By: Mitch | Last updated December 16, 2020 
VPNs or Virtual Private Networks is a service which protects the identity of its users online. The service encrypts your data, making it harder for hackers to trace your activities and steal the information you upload online. Whenever you use the service, your real IP address will not be traced, making it almost impossible for websites to track your online activities. Aside from this, the service also allows geographical spoofing which lets you display yourself to be coming from another country different from your real location, allowing you to access geographically restricted content.
Before purchasing a VPN, you should have criteria to observe. This is because even though most of these offer utmost anonymity and privacy, they still differ in terms of their features, their pricing plans, and more. Some may even offer features only available for them which may be vital for security such as the kill switch. Aside from this, users should also take note of the logging policy of the company, their record in protecting user data, and other factors which users may prioritize in a service.
NordVPN is an excellent VoIP choice that has long been recommended by many websites because of its good quality. The service was released back in 2012 by Tefincom & Co. The service is based in Panama. It is available for Android, PC, Mac, iPhone, and Linux. It can also be linked to a router to enable multiple devices to connect to it. The service is known for its good security protocols which allow users to browse the internet anonymously. The service is ranked first by many websites because of its various features and tools which is excellent in comparison with other services.
CyberGhostVPN is another famous VPN that is known for their affordable pricing and their security features. The service is based in Romania. It was founded in 2011 by Robert Knapp. The service is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iPhone. Compared to other VPNs, the service is a user-friendly choice for those who are new to their service. This is because it has one of the easiest interfaces among other VPNs which make it easier to grasp even if you are new to the service because of its streamlined set of tools and its easy interface.
We compared the two VPNs based on the common features that users will be looking for in these services. This involves their features, their geo-restriction unblocking, the security it provides and more. Given that both VPN services are popular and recommended, users can expect high-quality. We try out best to nitpick through these to give you a valuable contrast between the two.
Geo-restriction unblocking
Most casual users use VPNs for geo-restriction unblocking that allows them to access content that is not available in their location. This is called location spoofing. To do this, users simply need to select a particular server where their VPN will be connected to. For example, a user in the United States can connect to a server in Singapore to show themselves to be coming from there.
Upon testing, we discovered that NordVPN and CyberGhostVPN is able to do this for most major streaming services including BBC iPlayer, Netflix, and Hulu. This means that users can watch movies and television shows that is not copyrighted for their location. This is available for almost all of their servers which shows that both services have a high quality of encryption and server integrity which cannot be detected by the streaming services.
For this, both services are recommendable.
Speed
One important factor that users should take note when using a VPN is that their browsing speeds will naturally be slowed. This is because the service needs to encrypt the information that you upload online. Aside from this, if you choose to connect to a location that is further from your real location, you can expect your speeds to be halved or to even be slower than half. This is because of the need to upload your data to the location first before it sends it to the website you are visiting.
For NordVPN, we discovered that if users connect to a local server or the one nearest to them, they can expect their internet speeds to be the same or to be lessened only about by about 5%. This is a very good result which shows that users can browse the internet securely but with the same speeds as before. We also tested the service to a server that is on the opposite end of the globe, in this case, the Hong Kong server. We discovered that the worst speeds that the VPN offers is about a half of our original speed which means that users can freely stream, play online, and download with these speeds.
For CyberGhost VPN, we discovered that their local speeds was worse than NordVPN. We experienced about 20% of decrease from our original speeds even though we were connected to the most optimal server as decided by the service (automatically connects you to the server with the best speed). Upon testing for long distances, the farthest server gave us a decrease of up to 70% of our original speed which is barely enough for some to browse the internet and to stream high-quality videos.
For this, the clear winner is NordVPN.
Logging policy
One aspect of VPN that is often overlooked by newer users is the logging policy. This is the set of rules by the VPN about how it gathers information from its users. Given that the users are using a VPN service, they need to have utmost privacy in their browsing, with these services not gathering any of their information. However, some countries such as US and UK are involved in either the Five Eyes or the Fourteen Eyes Alliance which is a set of countries which can legally gather information directly from their companies in case they would need it for judicial and other purposes.
Fortunately, NordVPN and CyberGhostVPN are both based in countries not included in these alliances. NordVPN is based in Panama while CyberGhostVPN is based in Romania. If checked, users can also see that both services do not store any of their user’s private information. They also do not sell these to third parties. Lastly, they inform their users for any security breaches or any needs for gathering information such as for improvement of the application and bug fixing in case it is really needed.
For this, both services are recommendable.
Security
For security, both services use the AES-256 bit encryption for securing the data uploaded by the user. This is the industry standard that is considered military-encryption that has almost a perfect rate of secrecy.
For security protocols, both services use the OpenVPN TCP/UDP and IKEv2 which are also industry-standards. Users can also choose other protocols included by the services in case they have specific needs. Both services also use the perfect forward secrecy which changes they key for your encryption every time you start a new session. This makes it harder for hackers to be able to penetrate the VPN’s defenses.
CyberGhost offers the WireGuard security protocol for their mobile applications and Windows versions.
Upon testing, we discovered that both services passed the IP leak test. This ensures that the user’s IP address which can be used to trace their activities is completely anonymous whenever online. This ensures that there will be no trackers tracking you.
For this, both services are recommendable.
Additional Features
NordVPN allows its users to have double encryption. This lets you connect to up to two servers whenever browsing. This makes it even harder to trace your activities while online. However, users who connect to this should expect their speeds to be slower than ever. This is only advised for those who would be making very private online transactions that will only last for minutes.
Aside from this, NordVPn has a tool called NordLocker which acts as a cloud service that offers full encryption for your files before you share and upload them. Only users who have an account for it can access these features. This allows more security for your files online. Users are given 5GB of storage for free once they sign up.
For CyberGhost, users can use the Secret Photo Vault which is allows you to store photos with password protection for iPhone and iPad. This allows you to lock it with either a PIN or a fingerprint.
Aside from this, CyberGhost also offers a dedicated IP address for users who they can use to avoid blacklists and to penetrate geo-restrictions. This has an additional payment, though.
In the end, both services are very recommendable for all users. However, NordVPN is the better choice for those looking for more dependable speeds whenever they browse the internet.
