently. Hotspot Shield does not allow torrenting / P2P on any of its servers.

Best VPNs for Windows

Both CyberGhost and Hotspot Shield work well with the Windows operating system and offer easy to download and install apps. Both offer unlimited bandwidth and stable connections. CyberGhost’s technology allows users to connect to the best server for their needs by setting up a distinct profile based on their main reason for using a VPN. Hotspot Shield users benefit from faster speeds through the use of Catapult Hydra technology. However, Hotspot Shield users have no live chat customer services option and user guides provided on the website are unclear.

Best VPNs for Android

Both services work on Android and the app from Hotspot Shield allows users to automatically connect to a proxy browser. CyberGhost’s users benefit from excellent speeds, military grade encryption, and a 7-day free trial on this operating system.

Best VPNs for Mac

CyberGhost and Hotspot shield both offer apps for the Mac operating system. Both offer fast connection speeds and Hotspot Shield users have the additional benefit of Catapult Hydra technology to improve the speeds they can achieve. CyberGhost users, however, benefit from better security, strict no logging policies, and better customer services.

Best VPNs for iOS

Both vendors provide native apps for iOS that are simple to set up and use. CyberGhost users have the additional benefit of a 7-day free trial for this operating system.

Best VPNs for USA

Both vendors have servers throughout the USA and both are able to bypass geo-restrictions to stream content, including US Netflix. However, CyberGhost users have the additional benefit of strict no logging policies and DNS leak protection.

The Bottom Line

Author Image Catherine Ablett
Catherine Ablett

Cybersecurity Researcher

Both vendors offer fast speeds, stable connections, and easy to use apps for all major operating systems. However, CyberGhost offers the better security with 256-bit AES encryption, an automatic kill switch, strict no logging policy, and IP and DNS leak protection. Combined with its superior customer services approach, including live chat options and easy to follow guides, it is the clear winner between the two vendors.

Time to decide which one is best for you

Go with CyberGhost VPN
Go with Hotspot Shield
Or click here to check best VPNs, rated by {{review_count}} users

FAQ

Is CyberGhost VPN better than Hotspot Shield?

Yes, CyberGhost VPN is better overall than Hotspot Shield. It has 9016 servers in 91 countries, fast speeds, and impressive security features.

Best of all, you can take advantage of its latest discount and get it for only $2.29 a month.

What should I keep in mind when choosing between CyberGhost VPN and Hotspot Shield?

When choosing a VPN, you want to pay close attention to its number of servers, overall speed score, pricing, and the number of simultaneous device connections it offers. While some VPNs provide a flawless online experience, others will really slow you down.

If you’re ready to commit, then CyberGhost VPN may be perfect for you due to its performance during the tests .

Is CyberGhost VPN faster than Hotspot Shield?

Yes, CyberGhost VPN is faster than Hotspot Shield. Since your VPN is your computer’s main connection to the internet, you need to use a service that won’t slow you down by more than 20%.

If speeds are important to you, then I recommend you take a look at ExpressVPN. It’s the fastest service out there, provides unlimited bandwidth, and you won’t experience any slowdowns even when you connect to the other side of the planet. You can try it out risk-free. It’s backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can get a full refund if you don’t like it.

Do CyberGhost VPN or Hotspot Shield offer any deals?

Both CyberGhost VPN and Hotspot Shield offer deals on occasion. You can check out the current coupons and discounts here. However, ExpressVPN has the best deals. Right now, you can get a 49% discount and up to 3 months for free with a new subscription.