CyberGhost vs Surfshark: A Battle of VPN Titans

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CyberGhost vs Surfshark: A Quick Overview

If you can’t decide between CyberGhost and Surfshark, seeing their pros and cons next to each other might help. That’s why we’re comparing these two VPNs across all categories: speed, security, privacy, pricing, ease of use, and customer service.

Don’t have the time to read through our entire testing process? Here’s the short version of our conclusions:

• Security: Surfshark
• Speed: Surfshark
• Privacy: Surfshark
• Price: A Tie
• Ease of use: CyberGhost
• Customer Service: Surfshark

As you can see, Sufshark wins in almost all categories. You can test it yourself by clicking the button below and visiting their official website.

Surfshark

Deal

Safe and anonymous internet for only $2.21 a month

Visit Surfshark

If you want to see how we got these results, you can read about all of our tests below.

Comparing CyberGhost and Surfshark simply by reading their reviews is extremely difficult. On paper, they look quite similar and they both show up high on almost all best VPN lists. However, testing them hands-on and comparing the results yields a clear winner across all categories that truly matter. That’s exactly what we did for this in-depth comparison.

We started off by judging these VPNs on their own merit. We then compared our findings across various essential categories and drew our conclusions. If you can’t make up your mind between CyberGhost and Surfshark, our full comparison below will definitely help you make the right choice.

CyberGhost vs Surfshark: Functionality, Features, and Other Options

Before we delve deeper into the specific test results of each VPN, here’s an overview of the features provided by both providers.

CyberGhost vs Surfshark: Which VPN is More Secure?

You can’t have a reliable VPN without bulletproof security. Since we’re facing more online threats than ever, you need to count on your VPN to keep you safe. It has to be able to deal with hackers, spying agencies, and even your curious ISP. They are all trying to get to your private information, either to sell it or monitor your online activities.

Here’s how CyberGhost’s and Surfshark’s security features fared in direct comparison.

Connection protocols

CyberGhost and Surfshark have identical lists of supported VPN tunnels. They include:

• OpenVPN (TCP/UDP): The most popular open-source protocol out there. It’s famous for its security, decent speeds, and reliability. It supports any TCP or UDP port, which makes it an ideal tool for bypassing severe firewalls like the one in China. A UDP connection is faster, but easier to block. TCP is more resilient.
• IKEv2: This protocol is known for its stability. It can switch between networks without dropping the connection. It’s a perfect choice for mobile users and people who travel a lot and have to deal with unsecured public networks.
• WireGuard: This is the youngest and fastest protocol on this list. Its codebase is far less bloated than OpenVPN’s, which makes WireGuard much easier to configure and troubleshoot. It also gives hackers less space to maneuver and seek out potential vulnerabilities.

This is an excellent list of connection protocols, optimized for both speed and security. Both providers ensure effortless torrenting, lag-free streaming, secure online gaming, and much more. They’ll also allow you to deal with online censorship and reclaim your internet freedom.

Encryption and extra features

Both CyberGhost and Surfshark use 256-bit encryption to secure your traffic and make it look like gibberish to any prying eyes. According to the international security standards, this is the highest level of safety modern VPNs can offer. Both services come with an automatic kill switch designed to “kill” your internet and prevent data leaks if your VPN loses connection.

With its in-client feature called “CleanWeb,” Surfshark blocks malware-riddled sites, ads, trackers, and phishing attempts. CyberGhost offers a special Security Suite for this, but you have to buy it separately from their VPN. Needless to say, we prefer Surfshark’s inclusive solution.

Surfshark also offers some additional nice-to-haves, which are not supported by CyberGhost. These include:

• Obfuscated (or stealthy) servers: These servers “trick” VPN filters by disguising your VPN traffic to look like regular browsing. You can use them to access Netflix US or other streaming services from anywhere in the world, for example. Obfuscation is also used in countries that have banned the use of VPNs. If a VPN filter can’t recognize your VPN traffic, you have nothing to worry about. Surfshark calls this feature “Camouflage Mode,” and it starts automatically when you use OpenVPN.
• Double VPN (or multi-hop): This feature allows you to route your traffic through multiple VPN servers instead of just one. It doubles your security with an extra layer of encryption, but can also cause considerable speed drops. Therefore, we wouldn’t recommend using this feature unless you absolutely have to. Users primarily resort to multi-hop in censorship-heavy countries like China.
• Nexus: The recently-launched Nexus upgrade unifies Surfshark’s server network and promises better security, privacy, and speed. It connects you to all Surfshark servers, instead of just one. This allows you to change IP addresses and switch between servers without ever dropping your connection.

Apart from this, Surfshark supports unlimited simultaneous connections while CyberGhost only allows seven. In other words, you can secure more devices with Surfshark with a single subscription.

Conclusion

CyberGhost and Surfshark are both very secure and feature-rich. However, Surfshark offers some additional features that we like and supports unlimited simultaneous connections. That’s more than enough to give it a win in our security category.

Most secure VPN: Surfshark

CyberGhost vs Surfshark: Which VPN is Faster?

We tested both CyberGhost and Surfshark to see which VPN provider offers better speeds. We started out by measuring the speed of our internet connection without a VPN and used it as our benchmark. Our baseline measurements are provided in the screenshot below.

We then tested CyberGhost’s and Surfshark’s local and international servers. You can see our results in the table below, with the best scores highlighted in bold.

Both Surfshark and CyberGhost dish out amazing speeds. They’re among the fastest VPNs out there. Surfshark was faster on international servers and CyberGhost on local ones. Since the difference between the two providers was much bigger on international servers than on local ones, Surfshark triumphs over CyberGhost when it comes to sheer speed.

Fastest VPN: Surfshark

CyberGhost vs Surfshark: Which VPN Handles Your Data Better?

Security and privacy go hand-in-hand. Your chosen provider has to protect you from itself by logging as little of your data as possible. Even the giants like NordVPN can get hacked and leak information. By implementing strict no-logging policies, VPNs can prevent this from happening. Let’s see how CyberGhost and Surfshark handle your private information.

CyberGhost’s privacy details

• CyberGhost is based in Romania, which is a country without mandatory data retention laws.
• You only need an email address to create an account.
• Bitcoin payments are accepted. However, add-ons such as dedicated IPs and CyberGhost Security Suite don’t support BTC payments.
• There’s a regularly updated transparency report with all requests to release data. The company hasn’t complied with any of those requests so far.
• CyberGhost VPN underwent an independent audit by QSCert in 2012. They’ve been updating their security certificate yearly ever since. However, this audit was primarily focused on the internal security processes, not the logging practices.
• CyberGhost doesn’t keep any harmful logs. However, they do collect some anonymous data to improve their VPN service. This includes anonymized IPs, approximate location (country only), billing methods, and transaction info.
• Lastly, CyberGhost is owned by Kape Technologies, a company with a questionable history. They’ve also acquired ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, and some other VPNs.

Surfshark’s privacy details

• Surfshark is located in the Netherlands, which is a 9 Eyes country. Therefore, it’s essential that the company keeps absolutely zero harmful logs. Fortunately, Surfshark has a pretty solid no-logging policy — for the most part.  Unfortunately, its Smart DNS feature has to record your IP address.
• You only have to provide an email to register.
• Crypto payments are accepted. You can also use crypto to purchase Surfshark’s add-ons (Antivirus, Alert, and Search).
• Surfshark keeps a regularly updated Warrant Canary. So far, the company has never released any user info.
• The company has recently switched to diskless, RAM-only VPN servers. This means that they basically act as data conduits, without any means of storing information permanently.
• In 2021, Surfshark VPN underwent a security audit by Cure53, which also included its entire server infrastructure.
• The company has recently announced the launch of its “Incogni” feature. The idea is to remove your data from online databases for you. In other words, the Incogni team will request data deletion from data brokers and save you a lot of time and effort in the process.

With all these facts in mind, we prefer the privacy configuration offered by Surfshark. RAM-only servers paired with privacy-specific audits and more privacy-focused efforts have tipped the scales for us.

Most privacy-minded VPN: Surfshark

CyberGhost vs Surfshark: Which Provider Is Cheaper?

Surfshark and CyberGhost both offer some amazing long-term deals. Their low price tags are one of the tools used to compete with older and bigger VPN services. Having said that, their monthly subscriptions are higher than NordVPN’s, for example. We definitely recommend going with longer plans so you can save money in the process. In terms of their cheapest subscriptions, CyberGhost and Surfshark really are equals, often differing just a couple of cents in price.

Please note: the prices may fluctuate based on any temporary deals and discounts. Make sure to check the provider’s official website for the latest price.

The cheapest VPN: Tie

CyberGhost vs Surfshark: Which App is Easier to Work With?

Our previous reviews of CyberGhost and Surfshark have shown that both of these providers have excellent reputations when it comes to ease of use. Still, there can only be one winner. So, what are the differences between the two?

• To check out CyberGhost’s server list, you have to open the client completely. Usually, it’s stuck to the taskbar (which we find annoying, by the way). You have to “maximize” the window to see a full list of servers. With Surfshark, the server list just pops out and is way easier to find.
• Choosing specific servers is quite difficult with Surfshark since they’re mostly location-based. Surfshark doesn’t offer any specialized streaming servers. CyberGhost, on the contrary, has specialized servers for all sorts of purposes listed neatly in its software.
• Both Surfshark’s and CyberGhost’s websites have rich knowledge centers where you can find information about their features. They also offer plenty of detailed setup manuals.
• In principle, the installation process of both applications is self-explanatory and very simple.

Since CyberGhost offers specialized servers, which will be useful to a lot of users and save a lot of time, we have to give the win to them, even though Surfshark also has some really user-friendly features.

Most user-friendly VPN: CyberGhost

Customer Service: How Well Are Users Supported?

On-site knowledge bases can only take you so far. You might encounter a problem that can’t be solved simply by visiting a site and sifting through FAQs. So, we need to gauge the quality of CyberGhost’s and Surfshark’s customer support.

Here’s how they fared in direct comparison:

• Both CyberGhost and Surfshark offer a live chat that allows you to talk to an actual person. After typing our questions, we were quickly connected to an employee in both cases.
• The Surfshark staff members answered clearly and were very knowledgeable. This was also the case with the CyberGhost employee, but he was not aware that there was outdated information on the helpdesk pages. The fact that we had to point this out was not a plus.
• With both providers, customer service is only available in English.
• Both providers’ online help centers were useful, but Surfshark’s was slightly more up-to-date and navigated very nicely. On CyberGhost’s website, we found quite a bit of outdated information.

VPN with the best customer service: Surfshark

Our Final Verdict: Is CyberGhost or Surfshark Better?

Our Surfshark vs CyberGhost comparison shows just how excellent both of these services are. In many cases, we were only able to crown the winner by a thin margin. In one, namely pricing, we even decided on a draw. However, in heavy-weight categories such as privacy, the winner was very clear.

Here’s our winner for each category:

• Security: Surfshark
• Speed: Surfshark
• Privacy: Surfshark
• Price: Tie
• Ease of use: CyberGhost
• Customer service: Surfshark

All in all, Surfshark is the superior VPN at the moment. It’s one of the best services out there and for a good reason. CyberGhost remains a solid choice, but it simply doesn’t have the tools to compete with the current iteration of Surfshark. If you want to test these VPNs yourself, click on the links below to go to their respective websites.

Surfshark

Deal:

Safe and anonymous internet for only $2.21 a month

From

$2.21

9.0

• Very user-friendly and works with Netflix and torrents
• 30-day money-back guarantee. No questions asked!
• Cheap with many extra options

Visit Surfshark

CyberGhost

Deal:

Try CyberGhost for $2.29 per month!

From

$2.29

8.8

• Very user-friendly
• High quality for a low price
• Torrents and Netflix possible

Visit CyberGhost

Would you like to see the other VPN comparisons? Then click on one of the links below:

• ExpressVPN vs. NordVPN
• ExpressVPN vs. CyberGhost
• ExpressVPN vs. Surfshark
• NordVPN vs. CyberGhost
• NordVPN vs. Surfshark