Note: This comparison is based on each provider’s official pricing, help and audit pages, checked on September 27, 2026. We did not run speed or streaming tests, so there are no benchmark numbers here. VPN promo prices change constantly, so confirm on the vendor’s site before you buy.
Short answer: CyberGhost is cheap ($2.19/month on its 2-year plan) and has a long 45-day refund window. People usually leave because of its 7-device limit, its lack of port forwarding, or its owner, Kape Technologies (which also owns ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access).
- Pick NordVPN for the closest all-round replacement: 10 devices, repeated Deloitte no-logs audits and plenty of extras.
- Pick Surfshark for the lowest 2-year price and unlimited devices.
- Pick Proton VPN if you want privacy and port forwarding from a company outside the Kape group.
- Pick Mullvad if you want no email, cash payments and a flat monthly price.
Summary table (September 2026)
| VPN | Cheapest long plan (intro) | Renews at | Devices | No-logs / security audit | Port forwarding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CyberGhost (baseline) | $2.19/mo, 2 years + 2 months ($56.94) | $56.94/year | 7 | Deloitte (2022, 2024, 2025) | No |
| NordVPN Basic | $3.49/mo, 2 years + 3 months ($94.23) | $139.08/year | 10 | Deloitte (2022–2025), PwC earlier | No |
| Surfshark Starter | $2.49/mo, 2 years + 3 months ($67.23) | $79/year | Unlimited | Deloitte (2023, 2025) | No |
| Proton VPN Plus | $3.49/mo, 2 years ($83.76) | $83.88/year | 10 | Securitum (annual, latest 2026) | Yes (P2P servers, desktop) |
| Mullvad | €5/mo, any term | €5/mo | 5 | Infrastructure and app audits (Cure53 2024, X41 D-Sec 2026) | No |
| ExpressVPN Basic | $2.99/mo, 2 years + 4 months ($83.72) | $99.95/year | 10 | KPMG (2025) | No (router-only, outside the tunnel) |
| Private Internet Access | $2.03/mo, 3 years + 3 months | $79 every 3 years | Unlimited | Deloitte (2022, 2024, 2025) | Yes (select servers) |
| IVPN Standard | $60/year | $60/year | 5 | Cure53 no-logs audit (2019) | No |
Surfshark’s renewal price comes from its pricing page data, not the plan card. Proton’s prices come from its checkout on September 27, 2026 with the intro offer applied. All prices are in USD except Mullvad.
CyberGhost today: price and ownership
| CyberGhost plan | Price | Billed | Renews at | Money-back |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 years + 2 months | $2.19/mo | $56.94 for the first 2 years | $56.94/year | 45 days |
| 6 months | $6.99/mo | $41.94 | $41.94 every 6 months | 45 days |
| 1 month | $12.99/mo | $12.99 | $12.99/month | 14 days |
All CyberGhost plans cover 7 devices. CyberGhost lists 9,900+ servers.
Ownership: CyberGhost S.R.L. is based in Romania. Its privacy policy names Kape Technologies PLC as its ultimate holding company. ExpressVPN’s and PIA’s privacy policies name Kape too. If the owner is your reason for leaving, switching to either of those keeps you in the same group.
Port forwarding: CyberGhost’s help center says it doesn’t support port forwarding.
In CyberGhost’s favor: the renewal price is low ($56.94/year), the 45-day refund window is the longest in this list, and it has had three Deloitte no-logs assessments.
The 7 alternatives
1. NordVPN: best all-round replacement
| Plan (2-year + 3 months) | Intro | Paid upfront | Renews at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $3.49/mo | $94.23 | $139.08/year |
| Complete | $4.49/mo | $121.23 | $219.48/year |
| Prime | $7.49/mo | $202.23 | $296.28/year |
Every plan covers 10 devices and has a 30-day money-back guarantee. Deloitte has reviewed NordVPN’s no-logs policy four times (2022–2025), after two earlier PwC reviews. A dedicated IP is available as an add-on. NordVPN’s help center says it doesn’t offer port forwarding. The main catch is renewal: Basic jumps to $139.08/year, more than twice CyberGhost’s renewal price.
Check NordVPN’s current price. See also our NordVPN review.
2. Surfshark: cheapest 2-year deal, unlimited devices
| Plan (2-year + 3 months) | Intro | Paid upfront |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $2.49/mo | $67.23 |
| One | $2.79/mo | $75.33 |
| One+ | $4.49/mo | $121.23 |
Surfshark allows unlimited devices, lists 4,500+ servers in 100 countries and offers Dynamic MultiHop and a dedicated IP add-on in 20 locations. Deloitte verified its no-logs policy in 2023 and again in 2025. Surfshark says it doesn’t support port forwarding. Its pricing data lists Starter renewing at $79/year, cheaper than NordVPN’s renewal.
See Surfshark’s plans. Deciding between the two? Read NordVPN vs Surfshark.
3. Proton VPN: privacy plus port forwarding
| VPN Plus | Price |
|---|---|
| 1 month | $9.99 |
| 1 year (intro) | $53.88 ($4.49/mo) |
| 2 years (intro) | $83.76 ($3.49/mo) |
| Renewal | $83.88/year |
Proton is based in Switzerland. VPN Plus covers 10 devices and lists 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries. Securitum has audited Proton’s no-logs policy every year for five years, most recently in 2026, and its apps are open source. Port forwarding is supported on P2P servers on all paid plans (Windows, macOS and Linux). There’s also a free plan (1 device, servers in 10 countries). Proton has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
4. Mullvad: the most anonymous signup
Mullvad costs €5 per month whatever the term, with 10% off for crypto. You get a random account number with no email, and you can pay in cash or Monero. It allows 5 devices, uses RAM-only servers and is WireGuard-only (OpenVPN was removed in January 2026). It removed port forwarding in 2023, and refunds last 14 days (none for cash). Full details are in our Mullvad review.
5. ExpressVPN: premium tiers, same owner as CyberGhost
| Plan (2 years + 4 months) | Intro | Paid upfront | Renews at | Devices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $2.99/mo | $83.72 | $99.95/year | 10 |
| Advanced | $4.49/mo | $125.72 | $119.95/year | 12 |
| Express Pro | $7.49/mo | $209.72 | $199.95/year | 14 |
KPMG assessed ExpressVPN’s no-logs policy in 2025. Its router app can forward ports, but ExpressVPN says that traffic is outside the VPN tunnel, so there’s no VPN-side port forwarding. It’s a solid product, but it belongs to Kape Technologies, like CyberGhost.
6. Private Internet Access: unlimited devices and port forwarding
| Plan | Price | Renews at |
|---|---|---|
| 3 years + 3 months | $2.03/mo | $79 every 3 years |
| 1 year | $3.99/mo ($47.88) | $47.88/year |
| 1 month | $11.95 | $11.95/month |
PIA allows unlimited devices, lists servers in 91 countries and supports port forwarding on select servers (Windows, macOS, Linux and Android). Deloitte has reviewed its no-logs policy three times (2022, 2024, 2025). It has the lowest long-term renewal price here, but it’s also a Kape company.
7. IVPN: small, privacy-first alternative
| Plan | Month | Year | Devices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $6 | $60 | 5 |
| Plus | $8 | $80 | 5 |
| Pro Suite | $10 | $100 | 10 |
IVPN is registered in Gibraltar and needs no email at signup. It accepts cash, Monero and Bitcoin, its apps are open source, and it offers a 30-day refund window. Cure53 audited its no-logs claims in 2019, and IVPN says it no longer commissions no-logs audits, preferring annual security audits instead. It doesn’t offer port forwarding.
Which should you pick?
| Your situation | Pick |
|---|---|
| You want a mainstream replacement with 10 devices and extras | NordVPN |
| You want the lowest 2-year price and unlimited devices | Surfshark |
| You need port forwarding and want to avoid Kape | Proton VPN Plus |
| You want to sign up without an email and pay cash | Mullvad or IVPN |
| You need unlimited devices and port forwarding, and the owner doesn’t matter | Private Internet Access |
| You want bundled extras (password manager, identity alerts, dark web monitoring) | ExpressVPN Advanced/Express Pro or NordVPN Complete/Prime |
| You’re happy with CyberGhost and mainly want to save money | Stay. CyberGhost’s renewal price is already low |
Pros and cons of switching
Pros
- 10+ devices (NordVPN, Proton, ExpressVPN) or unlimited (Surfshark, PIA), versus 7 on CyberGhost.
- Port forwarding on Proton VPN and PIA.
- Providers outside the Kape group: NordVPN, Surfshark, Proton, Mullvad and IVPN.
- Anonymous signup options (Mullvad, IVPN).
Cons
- Most alternatives renew higher than CyberGhost’s $56.94/year. NordVPN Basic renews at $139.08.
- Most refund windows are 30 days (14 for Mullvad) versus CyberGhost’s 45 days on long plans.
- The best intro prices require prepaying 2 years or more.
FAQ
Who owns CyberGhost? CyberGhost’s privacy policy names Kape Technologies PLC as its ultimate holding company. Kape also owns ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access, according to their privacy policies.
What’s the cheapest CyberGhost alternative? On intro pricing, PIA ($2.03/mo on a 3-year + 3-month plan) and Surfshark Starter ($2.49/mo, $67.23 for 27 months). For renewals, PIA’s $79 every 3 years is the lowest.
Which CyberGhost alternatives support port forwarding? Proton VPN (P2P servers on paid plans) and Private Internet Access (select servers). NordVPN, Surfshark, Mullvad, IVPN and CyberGhost don’t. ExpressVPN only forwards ports on its router app, outside the VPN tunnel.
Which VPN allows the most devices? Surfshark and PIA allow unlimited devices. NordVPN, Proton VPN Plus and ExpressVPN Basic allow 10, and CyberGhost allows 7.
Can I get a refund if I switch? NordVPN, Surfshark, Proton, ExpressVPN (new users), PIA and IVPN offer 30 days. Mullvad offers 14 days, and none on cash payments.
Want a developer-focused shortlist? See our best VPN for developers guide.
Sources, checked September 27, 2026: CyberGhost pricing, CyberGhost privacy policy, CyberGhost 2025 audit, CyberGhost P2P help, NordVPN pricing, NordVPN no-logs, NordVPN port forwarding, Surfshark pricing, Surfshark 2025 Deloitte audit, Surfshark 2023 Deloitte audit, Surfshark on port forwarding, Proton VPN pricing, Proton VPN port forwarding, Proton VPN no-logs audit, Mullvad pricing, Mullvad audits, ExpressVPN pricing, ExpressVPN KPMG 2025 audit, ExpressVPN router port forwarding, ExpressVPN privacy policy, PIA pricing, PIA 2025 Deloitte audit, PIA port forwarding, PIA privacy policy, IVPN pricing, IVPN home, IVPN 2026 audit plan, IVPN 2019 no-logs audit.