Surfshark vs CyberGhost (2026): price, audits, refunds, which to pick

Surfshark vs CyberGhost is a close call on price, so the deciding factors are elsewhere: Surfshark covers unlimited devices and has the more recent run of security audits, while CyberGhost gives you a longer 45-day refund window and a cheaper monthly plan. Both are budget-friendly mainstream VPNs with Deloitte no-logs reviews and no free plan.

They also sit inside two of the biggest VPN groups. Surfshark merged with Nord Security, NordVPN’s parent, in 2022; CyberGhost belongs to Kape Technologies, alongside Private Internet Access and ExpressVPN. This guide compares prices and renewals, refund rules, audits and incidents, ownership and features, with a source for every number. We haven’t run speed tests, so there are no speed scores here.

Which is cheaper, Surfshark or CyberGhost?

CyberGhost, by a small margin on long plans and a wide one month to month. As listed on Nov 12, 2026, CyberGhost’s 2-year deal cost $61.32 for 28 months against Surfshark’s $67.23 for 27 months, and CyberGhost’s monthly plan was $12.99 against Surfshark’s $18.95.

Surfshark’s pricing page¹ (US prices; VAT may apply) listed Starter, its cheapest tier, at $2.49 a month on the 24-month plan, billed $67.23 for the first 27 months. The page’s plan data puts the 12-month plan at $2.99 a month ($44.85 for 15 months) and month to month at $18.95. On the 2-year plan, the next tier up, One, was also $2.49 a month, and One+ was $3.99.

CyberGhost’s order page¹⁴ listed $2.19 a month on the 2-year plan with bonus months, billed $61.32 for the first 28 months; $6.99 a month on the 6-month plan ($41.94 every six months); and $12.99 month to month.

How much do Surfshark and CyberGhost cost when they renew?

CyberGhost states its renewal price plainly: $61.32 a year after the first 28 months. Surfshark’s visible page only says you’ll pay “the applicable renewal price”; the page’s underlying plan data lists Starter’s renewal at $79 for 12 months, which we’d treat as indicative.

CyberGhost’s order page¹⁴ says the 2-year deal auto-renews at $61.32 a year. Surfshark’s pricing page¹ didn’t show a renewal amount as text, and its renewal policy³ says renewals are charged at the standard, non-introductory rate and that prices may be A/B tested. If the $79 figure holds, CyberGhost would be the cheaper of the two after the first term as well.

Whichever you buy, set a reminder before the renewal date. That’s when you can cancel, switch, or look for a new introductory deal. Our cheapest VPN guide compares renewal prices across all ten providers we cover.

Which has the better refund policy?

CyberGhost’s window is longer: 45 days on plans of six months or more, against Surfshark’s 30 days. But CyberGhost’s monthly plan only gets 14 days, and both have exclusions that can catch you out.

Sources: Surfshark terms of service², Surfshark free trial⁴, CyberGhost terms¹⁵ and CyberGhost homepage¹⁶, checked Nov 12, 2026.

CyberGhost’s terms¹⁵ also note that EU consumers have a separate 14-day withdrawal right, and that if you bought through a reseller such as Cleverbridge, Apple, Google or Amazon, you exercise it with that merchant. Surfshark’s 7-day trial⁴ is the more useful free test, because it runs on the same apps you’d pay for and on up to three devices; CyberGhost’s 24-hour desktop trial is short enough that you may be better off using the 45-day refund.

Which is more trustworthy on privacy?

Both have Deloitte reviews of their no-logs policies, and on November 12, 2026 Surfshark added a KPMG no-logs assessment³¹. Surfshark has the more recent and more varied set of security audits, but also a 2026 breach of an internal test server; CyberGhost has fewer independent reports but publishes quarterly transparency reports showing no data handed over.

Surfshark’s audits

Deloitte’s second no-logs assurance report on Surfshark, under ISAE 3000 and published in June 2025⁶, covered its standard, static and multiport VPN servers. SecuRing pen-tested its network infrastructure⁷ in late 2025 (published January 2026) and found no critical vulnerabilities; one SSL/TLS configuration issue was fixed. And Cure53 reviewed the architecture and cryptography⁸ of Surfshark’s own Dausos protocol in February and March 2026, finding nothing rated critical or high in the protocol itself; its most serious findings were in hosting outside the review’s scope.

Surfshark’s 2026 incident

A misconfigured internal test server was reachable from the internet. Surfshark’s incident report⁹ says it spotted the activity on August 31, 2026 and contained it on September 2. The attacker accessed parts of system binaries, internal service configurations, some build credentials that had been committed to code history, and a proxy server. Surfshark says no user data or VPN services were affected, and BleepingComputer’s coverage¹⁰ reported the same. Surfshark promised an additional independent audit of its broader infrastructure but named no firm or date. It’s worth checking whether that audit appears before you renew.

CyberGhost’s audits and record

Deloitte Audit Romania has assessed CyberGhost three times under ISAE 3000 (Revised): announced September 2022²¹, May 2024²², and a third completed in late 2025²³. The reviews covered the VPN server network, configuration and change management, incident response and the token-based dedicated IP system, checking that the setup matches the no-logs policy. CyberGhost’s posts don’t state the period covered or Deloitte’s formal opinion; the 2025 report is linked for download from its announcement.

A privilege-escalation flaw in CyberGhost’s Windows app, CVE-2023-30237²⁴, was fixed in version 8.3.10.10015, released February 24, 2023. Its transparency reports say it handed over no user data: the Q4 2025 report²⁵ lists 56,053 DMCA copyright notices and 2 police requests, and the Q1 2026 report²⁶ 53,533 DMCA notices and 4 police requests.

Who owns Surfshark and CyberGhost?

Surfshark is a Dutch company that merged with Nord Security, NordVPN’s parent, in 2022. CyberGhost is a Romanian company owned by Kape Technologies, which also owns Private Internet Access and ExpressVPN.

Surfshark B.V. is established in the Netherlands², registered in Amsterdam. Its about page⁵ says it and Nord Security merged under one holding company in 2022 and that the two operate independently. So if you’re weighing Surfshark against NordVPN, you’re choosing between siblings; see NordVPN vs Surfshark.

CyberGhost S.R.L. is registered in Bucharest, Romania¹⁷, and its terms¹⁵ apply English law for customers outside the US. Crossrider bought CyberGhost in March 2017 for up to 9.2 million euros, SeeNews reported¹⁸, and renamed itself Kape Technologies in March 2018, according to Wikipedia¹⁹. Some users distrust Kape because, as Crossrider, it built browser-extension software associated with bundled, potentially unwanted programs; Wikipedia’s Private Internet Access article²⁰ summarises that history. Kape’s other VPNs are compared in NordVPN vs PIA and ExpressVPN vs Surfshark.

How many devices can you use with Surfshark and CyberGhost?

Surfshark has no device limit; CyberGhost allows seven devices at once. For a household with lots of phones, laptops and TVs, that alone can decide it.

Surfshark’s pricing page¹ lists unlimited simultaneous devices on paid plans (the free trial is limited to three). CyberGhost’s features page²⁷ allows up to seven at once. If you need more than seven, CyberGhost would mean a second subscription or setting the VPN up on your router, so the devices behind it share one connection.

How do Surfshark and CyberGhost compare on features?

On the basics they’re close: WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2, RAM-only servers, a kill switch and split tunneling. CyberGhost adds servers set aside for P2P, streaming and gaming; Surfshark adds its own Dausos protocol on Mac and multi-hop servers.

Sources: Surfshark servers¹², Surfshark features¹³, Surfshark protocols¹¹, CyberGhost features²⁷ and CyberGhost order page¹⁴, checked Nov 12, 2026.

• Protocols. Surfshark supports WireGuard, OpenVPN over UDP or TCP and IKEv2¹¹; its own Dausos protocol is so far only in the macOS App Store version of the app. CyberGhost lists WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2²⁷. See WireGuard vs OpenVPN for which to use.
• Servers. Surfshark says all its servers are RAM-only¹², and CyberGhost says its servers are “wiped upon reboot”²⁷. RAM-only servers don’t keep data on disk between restarts, which limits what a seizure can find.
• Privacy tools. Surfshark lists a kill switch and split tunneling (Bypasser)¹³; CyberGhost lists an automatic kill switch, split tunneling and a Content Blocker for ads, trackers and malware.
• Port forwarding. CyberGhost’s features page doesn’t list it, and we couldn’t find a Surfshark help article either way. If you need it, look at PIA or Proton VPN.

Is Surfshark faster than CyberGhost?

We can’t tell you, because we haven’t run speed tests and won’t quote numbers we didn’t measure. Both use WireGuard, so on a nearby, lightly loaded server either should be quick; server distance, load and your own connection usually matter more than the brand.

The practical test is the refund window. Try the one you’re leaning toward from your own connection, at your usual times, on the server locations you’ll actually use. CyberGhost’s 45 days give you more time to do that; Surfshark’s 7-day trial lets you do it without paying first.

Which is better for streaming and torrenting?

Neither can guarantee streaming access, and we won’t promise it. Using a VPN to watch another country’s catalog usually breaks the streaming service’s terms, and providers’ “works with Netflix” claims change often.

Netflix’s terms of use, for example, say you may watch primarily within the country in which you have established your account²⁸. CyberGhost’s dedicated streaming servers and Surfshark’s large network don’t change that. For torrenting, Surfshark has P2P servers in its server list¹² and CyberGhost has P2P-optimized servers²⁷; CyberGhost’s transparency reports, with tens of thousands of DMCA notices a quarter, show copyright holders are watching. A VPN doesn’t make copyright infringement legal, and this is not legal advice. For the everyday reason to use a VPN, protecting yourself on public Wi-Fi, the FTC’s advice²⁹ is worth a read. See also our streaming and torrenting guides.

Surfshark or CyberGhost: which should you pick?

Pick Surfshark if you have more than seven devices to cover, you want the provider with the more recent and varied independent audits, or you want a no-payment trial before committing. Keep an eye on the follow-up audit it promised after its 2026 incident, and check the renewal price at checkout.

Pick CyberGhost if you want the lowest long-plan and monthly prices of the two, a stated renewal price, and a 45-day window to change your mind, and seven devices is enough. Accept that it’s part of Kape, whose history puts some people off.

Read the full Surfshark review and CyberGhost review for more, or compare both with their siblings in NordVPN vs Surfshark and NordVPN vs PIA.