CyberGhost VPN vs ExpressVPN: Which VPN is best?

We compare CyberGhost VPN and ExpressVPN to find out which VPN offers better speeds, security, and overall value. Our side-by-side guide will help you choose the best VPN.

Selecting the right VPN can be a daunting task, even with thorough research. To help you make an informed choice, we've conducted a comprehensive VPN comparison between two leading brands: ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN. We aimed to find the best VPN for the average home user.

This analysis will help you pick a service suitable for getting privacy and accessing popular platforms like Netflix. Both VPNs have excellent reputations, but they differ considerably in terms of price. In this guide, we cross checked the main differences that might sway your decision.

We compared each VPN across 10 categories, including security, privacy, server speed, app performance, and compatibility with popular streaming services. Whether you're an advanced user wanting to torrent or a casual browser in need of public WiFi safety, this guide will help you pick the right VPN. 

Keep reading to discover whether ExpressVPN or CyberGhost VPN reigns supreme for the average home user.

Pros and Cons

To give you a quick comparison, here are some key advantages of each VPN. Both providers are well-established and offer outstanding features that allow you to use the internet safely and without constant surveillance.

ExpressVPN

• Servers in 100+ countries
• Works with most streaming services
• Reliable AES encryption, kill switch, and a no-logs policy
• Obfuscation by default for OpenVPN
• Proprietary Lightway protocol is built for speed
• Fully audited policy and network

CyberGhost VPN

• 9,000+ servers in 100+ countries
• No-logs policy, kill switch, and 256-bit encryption
• Connect up to eight devices
• Works with Netflix and many others
• Apps for all popular platforms
• Budget pricing

ExpressVPN vs CyberGhost VPN – Features

Both ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN come with a decent feature set designed to give you online freedom and privacy. Admittedly, these VPNs are not as advanced as some of their competitors. Specifically, neither of these VPNs has features like MultiHop, Tor over VPN, or port forwarding. If you are an advanced user who requires these kinds of advanced settings we recommend shopping elsewhere.

The good news is that both these VPNs have the features that average home users need. For complete transparency, you can compare all the important features you get with each VPN below:

ExpressVPN’s features:

• Apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Firestick, Android TV, routers, and browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. The browser extensions also serve as the GUI for Linux users to control the VPN
• A choice of protocols: OpenVPN (UDP and TCP), IKEv2, and Lightway
• Obfuscation by default when you use the OpenVPN protocol
• DNS leak protection
• Kill switch
• Ad and tracker blocking
• Split tunneling
• Smart DNS
• Servers in 105+ countries
• Robust AES-256 encryption
• Fully independently audited no-logs policy and service
• Diskless servers 
• Allows torrenting
• Eight simultaneous connections
• 24/7 live chat support
• 30-day money-back guarantee

CyberGhost VPN’s features:

• Apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Android TV, Firestick, and browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox. Linux users can set up manually using the CLI
• A choice of protocols: OpenVPN (UDP and TCP), IKEv2, and WireGuard
• DNS leak protection
• Kill switch
• URL-based split tunneling only
• Ad and tracker blocking
• Servers in 100+ countries
• Robust AES 256-encryption
• Allows torrenting
• Seven simultaneous connections
• No-logs policy
• 24/7 live chat
• Specially labeled streaming servers for each country/service
• Diskless RAM-only servers
• 45-day money-back guarantee

Which VPN has more features?

As you can see, both of these VPNs have a very similar feature set. They both run on diskless servers, and they both provide a kill switch. The split tunneling feature is more advanced with ExpressVPN. ExpressVPN lets you select which apps use the VPN and which don’t. This is not possible with CyberGhost’s basic split tunneling that only lets you whitelist URLs from the VPN tunnel. 

Other than that, there isn’t much to set these two VPNs apart. They both have apps for all platforms, although ExpressVPN is easier to use on Linux and routers. Although it is close, we feel that ExpressVPN has a slight advantage.

Best for features? ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN vs CyberGhost VPN – Pricing

When it comes to pricing, CyberGhost VPN comes out on top. The VPN starts at $2.19 per month, which makes it one of the cheapest VPNs available. To get this reduced price tag, you must commit for two years (but you also get two months extra for free). If you prefer a single-month subscription, it will cost you $12.99, which although pricey is in line with the industry average.

One of the main drawbacks of ExpressVPN is that it is a touch pricey when compared to its closest competitors. The cheapest subscription available is the one-year plan, which costs $8.32 per month. 

For obvious reasons, this can be a turn-off and often leads people to opt for CyberGhost VPN, NordVPN, or Surfshark instead.

To seal the deal even further, CyberGhost VPN has a longer money-back guarantee. You can test CyberGhost for 45 days and still ask for your money back. With ExpressVPN, the money-back guarantee lasts for 30 days.

Best value? CyberGhost VPN

ExpressVPN vs CyberGhost VPN for streaming

Watching TV shows and movies online requires high-speed connections and servers optimized for streaming popular platforms like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+, Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer. Many VPNs face restrictions from live TV and video-on-demand services, which is why you must pick your VPN provider carefully.

Both VPNs have high-speed VPN protocols that are ideal for streaming. ExpressVPN provides its custom Lightway protocol, and, in our most recent tests, had global average download speeds of 300 Mbps. CyberGhost VPN provides the WireGuard protocol, which is well-known for delivering fantastic speeds. In our most recent tests, CyberGhost had a global average download speed of 295 Mbps.

The main benefit of CyberGhost VPN is that it makes the process of accessing streaming platforms as easy as possible. In the app, you will find streaming-optimized servers for over a dozen different countries. The VPN has servers labeled for specific platforms such as Netflix or BBC iPlayer in each of those countries. 

In our tests, the CyberGhost VPN streaming servers could access almost every service we tried it with. In the US, CyberGhost offers streaming servers for Netflix US, YouTube, YouTube TV, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Hulu, NBC, Fox, Sling TV, Comedy Central, ESPN+, Crunchyroll, Peacock, Disney+, Paramount+, and NFL+. Beyond the US, it works with streaming services in 22+ other countries.

With ExpressVPN, by contrast, you only get to pick country locations. Although most of those servers should work to access local streaming services, you may sometimes need to use trial and error to find the right server for a specific service. This makes the process a bit more cumbersome.

On the plus side, ExpressVPN is extremely effective for accessing streams. In our tests, it was able to access multiple Netflix regions (it works with around 24 regions), Hulu, HBO Max, BBC iPlayer, Channel 4, ITV X, Peacock, ESPN Plus, and many other services. 

Ultimately, we were able to access every streaming platform we tried, so despite the added ease of use you get with CyberGhost, we have to call this a draw.

Best for streaming? It’s a draw

CyberGhost VPN vs ExpressVPN for China

The Chinese government has strict online censorship policies that make it hard to purchase a subscription and connect to a VPN. As a result, Chinese citizens and visitors find it difficult to bypass China’s firewall to access popular Western services like Facebook and Twitter. Only a handful of VPNs work in China, so how do ExpressVPN and CyberGhost fare?

Unfortunately, CyberGhost VPN does not provide any form of obfuscation for its users. This means that the VPN will not work in countries that use deep packet inspection to block VPNs. If you travel to China, Iran, Egypt, or the UAE, you may prefer to purchase a subscription with ExpressVPN or another VPN that offers obfuscation.

With ExpressVPN, users get obfuscation by default when using the OpenVPN protocol. ExpressVPN does not explain how it implements this added layer of obfuscation, which in theory helps to prevent countries like China from finding ways to target those censorship circumvention methods. The good news is that, for now, the VPN still works effectively in China.

Best for China? ExpressVPN

Ease of use

We tested ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN thoroughly for two weeks and found both VPNs to be easy to use. That said, it seems fair to note that CyberGhost is particularly good for beginners thanks to its decision to label servers by use case in its apps (torrenting, gaming, and streaming).

This aside, we found the experience to be very similar with both of these VPNs. They both make it easy to understand the sign-up process. Downloading the apps for whichever platform you require is simple, and installing the VPN is automatic in both cases.

Both ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN have excellent websites that come with useful installation guides and FAQs that explain every issue that is likely to occur. 

Best for ease of use? It’s a draw

Connection speeds

A slow VPN can cause a huge amount of frustration. Slow servers cause problems when streaming, gaming, torrenting, making video calls, and other data-intensive tasks. That's why most people are looking for a fast VPN that does not negatively affect the VPN speeds they pay their ISP for. 

To check exactly how each VPN compares, we tested servers in Hong Kong, the US, and the UK at three-hour intervals a total of nine times. The good news is that both ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN have fast Tier-1 servers and speedy protocols designed to provide excellent performance.

Below, you can see global averages from our tests:

• ExpressVPN: 300 Mbps
• CyberGhost VPN: 295 Mbps

Fastest? ExpressVPN

Security

First and foremost, a VPN is an online privacy tool that is designed to prevent local networks, ISPs, government agencies, and other third parties from being able to monitor you online or intercept your private data. We only ever recommend VPNs that have the necessary features, protocols, and privacy policies needed to protect their subscribers.

Both ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN have a proven track record of providing data privacy for their users. Besides strong encryption, both of these VPNs include a system-level kill switch that is designed to cut your internet if the VPN connection fails. This ensures that no unprotected data can ever escape the VPN tunnel. 

We tested both of these VPNs for IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks and found none.

The only difference between these providers is ExpressVPN’s obfuscation. This feature is not available with CyberGhost. It is a useful addition feature for users who want to conceal VPN use from their ISP or government. 

For any tech heads who want more details, we have included the OpenVPN encryption information for each service below:

• ExpressVPN: 256-bit AES cipher for encryption, 4096-bit DHE-RSA keys, SHA512 hash authentication, and DHE keys for Perfect Forward Secrecy.
• CyberGhost VPN: 256-bit AES cipher, 2,048-bit RSA keys, SHA256 authentication, and DHE keys for Perfect Forward Secrecy.

Best security features? ExpressVPN

Privacy

When assessing a VPN's privacy features, it's crucial to take into account the jurisdiction where the VPN company is based. This location affects any legal obligations and the extent of government surveillance that could impact the VPN.

At BleepingComputer, we generally advise opting for VPNs based in jurisdictions that prioritize user privacy and don't impose mandatory data retention directives or gag orders. This allows the VPN to function without interference and allows the provider to enforce a robust no-logs policy.

ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN both operate from secure jurisdictions beyond the reach of countries known for extensive government surveillance. They both have solid no-logging policies and diskless servers that ensure they can more easily comply with that no-logging policy in emergencies. 

Below, we have included a rundown of each service:

CyberGhost VPN

This VPN is based in Romania, a country that lacks well-funded intelligence agencies or mandatory data retention directives that apply to communications providers such as ISPs or VPNs. The VPN has a solid no-logging policy that promises not to retain any records of user activities, source IPs, or the VPN servers users connect to. The only real drawback is that CyberGhost has yet to complete a third-party security audit. This would help to improve trust in the service. 

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands, a location that is well out of reach of invasive jurisdictions. The VPN has a solid no-logging policy, diskless servers, and has completed a full third-party security audit of its apps, network, and policies. This makes the VPN an excellent choice for gaining privacy online.

Best for privacy? ExpressVPN

Customer support

When it comes to supporting their users, both of these VPNS are exceptional. They both include 24/7 live chat on their websites or support via email. We found the agents to be well-mannered and knowledgeable with both VPNs. 

Admittedly, we did occasionally get a CyberGhost agent who didn’t appear to fully understand what they were talking about. They rely on resources to pull up answers and some do not understand or know these service level intricacies as well as others, presumably because they are newer staff. 

Overall, support is excellent with both of these VPNs and you should be able to get the help or information you need at any time of day. Both VPNs have superb guides and FAQs, and they even include useful blogs about the VPN and other privacy-related topics. 

Best for customer support? It’s a draw

The verdict?

In this comparison guide, we checked these two market-leading VPNs to see how they would compare across nine important categories. Below, you can see the results of each head-to-head:

• Features - ExpressVPN
• Pricing - CyberGhost VPN
• Streaming - Tie
• China - ExpressVPN
• Ease of use - Tie
• Connection speeds - ExpressVPN
• Security - ExpressVPN
• Privacy - ExpressVPN
• Customer support - Tie

ExpressVPN came out on top in six categories. CyberGhost VPN was the winner of just one category, with three categories tied. CyberGhost won pricing, and it is worth noting that it is around four times cheaper.

For many people, the lower cost could be a deciding factor. Both VPNs offer excellent privacy, unblocking, and speed. Although Express is slightly better in some areas, in practice both VPNs will perform very similarly. Ultimately, you can pick whichever VPN you prefer. 

Best overall VPN? ExpressVPN

• Find out more about CyberGhost VPN in our full review.
• Find out more about ExpressVPN in our full review.