IPVanish vs CyberGhost VPN comparison 2024

Picking a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can be a difficult task when there are so many available options. It’s crucial to narrow down your choices to avoid analysis paralysis. Plus, comparing two providers in various topics could shed some light on what your priorities are.

Today, we’ll be comparing CyberGhost vs IPVanish. These two are considered some of the top providers on the market and are worth considering for any purpose. We’ll be pitting them against each other in categories like performance, security, privacy, streaming, and many more. Once finished, you’ll be able to decide for yourself which service is right for you.

CyberGhost vs IPVanish: specifications

IPVanish and CyberGhost VPN are not starkly different in some areas. On the whole, while IPVanish shines in terms of cost, performance, and simultaneous connections per account, CyberGhost just about edges it in terms of server numbers, privacy, streaming capabilities and reliability. As such, CyberGhost is the winner of this comparison.

IPVanish vs CyberGhost: pricing

IPVanish offers the standard VPN pricing structure with a full-priced monthly plan and a discounted long-term subscription. CyberGhost has no monthly plan, and the shortest subscription is for 6 months. However, CyberGhost gains favor by offering a 24-hour free trial and an extended 45-day money-back guarantee. Meanwhile, IPVanish provides no trial and only a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Besides that, CyberGhost also ends up cheaper if you opt for a two-year-long subscription. Of course, if you don’t want such a long commitment, IPVanish has the cheaper annual plan. Continue reading for a more detailed explanation of the available subscriptions with each.

CyberGhost VPN pricing

CyberGhost customers may choose from two different subscription plans:

• $6.99/month for the six month plan
• $2.03/month for two years

The most extended plan comes with an 84% discount and three bonus months of subscription time. Of course, you can also find alternative pricing options by utilizing a CyberGhost discount code.

Besides the VPN, CyberGhost offers a bonus security suite for Windows devices. It adds Intego antivirus software and Security Updater if you decide to shell out an additional $1.29/month. Once you’ve picked a suitable plan, you can pay for it via credit card, PayPal, Amazon Pay, or Bitcoin.

IPVanish pricing

Potential IPVanish buyers can pick from three pricing alternatives:

• $12.99/month for the monthly plan
• $3.33/month for the annual plan
• $2.19/month for the 2-year plan

The annual plan is the most worthwhile option and grants 83% in savings. Plus, it includes bonus cybersecurity benefits in the form of ransomware and malware protection. Furthermore, there’s a chance to come across even better offers when adding an IPVanish coupon code at checkout.

Finally, supported payment methods include credit cards, PayPal, Google Pay, and Amazon Pay. However, the lack of any anonymous payment options is disappointing.

Speed comparison

Let’s begin with a VPN aspect that influences all other criteria – connection speed. Fast connectivity is crucial for high-quality streaming, swift downloads while torrenting, and frustration-free browsing. Of course, the thing that determines VPN performance the most is tunneling protocol availability.

Juxtaposing IPVanish vs CyberGhost in terms of performance, both providers offer solid speeds that can comfortably support 4K video streaming, even with multiple devices sharing the connection. That’s partly because both services make use of the modern WireGuard protocol, which delivers faster performance and bandwidth.

We pitted CyberGhost vs IPVanish using our speed tests, and the results came in relatively mixed depending on location and testing period. Overall, though, CyberGhost snatched the trophy from IPVanish by just a tiny margin.

We attributed this to the fact that CyberGhost has been hard at work lately to not only offer a vast server selection but also boost their performance. IPVanish, however, primarily employs physical servers, which usually are more stable than the virtual ones CyberGhost uses.

IPVanish vs CyberGhost: which is more secure?

When looking at CyberGhost vs IPVanish in terms of security, you can rest easy knowing both VPNs have all the fundamental security features that make for a secure VPN. These are:

• AES-256 encryption
• IP and DNS leak protection
• Kill switch
• Audited no-logs policy

However, CyberGhost is based in a privacy-friendly jurisdiction, while IPVanish isn’t. If the latter at least had RAM-only servers to mitigate this issue, this category would easily be a tie. But since there aren’t any, CyberGhost takes the lead.

Privacy

VPN jurisdiction also has a bearing on the security of users, something to factor in when comparing IPVanish vs CyberGhost.

IPVanish is based in the United States, a member of the Five Eyes Alliance. That means while the company does its best to guarantee the privacy and security of its users, it is still liable to sharing any information about its users with the government.

The good news is that IPVanish doesn’t store any logs about user data, minimizing the risk of interference from intelligence agencies. But still…

For its part, CyberGhost is based in Romania which is not part of the alliance. This means no government can force the provider to disclose your data to the authorities should push come to shove. What’s more, the provider accepts bitcoin payments, meaning it’s possible to remain completely anonymous, especially if you use a throwaway email address when signing up.

If you want to take your privacy a notch higher, you can opt for the NoSpy server option from CyberGhost for an extra fee. It is promoted as faster and more private than the standard server option.

Logging

No-log policies remain a contentious issue when it comes to VPNs, so it’s important to read the fine print to avoid surprises down the road. Looking at IPVanish vs CyberGhost, it’s worth highlighting that both have undergone independent audits of their logging policies to legitimize their privacy claims.

The good thing about IPVanish is that it has a completely zero-logging policy: the provider does not store any identifying logs of its users. That can only be a good thing in terms of safeguarding your anonymity.

While CyberGhost VPN has a no-logs policy, it does store some connection logs for diagnostic and statistical purposes. The upside is that the VPN provider deletes its login records on a monthly basis.

Servers location

Having a vast server fleet improves performance slightly while giving users a greater selection of foreign content. As such, it’s vital to consider this aspect when picking a virtual private network.

CyberGhost VPN has an extensive fleet of 11700+ servers in 100+ countries. Such numbers are reached by utilizing virtual servers to access exotic and far-reaching locations. Furthermore, the provider doesn’t retain complete control over the hardware and relies on third-party data centers.

On the other hand, IPVanish runs a smaller network of 2200+ servers in 51+ countries. It’s noteworthy that the provider fully maintains the fleet and doesn’t make use of virtual servers, giving it an edge in terms of performance.

In the end, it all boils down to quality vs quantity, making this category a tie.

Features

In terms of getting your money’s worth, CyberGhost is the better option. It comes with a bigger feature selection, making it a versatile service.

Smart DNS

Some devices do not have the capabilities to run VPN software. This can render your VPN service practically useless on those devices, unless the VPN has a feature known as Smart DNS.

Smart DNS lets you connect such devices to the VPN, and CyberGhost implements this special feature without needing you to do any extra work. It’s a small but essential feature that is absent in IPVanish VPN.

Ad & malware blocker

Not all VPN programs have an integrated ad and malware blocker. When comparing CyberGhost VPN vs IPVanish, it’s clear CyberGhost packs more features. Examples of these include an ad-blocker and anti-malware feature, which CyberGhost offers as part of the standard package.

However, only one VPN provider offers any form of ad & malware blocking: CyberGhost bundles its in-house CyberGhost Security Suite into their premium offering, together with Content Blocker for disabling ads and malicious websites. Meanwhile IPVanish provides the VIPRE antivirus for its new users, but it’s a separate antivirus software and not an ad & malware blocker.

Split tunneling

Split tunneling is a feature bundled into some VPN services that allows you to choose which apps should run through the VPN and which ones to exclude. Looking at IPVanish vs CyberGhost VPN, both services come with this feature. In the case of IPVanish, however, you only get it on Android and FireOS; while CyberGhost has the feature available on Windows and Android platforms.

Specialized servers

Some are designed to boost performance, others to bolster security, while others make it easier for you to unlock specific services. Specialized servers vary from one VPN to the next, for instance, CyberGhost offers:

• Dedicated IP servers. Reserves an individual IP address just for you.
• NoSpy servers. These are dedicated private servers that are not within the control of third parties. They ensure total end-to-end encryption.
• P2P servers. These are optimized for torrenting to improve file-sharing speeds.
• Streaming servers. Optimized for easier geo-block bypassing and 4K video quality.
• Gaming servers. Optimized to provide better speeds for smooth online gaming.

IPVanish, on its part, offers:

• P2P servers. These give you the liberty to engage in P2P (peer-to-peer) activities regardless of the location of the server you are connected to.

Other features

CyberGhost also has a special feature called Smart Rules that enables you to assume full control of your online privacy by triggering different apps or connections to a specific server based on the needs of the moment.

IPVanish VPN also has other special tools worth mentioning. For example, its OpenVPN Scramble function obfuscates traffic from your devices and blocks unwanted eyes from prying on your encrypted data. This is a stealth VPN that makes it possible to bypass geo-restrictions even in censor-heavy locations like China.

Another notable feature worth highlighting when looking at IPVanish vs CyberGhost is the SOCKS5 proxy present in both VPNs. This is a useful tool when torrenting as it allows you to hide your IP address without enabling the virtual private network. The idea is to improve performance, although that does come with a privacy risk.

Netflix and streaming comparison

One of the most popular VPN use cases is accessing geo-restricted content on video streaming platforms, such as Netflix. When considering CyberGhost vs IPVanish in this scenario, we have to go with CyberGhost. The app comes with specialized servers for specific streaming platforms, making it easier for users to unlock a service they’re interested in.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that IPVanish is a poor choice. Like CyberGhost, it’s equipped with WireGuard and can deliver high-quality video content without any buffering issues. It’s just that it can’t unblock most of the popular streaming platforms.

However, if you’re after Netflix libraries besides the United States, we recommend subscribing to one of our recommended VPNs for streaming. These services are on the cutting edge of geo-unblocking and work with numerous platforms, including BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video.

Device compatibility

VPN services have more similarities than differences in terms of device compatibility. For example, practically all have dedicated apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS devices. Such is the case with IPVanish and CyberGhost as well. There are notable exceptions, though.

The first is that IPVanish does not offer browser extensions, unlike CyberGhost which supports all major browser extensions, save for Safari.

Secondly, while a single CyberGhost subscription limits you to seven device connections at any given moment, there is no limit to the number of devices you can use on IPVanish simultaneously when logged into a single account. However, you can install CyberGhost on your router and achieve the same effect.

As such, CyberGhost is the winner as it supports a wider range of devices and browsers.

Desktop applications

Both IPVanish and CyberGhost have dedicated desktop apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms. The respective VPN apps are intuitive and beginner-friendly, although CyberGhost’s desktop apps pack a number of more advanced features, including the Smart Rules tool and ability to connect through random ports.

IPVanish lets you pick any server you want via the interactive server map, making things easier. And the clients don’t differ much whether you’re using Windows or macOS. The only difference is the lack of split tunneling on the macOS app.

CyberGhost keeps the clients uniform as well, making switching between operating systems hassle-free. But as with IPVanish, we noticed that there’s no split tunneling on the macOS client.

Mobile applications

Both IPVanish and CyberGhost VPNs are available on Android and iOS platforms. Perhaps it’s worth adding that iOS in this context also extends to iPad devices.

IPVanish keeps the interactive server map on the mobile apps for your convenience. However, there’s a notable lack of split tunneling and VPN traffic obfuscation on iOS, which isn’t ideal.

CyberGhost also doesn’t keep the same features between Android and iOS. The Android client includes split tunneling, Port Randomization, and Data compression, while iOS doesn’t, but at least there’s a Private Browser.

Torrenting

CyberGhost’s winning spree was short-lived because IPVanish has a few aces up its sleeve. In particular, it allows customers to engage in P2P activities regardless of which server location they’re connected to. That way, they can enjoy optimal connectivity no matter where they’re located.

Meanwhile, CyberGhost users have to pick from a list of specific P2P countries, which is quite expansive but could result in suboptimal performance. This list is made in accordance with the legality of torrenting around the world.

Otherwise, the two are almost identical. Both provide a SOCKS5 proxy as an alternative to a VPN connection while torrenting. Additionally, split tunneling is available, which is a great way to secure your torrent client without interfering with your usual web browsing habits.

Eagle-eyed readers will notice that neither provider is loaded with port forwarding, a crucial component for optimal torrenting. You can find a service with this coveted feature by perusing our list of top VPNs for torrenting.

China

Specialized tools are needed for circumventing widespread government censorship and surveillance like the Great Firewall of China. Unfortunately, CyberGhost isn’t equipped to tear down this wall and loses to IPVanish.

Although there’s no guarantee that IPVanish will work flawlessly in China, scrambled OpenVPN traffic has a good chance of dealing with the Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) that the Chinese government uses. Just remember that VPN provider websites are usually blocked in the region, so you’ll need to download the software before visiting.

The best method of ensuring uninterrupted access to western content in China is by packing a few different VPNs in your luggage. Choose a few from our list of best VPNs for China and start traveling securely.

Customer support

IPVanish is on a roll and earns another point – this time in the customer support category. Even though the two services have 24/7 live chat support, IPVanish goes the extra mile and provides a phone line in some countries.

Besides that, customers of either VPN can troubleshoot issues themselves via guides or video tutorials.

IPVanish vs CyberGhost: which is better?

The battle between CyberGhost vs IPVanish is a tough one, and – dare we say – depending on your needs or how you look at it, either one could easily prove to be a better pick. However, we are inclined to go with CyberGhost. For the jurisdiction factor, overall privacy, streaming capabilities, device compatibility, and pricing. Plus, the sheer number of features you get easily outweighs IPVanish.

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You may also like to read:
CyberGhost vs NordVPN
CyberGhost vs Avast SecureLine VPN
IPVanish vs Surfshark
IPVanish vs TorGuard

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FAQ

Is IPVanish better than CyberGhost?

CyberGhost is better than IPVanish when you consider the price, overall privacy, streaming capabilities, and privacy-friendly jurisdiction. However, both still make our list of best VPNs in the market, so you generally can’t go wrong with either.

Which is faster – IPVanish or CyberGhost VPN?

PVanish is faster than CyberGhost based on our speed test tool. Still, both utilize the next-gen WireGuard tunneling protocol, and CyberGhost isn’t a slouch either with regard to streaming 4K video.