CyberGhost vs Surfshark

Comparing: two VPNs
Decided by: Independent no-logs audits
Last reviewed: 2026-08-26

Three Deloitte audits and a Romanian base outside the intelligence alliances, from the third Kape-owned brand on this page.

SurfsharkTakes bitcoin

Unlimited devices and Deloitte-verified no-logs, from a company that merged into the same group as NordVPN in 2022.

Verdict: CyberGhost

CyberGhost carries more independent audits of its no-logs claim: 3 against 2 for Surfshark. We publish no rating for VPNs, so the audit count is the one criterion that decides.

Criterion: Independent no-logs audits
CyberGhost: 3
Surfshark: 2

CyberGhost and Surfshark, fact by fact

Every row is from the two reviews as of their review dates, with sources on each. A check marks the side a decidable criterion favours; rows without one are information, not a score.

CyberGhost and Surfshark compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
Fact	CyberGhost	Surfshark
Independent audits	3, latest 2025 (favoured on this row)	2, latest 2025
Real-world tests	0	0
Incidents on record	0	0
Market exits	0	0
Owner	Kape Technologies	Nord Security
Jurisdiction	Romania	Netherlands
Eyes alliance	Outside	Nine Eyes
Price	From $2.19/mo on the 2yr plan	From $2.49/mo on the 2yr plan
Money-back	45 days	30 days
Crypto accepted	bitcoin	bitcoin, litecoin, ethereum, bitcoin cash, dogecoin
Anonymous signup	No	No
Free tier	None	None
Servers	Vendor states thousands of servers across around 100 countries, running in ephemeral RAM-only containers	Vendor states more than 4,500 servers across 100 countries, all upgraded to 10Gbps ports
Last reviewed	2026-08-26	2026-08-26

No-logs evidence, side by side

Dated audits and real-world tests from each review. An empty column is a finding: the claim has not been independently checked.

CyberGhost

2025Audit by Deloitte Audit Romania: third assurance engagement under ISAE 3000 (Revised), covering the server network, configuration and change management, incident response and the dedicated IP token system
2024Audit by Deloitte Audit Romania: second assurance engagement on the no-logs policy
2022Audit by Deloitte Audit Romania: first assurance engagement, inspecting the VPN server network and management systems against the stated no-logs policy

Surfshark

2025Audit by Deloitte: independent assurance that the service does not monitor or log user activity, announced June 2025
2023Audit by Deloitte: first Deloitte no-logs assurance engagement on the server configurations

Frequently asked questions

Is CyberGhost or Surfshark better for privacy?

CyberGhost carries more independent audits of its no-logs claim: 3 against 2 for Surfshark. We publish no rating for VPNs, so the audit count is the one criterion that decides. Audits, court and seizure records and incidents are dated on each review with their sources.

Can I pay CyberGhost or Surfshark with bitcoin?

CyberGhost takes bitcoin (processor: BitPay). Surfshark takes bitcoin, litecoin, ethereum, bitcoin cash and dogecoin (processor: CoinGate). Each review quotes the vendor's own refund sentence for crypto purchases verbatim.

Which is cheaper, CyberGhost or Surfshark?

CyberGhost: From $2.19/mo on the 2yr plan. Surfshark: From $2.49/mo on the 2yr plan. Money-back: CyberGhost 45 days, Surfshark 30 days. Prices are from each vendor's own page as of the review date.

Where are CyberGhost and Surfshark based?

CyberGhost: Romania (outside the five, nine and fourteen eyes alliances). Surfshark: Netherlands (nine eyes member). A jurisdiction matters less than a court record showing what the provider could hand over; the reviews carry those where they exist.

The full reviews: CyberGhost and Surfshark, each with its sources, and every VPN we review.

More comparisons

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