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VerdictSurfshark, for most people: unlimited devices, obfuscation that works in restricted countries, a clearer renewal price, and an owner that does not also run review sites. CyberGhost's advantages are real but narrow — streaming servers labelled by service, a 45-day refund on long plans, and a Romanian base outside the alliances — and its lack of obfuscation rules it out for China, Russia and the UAE. Both are cheap on the intro; Surfshark is the more complete product at the same money.
Surfshark · 73CyberGhost · 60
Plotted at zero because untested: Surfshark: Speed, CyberGhost: Speed.
Round by round
Ownership
Surfshark
CyberGhost is owned by Kape, which also owns vpnMentor, WizCase and SafetyDetectives. Surfshark is owned by Nord Security, which owns NordVPN and no review sites. Romania is a better jurisdiction than the Netherlands on paper; the review-site conflict outweighs that.
Price over three years
Surfshark
Both start near $2.19 a month. Surfshark renews at about $158 for the next two years, roughly $4.41 a month across the months that buys. CyberGhost's 26-month plan renewal is not clearly published, so its true cost is unconfirmed — which is itself a mark against.
Devices
Surfshark
Surfshark allows unlimited simultaneous connections; CyberGhost allows seven. For a household with phones, tablets, laptops and a TV stick, that is the difference between one subscription and two.
Streaming
CyberGhost
CyberGhost labels servers by streaming service, which removes the guesswork, and works with Netflix, Disney+, Hulu and Prime in user reports. Surfshark matches on those but is inconsistent with Prime; CyberGhost is patchy with iPlayer. Edge to CyberGhost on ease.
Censorship bypass
Surfshark
Surfshark's Camouflage and NoBorders modes work in the UAE and often in China. CyberGhost has no obfuscation and says it does not work in China.
Refund
CyberGhost
45 days on plans of six months or more against Surfshark's 30. The longest on the site.
Audits
Surfshark
Surfshark has a Deloitte no-logs audit and Cure53 app audits; CyberGhost has Deloitte no-logs audits in 2022 and 2024. Close; Surfshark's app audits tip it.
iOS app quality
CyberGhost
In this month's App Store analysis CyberGhost's app scores higher, with a lower critical-complaint rate and no billing flag; Surfshark's carries one.
iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, Router, Browser, TV
iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, Router, Browser, TV
Devices
Unlimited
7
Countries
100
100
WireGuard
✓
✓
Kill switch
✓
✓
Obfuscation
✓
✗
RAM-only servers
✓
✓
Open-source apps
✗
✗
Split tunnelling
✓
✓
Multi-hop
✓
✗
Port forwarding
✗
✗
Ad blocker
✓
✓
P2P allowed
✓
✓
Free tier
✗
✗
Netflix
Works
Works
BBC iPlayer
Works
Unreliable
Works in China
Unreliable
Blocked
Works in UAE
Works
Unreliable
Cash / crypto
crypto
crypto
Live chat
✓
✓
iOS app score
66/100 (4.7★)
77/100 (4.2★)
Our lab test
Pending
Pending
iOS app quality
iOS app quality
App Store review analysis
2,145 most recent reviews across 6 storefronts, 2019-02-08 to 2026-09-04. Listing rating 4.70★ from 128,114 ratings. Version 4.7.2, released 2026-09-04.
66
Billing complaints 12%Sentiment improving last 90 daysCritical complaints 32.3%
iOS app quality
App Store review analysis
2,673 most recent reviews across 6 storefronts, 2016-04-22 to 2026-09-04. Listing rating 4.23★ from 39,394 ratings. Version 8.6.0, released 2026-08-24.
77
Critical complaints 14.1%
Two cheap VPNs, one real difference
On the intro price they are identical — around $2.19 a month for a two-year-ish plan — and on paper they look similar: large networks, WireGuard, kill switches, streaming support, big-brand marketing. The differences are in what happens after the intro, in what each can do that the other cannot, and in who owns them.
Ownership
CyberGhost is owned by Kape Technologies, alongside ExpressVPN and PIA and alongside vpnMentor, WizCase and SafetyDetectives, three of the largest VPN review sites. Those sites rank CyberGhost well. Surfshark is owned by Nord Security, alongside NordVPN, and no review sites. Romania, CyberGhost’s base, is outside the intelligence alliances; the Netherlands, Surfshark’s, is in the Nine Eyes. On jurisdiction alone CyberGhost is better placed. On the conflict of interest, Surfshark is.
Where Surfshark is ahead
Devices: unlimited against seven. Censorship: Camouflage and NoBorders modes work in the UAE and often in China and Turkey; CyberGhost has no obfuscation at all and does not claim to work in China or Russia. Renewal transparency: Surfshark’s renewal price is published; CyberGhost’s long-plan renewal is not clearly stated, which is why this site marks its true cost unconfirmed rather than guess. And extras: Alternative ID, Dynamic MultiHop, CleanWeb.
Where CyberGhost is ahead
Streaming ease: servers labelled “Netflix US”, “Disney+”, “BBC iPlayer” and so on, which for a non-technical user is genuinely simpler than trial and error. The refund: 45 days on long plans, the longest on the site. And, this month, the iPhone app: CyberGhost’s iOS app scores higher in our App Store analysis, with a lower critical-complaint rate and no billing flag, where Surfshark’s app carries one.
Price
Both around $54–57 for the intro term. Surfshark then renews at about $158 for the next two years, so roughly $4.41 a month across the months that covers. CyberGhost’s 26-month plan renews at a price the provider does not clearly publish; the true cost calculator on this site shows “unconfirmed” rather than a number, and that opacity counts against it in the price score.
Who should pick which
Surfshark if you have many devices, travel to restricted countries, or want a published renewal price. CyberGhost if you stream on a few devices, want servers labelled by service, and want the 45-day window to change your mind. Neither is the pick for privacy-motivated users — both are conglomerate-owned with closed apps — and the privacy list on this site names the alternatives.
What we have not tested
Speed and leaks on either. Published tests put their WireGuard implementations close; our own numbers are pending and the speed dimension is excluded from both scores until they land.
Frequently asked questions
Is Surfshark or CyberGhost better?
Surfshark for most people: unlimited devices, obfuscation for restricted countries, a published renewal price, and no review-site conflict in its ownership. CyberGhost for someone who mainly streams on a few devices, values the labelled streaming servers and the 45-day refund, and never travels to China or Russia.
Which is cheaper?
The same on the intro, around $2.19 a month for two years or so. Surfshark's renewal is published (about $79 a year); CyberGhost's long-plan renewal is not clearly stated, so we mark it unconfirmed. Counting the renewal, Surfshark is about $4.41 a month; CyberGhost is probably similar but we will not guess.
Which works in China?
Surfshark, sometimes, with NoBorders mode. CyberGhost does not work in China and its own support pages say so.
Which is better for streaming?
Both work with the major services in user reports. CyberGhost's servers labelled by service are easier to use; Surfshark has more unflagged addresses in some regions. Neither is as consistent as NordVPN or ExpressVPN with BBC iPlayer.
Are they owned by the same company?
No. CyberGhost is owned by Kape Technologies (with ExpressVPN and PIA); Surfshark by Nord Security (with NordVPN). Kape's ownership of three review sites is the relevant fact.
Which has the better refund?
CyberGhost: 45 days on plans of six months or longer, 14 days on monthly. Surfshark: 30 days on all website purchases.
