VPN Matrix

CyberGhost / Hotspot Shield compared

Same criteria, same rules. You see where they diverge.
CyberGhostHotspot ShieldOpen in the matrix
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Differences (87)

Criteria where the values diverge.

 CyberGhostHotspot 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
50% commission or more on referred VPN sales (1-month $12.99 example)confirmed
Documented misleading advertising claims
none_knownprovider claim
'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
opt inprovider claim
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
Deloitte no-logs audit 2025provider claim
none published on fetched pagesprovider claim
Infrastructure and server audits
Deloitte infrastructure audit 2025provider claim
none published on fetched pagesprovider claim
Tested in court or by authorities
No public court case testing CyberGhost no-logsprovider claim
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
Kape/CyberGhost security advisoriesprovider claim
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
IPv6 handling
disabledprovider claim
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
Surcharge for a dedicated IP
€4.00provider claim
€0.00provider 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
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
Anbieterangabe von eigens ausgewiesenen Netflix-Servern für Argentinien, Australien, Belgien, Brasilien, Kanada, die Schweiz, Tschechien, Deutschland, Dänemark, Spanien, Frankreich, Israel, Indien, Italien, Japan, Südkorea, Mexiko, die Niederlande, Norwegen, Neuseeland, Polen, Rumänien, Schweden, Singapur, Thailand, die Türkei, das Vereinigte Königreich, die USA und Südafrika (29 Länder).provider claim
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
Keine unabhängigen Geschwindigkeitsmessungen auf den offiziellen Seiten verlinkt. Belegt werden nur die Hardware-Kapazität ('10-Gbps servers') und Marketingformulierungen wie 'ultra-fast speeds'; konkrete Mbit/s- oder Ping-Werte aus eigenen oder Drittanbieter-Tests werden nicht genannt.provider claim
Claims up to 2.2x faster than competitionprovider claim
Latency and gaming suitability
Die App zeigt laut Anbieter Ping, Entfernung und Serverauslastung je Standort an, damit Spieler eine latenzarme Verbindung wählen können; die Gaming-Seite wirbt zusätzlich mit 'Reduce Ping When Gaming Online'. Konkrete Millisekundenwerte oder unabhängige Messungen werden nicht genannt.provider claim
?
SMTP and port 25 handling
Not documented on fetched CyberGhost pagesprovider claim
Not documented on fetched Hotspot Shield pagesprovider 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 (157)

 CyberGhostHotspot 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
50% commission or more on referred VPN sales (1-month $12.99 example)confirmed
YouTube and influencer sponsoring
occasionalprovider claim
occasionalprovider claim
Documented misleading advertising claims
none_knownprovider claim
'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
User base migrated to
noneprovider claim
noneprovider 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
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
opt inprovider claim
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
Deloitte no-logs audit 2025provider claim
none published on fetched pagesprovider claim
Infrastructure and server audits
Deloitte infrastructure audit 2025provider claim
none published on fetched pagesprovider claim
Audit frequency
irregularprovider claim
irregularprovider claim
Tested in court or by authorities
No public court case testing CyberGhost no-logsprovider claim
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
Kape/CyberGhost security advisoriesprovider claim
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
yesprovider claim
Post-quantum key exchange
not availableprovider claim
not availableprovider claim
Own DNS resolvers
yesprovider claim
yesprovider claim
DNS leak protection
yesprovider claim
yesprovider claim
IPv6 handling
disabledprovider claim
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
Surcharge for a dedicated IP
€4.00provider claim
€0.00provider 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
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
Anbieterangabe von eigens ausgewiesenen Netflix-Servern für Argentinien, Australien, Belgien, Brasilien, Kanada, die Schweiz, Tschechien, Deutschland, Dänemark, Spanien, Frankreich, Israel, Indien, Italien, Japan, Südkorea, Mexiko, die Niederlande, Norwegen, Neuseeland, Polen, Rumänien, Schweden, Singapur, Thailand, die Türkei, das Vereinigte Königreich, die USA und Südafrika (29 Länder).provider claim
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
Keine unabhängigen Geschwindigkeitsmessungen auf den offiziellen Seiten verlinkt. Belegt werden nur die Hardware-Kapazität ('10-Gbps servers') und Marketingformulierungen wie 'ultra-fast speeds'; konkrete Mbit/s- oder Ping-Werte aus eigenen oder Drittanbieter-Tests werden nicht genannt.provider claim
Claims up to 2.2x faster than competitionprovider claim
Latency and gaming suitability
Die App zeigt laut Anbieter Ping, Entfernung und Serverauslastung je Standort an, damit Spieler eine latenzarme Verbindung wählen können; die Gaming-Seite wirbt zusätzlich mit 'Reduce Ping When Gaming Online'. Konkrete Millisekundenwerte oder unabhängige Messungen werden nicht genannt.provider claim
?
SMTP and port 25 handling
Not documented on fetched CyberGhost pagesprovider claim
Not documented on fetched Hotspot Shield pagesprovider 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