With so many VPNs on the market, each different in terms of functionality, speed, and security, it’s often difficult to accurately compare services yourself. To make things easier, we’ve taken two leading VPNs and created an easily digestible side-by-side comparison. In this post, we compare NordVPN vs CyberGhost to discover which is better for the average user when all the marketing and personal preferences are stripped away.
While both of these services are worthy of your time, NordVPN is our first choice. Its security toolkit is second to none, it works with almost every streaming service we’ve tested, and at the moment there’s a steep discount that makes it an even better deal. CyberGhost is faster and equally versatile, of course, and we have an exclusive discount that can help you try it out for as little as possible.
Comparing VPNs is no easy task. Our team has personally tested NordVPN and CyberGhost, examined all of their features, and created an in-depth comparison so you can tell at a glance what each has to offer:
Highlights
NordVPN
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CyberGhost
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NordVPN vs CyberGhost pricing
No value | NordVPN | CyberGhost |
Website | NordVPN.com | Cyberghost.com | Subscription periods | One month, one year, two years | One month, six months, two years | Special offer | 63% discount on the 2-year plan | 83% discount on 2 year plans with 2 months free | Highest price per month | $12.99 | $12.99 | Lowest monthly cost | $3.09 | $2.19 | One year price | $59.88 | $83.88 (two six-month plans) | Money-back guarantee | 30 days | 14 days for monthly subscriptions, 45 days for others |
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Best deal (per month) | $3.09 Up to 73% off 2 year plans + 3 EXTRA months | $2.19 SAVE 83% on the 2 year plan + 2 months free! |
These VPNs both cost $12.99 per month, putting them at the higher end of the market. The longer you subscribe for, though, the less you’ll pay. For instance, two six-month CyberGhost plans cost just $83.88 combined, and if you sign up for two years, you’ll effectively only pay $2.19 per month. NordVPN has similarly generous discounts, offering a year of coverage for less than $60 and 67 percent off its two-year subscription.
CyberGhost offers a 14-day money-back guarantee for monthly subscribers. Those on longer plans get 45 days, which is longer than most of its rivals. In comparison, NordVPN has a flat 30-day money-back guarantee on all of its plans. This means that you can effectively use NordVPN for a month, free of charge. Additionally, as 30 days is usually long enough to decide whether you like the service or not, there’s actually very little to be gained from CyberGhost’s extended guarantee.
BEST DEAL FOR NORDVPN:Save up to 67% with NordVPN’s two-year subscription.
BEST DEAL FOR CYBERGHOST:Save up to 82% with CyberGhost’s two-year subscription.
NordVPN vs CyberGhost features
No value | NordVPN | CyberGhost |
Website | NordVPN.com | Cyberghost.com | Simultaneous Connections | 10 | 7 | Devices Supported | Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android, Linux | Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Manual install devices | Select routers | Routers | Free extras | Ad-blocking, Dark Web Monitor, MeshNet, malware-scanning, automatic wifi protection, browser extensions for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox | Automatic ad and malware-protection, browser extensions for Firefox and Chrome. |
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Best deal (per month) | $3.09 Up to 73% off 2 year plans + 3 EXTRA months | $2.19 SAVE 83% on the 2 year plan + 2 months free! |
Each of these VPNs offers excellent multi-platform support, with apps for FireTV and Linux as well as the more common operating sytems. NordVPN permits up to six simultaneous connections while CyberGhost goes even further and allows seven. If this still doesn’t allow you to protect all of your devices, you can manually install either VPN on your home router to protect every internet-connected device in your home.
While similar, these services are geared towards slightly different target markets. NordVPN, for example, includes several advanced features aimed at increasing user security. On the other hand, CyberGhost put a major emphasis on ease of use. Both provide ad and malware-blocking functionality, but CyberGhost has an extensive list of servers optimized for different tasks, so it’s the better choice for less technologically-capable users. NordVPN, meanwhile, has a MeshNet feature that lets you route traffic from multiple devices through one system, even if they’re on different networks.
Both NordVPN and CyberGhost offer browser extensions for Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. That said, it’s important to understand the difference between a VPN app and a VPN browser extension. These extensions only protect your browser traffic. As such, they won’t encrypt data from other applications, allow you to file-share safely, or protect yourself from DDoS attacks.
Streaming capabilities
No value | NordVPN | CyberGhost |
Website | NordVPN.com | Cyberghost.com | Unblocks Hulu | Unblocks Sky Go | Unblocks Prime Video | Unblocks BBC iPlayer | Unblocks ABC | Unblocks CBS | Unblocks NBC | Unblocks ITV | Unblocks Channel 4 |
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Best deal (per month) | $3.09 Up to 73% off 2 year plans + 3 EXTRA months | $2.19 SAVE 83% on the 2 year plan + 2 months free! |
NordVPN is known as one of the best VPNs for unblocking geo-blocked content when abroad. In our experience, it works with most popular services and usuaslly finds a way around updated geo-blocking measures fairly quickly.
In our most recent tests, CyberGhost matched NordVPN service-for-service. We really liked that you can just search for your preferred streaming platform and be assigned a server that works. This removes all trial and error from the equation, letting you start watching as soon as possible. However, CyberGhost can be a little slower to adapt, which occasionally means you’ll see a service in the unblock list that (usually temporarily) can’t actually be accessed.
Both of these VPNs enable you to choose not just your country, but also your city. This means you can even access platforms with stricter geo-restriction measures in place. This kind of blocking isn’t something you’ll see every day, but it’s commonly used on local TV streams or sports networks like MLB or NHL.
China
CyberGhost freely admits that its service rarely, if ever, works in China. Its website is blocked by China’s Great Firewall. Even if you find a workaround, you may still find that your local Internet Service Provider (ISP) blocks it. There are currently no working mirror sites, and there is no reliable way to use the service from this country, so we do not recommend CyberGhost when in China.
NordVPN, on the other hand, works very well in China. The last time we checked, it was having a little difficulty overcoming the government’s latest firewall updates, but these issues seem to have been resolved now. Generally, NordVPN tends to be one of the first to find workarounds, and these often come hours or days after updates. This might sound like a long wait but it’s actually a pretty rapid response in the grand scheme of things.
Setup and interface
No value | NordVPN | CyberGhost |
Website | NordVPN.com | Cyberghost.com | Automatic setup wizard | Linux, Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android | Windows, Linux, MacOS, Android, iOS, Amazon Fire TV/ Fire stick | Main location selection | Map-based/List-based | List-based | Extra settings pages | Mobile-friendly |
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Best deal (per month) | $3.09 Up to 73% off 2 year plans + 3 EXTRA months | $2.19 SAVE 83% on the 2 year plan + 2 months free! |
NordVPN’s desktop app is very straightforward. The main screen enables you to choose a server either from a list or on a map, and you can quickly toggle ad-blocking on from the Threat Protection sidebar. Settings are neatly organized by category too, making it quick and easy to find whatever you need.
CyberGhost has a similar design, though it doesn’t let you choose a location on a map and its task-specific servers each have their own tab. The only complaint we have is that it can be tricky to find a specific option since it’s not always easy to remember if it’s in the settings menu, privacy settings tab, or smart rules area.
NordVPN’s mobile app is very similar to its desktop version. You can still choose a location on the map and connect in a single click, but there’s also a shortcut to the service’s specialized P2P, dedicated IP, double VPN, or Tor over VPN servers. The settings menu is similarly revamped, with fewer options and some functionality (such as the kill switch) removed. It is, however, the only major provider to offer tapjacking protection.
CyberGhost’s mobile app has also had an update, making the interface more consistent between mobile and desktop apps. You can connect to the best location from the main screen, or select a specific location from a drop-down menu. There’s even a separate category for streaming-friendly servers, each of which lists the service it’s best suited for.
Servers and performance
No value | NordVPN | CyberGhost |
Website | NordVPN.com | Cyberghost.com | Server countries | 111 | 100 | Total number of servers | 6,000+ | 11,000+ | Mobile-friendly |
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Best deal (per month) | $3.09 Up to 73% off 2 year plans + 3 EXTRA months | $2.19 SAVE 83% on the 2 year plan + 2 months free! |
NordVPN has roughly 6,000 servers in 60 countries whereas CyberGhost has around 11,000 spread across 100 countries. Many VPNs heavily prioritize a few high-traffic locations but both CyberGhost and NordVPN try to offer higher numbers of servers in areas that often don’t get much support, like Japan (NordVPN has more than 130 servers and CyberGhost has 230), Sweden (NordVPN has 140 servers and CyberGhost has 100), and Singapore (NordVPN has 70 servers and CyberGhost has 24).
CyberGhost offers at least 10 servers in each of its served countries, with its highest number (2,100 servers) in the USA. NordVPN only provides partial information as to its server distribution but we do know that it has a larger presence than CyberGhost in some areas including Denmark and New Zealand.
Below, you can see a full list of countries where these VPNs operate servers:
NordVPN | CyberGhost | |
---|---|---|
Albania | ✔ | ✔ |
Algeria | ✔ | |
Andorra | ✔ | |
Argentina | ✔ | ✔ |
Armenia | ✔ | |
Australia | ✔ | ✔ |
Austria | ✔ | ✔ |
Bahamas | ✔ | |
Bangladesh | ✔ | |
Belarus | ✔ | |
Belgium | ✔ | ✔ |
Bolivia | ✔ | |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | ✔ | ✔ |
Brazil | ✔ | ✔ |
Bulgaria | ✔ | ✔ |
Cambodia | ✔ | |
Canada | ✔ | ✔ |
Chile | ✔ | ✔ |
China | ✔ | |
Colombia | ✔ | ✔ |
Costa Rica | ✔ | ✔ |
Croatia | ✔ | ✔ |
Cyprus | ✔ | ✔ |
Czech Republic | ✔ | ✔ |
Denmark | ✔ | ✔ |
Dominican Republic | ✔ | |
Ecuador | ✔ | |
Estonia | ✔ | ✔ |
Egypt | ✔ | ✔ |
Finland | ✔ | ✔ |
France | ✔ | ✔ |
Georgia | ✔ | ✔ |
Germany | ✔ | ✔ |
Greece | ✔ | ✔ |
Greeenland | ✔ | |
Guatemala | ✔ | |
Hong Kong | ✔ | ✔ |
Hungary | ✔ | ✔ |
Iceland | ✔ | ✔ |
India | ✔ | ✔ |
Indonesia | ✔ | ✔ |
Italy | ✔ | ✔ |
Iran | ✔ | |
Ireland | ✔ | ✔ |
Isle of Man | ✔ | |
Israel | ✔ | ✔ |
Japan | ✔ | ✔ |
Kazakhstan | ✔ | |
Kenya | ✔ | |
Laos | ✔ | |
Latvia | ✔ | ✔ |
Liechtenstein | ✔ | |
Lithuania | ✔ | ✔ |
Luxembourg | ✔ | ✔ |
Macau | ✔ | |
Macedonia | ✔ | ✔ |
Malaysia | ✔ | ✔ |
Malta | ✔ | |
Mexico | ✔ | ✔ |
Moldova | ✔ | ✔ |
Monaco | ✔ | |
Mongolia | ✔ | |
Montenegro | ✔ | |
Morocco | ✔ | |
Myanmar | ✔ | |
Nepal | ✔ | |
Netherlands | ✔ | ✔ |
New Zealand | ✔ | ✔ |
Nigeria | ✔ | |
North Macedonia | ✔ | ✔ |
Norway | ✔ | ✔ |
Pakistan | ✔ | |
Panama | ✔ | |
Peru | ✔ | |
Philippines | ✔ | |
Poland | ✔ | ✔ |
Portugal | ✔ | ✔ |
Qatar | ✔ | |
Romania | ✔ | ✔ |
Russia | ✔ | |
Saudi Arabia | ✔ | |
Serbia | ✔ | ✔ |
Singapore | ✔ | ✔ |
Slovakia | ✔ | ✔ |
Slovenia | ✔ | ✔ |
South Africa | ✔ | ✔ |
South Korea | ✔ | ✔ |
Spain | ✔ | ✔ |
Sri Lanka | ✔ | |
Sweden | ✔ | ✔ |
Switzerland | ✔ | ✔ |
Taiwan | ✔ | ✔ |
Thailand | ✔ | ✔ |
Turkey | ✔ | ✔ |
United Arab Emirates | ✔ | |
United Kingdom | ✔ | ✔ |
United States | ✔ | ✔ |
Ukraine | ✔ | ✔ |
Uruguay | ✔ | |
Venezuela | ✔ | |
Vietnam | ✔ | ✔ |
We regularly speed test leading VPN providers to see how their performance has changed over time. At the moment, CyberGhost is one of the fastest services on the market, averaging 296 Mbps on a 5 Gbps connection. NordVPN isn’t too far behind, though, with an average speed of nearly 200 Mbps.In other words, both providers are fast enough for any task you can think of, including streaming, torrenting, or gaming.
No value | NordVPN |
Website | NordVPN.com | Average Connection Speed - North America (USA) | 354 Mbps | Average Connection Speed - Europe (UK) | 262 Mbps | Average Connection Speed - Asia (Hong Kong) | 284 Mbps |
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Best deal (per month) | $3.09 Up to 73% off 2 year plans + 3 EXTRA months |
No value | CyberGhost |
Website | Cyberghost.com | Average Connection Speed - North America (USA) | 449 Mbps | Average Connection Speed - Europe (UK) | 269 Mbps | Average Connection Speed - Asia (Hong Kong) | 167 Mbps |
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Best deal (per month) | $2.19 SAVE 83% on the 2 year plan + 2 months free! |
Security
No value | NordVPN | CyberGhost |
Website | NordVPN.com | Cyberghost.com | VPN protocols | OpenVPN, NordLynx | OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2 | OpenVPN data encryption | 256-bit AES | 256-bit AES | OpenVPN control channel encryption | RSA-4096 | RSA-4096 | Kill Switch | Private DNS servers |
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Best deal (per month) | $3.09 Up to 73% off 2 year plans + 3 EXTRA months | $2.19 SAVE 83% on the 2 year plan + 2 months free! |
Both of these services enable you to use the OpenVPN protocol. However, NordVPN also provides its super-fast NordLynx protocol which is a custom fork of WireGuard. CyberGhost, meanwhile, supports standard WireGuard and IKEv2 connections.
Both VPNs currently use 256-bit AES encryption and 4096-bit RSA keys, which, at the time of writing is considered secure and futureproof.
NordVPN has a customizable kill switch that allows specific applications to continue transferring data after connection to the VPN is lost. This provides a rare degree of flexibility to the service, but unfortunately, is only available in the app’s desktop versions. CyberGhost, on the other hand, features a standard kill switch that’s available in both desktop and mobile versions of the app.
CyberGhost and NordVPN both offer automatic network protection, which allows you to start the service automatically whenever you connect to a wireless network. However, CyberGhost gives users more control, with a smart rules tab that governs everything from which networks this applies to, which servers to use, and whether you want to launch a specific app once connected.
Privacy
No value | NordVPN | CyberGhost |
Website | NordVPN.com | Cyberghost.com | HQ base of operation | Panama | Romania | Connection logs | Activity logs | No identifying data | User details for signup | Email address | Email address | Anonymous payment options | Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple | Bitcoin |
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Best deal (per month) | $3.09 Up to 73% off 2 year plans + 3 EXTRA months | $2.19 SAVE 83% on the 2 year plan + 2 months free! |
NordVPN is based in Panama, a country with no mandatory data retention laws. This means that this VPN isn’t required to keep any logs, and accordingly, doesn’t. It does, however, store advertising IDs on mobile. These are easily cleared, but if you leave it too long, you could eventually become traceable using this info. NordVPN accepts several popular cryptocurrencies, so signing up anonymously is trivial.
CyberGhost is based in Romania, part of the European Union. As bulk data retention is illegal in the EU (except in extreme circumstances), there’s no need to worry about your activities being traced back to you. This service isn’t completely log-free, but it only stores statistical information regarding whether you logged in on a given day. This is cleared at the end of each month and cannot be used to identify you. Privacy-conscious users can sign up with a throwaway email address and pay in Bitcoin for maximum anonymity.
Here’s the best part: both of these VPNs have had their apps and infrastructure audited to prove their privacy claims. CyberGhost even publishes regular transparency reports that break down how many requests for information it has received from law enforcement.
Customer service
No value | NordVPN | CyberGhost |
Website | NordVPN.com | Cyberghost.com | 24/7 live chat | Ticket support | Email support | Average email response time | 3 hours, 45 mins | 11 hours, 45 minutes | Searchable knowledge base | Phone support | Video guides |
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Best deal (per month) | $3.09 Up to 73% off 2 year plans + 3 EXTRA months | $2.19 SAVE 83% on the 2 year plan + 2 months free! |
NordVPN and CyberGhost both offer live chat, as well as email and ticket-based support. We tested each service’s live chat at several different times of day and found that each usually replied in under a minute. Additionally, a copy of the chat transcript is automatically sent to your email address in case you’d like to refer to it later.
Don’t feel like talking to staff directly? In that case, you’ll want to check out these VPNs’ knowledge bases. NordVPN and CyberGhost each have an expansive selection of support articles and FAQs, plus a series of instructional videos on their respective YouTube channels.
The winner: NordVPN
While these are both high-quality VPNs, each with its own strengths, we had to choose a winner. It was a very close call, but NordVPN is a slightly better choice for most people.
Although CyberGhost is excellent for less tech-savvy users or those looking to quickly unblock streaming sites when abroad, it lacks the more advanced functionality that NordVPN offers. With its customizable kill switch, Tor over VPN servers, and double VPN options, NordVPN enables users to create a highly advanced, finely-tuned security setup. It also accepts a wide range of cryptocurrencies, making anonymous registration easier.
Admittedly, CyberGhost has more servers than NordVPN does. However, we found NordVPN more than fast enough for day-to-day usage (in part thanks to its NordLynx protocol), and we never suffered any noticeable performance degredation, even at peak times. So unless you specifically need one of the extra locations provided by CyberGhost, it doesn’t seem to make enough difference when compared to the other advantages you get with Nord.
Methodology: How we compared NordVPN and CyberGhost
If we were to provide a fair, comprehensive comparison of NordVPN and CyberGhost, we first had to create a robust testing methodology. We began by deciding upon a minimum set of acceptable standards. Here are just a few of those:
- Network: Scale isn’t everything but it helps ensure you’re getting the best speeds and access to the largest range of content. We examined the number of available locations, which countries were exclusive to one provider, and how many servers were available in each place.
- Performance: We tested multiple servers at different times of day to find out which provider was the fastest on average. This method also allowed us to check for consistency, since a VPN that’s only quick sometimes is effectively useless.
- Versatility: Our team checked to see if NordVPN and CyberGhost were suitable for torrenting, evading detection, and gaming. We also pit them against popular streaming platforms such as Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu.
- Security: Part of our testing involves looking for adequate encryption, protection against data leaks, and tools like stealth modes or enhanced security servers. We prefer providers that have had their apps audited.
- Privacy: We’ll never recommend a service that records personally-identifiable data. We checked to see whether either provider had their infrastructure audited to prove their no-logging claims, whether they allowed users to pay anonymously, and whether they included tools such as tracker-blocking.
- Usability: We value providers with easy to use apps, 24/7 support, and clear explanations of what each setting does.
- Value for money: We’ll only ever recommend fairly-priced providers. They also need to include a money-back guarantee, and where possible, we’ll let you know about any available discounts.
Want to learn more? Our full VPN testing post breaks down our methodology in more detail.
NordVPN vs CyberGhost FAQs
Which is faster? NordVPN or CyberGhost?
CyberGhost produced faster speeds than NordVPN during our global speed tests. Using a 5 Gbps connection, CyberGhost produced average speeds of 280 Mbps, and we recorded speeds of just under 200 Mbps with NordVPN.
Which of these VPNs is better for use abroad?
Both NordVPN and CyberGhost have great worldwide coverage and even work in places like China and the UAE where censorship is a problem. We would say that NordVPN just wins as the best VPN to use abroad but would recommend CyberGhost if you’re traveling far and wide. This is because CyberGhost has over 11,000 servers, stretching further than Nord.
Is NordVPN or CyberGhost better for streaming?
NordVPN and CyberGhost are two of the most reliable options for securely accessing geo-restricted streaming services. CyberGhost actually offers a list of servers designed for this exact purpose so there’s very little trial and error involved. In our testing, though, we’ve found that NordVPN tends to work on a wider range of lesser-known services, whereas CyberGhost prioritizes being able to access the most popular platforms.