Compare AirVPN and CyberGhost VPN on capabilities, jurisdiction, assurance, and fit for European buyers.
Both listed as alternatives to: ExpressVPN
Italy· VPN Services
Needs review
Strong European option when you need remote port forwarding, Dynamic DNS, and open-source clients. Skip for enterprise fleet VPN or ISO/SOC-led vendor risk — consider WireGuard mesh (e.g. Tailscale/NetBird) or audited privacy VPNs such as Mullvad.
Romania· VPN Services
Needs review
Shortlist CyberGhost when you want a Romanian-entity consumer VPN with polished multi-device apps, streaming/P2P server profiles, NoSpy HQ servers, and repeated Deloitte no-logs assurance. Skip when you need holding-company independence, a published B2B DPA/subprocessor pack, or minimal US SaaS in the account path—consider Mullvad or Proton VPN instead.
Highlighted rows differ between the two products.
| Feature | AirVPN | CyberGhost VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Italy | Romania |
| Category | VPN Services | VPN Services |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Self-hosted | No | No |
| Headquarters | Italy | Romania |
| Legal entity | AirVPN di Paolo Brini (also Air di Paolo Brini), Perugia | CyberGhost S.R.L. (J40/1278/2011; 68 Polona St., District 1, Bucharest) |
| Governing law | Italian courts / EU private international law framing (per ToS) | Romania / EU (entity); group policies under Kape Technologies PLC (UK) |
| US parent / control | No known US parent | No known US parent |
| CLOUD Act exposure (indicative) | Low | Medium |
| Hosting / residency | Multi-region servers (EU and outside EU). Confirm exit-node policy if you need EU-only traffic. | VPN egress: vendor-operated NoSpy servers at Romanian HQ plus self-owned colocated servers in third-party data centers worldwide (100 countries marketed). Account/billing/support/analytics path per privacy policy includes Cleverbridge (DE), Stripe, PayPal/Braintree, Zendesk, Google Analytics, AppsFlyer, Mouseflow, Iterable, and related processors—several US-group. Full infra subprocessor register not published as a single procurement table. |
| Summary | Italian OpenVPN/WireGuard VPN with remote port forwarding, Dynamic DNS, and open-source Eddie clients—strong for technical privacy use, not enterprise fleet VPN. | Romanian consumer VPN from CyberGhost S.R.L. with WireGuard/OpenVPN, NoSpy HQ servers, streaming/P2P profiles, and Deloitte no-logs audits—under Kape Technologies PLC. |
| Tags |
| At a glance | AirVPN | CyberGhost VPN |
|---|---|---|
| HQ / entity | Perugia, Italy — AirVPN di Paolo Brini (sole proprietorship) | CyberGhost S.R.L., Bucharest, Romania |
| Protocols | OpenVPN, WireGuard; OpenVPN over SSH/SSL/Tor | WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2 |
| Clients | Eddie GPLv3 (desktop + Android); configs without GUI | Not listed |
| Inbound ports | Up to 5 reserved remote ports + optional *.airdns.org DDNS | Not listed |
| Sessions | Five simultaneous connections per account | Not listed |
| Commercial model | Prepaid access (see vendor site for current plans) | Subscription; optional Dedicated IP; money-back window on long-term plans |
| Independent audit | No public no-logs audit found | Not listed |
| B2B packaging | Self-serve ToS; no productized enterprise pack found | Not listed |
| Parent group | Not listed | Kape Technologies PLC (UK) |
| Network (vendor) | Not listed | 100 countries, 120+ locations |
| Devices | Not listed | Up to 7 simultaneous |
| Open source / self-host | Not listed | No (proprietary apps; not self-hosted) |
| Key capabilities | AirVPN | CyberGhost VPN |
|---|---|---|
| EU-operated | Yes | Not listed |
| Open-source client (GPLv3) | Yes | Not listed |
| Remote port forwarding | Yes | Not listed |
| WireGuard + OpenVPN | Yes | Yes |
| Prepaid access | Yes | Not listed |
| Romanian entity | Not listed | Yes |
| NoSpy HQ servers | Not listed | Yes |
| Deloitte no-logs (claimed) | Not listed | Yes |
| 7 simultaneous devices | Not listed | Yes |
| Streaming/P2P profiles | Not listed | Yes |
Remote port forwarding and airdns.org DDNS
Reserve up to five inbound remote ports (TCP/UDP) while a plan is active, optionally map to different local ports, and attach optional *.airdns.org names that follow the VPN exit IP—useful for P2P, seedboxes, and self-hosted services.
Open-source Eddie client with Network Lock
Official GPLv3 client for major desktops and Android with firewall-based Network Lock (blocks traffic outside the tunnel), CLI, multi-provider mode, and hostile-network layering (SSH/SSL/Tor with AirVPN).
OpenVPN, WireGuard, and layered entry
Choose WireGuard or OpenVPN; OpenVPN is available on multiple ports and can run over SSH, SSL, or Tor when middleboxes block or throttle plain VPN handshakes. Dual-stack IPv4/IPv6 and internal VPN DNS with optional block lists.
Minimal identity requirements
Signup does not require real identity fields; email is optional for support. Payment processors handle their own data when used.
Transparent capacity and multi-session use
Five simultaneous connections, free server switches, public live server load, and a stated minimum allocated bandwidth per session. Commercial access is prepaid—see the vendor site for current plans.
NoSpy servers inside Romanian HQ
Self-owned servers CyberGhost says it operates end-to-end at its Bucharest headquarters with staff-only physical access—for higher physical-control privacy than third-party facilities. Colocated self-owned servers elsewhere cover non-RO egress. NoSpy access may depend on plan length (not monthly-only).
Streaming, P2P, and gaming server profiles
Labeled optimized servers for streaming, torrenting, and gaming across a network marketed at 100 countries and 120+ locations. Reduces trial-and-error for households; unblocking success still varies by platform and changes over time.
WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 with kill switch
Choose WireGuard for speed, OpenVPN for flexibility, or IKEv2 on supported platforms. Automatic kill switch, DNS leak protection, RAM-only server claims, and split tunneling address common tunnel-failure and mixed-app workflows.
Multi-platform apps and seven simultaneous devices
Native apps for major desktops and mobiles, extensions, selected TVs/Fire Stick, and router setup. One subscription covers up to seven concurrent connections—fit for mixed family fleets, not unlimited-device competitors.
Token-based Dedicated IP add-on
Optional static IP sold separately; company describes a token design so operational systems do not map the fixed address to the account the way naive dedicated-IP setups do. Useful against CAPTCHA-heavy sites; still a paid add-on, not core anonymity.
Published Deloitte no-logs audits and transparency reports
Repeated Deloitte Audit Romania ISAE 3000-style reviews of no-logs configuration (including dedicated-IP token handling), with public report links, plus quarterly legal-request transparency reports. Assurance scope is configuration/operations—not a guarantee of absolute anonymity.
| Assurance & compliance | AirVPN | CyberGhost VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Independent no-logs / security audit | Not found Privacy notice describes no mass-storage activity/IP logs; architecture claims are first-party only. | Vendor claimed Public Deloitte Audit Romania ISAE 3000-style assurance engagements (2022, 2024; third cycle announced Feb 2026 with downloadable report). Scope: configuration/operations vs no-logs description. |
| ISO 27001 | Not found | Vendor claimed Privacy policy states QSCert ISO 27001 (and ISO 9001) ISMS certification since 2012 with yearly renewal. Confirm current certificate validity independently. |
| SOC 2 / SOC 3 | Not found | Not found No SOC 2/3 report identified on primary trust/legal pages reviewed. |
| GDPR / EU data protection | Vendor claimed EU (Italian) operator; privacy notice cites GDPR and related EU directives. | Vendor claimed EU (Romanian) controller CyberGhost S.R.L.; privacy policy describes GDPR rights, DPO contact, and lawful bases. Not a legal compliance certificate. |
| US CLOUD Act exposure (indicative) | Vendor claimed No known US parent from public research — indicative exposure low vs US-owned brands; multi-region exits still matter. | Partial Romanian entity, no known US parent; UK group (Kape). Account path uses US-group SaaS (Stripe, Zendesk, Google Analytics, AppsFlyer, etc.). Medium/partial—not low. Not legal advice. |
| Data processing agreement (B2B) | Not found No productized enterprise DPA flow found; consumer ToS/privacy notice only. | Not found Consumer-focused public site; no clear self-serve B2B DPA portal found during research. Request under contract if needed. |
| EU AI Act | Not applicable VPN connectivity product; not an AI system under typical procurement framing. | Not applicable Consumer VPN connectivity product; not an AI system offering. |
| Considerations & known limitations | AirVPN | CyberGhost VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Italian resident restriction | High ToS and footer ban residents of Italy. Orgs with Italian-based staff cannot use AirVPN as a universal approved VPN; exclude that population or choose another vendor. | Not listed |
| No public independent no-logs audit | Medium If vendor risk requires ISO/SOC or a no-logs audit letter, treat this as a gap until evidence is obtained offline. | Not listed |
| Multi-region exit nodes | Medium Traffic can exit outside the EU depending on server choice. Strict residency policies need operational controls, not just EU HQ. | Not listed |
| Small operator / sole proprietorship | Medium Long-running activist project with a small operating structure; set continuity and support expectations accordingly. | Not listed |
| US CLOUD Act (indicative) | Low No known US parent from public research. Not a guarantee against other LE cooperation or non-EU exits. | Not listed |
| Part of multi-brand Kape VPN group | Not listed | Medium Ultimate holding company Kape Technologies PLC also operates ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access. Switching among Kape brands does not diversify group-level ownership risk. |
| US-group SaaS for account and support data | Not listed | Medium Privacy policy discloses Stripe, Zendesk, Google Analytics, AppsFlyer, and similar processors for non-tunnel data. Separates VPN no-logs claims from account/support transfer risk. |
| Most locations are colocated, not NoSpy | Not listed | Low Only NoSpy servers sit in company HQ. Global city coverage relies on third-party data centers even when hardware is self-owned—relevant for physical-access threat models. |
| Thin public enterprise procurement pack | Not listed | Medium No public B2B DPA/subprocessor schedule found for fleet buyers. Consumer money-back and app UX do not replace contractual diligence. |
| Streaming unblocking is not guaranteed | Not listed | Low Optimized server labels help users, but platform detection changes frequently. Do not treat marketing unblocking claims as durable SLA. |
When: You need enterprise fleet / zero-trust mesh connectivity
Consider: Tailscale, NetBird, or self-hosted WireGuard
Different product class: org network access vs consumer privacy VPN with inbound ports.
When: You prioritise audited no-logs / accountless anonymity over inbound ports
Consider: Mullvad
Mullvad is stronger on the public no-logs narrative; weaker on multi-port forwarding / airdns.org-style DDNS.
When: You want a free tier and a broader consumer privacy suite
Consider: Proton VPN
When: You want hard privacy minimalism, anonymous accounts, and open-source focus
Consider: Mullvad
Swedish VPN; weaker streaming-marketing packaging, stronger anonymity defaults
When: You want a Swiss/EU privacy suite with free tier and open-source clients
Consider: Proton VPN
Different product family; less multi-brand VPN conglomerate context
When: You need technical port forwarding, DDNS, and enthusiast configuration depth
Consider: AirVPN
Italian technical VPN; not a consumer streaming specialist
When: You specifically want the premium Kape-family brand with different protocol positioning
Consider: ExpressVPN
Same ultimate group (Kape); ownership risk is not diversified by switching brands inside the group