CyberGhost vs Proton VPN
We give CyberGhost a 2.4 GPA and Proton VPN a 2.8, out of 4.0. CyberGhost grades higher on value for money. Proton VPN grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on 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
Proton VPN
Open-source Swiss VPN with a free plan that has no data cap
How we grade them
| 2.4GPACyberGhostFair | 2.8GPAProton VPNGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CVPN Plus bills $83.76 for the first 24 months, about $3.49 a month over two years, just above the cheaper quarter of VPNs, which tops out at $3.33. It then renews at $83.88 a year, above the middle. Monthly is $9.99, and Proton Unlimited adds Mail, Drive and Pass for $119.88 a year. |
| 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. | BFree for good with no card, no ads and no data limit, which is rare. One person could really live on it. The limits are one device, medium speed, and servers in 10 countries picked for you. |
| 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. | BSecure Core routing through Switzerland, Iceland or Sweden, the Stealth protocol, NetShield blocking, port forwarding, a kill switch and open-source apps with published audits, on 10 devices with Plus. 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. | B4.65 from about 120,000 App Store ratings, just under the 4.7 an A needs. On the free plan there's no card and nothing to set up. |
| 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. | BMac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android and a 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 | a free VPN with no data cap |
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 Proton VPN. 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. Proton VPN starts at $6.99 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.0.
Proton VPN scores higher, and starts $2.25 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 Proton VPN 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. Proton VPN starts at $83.88 per year at renewal (VPN Plus), after a first year for $53.88.
- Proton VPN has a free plan. CyberGhost does not, though it has a free trial.
- Proton VPN is open source, according to its own site.
At a glance
| CyberGhost | Proton VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $56.94 per year at renewal, after a first 26 months for $56.94 | $83.88 per year at renewal (VPN Plus), after a first year for $53.88 |
| Free plan | None | Proton Free: 1 device, servers in 10 countries chosen at random, medium speed and no data limit. No credit card needed. |
| Free trial | 24-hour desktop trial with no card; 3 days on Android and 7 days on iOS with a payment method | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | CyberGhost S.R.L. | Proton AG |
| Price read from | cyberghostvpn.com | protonvpn.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
Proton VPN
- Trying a VPN for free without a data cap
- People who want open-source VPN apps
- Proton Mail users who want the VPN on the same bill
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.
Proton VPN
- The free plan covers one device and picks the server country for you from 10 countries.
- The headline $3.49 a month is the first 24 months of VPN Plus; it then renews at $83.88 a year, and the 1-year plan's $53.88 also covers only the first year.
- Ad and malware blocking, streaming and P2P are paid features; VPN Plus covers 10 devices.
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.
Proton VPN
- Free plan without a data cap
- Proton Free has no data or artificial speed limits, but connects one device to servers in 10 countries that you cannot choose.
- Secure Core
- Routes traffic through Proton's own servers in hardened data centers in Switzerland, Iceland or Sweden before it leaves the network.
- Stealth protocol
- An obfuscation protocol based on WireGuard tunneled over TLS, meant to get past firewalls and VPN blocking.
- NetShield
- DNS filtering on paid plans that blocks ads, trackers and domains known for malware.
- Open-source, audited apps
- All apps are open source, and Proton publishes the results of the independent audits it commissions.
- Port forwarding and kill switch
- Port forwarding for P2P, plus a kill switch and always-on VPN in every app.
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.
Proton VPN
Proton Free$0
One device, servers in 10 randomly selected countries, medium speed, no data limit and no ads.
VPN Plus, 1 month$9.99
per month
10 devices, 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries, streaming, P2P and the NetShield blocker, billed monthly.
VPN Plus, 1 year$83.88
per year at renewal, after a first year for $53.88
The same features as monthly. The first year costs $53.88 ($4.49 a month), then it renews at $83.88 a year.
VPN Plus, 2 years$83.88
per year at renewal, after a first term of 24 months
The first 24 months cost $83.76 ($3.49 a month), shown against $9.99 a month, then it renews every 12 months at $83.88.
Proton Unlimited, 1 year$119.88
per year
VPN Plus plus premium Proton Mail, Calendar, Drive (500 GB) and Pass. Also sold monthly at $12.99.
Proton Unlimited, 2 years$119.88
per year at renewal, after a first term of 24 months
The first 24 months cost $191.76 ($7.99 a month), then it renews every 12 months at $119.88.
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.
Proton VPN
- Other savings
VPN Plus 2-year plan: first 24 months for $83.76
The 2-year VPN Plus plan bills $83.76 for the first 24 months ($3.49 a month), then renews at $83.88 every 12 months.
- Other savings
VPN Plus 1-year plan: first year for $53.88
The 1-year VPN Plus plan bills $53.88 for the first year ($4.49 a month) before renewing at $83.88.
- Other savings
Proton Unlimited 2-year plan: first 24 months for $191.76
The 2-year Proton Unlimited plan bills $191.76 for the first 24 months ($7.99 a month), then renews at $119.88 every 12 months.
