CyberGhost vs Surfshark

Surfshark is one of the highest-ranking VPNs on the market. A close rival is CyberGhost, which is often pitted against it.

At first glance, the two look very similar as they share many quirks and features. However, the consensus is that Surfshark is superior.  To understand why, it’s a must to analyze everything that both services have to offer. Only when that’s done shall you know which one to get.

We’ll begin with an overview of the specifications that CyberGhost VPN and Surfshark VPN have. Below is a comparative table that you may refer to:

A lot of things set CyberGhost and Surfshark apart from each other. We have to dig deeper to get a better understanding of each feature they have. For a better reading experience, I’ll divide things by the category with a winner for each one.

Let’s start by talking about privacy and security!

Surfshark operates from the British Virgin Islands. Meanwhile, the headquarters of CyberGhost is in Romania.

Although the two places couldn’t be more different, they’ve got one thing in common – neither falls under Five Eyes Alliance jurisdiction. Due to that, both VPNs aren’t required to follow restrictive copyright and privacy laws that’ll hinder them.

The two services utilize AES 256-bit military-grade encryption. On top of that, they also use SHA-256 hash authentication along with a 4096-bit RSA handshake.

Making Surfshark stand out is its employment of ChaCha Encryption on Android. It serves as a handy backup if ever AES 256-bit fails.

CyberGhost and Surfshark support mainstream protocols like OpenVPN (UDP & TCP) and IPSec (L2TP & IKEv2).

Unfortunately, not all of them are available on CyberGhost’s apps. It only supports OpenVPN (UDP & TCP) on Windows, Smart TVs, Linux, and Android. Besides that, the VPN service exclusively supports IKEv2 on iOS, macOS, and Windows.

You should note that Surfshark supports Shadowsocks. In comparison, CyberGhost VPN offers support for WireGuard on Linux.

Both VPNs provide complete leak protection. Just to make sure they are capable, I conducted a few tests using IPLeak.net. Before seeing the results, here are my results without any VPN in use:

Now, this is the outcome after my connecting to CyberGhost’s server in Singapore:

And here’s my results after switching to Surfshark’s Hong Kong server:

I’m pleased with how the two did. Neither failed at masking my real IP address. As such, they’ve shown that I can depend on them to keep me anonymous whenever I surf the internet.

Surfshark and CyberGhost don’t run their servers in RAM-disk mode. Due to that, they can store logs.

Fortunately, Surfshark has announced that it’s upgrading to a RAM-disk network soon. The same can’t be said for CyberGhost, which hasn’t disclosed any plans to transition to RAM-disk servers.

Each service is loaded with excellent privacy and security features. With that said, my winner in this round of our Surfshark vs CyberGhost match is Surfshark. I chose it because it supports mainstream protocols on more platforms. On top of that, the VPN has Shadowsocks and ChaCha support.

Reddit posts are nearly unanimous in saying that CyberGhost and Surfshark are some of the fastest VPNs available. I had to experience their speed capabilities for myself, so I did some tests. For reference, here’s the result of my base connection:

This is how CyberGhost’s server in Japan changed it:

And here’s how Surfshark’s corresponding server did:

As seen above, both services performed excellently. Needless to say, the victor for this round of our CyberGhost vs Surfshark battle is Surfshark. It left my download and upload speeds almost unchanged. Additionally, the VPN service also took a lesser hit on my ping.

None of the two have a fully enabled P2P network. To compensate, each service has a different approach. CyberGhost VPN has a list of suitable servers for torrenting on its desktop apps, while Surfshark detects torrenting activity and automatically pairs you with an optimized server.

To know if both services can protect me whenever I torrent, I ran some tests. Below is the result without any VPN running:

Here are the results after I connected to CyberGhost’s Hong Kong server:

Lastly, here’s the result following my move to Surfshark’s Hong Kong server:

As expected, the two were able to mask my IP address during my tests. For that reason, it was hard to pick a winner for this category. I eventually settled on Surfshark because it’s the faster VPN between the two.

CyberGhost and Surfshark can bypass the geoblocks of many streaming websites. In fact, both have been dubbed as media-oriented VPNs by many. With each, you’ll access the foreign libraries of platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and BBC iPlayer.

Since Netflix is the most widely used streaming service, I decided to use it to see what each VPN could do. The title I settled down on was Spotlight. Below is a screenshot of my results using CyberGhost’s dedicated US server for streaming.

Now, this is how Surfshark’s New York server did:

The two succeeded in giving me access to Netflix US. Sadly, only Surfshark was able to stream the movie in full resolution without buffering. CyberGhost slowed my internet to the extent that I almost couldn’t watch.

I played two matches on Call of Duty Mobile to see if Surfshark and CyberGhost were good for gaming purposes. The results were fascinating.

Surfshark and its server in Tokyo didn’t cause the game to run in a bad way. Lagging and frame drops were nonexistent, even during the most hectic parts of the match. If anything, the VPN made me forget that I was using one.

The performance of CyberGhost VPN was equally as decent. Its server in Singapore didn’t bring about any delays in the game’s performance. There were zero lags, which was nice as the match I was in was a difficult one. Any issues arisen would’ve caused me to lose.

My verdict is that both services are wonderful for gamers. Either will meet the needs of anyone that wishes to stay protected when they play.

You must have a VPN that’s compatible with all your gadgets. It should also have an extension for your internet browser of choice. To see which service is better in this category, look at the table below:

The winner here is Surfshark VPN. It has an app for Chromebook OS, while CyberGhost doesn’t.

Still, it’s important to know that CyberGhost users can use the service on their Chromebook devices. All that’s needed to do so is install the VPN’s Chrome browser extension or connect to a router where it’s set up.

A VPN that allows for multiple device connections provides more value for money. Besides that, it’s ideal for people who have large households or their own businesses.

CyberGhost lets you pair 7 devices concurrently with one account. It stands out in the industry because of this. Only a few other services can compete. A noteworthy example is Surfshark that permits an unlimited number of connections.

Surfshark is a large VPN with a network of more than 1700 servers across the globe. Beating it is CyberGhost that has the most servers of any service. With a single click, you’ll get to access any one of the VPN’s 7000+ servers. In this regard, it’s truly impressive and adept at keeping you anonymous.

China’s Great Firewall is the hardest censorship system to bypass. Only the best VPN services can do it with success and consistency.

Reports have confirmed that Surfshark VPN is a reliable service for use in China. Meanwhile, many say that CyberGhost cannot work around the Great Firewall despite the massive network that it boasts.

The apps of CyberGhost and Surfshark are very dissimilar, each service takes on a remarkably different approach to things. However, my experience with both has been positive, since the two boast simple interfaces that are easy to navigate.

Surfshark’s app for Windows is “small”. When opened, you’ll first notice a quick-connect button and a list of previous servers used. On the side, you can view a full list of servers and unique features. The VPN’s settings are accessible via the gear icon on the bottom left.

At first, CyberGhost’s app looks minimalistic. The only thing you’ll see is a quick-connect button that automatically pairs you to the best server based on your location.

After clicking the expandable tray, the entire app shall reveal itself. On the side are a complete list of servers and also ones that specialize in torrenting and streaming. There, you can also access your account information, settings, and special features of the VPN.

I prefer Surfshark’s app because it doesn’t clutter my mind. The simplicity that it has gives it an advantage. Nevertheless, I must admit that CyberGhost’s app was a joy to use. Getting to pick what server to utilize for the tasks I needed to do was nice.

Both VPNs have an array of free and paid add-on features. That said, let’s first talk about what Surfshark VPN has to offer:

First is MultiHop, which allows you to route web traffic through two servers to double down on security. There’s also a feature called Whitelister. It’s the VPN’s proprietary version of split tunneling. Using it, you’ll be able to let certain websites and services gain access to your legitimate information.

Surfshark’s two paid add-on features are HackLock and BlindSearch. The former is an alert system that notifies you when your information has been involved in a security breach. Meanwhile, the latter is the service’s own search engine.

Not to be beaten, CyberGhost has data compression on its Android app that makes it run faster and more smoothly. On top of that, it’s got a secret photo vault on iOS where images can be hidden.

The first additional feature of the service is called Dedicated IP. With it, you can create your own IP address for increased privacy. Beo a password manager that eliminates the need to remember all the passwords of your online accounts’ passwords.

Selecting a winner for this category was hard, as both VPNs have so much to offer. I eventually settled on CyberGhost because its unique features can be appreciated by all kinds of users.

CyberGhost and Surfshark take customer service very seriously. To understand what each VPN offers in this regard, let’s refer to the table below:

As you can see, the two can be contacted in many ways. They’ve also got a large online knowledge base that you can tap into. Unfortunately, neither service offers telephone support or has video guides available.

The winner of this CyberGhost vs Surfshark match is Surfshark, as it has a faster average response time. Send them an email, and you’ll get an answer within the day. In comparison, CyberGhost will take hours before you’re provided with a solution to your issue.

Check the table below to see what plans each VPN has and how much they cost:

It must be noted that CyberGhost has plans with greater flexibility and a longer refund period (45-day money-back guarantee). It even has a one-day free trial period. Still, my winner for this Surfshark vs CyberGhost battle is Surfshark VPN. After all, it allows for unlimited simultaneous connections that make it too good to pass up.

Is CyberGhost better than Surfshark?

No. CyberGhost isn’t superior because it fails to check all the right boxes. The VPN’s security isn’t as good, and it can’t bypass the Great Firewall of China.

On top of that, it’s slower, making it worse for torrenting and streaming. Moreover, its apps have complicated interfaces. Finally, the service is compatible with fewer devices and doesn’t allow for unlimited simultaneous connections.