NordVPN vs CyberGhost 2023: One Winner, One to Avoid

In this latest NordVPN vs CyberGhost comparison guide, we’ve taken a good look at both VPN services, with particular attention to any recent updates of changes. While both VPNs are popular and have lots of recommendations, the results revealed a clear winner — and also one to avoid.

NordVPN outperformed CyberGhost in almost every test category. NordVPN is faster, has more security features, offers better support for streaming and torrenting, and is more reliable than CyberGhost. This table reveals the key facts about each VPN before we dive into the details:

	NordVPN	CyberGhost
Website	NordVPN.com	CyberGhostVPN.com
Location	Panama	Romania
Servers	5,500+	7,000+
Countries	59	90+
Logs	No logs (audited)	No logs
Torrenting	All servers	Restricted
Support	Knowledge Base; 24/7 chat	Knowledge Base; chat
Apps for	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Price	$2.99 (with coupon)	$2.75
Coupon	68% Off + 3 Months Free >	N/A

Here are the seven categories we will cover in this NordVPN vs CyberGhost comparison guide:

1. Speed tests
2. Price
3. Features
4. Security
5. Privacy
6. Netflix and streaming
7. Value

Before we get into the test results, let’s take a quick look at the VPN apps from CyberGhost and NordVPN.

First up is CyberGhost. With the CyberGhost desktop apps, you can use either the full version, or the minimized version. Unfortunately, you need to switch to the full version to get access to the features. When you do this, the app takes up lots of space on your computer.

NordVPN desktop apps do not take up as much space, and there is one size (not two sizes as we find with CyberGhost). The NordVPN apps give you quick and easy access to all features, and do not take up as much space on your desktop. The app lets you select servers either from the box on the left side of the window or directly from the server map with one click:

Now that we’ve seen the apps, let’s check out the speed tests.

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Speed tests

Speed is one of the biggest considerations when choosing which VPN is best. For the NordVPN vs CyberGhost speed tests below, my baseline (non-VPN) speed was about 500 Mbps. All tests were conducted from my location in the United States using the official VPN applications with the WireGuard protocol selected. We found a huge difference in server speeds.

For this comparison, I tested servers in the US and UK.

Test #1: Seattle

CyberGhost server in Seattle: 12 Mbps

This is a horribly slow result, with more than 97% of the bandwidth wasted! Let’s hope NordVPN can do better in the same location.

NordVPN server in Seattle: 445 Mbps

This is one of the fastest VPN speeds we have ever clocked. In this test, NordVPN is around 35 times as fast as CyberGhost VPN!

Test #2: Los Angeles

CyberGhost VPN server in Los Angeles: 32 Mbps

At around 32 Mbps, this is another slow speed test result from CyberGhost VPN. Can NordVPN do better?

NordVPN server in Los Angeles at 304 Mbps.

With this server location, NordVPN was almost ten times as fast as CyberGhost.

Test #3: New York

So far, NordVPN is running circles around CyberGhost in the speed category. Let’s see if our last two locations will be any different.

CyberGhost server in New York at 46 Mbps.

Here we have another location and another example of CyberGhost dragging behind with speeds.

NordVPN server in New York at 280 Mbps.

NordVPN is the clear winner with US servers, badly-beating CyberGhost at every location.

My last test was connecting to the UK. Incredibly, CyberGhost turned in a UK speed of only 6.33 Mbps.

No, that’s not a typo. CyberGhost speeds with this UK server were in the single digits. My only guess is that the UK servers were overloaded with users, resulting in slow speeds for everyone on the server.

So now let’s see how NordVPN compares. Here is a NordVPN server in the UK at 295 Mbps.

So despite the long distance between my physical location and the VPN server in the UK, NordVPN was still able to deliver speeds of nearly 300 Mbps. This is impressive, especially in comparison to CyberGhost, which struggled with low speeds on every server.

Why is NordVPN faster than CyberGhost?

NordVPN and CyberGhost should have very similar speeds, since both support the WireGuard VPN protocol. However the NordVPN server network gives them a huge advantage.

These NordVPN server network updates give it a big edge with speeds and reliability:

• Colocated (self-owned) hardware with more bandwidth
• NordVPN servers along high-traffic routes are now running on 10 Gbps channels
• No virtual servers with their low inherent performance

Unlike NordVPN, CyberGhost doesn’t seem to be investing in network upgrades. Below is a screenshot from my recent CyberGhost review. You can see that numerous CyberGhost servers were at maximum capacity.

If you value performance, then NordVPN is the better choice and is one of the fastest VPNs we have tested.

We will keep an eye on the CyberGhost server situation and update this comparison guide with any new information. The bottom line, however, is that you don’t want to use overloaded servers as this will usually result in slow speeds.

Speed Winner: NordVPN

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NordVPN vs CyberGhost price comparison

NordVPN prices – The cheapest price for NordVPN is currently $2.99 per month when you take advantage of this 68% discount coupon on two-year plans. We recommend the two-year plan. As you can see below, NordVPN now has three types of 2-year plan: Standard, Plus, and Complete. The latter 2 cost more because they include non-VPN features that might be of interest to you. But all 3 give you full VPN functionality we discuss in this review.

NordVPN is a great choice if you want a good cheap VPN, without having to sacrifice quality or performance.

NordVPN refunds – All NordVPN subscription plans come with a 30 day money-back guarantee, including the monthly plan. This allows you to test out the VPN risk-free for 30 days. To track the latest prices and deals, I also have a NordVPN coupon page.

CyberGhost prices – In comparison to NordVPN, CyberGhost’s best price is significantly lower, at least right now. Remember that VPN prices change frequently so check the company’s website or visit my VPN coupons page for the best prices.

CyberGhost previously offered a 7-day free trial VPN, but this has been discontinued.

CyberGhost refund policy – According to the latest information I found on their FAQ page, users will get a 14-day refund window on one-month subscriptions, but a 45-day refund window for subscriptions 6 months or greater. Assuming you follow my advice and go with the longest (cheapest) plans, CyberGhost has better prices and a better refund policy.

Price winner: CyberGhost

Note: You can get even cheaper prices on NordVPN if you use this coupon for 68% off >>

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Feature sets

CyberGhost and NordVPN both offer interesting features, but with NordVPN, the features consistently work well.

CyberGhost features – One of CyberGhost’s main features is the ad blocker. But the ad blocker does not even work on HTTPS sites and most sites are now HTTPS, the ad blocker is essentially useless. There are better VPN ad blockers to choose from, as we noted in the NordVPN vs Surfshark comparison.

CyberGhost also offers different “profiles” that are tailored to different use cases for the VPN, such as torrenting, browsing, etc. You can see these different profiles in the CyberGhost app below on the left.

Static IP addresses – Like NordVPN and TorGuard, CyberGhost also offers static IP addresses for an added cost.

Overall, CyberGhost is about average when it comes to features. It has a few nice extras, but it does not really stand out from the crowd. This is similar to what we found in the ExpressVPN vs IPVanish comparison.

NordVPN features – NordVPN offers some great features, and unlike with CyberGhost, all the features work correctly. Here’s the NordVPN Windows client with double-VPN servers:

Here are a few of the features that I really liked with NordVPN:

• Threat Protection – This is an ad-blocking feature that works on HTTP and HTTPS websites. It also blocks trackers and malware domains, plus can scan downloaded documents. More details in the Security section of this article.
• Double-hop VPN servers (31 to choose from, and the speeds are excellent)
• Tor-over-VPN servers that encrypt traffic with the Tor network, in addition to the VPN
• Obfuscated servers – These servers will conceal your VPN traffic as regular HTTPS encryption. This is a useful feature if you need a good VPN for China, or anywhere else that VPNs are blocked.
• Netflix works well (discussed more below)
• Excellent leak protection features (two-level VPN kill switch)
• VPN with dedicated IP is an add-on feature for $70 per year

In addition to all of these features, NordVPN also offers dedicated P2P servers. The P2P servers offer the fastest speeds if you need a good VPN for torrenting.

Features winner: NordVPN

Note: You can get more details on all available NordVPN features here.

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Security: NordVPN against CyberGhost

In terms of security, I did not find any leaks or problems with either NordVPN or CyberGhost.

NordVPN leak tests and encryption

I ran NordVPN through some basic VPN test procedures to identify any problems, and everything checked out fine (no leaks or issues):

I did not find any leaks in the NordVPN apps that I tested.

NordVPN uses an AES-256-GCM cipher with HMAC SHA-256 hash authentication and Perfect Forward Secrecy through a DHE-4096 key exchange with OpenVPN and IKEv2 protocols. The WireGuard protocol (NordLynx), uses a combination of upgraded security algorithms, including ChaCha20 for symmetric encryption, authenticated with Poly1305, using RFC7539’s AEAD construction.

In comparison to CyberGhost, NordVPN uses stronger encryption algorithms.

Threat Protection

Another big security upgrade with NordVPN is the Threat Protection feature. In a nutshell, Threat Protection offers you full protection from the following items:

• Web trackers
• Harmful websites
• Infected files
• Malicious ads and malware
• Functions even when you are not connected to a VPN server

You can enable Threat Protection directly in the NordVPN app and then customize the filters you want to activate with the toggle button on the right:

Because the Threat Protection feature is aiming to be an all-inclusive antivirus solution for desktop users, it is only available on Windows and Mac OS. The other NordVPN apps offer Threat Protection Lite, which has fewer capabilities and only works when you are connected to a VPN server.

CyberGhost leak tests and encryption

Just like with NordVPN, I did not identify any leaks or security issues when testing out CyberGhost VPN. You can see all leak test results in the CyberGhost VPN review.

CyberGhost uses an AES-256-CBC cipher with SHA-256 hash authentication and ECDH-4096 key exchange. This is on par with NordVPN, but CyberGhost does not offer upgraded encryption algorithms via the WireGuard VPN protocol.

Aside from leak tests and encryption, there are also other security aspects to consider.

Infrastructure, audits, and security practices

Unlike CyberGhost, NordVPN has made major upgrades and improvements to the security of their infrastructure. Here are the security updates with NordVPN:

1. Ongoing security audit – NordVPN has contracted with Versprite, an independent cybersecurity firm, to conduct a full audit of all aspects of the VPN. This includes ongoing penetration testing of the NordVPN clients.
2. Bug Bounty program – NordVPN launched a public bug bounty program to reward anyone who finds security problems or vulnerabilities with NordVPN software.
3. Infrastructure security audit – NordVPN conducted a full infrastructure security audit to include hardware, software, backend code, and more.
4. Vendor security assessment – NordVPN is assessing and upgrading all servers in their network.
5. Full RAM-disk servers – NordVPN’s entire network now runs in RAM-disk mode, without any hard drives. This ensures no data can be physically stored on any server. Some VPNs, such as ExpressVPN, also do this.
6. Colocated servers – NordVPN is now rolling out self-owned (colocated) servers for all locations. This will remove the need to ever rent servers from data centers, and also ensures a higher level of security.

In terms of security, NordVPN is really raising the bar. This is especially true when you consider the third-party security audits and ongoing penetration testing.

I have not seen CyberGhost announce any audits, bug bounty programs, vendor security assessments, and they do not run servers in RAM-disk.

Security winner: NordVPN

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Privacy

One of the biggest differences between CyberGhost and NordVPN is in the area of privacy.

CyberGhost: As I mentioned at the beginning of this guide, there are quite a few alarming issues with CyberGhost in the area of privacy:

• I found CyberGhost to be utilizing session recording scripts on their website, which act like a surveillance camera recording everything a person does on the website (explained in the CyberGhost review).
• CyberGhost is also now owned by a conglomerate called Kape Technologies, which also owns VPN review websites that rank Kape’s holdings in the top spots.

Another factor that affects privacy is how the servers are operated. CyberGhost now runs their servers in RAM-disk mode, eliminating one of my privacy concerns. With VPNs like ExpressVPN and NordVPN running all servers in RAM-disk mode, you get a higher level of data security since no logs can ever be stored on a server. This means that there’s no data for anyone to get, even if a server were to be physically seized by a third party.

NordVPN does significantly better than CyberGhost with privacy. Here are a few highlights:

• NordVPN has a genuine no-logs policy. It is one of the few no-logs VPNs that have been audited and verified by an independent third party.
• NordVPN is based in Panama, which is a good jurisdiction for privacy.
• NordVPN’s website is not using any session recording scripts (at the time I conducted the review of NordVPN).

It also offers a higher level of encryption to secure your private data. In short, NordVPN is the winner in the privacy category.

Privacy winner: NordVPN

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Netflix and streaming performance

In the category of Netflix streaming, there is once again a clear winner. First, we’ll look at CyberGhost.

Netflix support

CyberGhost claims to work with Netflix. In the CyberGhost VPN client, you can connect to either the US Netflix or UK Netflix server. However, after connecting to CyberGhost’s US Netflix server, I was still blocked by Netflix.

Based on these tests, CyberGhost does not appear to be a good VPN to use with Netflix when the dedicated Netflix server is getting blocked. Additionally, we found it to not work well with BBC iPlayer and was blocked with the servers we tested. (See these best VPNs for BBC iPlayer instead.)

Is CyberGhost a VPN that works for Hulu? We did not test this, but regardless, the slow speeds will hamper your streaming experience.

NordVPN: Netflix and other streaming services

Next up was NordVPN, which has always worked well with Netflix. Sure enough, NordVPN unblocked Netflix without any problems. Here I’m streaming Netflix through a NordVPN server in the US.

NordVPN unblocks all major Netflix regions around the world, including US Netflix, the UK, Canada, Australia, Korea, Italy, Germany, and many other regions. It also works well with other streaming services such as BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime, and Hulu. If you need a good VPN that works with Netflix, NordVPN is one of the best choices.

Note: Most VPNs are limited to regional Netflix support. However, ExpressVPN and Surfshark are two other options that unblock a large selection of Netflix regions.

Netflix and streaming winner: NordVPN

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Value: Is NordVPN or CyberGhost the best value?

Lastly, we will examine the question of value. Does NordVPN or CyberGhost offer the best value for your money?

Recall that right now the best price for CyberGhost is significantly lower than that of NordVPN. While CyberGhost is cheaper than NordVPN, the key area to examine is value and how the VPN actually performs.

Based on all of the test results in this CyberGhost vs NordVPN comparison, it is clear that NordVPN comes out on top. NordVPN was the winner in every category, except for the price. NordVPN outperforms CyberGhost and also offers more features. If you want the best value for your money, then go with NordVPN, even if it is slightly more expensive.

Conclusion: NordVPN wins in 2023

As I mentioned before, NordVPN easily wins this competition. The following list summarizes my test results:

1. Price: CyberGhost
2. Speeds: NordVPN
3. Features: NordVPN
4. Security: NordVPN
5. Privacy: NordVPN
6. Netflix and streaming: NordVPN
7. Value: NordVPN

There is also the trust factor. CyberGhost recently completed an audit of their No Logs policy, conducted by Deloitte. According to their agreement with Deloitte, the details of the audit can’t be published here, but it doesn’t seem that the audit turned up any major problems. This is good news for CyberGhost in light of their checkered past.

NordVPN has undergone numerous audits, including a full security audit, server infrastructure audit, and two separate audits verifying its no-logs policies. It also operates from a privacy-friendly jurisdiction and has a solid track record. I feel more comfortable trusting NordVPN with my data.

If you want to give NordVPN a try, be sure to use the coupon below for maximum savings. And remember you have a 30-day money-back guarantee to claim a 100% refund if you find it doesn’t meet your expectations.

Looking for other comparison guides?

You can also see the NordVPN vs IPVanish guide, with NordVPN coming out on top. Another comparison with CyberGhost is our CyberGhost vs Surfshark report, with Surfshark claiming the title.

Lastly, there is also a CyberGhost vs ExpressVPN comparison, with ExpressVPN being the winner.

Related Articles:

• Surfshark vs CyberGhost Comparison
• CyberGhost VPN Review
• Surfshark vs TorGuard VPN Comparison
• Best VPNs with Built-In Ad Blocking
• NordVPN vs Proton VPN Comparison

If you have used either of these VPNs, feel free to drop a comment below to share your experience.

This CyberGhost vs NordVPN comparison was last updated with new test results and information on January 7, 2023.