NordVPN vs. CyberGhost 2024: Nord Has the Advantage

CyberGhost focuses on a lower price whereas NordVPN is feature-rich.
We receive compensation from the products and services mentioned in this story, but the opinions are the author's own. Compensation may impact where offers appear. We have not included all available products or offers. Learn more about how we make money and our editorial policies.

Best for Extra Security Features

5.0
Editorial Rating
Learn More
On NordVPN's website

VPN
NordVPN
Up to 72% off + 3 months extra
  • #1 rated VPN with over 6,800 ultra-secure, high-speed servers in 111 countries
  • Reliably unblock popular streaming services like Netflix with a single click
  • Excellent all-in-one security product with antivirus, ad blocker, password manager, and more

Best for a Variety of Devices

4.8
Editorial Rating
Learn More
On CyberGhost's website

VPN
CyberGhost
4 Months Free on Two-Year Plan
  • High-speed global servers offering industry-leading 256-bit AES encryption and no data logs
  • Unlimited bandwidth, DNS and IP leak protection, and automatic kill switch available for up to 7 devices
  • Configurable with your router, smart TV, Amazon Fire TV stick, or gaming console
  • No split tunneling feature on desktop

If you’re working remotely, want to access streaming, or are simply looking for increased security, CyberGhost and NordVPN will both work well for you. NordVPN has more security features, whereas CyberGhost is much less expensive.

If your main concern is a virtual private network (VPN) without a lot of extras, CyberGhost is definitely a win. If you’re looking for a more comprehensive security suite, NordVPN is a tried-and-true option. We'll go over how NordVPN and CyberGhost compare so you can make a well-informed decision on your VPN subscription.

In this article
NordVPN vs. CyberGhost at a glance
Prices
Which VPN is faster?
Which VPN is more secure?
Compatibility and customer support
FAQs
Is NordVPN or CyberGhost better?

NordVPN vs. CyberGhost at a glance

NordVPN and CyberGhost are both fast and secure VPNs that allow you to create encrypted connections to the internet. NordVPN has more security options and additional features, but CyberGhost is less expensive, especially with multi-year contracts.

  • NordVPN: Best for extra security features
  • CyberGhost: Best for a variety of devices

How do NordVPN and CyberGhost compare?

Our Pick
Price From $3.59/mo (billed every two years) From $2.03/mo (billed every two years)
Max # of connected devices 10 7
24/7 customer support
Compatibility Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and more Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and more
# of servers 6,800+ servers in 111 countries Unlisted in 100 countries
VPN protocol OpenVPN, NordLynx (WireGuard), IKEv2/IPsec OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2
No-logs policy No logs No logs
Unblocks Netflix?
Get NordVPN

Read NordVPN Review

Get CyberGhost

Read CyberGhost Review

How we test and rate VPNs

We complete standardized hands-on tests for each VPN we review so we can put their claims to the test. This includes vigorous third-party testing by comparing our internet speed while connected to different servers, checking for DNS leaks, making sure the kill switch actually works, and more. We also make sure we can comfortably access popular streaming sites, like Netflix, and still do our day-to-day work without interruption.

Once we’ve completed the testing, our editorial rating is calculated by taking into account key features you’d expect from a good product. We score each VPN in the following categories and use a weighted average to calculate the final rating out of 5 stars: price, server count, speed, security, and features.

To learn more about how we test, check out our full VPN methodology here.

NordVPN pros and cons

NordVPN offers an easy-to-use interface, is dedicated to privacy with its audited no-logs policy, and has an extensive server network with countries from around the world. It offers just about everything you would expect from a VPN.  It also comes with unique features like Threat Protection, which can protect your device from ads, trackers, and malicious sites.

Nord is one of the best VPN services on the market but it has lots of pricing and plans that can get confusing. It’s also on the pricier side of VPN services, but its offers more device connections so it could be the worth the cost. 

Pros
  • Extensive server network with 6,800+ servers in 111 countries
  • Lots of extra features including an ad blocker, dark web monitoring, and Meshnet
  • Privacy-friendly headquarters with audited no-logs policy
Cons
  • More expensive than CyberGhost

CyberGhost pros and cons

Although NordVPN has name recognition, CyberGhost is less expensive and uses the same VPN protocol. It also has a large server network across 100 countries, though it no longer lists the exact server count. Its servers include specialized options for streaming, torrenting, speed, and anonymity.  We did have some issues connecting with servers, though it proved to slow our internet speeds less than NordVPN.  

CyberGhost has a low starting price of $2.03/mo (billed every two years). It offers a free trial and it has a 45-day money-back guarantee. 

Pros
  • Offers specialized servers for streaming, torrenting, and more
  • More affordable than NordVPN
  • Privacy-friendly headquarters with audited no-logs policy
Cons
  • Experienced issues connecting to servers
  • Split tunneling is exclusive to Android

NordVPN vs. CyberGhost: prices

Our Pick
Price range $2.99–$17.99/mo $2.03–$6.99/mo
Best value plan NordVPN Ultimate 2-year plan for $3.59/mo (billed every two years)CyberGhost 2-year plan for $2.03/mo (billed every two years)
Money-back guarantee Yes — 30 days Yes — 45 days
Get NordVPN

Read NordVPN Review

Get CyberGhost

Read CyberGhost Review

Almost all VPNs like to break down their cost by month for a comparative view, but that discount typically only applies if you purchase the yearly or multi-year price. If you want to pay month-to-month, that cost will be much higher.

CyberGhost offers three straightforward payment options. The monthly plan is the highest at $12.99/mo. The six-month plan charges $41.94, which works out to about $6.99/mo (billed every six months). The highest plan is for two years and only costs $52.56, which works out to $2.03/mo (billed every two years).

NordVPN is not so clean-cut when it comes to pricing structure. There are three categories for personal accounts, and each category has three pricing tiers. 

The least expensive monthly plan starts at $12.99/mo with basic features but goes up to $14.99/mo with the Ultimate plan if you want extra features like a password manager, cloud storage, file encryption, and more. The best value option is the Complete two-year plan, which costs $5.49/mo (billed every two years).

CyberGhost has free trials from 24 hours to seven days available for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. It also offers a 45-day money-back guarantee. NordVPN doesn't offer any free trials, but it does offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.

NordVPN vs. CyberGhost: payment options

NordVPN definitely offers more payment options, but both VPNs offer major credit card and cryptocurrency payments. Although you may not think of payment options being a determining factor in choosing a VPN, paying with crypto can help keep you anonymous.

CyberGhost allows for bitcoin payments, whereas NordVPN allows for bitcoin payments as well as a few other types of cryptocurrency. If you’re looking for genuine anonymity, this may be for you.

NordVPN payment options

  • Credit or debit cards
  • PayPal
  • Google Pay
  • CoinGate (cryptocurrency)

CyberGhost payment options

  • Credit cards
  • PayPal
  • Amazon Pay
  • BitPay

Winner: CyberGhost. Even though NordVPN has more features, CyberGhost provides you with a VPN plan for less than NordVPN’s price.

Which VPN is faster?

People like fast internet. You’re far less likely to continue to use a VPN if it slows down your internet speed, so we test speeds to make sure each product is useable. 

And remember, if you’re out using public Wi-Fi, you should always use some kind of encryption, such as a VPN, to protect against hackers and identity thieves.

NordVPN vs. CyberGhost download speeds

Server location
Our Pick
US 44.72% faster 48% slower
CA 41.30% faster 79% slower
UK 31.47% faster 42% slower
AU 12.21% faster 33% slower
Get NordVPN

Read NordVPN Review

Get CyberGhost

Read CyberGhost Review

Honestly, you can't go wrong with either NordVPN or CyberGhost when it comes to speed. However, NordVPN had the edge with almost every server location.

NordVPN outperformed CyberGhost, but all the speed drops listed should be fairly insignificant on your online activities. You should always expect slower speeds when connecting to servers that are further from your physical location. We were presently surprised to see that even an Australian server didn't drop our speed too much with either VPN.

Winner: Both VPNs maintained good speeds, but NordVPN was faster with every location.

Which VPN is more secure?

Feature
Our Pick
Number of servers 6,800+ servers in 111 countries Unlisted in 100 countries
No-logs policy No logs No logs
VPN headquarters Panama Romania
Encryption AES-256-GCM AES-256
VPN protocol OpenVPN, NordLynx (WireGuard), IKEv2/IPsec OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2
Kill switch
Split tunneling Yes — Android only
DNS leak protection
Ad blocker
Get NordVPN

Read NordVPN Review

Get CyberGhost

Read CyberGhost Review

If you’re looking for extra features, such as a password manager or an ad blocker, or if you’re interested in split tunneling for multiple devices, NordVPN has the advantage over CyberGhost. NordVPN comes with Threat Protection, which is a tool for blocking ads, trackers, and malware. Its higher tiers come with extras like NordPass password manager, file encryption, and more. 

Both VPNs have device optimization tools and use strong and safe protocols. We were happy to see both adhere to a no-logs policy when it comes to data. Because both products participate in third-party audits, we can trust that the published policies and procedures of each are valid and trustworthy.

CyberGhost optimization settings

CyberGhost optimization settings

We were surprised there were no split tunneling capabilities with CyberGhost, other than for Android devices. Split tunneling allows you to route some of your internet traffic through one VPN server (or no VPN at all) while your other traffic goes through another. This is useful for apps and websites that won’t work with VPNs, or if you want to work in multiple regions at once.

NordVPN’s additional features such as Meshnet are useful for creating a trusted network between devices no matter where they’re located. Additionally, the password manager feature is useful if you want to share passwords between those connected devices. 

A screenshot of the NordVPN Meshnet feature, which links remote devices over an encrypted connection.
NordVPN Meshnet links up to 60 remote devices over an encrypted connection

NordVPN vs. CyberGhost: streaming support

Platform
Our Pick
Netflix
Amazon Prime Video
Hulu
BBC iPlayer
Disney+
HBO Max
Get NordVPN

Read NordVPN Review

Get CyberGhost

Read CyberGhost Review

As far as what works, both VPNs claim to work with streaming services. Streaming services — especially Netflix — can be tricky. Netflix is diligent about updating its VPN trackers to prevent you from accessing regional catalogs. We aren’t sure why Netflix is so adamant about blocking VPNs, but VPNs are constantly updating to stay ahead.

CyberGhost VPN connected to a U.S. server while streaming Netflix.

NordVPN actually doesn't have Netflix on its list of supported streaming services, most likely due to Netflix's blocks. However, we found that Nord unblocked Netflix in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia, so it never hurts to try.

NordVPN connected to an AU server while streaming Netflix.

NordVPN unblocked Netflix Australia

Winner: NordVPN. With the additional security and performance features, NordVPN definitely wins in the features department.

NordVPN vs. CyberGhost: compatibility and customer support

Windows
macOS
Android
iOS
Linux
Routers
Smart devices
Browser extensions Yes — Chrome, Firefox, Edge Yes — Chrome, Firefox, Edge
24/7 customer support
Customer support options Live chat, email, online guides Live chat, email, online guides
Get NordVPN

Read NordVPN Review

Get CyberGhost

Read CyberGhost Review

Although CyberGhost has fewer features than NordVPN, it has a massive list of servers to choose from. CyberGhost likes to categorize its features into different lists to help you decide which is best for what you’re doing. In the image below, you can see that CyberGhost has a list of servers dedicated to online protection. This makes it easy to find exactly what you’re looking for quickly.

A list of CyberGhost's secured servers in its Romania headquarters

CyberGhost NoSpy servers

NordVPN’s dashboard is useful for navigating both the VPN as well as additional features. All the services are listed in the left-hand menu, and there are reminders for increased security on the main page. Because NordVPN has so many offerings wrapped into its subscriptions, it’s nice to see a clean and organized dashboard.

NordVPN's dashboard and account overview.

NordVPN’s dashboard

Customer support is pretty similar between these two services. They both have helpful online guides. They also both have 24/7 live chat support. CyberGhost has a longer trial period of 45 days and a free trial, which is the only real difference between the two services. Whichever you choose, you’ll receive excellent customer service.

Winner: Tie. Both services have easy-to-use support options that are genuinely helpful.

FAQs


+

Does CyberGhost have a lot of server locations?

Yes, CyberGhost has servers in 100 countries, but it no longer lists the server count. In CyberGhost’s latest third-party audit news, it mentioned it’s been adding additional servers, so this list could change quickly.


+

Can NordVPN beat Netflix?

Yes, in our testing NordVPN was able to unblock Netflix. Netflix is constantly updating its VPN scanners, so watching Netflix with any VPN is not always guaranteed.


+

What are the disadvantages of CyberGhost?

We found that some of the servers on CyberGhost’s massive list have issues connecting, but there are plenty of others to choose from if you find one that doesn’t work.


+

Does NordVPN slow down internet speed?

We found that NordVPN did slow down our internet speeds, but not enough for it to affect our browsing. For more information, check out the speed tests in our NordVPN review.

Is NordVPN or CyberGhost better?

CyberGhost is strong, fast, and significantly less expensive than NordVPN. However, with the expansive list of additional features as well as encrypted storage, NordVPN wins out. 

With the addition of a password manager, an ad blocker, as well as the tendency to work most of the time when unblocking streaming services, NordVPN edges out CyberGhost just a little. If you want a solid VPN without a lot of additional features for a reasonable price, CyberGhost is still a strong and reliable VPN.

5.0
VPN
NordVPN
  • #1 rated VPN with over 6,800 ultra-secure, high-speed servers in 111 countries
  • Reliably unblock popular streaming services like Netflix with a single click
  • Excellent all-in-one security product with antivirus, ad blocker, password manager, and more
Learn More

NordVPN vs. CyberGhost: alternatives

NordVPN and CyberGhost are two of the best VPNs on the market, but that doesn't mean they're the only VPNs available. Here are some other VPN services that we can vouch for:

Price $1.99–$17.95/mo Free–$9.99/mo $2.19–$11.99/mo
Free version
Max # of connected devices Unlimited 10 Unlimited
# of servers 3,200+ servers in 100 countries 9,100+ servers in 112 countries Unlisted in 91 countries
VPN protocol Lightway, OpenVPN, IKEv2 WireGuard), OpenVPN, IKEv2, Stealth WireGuard, OpenVPN
Encryption AES-128-GCM AES 256-bit or ChaCha20 AES-128-GCM
No-logs policy No logs No logs No logs
Headquarters The Netherlands Switzerland United States
Netflix access
Learn more Get Surfshark Get Proton VPN Get Private Internet Access


Customizable Coverage That is Simple to Use
5.0
Editorial Rating
Learn More
On NordVPN's website
VPN
NordVPN
Up to 72% off + 3 months extra
  • #1 rated VPN with over 6,800 ultra-secure, high-speed servers in 111 countries
  • Reliably unblock popular streaming services like Netflix with a single click
  • Excellent all-in-one security product with antivirus, ad blocker, password manager, and more
Author Details
Mary is a seasoned cybersecurity writer with over seven years of experience. With a B.S. in Liberal Arts from Clarion University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Point Park University, she educates audiences on scams, antivirus software, and more. Her passion lies in educating audiences on helpful ways to protect their data.