Surfshark vs. CyberGhost – At a Glance
Surfshark
VPN provider Surfshark, while reasonably priced, doesn’t skimp on its services and provides reliable online security and enhancement for most popular devices.
In addition, the provider boasts a large global server network, which provides reliable access to content around the globe.
CyberGhost
CyberGhost is another reasonably-priced VPN provider. The provider offers some of the best native app support in the business, and CyberGhost’s global server network is quite impressive.
The provider also offers comprehensive online security and privacy, as well as fast connection speeds.
How to Choose a VPN
Before making a VPN buying decision, carefully research and consider what each provider offers.
This time around, I’ll be taking a close look at how well two VPN providers, Surfshark and CyberGhost perform in each service category, then declare a winner in that category. At the end, I’ll tally up the scores and declare an overall victor.
By the time you finish this article, you’ll have more than enough information to make an informed decision about which VPN is the best fit for your needs.
Surfshark vs. CyberGhost – Features
In this section, I’ll cover the important features you should always mull over before buying a VPN subscription.
Connection Speeds
If you’re online, a fast connection is your friend. This is especially true if you watch streaming video, game online, or download and share large files.
I perform VPN connection speed tests 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.
During my connection speed testing, both providers delivered some of the fastest speeds I’ve ever seen.
CyberGhost delivered average download speeds of 548.7 Mbps.
Meanwhile, Surfshark’s download speeds averaged in at 323.6 Mbps.
Both providers’ connection speeds are blazingly fast and can easily handle 4K video streaming, fast-moving online games, and any other demanding online activity.
You’ll likely see different connection speeds from what I experienced, depending on your usual ISP-provided connection speeds, your location, and the VPN server you connect to.
Average Connection Speed Winner: CyberGhost
| Provider | Avg. Connection Speed | Link |
| Surfshark | 323.6 Mbps | Visit Site |
| CyberGhost | 548.7 Mbps | Visit Site |
Pricing
Inflation is rampant, meaning we’re paying more for everything these days and meaning that many of us are looking to save a few dollars whenever we can. However, you should never base your VPN buying decision based solely on price.
While a VPN may offer its services for a low price, it may also skimp on features, throttle or otherwise limit your usage, or not offer support for popular devices. This means you should always carefully consider a provider’s true value.
Surfshark is a low-priced provider, charging just a few bucks per month when you subscribe for two years.
CyberGhost’s tariff is a quarter less per month than Surfshark’s when you commit to a two-year subscription.
Surfshark offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, while CyberGhost offers a 45-day money-back return policy.
Exact pricing is never mentioned in my articles, as VPNs change their pricing and offer special deals on a regular basis. Visit the VPN providers’ websites for their most current pricing.
Pricing Winner: CyberGhost
| Provider | Money-Back Guarantee Period | Link |
| Surfshark | 30 Days | Visit Site |
| CyberGhost | 45 Days | Visit Site |
Privacy
If you venture online without using a VPN, there is no doubt that you have left evidence of your activities. Trust me, there are plenty of strangers that would like to take a look at the records of your online travels. This makes a VPN’s privacy protection an important consideration.
Consider the following when researching a VPN’s privacy protections:
- Is the provider located in a country that respects online privacy?
- Does the provider save user activity logs?
- Does the provider accept Bitcoin and other private forms of payment?
Surfshark is located in the privacy-respecting British Virgin Islands and as such saves no type of user activity logs. Surfshark also accepts cryptocurrency to keep your payment privacy undercover.
Surfshark operates its servers only from volatile RAM, with no data at all being saved to a physical hard drive or SSD. This means that all data is securely wiped from the provider’s servers when they are rebooted or shut down.
It should be mentioned that Surfshark introduces a privacy concern by using a third-party provider for one of its customer support features. More about that later.
Romanian provider CyberGhost isn’t required by their local government to keep logs, so they don’t. Simple, no? Bitcoin is a private payment option here.
Privacy Winner: CyberGhost
| Provider | Privacy Ranking | Site |
| Surfshark | 4.5 | Visit Site |
| CyberGhost | 5.0 | Visit Site |
Security
As I mentioned in the Privacy section, there are loads of people that would love to follow you around during your online time. This makes a VPN provider’s connection security an important consideration.
Surfshark keeps your online travels undercover by using banking-grade encryption and kill switch protection. The provider offers multiple connection protocols, including OpenVPN, WireGuard, and IPSec/IKEv2. A “Camouflage Mode” disguises your VPN usage, making it appear to be normal browser traffic.
CyberGhost also protects its customers’ connections with military-grade encryption, kill switch protection, DNS leak prevention and IPv6 leak prevention. The Wireguard, OpenVPN with TCP/UDP, IPSec, PPTP, and L2TP/IPSec protocols are present and accounted for. The provider also offers blocking of ads, malicious websites, and online tracking.
Security Winner: It’s a tie
| Provider | Overall Security Score | Link |
| Surfshark | 5.0 | Visit Site |
| CyberGhost | 5.0 | Visit Site |
Simultaneous Connections
I’d venture to say that most of us own and use more than one connected device. This makes a VPN provider’s simultaneous connections allowance an important consideration.
Surfshark places no limit on the number of devices that a user can simultaneously connect to its server network.
CyberGhost allows seven simultaneous connections on the same set of login credentials,
Simultaneous Connections Winner: Surfshark
| Provider | Simultaneous Connections Allowed | Link |
| Surfshark | Unlimited | Visit Site |
| CyberGhost | 7 | Visit Site |
Streaming Support
Do you subscribe to multiple streaming services? I know I do (too many, actually). Unfortunately, if you aren’t using a VPN you are not getting all that you could be out of your subscriptions. This is because many popular streaming services make their content available only in certain countries.
A VPN can bust through geo-fencing by temporarily assigning a new IP address to your device. This makes it appear as if you are connecting to the internet from another region of the world. This opens access to content that might normally be unavailable in your country.
Surfshark provides reliable access to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, ITV Hub, All 4, Hotstar, HBO, Sky, and multiple other streaming services.
CyberGhost not only provides access to multiple streaming providers, it also offers streaming-optimized servers that provide one-click access to many of those services, including Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer, YouTube, ESPN+, and numerous others.
Streaming Support Winner: It’s a tie
| Provider | # of U.S. Streaming Services VPN Unblocks | # of International Services VPN Unblocks | Link |
| Surfshark | 10+ | 8+ | Visit Site |
| CyberGhost | 10+ | 8+ | Visit Site |
BitTorrent Support
BitTorrent file sharing is an excellent way to share files with other internet users. While file sharing is legal (several major companies use the technology to share files and documents among employees), it is illegal to share copyrighted materials, such as movies, music, and games.
As a result, ISPs are facing pressure from entertainment industry lawyers to prevent sharing files. This means many ISPs foil BitTorrent sharing by throttling or blocking your internet connection if they detect that you’re sharing files, even if the files being shared are legal.
A VPN can prevent your ISP from throttling or blocking your internet connection by encrypting your internet connection and temporarily assigning a new IP address to your connected device. This prevents anyone from seeing what you’re doing online or seeing your real IP address.
Surfshark allows P2P 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. These servers are optimized for file sharing and downloading.
BitTorrenting Winner: Surfshark
| Provider | # of Countries Where VPN Allows BitTorrents | Link |
| Surfshark | All of them | Visit Site |
| CyberGhost | 30 countries | Visit Site |
Global Server Coverage
The size of a VPN’s global server network directly affects your ability to access geo-fenced content located in other countries, so look for a provider that has servers stationed in numerous countries. Also, it’s a definite plus if the VPN provider has multiple servers located in each country, as it helps prevent any single server from being overloaded with too many users.
Surfshark has 3,200+ servers stationed in 100 countries worldwide.
CyberGhost has 9,000+ servers placed in 90+ countries.
Global Server Coverage Winner: Surfshark (better country coverage)
| Provider | Server Count | Countries | Link |
| Surfshark | 3,200+ | 100 | Visit Site |
| CyberGhost | 9,000+ | 90+ | Visit Site |
Multi-Platform Support
Since many of us own multiple connected devices, a VPN provider’s native app support is an important consideration.
Surfshark provides native app support for iOS, macOS, Android, Android TV, Windows, Linux, and Amazon Fire TV device platforms. Chrome, Edge, and Firefox browser extensions are also available. The provider offers comprehensive router support and offers pre-configured routers through Flashrouters.com.
CyberGhost’s native app support consists of apps for Android, Android TV, iOS, macOS, Linux, and Amazon Fire. and Windows devices. Support is also available for a large number of routers. (Pre-configured routers are available through Flashrouters.com.) Browser extensions are available for Firefox and Chrome browsers.
Multi-Platform Support Winner: Tie
| Provider | Platforms Supported | Browser Extensions? | Router Support? |
Link |
| Surfshark | 7 | Yes (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) | Yes – Manual setup. Flashrouter options available. | Visit Site |
| CyberGhost | 7 | Yes (Chrome, Opera) | Yes – Manual setup. Flashrouter options available. | Visit Site |
Customer Support
While both VPN services are intuitive and reliable, you may still have an occasional question, even if it’s just about billing.
Surfshark’s 24/7 support options include live chat, email support, and a searchable support library. Unfortunately, Surfshark uses a third-party contractor (Zendesk) to facilitate its live agent chat feature, introducing a slight privacy risk.
CyberGhost provides a 24/7 live chat option, a support request form, and a searchable knowledge base.
Customer Support Winner: It’s a tie
| Provider | Customer Support Rating | Link |
| Surfshark | 5.0 | Visit Site |
| CyberGhost | 5.0 | VVisit Site |
And The Winner Is…
While you can’t go wrong in choosing either Surfshark or CyberGhost, I have to name an overall winner (it’s kind of the subject of this article).
Surfshark is the top-dog in this playoff, thanks to the provider’s performance in the simultaneous connections, BitTorrent, and global server coverage service battles.
Meanwhile, CyberGhost was victorious in the connection speed, pricing and privacy arenas.
It was a tie when it came to security, multi-platform support, streaming support, and customer support.
For more information or to purchase a subscription, visit Surfshark.
