CyberGhost vs IPVanish VPN Comparison: Which wins?

Choosing a VPN can be tricky since there are so many different factors to consider. This includes the number of servers and locations, speed and consistency of connections, and overall level of security. If this is your first time using a VPN, you may find some of the more technical information to be a little overwhelming. We’ve done the hard part for you, taking an in-depth look at CyberGhost and IPVanish and comparing the two side-by-side.

Below, you’ll find a full breakdown of each VPN’s functionality. This will explain what each feature does and how it benefits you. With any luck, this will make deciding between CyberGhost and IPVanish much quicker and easier.

We’ve performed a painstaking analysis of both of these services, breaking down every single feature they have to offer. Here’s what we found:

Summary: CyberGhost vs IPVanish

CyberGhost & IPVanish: Pricing comparison

CyberGhost and IPVanish both charge $12.99 USD for a single month of coverage. However, if you’re willing to commit to a longer plan, you can drastically reduce the price. For instance, two six-month CyberGhost plans cut the cost to $83.88 ($6.99 monthly) and IPVanish’s annual plan drops its price to $51.95 ($4.32 monthly).

You might be surprised to learn that this isn’t even either VPN’s lowest price. CyberGhost also has a two-year subscription that averages out to just $2.19 per month, with IPVanish pretty close behind at $3.25 per month over the same period.

It’s important to know that both CyberGhost and IPVanish come with money-back guarantees. This means that you can try them out risk-free and request a full refund if unsatisfied or even if you simply change your mind about needing a VPN. In the case of IPVanish, there’s a 30-day guarantee (though this isn’t available on monthly plans). However, CyberGhost’s guarantee is longer at 45 days and you can even take advantage if you only sign up for a month.

Best Deal for CyberGhost:Get an 82% discount and three months extra free with a three-year plan.

Best Deal for IPVanish:Cut the cost by more than 70% by choosing IPVanish’s annual plan.

CyberGhost and IPVanish: Features

Both CyberGhost and IPVanish offer apps for desktop and mobile (Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS). However, only CyberGhost has its own Linux app. IPVanish still supports Linux systems; you’ll just have to use the OpenVPN configuration menu to get set up. Fortunately, IPVanish does provide instructions to help with this.

These VPNs can both be manually installed on routers, and both provide split tunneling functionality, which lets you choose which apps and websites can bypass the VPN. That said, CyberGhost includes browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox, whereas IPVanish only has one for Chrome. It’s also capable of blocking ads and trackers on all platforms, while IPVanish only recently introduced this feature, and only then on its Firestick apps.

IPVanish has one major advantage, though. Unlike CyberGhost, which has a seven-connection limit, it allows you to secure as many devices as you like. As such, it’s a far better option for sharing with family.

Netflix and streaming comparison

IPVanish used to struggle with major streaming platforms but it has really improved in recent months. In our latest testing, it was able to match CyberGhost, securely accessing stubborn services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer.

The only issue is that IPVanish users might have to try a few servers to find one that works. CyberGhost, on the other hand, tells you exactly which servers are optimized for specific services, removing all guesswork.

When it comes to streaming performance, you can expect a great deal of consistency from both CyberGhost and IPVanish. The two VPNs offer unlimited bandwidth which means you’ll be able to stream without lag or buffering. They also allow torrenting with a number of P2P-optimized servers on offer.

China

In recent years, China has expanded its censorship efforts by banning VPNs that aren’t government-approved. There are still a few services based in other countries that work reliably in China, but unfortunately, this doesn’t include either of these VPNs.

The Great Firewall of China blocks access to many foreign websites including the sites of these two VPNs. Furthermore, many of the IP addresses have been blacklisted, making using these VPNs in China all the more challenging.

In the case of IPVanish and CyberGhost, both providers acknowledge that their apps don’t work in China. However, the two provide configuration guides and workarounds should you wish to try connecting manually. Note that this is unlikely to be successful due to the fact that the Chinese government is actively blacklisting the IP addresses of both VPNs.

Setup and interface

Both providers have novice-friendly apps for desktop and mobile devices. We’re big fans of CyberGhost’s design — despite giving the user quite a lot of choice, it never feels overwhelming thanks to its streamlined settings menu and sub-divided server lists.

IPVanish simplifies things a little more. You can choose a server from the map or searchable list and activate the kill switch directly from the home screen. There aren’t a ton of advanced settings to navigate, either, so it’s quick and easy to find whatever you’re looking for.

Additionally, CyberGhost and IPVanish maintain most of their functionality on mobile devices. There are slight graphical differences, but nothing major. You will have to manually enable the kill switch in your device’s system settings but this is simple enough and both providers explain how to do this.

Servers and performance

CyberGhost has long been famous for its larger-than-average network. However, it’s clearly not content to rest on its laurels, since it recently expanded to an unparalleled 11,000 servers in 100 countries. In contrast, IPVanish has just over 2,000 servers in approximately 60 countries. It’s worth knowing that roughly half of the servers of IPVanish are located in the United States.

Now, IPVanish covers plenty of in-demand locations but CyberGhost can help you get an IP address from countries like Nigeria, Saudia Arabia, and Bangladesh. Not everyone will need these, but it’s always nice to have the option. Additionally, CyberGhost has servers specially configured for gaming, streaming, and enhanced privacy.

Below, you’ll find a list of every country where these VPNs have servers:

CyberGhost and IPVanish: speed comparison

When it comes to performance, these VPNs are unmatched. CyberGhost has a slight edge, averaging 296 Mbps in our latest testing, but IPVanish wasn’t too far behind, with average speeds of 277 Mbps. In other words, you should be able to stream 4K video without any issues, even if lots of people are sharing your connection.

Security

Both CyberGhost and IPVanish support the OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard protocols. Further, each secures your traffic using uncrackable 256-bit AES encryption, though CyberGhost has 4096-bit keys, which are slightly more secure than IPVanish’s 2048-bit keys. They also offer DNS and IPv6 leak protection while CyberGhost goes one step further and also protects you from WebRTC leaks.

CyberGhost and IPVanish have a kill switch for desktop and mobile platforms although there is no kill switch offered for the IPVanish iOS app. As such, there is a risk that some data may be accidentally shared should the VPN connection drop while you’re using an iOS device. Another shared feature is the option for the VPN to automatically turn itself on when you connect to a public Wi-Fi hotspot.

Privacy

CyberGhost is headquartered in Romania, a country with strong privacy laws. This is not part of the 5 Eyes, 9 Eyes, or 14 Eyes intelligence alliances and as such, doesn’t have to comply with data requests from the US, UK, Australia, Canada, or New Zealand governments.

IPVanish is based in the US which is a Five Eyes member. While this means that participating governments could gather and share intelligence about each other’s citizens, it’s important to note that IPVanish has a zero-logs policy (which has been verified by independent auditors). As such, you can browse safe in the knowledge that it’s not recording or selling any of your data.

It’s also worth knowing that IPVanish owns its servers (as opposed to renting them) while CyberGhost includes independently operated “NoSpy” servers. In both cases, this reduces the risk of any interference from third parties.

Neither VPN logs identifiable data such as your IP address or browsing history. CyberGhost publishes quarterly transparency reports and accepts Bitcoin. Unfortunately, there’s no such anonymous payment option available with IPVanish, whereas CyberGhost accepts Bitcoin.

Customer Service

CyberGhost and IPVanish both offer 24/7 support via live chat and email. In fact, IPVanish is one of the few providers with phone support as well. We have tested the live chat support feature extensively at different times of the day. More often than not, we received replies within seconds rather than minutes. In the event that the customer support representative didn’t know the answer to a question (this is only likely with more technical enquiries), we received an email response a short while later.

It’s worth knowing that both VPNs also provide setup guides for various platforms as well as troubleshooting and FAQ sections. You can also find various video walkthroughs. In the case of CyberGhost, many are fairly recent and relevant although those of IPVanish are more dated and may lack some relevance as a result.

The Winner: CyberGhost

While CyberGhost and IPVanish are both high-quality services, CyberGhost best fits the needs of the average user. In particular, it offers more servers in more countries, allowing you to stream a wider range of online content.

Although it doesn’t offer unlimited simultaneous connections like IPVanish, CyberGhost still allows up to seven which should be more than enough for most people’s needs. You may feel more comfortable knowing that CyberGhost is headquartered in Romania as opposed to IPVanish which is based in the US (a Five Eyes member).

CyberGhost lets you try its service for longer with its 45-day money-back guarantee (as opposed to the 30 days offered by IPVanish). While the two VPN providers offer user-friendly apps, CyberGhost supports more platforms and even offers Chrome and Firefox browser extensions. In summary, IPVanish is well worth considering if you have a lot of devices to secure. However, CyberGhost is simply the stronger all-rounder.

Best Deal for CyberGhost:Get an 83% discount and three months extra free with a two-year plan.

See also:

• ExpressVPN vs IPVanish
• CyberGhost vs PureVPN
• NordVPN vs IPVanish
• ExpressVPN vs CyberGhost

Methodology: How we compared CyberGhost and IPVanish

These are two high-profile services with lots to offer, so deciding which one was best overall was a real challenge. We carefully considered which features were most important to the average user and created an extensive list of comparison criteria. Here are a few of the areas we researched:

• Network scale: Server count isn’t everything. We’re more interested in supported countries, as these impact everything from the type of content that can be accessed to the privacy laws that apply. We also noted the server distribution to see if users in more remote locations could find a server nearby.
• Speed and reliability: We regularly speed test leading VPNs to monitor how their performance has improved over time. This involves testing each nine times and averaging the results.
• Streaming performance: Most major streaming services have some form of VPN-blocking. Our team tested CyberGhost and IPVanish against popular platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Max to see which worked the most reliably.
• Security and privacy: A VPN that can’t keep your data secure is useless. That’s why we looked for powerful encryption, safeguards like leak protection and kill switches, and no-logging policies (ideally backed up by third-party audits).
• Ease of use: Ideally, a VPN should be easy enough for complete beginners to use. Anything that simplifies the process is very welcome; this might include task-specific servers, around the clock support, or a total lack of connection limits. Naturally, we also considered the range of supported platforms.
• Pricing: Our team thoroughly researches what each service offers compared to similarly-priced rivals and searches for discounts, deals, free trials, or money-back guarantees you can take advantage of.

Looking to find out more about how we test VPNs at Comparitech? We’ve put together a comprehensive post that details our methodology from start to finish.

CyberGhost vs IPVanish: Frequently asked questions

See also:

• NordVPN vs CyberGhost
• ExpressVPN vs CyberGhost
• PureVPN vs IPVanish
• NordVPN vs IPVanish