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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.
Ariel Hochstadt
Ex-Google, International tech speaker
Does Surfshark have what it takes to compete against CyberGhost, one of our most recommended VPNs? With strong 256-bit encryption, a variety of protocols, and blazing speeds, these two VPNs have a lot in common. Privacy is also covered – Surfshark (British Virgin Islands) and CyberGhost (Romania) both operate in favorable jurisdictions without serious data retention laws, resulting in strict zero-logging policies you can trust. As for streaming, both VPNs get past the difficult Netflix blocks with ease. CyberGhost impresses us with dedicated server lists for streaming. It even lets you know which ones are optimized for popular geoblocked websites. Surfshark’s minimalist clients don’t offer the same level of depth, but the clean and intuitive design will be appreciated by newbies and casual users just looking for a quick connection to bypass geo-restrictions. Both VPNs have great features for users of all experience levels, from leak protection and wi-fi security to live chat and simple manual setups. It really is a challenge to find the better service for your money. This is why we’ll take a closer look. Scroll down to see how Surfshark and Cyberghost fared in our tests in several key categories.
Features
9.4
Pricing
9.0
Ease of Use
9.6
Reliability & Support
9.2
Features
9.4
Pricing
9.4
Ease of Use
10.0
Reliability & Support
9.6
Rating
Features
9.4
9.4
0.0
Pricing
9.0
9.4
0.0
Ease of Use
9.6
10.0
0.0
Reliability & Support
9.2
9.6
0.0
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.
With VPNs, you tend to get what you pay for. So when I saw Surfshark’s super low prices (you can get it for just $2.49/month), I was a bit skeptical about its rave reviews. To find out if it actually lives up to these claims, I tested every single aspect of Surfshark, including speeds, security features, unblocking abilities, network reliability, and device compatibility.
I also took a cl...
Haven't had any regrets so far!!Got Surfshark a while ago and so far have never had any serious issues with it. My main priority for getting a VPN was torrenting and of course, sometimes I do notice slower speeds, however, P2P VPN setup outweighs all minor inconveniences.
Latest negative user review
A D
2.0
Don't buy this for NETFLIX doesn't workSurfshark seems like a good deal at first and their 2-year plan seems awesome value. I purchased this purely for Netflix USA content unlock which was what they advertise everywhere through affiliates and ads. However now that Netflix has more restrictions and when surfshark is unable to unblock those content as promised, they will tell you it's not their fault and that they will not refund you, NOT EVEN THE UNUSED SUBSCRIPTION! even after 20 messages. So beware. NEVER BUY any long subscription from them thinking that you can use it for Netflix. Not sure about other applications!
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...
With VPNs, you tend to get what you pay for. So when I saw Surfshark’s super low prices (you can get it for just $2.49/month), I was a bit skeptical about its rave reviews. To find out if it actually lives up to these claims, I tested every single aspect of Surfshark, including speeds, security features, unblocking abilities, network reliability, and device compatibility.
I also took a cl...
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 :)
Richard
10.0
Haven't had any regrets so far!!Got Surfshark a while ago and so far have never had any serious issues with it. My main priority for getting a VPN was torrenting and of course, sometimes I do notice slower speeds, however, P2P VPN setup outweighs all minor inconveniences.
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.
A D
2.0
Don't buy this for NETFLIX doesn't workSurfshark seems like a good deal at first and their 2-year plan seems awesome value. I purchased this purely for Netflix USA content unlock which was what they advertise everywhere through affiliates and ads. However now that Netflix has more restrictions and when surfshark is unable to unblock those content as promised, they will tell you it's not their fault and that they will not refund you, NOT EVEN THE UNUSED SUBSCRIPTION! even after 20 messages. So beware. NEVER BUY any long subscription from them thinking that you can use it for Netflix. Not sure about other applications!
CyberGhost manages to blend simplicity with advanced settings in some of the best VPN apps you’ll ever find. With 3,000+ servers in 60 countries at your disposal, you won’t have issues with access or speed. Surfshark has many strengths, but its stripped-down apps and smaller network of 500+ servers lead to less variety and customization than you get with CyberGhost.
CyberGhost manages to blend simplicity with advanced settings in some of the best VPN apps you’ll ever find. With 3,000+ servers in 60 countries at your disposal, you won’t have issues with access or speed. Surfshark has many strengths, but its stripped-down apps and smaller network of 500+ servers lead to less variety and customization than you get with CyberGhost.
CyberGhost makes torrenting easy, thanks to a dedicated list of P2P servers with easy-to-access info on users and server load, as well as support for SOCKS5 proxies. Surfshark supports P2P, but it will reroute your traffic to the Netherlands. That’s not a problem if the server isn’t crowded, but as the number of torrenters using the VPN increases, the result could be slower speeds.
CyberGhost makes torrenting easy, thanks to a dedicated list of P2P servers with easy-to-access info on users and server load, as well as support for SOCKS5 proxies. Surfshark supports P2P, but it will reroute your traffic to the Netherlands. That’s not a problem if the server isn’t crowded, but as the number of torrenters using the VPN increases, the result could be slower speeds.
The highlight of CyberGhost for Windows is its brilliant client, which is a joy to use. Surfshark comes with all the right features and native OpenVPN support for this platform, but you can’t choose specific servers. Both VPNs perform well, but when it comes to design and user experience, CyberGhost is very tough to beat.
The highlight of CyberGhost for Windows is its brilliant client, which is a joy to use. Surfshark comes with all the right features and native OpenVPN support for this platform, but you can’t choose specific servers. Both VPNs perform well, but when it comes to design and user experience, CyberGhost is very tough to beat.
CyberGhost comes with a host of great features on Android, including data compression and the ability to block social tracking. Both options are very useful for mobile users who want to save some data or improve their speeds. Surfshark’s Android offering is a little limited, but it does include the WhiteLister split tunneling feature, which allows you to bypass the VPN for selected apps.
CyberGhost comes with a host of great features on Android, including data compression and the ability to block social tracking. Both options are very useful for mobile users who want to save some data or improve their speeds. Surfshark’s Android offering is a little limited, but it does include the WhiteLister split tunneling feature, which allows you to bypass the VPN for selected apps.
CyberGhost’s Mac client is identical to the Windows one, and that’s a good thing. You get the same polished interface and impressive performance, along with native OpenVPN protection. Surfshark’s MacOS app runs IKEv2 exclusively. If you want OpenVPN, your only option is a manual setup, which means losing easy access to most of the app’s features.
CyberGhost’s Mac client is identical to the Windows one, and that’s a good thing. You get the same polished interface and impressive performance, along with native OpenVPN protection. Surfshark’s MacOS app runs IKEv2 exclusively. If you want OpenVPN, your only option is a manual setup, which means losing easy access to most of the app’s features.
CyberGhost’s updated iOS app is essentially a mini version of the award winning CyberGhost desktop client, which is great news for the Apple crowd. You can also connect up to seven devices at the same time. If you have a household full of iOS devices, however, you’ll appreciate that Surfshark gives you unlimited connections along with a basic but robust iOS app.
CyberGhost’s updated iOS app is essentially a mini version of the award winning CyberGhost desktop client, which is great news for the Apple crowd. You can also connect up to seven devices at the same time. If you have a household full of iOS devices, however, you’ll appreciate that Surfshark gives you unlimited connections along with a basic but robust iOS app.
More than 520 servers in at least 12 US locations put CyberGhost in the lead for unblocking US content. Thanks to the Unblock Streaming profile that’s available with a click, you’ll quickly find the perfect server for US Netflix, Comedy Central, HBO Go, and all kinds of US-only TV events. Surfshark doesn’t offer such detailed streaming panels, but still gets the job done with fast and reliable servers in nine US locations.
More than 520 servers in at least 12 US locations put CyberGhost in the lead for unblocking US content. Thanks to the Unblock Streaming profile that’s available with a click, you’ll quickly find the perfect server for US Netflix, Comedy Central, HBO Go, and all kinds of US-only TV events. Surfshark doesn’t offer such detailed streaming panels, but still gets the job done with fast and reliable servers in nine US locations.
Surfshark is a rare find – a new VPN that’s already challenging the biggest names in the industry. We expected close results when we ran the tests, but not this close. Even though CyberGhost won in most categories (and is arguably the better VPN for iOS if you’re fine with seven connections), Surfshark put up a great fight. Here’s the big takeaway: If you want a leading VPN for security, streaming, or torrenting that provides a strong balance between performance and ease of use, CyberGhost is the one to get. That said, don’t underestimate Surfshark. It has already shown a lot of promise, and future updates will surely make it even better. For now, Surfshark is a solid pick for the casual VPN user who isn’t looking for a ton of depth, just dependable protection and hassle-free access to geoblocked content.
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