ExpressVPN vs CyberGhost (2026): Which Wins for Ireland?

CyberGhost's counter is sharp and specific: it costs less over two years and it ships a dedicated RTÉ Player server on Irish IPs that no first-timer has to think about, alongside real Dublin hardware and Irish P2P nodes built for the diaspora. Add its platform-labelled streaming servers and a 45-day money-back guarantee — six weeks versus ExpressVPN's 30 days — and the budget pick earns its keep. The footnote both share: Kape Technologies owns each of them, so this is sibling-versus-sibling, not David-versus-Goliath.

The honest steer for most Irish readers: if you want the fastest, most polished and most provably private option, pick ExpressVPN, our streaming-and-privacy pick in the best VPN for Ireland ranking. If keeping the bill down while you stream home telly abroad matters more, CyberGhost's RTÉ-tuned servers and long refund make it the smarter spend.

Quick comparison

The short version, side by side — every figure from our hands-on testing in Dublin, the same data behind our best-VPN ranking. Green highlights show which provider takes each round.

	ExpressVPN	CyberGhost
Our score	9.4 / 10	9.1 / 10
Best for	Best for streaming & privacy	Best for Irish streaming
Price from	€2.99/mo	€2.19/mo
Money-back guarantee	30-day	45-day
Avg Dublin speed	445 Mbps	390 Mbps
Netflix unblocking	Yes	Yes
Simultaneous devices	10	7
Servers	3,000+	11,500+
Countries	105	100
Works in China	Yes	No
No-logs policy	Yes	Yes
Jurisdiction	British Virgin Islands	Romania
Support	24/7 live chat	24/7 live chat

Same owner (Kape), very different products

It is easy to assume two VPNs from the same parent are reskins of one another. ExpressVPN and CyberGhost are not. Both belong to Kape Technologies, yet they were built to chase different buyers: ExpressVPN is the premium flagship — a 9.4 score, the polished Lightway-powered apps, the British Virgin Islands privacy story and the fixed-euro price tag to match. CyberGhost is the value play — a 9.1 score, a 2-year plan from €2.19/mo against ExpressVPN's €2.99, and a streaming-first design that practically points you at RTÉ Player.

So the shared owner does not collapse the choice into a coin-toss. The products diverge on price, on jurisdiction (BVI versus Romania), on device count (10 versus 7) and on whether streaming is hand-held or do-it-yourself. Read the Kape link as context, not as a tie-breaker — because everywhere it would matter, it cancels out across both sides.

insights

Winner: A tie on ownership — same Kape parent on both sides, so it informs the decision rather than deciding it.

RTÉ Player, BBC iPlayer and Netflix: hand-held versus one-tap Dublin

For the core Irish use case — watching home telly from abroad — both are excellent, but they get there differently. CyberGhost runs a dedicated RTÉ Player server on Irish IPs plus physical Dublin servers, and its app lists streaming servers labelled by the exact platform they target, so a first-timer can tap "RTÉ Player" rather than guess. ExpressVPN takes a simpler approach: connect to its Dublin server and RTÉ Player, Virgin Media Player and TG4 just work.

Both unblock Netflix (IE/UK/US), BBC iPlayer, Disney+ and Prime Video, and both carry apps for Fire TV, Apple TV and Android TV. ExpressVPN edges the consistency crown — it tends to recover fastest when a platform tightens VPN blocking, which is why its streaming rating sits a touch ahead. But for the most beginner-proof route into Irish telly specifically, CyberGhost's labelled, purpose-built setup is hard to beat.

	ExpressVPN	CyberGhost
Netflix unblocking	Yes	Yes
Streaming rating	9.6 / 10	9.5 / 10
TV / streaming-box apps	Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV	Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV

live_tv

Winner: CyberGhost for the most effortless Irish route — a dedicated RTÉ Player server — but ExpressVPN for the most consistent unblocking overall.

Lightway vs WireGuard: 445 Mbps and a flatter long-haul curve

ExpressVPN is clearly the faster of the two. Its Lightway protocol topped our local tests at around 445 Mbps, barely denting our base broadband on nearby servers, while CyberGhost — leaning on WireGuard — landed behind at roughly 390 Mbps. On Irish and UK servers both are quick enough for 4K streaming, but ExpressVPN has headroom to spare.

The gap widens with distance, and that is the part that matters. Connect to the US, Asia or Australia and ExpressVPN gives up only about 9% of throughput, where CyberGhost sheds closer to 22% — more than double the drop. Game on far-off servers, pull big downloads or work across time zones and that flatter curve is the single clearest reason to take ExpressVPN.

	ExpressVPN	CyberGhost
Avg Dublin speed	445 Mbps	390 Mbps
Speed rating	9.1 / 10	8.6 / 10
Global speed loss	9%	22%

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Winner: ExpressVPN — faster on our Dublin line and far steadier on long-distance servers.

€2.19 vs €2.99 a month — and a 45-day versus 30-day refund

CyberGhost wins on price. Its 2-year plan starts from around €2.19/mo, undercutting ExpressVPN's €2.99/mo entry tier on a comparable term, and it pairs that with the stronger value rating (9.4 to 8.2). Both bolt free months onto the longer plans, but the checkout experience differs: ExpressVPN bills in fixed euro, while CyberGhost rings up in US dollars, so your final figure rides the exchange rate.

CyberGhost stretches its lead on the refund window too. Its 45-day money-back guarantee is the longest of any provider we rank, handing you a buffer ExpressVPN's 30 days cannot match before a cent is committed. The asterisk applies to both, though: intro pricing lapses at renewal, so the play is identical either way — lock in the long term, switch auto-renewal off, and re-shop when the term ends.

	ExpressVPN	CyberGhost
Price from	€2.99/mo	€2.19/mo
Free trial	7-day (iOS & Android)	1-day desktop / 7-day iOS / 3-day Android
Data cap	Unlimited	Unlimited
Value rating	8.2 / 10	9.4 / 10

savings

Winner: CyberGhost — cheaper on the long plan and a market-leading 45-day refund.

One-button polish versus labelled "RTÉ Player" servers

Both are beginner-friendly and score closely, but they suit slightly different people. ExpressVPN has the most polished, frictionless apps in the category — one big button, sensible defaults and nothing to fiddle with — which is why it carries the higher ease-of-use rating. CyberGhost's edge is its platform-labelled streaming servers ("RTÉ Player", "Netflix US"), which take the guesswork out of picking a server for a specific show.

Native apps cover Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and Linux on both sides, plus Fire TV, Apple TV and Android TV. Either way you are connected in a couple of minutes, and both back you with genuine 24/7 live chat if you get stuck.

	ExpressVPN	CyberGhost
Ease-of-use rating	9.7 / 10	9.4 / 10
Native platforms	Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux	Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux

touch_app

Winner: ExpressVPN by a nose for sheer polish; CyberGhost wins if labelled streaming servers matter most.

BVI + TrustedServer vs Romania + Deloitte: depth of proof

Both are independently audited no-logs VPNs running RAM-only servers, so on the fundamentals they are sound. The separation is depth of proof and jurisdiction. CyberGhost's no-logs policy is Romania-based and Deloitte-audited, which is a respectable position. ExpressVPN goes further, with a British Virgin Islands base outside any intelligence alliance, RAM-only TrustedServer technology and the deepest independent audit record of any provider we rank.

There is one wrinkle that applies to both: they share the same owner, Kape Technologies, which some privacy advocates view warily. That is a reputational point rather than evidence of any logging, and since it sits on both sides of this matchup, it does not separate them. On the strength of the audits and jurisdiction, ExpressVPN takes the round.

	ExpressVPN	CyberGhost
No-logs policy	Yes	Yes
Independent audit	Cure53 (2026)	Deloitte (2025)
Jurisdiction	British Virgin Islands	Romania
Privacy rating	9.7 / 10	9.1 / 10

lock

Winner: ExpressVPN — both audited no-logs, but BVI plus TrustedServer is the stronger case.

11,500 CyberGhost servers vs ExpressVPN's reach into China

On sheer count CyberGhost is the far larger network — around 11,500 servers in 100 countries, versus ExpressVPN's 3,000 across 105 countries. Raw server numbers help with congestion and fresh streaming IPs, and CyberGhost's spread of specialised streaming and P2P servers is genuinely useful.

For an Irish reader the headline is that both keep physical servers in Ireland, so both hand you a genuine Dublin IP rather than a virtual one. CyberGhost adds its dedicated RTÉ and Irish P2P servers; ExpressVPN keeps it simple with one reliable Dublin location. The one clear functional difference: ExpressVPN works in China, where CyberGhost does not.

	ExpressVPN	CyberGhost
Servers	3,000+	11,500+
Countries	105	100
Works in China	Yes	No

dns

Winner: A split — CyberGhost has far more servers, but ExpressVPN reaches more countries and works in China.

10 ExpressVPN connections versus CyberGhost's 7

ExpressVPN allows 10 simultaneous devices to CyberGhost's 7, so Express stretches a little further across a busy mix of phones, laptops, tablets and TVs. Neither is unlimited — if a whole-household cap is the deciding factor you would look at Surfshark or PIA instead — but for an individual or a couple, both numbers are comfortable.

Beyond the count, platform support is identical: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and Linux, with TV apps for Fire TV, Apple TV and Android TV on both. So this round comes down to headroom, where ExpressVPN's three extra slots give it the edge.

	ExpressVPN	CyberGhost
Simultaneous devices	10	7
Native platforms	Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux	Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux
TV / streaming-box apps	Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV	Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV

devices

Winner: ExpressVPN — 10 simultaneous devices versus CyberGhost's 7.

Which should you choose?

It comes down to what you value most. Here's the quick way to decide.

Choose ExpressVPN if…

check_circleYou want the fastest, most consistent speeds — especially on long-distance servers via Lightway
check_circlePrivacy is your priority: a BVI base and RAM-only TrustedServer infrastructure is the strongest case going
check_circleYou value the most effortless, polished apps and fixed euro pricing
check_circleYou travel to China, or want 10 simultaneous devices rather than 7

Get ExpressVPN →

Choose CyberGhost if…

check_circleYou want the cheaper long plan, from around €2.19/mo, with a higher value rating
check_circleEasy Irish streaming matters most — a dedicated RTÉ Player server and physical Dublin servers
check_circleYou are a beginner who wants streaming servers labelled by platform, no guesswork required
check_circleA 45-day money-back guarantee to test everything risk-free appeals to you

Get CyberGhost →

Advertiser disclosure: we earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. This never affects our scores or the winner of each round.

About the author

Síofra Brennan

Senior VPN Analyst & Editor

Síofra Brennan is a privacy and cybersecurity specialist who has spent nine years testing and reviewing consumer VPNs. She focuses on real-world performance, no-logs policies, and how these tools actually work for people in Ireland.

9+ years in digital privacy & VPN testing60+ VPNs independently reviewedCompTIA Security+ certifiedSpeed-tests on real Irish lines

ExpressVPN vs CyberGhost: frequently asked questions

Is ExpressVPN or CyberGhost better for streaming RTÉ Player?+

CyberGhost has the most beginner-proof route to RTÉ Player. It runs a dedicated RTÉ Player server on Irish IPs plus physical Dublin servers, and labels its streaming servers by platform so you can pick the right one instantly. ExpressVPN also unblocks RTÉ Player reliably from its Dublin server, but CyberGhost's purpose-built, labelled setup is the easiest for a first-timer.

Which is cheaper, ExpressVPN or CyberGhost?+

CyberGhost is cheaper on the long term. Its 2-year plan starts from about €2.19/mo, compared with €2.99/mo for ExpressVPN's entry tier, and CyberGhost carries the higher value rating. ExpressVPN bills in fixed euro, while CyberGhost checks out in US dollars, and renewal prices on both jump after the intro period, so buy long and switch auto-renewal off.

Which is faster, ExpressVPN or CyberGhost?+

ExpressVPN is faster. Tested from a Dublin line it reached around 445 Mbps over Lightway versus roughly 390 Mbps for CyberGhost, and the gap widens sharply on long-distance servers, where ExpressVPN loses only about 9% of throughput against CyberGhost's 22%. Both are quick enough for 4K streaming locally, but ExpressVPN has the clear performance edge.

Which has the longer money-back guarantee?+

CyberGhost, comfortably. It offers a 45-day money-back guarantee — the longest in the market — against ExpressVPN's 30 days. The extra fortnight is breathing room to put RTÉ Player, BBC iPlayer and Netflix through their paces across a few evenings before you decide either way.

Which is more private, ExpressVPN or CyberGhost?+

ExpressVPN. Both are independently audited no-logs VPNs with RAM-only servers, but ExpressVPN has a British Virgin Islands base, TrustedServer technology and the deepest audit record we have seen. CyberGhost is Romania-based and Deloitte-audited, which is also solid — but ExpressVPN's paper trail is stronger.

Are ExpressVPN and CyberGhost owned by the same company?+

Yes. Both ExpressVPN and CyberGhost are owned by Kape Technologies, though they remain very different products at different price points — ExpressVPN the premium, polished all-rounder and CyberGhost the budget streaming specialist. Some privacy advocates weigh the shared ownership against both, but since it applies equally to each, it does not separate them in this matchup.

Which should I pick overall?+

For most people ExpressVPN, our streaming-and-privacy pick, thanks to its speed, effortless apps and BVI-based privacy. Choose CyberGhost if your priorities are the lower long-plan price, the longest 45-day refund and the most beginner-friendly route into RTÉ Player and Irish streaming from abroad.

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