Hide.me does everything right when it comes to security and features: it uses AES-256 cipher to encrypt your traffic, offers a variety of secure protocols like WireGuard, and goes the extra mile by managing its own DNS servers and offering double VPN servers.
Secure Protocols & Working Kill Switch
Hide.me offers its users the best VPN protocols available. OpenVPN and WireGuard are included on all desktop and mobile apps. SoftEther and PPTP protocols are also available, but they’re less secure and remain exclusive to Hide.me’s Windows apps.
Other security features include built-in leak protection and a kill switch to protect your real IP address in the event of an unexpected connection drop.
We tested both of these features and the results were all positive: Hide.me does not leak any DNS or WebRTC data and its kill switch works perfectly across all devices.
In previous tests, we used to get frequent warnings that Hide.me’s kill switch cannot be enabled, but Hide.me has listened to our criticism and fixed it.

Hide.me’s kill switch works perfectly to prevent accidental IP leaks.
However, Hide.me’s kill switch has to be manually toggled on via settings. We think it should be turned on by default.
We also tested to see whether Hide.me actually encrypts your data by running it through a packet-sniffing tool called Wireshark. The results showed that Hide.me effectively encrypts incoming and outgoing network packets:

Hide.me encrypts your browsing data, making it indecipherable.
Stealth Guard & Split Tunneling
Hide.me has a useful feature called Stealth Guard, which stops you from connecting to the internet until you’ve established a VPN connection.
This can also be limited to specific apps. Stealth Guard ensures you don’t forget to switch on your VPN protection.

Stealth Guard guarantees you’re protected by a VPN when using the web or specific apps.
Hide.me’s split tunneling feature is also available on every platform except iOS. This enables you to select the apps that run through the VPN tunnel and which do not.
Hide.me also automatically supports both IPv4 or IPv6 traffic, depending on which is available. Many VPNs are still not compatible with IPv6 and just block the traffic, like Surfshark. We prefer Hide.me’s dual stack solution.
Multi-Hop (Double VPN) Servers
Hide.me has multi-hop servers, which allow you to route your traffic through two different VPN servers, providing double protection. Other VPNs like Surfshark and Proton VPN have this feature, but it’s still relatively rare.
Hide.me asks you to manually select your entry and exit server locations, which is great, but we’d like to see an automatic option, too, as some users might prefer to have the locations quickly chosen for them.

Hide.me has a multi-hop feature with manual entry and exit servers.
Self-Managed DNS Servers & Custom DNS
Hide.me manages its own DNS servers, which have been designed to retain no information about you.
This is great for privacy as it means Hide.me handles and encrypts your DNS requests, preventing your traffic from going through your ISP’s less private DNS servers.
You can also set up custom DNS and choose to use a random port for every connection, which is sometimes called Dynamic Port or Ephemeral Port. This makes it harder for ISPs to track and block your VPN use.
Hide.me Is Virus Free
Hide.me is completely free of viruses. We scanned the Hide.me installation software through VirusTotal.com, and no viruses or malware were detected.
Users of Hide.me Free also benefit from exactly the same level of security as its paid subscribers, making it one of the most secure free VPNs available.
More Technical Features We’d Like to See
- Ad blocker to stop intrusive adverts while browsing the web.
- Dedicated IP to reserve an IP address and avoid IP blacklists.