The Free Version of CyberGhost VPN Is No Longer Available, But You Can Still Try It for Free

November 22, 2018, marked a turning point in CyberGhost VPN’s history. It was the day we discontinued our free VPN service.

It was a tough decision for us, but it was ultimately what gave us the resources to build a reliable and robust VPN service that’s capable of withstanding online threats. We don’t expect you to take our word for it, though, which is why you can still try CyberGhost VPN for free.

Even though this is a dying practice in the industry, we’ve always offered a free trial. We want you to get a clear picture of our service. We also have a 45-day money-back guarantee in place if you need more time to test our service.

Need a quick, one-time-only VPN connection? You can check out our free browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox.

Not sure which one is the right option for you? Read on and find out.

What Happened to the CyberGhost VPN Free Version?

If you’re a VPN veteran or a long-time Ghostie, you might remember CyberGhost VPN as a freemium service. A long time ago, we had a free plan available, even though it offered significantly fewer features than our paid plan.

On November 22, 2018, we discontinued our free VPN service. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but we had to make a choice.

The digital landscape changed over the years to accommodate surveillance software, data-mining, and third-party tracking. That meant we had to work even harder to make the internet a safer, more open place.

So, maintaining the free version demanded increasing resources, and we had to do more to support your fundamental right to online privacy. We reached a crossroads.

But you aren’t a product, and we’d never treat you as such.We could’ve taken the free VPN way: offering a free product and monetizing your data and digital identity. So many services already paved this path, like Google and Facebook, and it could’ve been an easy way to keep us afloat.

We decided to stay true to our mission. That’s why we unified our products into a single premium, paid VPN, as that’s the only way to fight for online privacy. Every day, we protect 38 million Ghosties. We don’t take this responsibility lightly. We’ve never compromised on quality or security, and we never will.

Now more than ever, we’re doing our best to build the best, most robust privacy tools for you.

Your Privacy Is Under Attack

The digital services you use make a habit of siphoning your data. The websites you visit regularly track your every click. Time and time again, we’ve seen services overstepping boundaries despite their claims to respect your privacy.

Here’s a refresher of 3 egregious practices:

1. Facebook

Facebook infamously paid teenagers to download a free VPN app, Onavo, that spied on their traffic and siphoned their private data. The company claimed this was for research purposes.

Steven Levy noticing Onavo privacy invasive practices are against the principles of a VPN

Europe’s antitrust regulator took Facebook to court, not over privacy concerns, but because Facebook would use teenager’s data to gauge its competitors.

2. TikTok

Thanks to an iOS update, people discovered that TikTok was recording your clipboard context. Ever copy-pasted a password or a phone number? TikTok likely has it. TikTok insists this spyware-like “feature” wasn’t available on Android devices.

Dr Owain Kenway advises people to uninstall TikTok to prevent the app from reading their clipboard

3. Grammarly

Even the most inconspicuous services can leech your data. Grammarly, the popular grammar correction tool, has a pretty worrying privacy policy.

DuckDuckGo reporting on a Reddit user's findings about Grammarly's data collection policies

The browser extension essentially checks anything you type for spelling errors. That includes your private information, like name, address, passwords, messages, and credit card information. It’s not clear how long Grammarly stores your data, but it really blurs the lines between an extension and a keylogger. Keyloggers are a disaster for your privacy because they monitor and store your every move.

The list could go on and on, but you get the point. Your data isn’t safe.

New (Privacy-Invasive) Technology

Apps and services aren’t the only things threatening your privacy. We also need to talk about machine learning. Advancements in the field will allow technologies to learn more than ever about you. AI-enabled systems train their algorithms through your clicks, your preferences, your typing mannerisms, and your pictures.

Unfortunately, these practices are largely unregulated by current laws. Technology is currently evolving faster than legislators can keep up with. The best thing you can do to protect yourself from privacy-invasive software is to take matters into your own hands.

You can start by using a VPN. Virtual private networks redirect your traffic through an encrypted tunnel and hide your IP address to keep you safe online. Services like CyberGhost VPN make a dent in bulk data collection practices, but they need a lot of resources to operate and maintain an optimal level.

Modern living is riddled with privacy invasions, and it’s becoming more and more costly to retaliate against threats. Free VPNs just aren’t cut out for it anymore.

Free VPNs Aren’t Sustainable

Who doesn’t like getting things for free? Still, we should be aware it’s not all actually free. Companies that offer free samples or trials do that to help you familiarize yourself with their service or product before putting your hard-earned money into it.

If something is indefinitely free, you’re looking at an anomaly in the supply and demand economic model. Any and all business models need a source of income, despite what these companies claim.

Free VPNs and paid VPNs need the same employees: app developers, DevOps developers, web developers, infrastructure specialists, QA engineers, data scientists, and payment specialists at the very minimum. You can’t expect all these people to work for free.

That’s why free VPNs turn to another means of monetization — you.

Despite publicly condemning the lack of privacy and anonymity on the internet nowadays, free VPNs actually use many privacy-invasive tactics themselves. They record your internet traffic and then sell your data to any interested third party, like advertisers, government agencies, law enforcement agencies, data-brokers, and even cybercriminals.

Free VPNs also profit from selling your idle bandwidth to other services. Worst yet, a 2018 study found that 4 in 10 free VPN apps contain some form of malware. This could range from adware that pesters you with constant ads that line their pockets to ransomware that asks you for enormous sums in exchange for regaining access to your device. 

Other free VPNs are just glorified spyware that track everything about you.

Here’s a snapshot of one free VPN’s terms and conditions. Look at how much data you’re giving them!

That’s a lot of information!

Hola VPN's privacy policy showing the user information the app collects

No matter how you think of it, you’re still paying to use a free VPN. You’re just not directly paying upfront for a subscription. You’d be paying with your data, security, bandwidth, or money: free VPNs come with a significant trade-off.

A VPN’s purpose is to protect your online privacy and add an extra security layer to your connection. You just can’t get that with free VPNs, which is why you need a secure and reputable paid VPN.

Luckily, you can try out CyberGhost VPN for free and make sure a VPN is the right choice for you.

How to Try CyberGhost VPN for Free

We let our service speak for us. You’re welcome to take CyberGhost VPN for a test drive and find out if our service suits your needs. Even though we don’t have a free version anymore, here are 3 ways to try CyberGhost VPN for free:

1. Test CyberGhost’s Free Trial

The easiest way to try us out is with our CyberGhost VPN free trial. CyberGhost VPN lets you access all of our paid subscription features for 24 hours. All we require is that you create an account with a valid email address. That’s it. You don’t need to enter payment details, billing information, or your crypto wallet address.

Our strict No-Logs policy also covers your trial period. That means we don’t monitor what you do on our servers or how much bandwidth you’re using. Unlike other services, we won’t cut your trial short because of your usage.

2. Use the Free Browser Extension

If you’re learning the ropes of how a VPN works, our free browsers extensions are the perfect choice for you. If you’re a Chrome or Mozilla Firefox user, you just need to go to the respective Web Store and download our VPN extension.

You’ll have access to free VPN servers in 4 countries: the United States, Germany, Romania, and the Netherlands. You don’t even need to create an account to use the add-on. Keep in mind that this version has some limitations. You can only encrypt your browser’s traffic, and you can only connect to these 4 countries.

3. Try All the Premium Features with Our 45-Day Money-Back Guarantee

If you want a full-fledged VPN experience, we offer a 45-day money-back guarantee to all our subscribers. That means you can get CyberGhost VPN and test all our servers for all your web activities, like browsing, streaming, and even gaming for 45 days!

You can also try out manual VPN configurations and use our Smart DNS servers. If you’re anything less than 100% satisfied with our service, you can get a full refund within 45 days.

Pro Tip: To get the full VPN experience, we recommend the money-back guarantee option. It gives you 45 days to check out all our VPN features. If you’re not 100% satisfied, you get a full refund, no questions asked. Try out CyberGhost VPN risk-free!

Are you a journalist or a representative of an association that supports civil liberties? We offer our service for free to organizations committed to freedom of speech and investigative journalism. Reach out to us via our Digital Freedom Program!

What to Expect from CyberGhost

Our mission at CyberGhost VPN has always been to protect your digital identity and online privacy with nothing less than the best tools. We’re constantly working in the background to offer our community of 38 million+ users a reliable VPN service, user-friendly apps, and optimal servers.

We’re making it our mission to:

1. Build an Open and Transparent Service

Transparency is second nature for us. Ever since our inception, we aimed to be open with the steps we take to secure your data. 

In 2011, we were the first VPN provider to publish a Transparency Report. This became a tradition we hold dearly. In 2019, we increased the frequency and started publishing quarterly reports, right here, on the Privacy Hub.

More importantly, in 2022, we underwent our first independent audit. We invited Deloitte to inspect our server network and its management system to see how our configurations align with our strict No Logs policy. We’re happy to report that Deloitte found we keep no data that could be used to identify any individual user.

2. Offer a Robust Worldwide Server Network

We’ve built a global high-performance network with 9,000+ VPN servers in 91 countries, to make sure we cover all our Ghosties’ needs. From streaming to gaming, we encrypt your online activity with little to no change in your internet performance.

We began upgrading our fleet to 10 Gbps servers starting with our most popular locations. This is how we make sure our servers can handle intense traffic while preventing overcrowding and network congestion.

3. Improve our Apps and Add New Features

We make sure our VPN apps are in top-notch shape with every update to stay ahead of online threats. 

Our innovative token-based dedicated IP VPN system is one example of how we’re committed to protecting your online data. Contrary to the traditional system, our dedicated IP isn’t tied to your account. Not even we know which dedicated IP we assign to whom. No one can ever trace your IP back to you.

4. Share Educational Content

In 2019, we launched one of our most ambitious projects yet: our education initiative, The Privacy Hub! Knowledge is power, and we want to equip you with all the information you need to protect your digital life from all online threats.

No matter what the future holds, we’re committed to helping you fight for your online privacy. We give you tools to stave off cyber threats and help you understand how data-mining shapes your online experience.

We’re here for our Ghosties, and we’ll continue improving our service and pushing for transparency. 

We built CyberGhost VPN with your feedback in mind, and we want to know what you have to say. Let’s keep in touch!

Don’t let anyone or anything take away your right to online privacy. Opt for the best, and always stay safe online.

FAQ

Why do I need a VPN?

A VPN is a safe and easy-to-use way to stay safe online, add an extra security layer to your connection, and encrypt your data. To put it simply, a VPN like CyberGhost helps you:

– Stay secure on public Wi-Fi networks
– Keep your internet activity hidden
– Bypass network restrictions and regional censorship
– Minimize the data that services collect on you.
– Secure your financial details online.
– Access entertainment platforms on restrictive networks.
– Get better deals online.
– Prevent cyberattacks when playing online games.

Find out more about how a VPN works.

Does CyberGhost VPN have a free version?

CyberGhost VPN discontinued the free service in November 2018. You can still test our service with the free trial. CyberGhost VPN’s free trial is valid for 24 hours and doesn’t require a credit card or other payment details.

We recommend you take advantage of our 45-day money-back guarantee. You’ll have a whopping 45 days to try out CyberGhost VPN, so you can take your time looking at all our apps, servers, and features.

Are free VPNs safe?

No, they’re not. Free VPN providers don’t have the resources to give you the most robust security features. They use weak 128-bit AES encryption and don’t encrypt your DNS requests. This means your browsing history can leak. They also don’t have a Kill Switch to protect your digital identity if the VPN connection ever fails.

CyberGhost VPN uses 256-bit AES encryption to secure your internet traffic. It’s the same standard used by armies and governments worldwide. Let CyberGhost VPN protect you from IP leaks, DNS leaks, and WebRTC leaks, which can compromise your private information. 

Can you stream with a free VPN?

Not a chance. When you use a free VPN, you can expect slow and overcrowded servers that make basic surfing a chore. Streaming is outright impossible.

If you want to stream securely, you’ll need a streaming VPN like CyberGhost. We have dedicated streaming servers to give you a buffer-free, 4K ultra-HD, and flawless viewing experience. You can watch 35+ streaming services with our streaming-optimized servers.

Want to know more about how it works? Our 24/7 Customer Support team is more than happy to answer any questions you might have. 

Leave a comment

Hay I am staying in Muscat ….wanna try before I buy the premium account for my fire tv….just to check if it works fine .

Let me know if any way to use for a day or two.

Regards
Anna

Reply

Hi, Anna! We still offer a free trial. 🙂

I wish there was a cheaper version for countries like India 🙂

Reply

Hi, Rupam. Stay tuned for our offers and discounts. 😉

hi, i’m wondering if anyone is still using the free plan, like from before november 22nd 2018 and if it still works for some people ?

Reply

Hi, Pete! We’ve discontinued our free plans, so they aren’t available anymore with our apps. You can, however, check out our free browser extensions for Firefox and Chrome.

Great! i love your software, ME SIENTO MAS SEGURO.

Reply

Thank you so much, Robert!

Reply

While those of us that are paying for higher data speeds are slow to give that up when using a VPN I have found over the last mew months that VPN speeds have improved wildly ! I’m in the US and I routinely get over 100 mbps from central America and just now while connected to Romania I got 168 mbps down and 5 up. Thanks very much CyberGhost for everything your doing and Thanks Alexandra for a great Article

Reply

Hi Alexandra, I have been trying various VPN available (Mostly Europeans). While I run CyberGhost and Az**e simultaneously on two different devices for the same data, It evident that Opponent wins(Speed) in terms of Both Streaming and P2P.
Please share Your Views on it.
If Possible, I would like to hear Why should I Opt CyberGhost vs Opponent I mentioned.(Excluding Entertainment Factor)
Looking Forward for your Response

Reply

aaron needs a giveaway of cyberghostvpn free

Reply

Alexandra Bideaua

Posted on 28/03/2019 at 08:37

You can always use our free browser extensions, Aaron! 😉

I love how there is still so many great people in this world, good vs evil. Thanks for all your hard work.

Reply

Alexandra Bideaua

Posted on 26/03/2019 at 14:26

Thank you so much, Robert!

I currently us ExpressVPN and have Comcast. With no VPN, I have 175Mps download and 12MPS upload typical. With Express, this drops to 25 Mbs on a good day. Xfinity Speed Test usually fails. This is too big a price for privacy.

What does Cyberghost off in this regard?

rgds,
Larry Gallagher

Reply

Alexandra Bideaua

Posted on 02/04/2019 at 17:43

Hi, Larry!

We have no limitations in terms of speed or performance. All our servers have an optical fiber internet connection with very high data speeds.

Let me give you some more details.

Any potential speed-related matters are often related to the internet connection itself (how the network is configured), extra features, any firewalls or real-time protection software you may have.

When using a VPN connection, all data is divided into packets before being sent. These data packets are then encrypted with AES-256 bit. This is a complex and computationally intensive step.

When using a VPN, more data must be transmitted. Through the encryption, this lasts even longer, depending on the processor load of the PC.

When you are surfing on the Internet over a CyberGhost server, you are not the only one using this, which means that this server must receive a lot of packets, to encrypt/decrypt and forward.

Feel free to test CyberGhost VPN for yourself. We have trial periods in place and even offer a 45-day money-back guarantee.

great idea. If you can’t afford the mere $3.00 a month for excellent service find a free one on the internet.. also when you have rated the product please stop asking to do this on a regular basis.

Reply

Alexandra Bideaua

Posted on 02/04/2019 at 17:32

Thank you for your suggestion, David! Glad you’re a Ghostie 😉

Write a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked*