If you want a modest VPN service provider that provides access to several servers in many different countries, you might be expected to pay around €3.00 to €7.00 on a monthly basis. But now, you can get the same service from CyberGhost VPN either through a free or premium package.
Surprised? CyberGhost is the perhaps the only VPN company in the industry that offers a fully-fledged VPN access free of cost. Based out of Romania, Cyberghost VPN has been in the industry for around five years. However, things are not too great for the face value. You find some restrictions and limitations to a free account if you’re a hardcore user, and as with all other free services and products available in the marketplace, the ultimate idea from Cyberghost VPN is to upsell their premium services to the end user.
Cyberghost VPN is more oriented towards offering a premium VPN service that provides online anonymity and the ability to access blocked content. In this regard, users who wish to encrypt their internet connection to stay anonymous, browse online securely or watch streaming media through Cyberghost VPN, is bound to be a bit disappointed by the free service. However, the paid subscription has now become more attractive than ever. A Cyberghost VPN subscription is now cheaper and the company has gone on to reduce the prices of existing packages to attract more users.
A VPN subscription at Cyberghost now starts at $6.99, which is cheaper than most popular VPN service providers. Cyberghost has certainly worked quite a bit to offer a few standard features for all their users, all the while reducing the end cost to the user. This includes an extended list of VPN security protocols, improved speed, improved VPN features and most of all, Cyberghost has gone from an average VPN service provider to a mainstream VPN service provider that makes sense. Let us analyze this company in detail through this comprehensive Cyberghost review.
Installing & Setting Up Cyberghost VPN On Your System
Full credits go to the software development and testing team at Cyberghost for coming up with an easy-to-use and visually pleasing VPN interface. The platform is easy to download, set up and use. Downloading the platform is free, and you can have it installed within minutes. However, for using the platform, you will need to create an account. If you don’t wish to pay for a VPN service, you can create a free account, or else, you can pay the subscription amount and choose from the three different subscription packages on offer.
After installation and signing up, you will be presented with a wide variety of options varying from server choice, server location, IP address and much more, depending on your account type. The Cyberghost VPN software can be installed on all known OS including Windows, Mac OS and Linux. iOS and mobile users are required to connect to the VPN using manual settings.
With respect to the VPN security protocols on offer, Cyberghost VPN offers OpenVPN, PPTP and L2TP/IPSec over their entire range of servers. This is something that the company improved on, and describes their intent to take on the competition by improving the services rendered to their users. 256 bit encryption is also now a standard feature on the premium plus package.
Cost Of Cyberghost VPN Subscription & Packages
Cyberghost does offer a free subscription, but the regular packages are now so cheap that it can bust several VPN competitors on price alone. Overall, the packages are divided into three categories, Free, Premium and Premium Plus.
The free subscription no longer comes with a bandwidth restriction. The worst aspect of the free subscription is that there is a cutoff time of three hours (down from six hours initially) if the VPN software is used at a stretch. But the free package does offer access to 41 servers in 16 different countries, and free users are no longer required to create an account in order to use our service
The Premium package can set you back by $7.00 per month. This package is supposed to be the best of both worlds, as there isn’t any restriction on the download bandwidth or the browsing speed. But you can’t use the full range of servers (you have access to only 296 servers), neither can you install Cyberghost VPN on more than 1 device. Apart from that, you can enjoy almost all the other features, including access to the entire range of VPN protocols.
The Premium Plus package is the most expensive option here, but in terms of industry standards, it is also one of the cheapest for the bulk subscription option. Priced at $10.00, which is slightly expensive, per month. The Premium Plus package is entirely similar to the Premium package, but you get a few additional extras such as access to the entire range of servers and the ability to install and use VPN on five different devices simultaneously. For a few extra dollars, the 24 month subscription for this package certainly makes sense.
There are mainly three payment methods at Cyberghost; you can pay through your credit card, PayPal or through Wire transfer.
Speed Of Anonymous Web Browsing & Bandwidth At CyberGhost VPN
Now that Cyberghost has done away with the speed restrictions, and have added new servers as well as server locations, the browsing speed has improved. However, there isn’t any drastic improvement in speed when compared to the competition, but Cyberghost can now support streaming media. Cyberghost has also removed the bandwidth cap for the paid accounts.
Number Of Servers & Server Locations
Cyberghost currently has around 320 servers in 24 different countries. The countries list includes the Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, London, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine, U.K and the U.S.
We commend the effort of Cyberghost to install new servers and increase their server location network to accommodate the two million subscribers that they have currently.
Data Logging Policies
Cyberghost is pretty serious about their no logs policies. Initially, Cyberghost had to log user data and metrics owing to their different metered packages. Now that they have chosen to offer unlimited speed and bandwidth, Cyberghost no longer logs any kind of data.
Cyberghost will only initiate logging practices if intimated to do so by a court, in which case, Cyberghost will require a large number of parameters from the authority that issued such a request. This is rarely the case, and such extremes will only be used in case of suspected illegal activities. Cyberghost is 100% safe for anonymous and secure online browsing.
Cyberghost VPN Customer Support & Website Information
Customer support is not a strong suite for Cyberghost VPN. There is a live chat feature but no phone number. The response time for any query is not what we would like to call quick, and the live chat function is only available for 8 hours a day. The Tutorials page is also a mess, and it is not actually easy to discern useful information at first glance. The good thing is that the VPN terminal is easy to use and understand which avoids the usage of any FAQ or the HELP page.
Issues & Drawbacks Of Cyberghost VPN
A lot of issues have been rectified by Cyberghost, but we still feel that the speeds can be improved a bit. Maybe addition of a few servers will help here. Also, in case of a VPN terminal failure, the internet connection is not automatically disconnected, in which case, there is a higher probability for the actual user information to be identified over an insecure network. We were also confused by the Premium package, which we feel can be eliminated completely, and Cyberghost can concentrate on both the Free as well as the Premium Plus accounts only.
We are also not particularly fond of the customer service, and we would like the tutorials page to be a bit more organized. A bit more thought to the customer support department will truly turn things around for Cyberghost.
Cyberghost Review Verdict
Gone are the days when Cyberghost was considered to be among the choice of VPN for free services. Their paid packages didn’t make sense, which is why Cyberghost has gone ahead with a complete overhaul. Now, we believe that Cyberghost has what it takes to stand at par with the competition. Priced aggressively to meet the competition, and with a complete set of new VPN features and security protocols, we believe that Cyberghost VPN is indeed a VPN service provider that will offer encrypted internet access for those who are not extremely heavy on their internet usage.
We are also happy that Cyberghost continues to provide a free VPN service, in spite of the rising VPN costs and the increasingly crowded marketplace. This certainly favors the company and will do a good job of roping in more users. Together with a ‘no data logging’ policy, Cyberghost is certainly a valid choice of VPN.
Your Verdict
Now, you’ve heard our opinion of Cyberghost VPN, but what are your own experiences? Did we hit spot on or do you disagree without verdict? If you have tried Cyberghost VPN please share your thoughts with us using the comment section below. You can find more information about Cyberghost on the website.
Discount Codes & Coupons
Cyberghost is currently offering an attractive discount for the bulk subscription package known as the ‘Double Impact offer’. This offer entitles you to receive double the subscription duration by paying for one single bulk package. Contact the customer support representatives at Cyberghost for more details on this offer.