CyberGhost vs IPVanish
We give CyberGhost a 2.4 GPA and IPVanish a 2.6, out of 4.0. IPVanish grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
CyberGhost
VPN for seven devices with a 45-day money-back window on long plans
IPVanish
Ziff Davis-owned VPN with no device cap and antivirus on higher plans
How we grade them
| 2.4GPACyberGhostFair | 2.6GPAIPVanishGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BThe long plan bills $56.94 for the first 26 months, so two years cost about $2.37 a month, inside the cheaper quarter of VPNs but above the $2 an A needs. It then renews at $56.94 a year, still below the middle. The monthly plan is $12.99. | BEssential bills $52.56 for the first 2 years, about $2.19 a month, inside the cheaper quarter of VPNs. But it then renews at $99.99 a year, in the dearest tenth, so the third year costs nearly twice the first two. Monthly is $14.99. |
| Free plan and trial | DA 24-hour trial on a computer with no card, or 3 days on Android and 7 on iPhone with a payment method. Short either way, and the money-back guarantee doesn't count. | DA free trial, but only inside the iPhone and Android apps, and IPVanish doesn't say how long it lasts. No free plan, nothing to try on a computer, and the money-back guarantee isn't a trial. |
| Features | B9,600+ servers in over 100 countries, OpenVPN, WireGuard and IKEv2, a kill switch, split tunneling, ad and malware blocking, and ID Guard on the long plan. It covers the whole job, though 7 devices at once is fewer than some rivals allow. | BUnlimited devices, Threat Protection against ads, trackers and bad sites, Double Hop, a kill switch, split tunneling, WireGuard and OpenVPN, with antivirus on Complete and 1TB of backup on Advanced. It covers the whole job. |
| Ease of use | C4.23 from about 39,600 App Store ratings, below the 4.3 a crowd that size needs for a B and lower than most VPNs here. | B4.6 from about 104,000 App Store ratings, just under the 4.7 an A needs. Install, sign in, connect. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android, TVs and browser extensions. There's no integration list or API on record, so it stops at B. | BWindows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS, iPhone, Android, Apple TV and Fire TV, but no browser extension. There's no integration list or API on record, so it stops at B. |
| Best for | a cheap two years on seven devices | covering TV boxes as well as phones |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: CyberGhost and IPVanish. How we grade
Price against what you get
CyberGhost starts at $4.74 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. IPVanish starts at $8.33 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.0.
IPVanish scores higher, and starts $3.59 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other VPNs on the chart, 3 score higher than CyberGhost for less, and 1 scores higher than IPVanish for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- CyberGhost starts at $56.94 per year at renewal, after a first 26 months for $56.94. IPVanish starts at $99.99 per year at renewal (Essential), after a first 2 years for $52.56.
- Only CyberGhost lists a browser extension.
At a glance
| CyberGhost | IPVanish | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $56.94 per year at renewal, after a first 26 months for $56.94 | $99.99 per year at renewal (Essential), after a first 2 years for $52.56 |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 24-hour desktop trial with no card; 3 days on Android and 7 days on iOS with a payment method | Free trial in the iOS and Android apps; IPVanish does not state its length |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | CyberGhost S.R.L. | IPVanish |
| Price read from | cyberghostvpn.com | ipvanish.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
CyberGhost
- Trying a VPN on a computer for a day without entering a card
- Households with up to seven devices
- Buyers who want the longest money-back window on a long plan
IPVanish
- Households with more devices than a capped VPN allows
- Buyers who want antivirus and cloud backup in the same subscription
- People who stream on Apple TV, Fire TV or other TV devices
Worth knowing
CyberGhost
- The $2.19 a month covers only the first 26 months of the long plan; it then renews at $56.94 every year.
- Seven devices at once on every plan; covering more needs a router setup.
- The monthly plan gets a 14-day money-back guarantee instead of 45 days, and mobile trials need a payment method.
- Prices for the dedicated IP and Windows Security Suite add-ons are not shown on the plans page.
IPVanish
- Advertised prices cover the first term only; per the homepage, plans renew yearly at $99.99, $109.99 or $129.99.
- IPVanish's renewal price page lists Complete at $57.48 or $66.96 a year, matching its first-term prices and not the homepage's $109.99.
- The 30-day money-back guarantee covers yearly and 2-year plans; cancelling a monthly plan does not start a refund.
- There is no browser extension; the free trial is offered only in the mobile apps.
Key features
CyberGhost
- Server network
- More than 9,600 servers in over 100 countries on 10-Gbps networks, with unlimited bandwidth.
- Seven devices
- Every plan allows 7 VPN connections at the same time; a router setup can cover devices without their own app.
- Content Blocker
- Blocks DNS requests to domains known for ads, trackers and malware.
- Protocols, kill switch and split tunneling
- Switch between OpenVPN, WireGuard and IKEv2, with an automatic kill switch and split tunneling.
- ID Guard and Privacy Guard
- Included at no extra cost with multi-year plans; every plan also gets email leak monitoring.
- Add-ons
- A dedicated IP and the CyberGhost Security Suite for Windows can be added at checkout for 1 month, 6 months or 2 years.
IPVanish
- Unmetered devices
- IPVanish does not count simultaneous connections or installs, so one account can cover every device in a household.
- Threat Protection
- Blocks ads, trackers and malicious websites while the VPN is connected. Included on every plan.
- Double Hop, kill switch and split tunneling
- Double Hop passes traffic through two VPN servers, the kill switch stops traffic when the VPN drops, and split tunneling lets chosen sites and apps skip the VPN.
- WireGuard and OpenVPN
- The apps connect over WireGuard or OpenVPN, under a no-traffic-logs policy that IPVanish says is independently verified.
- Antivirus on Complete and Advanced
- Real-time scanning for malware and phishing sites with background checks for suspicious activity, sold as IPVanish Antivirus.
- Cloud backup and Secure Browser
- Advanced adds 1TB of encrypted cloud backup with automatic syncing, and a sandboxed browser that deletes session data when closed.
Plans
CyberGhost
1 Month$12.99
per month
Renews at $12.99 a month. Covered by a 14-day money-back guarantee rather than 45 days.
6 Months$41.94
every 6 months
$6.99 a month, renewing at the same $41.94 every 6 months. 45-day money-back guarantee.
2 Years + 2 Months$56.94
per year at renewal, after a first term of 26 months
The first 26 months cost $56.94 ($2.19 a month, sold as 83% off), then it renews at $56.94 every year. Includes ID Guard and Privacy Guard.
IPVanish
Essential, 2 years$99.99
per year at renewal, after a first term of 2 years
VPN, Threat Protection and 3GB of eSIM data on unlimited devices. The first 2 years cost $52.56 ($2.19 a month), then it renews each year at $99.99.
Essential, 1 year$99.99
per year at renewal, after a first year for $46.68
The same Essential plan. The first year costs $46.68 ($3.89 a month), then it renews each year at $99.99.
Essential, 1 month$14.99
per month
The same Essential plan, renewing monthly at $14.99.
Complete, 2 years$109.99
per year at renewal, after a first term of 2 years
Adds antivirus and phone support. First 2 years $66.96 ($2.79 a month). Also $57.48 for a first year, or $15.99 a month.
Advanced, 2 years$129.99
per year at renewal, after a first term of 2 years
Adds 1TB of cloud backup, the Secure Browser and 2GB more eSIM data. First 2 years $78.96. Also $64.68 for a first year, or $17.99 a month.
Ways to pay less
CyberGhost
- Other savings
2 years plus 2 months for $56.94
The long plan bills $56.94 for the first 26 months ($2.19 a month), sold as an 83% Halloween deal with a countdown but no date, then renews at $56.94 a year.
IPVanish
- Other savings
First 2 years of a 2-year plan from $52.56
Essential costs $52.56, Complete $66.96 and Advanced $78.96 for the first 2 years. The plans then renew every 12 months at $99.99, $109.99 and $129.99.
- Other savings
First year of a 1-year plan from $46.68
Essential costs $46.68, Complete $57.48 and Advanced $64.68 for the first year, before renewing yearly at the regular price.
