Becoming a CyberGhost user is a straightforward process. Signup is simple, with only a few options to choose from – it took us no more than a couple of minutes. From there, you just download the app on the device you’re using and log in.
Here’s an overview of our experience testing CyberGhost on different devices and platforms:
Desktop & Laptop: Windows & Mac
At a glance, CyberGhost’s Windows and macOS apps look very similar:

CyberGhost for Windows and macOS look virtually identical – it’s the advanced settings where they really differ.
Both versions of the desktop app have two different views: a compact view and a windowed view. The compact view shows you fewer options and is designed for when you just want to quickly connect or disconnect from a server – on Mac it drops down from the menu bar, while on Windows it pops up from the taskbar.
This can be helpful, but there’s a chance that first-time users may not be aware that they’re missing out on the full app – make sure you click the arrow button to expand to the full view.
It’s here that the differences start to appear. CyberGhost lists its different specialized servers in the left-hand menu. On Windows you can see servers for torrenting, streaming, gaming, plus dedicated IP and NoSpy options. On Mac, gaming and NoSpy options are missing.
You can still connect to those servers by browsing to their location manually, but there’s no way for Mac users to know which ones they are without stumbling across them by accident or having the Windows app to cross-reference with.
In the Settings menu, CyberGhost for Windows has toggles for DNS leak prevention and a kill switch that aren’t there on macOS. After some testing, though, we can confirm that those options are simply always enabled on Mac.
It’s disappointing there is no OpenVPN option on macOS. While WireGuard is a worthy replacement, we still like to see the option. To use OpenVPN on Mac, instead of IKEv2 or WireGuard, you have to use external software like Tunnelblick.
You can find full instructions on configuring OpenVPN for Mac here.
Mobile Apps: Android & iOS
CyberGhost’s mobile apps are as simple as it gets. The home screen is just a big connect button with a server selection menu beneath it – you can’t really go wrong here.
Differences between the two platforms only emerge when you dive into the advanced settings.

CyberGhost Windows (left) and iOS (right) are the most similar of all its apps. The only difference on the home screens are your hidden IP address on Android and the name of your WiFi network on iOS.
On iOS, there are options for a dedicated IP, domain fronting, and a connection checker. On Android, there’s additional options for split tunneling, an ad and tracker blocker, and protection against malicious websites.
Both mobile apps give you the option to adjust settings for specific networks. This way the VPN will know how to behave at home, school or work, or on public WiFi.
CyberGhost really feels at its best on mobile. It’s so straightforward to use and works so smoothly, even compared to its desktop version, that we think it’s a great choice if you primarily use a VPN on your smartphone.
Linux App
If you’re a Linux user we cannot recommend CyberGhost. It works just fine – the issue is that it still uses a command line interface (CLI) instead of a graphical user interface (GUI).

CyberGhost for Linux looks like any other Terminal application. Its options are clearly explained, but it’s still ugly and old-fashioned.
That means that you control it entirely through the Terminal using command prompts. It’s so disappointing to see a VPN as popular as CyberGhost still doing this in 2023. It’s not the only big-name VPN still doing it, but rivals like Private Internet Access and Proton VPN offer excellent, fully-featured Linux VPN experiences with no compromises.
Fire TV & Android TV Apps
Plenty of VPNs struggle with their streaming device apps, but we actually really like using CyberGhost on both our Amazon Fire TV Stick and our Chromecast.

CyberGhost looks a lot like its desktop app on Firestick, and there’s a surprising array of options hidden behind that settings cog.
It’s simple and clearly laid out, and it even has a ‘Streaming’ tab where you can see servers sorted by which streaming service they unblock. They don’t always work, but it’s still a helpful feature a lot of the time.
Smart DNS
Smart DNS allows you to unblock specific streaming services on platforms that don’t have the ability to support VPNs, like your games console or Apple TV.

Being able to select a platform and purpose seems nice at a glance, but the DNS addresses actually remain the same regardless of what option you choose. The Netflix UK address, for example, is the same in all five tabs.
Using CyberGhost’s ‘My Smart DNS’ is as simple as logging into your account, noting down the IP address of the DNS server you need, and then entering it into the DNS server field of your streaming device of choice.
Whether or not the service actually works is another matter – we’ve found CyberGhost’s Smart DNS to be very inconsistent in our testing, but it’s at least very easy to set up.
Browser Extensions
CyberGhost’s browser extension is as simple as it gets: a connect button and four servers to choose between in a dropdown menu. There’s nothing else you can do with it, but that’s fine – for an entirely free offering it’s perfectly acceptable.

It’s not the prettiest extension out there, but CyberGhost for Chrome does the job.