CyberGhost vs NordVPN Comparison in Nov 2023

VPNs are all the rage these days due to an increase in privacy concerns and recent scandals regarding public data leaks. NordVPN and CyberGhost are some of the most recognizable names in the industry.

 

In this Comparison of NordVPN vs CyberGhost, we found that NordVPN annihilated Cyberghost in categories such as speed, apps, features, unblocking performance, torrenting performance, server coverage, audited no-log policy, etc. CyberGhost managed to secure the 2nd position by providing great security features at a low cost.

Quick Summary – Which VPN is the Best?

Let’s quickly go through the main features of each VPN and rank them according to the value they provide.

1. NordVPN

You can think of NordVPN as one of the pioneers of VPNs. It’s one of the most feature-rich VPNs and has a well-developed infrastructure to provide maximum speeds. NordVPN ranks as the best VPN on our list. You can read our detailed review of NordVPN if you want to know more about this VPN service.

2. CyberGhost

CyberGhost is one of the best-selling value VPNs. It’s perhaps best known for its no-frills privacy protection and amazing deals. This makes CyberGhost suitable for streaming and casual browsing. CyberGhost is the second-best of our comparison.

To help you decide which VPN to opt for, we have prepared this in-depth comparison of NordVPN vs CyberGhost based on the following factors:

1. Price Comparison
2. Speed Test Comparison
3. Ease of Use Comparison
4. Features Comparison
5. Device Compatibility Comparison
6. Unblocking Capability Comparison
7. Unblocking Geo-restrictions in China and Other Restricted Countries
8. Torrent Performance Comparison
9. Server Coverage Comparison
10. Security Protocols Comparison
11. Logging Policy Comparison
12. Privacy/Data Required to Sign-Up Comparison
13. Customer Service Comparison

1. NordVPN vs CyberGhost – Price Comparison

VPNs companies position their software depending on their target audience and the features they offer. The table below illustrates the monthly costs of each VPN as well as their long-term deals.

Next, we take a look at discounts being offered by both of these VPNs. On the other hand, NordVPN offers discounts of 60% on its 2-year plan.

CyberGhost may be the most expensive VPN upfront, but it offers the best discounted price of $2.11 on its 2-year plan. CyberGhost offers free trials for their paid services. This reassures customers before they make any payments. NordVPN, offer a free trial for 7 days on Android and iOS devices only.

On the other hand, all the VPNs do offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.

The Winner: Considering all these factors, CyberGhost is a clear winner in terms of pricing and discount deals between the VPNs. You can find out more about it in our CyberGhost VPN review.

2. CyberGhost vs NordVPN – Speed Test

VPNs mask your IP by rerouting the data that travels through your system. This is bound to decrease your internet speed in most cases. Let’s take a look at other factors that affect your internet speed.

• Connection speed: Naturally, the bandwidth offered by your ISP will be the upper limit for your internet speed.
• Bandwidth throttling: Some ISPs use bandwidth throttling for their consumer-level connections, reducing internet speed. Quite often, they also limit download speeds for large files and P2P sharing
• Servers: The proximity of your VPN servers and their performance can have a noticeable impact on your connection.

With constant innovation in technology and security protocols, VPNs have optimized their performance. We have analyzed the performance of both the VPNs in the section below.

Benchmark

We initiated our benchmarks by calculating the bandwidth provided by our Internet Service Provider. For reference, the data is provided in the screenshot above.

CyberGhost Speed

CyberGhost is a well-performing VPN and retains sufficient bandwidth for most tasks. However, it does suffer from high latency and slow upload speed.

NordVPN Speed

NordVPN gave us the most consistent results. A high download speed coupled with a decent upload to provide satisfactory results for most people.

The Winner: Conclusively, our tests rank NordVPN as the clear winner, owing to its superior download and upload speeds.

3. CyberGhost vs NordVPN – Ease of use (Setup/Interface)

A software’s success is determined by how well its users can utilize the features. Therefore, it’s integral that VPNs be user-friendly, and aid users in the navigation process.

In this section, we’ve compared both the VPNs based on the following metrics:

• How modern and up to date the software looks
• How easy is it for users to activate the VPN
• Are the add-on features easily accessible?

CyberGhost

CyberGhost has a unique interface. The users are initially welcomed with a dark-themed vertical window with an auto-connect button. This makes it easy for devices to connect, without having to fiddle with anything. But for users that need more control, the yellow tab on the bottom left allows them to choose the server of their choice.

In addition, the interface also offers selective options for users under the ‘connection features’ tab.

The settings tab is located on the bottom left and is easily accessible. It contains a preference menu as well as various connection settings.

NordVPN

NordVPN has perhaps the most intuitive front page. It shows a world map of available servers and highlights the one you’re connected to. The section on the left lets you select specific servers or countries of your preference.

The settings section is simple and offers a range of add-on options you can turn on. It also lets you set preferences such as start-up settings.

For power users, it also offers advanced settings such as obfuscated servers and custom DNS settings.

The Winner: When it comes to the user interface, NordVPN sweeps the competition. It’s modern and unique design shows the visual location of the server you’re connected to. In addition, the tab on the left allows you to select your server type as well as your preferred country.

4. CyberGhost vs NordVPN – Features Comparison

A VPNs list of features shows how much value they provide, over and above the barebones privacy protection.

NordVPN has a few unique Selling points – it comes with native support for .onion domains. In addition, it offers dedicated IPs, exemplary support for P2P servers, and a robust infrastructure of high-speed servers across the globe.

Let’s discuss these features in a bit more detail. Starting with CyberGhost, it allows you to “Stream and browse without limitations.” According to Tech Radar, “With unlimited bandwidth and traffic, CyberGhost stands out from many of the other VPNs.”

CyberGhost’s unlimited bandwidth and compatibility for most consumer platforms are its standout features.

The Winner: Our features comparison suggests that NordVPN is a clear winner when it comes to features, because of its native support for .onion, as well as dedicated specialty servers.

5. NordVPN vs CyberGhost – Device Compatibility Comparison

To check the device compatibility of VPNs, we compared NordVPN and CyberGhost side-by-side so you can see which VPN offers the best compatibility and apps for devices. To help you out, we have created a table below:

	NordVPN	CyberGhost
Windows	✔️	✔️
Android	✔️	✔️
iOS	✔️	✔️
Amazon FireStick	✔️	✔️
Chrome	✔️	✔️
Firefox	✔️	✔️
Android TV	✔️	✔️
PlayStation	✔️	✔️
Routers	✔️	✔️

NordVPN Device Compatibility

NordVPN offers feature-rich apps for various devices. It is easy to set up on all platforms, including routers. By all platforms, we mean Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, Fire Stick, and much more.

In addition to that, one NordVPN account supports 6 simultaneous connections and there is a Smart DNS option available as well for devices that don’t have native VPN support. It is no doubt the best VPN for multiple devices.

NordVPN’s iOS and Android apps are also packed with advanced features, and there are two separate apps for macOS – one downloadable from its official website, and one available on App Store.

All NordVPN apps feature a map interface that is easy to get around. You can simply click on the map to connect to any server of your choice.

CyberGhost Device Compatibility

CyberGhost offers easy-to-use apps for all major devices and platforms.

It supports 7 simultaneous device connections and works with Smart TVs, gaming consoles, and other devices such as iOS, macOS, Windows, Android, and Linux.

CyberGhost apps feature a cool dark theme with yellow accents that looks amazing on smartphones. However, most of its features are limited to desktop apps.

The Winner: NordVPN is a winner here with feature-rich apps for all platforms. CyberGhost comes at second spot with 7 multi-logins.

6. CyberGhost vs NordVPN – Unblocking Capability Comparison

Streaming has been on an all-time rise recently. Netflix has more than 220 million subscribers as of Q1 2023. Due to regional restrictions, streaming sites offer limited content in some regions, especially where privacy laws are strict.

VPNs can be utilized to unblock streaming sites and access region-free streaming. And in some regions, up to 29% of monthly Netflix users use a VPN to stream their favorite shows. This section compares CyberGhost and NordVPN in this regard.

CyberGhost

CyberGhost allowed us to access Netflix without any issues. Moreover, CyberGhost also works fine when accessing Hulu, and BBC iPlayer.

NordVPN

As expected, NordVPN worked just fine when unlocking Netflix US on Windows. Moreover, it let us access Hulu and BBC iPlayer.

The Winner: When it comes to unblocking capabilities, both VPNs passed with flying colors. However, NordVPN is expected to perform better, as it offers higher bandwidth and download speeds.

7. Unblocking Geo-Restrictions in China and Other Highly Restricted Countries

VPNs have become quite common in China because of the Great Firewall. However, only a handful of VPNs are capable of bypassing Chinese censorship and anti-VPN mechanisms. Therefore, we have tested these providers to see which one works best in China.

Does NordVPN work in China?

Yes, NordVPN does work in China. However, according to its chat support, you will need to manually set up the VPN on your device because its app is banned in China.

NordVPN has obfuscated servers that help you bypass anti-VPN mechanisms in Chinese cyberspace. It also offers Double VPN, Onion Over VPN, and CyberSec.

Does CyberGhost work in China?

Yes, CyberGhost does work in China. We confirmed it from its chat support and according to them, the VPN service is currently working in China.

CyberGhost did not use to work in Chinese cyberspace before, but now it does. However, unlike NordVPN, there are no obfuscated servers, so bypassing the Great Firewall might be a challenge for some users.

The Winner: NordVPN is a winner here because of its obfuscated servers and various protocols offered that users in China can set up on their devices manually.

8. CyberGhost vs NordVPN – Torrent Performance Comparison

Most people use a VPN for torrenting because it keeps you safe online while you torrent files. Therefore, we compared the providers to see how well CyberGhost and NordVPN perform while torrenting.

Is NordVPN good for torrenting?

Yes, NordVPN is a safe option for torrenting.

It offers dedicated P2P servers that offer AES 256-bit encryption, and a kill switch as well. It also offers fast speed thanks to its NordLynx protocol.

NordLynx is best for data-intensive tasks like torrenting, as it offers fast speeds without compromising your security. During testing, it gave us a fast bitrate of 8.26MB/s on BitTorrent. This was great considering our base connection of 100 Mbps.

Moreover, there is a SOCKS5 proxy as well for those who want fast download speeds. You can also use the split tunneling feature to ensure your P2P traffic is encrypted.

Is CyberGhost good for torrenting?

With CyberGhost VPN, you can torrent easily and safely. CyberGhost’s torrenting capabilities are great as it offers specialized P2P servers with leak protection and 256-bit AES encryption.

During testing, we got an average download speed of 6.91MB/s on the base connection speed of 100 Mbps. You can check out CyberGhost torrenting guide to see how well it works for P2P.

These P2P servers are located in over 61 countries. There are NoSpy servers as well for those who want maximum anonymity while torrenting.

However, there is no port forwarding, which was a disappointment. Port forwarding can help you get around geo-blocks and offer faster connection speeds.

The Winner: NordVPN is a winner when it comes to torrenting with SOCKS5 proxy and fast speed with NordLynx tunneling protocol.

9. Cyberghost vs NordVPN – Server Coverage Comparison

Servers and performance of a VPN rely on many different factors, such as:

• Number of servers across the world
• Performance of each server and its unblocking capability
• Compatibility of servers with various uses, such as streaming, P2P sharing, split tunneling, etc.

This section briefly discusses these features and compares each VPN on these metrics.

NordVPN has positioned itself as a multi-purpose VPN capable of handling any task. Therefore, it offers specialty servers:

1. Dedicated IP: Dedicated IP allows you to access all your bandwidth and bypass bandwidth throttling.
2. Dedicated P2P servers: These servers are designed with high-speed large file downloads in mind. They let you download large files over torrents while hiding your identity.
3. Onion over VPN: NordVPN is perhaps the only server that natively supports .onion domains.

CyberGhost comes with its own set of unique features. However, its servers do not offer any standout features.

The Winner: Considering all these aspects, NordVPN comes out on top. Its stellar features and a robust network of servers provide better stability and speeds.

10. NordVPN vs CyberGhost – Security Protocols Comparison

Security protocols are the framework that allows VPNs to encrypt data and hide your IP. Support for various protocols is always a bonus feature, as each VPN protocol has its own pros and cons.

Here is the performance comparison of some of the most popular protocols.

Now, let’s take a look at the security protocols supported by CyberGhost and NordVPN.

CyberGhost offers the most barebones support for security protocols. On the other hand, NordVPN supports numerous other protocols so its users have more options. Support for multiple protocols is an added bonus, as they help users in case they face connectivity issues with OpenVPN or IKEv2.OpenVPN is one of the most used security protocols.

In fact, most VPNs support this protocol by default. On the other hand, PPTP is one of the oldest, but fastest protocols. Although it’s not as secure, it offers blazing fast speeds ideal for streaming.

One thing to beware of is CyberGhost asking permission to install SSL certificates. Many customers complained about this, and we had a similar experience. These SSL certificates can give root access to CyberGhost, which compromises your privacy in obvious ways.

The Winner: When it comes to security protocol comparison, NordVPN wins. That’s because it supports Wireguard – an innovative protocol that’s more efficient and offers faster speeds.

11. NordVPN vs CyberGhost – Logging Policy Comparison

NordVPN and CyberGhost are perfect no-log VPN services, but we closely read their privacy policies to see what kind of data is logged and where are the providers headquartered.

NordVPN Logging Policy

NordVPN is a trustworthy no-log VPN as it does not log any personally identifiable user data like IP addresses, internet activity, and more.

The VPN is based in Panama – a privacy-friendly country with no mandatory data-retention laws, so you have nothing to worry about.

Furthermore, NordVPN’s privacy policy has been audited twice by PwC in 2018 and 2020. Moreover, it is one of the few VPNs in the industry with ioXt-certified mobile apps. It confirms that NordVPN’s apps are complying with strict security standards. You can check the full certification report here.

CyberGhost Logging Policy

CyberGhost is another secure log-less VPN that does not track your IP addresses or browsing activity. It does not even log connection timestamps and session duration.

Furthermore, the VPN is based in the secure location of Romania – a country great for privacy as it’s not part of the 14 Eyes Alliance. Even though CyberGhost has not been audited since 2012. In 2021, it underwent an audit by QSCERT and there were no issues recorded in its Information Safety Management System.

The Winner: NordVPN is a clear winner here having a crystal clear no-log privacy policy, and it has been audited twice by third parties.

12. CyberGhost vs NordVPN – Privacy / Data Required to Sign-up

VPNs compete by offering more accessibility to its customers at competitive rates. The convenience of having multiple payment methods goes a long way for many users. Let’s take a look at supported payment methods by NordVPN and CyberGhost.

There is a caveat that CyberGhost users have brought up repeatedly. There is no easy way to unsubscribe from CyberGhost. This means users have to keep paying for the service unless that contact support and go through hoops to manually cancel their subscription. Privacy is of utmost importance for VPN users. Therefore, VPNs must offer a secure and safe way to hold client information for billing purposes. Both the VPNs require your payment details, and your email, at the time of registration.

The Winner: Looking at the payment solutions, it is evident that NordVPN takes the trophy. It offers the most flexibility when it comes to payment methods, and has a transparent payment process.

13. CyberGhost vs NordVPN – Customer Service Comparison

Customer service can make or break a customer’s experience with a product or service. This rule applies to VPNs as well. Therefore, we have prepared an in-depth customer service comparison so you can have an idea of what to expect from each VPN when it comes to customer support.

Let’s start by taking a look at how accessible customer support is for each VPN

Moving one, we had a similar experience with our ‘live chat’ test. We contacted customer support for each VPN and asked them to help solve our connectivity issues.

CyberGhost has a visible tab for help/support, but it opens a separate window that won’t let you go back to the CyberGhost home page. This makes navigating through the site a bit inconvenient. NordVPN has a much better layout and does not have these issues.

Cyberghost

CyberGhost’s live chat worked well. While we were able to connect with a representative, it took a while for them to respond to our queries. Moreover, the representative wasn’t able to diagnose the issue directly and asked us to try a few possible solutions before we were able to connect via VPN.

NordVPN

The NordVPN live chat support worked flawlessly, and their representative was able to diagnose our issue and instruct us on how to solve our connectivity problem.

The Winner: In conclusion, NordVPN ranked first in customer service comparison as well. Their easily-accessible website, knowledgeable representative, and real-time response further helped in setting NordVPN apart from the competition.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is NordVPN better than CyberGhost and NordVPN?
2. Do NordVPN, CyberGhost, and PureVPN offer any deals?

Is NordVPN better than CyberGhost and NordVPN?

After testing and comparing the VPNs, we have come to the conclusion that NordVPN is better than CyberGhost. CyberGhost is considered a big name in the VPN industry, but NordVPN gives you better security, speed, and overall performance.

Do NordVPN and CyberGhost offer any deals?

Yes, NordVPN and CyberGhost do offer amazing deals. NordVPN offers 54% off on its 2-year plan. CyberGhost is currently offering 84% off on its 2-year plan.

Other Related VPN Comparisons:

We have covered other VPN comparisons:

• PureVPN vs ExpressVPN
• Avast SecureLine vs ExpressVPN
• Surfshark vs ExpressVPN
• Surfshark vs NordVPN
• NordVPN vs ExpressVPN

Final Verdict

The comparison of NordVPN vs CyberGhost is based on their price, speed, features, security, etc and there is no best VPN in every case, this is what our comparison suggests:

NordVPN ranked first in most of our comparisons. It offers a robust framework of fast servers, lots of add-on features at no extra cost, and provides excellent value. CyberGhost ranked second on our list, as it offers a safe and secure connection at a lower price.