PIA
Best for the lowest long-term price, unlimited devices and torrenting
- $79 covers 39 months and renews at $79 every 3 years
- Unlimited simultaneous devices on every plan
- Three Deloitte audits and two court cases, all clean
PIA vs CyberGhost: Which VPN Is Better in 2026?
Updated September 29, 2026 · By VPNSites Research Team
PIA and CyberGhost are owned by the same company, Kape Technologies, and audited by the same firm, Deloitte, the same number of times. So this is not a choice between a trustworthy VPN and a doubtful one. It is a choice between two products the same owner has pointed at different buyers: CyberGhost at people who want their streaming services to just work, PIA at people who want the most VPN for the least money. We scored them across eight rounds using the same data behind our reviews of each, and PIA won six of them, lost one and tied one. The deciding fact is the renewal bill, and it is not close.
8 rounds · 40 specs compared · Winner: PIA
PIA vs CyberGhost at a Glance
CyberGhost
Best for streaming, a 45-day trial and an EU address
- Netflix in 7+ countries on labelled streaming servers
- 45-day refund on 6-month and longer plans
- Three Deloitte no-logs audits, latest in 2025
Our verdict
PIA wins 6 rounds to 1, 1 tie
PIA takes this six rounds to one, with privacy tied. Its current deal is $79 for 39 months, renewing at $79 every three years, against CyberGhost’s $56.94 for 26 months and then $56.94 every year: over roughly three years that is $79 against about $114. PIA is also faster in our tests, runs three times the servers, includes port forwarding, multi-hop and a Linux GUI, and places no limit on devices. CyberGhost wins streaming, and it wins it properly, with labelled servers that reached seven Netflix libraries in 2026 testing. It also has the longer refund window and the better address. Neither is more trustworthy than the other: same owner, same auditor, three clean audits each.
Pick PIA if
you want the smallest bill over the next few years, you are covering more than seven devices, you torrent and want port forwarding, you use Linux, or you need a server in a specific US state.
Pick CyberGhost if
streaming is the main reason you want a VPN, especially a non-US Netflix library, you want 45 days to change your mind, or you would rather your provider answered to an EU country than to the United States.
Round by round
- 1Price and renewal costPIA
- 2SpeedPIA
- 3Privacy and trustTie
- 4Security featuresPIA
- 5StreamingCyberGhost
- 6TorrentingPIA
- 7Devices and supportPIA
- 8Server networkPIA
PIA 6CyberGhost 1Ties 1
PIA vs CyberGhost: Side-by-Side Specs
| Specification | PIA | CyberGhost |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| Cheapest plan | $2.03/mo · 39 months for $79 (wins this row) | $2.19/mo · 26 months for $56.94 |
| 1-year plan | $3.99/mo · $47.88 (wins this row) | None · 6 months at $6.99/mo |
| Month to month | $11.95 (wins this row) | $12.99 |
| Renewal after the intro term | $79 every 3 years · about $26 a year (wins this row) | $56.94 every year |
| About 3 years all-in | $79 for 39 months (wins this row) | About $114 for 38 months |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | 45 days · 14 on monthly (wins this row) |
| Network and speed | ||
| Servers | 30,000+ (wins this row) | 9,800+ |
| Countries | 91 | 100 (wins this row) |
| Speed loss in our tests | About 15% (wins this row) | About 22% |
| A server in all 50 US states | Yes (wins this row) | No |
| Protocols | WireGuard, OpenVPN | WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2 (wins this row) |
| Obfuscation | Shadowsocks proxy (wins this row) | None |
| Privacy and trust | ||
| Jurisdiction | United States · inside Five Eyes | Romania · EU, outside Fourteen Eyes (wins this row) |
| Parent company | Kape Technologies | Kape Technologies |
| No-logs audits | 3 · Deloitte, 2022, 2024, 2025 | 3 · Deloitte, 2022, 2024, 2025 |
| Audit reports | Published in full | Published in full |
| Open-source apps | Yes · every client (wins this row) | No |
| Tested by a court | Yes · produced nothing in 2016 and 2018 (wins this row) | No case on record |
| Self-owned servers | Not offered | NoSpy servers in Romania (wins this row) |
| Latest transparency report | Q4 2025 · 30 legal requests, no data given | Q4 2025 · 2 police requests, no data given |
| Security features | ||
| Kill switch | Yes | Yes |
| Split tunnelling | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android (wins this row) | Windows and Android only |
| Port forwarding | Included · all non-US servers (wins this row) | Not offered |
| Multi-hop | Yes · via Shadowsocks or SOCKS5 (wins this row) | No |
| RAM-only servers | Yes | Yes |
| Ad and tracker blocking | MACE | Content blocker |
| Dedicated IP | Paid add-on | Paid add-on |
| Streaming | ||
| Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max | All unblocked | All unblocked |
| Netflix libraries reliably reached | Dependable on US · others need switching | US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Japan, Australia (wins this row) |
| Streaming servers | Streaming-optimised locations | Labelled by service and country (wins this row) |
| Smart TV apps | Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Chromecast (wins this row) | Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV |
| Torrenting | ||
| P2P allowed | Yes · on any server | Yes · labelled P2P servers (wins this row) |
| Port forwarding | Included (wins this row) | Not offered |
| SOCKS5 proxy for torrent clients | Yes (wins this row) | No |
| Devices and support | ||
| Simultaneous connections | Unlimited on every plan (wins this row) | 7 · each registered to the account |
| Games consoles | PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch | PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch |
| Router support | Manual setup · uses no slot (wins this row) | Manual setup · uses 1 of 7 |
| Linux app | Open-source GUI and command line (wins this row) | Command line only |
| Browser extensions | Chrome, Firefox, Opera | Chrome, Firefox |
| Support | 24/7 live chat and email | 24/7 live chat and email |
A tick marks the provider that wins the row. Rows without one are a draw.
Round 1: Price and renewal cost
Winner: PIA
PIA renews at $79 for three years. CyberGhost renews at $56.94 for one.
The introductory prices are almost identical: PIA’s best deal works out at $2.03 a month and CyberGhost’s at $2.19. The difference is in what you are committing to. PIA’s current offer is three years plus three free months for $79. CyberGhost’s is 26 months for $56.94, and it has no one-year plan at all, so the next step down is six months at $6.99 a month. PIA’s one-year plan is $3.99 a month, $47.88. Month to month, PIA is $11.95 and CyberGhost $12.99.
Renewal is where the gap opens up. PIA says on its own pricing page that the three-year plan renews at $79 every three years, about $26 a year. CyberGhost’s 26-month plan renews at $56.94 every year, roughly $4.75 a month. Over about three years, PIA costs $79 for 39 months and CyberGhost about $114 for 38. CyberGhost’s one real advantage here is its refund window: 45 days on six-month and longer plans against PIA’s 30. That is worth having, but it does not make up a $35 difference over three years. One warning: PIA switches between a two-year and a three-year offer from time to time, and these are the prices on September 29, 2026.
Round 2: Speed
Winner: PIA
PIA gives up about 15% of a connection, CyberGhost about 22%.
Both use WireGuard by default, so the gap comes down to their networks rather than the protocol. In our testing PIA loses about 15% of an unprotected connection and CyberGhost about 22%, the two figures on the cards above. On a 500 Mbps line that is roughly 425 Mbps against 390: noticeable in a big download, but not something you would feel while streaming or browsing.
Independent testing puts them in the same order and shows that distance hurts both. Security.org measured CyberGhost at about a 19% loss on a nearby US server and 55% to 59% on routes to Australia and South Africa, and CyberInsider’s January 2026 tests showed losses of more than half even within the US. PIA has been measured holding 85% to 92% of baseline speed on nearby WireGuard servers, and its own CMS entry concedes that long-distance servers lose most of the connection. Neither is a top-tier performer. PIA is the faster of the two in every source we checked, so it takes the round.
Round 3: Privacy and trust
Tie
One owner, one auditor, three clean audits each. The differences cancel out.
Most of this round is identical on both sides. Both brands belong to Kape Technologies, the company that as Crossrider distributed adware until 2018, and anyone uneasy about that should be equally uneasy about both. Both have passed three no-logs audits by Deloitte Audit Romania under the same ISAE 3000 standard, in 2022, 2024 and 2025, and both publish the reports. Both publish quarterly transparency reports: PIA’s for Q4 2025 records 30 legal requests with no data handed over, and CyberGhost’s records 2 police requests and more than 56,000 copyright complaints, also with no data handed over.
The differences are real, but they point in opposite directions. CyberGhost has the better address: it is a Romanian company, inside the EU but outside the Fourteen Eyes, while PIA is a US company inside Five Eyes with no legal protection against a data-retention order. CyberGhost also runs NoSpy servers that it owns and operates in Romania. PIA has the stronger evidence: all of its apps are open source, and it has twice been asked for user records in US court cases, in 2016 and 2018, and had nothing to give. CyberGhost’s apps are closed source, and it has no court record either way. Two points each: a tie.
Round 4: Security features
Winner: PIA
PIA includes port forwarding, multi-hop and split tunnelling on more platforms.
The basics are the same on both. Each has a kill switch that works in independent testing, runs its servers on RAM so nothing survives a reboot, has a DNS-level blocker for ads and trackers, and sells a dedicated IP as an add-on. Anyone who just wants a VPN that doesn’t leak and doesn’t log will be fine with either.
PIA wins on the extras. It includes port forwarding on every non-US server, while CyberGhost doesn’t offer it at all and says so. PIA can chain a connection through a Shadowsocks or SOCKS5 proxy for a second hop, and CyberGhost has no multi-hop option. PIA’s split tunnelling works on Windows, macOS, Linux and Android; CyberGhost’s is limited to Windows and Android, and in July 2026 testing its Mac app still didn’t have it. CyberGhost’s NoSpy servers count in the privacy round, and they are the most interesting feature it has that PIA doesn’t. PIA wins this round three rows to none.
Round 5: Streaming
Winner: CyberGhost
CyberGhost labels its servers by service and reaches more Netflix libraries.
This is the round CyberGhost is built for, and it wins it. Both unblock Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Hulu and HBO Max, so both can get you into the major services. The difference is how much of Netflix you can reach and how easy it is to find a server that works. CyberGhost’s servers are labelled by service and country, so you pick "Netflix UK" from a list rather than guessing. In 2026 testing they reached the US, UK, Canadian, German, French, Japanese and Australian Netflix libraries. PIA is dependable on the US library and often needs a few server changes anywhere else.
CyberGhost isn’t flawless. One month-long test had Netflix US working on 24 of 30 days and Netflix UK on 22, and it failed in South Korea, Italy, Brazil and Spain. But no source we checked put PIA ahead on streaming. PIA has one advantage here: it adds a Chromecast app to the Apple TV, Android TV and Fire TV apps both providers have. If a particular non-US Netflix library is the reason you want a VPN, this round should count for more than the rest of the page.
Round 6: Torrenting
Winner: PIA
Both allow P2P. Only PIA gives you port forwarding and a SOCKS5 proxy.
Both allow torrenting on their networks, and CyberGhost makes it slightly easier to start: like its streaming servers, it has a set of servers labelled for P2P, so you don’t have to work out which ones allow it. PIA allows P2P on its servers without labelling any of them. For someone who just wants to download a few files safely, either will do the job, and CyberGhost’s list is the friendlier of the two.
For anyone who torrents regularly, PIA is the clear choice. It includes port forwarding on every non-US server, which lets other peers connect to you and makes a big difference to speeds on less popular torrents. CyberGhost doesn’t offer port forwarding at all, and says so on its own site, citing security concerns. PIA also provides a SOCKS5 proxy that you can set up in a torrent client directly. PIA takes the round two rows to one, and those two rows are the ones experienced torrenters look for.
Round 7: Devices and support
Winner: PIA
Unlimited connections against seven, and a Linux app with a GUI.
PIA removed its limit on simultaneous connections in 2023, and one subscription now covers as many devices as you like. CyberGhost allows seven, and each device is registered to your account, so replacing a phone means removing the old one first. Seven is enough for a lot of households. But once you count televisions, consoles and a router, you can run out, and on PIA you never have to count.
The rest of this round is mostly a draw. Both support PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch through a router or manual setup, both offer browser extensions, and both run 24/7 live chat. Two rows separate them. PIA’s Linux app has a proper graphical interface as well as a command line, while CyberGhost’s is command line only (the GUIs you can find online are unofficial). And a router running PIA doesn’t use up a device slot, while on CyberGhost it takes one of your seven. PIA wins three rows to none.
Round 8: Server network
Winner: PIA
PIA has three times the servers; CyberGhost reaches more countries.
By our count PIA runs over 30,000 servers and CyberGhost nearly 10,000, though reviewers have counted more than 11,500 for CyberGhost recently, and PIA no longer publishes a total. The two sides of this round go different ways. CyberGhost covers 100 countries to PIA’s 91, and it offers IKEv2 alongside WireGuard and OpenVPN, which PIA does not. If you need a server in a specific smaller country, check CyberGhost’s list first.
PIA wins on everything else. It has a server in every one of the 50 US states, which helps when you need to reach a regional broadcaster or stop your bank flagging a login while you travel, and CyberGhost has nothing like it. PIA can also hide VPN traffic through a Shadowsocks proxy, while CyberGhost has no obfuscation at all, which is why every 2026 guide we read says it doesn’t work in China. A bigger network isn’t automatically a faster one, but here the bigger network is also the faster one. PIA takes the round three rows to two.
PIA and CyberGhost in Detail
PIA: Best for the lowest long-term price, unlimited devices and torrenting
4.4
Privacy
Features
User Score
PIA takes six of the eight rounds against its own sister brand, and the biggest reason is money. Its current deal is $79 for 39 months and it renews at $79 every three years, which is less than CyberGhost charges for a single year after its intro term. It is also the faster of the two in our tests, runs roughly three times the servers, includes port forwarding and a SOCKS5 proxy for torrent clients, ships open-source apps, and places no cap on devices where CyberGhost stops at seven. What it does not do as well is streaming: it is dependable on US Netflix and less so elsewhere. And its address is the worse one, a US company inside Five Eyes, where CyberGhost answers to Romania.
- Renewal price
- $79 every 3 years
- Speed loss in our tests
- 15%
- No-logs audits
- 3 no-logs engagements · Deloitte, latest 2025
- Jurisdiction
- United States · inside Five Eyes
- Parent company
- Kape Technologies · also owns CyberGhost, ExpressVPN
- Protocols
- WireGuard · OpenVPN
- Streaming
- Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max
- Simultaneous devices
- Unlimited on every plan
- Servers
- 30,000+ in 91 locations
Pros
- $79 covers 39 months and renews at $79 every 3 years
- Unlimited simultaneous devices on every plan
- Three Deloitte audits and two court cases, all clean
- Port forwarding on all non-US servers
- 100% open-source apps, including a real Linux GUI
Cons
- US jurisdiction, no VPN data-retention shield
- Long-distance servers lose most of the connection
CyberGhost: Best for streaming, a 45-day trial and an EU address
4.2
Privacy
Features
User Score
CyberGhost loses this comparison and is still the better pick for one kind of buyer: the one who wants a VPN mainly for streaming. Its servers are labelled by service and country, and in 2026 testing they reached the US, UK, Canadian, German, French, Japanese and Australian Netflix libraries where PIA is dependable on the American one. Its 45-day refund window on longer plans is half as long again as PIA’s, and it is a Romanian company inside the EU and outside the Fourteen Eyes, which is a better address than PIA’s. It has the same owner and the same three Deloitte audits as PIA, so on trust there is little to choose. Everywhere else it gives ground: it costs more to keep, it is slower in our tests, it stops at seven devices, and it has no port forwarding, no multi-hop and no Linux GUI.
- Renewal price
- $56.94 a year
- Speed loss in our tests
- 22%
- No-logs audits
- 3 no-logs engagements · Deloitte, latest 2025
- Jurisdiction
- Romania · EU, outside Fourteen Eyes
- Parent company
- Kape Technologies · also owns PIA, ExpressVPN
- Protocols
- WireGuard · OpenVPN · IKEv2
- Streaming
- Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max
- Simultaneous devices
- 7 on every plan, each registered to the account
- Servers
- 9,800+ in 100 locations
Pros
- Netflix in 7+ countries on labelled streaming servers
- 45-day refund on 6-month and longer plans
- Three Deloitte no-logs audits, latest in 2025
- Self-owned NoSpy servers in Romania, outside 14 Eyes
- Servers optimized for streaming, torrenting, gaming
Cons
- Renews at $56.94/yr, roughly $4.75 per month
- Only 7 devices, and each must be registered
- No one-year plan: cheap rate needs $56.94 upfront
How We Compared PIA and CyberGhost
Plan prices, server counts, device limits, speed figures, scores and the pros and cons come from our own review database, the same data behind the PIA and CyberGhost review pages on this site. Prices, renewal terms and refund windows were checked by hand on September 29, 2026, against PIA’s pricing page and, for CyberGhost, its own checkout together with an independent review from August 2026, because CyberGhost shows prices in euros to visitors outside the US. PIA changes its main deal from time to time, and these are the prices on the day we checked. The audit record, transparency reports and company details come from each provider’s own publications.
Rounds are decided by the facts in the table rather than overall impressions, and a round is a tie when the ticked rows come out level. We split streaming and torrenting into separate rounds for this pairing because each provider wins one of them clearly, and combining them would have hidden that. The two companies share a parent, so we have not counted ownership for or against either. The links on this page are affiliate links where we have one: PIA pays us a commission and CyberGhost currently does not, and we set the scoring before looking at either. Neither provider saw this page before publication.
PIA vs CyberGhost FAQ
PIA, by six rounds to one with privacy tied. It is much cheaper to keep ($79 every three years against CyberGhost’s $56.94 every year), faster in our tests, runs three times the servers, includes port forwarding and multi-hop, has a Linux GUI, and places no limit on devices. CyberGhost wins streaming: its servers are labelled by service and reached seven Netflix libraries in 2026 testing. It also has a 45-day refund window and an EU address. On trust they are level, with the same owner and three Deloitte audits each.
Yes. Both belong to Kape Technologies, which also owns ExpressVPN and was taken private by its main shareholder, Teddy Sagi. Kape, formerly Crossrider, distributed adware until 2018, which applies equally to both brands. They run as separate services with separate networks, apps, prices and companies: PIA is a US company and CyberGhost is CyberGhost S.R.L. in Bucharest, Romania. They have also used the same auditor, Deloitte Audit Romania, for their three no-logs audits each, in 2022, 2024 and 2025.
PIA, at every stage. Its current deal is $79 for 39 months, $2.03 a month, and it renews at $79 every three years. CyberGhost’s is $56.94 for 26 months, $2.19 a month, and it renews at $56.94 every year. Over about three years that is $79 for PIA against about $114 for CyberGhost. PIA also has a one-year plan at $47.88, while CyberGhost has none, and PIA’s monthly price is $11.95 against $12.99. These are the prices on September 29, 2026, and PIA does switch between a two-year and a three-year deal.
Yes. In our testing PIA loses about 15% of an unprotected connection and CyberGhost about 22%, and independent tests put them in the same order. Security.org measured CyberGhost at around a 19% loss on a nearby server but 55% to 59% on long-distance routes, while PIA has held 85% to 92% of baseline on nearby WireGuard servers. Both use WireGuard by default, and both slow down a lot on distant servers. For streaming and browsing on a nearby server, you are unlikely to notice the difference.
CyberGhost, and it is the round it wins most clearly. Its servers are labelled by service and country, and in 2026 testing they reached the US, UK, Canadian, German, French, Japanese and Australian Netflix libraries. PIA is dependable on US Netflix but often needs a few server changes to reach other countries. Both unblock Disney+, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Hulu and HBO Max. CyberGhost isn’t perfect: one month-long test had US Netflix working on 24 of 30 days.
PIA. Both allow P2P, and CyberGhost makes it easy to find the right server with a list labelled for torrenting. But PIA includes port forwarding on every non-US server, which lets other peers connect to you and speeds up less popular torrents, and it provides a SOCKS5 proxy you can set up inside a torrent client. CyberGhost offers neither, and says on its own site that it does not support port forwarding, citing security concerns.
PIA has no limit: it removed its cap in 2023, and every plan covers unlimited simultaneous connections. CyberGhost allows seven, and each device is registered to your account, so replacing a phone means removing the old one first. A router running CyberGhost uses one of those seven, while on PIA it uses nothing. Seven is enough for many households, but with televisions and consoles as well as phones and laptops, PIA is the one you won’t outgrow.
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