Head to head
The gap
The security score is not a total of good things. It starts at 100 and eight channels each take a share of what is left, so one channel can settle a record on its own. Both records are drawn here on the same scale — the model’s own cap of 0.9 — rather than on a scale fitted to this pair, which would make every comparison look equally dramatic.
Line by line
Every field the contract publishes about a provider, in the contract’s own groups, including the rows where the two agree — a table that printed only differences would invent a disagreement, and one that printed only the interesting rows would be us choosing what is interesting. Open a group to read its rows; each one says how many it holds and how many of them the two records answer differently.
A green cell means the methodology itself prices that value below the other one, not that we prefer it. Rows the model does not price carry no mark at all: price is never marked, because nothing in the model says cheaper is safer, and neither is coverage, platform count or devices. Where a value was never established the cell says so instead of showing a zero.
What actually happened
Other pairs
Pairs within the top ten get a page — 80 comparisons in all. Records below that are not paired here: a comparison earns a page where the choice between the two is a real one, and that choice is made near the top of the register.
Security
Usability
Rank 4 of 68 in the register
Italy · Commercial VPN
Exits in 23 countries
Security
Usability
Rank 9 of 68 in the register
Romania · Commercial VPN
Exits in 91 countries
No demand on the public record
1 documented demand, none of which produced data
Recent changes
No change logged on this record
Notes
On the record as a whole.
AirVPN is a sole proprietorship ("AirVPN di Paolo Brini") registered in Perugia, Italy, and explicitly refuses service to residents of Italy (stated on every page footer and in the Terms of Service §1) — the practical effect is that its own home jurisdiction cannot compel it to log its own resident customers, though this is not evidence of a broader logging-mandate exemption.
AirVPN prices only in EUR (airvpn.org/buy/): 7.00 EUR/month, 49 EUR/year (4.08 EUR/month), flat on renewal. U04_price_monthly (8.11) is 7.00 EUR/month and U04b_price_yearly (56.74) is the 49 EUR/year total, both converted to USD at 1.158 EUR/USD — the rate Mullvad publishes on its own pricing page for the same date, where 5 EUR is shown as 5.79 USD — hence confidence C and a second source for the rate. Multi-year plans drop as low as 2.75 EUR/month.
A notable practice data point: public US federal court transcripts in United States v. Klyushin (D. Mass., docket 61629108, documents #183 and #217, found via CourtListener/RECAP) show a law-enforcement pen register was placed directly at the hosting company (DediPath), not at AirVPN, to monitor an AirVPN server's IP from Jan–Feb 2020; AirVPN's own staff, replying on their forum, confirmed the company had no knowledge of or involvement in the tap and that the device had to be installed outside AirVPN's own systems.
This is recorded in P12_case_history as a court_order/nothing_produced event, sourced to AirVPN's own forum confirmation (not to the PACER PDFs themselves, which returned 403 to automated fetches and were read only via a secondary summary).
On the record as a whole.
Deloitte's third no-logs assurance report (the only one of three published as a full downloadable PDF rather than gated behind login or an email request to Deloitte) is a limited assurance, ISAE 3000 (Revised) engagement dated as of 31 October 2025 and signed 19 December 2025; it examines CyberGhost's description of its own no-logging controls on a sample basis, not the full fleet, and its conclusion is negative assurance ("nothing has come to our attention"), not a positive finding of no logs.
The privacy policy's non-personal-data list names the Google Advertising ID and gyro-sensor data under website-style language that only a mobile app can actually read.
Open questions
Still open on this record.
Retention, unchecked by anyone. No independent audit has ever been commissioned (V01=no, based on consensus among reviewers and the absence of any AirVPN announcement of one, rather than a primary AirVPN denial) — retention (C01) rests entirely on the provider's own privacy notice, never checked by an outside party.
No transparency report, no canary. No transparency report of government/legal requests and no warrant canary could be found on airvpn.org (P05, P07 unknown) — the site does publish periodic 'mission' reports, but those cover donations to NGOs, not law-enforcement requests, so they do not establish P05.
What the forum threads show. Forum threads show users repeatedly asking AirVPN for a warrant canary with no confirmation from staff that one exists, which is suggestive but not a primary denial, so P07 stays unknown rather than 'none'.
Counts nobody publishes. Request/data-handover counts are consequently also unknown (P08, P09), and total subscriber count is never disclosed (M08 unknown) — AirVPN publishes only a live concurrently-connected-users counter, not a registered-user or subscriber total, so silence/ignorance carry real weight here.
Builds and pentests. Reproducible builds are not documented on AirVPN's own build-from-source page (eddie.website/support/build/), and no dedicated client/infrastructure pentest could be found (V13, V14 unknown). Kill switch scope and split-tunneling behaviour are sourced to a third-party review rather than AirVPN's own documentation (U08, U09 at confidence C) because the relevant FAQ pages could not be reached directly through the site's routing (they render via JavaScript and returned only a loading shell to a plain fetch).
Coverage outside the affiliates. Press coverage is not affiliate-only: BleepingComputer, a mainstream outlet outside the affiliate-aggregator list, has published an independent review carrying its own affiliate-disclosure notice rather than being confined to affiliate directories (X08=no). Its same review also found AirVPN failed every streaming service it tried — Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, ABC, NBC, CBS — which is why U12b_streaming_works now reads no rather than the addictivetips.com-sourced partial it carried before that host was ruled forbidden.
The yearly price. U04b_price_yearly=4.08 is the EUR effective-monthly rate of the one-year plan (49 EUR/year) on airvpn.org/buy/, flat on renewal like every AirVPN term.
The wordmark. AirVPN serves its wordmark only as PNG (/static/img/logo/web_header.png, logo_horiz.png) and has no press or brand page, so logos/airvpn.svg is left absent per AUDITOR.md §1 rather than tracing a raster.
Still open on this record.
Owner-group history. Kape Technologies, CyberGhost's parent since March 2017, traces back to Crossrider, an ad-injection SDK platform whose services were widely abused by adware and malware distributors before the 2016 pivot to VPNs. No documented lie or claim gap ties this history to CyberGhost's own conduct, but the adverse record is why this provider is catalogued at all rather than by a neutral selection rule.
Scale and reach are undocumented. No CyberGhost-specific user count could be sourced from the provider's own pages beyond "millions of customers," so M08_user_scale stands unknown, and no clean 12-month plan exists to price against U04b_price_yearly — CyberGhost sells only 1-month, 6-month and 26-month terms.
Client and build transparency are unexamined. No official CyberGhost source-code repository, reproducible-build attestation or standalone application pentest (Cure53's public index has no entry for CyberGhost or Kape) could be found, leaving V12, V13 and V14 unknown rather than a finding either way.
A disputed breach claim was not independently resolvable. A September 2024 third-party report alleged leaked CyberGhost account credentials; CyberGhost's own response denies a service-side compromise and attributes the credentials to user-side malware, but the underlying report could not be read in this session, so X09_incident_handling stays unknown rather than taking either side's account.
Two of CyberGhost's own pages disagree on its street address: the imprint names 70-72 Dionisie Lupu street, the privacy policy names 68 Polonă street, both in the same Bucharest district and both current pages rather than one being an archived leftover. Neither was treated as authoritative over the other, and the discrepancy is left for a future refresh to resolve rather than guessed at here.
12 Sep 20265 changes
Major streaming services reachableU12b_streaming_works
partial changed to no
Usability scoreusability.score
60 changed to 57
Security scoresecurity.score
40 changed to 37
Monthly price USD, month-to-month plan, as chargedU04_price_monthly
8.11 changed to 8.12
Yearly plan price USD, first term as chargedU04b_price_yearly
56.74 changed to 56.84
| ChannelPressure taken from what was left | AirVPNDominant channel: Retention0 to 0.9, longer is worse | CyberGhost VPNDominant channel: Retention0 to 0.9, longer is worse |
|---|---|---|
| RetentionDoes a record exist that links traffic to a person, and who checked? | 0.349 | 0.450 |
| IntegrityHas it been caught saying one thing and doing another? | 0.000 | 0.325 |
| SilenceTen years, millions of users and nothing on record? | 0.240 | 0.000 |
| IgnoranceHow much of this did nobody establish? | 0.162 | 0.181 |
| HygieneWhat identifying material is collected in passing, and can the client be checked at all? | 0.066 | 0.150 |
| JurisdictionCan someone compel what exists, without the provider getting a say? | 0.000 | 0.136 |
| ArchitectureWho operates the exit, and what does it do to the traffic? | 0.050 | 0.050 |
| DisclosureHas it already handed something over? | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| What is left of 100The channels multiply: each one takes a share of what the one before it left standing | 37 | 21 |
By circumstance
| AirVPN | CyberGhost VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Torrenting | Allowed yes | Allowed yes |
| Streaming | Not reachable no | Reachable yes |
| Devices at once | 5 | 7 |
| Under censorship | Claimed to work claimed | — not established |
| Exits in mandate countries | None | 7 United Arab Emirates, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Vietnam |
| Hosting in those countries | — the question does not arise | Physical and virtual both mixed |
| Company under a mandate | No such mandate no | No such mandate no |
| Secret orders | Orders go through a judge judicial_only | — not established |
AirVPN and CyberGhost VPN were assessed by the HushFleet team: AirVPN scores 37/100 for security, in the Weak band, and CyberGhost VPN 21/100, in the Insufficient band. The 16-point gap opens widest on Integrity — “Has it been caught saying one thing and doing another?” — taking 0% from AirVPN and 33% from CyberGhost VPN.
| AirVPN | CyberGhost VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Security | 37 weak · rank 4 of 68 | 21 insufficient · rank 9 of 68 |
| Usability | 57 out of 100 | 69 out of 100 |
| Record completeness | 82% usability 100% | 76% usability 92% |
| AirVPN | CyberGhost VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Who operates the exit | Run by the provider itself provider_operated | Run by the provider itself provider_operated |
| Retention as declared | Nothing that links traffic to a person none_linkableBairvpn.org · | Aggregate counts only aggregates_onlyBcyberghostvpn.com · |
| RAM-only diskless servers | Yes, on the provider's word yes_declaredBairvpn.org · | Yes, checked by someone independent yes_verifiedAdownload.cyberghostvpn.com · |
| IP allocation model | Exit address shared between users sharedCairvpn.org · | Dedicated address offered as an option dedicated_optionAdownload.cyberghostvpn.com · |
| Signup without email | Yes, on the provider's word yes_declaredBairvpn.org · | No, an email address is required noBcyberghostvpn.com · |
| Anonymous payment options | Cryptocurrency paid directlyBairvpn.org · | Cryptocurrency through a processorBcyberghostvpn.com · |
| Own DNS inside the tunnel | Yes, on the provider's word yes_declaredBairvpn.org · | — not establishedno source published |
| Worst third-party SDK category in the app | No third-party SDK noneBplay.google.com · | Install attribution attributionBcyberghostvpn.com · |
| Worst third-party tracker category on the site | No third-party tracker noneBairvpn.org · | Analytics analyticsBcyberghostvpn.com · |
| Who owns the hardware | Rented from third parties rentedCairvpn.org · | — not establishedno source published |
| Offered countries that sit under a logging mandate | NoneBairvpn.org · | 7 United Arab Emirates, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkey, VietnamBcyberghostvpn.com · |
| Hosting in the mandate countries it offers | — the question does not ariseno source published | Physical and virtual both mixedBcyberghostvpn.com · |
| Incorporation country mandates retention | No such mandate no | No such mandate no |
| Beneficial owner sits under a retention regime | No such regime no | No such regime no |
| Persistent device identifier | None held noneBplay.google.com · | A resettable advertising identifier resettable_ad_idBcyberghostvpn.com · |
| Weakest protocol still offered | — the question does not arise | — the question does not arise |
| What the exit does to passing traffic | — not established | — not established |
| AirVPN | CyberGhost VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| At least one independent audit | No independent audit noCbleepingcomputer.com · | Yes, and the report was read yes_verifiedAdownload.cyberghostvpn.com · |
| How the report is published | — the question does not ariseno source published | The full report is published full_pdfBcyberghostvpn.com · 2 sources · |
| Subject of the audit | — the question does not ariseno source published | The no-logs claim itselfAdownload.cyberghostvpn.com · |
| AirVPN | CyberGhost VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Server seizure by law enforcement | No seizure on record none_known | No seizure on record none_known |
| Actual disclosure history | No disclosure on record none_known | No disclosure on record none_known |
| Court record of compelled production | No court record none_known | No court record none_known |
| Response to a national logging mandate | Was never present in that country no_presenceno source published · | — not establishedno source published |
| Transparency report | — not establishedno source published | Current, with request numbers fresh_with_numbersBcyberghostvpn.com · |
| Reported numbers plausible for this scale | — the question does not ariseno source published |
| AirVPN | CyberGhost VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Documented gap between claim and behaviour | No documented lie none | No documented lie none |
| Marketing against audit findings | — the question does not ariseno source published | No gap on record noneno source published · |
| Ownership structure transparency | Ownership is stated and checkable clear | Ownership is stated and checkable clear |
| Adverse events on the owner group record | Nothing adverse on record cleanCairvpn.org · | A history of adware or malware adware_malware_historyCen.wikipedia.org · |
| How the service is paid for | Paid subscriptions only paid_only | Paid subscriptions only paid_only |
| AirVPN | CyberGhost VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal entity | AirVPN di Paolo Brini — Via Sagittario 4, Perugia (PG), Italy. VAT ID IT03297800546, REA PG-279011 (individual/sole-proprietor enterprise)Bairvpn.org · | CyberGhost S.R.L.Bcyberghostvpn.com · |
| Where the company sits | Italy ITBairvpn.org · | Romania ROBcyberghostvpn.com · |
| Year the service launched | 2010Bairvpn.org · | 2011Bcyberghostvpn.com · |
| AirVPN | CyberGhost VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms with a client | 8 Android, Android TV, Fire TV, iOS, Linux, macOS, Routers, WindowsBairvpn.org · | 9 Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Android TV, Fire TV, Routers, Browser extensionBsupport.cyberghostvpn.com · 2 sources · |
| Countries with an exit | 23 countriesBairvpn.org · | 91 countriesBcyberghostvpn.com · |
| Paying monthly | $8.11 per monthCairvpn.org · 2 sources · | $12.99 per month |
| Server fleet coverage |
|---|
| — the question does not ariseno source published |
A sample of servers sampleAdownload.cyberghostvpn.com · |
| Auditor name | — the question does not ariseno source published | Deloitte Audit S.R.L. (Deloitte Audit Romania)Adownload.cyberghostvpn.com · |
|---|
| Auditor category | — the question does not ariseno source published | One of the Big Four big4Adownload.cyberghostvpn.com · |
|---|
| Assurance standard | — the question does not ariseno source published | ISAE 3000 isae3000Adownload.cyberghostvpn.com · |
|---|
| Date of latest report | — the question does not ariseno source published | 2025-12-19Adownload.cyberghostvpn.com · |
|---|
| Audit cadence | — the question does not ariseno source published | Repeated, at no fixed interval repeated_irregularBcyberghostvpn.com · |
|---|
| Total published audits | 0Cbleepingcomputer.com · | 3Bcyberghostvpn.com · |
|---|
| Retention as the report states it | — the question does not ariseno source published | Aggregate counts only aggregates_onlyAdownload.cyberghostvpn.com · |
|---|
| Client source code published | Every client allBairvpn.org · | — not establishedno source published |
|---|
| Reproducible builds | — not established | — not established |
|---|
| Separate pentest | — not established | — not established |
|---|
| Strength of the assurance opinion | — the question does not ariseno source published | A limited-assurance conclusion limitedAdownload.cyberghostvpn.com · |
|---|
plausible| Warrant canary discipline | — not established | — not established |
|---|
| Requests received | — not establishedno source published | 11Bcyberghostvpn.com · |
|---|
| Requests that produced data | — not establishedno source published | 0Bcyberghostvpn.com · |
|---|
| Secret-order regime | Orders go through a judge judicial_onlyCairvpn.org · | — not establishedno source published |
|---|
| Chronology of documented enforcement events | 1 documented demandBairvpn.org · | 0 No demand on the public recordBcyberghostvpn.com · |
|---|
| Claims of 100% anonymity or military-grade crypto |
|---|
Makes no such claim no |
Makes no such claim no |
| Aggressive lifetime subscriptions | Does not no | Does not no |
|---|
| Coverage exists only on affiliate sites | Covered outside affiliate sites too noCbleepingcomputer.com · | — not establishedno source published |
|---|
| Security incident and how it was disclosed | No incident on record none_knownno source published · | — not establishedno source published |
|---|
| Affiliate programme and payout tier | A standard payout standard | A standard payout standard |
|---|
| Owner-run review media discloses the tie | — the question does not ariseno source published | — not establishedno source published |
|---|
| App store declaration | The store form matches the published policy matches_policyBplay.google.com · | — not establishedno source published |
|---|
| User base scale (mass >=10M, mid >=1M, niche <1M) | — not established | — not established |
|---|
| Ultimate beneficial owner as written | Paolo Brini, sole owner/operator trading as 'AirVPN di Paolo Brini'. The service began in 2010 as a project of a small group of Rome-based activists/hacktivists (initially operated by a company called Iridium), and was formalized under a dedicated company with Brini as owner in November 2012.Bairvpn.org · 2 sources · | Teddy Sagi, sole owner of Unikmind Holdings Limited (Isle of Man), which holds Kape Technologies plc — CyberGhost's parentBunikmind-holdings.com · 2 sources · |
|---|
| Other businesses of the owner group | None disclosedBairvpn.org · | Antivirus · A portfolio of other apps · A review directoryBkape.com · |
|---|
| Country of the ultimate beneficial owner | ITBairvpn.org · | IMBunikmind-holdings.com · |
|---|
| Owner group | independentBairvpn.org · | kapeBkape.com · 2 sources · |
|---|
| Date the current owner took control | — the question does not ariseno source published | 2017-03Bkape.com · |
|---|
| Role of this brand inside the group | The group's principal brand principalBairvpn.org · | A brand the group acquired acquired_brandBkape.com · |
|---|
| Infrastructure shared with cluster siblings | Separate infrastructure separateBairvpn.org · | — not establishedno source published |
|---|
| Paying yearly | $56.74 a year at renewal, billed onceCairvpn.org · 2 sources · | — not establishedno source published |
|---|
| Usable free tier | No free tier none | No free tier none |
|---|
| Works under active censorship | Claimed to work claimedBairvpn.org · | — not establishedno source published |
|---|
| Protocols offered | 3 WireGuard, OpenVPN, An obfuscated protocolBairvpn.org · | 3 WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2Bsupport.cyberghostvpn.com · |
|---|
| Kill switch coverage | On some platforms partial | On some platforms partial |
|---|
| Split tunneling available | Not available noCbleepingcomputer.com · | Available yesBsupport.cyberghostvpn.com · |
|---|
| Simultaneous connections | 5Bairvpn.org · | 7Bcyberghostvpn.com · |
|---|
| Friction to start using it | No account needed no_accountBairvpn.org · | An email address only email_onlyBcyberghostvpn.com · |
|---|
| P2P allowed | Allowed yes | Allowed yes |
|---|
| Major streaming services reachable | Not reachable noCbleepingcomputer.com · | Reachable yesBcyberghostvpn.com · |
|---|
