Ariel Hochstadt
Ex-Google, International tech speaker
There is a huge difference between CyberGhost and VPN Gate — in fact, the only thing they have in common is their main purpose of providing encrypted connections.
CyberGhost is a paid VPN service, which owns and maintains its servers and is run by veteran professionals. VPN Gate is the polar opposite: it’s free, relies on volunteers to keep running, and servers are provided by the community.
CyberGhost has a clear advantage in the privacy, speed and ease of use departments. The strict no-logs policy and excellent, innovative apps make this VPN one of the best on the market.
VPN Gate simply cannot offer the same levels of security — you’ll have to trust whoever is currently volunteering to help with the service. What’s more, each server has its own logging “policy”, but rest assured your sensitive data can easily land in a honeypot, or worse. VPN Gate is also terribly slow across the board, making it very unsuitable for high-bandwidth activities.
Features
9.4
Pricing
9.4
Ease of Use
10.0
Reliability & Support
9.6
Features
7.2
Pricing
10.0
Ease of Use
7.6
Reliability & Support
6.0
Rating
Features
9.4
7.2
0.0
Pricing
9.4
10.0
0.0
Ease of Use
10.0
7.6
0.0
Reliability & Support
9.6
6.0
0.0
Reviews
Review by our expert
Kate Veale
Cybersecurity Researcher
9.6
CyberGhost is a fast, reliable VPN with a budget-friendly price and, with its latest discount, it's even more affordable! But not every VPN is as good as it claims. Could CyberGhost be weaker on safety? I put the service through hundreds of tests to find out.
Whether you're interested in its speeds, server network, or security measures—or just want to know if it's reliable for gaming—I have al
Confidence of securityI love the ease of use and security level. I use the most sensitive websites with full confidence that everything is secure.
I also like the fact that I get this level of security for a very affordable price.
Latest negative user review
Philip
2.0
Very poor with service the same.Worked a few times when connecting to BBC iPlayer, which is the main reason I bought it, but 90% of the time it doesn't. Have tried everything they suggested, but still no go. Then took many screenshots and sent to them and they have been working on it for over a month now, with no success.
Really at a loss to know what to do next!
Located in the National University of Tsukuba (Japan), VPN-Gate is an academic research project designed to study the distribution of public VPN relay servers globally. Having begun their operations in 2013, they claim their service can break through most firewalls and have more advantages than traditional VPN providers like NordVPN. So, if they’re not a bog-standard VPN provider, what attribute
No fuss Free VPN, that works!A happy VPNgate user explained to me how to install it the first time. You need the ZIP package with the PlugIn VpnGatePlugin_x64.DLL & VpnGatePlugin_x86.DLL along with the vpngate-client.EXE the first time you install! Once you get the right package, it is easy to install & use :o)
1. Install SoftEther VPN Client with VPN Gate Client Plug-in (only once at the first time)
Download the special version of SoftEther VPN Client which has the "VPN Gate Client Plug-in" .
Extract contents of the downloaded ZIP file to a folder. As the above figure, a setup program and some DLL files are extracted.
Execute the setup program which the filename begins with "vpngate-client-", and proceed with the installation.
The setup will start as above. You have to choose "SoftEther VPN Client" in the "Select Software Components to Install" screen.
After installation completed, an icon of SoftEther VPN Client will be created on the desktop.
2. Run VPN Gate Client Plug-in and connect to VPN Gate Server
Double-click the SoftEther VPN Client icon on the desktop.
As the above figure, "VPN Gate Public VPN Relay Servers" icon appears on the window. Double-click the icon.
If some notifications are displayed, continue to proceed as the screen describes.
The "VPN Gate Academic Experiment Project Plugin for SoftEther VPN Client" starts.
In this screen you can see the list of currently running VPN Gate Public VPN Servers. This list on the screen is same as the list of the top page. Choose one from the list to connect, and click "Connect to the VPN Server" button.
If the selected VPN Gate Server supports both TCP and UDP protocols, the above screen will appear. Choose either TCP or UDP on the screen.
If a VPN connection will be established successfully, the above message will appear. This windows will disappear automatically in 5 seconds. If you failed to connect specified VPN server, try another.
Latest negative user review
Philip
2.0
Very poor with service the same.Worked a few times when connecting to BBC iPlayer, which is the main reason I bought it, but 90% of the time it doesn't. Have tried everything they suggested, but still no go. Then took many screenshots and sent to them and they have been working on it for over a month now, with no success.
Really at a loss to know what to do next!
CyberGhost is a fast, reliable VPN with a budget-friendly price and, with its latest discount, it's even more affordable! But not every VPN is as good as it claims. Could CyberGhost be weaker on safety? I put the service through hundreds of tests to find out.
Whether you're interested in its speeds, server network, or security measures—or just want to know if it's reliable for gaming—I have al
Located in the National University of Tsukuba (Japan), VPN-Gate is an academic research project designed to study the distribution of public VPN relay servers globally. Having begun their operations in 2013, they claim their service can break through most firewalls and have more advantages than traditional VPN providers like NordVPN. So, if they’re not a bog-standard VPN provider, what attribute
Confidence of securityI love the ease of use and security level. I use the most sensitive websites with full confidence that everything is secure.
I also like the fact that I get this level of security for a very affordable price.
ovo
10.0
No fuss Free VPN, that works!A happy VPNgate user explained to me how to install it the first time. You need the ZIP package with the PlugIn VpnGatePlugin_x64.DLL & VpnGatePlugin_x86.DLL along with the vpngate-client.EXE the first time you install! Once you get the right package, it is easy to install & use :o)
1. Install SoftEther VPN Client with VPN Gate Client Plug-in (only once at the first time)
Download the special version of SoftEther VPN Client which has the "VPN Gate Client Plug-in" .
Extract contents of the downloaded ZIP file to a folder. As the above figure, a setup program and some DLL files are extracted.
Execute the setup program which the filename begins with "vpngate-client-", and proceed with the installation.
The setup will start as above. You have to choose "SoftEther VPN Client" in the "Select Software Components to Install" screen.
After installation completed, an icon of SoftEther VPN Client will be created on the desktop.
2. Run VPN Gate Client Plug-in and connect to VPN Gate Server
Double-click the SoftEther VPN Client icon on the desktop.
As the above figure, "VPN Gate Public VPN Relay Servers" icon appears on the window. Double-click the icon.
If some notifications are displayed, continue to proceed as the screen describes.
The "VPN Gate Academic Experiment Project Plugin for SoftEther VPN Client" starts.
In this screen you can see the list of currently running VPN Gate Public VPN Servers. This list on the screen is same as the list of the top page. Choose one from the list to connect, and click "Connect to the VPN Server" button.
If the selected VPN Gate Server supports both TCP and UDP protocols, the above screen will appear. Choose either TCP or UDP on the screen.
If a VPN connection will be established successfully, the above message will appear. This windows will disappear automatically in 5 seconds. If you failed to connect specified VPN server, try another.
Latest negative user review
Philip
2.0
Very poor with service the same.Worked a few times when connecting to BBC iPlayer, which is the main reason I bought it, but 90% of the time it doesn't. Have tried everything they suggested, but still no go. Then took many screenshots and sent to them and they have been working on it for over a month now, with no success.
Really at a loss to know what to do next!
CyberGhost is a leading VPN for plenty of reasons — intuitive apps, reliable encryption, unlimited access to tricky platforms like Netflix, and advanced obfuscation for China, among others. VPN Gate has an interesting concept behind it, but the various uncertainties plus the convoluted setup can be a deal-breaker.
CyberGhost is a leading VPN for plenty of reasons — intuitive apps, reliable encryption, unlimited access to tricky platforms like Netflix, and advanced obfuscation for China, among others. VPN Gate has an interesting concept behind it, but the various uncertainties plus the convoluted setup can be a deal-breaker.
VPN Gate is a really sluggish VPN, so torrenting is out of the question. CyberGhost, on the other hand, allows P2P on select servers — and has the speeds to support chunky downloads.
VPN Gate is a really sluggish VPN, so torrenting is out of the question. CyberGhost, on the other hand, allows P2P on select servers — and has the speeds to support chunky downloads.
Thanks to an awesome profile-based interface and numerous features (kill switch, DNS leak protection, streaming list), CyberGhost is a great pick for Windows users in need of versatility and simplicity. VPN Gate’s SoftEther functionality is decent, but nowhere near streamlined — beginners will have a hard time setting things up with all the back-and-forth.
Thanks to an awesome profile-based interface and numerous features (kill switch, DNS leak protection, streaming list), CyberGhost is a great pick for Windows users in need of versatility and simplicity. VPN Gate’s SoftEther functionality is decent, but nowhere near streamlined — beginners will have a hard time setting things up with all the back-and-forth.
CyberGhost has put the effort to make a formidable VPN for Android, and it shows — it’s virtually identical to the Windows client. VPN Gate remains a mess to set up even on mobile, and there isn’t any improvement in speeds.
CyberGhost has put the effort to make a formidable VPN for Android, and it shows — it’s virtually identical to the Windows client. VPN Gate remains a mess to set up even on mobile, and there isn’t any improvement in speeds.
CyberGhost is a clear favorite here, thanks to a feature-packed Mac client (although some minor Windows extras are missing). Sadly, VPN Gate doesn’t score any better in performance or ease of use here.
CyberGhost is a clear favorite here, thanks to a feature-packed Mac client (although some minor Windows extras are missing). Sadly, VPN Gate doesn’t score any better in performance or ease of use here.
CyberGhost’s newly-upgraded iOS app and seven simultaneous connections earn it a perfect score for mobile Apple devices. VPN Gate has little to offer on iOS, suffering from the same unpolished setup process and subpar performance.
CyberGhost’s newly-upgraded iOS app and seven simultaneous connections earn it a perfect score for mobile Apple devices. VPN Gate has little to offer on iOS, suffering from the same unpolished setup process and subpar performance.
If you want to unblock US Netflix reliably (or simply connect to a US server on a whim), CyberGhost has all the right tools for the job — hundreds of servers in the USA, fast speeds, and responsive support with live chat. VPN Gate is too slow to provide acceptable streaming, and advanced unblocking isn’t guaranteed.
If you want to unblock US Netflix reliably (or simply connect to a US server on a whim), CyberGhost has all the right tools for the job — hundreds of servers in the USA, fast speeds, and responsive support with live chat. VPN Gate is too slow to provide acceptable streaming, and advanced unblocking isn’t guaranteed.
As you can see, there is a huge disparity between what CyberGhost and VPN Gate have to offer. But we can’t be too hard on VPN Gate — after all, it’s a volunteer-run, free service primarily aimed at tackling censorship. You won’t find any special or unique features in this VPN, because this isn’t what it’s about. Instead, take a look at CyberGhost if you want a top-shelf VPN experience coupled with spotless privacy.
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Kate Veale
Ariel Hochstadt