Private Internet Access vs CyberGhost: Which Wins?

There are so many VPNs available, so how do you pick from the bewildering amount of options? This in-depth comparison takes a look at two leading VPN providers, Private Internet Access and CyberGhost. We look at each product in detail, what features they have and how much they cost.

We’ll start with a quick summary of Private Internet Access vs CyberGhost. After that, we’ll take a detailed look at each of their features to see which VPN provider has the best overall product. Don’t have time to read the whole thing? We can tell you that CyberGhost came out on top when compared to Private Internet Access.

Keep reading to find out how we came to that conclusion and find out everything you need to know about both VPNs.

Highlights

Private Internet Access vs CyberGhost pricing

As is usual for VPN services, there are massive discounts on multi-year plans, with both providers additionally offering free months. Private Internet Access has a three-year plan that costs the equivalent of $2.03 a month and comes with three free months. CyberGhost has a two-year plan, which costs $2.19 a month and comes with two free months. Given the choice between the two, CyberGhost is the more attractive as it essentially costs the same but requires one year less commitment.

If you want a shorter subscription, you can sign up to Private Internet Access for a year. This costs the equivalent of $3.33 a month. CyberGhost’s next shortest subscription lasts for six months, though it’s relatively expensive at the equivalent of $6.99 a month.

The shortest subscription for both providers is one month. This costs $11.95 for Private Internet Access and $12.99 for CyberGhost. However, if you only need a VPN for a short time, you can always just take advantage of each provider’s money-back guarantee and spend nothing.

CyberGhost offers a whopping 45-day cooling off period which is much higher than the industry – which includes Private Internet Access – average of 30. This means you can try before you buy as long as you cancel within a month (or a month and half in the case of CyberGhost).

BEST DEAL FOR PRIVATE INTERNET ACCESS:Save 83% on three-year plans

BEST DEAL FOR CYBERGHOST:83% discount on two-year plan plus two extra months

Private Internet Access vs CyberGhost features

A must have feature for VPNs is split tunnelling. This enables you to bypass the VPN for certain programs automatically.  Some programs will not allow you to connect if they detect you are running through a VPN.

CyberGhost’s split tunneling is easy to set up, however, Private Internet Access’s version requires you to go in and set rules manually. This process was not particularly easy. A VPN needs to be able to get around these issues without requiring too much advanced knowledge, and CyberGhost does this much better.

Private Internet Access allows unlimited simultaneous device connections, whereas CyberGhost goes up to seven. Normally you only get a maximum of five with other VPNs, so Private Internet Access or CyberGhost will be giving you more than the average either way.

Streaming and unblocking

Both VPNs work with most streaming services. In recent years, services like Netflix have been blocking VPNs in an aggressive manner, and tests show Private Internet Access cannot access as many international Netflix libraries. If your main reason for using a VPN is to access streaming services, CyberGhost may be a better choice.

Which of these VPNs work in China?

Neither work in China. China is constantly preventing VPNs from getting around the Great Firewall of China.

The Great Firewall blocks access to the VPN homepages themselves which prevent VPNs being used effectively. You’ll have to subscribe to and test the VPN before arriving in China. Some users have reported using certain methods that require manual configuration and rely on third-party scripts that can allow a connection. However, it is not guaranteed to bypass the country’s DNS poisoning via the firewall.

Due to the regulatory environment in China, you just cannot expect VPNs to work. CyberGhost states that using the L2TP protocol may help when attempting to connect in China, but success has been limited.

If you’re planning a trip to China, we’ve found the relatively few VPNs that do consistently work in the country.

Setup and interface

CyberGhost’s installer was simple to run across all tested platforms. The main page presents basic settings with both programs offering a quick overview. The menus are simple to navigate with it being easy to find what you need. On a different page there are advanced settings that allow for more advanced configurations.

CyberGhost and Private Internet Access have mobile apps. Private Internet Access’s configuration made it harder to see all available settings, but this wasn’t a major issue.

Servers and performance

Private Internet Access has a smaller geographical reach than CyberGhost, with servers available in 91 countries versus CyberGhost’s 100. Private Internet Access states it has at least 35,000 servers, whereas CyberGhost has 11,600+. Both figures are way higher than the majority of other VPN providers.

Although more servers can mean quicker speeds, in this case CyberGhost is the faster provider. In fact, CyberGhost was one of the fastest VPNs overall in our latest round of speed tests, achieving an impressive average download speed of 296 Mbps.

In both cases, the large networks allow the providers to guarantee better average performance. As everyone connecting is spread over a larger quantity of servers, you get a low-latency and high-speed connection.

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

Full information on every country Private Internet Access is located in is not readily available. However, both providers have a large dedicated server network. A look at the country list and you’ll see that both these VPNs have servers all over the world.

This is particularly important when considering streaming services like Netflix. To stop VPNs, streaming services ban IPs that they think belong to VPNs providers. More servers means that there is another path the VPN could connect to the streaming service through.

Security

Private Internet Access and CyberGhost use common encryption techniques. Private Internet Access only allows IKEv2 on iOS whereas CyberGhost has configuration options for other protocols. Both use industry standard 256-bit AES encryption and the WireGuard protocol by default.

CyberGhost has much more functionality as you can configure it to the protocol that you wish whereas Private Internet Access only offers a few configuration options. If you want maximum flexibility with your encryption, CyberGhost is the winner hands down.

CyberGhost and Private Internet Access offer a VPN Kill Switch as part of their plans. This feature cuts off the internet connection if the VPN connection disconnects for whatever reason. This is one of the most crucial features for a VPN, as otherwise your details may be compromised as soon as you have a temporary issue with connecting to the VPN.

Neither provider leaks any information via DNS. Private Internet Access additionally uses a system called MACE, which prevents tracking cookies.

Privacy

CyberGhost complies with the GDPR as it is subject to European Union jurisdiction. This raises some privacy concerns but previous requests by the authorities for CyberGhost’s information has shown that no usable or identifying customer information is able to be tied to specific access to websites or similar.

Private Internet Access’s location in the United States which is a major player in the Five Eyes Alliance, an information sharing network between the intelligence services of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

CyberGhost does keep limited logs but this does not include about the sites visited or data downloaded. Most VPNs use logging to keep track of diagnostic data, which is anonymized anyway. This is generally for enforcing device connection policies which only requires logging of non-specific user data.

You’ll be anonymous to the outside world no matter which of these services you use. Of course the privacy concerns relating to any company subject to United States jurisdiction means that CyberGhost has the better overall privacy. Furthermore, CyberGhost has undertaken external third-party audits to verify its no-logs claims.

Configuration

These VPNs use shared address allocation, meaning your individual connection is obfuscated. Everyone connected to the server uses the same IP address, which makes it impossible to trace online activity back to an individual user. If you do want an IP address that only you have access to, CyberGhost sells them as an optional paid add-on to subscriptions.

Customer service

CyberGhost has a manned live chat feature allowing you to directly contact support or accounts. Private Internet Access relies primarily on an email based support system started via their website’s support page.

We tested both support schemes via questions and a recording of response times. Three questions each were sent to Private Internet Access and CyberGhost. We list their average response time below, as well as whether our question was answered or not:

Although the email response times were similar to each other, CyberGhost’s ability to offer live support makes it the clear winner. It was also the case that CyberGhost’s replies in general answered the queries better. They additionally provided links to guides on their website, which were reassuringly up to date.

The winner: CyberGhost

Private Internet Access is a good VPN in its own right, but CyberGhost was the clear winner in our comparison. Not only does it have servers in more countries, but it’s faster, better for streaming, and comes with a number of premium features as standard.

Although CyberGhost is reasonably priced on a month plan, you can get the most value from longer-term subscriptions. There is a 45-day money-back guarantee, too, if you change your mind.