Who owns CyberGhost VPN: the Bucharest company and its Kape parent

CyberGhost is run by CyberGhost S.R.L., a Romanian company registered in Bucharest, and its ultimate parent is Kape Technologies PLC, which bought the service in March 2017. Kape also owns ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access and Intego, whose VPN comes bundled with a Mac security suite.

The Bucharest company behind your CyberGhost account

The privacy policy names the operator precisely, so there is no guessing about who signs the contract.

The Romanian entity is your counterparty in the user agreement and the privacy policy. Formal requests, complaints and data subject inquiries should be addressed to it.

From Crossrider's 2017 purchase to a privately held Kape

The buyer in 2017 was Crossrider, a London-listed company controlled by businessman Teddy Sagi. On 14 March 2017 Crossrider agreed to buy the entire share capital of CyberGhost for up to 9.2 million euros, per the Reuters report of the announcement, and this became the group's first VPN brand. In March 2018 the parent renamed itself Kape Technologies. The shopping continued: Intego in July 2018, Private Internet Access in December 2019, the review-site publisher Webselenese in March 2021 and ExpressVPN in December 2021, as recorded in Kape's company timeline. Kape, which listed in September 2014, left the London Stock Exchange in May 2023 and now counts over 7 million paying customers and more than 1,200 employees.

What Crossrider sold before it became Kape

Its original business was software for building and monetising browser extensions. New management dropped that line in 2016 and moved the company into privacy and security software, which set the stage for the CyberGhost deal.

CyberGhost's sister services and the ZenMate merger

Four VPNs in the VPNRadarLab data report to the same owner.

Intego sits far down the ranking because its VPN is an add-on to a Mac security suite rather than a standalone product. ZenMate is a Kape brand that is being folded into CyberGhost: its own website now says it is "joining forces with CyberGhost VPN" and routes visitors to a CyberGhost offer. The group also owns Webselenese, which publishes VPN comparison and review websites. The full list of Kape's brands is on the VPNRadarLab owner page.

Romanian company, London courts: how the legal setup works

Romania sits outside the 5, 9 and 14 Eyes alliances, which is the strongest part of CyberGhost's legal home. Two clauses complicate the picture, though. The privacy policy allows personal data to be passed to group companies, including Kape Technologies PLC and its subsidiaries, for staff with cross-group responsibilities, but only where those companies are in the EU or a jurisdiction with equivalent data protection. The terms of service move disputes away from Bucharest: non-US users submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the London courts, while US users go to arbitration under the US Federal Arbitration Act. Law enforcement access requires a legal demand or court order; CyberGhost publishes a transparency report but no warrant canary.

CyberGhost ownership FAQ

Is CyberGhost an Israeli company?

No. The operator is Romanian and the parent is British. The Israeli connection runs through Teddy Sagi's control of Kape and the group's Tel Aviv development centre.

Is CyberGhost owned by ExpressVPN?

No, they are siblings. Both belong to Kape Technologies PLC.

Can Kape see CyberGhost user data?

The privacy policy permits account data transfers to group companies under the EU-equivalence condition. The no-logs policy covers what happens inside the VPN tunnel itself.

What happened to ZenMate?

It is being merged into CyberGhost, and its website already promotes CyberGhost plans.

Is CyberGhost a public company?

No. Its parent delisted from the London Stock Exchange in May 2023 and is privately held.

CyberGhost's owners at a glance

CyberGhost S.R.L., registered in Bucharest under J40/1278/2011, operates the VPN and signs the user agreement. Kape Technologies PLC, formerly Crossrider, bought it in March 2017 for up to 9.2 million euros as its first VPN, later adding ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, Intego and the review-site publisher Webselenese, and went private in May 2023. The Romanian registration keeps CyberGhost outside the Eyes alliances, the privacy policy allows EU-level transfers within the group, and non-US disputes land in London courts.