PIA vs CyberGhost (2026): Which Is Better?
Private Internet Access scores higher overall (9.3 vs 9.1). Below is every published figure for PIA, CyberGhost, side by side — prices and what they renew at, refund terms, audits, jurisdiction and features. Speed and streaming are not there because neither has been measured by us.
Who wins each category
- Privacy & securityCyberGhostPIA 9.0 · CyberGhost 9.5
- SpeedTiePIA 0.0 · CyberGhost 0.0
- StreamingTiePIA 0.0 · CyberGhost 0.0
- Apps & easePIAPIA 9.5 · CyberGhost 8.1
- ValuePIAPIA 9.5 · CyberGhost 9.4
Sub-scores are provisional for PIA and CyberGhost — published audits, jurisdiction and public record rather than our own measurement; see the review; weights are privacy & security 30%, speed 25%, streaming 15%, apps & ease 15%, value 15%. Methodology
PIA vs CyberGhost: the numbers
| PIA | CyberGhost | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 9.3provisional — not tested by us | 9.1provisional — not tested by us |
| Rank · badge | Not ranked · Top rated overall | Not ranked · Streaming servers |
| 2-year price / mo | $1.79 | $1.99 |
| 1-year price / mo | $3.99 | $6.99 |
| Monthly price | $11.95 | $12.99 |
| Renewal | Billed $69.81 for 39 months, then autorenews at $69.81 every 3 years — the same rate | Billed $51.74 for the first 26 months, then autorenews at $51.74 a year |
| Money-back | 30 days | 45 days |
| Simultaneous devices | Unlimited | 7 |
| Avg download speed | Not tested by us | Not tested by us |
| Jurisdiction | United States | Romania |
| Owner | Kape Technologies | Kape Technologies |
| No-logs audit | Deloitte no-logs audit, 2024 | Deloitte no-logs audit, 2024 |
| Servers | Tens of thousands in 91 countries | 11,500+ in 100 countries |
| Protocols | WireGuard, OpenVPN | WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2 |
| Torrenting | P2P allowed on all servers | P2P allowed on P2P servers |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Support | 24/7 live chat, email, help centre | 24/7 live chat, email, help centre |
| Visit PIA | Visit CyberGhost |
Full reviews: Private Internet Access · CyberGhost
What each one actually costs
The advertised rate covers the first term only. These are the totals once the renewal is counted.
| PIA | CyberGhost | |
|---|---|---|
| Plan priced | 24-month plan | 24-month plan |
| Intro rate / mo | $1.79 | $1.99 |
| Then renews at / mo | $1.79 — no jump | $4.31 (+117%) |
| First term, up front | $42.96 | $47.76 |
| Total over 3 years | $64.44 | $99.48 |
| True cost / mo over 3 years | $1.79 | $2.76 |
| Money-back | 30 days — 30 days, new subscribers only — we have not claimed one yet | 45 days — 45 days on the long plans but only 14 on the monthly one — we have not claimed one yet |
| Check PIA price | Check CyberGhost price |
PIA is cheaper both ways — lower to start and $35.04 less across three years once the renewals are counted. Same arithmetic as our price calculator: the first term at the advertised rate, every month after it at the rate the provider publishes for renewals.
Speed by region
Neither VPN has been speed-tested by us yet, so there is nothing to chart here.
PIA and CyberGhost have not been through our speed rig yet, so there is no region-by-region chart for this pair. Speed figures other people have published are on the Private Internet Access and CyberGhost review, attributed to whoever measured them.
Streaming, service by service
| PIA | CyberGhost | |
|---|---|---|
| Unblocked | 0 of 0 reported (not tested by us) | 0 of 0 reported (not tested by us) |
| Netflix US | n/r | n/r |
| Netflix UK | n/r | n/r |
| Netflix JP | n/r | n/r |
| Netflix CA | n/r | n/r |
| Netflix AU | n/r | n/r |
| Prime Video | n/r | n/r |
| Disney+ | n/r | n/r |
| Hulu | n/r | n/r |
| Max | n/r | n/r |
| Paramount+ | n/r | n/r |
| Peacock | n/r | n/r |
| BBC iPlayer | n/r | n/r |
| ITVX | n/r | n/r |
| DAZN | n/r | n/r |
| n/r — no published result found | n/r — no published result found |
Security features
| PIA | CyberGhost | |
|---|---|---|
| Kill switch | ||
| Split tunnelling | ||
| Obfuscation / stealth | ||
| Port forwarding | ||
| Dedicated IP | ||
| Ad & tracker blocking | ||
| Multi-hop (double VPN) | ||
| RAM-only servers | ||
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, browser extensions, routers | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, browser extensions, routers |
Has the no-logs promise ever been tested?
Every VPN on this page says it keeps no logs. The claim only means something once someone has demanded the data — a police raid, a court order, a subpoena. Here is what happened to each of these two when that came up, and what it means if it never has.
- PIAHeld
Subpoenaed more than once. The claim held — there was nothing useful to hand over. That is the one form of proof no audit can give you, because it happened under real pressure rather than on a scheduled visit.
Audit: Deloitte no-logs audit, 2024 · United States
- CyberGhostHeld
Quarterly transparency report. The claim held — there was nothing useful to hand over. That is the one form of proof no audit can give you, because it happened under real pressure rather than on a scheduled visit.
Audit: Deloitte no-logs audit, 2024 · Romania
What each one is our top pick for
One of these scores higher overall, which does not make it the right buy for every job. These are the use cases where each one comes first on its own list.
- PIA2 categories
Port forwarding included, P2P on every server, interface binding for qBittorrent, and no-logs claims proven in court. Unlimited devices on a cheap long plan.
- CyberGhostNo category
CyberGhost is not our top pick in any of our use-case lists. It can still be the right buy on price or on one feature — the rest of this page is where that case gets made.
We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. Scores and the winner are decided by the scoring rubric before any commercial consideration. Disclosure