CyberGhost / Hotspot Shield compared
Same criteria, same rules. You see where they diverge.
No winner on this page. vpn-matrix.com assigns no points and makes no recommendations.
Differences (87)
Criteria where the values diverge.
| CyberGhost | Hotspot Shield | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal company name | CyberGhost S.R.L.confirmed | Anchorfree, LLC / Pango GmbH (product under Point Wild / formerly Pango Group)provider claim |
| Trademark holder, if different | CyberGhost S.A. (marketing brand CyberGhost VPN)provider claim | Point Wild (HotSpot Shield brand)provider claim |
| Year founded | 2011confirmed | 2008confirmed |
| Headquarters (country) | ROconfirmed | USprovider claim |
| Other relevant jurisdictions | Rumänien (Betreibergesellschaft CyberGhost S.R.L.), Vereinigtes Königreich (Sitz der Konzernmutter Kape Technologies), Zypern (im rumänischen Register eingetragener Gesellschafter)confirmed | United States (Redwood City, California); Pango/Point Wild operatorconfirmed |
| Intelligence alliance of the home country | noneprovider claim | Five Eyesconfirmed |
| Parent group / holding | Kape Technologies PLCconfirmed | Point Wildconfirmed |
| Beneficial owners publicly known | fully knownconfirmed | partly knownprovider claim |
| Leadership team publicly named | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Sister VPN brands in the group | ExpressVPN, Private Internet Accessconfirmed | Betternet, Ultra VPN / UltraAV, VPN360, Touch VPN (per Point Wild / Pango portfolio disclosures)provider claim |
| Group owns VPN review and comparison sites | vpnMentor und Wizcase über die im März 2021 übernommene Webseleneseconfirmed | Comparitech (listed among Point Wild brands)provider claim |
| Typical commission rate | Anbieterangabe: bis zu 100 Prozent Provision, Abwicklung über ein HasOffers-Kontoprovider claim | ? |
| Documented misleading advertising claims | ? | 'Military-grade' encryption wording appears on download/marketing pages; Hydra marketed as '#1 for speed'provider claim |
| Acquisition history / former name | März 2017 Übernahme durch Kape Technologies; Mai 2023 Rückzug von Kape von der Londoner AIM nach dem Übernahmeangebot der Unikmind Holdings Limitedconfirmed | AnchorFree → Pango; Aura/Pango era; Dec 2024 Pango Group merged with Total Security and rebranded Point Wildprovider claim |
| Core statement of the logging policy | Anbieterangabe: 'we are NOT storing connection logs, meaning that we DON'T have any logs tied to your IP address, connection timestamp or session duration.'provider claim | Does not store VPN browsing activity tied to a user; logs session duration, bandwidth, anonymized domains, device hashes; source IP encrypted then deleted at session endconfirmed |
| Connection logs | noneprovider claim | per sessionconfirmed |
| Storage of the real IP address | not storedprovider claim | transient onlyconfirmed |
| Precision of stored timestamps | noneprovider claim | to the secondprovider claim |
| Recording of transferred data volume | not recordedprovider claim | per accountconfirmed |
| Enforcement of the device limit | Multiple devices supported; exact simultaneous cap not on features fetchprovider claim | Premium links up to 10 devices per accountprovider claim |
| Minimum account data required | Laut Datenschutzerklärung werden bei der Registrierung Name, E-Mail-Adresse und Anschrift erhoben; die Browser-Erweiterungen für Chrome und Firefox lassen sich ohne Konto und ohne E-Mail-Adresse nutzenprovider claim | Device hashes for free products without account; paid/account flows collect additional account data per general policyprovider claim |
| Telemetry in the apps | ? | cannot be disabledprovider claim |
| Trackers and SDKs in the Android app | Not enumerated on fetched product pages (privacy policy URL returned 404 in this session)provider claim | Free versions: Google advertising ID (AAID) to Google for personalized adsprovider claim |
| Trackers in the iOS app | Not enumerated on fetched product pages (privacy policy URL returned 404 in this session)provider claim | Free versions: IDFA to Google for personalized adsprovider claim |
| Trackers and cookies on the website | Die Datenschutzerklärung nennt Google Analytics, Mouseflow, AppsFlyer, VWO und Iterable als eingesetzte Analyse- und Marketingdiensteprovider claim | Cookies for analytics, personalization, and targeted advertising (site cookie banner)provider claim |
| Data shared with third parties | Laut Datenschutzerklärung: Cleverbridge, Stripe, PayPal, Braintree, Paddle, BitPay und Amazon Pay (Zahlung), Zendesk (Support), Google Analytics, Mouseflow, AppsFlyer, VWO und Iterable (Analyse und Marketing) sowie verbundene Unternehmen der Kape Technologies PLCprovider claim | Free VPN versions: Google for personalized ads (AAID/IDFA); paid versions do not send to ad partners. Domain names logged anonymized/aggregated.provider claim |
| Retention periods stated in the policy | Unbestimmt. Die Datenschutzerklärung nennt keine Frist, sondern Aufbewahrung 'as long as needed to provide the Service and to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes and enforce our agreements'provider claim | Source IP collected for VPN session then deleted at session end; domains aggregated ~monthly; device hashes retained for analyticsprovider claim |
| No-logs audit details | Deloitte Audit S.R.L. (Rumänien), Prüfungen 2022, 2024 und 2025 nach ISAE 3000 (Revised); Prüfumfang laut Anbieter das VPN-Servernetz, Konfigurations- und Change-Management, Incident Response sowie das Token-System für dedizierte IP-Adressenprovider claim | Aon technical assessment for Pango Group, report dated 2023-08-25; free and paid tiers; client+server; concluded policy assertions fairly representedconfirmed |
| Audit report published | full reportconfirmed | summary onlyconfirmed |
| App and client audits | ? | none published on fetched pagesprovider claim |
| Infrastructure and server audits | ? | none published on fetched pagesprovider claim |
| Tested in court or by authorities | ? | none documented on fetched official pagesprovider claim |
| Transparency report | regularprovider claim | occasionalprovider claim |
| Security incidents and data leaks | Windows-Client: Rechteausweitung CVE-2023-30237 durch Command Injection im RPC-Dienst, am 03.01.2023 von Pen Test Partners gemeldet und mit Version 8.3.10.10015 am 24.02.2023 behoben. Linux-Client: am 01.12.2022 gemeldete fehlende Zertifikatsprüfung, Command Injection und lokale Rechteausweitung, teilweise behoben mit Version 1.4.0 am 24.12.2022 und vollständig mit 1.4.1 am 22.02.2023confirmed | 2017 CDT complaint to FTC alleging undisclosed data sharing/traffic redirection on Hotspot Shield Free (per Wikipedia)confirmed |
| Bug bounty programme | Bug-Bounty-Programm über YesWeHack, Prämien bis 1.250 US-Dollar; im Umfang unter anderem unbefugter Zugriff auf VPN-Server, Remote Code Execution und Schwachstellen, die Nutzerdaten offenlegenprovider claim | none published on fetched Hotspot Shield/Pango pagesprovider claim |
| Handling of reported vulnerabilities | ? | none disclosed on fetched pagesprovider claim |
| Listings by independent bodies | Marketing cites press; Vulnerability Disclosure Program linked in footerprovider claim | Cited Speedtest/Ookla fastest VPN; TechRadar, CNET, ZDNet, PCWorld quotes on marketing pagesprovider claim |
| WireGuard | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Proprietary protocol | noneprovider claim | Hydra (developed internally by Pango)confirmed |
| Legacy protocols still offered | none advertised; OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2 offeredprovider claim | Proprietary Hydra primary; OpenVPN/WireGuard not advertised as primary on fetched product pagesprovider claim |
| Default data cipher | Anbieterangabe: AES-256 bei OpenVPN und IKEv2, ChaCha20-Poly1305 bei WireGuardprovider claim | AES-256confirmed |
| Key exchange and authentication | OpenVPN / WireGuard / IKEv2 handshakes depending on selected protocolprovider claim | Catapult Hydra proprietary protocolprovider claim |
| Perfect forward secrecy | yesprovider claim | ? |
| DNS leak protection | yesprovider claim | ? |
| IPv6 handling | ? | unclearprovider claim |
| Obfuscation methods | Not clearly documented as a named obfuscation feature on fetched features/home pages (OpenVPN/WireGuard/IKEv2 advertised)provider claim | Hydra proprietary protocol marketed for speed/security; censorship circumvention history (Arab Spring) per Wikipediaprovider claim |
| Usability behind the Great Firewall | unclearprovider claim | per user reportsconfirmed |
| Kill switch | system-wideprovider claim | not availableprovider claim |
| Permanent lockdown | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Split tunneling | Anbieterangabe: in der Windows-App über die Funktion 'Exceptions' für einzelne Websites, die Übersichtsseite nennt zusätzlich das Ausklammern einzelner Anwendungenprovider claim | not offered on Hotspot Shield select-plan/feature lists fetchedprovider claim |
| Smart DNS | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Auto connect rules | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Traffic analysis defence | Content Blocker (ads/trackers/malware domains); protocols OpenVPN/WireGuard/IKEv2provider claim | Proprietary Catapult Hydra protocol; historical circumvention useprovider claim |
| Number of servers | 9,800 Serverprovider claim | 1,800 Serverprovider claim |
| Number of countries | 100 Laenderprovider claim | 80 Laenderprovider claim |
| Number of cities | 125 Staedteprovider claim | 35 Staedteprovider claim |
| Virtual locations | labelledprovider claim | not labelledprovider claim |
| RAM-only servers (diskless) | entire networkprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Hardware ownership | mixedprovider claim | rentedprovider claim |
| 10 Gbps ports | some serversprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| P2P and file sharing | dedicated locationsprovider claim | entire networkprovider claim |
| Known upstream hosting providers | Not individually named on fetched features/home pages; Kape-operated networkprovider claim | Third-party infrastructure providers (unnamed); Pango states it would leave any provider requiring activity loggingprovider claim |
| Linux app with GUI | native appprovider claim | not availableprovider claim |
| Linux command line | native appprovider claim | not availableprovider claim |
| Apple TV app | native appprovider claim | not availableprovider claim |
| Browser extension | own extensionprovider claim | not availableprovider claim |
| Type of browser extension | standalone browser proxyprovider claim | no extensionprovider claim |
| Router support | OpenVPN-Konfigurationsdateien für DD-WRT, Tomato, OpenWrt sowie AsusWRT und AsusWRT-Merlinprovider claim | Router mentioned as connectable device under Premium (up to 10 devices)provider claim |
| Native build for Apple Silicon | ? | yesprovider claim |
| Simultaneous devices | 7provider claim | 10provider claim |
| Bitcoin | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| PayPal | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| SEPA payment | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Effective price on the longest term | €2.19provider claim | €7.99provider claim |
| Free tier and its limits | Kostenlose Browser-Erweiterungen für Chrome und Firefox ohne Konto und ohne E-Mail-Adresse, beschränkt auf Server in den USA, Deutschland, den Niederlanden und Rumänien und nur für den Verkehr des Browsersprovider claim | Free VPN products (Hotspot Shield free) supported by third-party in-app ads (Unity, ironSource, Digital Turbine, InMobi)confirmed |
| P2P policy in the terms of service | dedicated locationsprovider claim | entire networkprovider claim |
| Netflix regions reported | ? | Marketing claims Netflix, YouTube, Prime, Disney+ worldwide; no audited region list on fetched pagesprovider claim |
| Other streaming services | Vom Anbieter genannt: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, BBC iPlayer, Sling TV, YouTube TV, Paramount+ und Tubiprovider claim | Netflix, YouTube, Prime, Disney+provider claim |
| Bandwidth cap | no limitprovider claim | cappedprovider claim |
| Data cap | noneprovider claim | Basic free: 500 MB/day; Premium: unlimitedprovider claim |
| Speed measurement references | ? | Claims up to 2.2x faster than competitionprovider claim |
| Official support in restrictive countries | Markets bypassing restrictions / streaming access; no China-specific official claim extracted from fetched pagesprovider claim | Historically used for censorship circumvention (Arab Spring); Hydra marketed for accessprovider claim |
| 24/7 live chat | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| SSL Labs grade of the website | Bconfirmed | A+confirmed |
| Tracker load of the website | Marketing site uses cookies; privacy policy covers trackingprovider claim | Essential + analytics/personalization/targeted advertising cookies disclosed on siteprovider claim |
| Length and readability of the legal documents | Standard corporate legal/privacy pagesprovider claim | Long formal ToS with commercial/cancellation sections; not specially simplifiedprovider claim |
| Marketing claims contradicting the provider's own terms | Aggressive promo pricing ($2.19/mo intro) paired with multi-year billing; Dedicated IP marketed as add-onprovider claim | Markets 'world's fastest VPN' via Speedtest; 2017 CDT/FTC complaint about free-tier data sharing (Wikipedia)confirmed |
All sourced criteria (153)
| CyberGhost | Hotspot Shield | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal company name | CyberGhost S.R.L.confirmed | Anchorfree, LLC / Pango GmbH (product under Point Wild / formerly Pango Group)provider claim |
| Trademark holder, if different | CyberGhost S.A. (marketing brand CyberGhost VPN)provider claim | Point Wild (HotSpot Shield brand)provider claim |
| Year founded | 2011confirmed | 2008confirmed |
| Headquarters (country) | ROconfirmed | USprovider claim |
| Other relevant jurisdictions | Rumänien (Betreibergesellschaft CyberGhost S.R.L.), Vereinigtes Königreich (Sitz der Konzernmutter Kape Technologies), Zypern (im rumänischen Register eingetragener Gesellschafter)confirmed | United States (Redwood City, California); Pango/Point Wild operatorconfirmed |
| Intelligence alliance of the home country | noneprovider claim | Five Eyesconfirmed |
| Parent group / holding | Kape Technologies PLCconfirmed | Point Wildconfirmed |
| Beneficial owners publicly known | fully knownconfirmed | partly knownprovider claim |
| Ownership structure | private equityprovider claim | private equityprovider claim |
| Leadership team publicly named | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Verifiable postal address for legal service | yesconfirmed | yesconfirmed |
| Sister VPN brands in the group | ExpressVPN, Private Internet Accessconfirmed | Betternet, Ultra VPN / UltraAV, VPN360, Touch VPN (per Point Wild / Pango portfolio disclosures)provider claim |
| Group owns VPN review and comparison sites | vpnMentor und Wizcase über die im März 2021 übernommene Webseleneseconfirmed | Comparitech (listed among Point Wild brands)provider claim |
| Runs an affiliate programme | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Typical commission rate | Anbieterangabe: bis zu 100 Prozent Provision, Abwicklung über ein HasOffers-Kontoprovider claim | ? |
| YouTube and influencer sponsoring | occasionalprovider claim | occasionalprovider claim |
| Documented misleading advertising claims | ? | 'Military-grade' encryption wording appears on download/marketing pages; Hydra marketed as '#1 for speed'provider claim |
| Acquisition history / former name | März 2017 Übernahme durch Kape Technologies; Mai 2023 Rückzug von Kape von der Londoner AIM nach dem Übernahmeangebot der Unikmind Holdings Limitedconfirmed | AnchorFree → Pango; Aura/Pango era; Dec 2024 Pango Group merged with Total Security and rebranded Point Wildprovider claim |
| Operating status | activeconfirmed | activeconfirmed |
| Core statement of the logging policy | Anbieterangabe: 'we are NOT storing connection logs, meaning that we DON'T have any logs tied to your IP address, connection timestamp or session duration.'provider claim | Does not store VPN browsing activity tied to a user; logs session duration, bandwidth, anonymized domains, device hashes; source IP encrypted then deleted at session endconfirmed |
| Activity and traffic logs | noneprovider claim | noneprovider claim |
| Connection logs | noneprovider claim | per sessionconfirmed |
| Storage of the real IP address | not storedprovider claim | transient onlyconfirmed |
| Storage of the assigned VPN IP | not storedprovider claim | not storedprovider claim |
| Precision of stored timestamps | noneprovider claim | to the secondprovider claim |
| Recording of transferred data volume | not recordedprovider claim | per accountconfirmed |
| Enforcement of the device limit | Multiple devices supported; exact simultaneous cap not on features fetchprovider claim | Premium links up to 10 devices per accountprovider claim |
| Minimum account data required | Laut Datenschutzerklärung werden bei der Registrierung Name, E-Mail-Adresse und Anschrift erhoben; die Browser-Erweiterungen für Chrome und Firefox lassen sich ohne Konto und ohne E-Mail-Adresse nutzenprovider claim | Device hashes for free products without account; paid/account flows collect additional account data per general policyprovider claim |
| Telemetry in the apps | ? | cannot be disabledprovider claim |
| Trackers and SDKs in the Android app | Not enumerated on fetched product pages (privacy policy URL returned 404 in this session)provider claim | Free versions: Google advertising ID (AAID) to Google for personalized adsprovider claim |
| Trackers in the iOS app | Not enumerated on fetched product pages (privacy policy URL returned 404 in this session)provider claim | Free versions: IDFA to Google for personalized adsprovider claim |
| Trackers and cookies on the website | Die Datenschutzerklärung nennt Google Analytics, Mouseflow, AppsFlyer, VWO und Iterable als eingesetzte Analyse- und Marketingdiensteprovider claim | Cookies for analytics, personalization, and targeted advertising (site cookie banner)provider claim |
| Data shared with third parties | Laut Datenschutzerklärung: Cleverbridge, Stripe, PayPal, Braintree, Paddle, BitPay und Amazon Pay (Zahlung), Zendesk (Support), Google Analytics, Mouseflow, AppsFlyer, VWO und Iterable (Analyse und Marketing) sowie verbundene Unternehmen der Kape Technologies PLCprovider claim | Free VPN versions: Google for personalized ads (AAID/IDFA); paid versions do not send to ad partners. Domain names logged anonymized/aggregated.provider claim |
| Retention periods stated in the policy | Unbestimmt. Die Datenschutzerklärung nennt keine Frist, sondern Aufbewahrung 'as long as needed to provide the Service and to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes and enforce our agreements'provider claim | Source IP collected for VPN session then deleted at session end; domains aggregated ~monthly; device hashes retained for analyticsprovider claim |
| EU representative named under GDPR | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Independent no-logs audit | yesconfirmed | yesconfirmed |
| No-logs audit details | Deloitte Audit S.R.L. (Rumänien), Prüfungen 2022, 2024 und 2025 nach ISAE 3000 (Revised); Prüfumfang laut Anbieter das VPN-Servernetz, Konfigurations- und Change-Management, Incident Response sowie das Token-System für dedizierte IP-Adressenprovider claim | Aon technical assessment for Pango Group, report dated 2023-08-25; free and paid tiers; client+server; concluded policy assertions fairly representedconfirmed |
| Audit report published | full reportconfirmed | summary onlyconfirmed |
| App and client audits | ? | none published on fetched pagesprovider claim |
| Infrastructure and server audits | ? | none published on fetched pagesprovider claim |
| Audit frequency | irregularprovider claim | irregularprovider claim |
| Tested in court or by authorities | ? | none documented on fetched official pagesprovider claim |
| Transparency report | regularprovider claim | occasionalprovider claim |
| Warrant canary | noneprovider claim | noneprovider claim |
| Security incidents and data leaks | Windows-Client: Rechteausweitung CVE-2023-30237 durch Command Injection im RPC-Dienst, am 03.01.2023 von Pen Test Partners gemeldet und mit Version 8.3.10.10015 am 24.02.2023 behoben. Linux-Client: am 01.12.2022 gemeldete fehlende Zertifikatsprüfung, Command Injection und lokale Rechteausweitung, teilweise behoben mit Version 1.4.0 am 24.12.2022 und vollständig mit 1.4.1 am 22.02.2023confirmed | 2017 CDT complaint to FTC alleging undisclosed data sharing/traffic redirection on Hotspot Shield Free (per Wikipedia)confirmed |
| Bug bounty programme | Bug-Bounty-Programm über YesWeHack, Prämien bis 1.250 US-Dollar; im Umfang unter anderem unbefugter Zugriff auf VPN-Server, Remote Code Execution und Schwachstellen, die Nutzerdaten offenlegenprovider claim | none published on fetched Hotspot Shield/Pango pagesprovider claim |
| Handling of reported vulnerabilities | ? | none disclosed on fetched pagesprovider claim |
| Open source clients | noneprovider claim | noneprovider claim |
| Open source server side | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Reproducible builds | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Available on F-Droid | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Listings by independent bodies | Marketing cites press; Vulnerability Disclosure Program linked in footerprovider claim | Cited Speedtest/Ookla fastest VPN; TechRadar, CNET, ZDNet, PCWorld quotes on marketing pagesprovider claim |
| WireGuard | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| OpenVPN over UDP | yesprovider claim | yesconfirmed |
| OpenVPN over TCP | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| IKEv2/IPsec | yesprovider claim | yesconfirmed |
| Proprietary protocol | noneprovider claim | Hydra (developed internally by Pango)confirmed |
| Legacy protocols still offered | none advertised; OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2 offeredprovider claim | Proprietary Hydra primary; OpenVPN/WireGuard not advertised as primary on fetched product pagesprovider claim |
| Default data cipher | Anbieterangabe: AES-256 bei OpenVPN und IKEv2, ChaCha20-Poly1305 bei WireGuardprovider claim | AES-256confirmed |
| Weakest accepted cipher | AES-256provider claim | AES-256provider claim |
| Key exchange and authentication | OpenVPN / WireGuard / IKEv2 handshakes depending on selected protocolprovider claim | Catapult Hydra proprietary protocolprovider claim |
| Perfect forward secrecy | yesprovider claim | ? |
| Post-quantum key exchange | not availableprovider claim | not availableprovider claim |
| Own DNS resolvers | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| DNS leak protection | yesprovider claim | ? |
| IPv6 handling | ? | unclearprovider claim |
| WebRTC protection or guidance | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Obfuscation methods | Not clearly documented as a named obfuscation feature on fetched features/home pages (OpenVPN/WireGuard/IKEv2 advertised)provider claim | Hydra proprietary protocol marketed for speed/security; censorship circumvention history (Arab Spring) per Wikipediaprovider claim |
| Usability behind the Great Firewall | unclearprovider claim | per user reportsconfirmed |
| Kill switch | system-wideprovider claim | not availableprovider claim |
| Permanent lockdown | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Split tunneling | Anbieterangabe: in der Windows-App über die Funktion 'Exceptions' für einzelne Websites, die Übersichtsseite nennt zusätzlich das Ausklammern einzelner Anwendungenprovider claim | not offered on Hotspot Shield select-plan/feature lists fetchedprovider claim |
| Multihop | not availableprovider claim | not availableprovider claim |
| Tor integration (Onion over VPN) | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Port forwarding | not availableprovider claim | not availableprovider claim |
| SOCKS5 proxy | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| HTTP proxy | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Smart DNS | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Ad and tracker filtering in DNS | fixed listprovider claim | fixed listprovider claim |
| Malware and phishing filter | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Custom DNS servers allowed | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Local network access toggle | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Auto connect rules | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Private device network (mesh) | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| GPS location override (Android) | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Traffic analysis defence | Content Blocker (ads/trackers/malware domains); protocols OpenVPN/WireGuard/IKEv2provider claim | Proprietary Catapult Hydra protocol; historical circumvention useprovider claim |
| IPv6 inside the tunnel | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Obfuscation without configuration | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Number of servers | 9,800 Serverprovider claim | 1,800 Serverprovider claim |
| Number of countries | 100 Laenderprovider claim | 80 Laenderprovider claim |
| Number of cities | 125 Staedteprovider claim | 35 Staedteprovider claim |
| Virtual locations | labelledprovider claim | not labelledprovider claim |
| RAM-only servers (diskless) | entire networkprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Hardware ownership | mixedprovider claim | rentedprovider claim |
| Own AS (autonomous system) | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| 10 Gbps ports | some serversprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| P2P and file sharing | dedicated locationsprovider claim | entire networkprovider claim |
| Public server list | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Public status page | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Known upstream hosting providers | Not individually named on fetched features/home pages; Kape-operated networkprovider claim | Third-party infrastructure providers (unnamed); Pango states it would leave any provider requiring activity loggingprovider claim |
| Windows app | native appprovider claim | native appconfirmed |
| macOS app | native appprovider claim | native appconfirmed |
| Linux app with GUI | native appprovider claim | not availableprovider claim |
| Linux command line | native appprovider claim | not availableprovider claim |
| Android app | native appprovider claim | native appconfirmed |
| iOS app | native appprovider claim | native appconfirmed |
| Android TV app | native appprovider claim | native appprovider claim |
| Apple TV app | native appprovider claim | not availableprovider claim |
| Fire TV app | native appprovider claim | native appprovider claim |
| Browser extension | own extensionprovider claim | not availableprovider claim |
| Type of browser extension | standalone browser proxyprovider claim | no extensionprovider claim |
| Router support | OpenVPN-Konfigurationsdateien für DD-WRT, Tomato, OpenWrt sowie AsusWRT und AsusWRT-Merlinprovider claim | Router mentioned as connectable device under Premium (up to 10 devices)provider claim |
| Native build for Apple Silicon | ? | yesprovider claim |
| Command line documented | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Simultaneous devices | 7provider claim | 10provider claim |
| Usable without an account | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Data required at signup | any email addressprovider claim | any email addressprovider claim |
| Account model | email as loginprovider claim | email as loginprovider claim |
| Cash by mail | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Monero | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Bitcoin | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Lightning | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Retail gift cards | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| PayPal | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Credit and debit card | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| SEPA payment | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Monthly price | €11.99provider claim | €11.99provider claim |
| Effective price on the longest term | €2.19provider claim | €7.99provider claim |
| Price change at renewal | moderate increaseprovider claim | moderate increaseprovider claim |
| Flat pricing without permanent discounts | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Free tier and its limits | Kostenlose Browser-Erweiterungen für Chrome und Firefox ohne Konto und ohne E-Mail-Adresse, beschränkt auf Server in den USA, Deutschland, den Niederlanden und Rumänien und nur für den Verkehr des Browsersprovider claim | Free VPN products (Hotspot Shield free) supported by third-party in-app ads (Unity, ironSource, Digital Turbine, InMobi)confirmed |
| Money-back window | 45 Tageprovider claim | 45 Tageprovider claim |
| Cancellation path | cancel in accountprovider claim | cancel in accountconfirmed |
| P2P policy in the terms of service | dedicated locationsprovider claim | entire networkprovider claim |
| Streaming unblocking officially advertised | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Netflix regions reported | ? | Marketing claims Netflix, YouTube, Prime, Disney+ worldwide; no audited region list on fetched pagesprovider claim |
| Other streaming services | Vom Anbieter genannt: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, BBC iPlayer, Sling TV, YouTube TV, Paramount+ und Tubiprovider claim | Netflix, YouTube, Prime, Disney+provider claim |
| Bandwidth cap | no limitprovider claim | cappedprovider claim |
| Data cap | noneprovider claim | Basic free: 500 MB/day; Premium: unlimitedprovider claim |
| Speed measurement references | ? | Claims up to 2.2x faster than competitionprovider claim |
| Official support in restrictive countries | Markets bypassing restrictions / streaming access; no China-specific official claim extracted from fetched pagesprovider claim | Historically used for censorship circumvention (Arab Spring); Hydra marketed for accessprovider claim |
| 24/7 live chat | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Email or ticket support | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Telephone support | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| German-language support | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Documentation assessment | workableprovider claim | workableprovider claim |
| Self-hosted chat widget | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Self-service account deletion | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| SSL Labs grade of the website | Bconfirmed | A+confirmed |
| Tracker load of the website | Marketing site uses cookies; privacy policy covers trackingprovider claim | Essential + analytics/personalization/targeted advertising cookies disclosed on siteprovider claim |
| URL of the warrant canary | none foundprovider claim | none foundprovider claim |
| Length and readability of the legal documents | Standard corporate legal/privacy pagesprovider claim | Long formal ToS with commercial/cancellation sections; not specially simplifiedprovider claim |
| Marketing claims contradicting the provider's own terms | Aggressive promo pricing ($2.19/mo intro) paired with multi-year billing; Dedicated IP marketed as add-onprovider claim | Markets 'world's fastest VPN' via Speedtest; 2017 CDT/FTC complaint about free-tier data sharing (Wikipedia)confirmed |