The Real Truth About CyberGhost VPN
Hey everyone, Tom Spark here with another deep dive VPN review. Thanks for joining me today on Tom Spark Reviews, where I test and analyze VPN services so you don't have to waste your money on subpar products. As many of my long-time subscribers know, I've spent years testing virtually every VPN on the market, running standardized tests across my lab setup to give you the unfiltered truth about which services actually deliver on their promises.
Before we get into today's breakdown of CyberGhost's numerous shortcomings, I want to be upfront with you about which service consistently outperforms in my rigorous testing protocol. After comparing over 30 VPN providers across speed tests, feature sets, and security audits, NordVPN remains my top recommendation for most users in 2025.
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NordVPN delivers everything CyberGhost lacks - excellent split tunneling, a full Linux GUI, SOCKS5 proxy support, proper 2FA security, minimal trackers, consistent streaming performance, and transparent business practices. Their NordLynx protocol consistently achieves the best speeds in my benchmark testing, and their server network reliability is unmatched in my long-term monitoring.
Now, let's get into why CyberGhost continues to disappoint in my 2025 testing, and why you should think twice before subscribing to their service.
10 Reasons Why CyberGhost VPN Fails to Impress
1. No Split Tunneling - A Major Functionality Gap
One of the most frustrating aspects of CyberGhost is the complete absence of split tunneling. As someone who regularly tests VPNs, I find this omission baffling. Split tunneling lets you route only specific apps through your VPN while keeping others on your regular connection - incredibly useful for banking apps that might block VPN connections or for maximizing speed on certain applications. Almost every top-tier VPN offers this now, making CyberGhost feel outdated in comparison.
2. Linux Users Left in the Cold - No GUI
If you're a Linux user like many of my privacy-conscious viewers, CyberGhost treats you like a second-class citizen. Their lack of a Linux GUI means you're stuck with clunky command-line operations. In my testing lab, this makes CyberGhost significantly less user-friendly compared to providers like NordVPN that offer proper Linux graphical interfaces. It's 2025 - there's simply no excuse for this oversight.
3. SOCKS5 Proxy Support - Mysteriously Missing
During my speed tests, I've found SOCKS5 proxies can be extremely valuable for specific use-cases like torrenting or certain gaming applications where you need speed more than full encryption. CyberGhost's failure to provide SOCKS5 proxy support severely limits its versatility. I've tested dozens of providers, and this missing feature puts CyberGhost at a serious disadvantage for power users.
4. Security Corner-Cutting - No Two-Factor Authentication
In my security analysis videos, I always emphasize the importance of 2FA for protecting your accounts. CyberGhost's lack of two-factor authentication is a serious security liability. Your VPN account contains sensitive information about your browsing habits and potentially payment details. Without 2FA, you're one password leak away from having this information compromised. This is a basic security feature that CyberGhost inexplicably fails to implement.
5. Privacy Hypocrisy - Trackers Everywhere
This one really gets under my skin, folks. In my tracker analysis of VPN websites, CyberGhost was among the worst offenders. For a company that markets itself as privacy-focused, their website is loaded with trackers. This fundamental contradiction makes me question their commitment to privacy at a core level. How can they protect your data when they're so cavalier with it on their own platforms?
6. Streaming Performance - Consistently Inconsistent
In my streaming tests across global servers, CyberGhost repeatedly struggled with major platforms. Netflix detection algorithms frequently blocked their servers, and BBC iPlayer was a constant headache. During my 30-day testing period, I encountered more streaming errors with CyberGhost than with most competitors. For cord-cutters looking to access international content, this unreliability is a major drawback.
7. Corporate Red Flags - The Kape Connection
As I've covered in several of my deep-dive videos, CyberGhost's ownership by Kape Technologies (formerly Crossrider) raises serious questions. Kape's background in adware development creates an uncomfortable contradiction for a privacy service. I've researched their corporate history extensively, and this connection continues to be a major concern that I can't ignore when evaluating their trustworthiness.
8. Transparency Issues - What Are They Hiding?
In my VPN transparency rankings, CyberGhost consistently scores poorly. Their audit practices, ownership structure, and exact server configurations lack the clarity that top-tier providers offer. When I reach out with specific technical questions for my review videos, their responses often lack substance. This opacity is a red flag in an industry where trust is everything.
9. Speed Inconsistencies - The Benchmarks Don't Lie
My standardized speed tests across multiple servers revealed CyberGhost's performance to be wildly inconsistent. While some servers performed adequately, others showed dramatic speed drops of 70%+ from base connection speeds. This inconsistency makes it difficult to recommend for users who need reliable performance, especially compared to providers that maintain more consistent speeds across their network.
10. Limited Advanced Features - Power Users Look Elsewhere
When setting up comparative feature matrices for my VPN showdown videos, CyberGhost consistently lacks the advanced features that power users need. From customizable encryption settings to specialized server types, the options are surprisingly limited for a service at this price point. The rigid, one-size-fits-all approach fails to accommodate users who need more control over their VPN experience.
As always, thanks for watching Tom Spark Reviews. If you found this breakdown helpful, hit that subscribe button and the notification bell so you don't miss my upcoming comparison between NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark.
