Don’t have the time to read through our entire testing process? Here’s the short version of what we discovered by reviewing both:
Best for security: Surfshark Best for speed: Surfshark Best for privacy: Surfshark Best price: CyberGhost Best for ease of use: CyberGhost Best for customer service: Surfshark
As you can see, Sufshark wins in most categories. You can test it yourself by clicking the button below and visiting their official website. We started off by exploring some of the main features of these VPN providers. We then compared our findings across various essential categories to discover which one is best. Read our comprehensive article to find out the differences and similarities between CyberGhost and Surfshark.
CyberGhost vs Surfshark: Functionality, Features, and More
Before we delve deeper into our investigation of CyberGhost and Surfshark, here’s an overview of some of the features provided by both services.
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 your internet traffic hidden. 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. Fortunately, both CyberGhost and Surfshark offer excellent security features. The table below gives you a quick overview of the features offered by these VPN providers.
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 VPN 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 often and have to deal with unsecured Wi-Fi 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 speed and security. Both providers ensure effortless torrenting, lag-free streaming, secure online gaming, and much more. These protocols will 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 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 tool against security breaches. Surfshark also offers some additional nice-to-haves, which CyberGhost does not support. These include:
Obfuscated (or stealthy) servers: These servers “trick” VPN filters by disguising your VPN traffic to look like regular browsing. 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.
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.
Which VPN should you choose for safety?
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 Surfshark VPN 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 faster speeds. The results for speeds on international and local servers are shown in the table below. Both Surfshark and CyberGhost dish out great speeds. They’re among the fastest VPNs out there. Surfshark was faster on international servers and on nearby locations. However, it is worth noting that the ping for Surfshark on international servers is quite high. Therefore, this can ultimately affect your gaming and viewing experience. In the battle of CyberGhost vs Surfshark regarding speed, we declare Surfshark the winner by a small margin. 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. With that in mind, let’s see how CyberGhost VPN and Surfshark handle your private information. The table below gives you a quick summary of some of the privacy details of each provider. Now let’s have a look at the specifics.
CyberGhost’s privacy details
CyberGhost VPN 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 VPN 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, which removes 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 VPN. 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 features used to compete with older and bigger VPN services. We definitely recommend going with longer plans so you can save money in the process. The table below shows the plans offered by both VPNs. The monthly plans for both CyberGhost and Surfshark do not differ much in price. Also, the VPN providers do not offer the same subscription plans in terms of duration. However, CyberGhost is more affordable than Surfshark if you opt for a two-year plan. 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: CyberGhost
CyberGhost vs Surfshark: Which App Is Easier to Work With?
Our previous reviews of CyberGhost VPN 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 VPN, 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 VPN 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.
Both CyberGhost and Surfshark support a ton of popular platforms, including Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux. They can also be used with VPN routers, gaming consoles, smart TVs, and other devices. Moreover, they have browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge (Surfshark VPN only). Out of the two, we prefer Surfshark’s extensions since they offer a lot more flexibility and extra features. CyberGhost VPN browser extensions are too simple and limited.
Which VPN is best for streaming?
One of the main advantages of using a VPN is the opportunity to gain access to popular streaming platforms, such as Netflix and Disney Plus. So how good are CyberGhost and Surfshark at accessing such streaming providers? We have included our findings in the table below. Most user-friendly VPN: CyberGhost
Customer Service: How Well Are Users Supported?
The table below shows how to contact 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 our queries clearly and were very knowledgeable. This was also the case with the CyberGhost employee, but he was unaware 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
Final Verdict: Is CyberGhost or Surfshark Better?
Our CyberGhost vs Surfshark 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. However, in heavy-weight categories such as privacy, the winner was very clear. Here’s why we chose Surfshark as the winner of the CyberGhost vs Surfshark battle: 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. VPN by 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. Would you like to see the other VPN comparisons? Then click on one of the links below:
ExpressVPN vs. CyberGhost ExpressVPN vs. Surfshark NordVPN vs. CyberGhost
