Total VPN vs CyberGhost is a fair matchup between two solid mid-range providers. Both offer excellent security, good speeds, and reliable streaming access. Still, they differ in key areas like device support, regional performance, and value for money.
We tested both services to see how they compare in everyday use. Below, youโll find a full side-by-side review breaking down where each VPN shines (and where they fall short) so you can decide whether Total VPN or CyberGhost VPN is better for your needs.
Total VPN vs CyberGhost: who wins?
Our tests reveal that Total VPN is better than CyberGhostย by a slim margin.
CyberGhost VPN is a decent option, especially for privacy-first users and streaming enthusiasts. That said, Total VPN is generally faster, cheaper, and more reliable at bypassing censorship in countries with strict online controls, while being a solid streaming option overall.
Overview: Total VPN vs CyberGhost at a glance
Total VPN
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CyberGhost
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Our VPN testing methodology
To determine which is better between Total VPN and CyberGhost VPN, weโve compared six key aspects of each provider. From speed and network scale to value for money and ease of use, hereโs how we tested both VPNs:
- Speed and stability: Connection speeds change based on your distance to a server, its optimization, and the network load at that moment. We test servers across 13 regions, then take the average to show what speeds Total VPN and CyberGhost VPN deliver on a 481.42 Mbps Ethernet connection.
- Server locations: Most providers have stopped focusing on server count and only show which locations you can connect to. We look at the number and variety of locations offered by both VPNs.
- Privacy and security: VPNs should hide your traffic and stop any data leaks (whether through DNS, IPv6, or dropped connections). We check that both providers use strong encryption and review their policies to confirm they donโt keep activity logs.
- Streaming capabilities: Our team tested major streaming sites using both Total VPN and CyberGhost VPN to determine if they could successfully bypass geo-blocks and ensure stable playback once connected.
- Overall value: Choosing the cheapest VPN can be tempting, but we also weigh cost against speed and features, consider long-term discounts, and ensure the VPN has a solid money-back guarantee so you can try it out risk-free.
- User-friendliness: Advanced features are neat and all, but they shouldnโt get in the way. We prefer VPNs with easy-to-use apps, clear setup instructions, live chat support, and the ability to cancel your subscription with no headaches.
You can learn more about our full VPN testing methodology here. Otherwise, read on to find out subscription prices for Total VPN and CyberGhost VPN.
Total VPN vs CyberGhost: Price comparison
To determine which provider offers the better deal, we compared Total VPN and CyberGhost in eight categories. We looked at how flexible their plans are, how often they run discounts, and what their cheapest long-term rate is. We also considered what extras you get for the price.
VPN Provider | Money-back guarantee | Connection limit | Subscription terms | Sale frequency | Monthly pricing | Lowest price | Free trial available | Student discount |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total VPN | 30 days (yearly plan) 14 days (monthly plan) | 5 | 2 terms | Frequent deals | <$8.3 | <$1.6 | No | No |
CyberGhost VPN | 45 days (6 month+ plans) 14 days (monthly plan) | 7 | 3 terms | Frequent deals | <$12 | <$2.2 | 24 hr free trial (Windows and Mac) | No |
We scored each provider on the listed areas, then balanced and scaled those scores to obtain a final rating out of 10 for straightforward comparison.
Total VPN: 8.5/10
CyberGhost: 8.1/10
Total VPN slightly edges out CyberGhost with a score of 8.5 out of 10. The latter is slightly more expensive, but it offers a bit more flexibility in terms of subscriptions. It also lets you connect two extra devices compared to Total VPN, for a total of seven.
On the other hand, Total VPN comes bundled with Total Adblock (which does what youโd expect) and TotalAV, a reliable antivirus by the same company. CyberGhost does have a built-in ad-blocker, but requires an extra monthly fee if you want anti-malware protection as well.
At full price (after the steep first-year discount runs out), a month of Total VPN costs around $8.30. Meanwhile, CyberGhost is just under $12 per month unless you subscribe long-term. Both services offer hassle-free refunds via live chat, though CyberGhost VPN provides an extended 45-day money-back guarantee for six-month plans or longer.
Speed and stability
A VPNโs speed affects more than just loading times. You could end up with stuttering streams, slow torrent downloads, or even dropped connections. That can expose what youโre doing online, which defeats the whole point of using a VPN in the first place.
We ran thorough speed tests on our 481.42 Mbps wired setup. Since both VPNs support the fast and lightweight WireGuard protocol, we used it for consistency and to level the playing field.
Total VPN takes the lead overall, outperforming CyberGhost on 9 of 13 servers. However, the latter turned the tables in several regions, most notably the UK, where it was 106 Mbps faster.
Looking at the averages, the speed difference isnโt huge. Still, Total VPN remains the fastest VPN overall, with a 224.85 Mbps average over CyberGhostโs 213.23 Mbps.
Average download speed (Mbps) | Total VPN | CyberGhost VPN |
---|---|---|
UK | 297.2 | 402.57 |
USA | 418.99 | 348.43 |
Australia | 53.16 | 45.13 |
South Africa | 173.79 | 117.93 |
Japan | 125.06 | 53.61 |
Hong Kong | 108.21 | 57.9 |
Spain | 288.78 | 361.37 |
Canada | 236.53 | 206.75 |
Brazil | 184.25 | 131.28 |
Norway | 298.03 | 260.2 |
South Korea | 105.17 | 136.6 |
Poland | 289.82 | 360.35 |
Italy | 344.43 | 289.92 |
Overall average speed | 224.85 | 213.23 |
Based on these results, these are the final scores out of 10 for each provider:
Total VPN: 8.8
CyberGhost: 8.2
Network and server locations
Both CyberGhost VPN and Total VPN have a good variety of locations. The formerโs network spans 100 countries, while the latter covers around 85. Hereโs a full list of countries for both, straight from the app:
Country | Total VPN | CyberGhost VPN |
---|---|---|
Albania | โ | |
Algeria | โ | โ |
Andorra | โ | |
Argentina | โ | โ |
Armenia | โ | โ |
Australia | โ | โ |
Austria | โ | โ |
Azerbaijan | โ | |
Bahamas | โ | โ |
Bangladesh | โ | โ |
Belarus | โ | โ |
Belgium | โ | โ |
Belize | โ | |
Bhutan | โ | |
Bolivia | โ | |
Bosnia & Herzegovina | โ | โ |
Brazil | โ | โ |
Brunei | โ | |
Bulgaria | โ | โ |
Cambodia | โ | โ |
Canada | โ | โ |
Chile | โ | โ |
China | โ | โ |
Colombia | โ | โ |
Costa Rica | โ | โ |
Croatia | โ | โ |
Cyprus | โ | |
Czech Republic | โ | โ |
Denmark | โ | โ |
Dominican Republic | โ | |
Ecuador | โ | โ |
Egypt | โ | โ |
Estonia | โ | โ |
Finland | โ | โ |
France | โ | โ |
Georgia | โ | โ |
Germany | โ | โ |
Greece | โ | โ |
Greenland | โ | |
Guatemala | โ | |
Hong Kong | โ | โ |
Hungary | โ | โ |
Iceland | โ | โ |
India | โ | โ |
Indonesia | โ | โ |
Iran | โ | |
Ireland | โ | โ |
Isle of Man | โ | โ |
Israel | โ | โ |
Italy | โ | โ |
Japan | โ | โ |
Kazakhstan | โ | โ |
Kenya | โ | |
Kyrgyzstan | โ | |
Laos | โ | โ |
Latvia | โ | โ |
Liechtenstein | โ | โ |
Lithuania | โ | โ |
Luโembourg | โ | โ |
Macao | โ | |
Malaysia | โ | โ |
Malta | โ | โ |
Meโico | โ | โ |
Moldova | โ | โ |
Monaco | โ | โ |
Mongolia | โ | |
Montenegro | โ | โ |
Morocco | โ | |
Myanmar | โ | |
Nepal | โ | โ |
Netherlands | โ | โ |
New Zealand | โ | โ |
Nigeria | โ | |
North Macedonia | โ | |
Norway | โ | โ |
Pakistan | โ | โ |
Panama | โ | โ |
Peru | โ | โ |
Philippines | โ | โ |
Poland | โ | โ |
Portugal | โ | โ |
Qatar | โ | |
Romania | โ | โ |
Russia | โ | โ |
Saudi Arabia | โ | |
Serbia | โ | |
Singapore | โ | |
Slovakia | โ | โ |
Slovenia | โ | |
South Africa | โ | โ |
South Korea | โ | โ |
Spain | โ | โ |
Sri Lanka | โ | |
Sweden | โ | โ |
Switzerland | โ | โ |
Taiwan | โ | โ |
Thailand | โ | โ |
Turkey | โ | โ |
Ukraine | โ | โ |
United Arab Emirates | โ | โ |
United Kingdom | โ | โ |
United States | โ | โ |
Uruguay | โ | โ |
Venezuela | โ | โ |
Vietnam | โ | โ |
While CyberGhost has Total VPN beat when it comes to the number of countries, the latter lets you get an IP address from Singapore and connect to rare locations like Azerbaijan, Belize, Brunei, and Kyrgyzstan.
CyberGhost VPN also has a few standout options like Guatemala, Iran, Macao, Mongolia, Myanmar, and Qatar, among others. Most people wonโt need them, though having the option doesnโt hurt.
Itโs important to note that Total VPN does not work in China, though CyberGhost VPN isnโt much better in that regard. Support reps have confirmed the service isnโt supported in the region, though some users on Reddit reported being able to connect successfully. Funnily enough, both VPNs let you get a Chinese IP address, so thatโs a plus.
Now, neither provider offers obfuscated servers. However, Total VPN is equipped with the Hydra protocol, which makes your VPN traffic less obvious. This lets you sidestep internet censorship in countries like Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan, and the UAE or bypass VPN blocks on some restrictive networks.
Meanwhile, CyberGhost has a network of self-owned, self-operated NoSpy servers in Romania and the option of using a dedicated IPโthough theyโre both paid add-ons.
App interface and multi-platform support
Total VPN has a clean, straightforward interface that makes it a great VPN for beginners or users who donโt care about fiddling with advanced settings. Besides the list of VPNs and the search function, you can switch to a different protocol from the settings.
You can also enable split tunneling to let some websites bypass the VPN, allowing access to local content or streaming platforms while gaining some extra speed. Or, you can set it to exclude all traffic from the VPN tunnel aside from the websites of your choice.
Meanwhile, CyberGhostโs app showcases all their different server types, including ones for gaming, streaming, and safe torrenting. Much like Total VPN, only the Android app comes with an app-based split tunneling feature, which might deter some users.
Aside from the usual settings, you can add a range of Smart Rules. These let you automatically connect to specific servers when you open an app, or start apps for you when you connect to the VPN. On Windows with OpenVPN, the feature provides limited split tunneling, letting you exclude some websites from the VPN.
While both Total VPN and CyberGhost have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, the former has one for Apple TV as well. Meanwhile, CyberGhost offers support for Android TV and Amazon Fire TV/Firestick. Plus, their website includes manual setup guides for Linux and compatible routers, which is nice to see.
Privacy and security
VPNs help keep you safe on public Wi-Fi and hide your online activity from nosy network admins or government surveillance. They use advanced encryption to keep snoopers at bay, along with IPv6/DNS leak protection and a kill switch, ensuring your data remains private even if the VPN disconnects.
Weโve looked at all aspects of Total VPN and CyberGhost VPN privacy and security to give you the most accurate rating. Hereโs a quick overview:
VPN provider | Activity or IP logs | Encryption | Perfect forward secrecy | Leak protection | Torrenting allowed | Kill switch | HQ outside 9 Eyes | Obfuscation | Anonymous payment | Additional security features |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total VPN | IP logs | AES-256 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 Eyes (UK) | Yes (Hydra) | No | Yes (Paid) |
CyberGhost VPN | No | AES-256 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Cryptocurrencies | Yes (Paid) |
Considering there are 10 of these, itโs easy to rate both VPNs. Here are the final scores:
Total VPN: 8
CyberGhost: 8.5
To start, Total VPN is based in the UK, which is a member of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing alliance. Meanwhile, CyberGhost VPN is headquartered in Romania, which is outside the 14 Eyes, and the company has declared EU data retention policies unconstitutional.
They each use virtually uncrackable AES-256 or equivalent encryption to safeguard your data, and passed our IPv6, DNS, and WebRTC leak tests with flying colors. Both include a reliable kill switch to turn off internet traffic in case of connection drops, although Total VPN only lets you disable the feature through the main TotalAV app.
As mentioned, a Total VPN subscription provides free access to the Total Adblock and Total WebShield (anti-phishing) extensions, along with TotalAV anti-malware protection. Thereโs also a data breach scanner, though it pulls data from HaveIBeenPwned, so itโs nothing too fancy.
Further (paid) upgrades include a password manager, a PC clean-up utility, and up to 10 TB of secure cloud storage (2 GB available for free).
Meanwhile, CyberGhost has a built-in content blocker that filters ads, trackers, and malware domains by DNS. Extra features like NoSpy servers and a dedicated IP come with their own monthly subscription.
Total VPN lets you disguise your VPN activity as regular HTTPS traffic via the Hydra protocol, while CyberGhost lacks any means of obfuscation. That said, the latter lets you pay for the VPN anonymously with a handful of crypto options.
Both VPNs advertise no-log policies, and CyberGhost VPN has completed two audits to prove it. Unfortunately, we couldnโt find any such audit for Total VPN. Moreover, their privacy policy can be a little vagueโthough we did see mention of IP-logging. Not ideal for privacy-focused users, but shouldnโt be a dealbreaker for most.
Total VPN vs CyberGhost: Which is best for streaming?
CyberGhost VPN and Total VPN are two excellent options for evading pesky geo-blocks on a variety of platforms. While theyโre not our go-to VPNs for streaming, they work reliably on popular apps in multiple regions.
We compared their performance on each service, noted whether they have apps for streaming gadgets (such as Android TV), and added points if they offer a Smart DNS option. Hereโs a rundown of their capabilities:
VPN provider | Number of locations in relevant country | Regional speed test results | Includes ad-blocker? | Works in high-censorship countries | Offers a smart DNS service | Streaming device apps | Can unblock tier 1 streaming | Can unblock tier 2 streaming | Can unblock tier 3 streaming |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total VPN | 5+ locations | 200-300 Mbps | Yes | Some | No | 1 app | Reliably | Yes | Yes |
CyberGhost VPN | 5+ locations | 150-300 Mbps | Yes | Unreliable | Yes | 2+ apps | Reliably | Yes | Yes |
The two services are on relatively equal footing. Both have a built-in ad-blocker and work in multiple Netflix regions. No luck getting either to work in China (at least not reliably), though Total VPNโs Hydra protocol can help out in the UAE, Turkey, and similar countries.
While CyberGhostย has better streaming device support (including a Smart DNS feature), Total VPN is consistently faster on average. Either way, both providers allow for reliable streaming in HD and 4K. We do enjoy that CyberGhost VPN has specialized servers marked for each service. That way, you donโt have to rely on guesswork to find the right location.
In any case, here are the final scores after weighing in every factor:
Total VPN: 8.6
CyberGhost: 8.4
Ease of use
โEase of useโ may be a little nebulous for accurate scoring, but we gave it a fair shot. We looked at every step from sign-up to cancellation, device coverage, and checked for missing features between app versions to see how consistent each service really was.
Hereโs how that turned out:
VPN provider | Apps for all major platforms | Novice-friendly design | Ease of signup (reviewer to score) | Router support | Unblocking consistency | Task specific servers | Network | Ease of cancellation | Interface | Feature parity |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total VPN | No Linux version | Yes | 5 (easy) | No | Good | No | 80+ countries | Easy | Well-organized | Most features available on all versions |
CyberGhost VPN | Yes | Yes | 5 (easy) | Standard | Great | Yes | 80+ countries | Very easy | Well-organized | Most features available on all versions |
Both VPNs keep things simple from start to finish. Signing up and canceling took just a few minutes, and getting a refund was just as quick. Well, aside from finding Total VPNโs live chat feature, which takes a bit of digging through the support pages.
Speaking of live chat, both providers offer 24/7 assistance, and reps were usually helpful (even if responses were kind of generic at times). Whatโs nice is that Total VPN has phone support in several countries, which is pretty rare nowadays.
App interfaces are clean across the board for both providers. Total VPNโs lack of Linux and router support does hold it back a bit, especially for users who like setting up protection on every device they own.
Taking all these into consideration, weโll have to hand the win to CyberGhost in this category:
Total VPN: 8.2
CyberGhost: 8.7
The providerโs extended device coverage, easier access to live chat, slightly better streaming options, and neatly categorized servers push it just above its rival, though Total VPNโs phone support gave it a small boost.
Overall Winner: CyberGhost VPN or Total VPN?
Winner: Total VPN
CyberGhost VPN has a lot to offer. Its clean interface, organized server categories, audited no-logs policy, and decent speeds make it a reliable choice for safe browsing, torrenting, and streaming.
However, Total VPN is the better option for a few good reasons. Aside from being more affordable, it scored better in 9 out of 13 of our global speed tests. It also unblocks most popular streaming libraries without a hitch, and works more consistently in censorship-heavy regions thanks to the Hydra protocol.
Best of all, the TotalAV package also includes an ad-blocker and excellent antivirus alongside the VPN, completely for free.
Remember: Total VPN and CyberGhost VPN have 30- and 45-day money-back guarantees for long subscriptions, respectively. You can test either service for a month and back out if it falls short, but our tests show both perform well enough to meet most needs.
Comparing other VPNs
Curious how Total VPN and CyberGhost VPN stack up against other providers? Here are some of our other guides:
Want to know even more about these VPNs? Check out our detailed reviews.
Total VPN vs CyberGhost VPN: FAQs
Do Total VPN or CyberGhost offer a free trial?
Total VPN doesnโt provide a free trial, but CyberGhost does offer a 24-hour trial on Windows and Mac (no card required). This lets you test all its features before committing, giving you a risk-free way to check speeds, streaming, and security.
Is Total VPN or CyberGhost better for torrenting?
Both Total VPN and CyberGhost allow P2P activity, but the latter has specialized servers for torrenting. This can provide more reliable speeds, but our speed tests show that Total VPN is generally faster.
However, the fact that Total VPN logs IP addresses may put you at risk. CyberGhost VPNโs audited no-logs policy makes it the safer choice for torrenting despite its lower speeds.
What are the disadvantages of CyberGhost VPN?
CyberGhostโs main disadvantages include slower speeds on some servers, URL-only split tunneling on Windows, a lack of obfuscation, and unreliability in restrictive regions like China, the UAE, and others. Some users also complain about occasional bugs and stability issues, particularly on macOS.
Is Total VPN safe?
Total VPN is pretty safe, as it uses strong encryption to secure your data. Its apps are also leakproof and include a kill switch so you donโt expose your traffic during disconnects. However, its privacy policy mentions IP logging, which makes it less appealing for users with higher privacy needs or those interested in torrenting.