CyberGhost vs. Private Internet Access – At a Glance
CyberGhost
CyberGhost is a low-priced and easy-to-use VPN provider, offering top-notch app support, a large global server network, and reliable access to geo-fenced content.
The provider’s comprehensive online security and privacy protections keep your online activities undercover.
Private Internet Access
Private Internet Access (PIA) provides comprehensive online protection for most popular connected devices. The provider’s decent-sized global server network provides reliable access to geo-fenced content around the globe.
PIA’s services can be had for a reasonable price.
How to Choose a VPN
You should carefully research and consider what a VPN provider offers before subscribing to it.
I’ll be taking a close look at two VPN providers, Private Internet Access and CyberGhost. I will tell you how well each VPN performs in each service category, and then declare a winner for that category. At the end of the article, I’ll tally up the scores and declare an overall victor.
By the end of this article, you should have more than enough information to make a decision about which VPN is the best one for your needs.
CyberGhost vs. Private Internet Access – Features
In this section, I’ll share information about the VPN features you should always carefully consider before buying a subscription.
Connection Speeds
No matter what activities you enjoy online, a fast connection is your friend. This is especially true if you stream videos, game online, or download and share large files,
VPN connection speed tests are performed on a regular basis. Here’s how it works:
- Tests are performed on a North America-based Windows server with a gigabit Ethernet connection.
- I connect to VPN servers in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Hong Kong, at three different times of day over the course of three days.
- I use the Windows version of the providers’ apps for testing, and the app is configured to connect using the Wireguard protocol when available.
- I run the Speedtest app after connecting to each VPN server location, exiting the Speedtest app following each speed test.
Both providers delivered fast download speeds. However, one provider well outperformed the other one.
CyberGhost delivered ultra-fast download speeds of 296.1 Mbps.
Meanwhile, Private Internet Access delivers an average download speed of 70.0 Mbps.
Depending on your usual ISP-provided connection speeds, both providers’ can easily handle streaming, gaming, or any other demanding online activity.
Your connection speeds will be different from what I saw, as actual connection speeds depend on your usual ISP connection speeds, your geographic location, and the location of the VPN server you connect to.
Average Connection Speed Winner: CyberGhost
| Provider | Avg. Connection Speed | Link |
| Private Internet Access | 70.0 Mbps | Visit Site |
| CyberGhost | 296.1 Mbps | Visit Site |
Pricing
We’re being forced to pay more for everything. This means that we’re looking to save a few bucks whenever and wherever we can. However, you should never base your VPN buying decision only on price.
If you settle for a cheap VPN, you’ll likely discover that the provider skimps on features. Cheap VPNs may throttle or otherwise limit your usage, or not offer support for some popular devices. This means you should always carefully consider a provider’s true value before putting down your hard-earned cash.
A month of Private Internet Access or CyberGhost will cost about the same as a large cup of McDonald’s coffee when you opt for an extended subscription plan.
Private Internet Access offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, while CyberGhost gives you 45 days to make a final buying decision.
I never post the exact prices of VPNs in my articles, as most VPNs change their pricing and offer special deals on a regular basis. Visit the VPN providers’ websites for their current pricing.
Pricing Winner: CyberGhost
| Provider | Money-Back Guarantee Period | Link |
| Private Internet Access | 30 Days | Visit Site |
| CyberGhost | 45 Days | Visit Site |
Privacy
When you go online without using a VPN, you are leaving behind evidence of your online travels. Guess what? There are plenty of folks that would like to take a look at what you’ve been doing online. This makes a VPN’s privacy protections an important consideration.
Examine the following when considering a VPN’s privacy protections:
- Is the provider located in a country that protects online privacy?
- Does the provider save user activity logs on its servers?
- Does the provider accept cryptocurrency?
Private Internet Access is located in the United States, which belongs to the Five Eyes Alliance. The five member countries of this alliance share information among their intelligence agencies.
PIA saves no user logs on its servers, meaning there is likely nothing that could be shared, and the provider also accepts cryptocurrency, providing payment privacy.
Romania-based provider CyberGhost also saves no logs of user activity and Bitcoin is a private payment option here.
Privacy Winner: Tied
| Provider | Privacy Ranking | Site |
| Private Internet Access | 5.0 | Visit Site |
| CyberGhost | 5.0 | Visit Site |
Security
Along with those that would like to see evidence of your past online activities, there are plenty of nosy types that would love to follow you around in real-time. This makes a VPN provider’s encrypted connection protection an important consideration.
CyberGhost protects its customers’ online activities with military-grade encryption, kill switch protection, DNS leak prevention, and IPv6 leak prevention. Wireguard, OpenVPN with TCP/UDP, IPSec, PPTP, and L2TP/IPSec protocols are all available. Blocking of ads, malicious websites, and online tracking is also available.
Private Internet Access also uses banking-grade encryption, a kill switch, and DNS/IP leak prevention. Protocols the provider uses include Wireguard, PPTP, OpenVPN, and L2TP/IPSec.
Security Winner: It’s a tie.
| Provider | Overall Security Score | Link |
| Private Internet Access | 5.0 | Visit Site |
| CyberGhost | 5.0 | Visit Site |
Simultaneous Connections
I’ll admit that I use multiple connected devices on a daily basis. You likely use multiple devices also. This means a VPN provider’s simultaneous connections allowance is an important consideration.
PIA allows a user to simultaneously connect up to 10 devices to their servers.
CyberGhost allows up to seven simultaneous connections on a single set of login credentials,
Simultaneous Connections Winner: Private Internet Access
| Provider | Simultaneous Connections Allowed | Link |
| Private Internet Access | 10 | Visit Site |
| CyberGhost | 7 | Visit Site |
Streaming Support
If you’re like me, you subscribe to too many streaming services. Am I right? Even though you may subscribe to multiple streaming services, you’re not getting all you could be from your streaming subscriptions. This is because many popular streaming services make their content available only in certain countries.
A VPN can temporarily assign a new IP address to your connected device, making it appear as if you are connecting to the internet from another part of the globe. This opens up access to geo-controlled content that might normally be unavailable in your current location.
CyberGhost provides access to many popular streaming providers, including Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer, YouTube, ESPN+, and numerous others. The provider also offers streaming-optimized servers that provide one-click access to content from many of these services.
Private Internet Access provides reliable access to Netflix in the US and the UK, while also providing access to BBC iPlayer in the UK. Other streaming services were hit-and-miss.
Streaming Support Winner: CyberGhost
| Provider | # of U.S. Streaming Services VPN Unblocks | # of International Services VPN Unblocks | Link |
| Private Internet Access | 2+ | 2+ | Visit Site |
| CyberGhost | 10+ | 8+ | Visit Site |
BitTorrent Support
Sharing files via BitTorrent has been around for years. File sharing is legal in most countries. However, it is illegal to share copyrighted materials, including movies, music, and games.
This means ISPs get plenty of pressure from the entertainment industry to prevent file sharing, leading them to throttle or block your internet connection if they discover that you’re sharing files, even if the files are being shared legally.
Happily, a VPN encrypts your internet connection and temporarily assigns a new IP address to your connected device. This prevents anyone from seeing what you’re doing online or detecting your real IP address.
Private Internet Access allows file sharing on its entire server network.
CyberGhost allows P2P activity on its servers in 30+ countries. The provider’s app indicates the countries where P2P activity is allowed. The servers in these locations are optimized for file sharing and downloading.
BitTorrenting Winner: Tie (PIA has more servers it’s allowed on, while CyberGhost has downloading-optimized servers.)
| Provider | # of Countries Where VPN Allows BitTorrents | Link |
| Private Internet Access | All of them | Visit Site |
| CyberGhost | 30+ countries | Visit Site |
Global Server Coverage
The larger the size of a VPN’s global server network, the better access you’ll have to geo-fenced content located in other countries, the more countries, the better. Also, VPN providers with multiple servers located in each country are a definite plus, as that helps prevent any single server from being overloaded with too many users at once.
Private Internet Access has 3,300+ servers, located in 80+ countries around the globe.
CyberGhost has 9,000+ servers placed in 90+ countries.
Both providers provide reliable access to geo-fenced content around the globe.
Global Server Coverage Winner: CyberGhost
| Provider | Server Count | Countries | Link |
| Private Internet Access | 3,300+ | 80+ | Visit Site |
| CyberGhost | 9,000+ | 90+ | Visit Site |
Multi-Platform Support
It seems as if every electronic device is connected to the internet these days, making a VPN provider’s native app support an important factor to consider.
CyberGhost’s native app support includes options for Android, Android TV, iOS, macOS, Linux, Amazon Fire, and Windows devices. Browser extensions are available for Firefox and Chrome browsers. Support is also available for routers, with pre-configured routers available from Flashrouters.com.
PIA’s native app support includes options for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Android TV, Linux, and Amazon Fire TV devices. Chrome, Firefox, and Opera browser extensions are also available. Support is available for select routers and pre-configured routers are also available from Flashrouters.com.
Multi-Platform Support Winner: Tie
| Provider | Platforms Supported | Browser Extensions? | Router Support? |
Link |
| Private Internet Access | 7 | Yes (Chrome, Opera, Firefox) | Yes – Manual setup. Also includes Flashrouter options. | Visit Site |
| CyberGhost | 7 | Yes (Chrome, Opera) | Yes – Manual setup. Flashrouter options available. | Visit Site |
Customer Support
While PIA and CyberGhost are both easy to use and reliable, you may still have an occasional setup or billing question.
PIA’s 24/7 customer support is made up of daytime live chat, email support, and a searchable support library.
CyberGhost support options include a 24/7 live chat option, a support request form, and a searchable knowledge base.
Customer Support Winner: CyberGhost
| Provider | Customer Support Rating | Link |
| Private Internet Access | 4.5 | Visit Site |
| CyberGhost | 5.0 | Visit Site |
And The Winner Is…
While both Private Internet Access and CyberGhost deliver excellent VPN services, I have to name an overall winner.
CyberGhost is the big winner this time around, thanks to the provider’s performance in the Connection Speeds, Pricing, Streaming Support, Global Server Coverage, and Customer Support departments.
Meanwhile, Private Internet Access was victorious in the Simultaneous Connections column.
It was a tie when it came to Privacy, Security, BitTorrent Support, and Multi-Platform Support.
For more information or to purchase a subscription, visit CyberGhost.
