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The All About Cookies editorial team strives to provide accurate, in-depth information and reviews to help you, our reader, make online privacy decisions with confidence. Here's what you can expect from us:
Best for Affordable Privacy
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Has a better overall value and a 45-day money-back guarantee
Connects to more devices than ExpressVPN
Lags or causes errors when unblocking regional content
Best for Top-Notch Service
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Unblocks geo-restrictions on streaming services easily
Has the Lightway protocol for fast connection speeds without compromising security
Significantly more expensive than CyberGhost
ExpressVPN and CyberGhost are two of the top virtual private network (VPN) providers. ExpressVPN has a premium cost, but it does provide a high-quality VPN. The Lightway protocol is unique to ExpressVPN, and it does a great job of ensuring fast internet speeds while protecting your data.
Meanwhile, CyberGhost is far more affordable and does everything you expect from a VPN. It's a no-frills option, but it didn't quite impress as much as ExpressVPN.
The first noticeable difference between CyberGhost and ExpressVPN is the cost. CyberGhost is significantly cheaper when you commit to a long-term subscription plan. It also connects with more devices than ExpressVPN.
 CyberGhost
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 ExpressVPN Our Pick
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| Price | From $12.99/mo | From $12.95/mo |
| Max # of simultaneous connections | 7 | 8 |
| 24/7 customer support | ||
| Compatibility | Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and more | Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and more |
| # of servers | 9,100+ servers in 91 countries | Servers in 94 countries |
| VPN protocol | WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 | Lightway, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 |
| No-logs policy | No logs | No logs |
| Unblocks Netflix? | ||
| Read CyberGhost Review | Read ExpressVPN Review |
But what does ExpressVPN have to offer to justify its higher cost? It does have its own VPN protocol called Lightway, which is designed to be fast without compromising security. Lightway gives ExpressVPN a significant edge since it improves its performance. Compared to CyberGhost, we found that it was easier to unblock regional content on streaming platforms like Netflix and experienced less of an impact on internet speeds during our testing.
| CyberGhost Our Pick
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ExpressVPN | |
| Price range | $2.19–$12.99/mo | $8.32–$12.95/mo |
| Best value plan | 2-year plan for $12.99/mo | 12-month plan for $12.95/mo |
| Money-back guarantee | Yes — 45 days (with the monthly plan it’s only 14 days) | Yes — 30 days |
| See Full Pricing Details | See Full Pricing Details |
When it comes to the best long-term subscription plan, you can save money on a VPN with CyberGhost. ExpressVPN’s yearly subscription is more than three times the cost in comparison to CyberGhost’s two-year plan. CyberGhost also has a longer money-back guarantee of 45 days, so long as you don’t opt for the monthly plan. ExpressVPN has a 30-day money-back guarantee, which is pretty standard for VPNs.
However, if you prefer the flexibility of a month-to-month plan, then both VPN providers have a similar cost, with ExpressVPN being nominally cheaper. The money-back guarantee also changes in this scenario since CyberGhost offers a 14-day money-back guarantee whereas ExpressVPN sticks to 30 days.
| Feature | CyberGhost | ExpressVPN Our Pick
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| Number of servers | 9,100+ servers in 91 countries | Unknown number of servers in 94 countries |
| No-logs policy | No logs | No logs |
| VPN headquarters | Romania | British Virgin Islands |
| Encryption | AES 256-bit encryption | AES 256-bit encryption |
| VPN protocol | WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 | Lightway, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 |
| Kill switch | ||
| Split tunneling | Yes — Android only | |
| Netflix support | ||
| Torrenting support | ||
| Smart DNS | ||
| Blocks trackers | ||
| Read CyberGhost Review | Read ExpressVPN Review |
CyberGhost and ExpressVPN share many similarities. Both providers have had an independent audit to verify their no-logs policy. CyberGhost had its audit completed by Deloitte in March 2023 while ExpressVPN was successfully audited by KPMG in October 2022. They are also both based in data privacy-friendly countries, have VPN servers in over 90 countries, and use the standard AES 256-bit encryption.
One of the most notable differences is the VPN protocols. CyberGhost uses several common protocols, including WireGuard. However, ExpressVPN has Lightway, which is unique to its product. Lightway is designed to keep speeds fast while still being reliable and secure.
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Another feature that makes ExpressVPN stand out is its Threat Manager. It blocks ads from websites and even apps. Currently, it's only available on iOS, macOS, and Linux.
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| Platform | CyberGhost | ExpressVPN Our Pick
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| Netflix | ||
| Amazon Prime Video | ||
| Hulu | ||
| BBC iPlayer | ||
| Disney+ | ||
| HBO Max |
Technically, CyberGhost and ExpressVPN were able to unblock all of the regional content for the streaming services we tested on.
But we had a much more difficult time connecting with CyberGhost. At one point, the speeds were slowed down so much that Netflix wouldn't even load. We were able to connect using a different server, but it still lagged. There was also some difficulty connecting to BBC iPlayer, but once we connected to an optimized server for that particular streaming service, we were able to unblock the content.
Meanwhile, ExpressVPN was a smooth experience with no significant loading times or lagging. ExpressVPN doesn't have optimized servers for streaming like CyberGhost, but we had a much easier time connecting to streaming services.
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Using a VPN will slow down your internet connection, but it should only have a minimal impact on your speed. However, sometimes VPNs significantly reduce internet speeds. We tested each VPN and checked its download speed, upload speed, and latency to see how well they performed. We performed our test on a Chromebook running Chrome OS.
Overall, our tests showed that CyberGhost could greatly slow down internet speed depending on the server location. For instance, CyberGhost significantly slowed down our speeds when connected to a server in Australia. Meanwhile, ExpressVPN produced faster download and upload speeds in every server location.
| Server location | CyberGhost | ExpressVPN Our Pick
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| Speed % difference with US server |
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| Speed % difference with UK server |
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| Speed % difference with AU server |
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| Read CyberGhost Review | Read ExpressVPN Review |
Latency is often overlooked, but it has an impact on response time between networks. It's calculated in milliseconds — the higher the number, the slower your response to actions (think online gaming). A VPN will increase latency, but the goal is to find a server with a minimal increase. Both CyberGhost and ExpressVPN drastically increased latency once they were connected to international servers, but CyberGhost was faster overall.
| Server location | CyberGhost | ExpressVPN Our Pick
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| Latency % difference with US server | 35% | 15% |
| Latency % difference with UK server | 78% | 88% |
| Latency % difference with AU server | 103% | 118% |
ExpressVPN wins since it had the fastest internet speeds in general.
| CyberGhost | ExpressVPN | |
| Windows | ||
| macOS | ||
| Android | ||
| iOS | ||
| Linux | ||
| Browser extensions | Yes — Chrome and Firefox | Yes — Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, and Vivaldi |
| Router | ||
| Smart devices |
Both CyberGhost and ExpressVPN have great device compatibility, and you can easily connect both providers to several operating systems and devices, including smart TVs. We also thought the interface for both providers was user-friendly. However, the CyberGhost app wouldn't change screen sizes on a Chromebook. It took up the whole screen, and there was no way to change the window size.
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It's a tie. Both VPN providers have excellent device compatibility and virtually few complaints about usability.
| CyberGhost | ExpressVPN Our Pick
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| 24/7 live chat | ||
| Phone | ||
| Support forum | ||
| Online knowledge base |
CyberGhost and ExpressVPN both offer the same customer service options: 24/7 live chat, email, and an online knowledge base. In previous reviews, we tested the live chat customer support option. ExpressVPN provided an overall pleasant experience. But we didn't have the same experience with CyberGhost. After 40 minutes of chatting, we didn't get the answers we were looking for and found the overall service slow.
Payment options can be a concern for some people. Bitcoin payments are usually preferred by those wishing to protect their privacy since there is typically no identifying information attached. If you live abroad, you may want to use a different payment method than is traditionally used in places like the U.S. Here's a quick overview of what payment options each VPN offers.
ExpressVPN wins for providing better customer support and a wide variety of payment options suitable for pretty much everyone.
Yes, ExpressVPN is safe to use while banking. It uses AES 256-bit encryption to protect your connection. It also has a verified no-logs policy, which means it doesn't track or store any information on your online activities. Its headquarters are based in the British Virgin Islands, a place with no data retention laws. It also passed our leak protection security tests for DNS leaks and WebRTC leaks.
The first step to setting up a CyberGhost VPN router is to choose a VPN-compatible router. Your router should have OpenVPN protocols, and you can find this information in its documentation. Then you can take steps to configure CyberGhost VPN manually and set up a VPN on a router. Alternatively, you can purchase a router with a pre-installed CyberGhost VPN, which can make the setup process easier.
The downside to ExpressVPN is its expensive price. Starting at around $8 a month, it has the highest subscription price, even when you commit to a long-term plan. However, if you prefer paying month-to-month, then ExpressVPN is closer to $13 a month, which is comparable to other VPN providers like CyberGhost.
Yes, there is a CyberGhost Android app. You can download it directly from the Google Play Store and try a seven-day free trial. It's compatible with any phone running Android 5 (Lollipop) or higher. The CyberGhost Android app can work on devices like Samsung, Huawei, Sony, LG, and Google.
ExpressVPN is the best VPN service of the two. Despite its higher subscription cost, it justifies its worth with the advanced Lightway protocol that enables fast internet speeds and no issues unblocking streaming content. ExpressVPN also impressed us with excellent customer support and a wide variety of payment options.
CyberGhost put up a strong fight with affordable prices and has the essential features for a VPN. But it suffered slower internet speeds, sometimes difficult usability, and a poor customer support experience in comparison to ExpressVPN.
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Strict no-logs policy with independent audit
In-house Lightway protocol for more speed and security
More expensive than NordVPN, Surfshark, and CyberGhost
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