CyberGhost and Private Internet Access can be found on most “top 10 VPNs” lists. If you’re wondering which VPN is the better one, you’re in luck as we’re going to find out by comparing these two services across various categories.
We’ll find out which service comes out on top in the areas of security, speed, ease of use, pricing, and support, among others. Without further ado, let’s get started.
Read our full Private Internet Access Review
Read our full CyberGhost Review
Security and privacy
Winner: Private Internet Access
At first glance, CyberGhost seems to be a really secure VPN service. Its security features include AES-256 encryption and an automatic kill switch. However, CyberGhost VPN has had various security and privacy issues in the past. It also uses a root certificate on its Android version, which is somewhat worrying.
Additionally, CyberGhost is owned by Kape Technologies (previously Crossrider), which has what some may call a “dark past.” One of the persons behind this company is a convicted felon with links to at least 16 offshore accounts according to the Panama Papers. Being owned by Kape also means they’re under the jurisdiction of the UK, a Five Eyes member and enemy of online freedom.
Private Internet Access is run by London Trust Media, a US company – also not great for privacy. On the plus side, PIA does offer a proven no-logging policy and has all the necessary security features: AES-128 and AES-256 encryption, a network kill switch, and a SOCKS5 proxy. The service doesn’t have DNS or IPv6/WebRTC leaks.
While neither of these options has the best security or privacy credentials, PIA is the better option for the most part.
Speed and performance
Winner: CyberGhost
When it comes to server coverage, both VPN providers have thousands of servers across the globe. The numbers are 3,600+ in 60+ countries and 3,275+ in 33 countries for CyberGhost and PIA respectively. However, the distribution of those servers leaves something to be desired for PIA, which has very few servers in Asia, Africa, and even South America.
Both providers deliver decent speeds across the globe, but CyberGhost does it with more consistency.
Ease of use and compatibility
Winner: CyberGhost
CyberGhost has clients for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Amazon Fire TV (Fire Stick), and Android TV. It also fully supports Linux, routers, Chromebooks and offers browser extensions for Firefox and Chrome. Setting up and using these apps and extensions is quite easy.
PIA has easy to use custom apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. There’s currently no router app but you can get the service to run on routers. PIA also offers extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera.
Torrenting and P2P
Winner: Private Internet Access
CyberGhost supports P2P traffic on some servers, which is great. However, PIA also supports torrenting and also offers some nice features for torrenters, namely, a free SOCKS5 proxy and port forwarding. Additionally, you can torrent on any server and PIA is also the more secure option making it better for torrenting purposes.
Unlocking Netflix and other streaming platforms
Winner: CyberGhost
When it comes to unblocking Netflix, both VPNs aren’t the best options out there. However, CyberGhost does allow users to access Netflix US via specialized servers. The speeds are mediocre but mostly good enough for the purpose. Most of PIA’s servers are blocked, making it a poor choice for Netflix viewing.
The same goes for many of the other streaming services you’d like to access – CyberGhost is just the more reliable option.
Bypassing censorship in China and elsewhere
Winner: CyberGhost
As for usage in China and other restricted countries, again, neither VPN is any good. Neither CyberGhost nor PIA has any sort of “stealth” function to bypass Deep Packet Inspection, for example. With that said, PIA also doesn’t have a great server list for the Asian region, which is where many of these censorious countries are. In light of that, CyberGhost is the lesser of the two evils.
Support
Winner: CyberGhost
Customer support is another area where PIA gives CyberGhost an easy win. PIA has limited support options and lacks a live chat option. The ticketing system is slow and the responses are often robotic and unhelpful as the web is littered with comments from dissatisfied customers.
Meanwhile, CyberGhost offers a decent amount of self-help resources and a 24/7 live chat option. The live chat agents are quick to reply and give helpful responses. You can also submit a request form on the site if you need additional assistance.
Pricing
Winner: Private Internet Access
Both services offer to pay in crypto, which is great. PIA offers some of the lowest prices you will find. Plans start at $6.95/month for a monthly plan and drop to as low as $3.33/month if you purchase the 2-year plan. You can use these plans on up to 5 devices simultaneously. There’s no free trial but you get a 7-day money back guarantee for all plans.
CyberGhost, on the other hand, costs nearly double if you get a monthly plan for $12.99/month. However, the price drops to as low as $2.50/month if you purchase the 3-year plan. These plans allow for use on up to 7 devices simultaneously and CyberGhost offers a 45-day money back guarantee (14-days for a monthly plan). You can also take advantage of a 1-day free trial without providing any personal info.
Based on price alone, we consider PIA slightly better.
Cyberghost vs Private Internet Access – which is better?
Having compared both options across these key aspects, here’s our verdict: while it doesn’t have the strongest privacy credentials, CyberGhost offers decent speeds, works with Netflix, and supports torrenting. We, therefore, think its a slightly better option than PIA. If you’d love to learn more about both solutions, check out our full reviews linked below.
Surfshark is an up and comming riser, in the VPN world. I was withe ExpressVPN and NordVPN, I choose Surfshark, for its speed, price, unlimited devices, great jurisdiction outside the 14 eyes. Their strict No logging policy, Killswitch, 256 Aes Military encryption. multihopping, whitelist, and a few other bells and whistles.
It looks like CyberGhost is the obvious winner as probably Private Internet Access is fairly new to the industry. Probably, this is the case. I have not heard of it before. But things can change quickly! Let’s wait and see
Private Internet Access is not new to the industry, they have been around for many years.
Sounds like two losers here. If you want a reliable and secure VPN, go with one of the industry leaders like ExpressVPN or NordVPN. I appreciate your site discussing the variety of VPN’s out there (especially since there seem to be new ones coming out all the time). However, it seems that most just fall short to the ones I mentioned.
I wouldn’t say they were losers but yeah there are better ones out there. CyberGhost was once better but now since changing management they aren’t as good and they’re expensive. PIA is so and so if you ask me and I wouldn’t use them at all.