CyberGhost VPN vs Opera VPN Pro 2024

Doris Muthuri

Former Senior Writer

CyberGhost and Opera VPN Pro are very different in terms of their features and capabilities. The former is a top player in the industry, while the latter is a smaller, premium version of the Opera browser's built-in VPN. While the 2 VPNs share some similarities, they are not on the same level.

To help you understand the differences between these VPNs, I have tested and compared all their features side-by-side. CyberGhost stood out due to its superior speeds and larger server network. My test results are outlined below to help you make an informed decision on which VPN best suits your needs.

Based on these results, CyberGhost is my top recommendation. It performs best for streaming, gaming, and torrenting, with airtight privacy and more robust security features compared to Opera VPN Pro. Plus, its larger server network makes it easy to find the right connection, whether it’s nearby or international. You can try it out for 45 days risk-free, as it’s backed by a trustworthy money-back guarantee.

Short on Time? Here Are My Key Findings

Best alternative to CyberGhost VPN

Our Score: 9.9

The winner of this comparison is one of my favorite VPNs out there, but even next to it, ExpressVPN stands out for many reasons. For one, its proprietary speed-optimized protocol (Lightway) makes it the fastest VPN I’ve tested. Plus, automatic obfuscation and advanced privacy features enable it to overcome the toughest blocks, so it even works in China.

Our Score: 9.9

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Streaming — CyberGhost Works With More Platforms

CyberGhost is the best option for accessing global streaming platforms from anywhere. It has excellent speeds and a ton of servers optimized for different global streaming services. While Opera VPN’s Pro’s streaming quality was decent, it had trouble with some popular platforms.

CyberGhost offers several platform-specific servers that are optimized for HD streaming from anywhere. My team tested these servers and enjoyed uninterrupted streaming on popular platforms. CyberGhost's engineers regularly check these connections to ensure that they always work reliably with their designated services.

My colleague in the US tested the server optimized for Hulu and had an easy time streaming The Masked Singer in HD. They said it also worked with Disney+, Netflix US, Max, and more. My UK colleague reported the same positive results with BBC iPlayer and Netflix UK. However, they had trouble getting it to work with the Prime Video UK library.

The SHOW played back in HD without any dips in quality

Opera VPN Pro works well with some streaming services but not others. For instance, it works with Disney +, DAZN, and Hulu without issues, but it struggles to work with Amazon Prime Video, ITV, (HBO) Max, and BBC iPlayer. It also can’t access some of the popular Netflix libraries.

The tester didn't experience any buffering while streaming

Winner

CyberGhost wins with faster speeds and many servers optimized for streaming. It's much more reliable for streaming popular platforms than Opera VPN.

Server Network — CyberGhost Covers More Locations

CyberGhost VPN's extensive network of servers gives it a clear advantage against Opera VPN Pro. With more connection options, each server experiences less load, resulting in smoother streaming, gaming, and downloading. Opera VPN Pro falls short with much fewer server options.

I also like that CyberGhost has servers specialized for gaming, streaming, and torrenting, which gives it another edge over Opera VPN Pro. Plus, it offers a selection of highly secure NoSpy servers, which are exclusively managed by its staff at the company’s headquarters in Romania.

CyberGhost offers a combination of physical and virtual servers. On the other end, an Opera VPN Pro customer support agent confirmed that all its servers are physically located in specific countries. To clarify, virtual servers provide you with an IP address from your chosen country by routing your data through a server in a different country. This is a great way to deal with privacy issues in countries with strict surveillance, like China and Russia.

Winner

CyberGhost offers many more servers than Opera VPN Pro and much better coverage in Asia and Africa. Plus, it provides a host of virtual servers and its NoSpy servers for added privacy protection.

Speed — CyberGhost Is Faster Over All Distances

Our dedicated tester in the UK tried each vendor for speed across various locations, including the US, UK, and Japan. They used the WireGuard protocol for CyberGhost and IKEv2 for Opera VPN Pro. Their base download speed was 117.05 Mbps, and the upload speed was 25.23 Mbps.

WireGuard is famous for its high speeds and simplicity, while IKEv2 is particularly popular for its excellent performance on mobile devices.

We found that CyberGhost consistently had faster speeds than Opera VPN Pro, especially on long-distance servers. On nearby UK servers, the tester’s speeds dropped by only 5%, while servers far away in the US only caused a 6% drop.

My download and upload rates didn't change much testing servers near me

Opera VPN Pro is significantly slower, especially on servers more than 5,000 miles away. This is made even worse by its limited server network, which means you might have a hard time finding a server nearby.

When I tested from Africa, my speeds dropped by more than 25% on most servers

However, I was surprised when some of Opera VPN’s far-away servers consistently gave me fast speeds. For example, despite Australia being over 5,000 km further from the UK than Japan, Australian servers were twice as fast. This discrepancy might be due to overcrowding on the Japanese servers, but this is just a hunch.

Winner

The winner is clear. CyberGhost is faster than Opera VPN Pro on both short and long distances.

Gaming — CyberGhost Wins By a Narrow Margin With a Slightly Lower Ping

While both VPNs performed well for lag-free gaming, CyberGhost had a slightly lower ping on most of the servers I tested. Ping rate is the time it takes for your actions to be reflected on screen. For responsive gaming, you should aim for a ping under 100 ms — aim even lower for fast-paced games.

Similar to the speed tests, our UK-based tester tested both VPNs and recorded the average results as below, starting from a baseline ping of 6 ms.

CyberGhost also offers servers optimized for gaming, but I didn’t notice much difference between them and the regular servers. Regular and optimized servers in the same regions had almost similar ping. For instance, all CyberGhost servers in the US had a ping of between 70-80 ms, which allowed me to play Minecraft without any issues.

I didn't experience significant lag with any games I tested

Opera VPN Pro had a tad higher ping on most servers, but I didn’t struggle at all while gaming. I tested its servers in Europe and North America, and most of them allowed me to enjoy playing Minecraft without delays.

Like many VPNs, both CyberGhost and Opera VPN Pro have higher ping rates on long-distance servers. For better gaming performance, I recommend connecting to a server that's as close to you as possible.

Winner

CyberGhost offers lower ping for gaming without glitches. Plus, its speeds are a bit faster than Opera VPN, so it comes out on top for gaming.

Torrenting — CyberGhost Wins With Torrenting-Optimized Servers

CyberGhost is a great option for downloading torrents. In fact, it has servers optimized for P2P to give you fast speeds and robust security. Its privacy features (like its no-logs policy and RAM-only servers) are much more impressive than Opera VPN Pro. That reassures me that you can download files without worrying about vulnerabilities.

On the other hand, I couldn’t even get Opera VPN to work for torrenting. When I asked support about it, they just said that the service works with all activities. But without even a kill switch, I didn't feel safe using it for torrenting — you can't be sure who you're connecting to on P2P networks.

Remember that torrenting itself isn't illegal in many places, but downloading copyrighted material without definitely is. My team and I don’t condone any illegal activities and ask that you stick with torrents in the public domain.

Winner

CyberGhost has impressive privacy protection on top of P2P specialized servers, while Opera VPN lacks essential security features and doesn’t seem to work with torrenting at all.

Security — CyberGhost Is Significantly More Secure

Opera VPN Pro offers barebone security features compared to CyberGhost. CyberGhost has advanced features such as an in-built kill switch, malware blocker, and Private DNS servers, which Opera VPN doesn’t offer.

Plus, CyberGhost offers strong, adjustable security options like customizable WiFi protection and NoSpy servers. I also like the App rules feature that automatically connects the VPN when you open certain apps. For instance, you can set it to connect automatically when you launch your Chrome browser.

CyberGhost makes it very easy to toggle most features on and off

In addition, CyberGhost has strong protection against DNS leaks. I ran DNS and IP leak tests using an independent tool, and CyberGhost successfully prevented any leaks.

I tested more than 10 servers, and none leaked my IP address

Overall, Opera VPN is significantly less secure, lacking several features offered by CyberGhost. Its ad blocker only works within Opera’s browser and is less effective than those offered by other VPNs. I was especially concerned that the VPN doesn’t have a kill switch or RAM-only servers to prevent your data from being exposed or stored.

Winner

CyberGhost offers a ton of advanced security features compared to Opera VPN Pro, like RAM-only servers, a kill switch, and private DNS servers.

Privacy — CyberGhost Is Far More Privacy-Friendly

CyberGhost enforces a strict no-log policy confirmed by an independent firm, Deloitte. This guarantees adherence to its privacy commitments, meaning it does not store your IP address, DNS queries, or browsing history. I also like that CyberGhost was one of the pioneers in issuing quarterly transparency reports, starting in 2011.

It only collects the information you give them to sign up

Opera's privacy policy is not as clear, especially concerning its premium VPN service. I reviewed the privacy policy but couldn’t find the part dedicated to the VPN. I tried asking customer support, but they were unhelpful; the response was dismissive, and I was merely redirected to the general privacy policy I had already examined.

Some key privacy concerns with Opera VPN are that it’s owned by a Chinese company and is based in Norway, which is part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances. This alliance obligates member countries to share certain types of information with each other, further adding to privacy worries for users.

On the other hand, CyberGhost is based in privacy-friendly Romania and outside of the data-snooping jurisdiction.

Winner

CyberGhost wins since it has a verified strict no-log policy and is headquartered outside the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances.

Works in China — Neither Is Reliable, So a Draw

Neither CyberGhost nor Opera VPN Pro guarantees they will work in China. China employs highly advanced techniques to block VPN services, making it challenging for many VPNs to work reliably within the country. While Opera VPN’s customer support claims that it could work in China, this answer is not definitive enough to guarantee it. Plus, it doesn’t offer strong enough security or obfuscation, so I just don’t see it being possible.

Most VPNs are considered illegal in China. While there are no public records of tourists facing penalties for using a VPN in China, I do not recommend using either of these VPN services to access blocked sites and services within the country.

Winner - draw

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These VPNs are not suitable for use in the region. However, if you need a VPN that works in the region, you can check out our top-rated VPNs for China.

Installation & Ease of Use — CyberGhost Is Generally More User-Friendly

Both VPNs are easy to install and use, but CyberGhost stands out with its user-friendly apps. It offers many options and menus that are clearly labeled and simple to navigate. I especially like the specialty servers, which are well-organized under separate tabs for quick access.

It also offers a lot more customization options if you want to configure your VPN according to your needs. In the Smart Rules menu, you'll find a variety of adjustable security options, including app rules, split tunneling (Exceptions), and WiFi protection settings.

I tested the exceptions feature and it worked without issues

However, Linux users need to be careful when using CyberGhost through the command line interface. If you shut down your device before disconnecting from the VPN server, it could cause errors.

On the other hand, Opera VPN Pro is quite basic. Beyond choosing servers, it lacks additional useful features and supports only a limited range of operating systems.

Winner

Both VPNs are easy to set up and use, but CyberGhost is more intuitive, with more customization options

Reliability & Support — CyberGhost Wins With More Reliable Responses

CyberGhost offers 24/7 live chat with quick and knowledgeable responses. Opera VPN Pro's live chat is available only from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM CEST.

Plus, CyberGhost has a detailed knowledge base with detailed setup guides and video tutorials. Its FAQ section is also quite helpful. Opera VPN Pro's resources are more limited, with few FAQs available.

Winner

CyberGhost easily wins this one with more attentive and knowledgeable customer support agents.

Tips on Choosing Between CyberGhost VPN vs Opera VPN Pro

Here's a straightforward look at specific features in my review of CyberGhost and Opera VPN Pro, along with tips for testing them yourself:

• Smooth streaming — My global team and I tested each VPN with popular platforms to see if they work reliably and provide smooth streaming speeds.
• Fast speeds — I measure VPN speeds by testing download and upload rates during both peak and off-peak hours.
• Server networks—A large global server network lets you connect securely from more places. Both CyberGhost and Opera VPN Pro have extensive networks for reliable, fast connections worldwide.
• Robust security features—I examined each VPN's security features, including encryption standards, security protocols, and leak protection, to ensure your data is always protected.
• Trustworthy privacy practices — I confirmed that both VPNs have no-logs policies and publish transparency reports to keep your online activities private.
• Easy to use — A user-friendly VPN enhances your experience. I evaluated the installation process, interface design, and customer support availability.
• Trustworthy money-back guarantee — I reviewed the terms of the money-back guarantee to ensure it's easy to get a refund if the service doesn't meet expectations.

CyberGhost VPN vs Opera VPN Pro — Reddit Opinions

Opinions on CyberGhost on Reddit are mixed. Some users are concerned about privacy due to its ownership, while others praise it for its gaming and torrenting performance and user-friendliness.

Opera VPN Pro receives many complaints on Reddit. Some users are concerned about it being owned by a Chinese company and the fact that Opera is known to collect a substantial amount of personal data. In the end, most Redditors express privacy as a main concern while using this VPN.

Opera has built-in ads in the browser, which isn’t great for privacy