Simon Migliano is a recognized world expert in VPNs. He's tested hundreds of VPN services and his research has featured on the BBC, The New York Times and more.
Hotspot Shield delivers excellent VPN speeds across a large server network and intuitive apps. Sadly, it's not good for torrenting due to its logging practices, and it has also stopped working with US Netflix. On the whole, Hotspot Shield is good for general use, but not for privacy-focused activities nor for unblocking Netflix.
Ranked #16 out of 56 VPNs
Hotspot Shield Category Ratings
66.0/10
5.25.2/10
7.57.5/10
9.89.8/10
9.69.6/10
7.27.2/10
8.98.9/10
8.28.2/10
8.28.2/10
7.57.5/10
Hotspot Shield Pros & Cons
Very good speeds especially across short distances
Apps are free of IP, DNS & WebRTC leaks
Paid app unlocks HBO, Hulu, DAZN, & allows torrenting
Large VPN server network: 80 countries
User-friendly VPN apps for popular devices
No VPN kill switch on macOS
Doesn't often work in China
Free app shares information with advertisers
Based in privacy-unfriendly US
Past controversies around the free VPN app
Why Trust Our Review?
We’ve spent thousands of hours testing and reviewing 56 VPN services using our impartial review process to recommend you the best VPN software.
Here are some of our key VPN testing statistics:
Total Hours of Testing
30,000+
Weekly Speed Tests
3,000+
VPN Services Reviewed
56
Streaming Platforms Tested Daily
12
IP & DNS Leak Tests Performed
9,500+
How Much We've Spent On Testing
$25,000+
Hotspot Shield offers two services: a free VPN and a premium VPN. With over 650 million customers, it’s one of the most popular VPN services in the world.
Hotspot Shield Free is an ad-sponsored VPN with a daily data limit of 500MB. Upgrading to the paid version removes ads and gives you unlimited bandwidth, access to servers in 80 countries, and a range of bundled security features.
In this full Hotspot Shield review, we put the free and the premium VPN versions through our strict testing process to see how they performed for speed, security, streaming, and more.
Hotspot Shield has some of the fastest connection speeds we’ve tested, thanks to Hydra VPN, its proprietary encryption protocol.
Furthermore, all the provider’s apps are user-friendly and allow P2P and torrenting traffic on all servers.
However, the company has a less-than-ideal privacy and logging policy, which won’t suit more privacy-conscious users.
We dissect the logging and privacy policies of every VPN. A VPN should never log:
Your real IP address
Connection timestamps
DNS requests
A base of operations outside of 14-Eyes or EU jurisdiction is preferable.
Hotspot Shield has some concerning incidents in it's past but has improved since changing ownership. It's logging policy could still be improved, though.
Ranked #32 out of 56 VPNs for Privacy & Logging Policy
Hotspot Shield has a questionable logging policy. While the VPN doesn’t keep any logs of your browsing history or online activity, it does collect plenty of other information and its privacy policy is often vague or misleading.
According to its terms and conditions, Hotspot Shield Elite collects the following data:
Your IP address – encrypted, only for the duration of your session, and not linked with your activity while using the VPN.
Your approximate geographical location – derived from your IP address and used to connect you to the nearest VPN server.
Connection timestamps – used to monitor, support, and optimize VPN services, and stored for three years.
Bandwidth used per user, per session – used to monitor, support, and optimize VPN services, and stored for three years.
Device-specific information, such as device identifiers, browser types, device types and settings, operating system versions, mobile, wireless, and other network information (such as internet service provider name, carrier name and signal strength), and application version numbers.
Non-personal logs of websites (domain names, not specific URLs) visited via Hotspot Shield’s VPN servers – these are aggregated on a monthly basis.
If you use Hotspot Shield Free, the service can also share even more data with third-party advertisers:
…Even if a government agency physically seizes one of our VPN servers and succeeds in breaking disk encryption on those servers, they would not find any logs or information that would reveal what any individual user was browsing, viewing, or doing online via a VPN connection.”
While it’s encouraging that Hotspot Shield isn’t able to link any behavior to your specific account, this level of data collection is still far too invasive for any user concerned about privacy or anonymity.
Monitoring and sharing Data
If you’re using Hotspot Shield Elite, the company monitors “the nature of the requests that you make to our servers (such as what is being requested, information about the device and app used to make the request, timestamps, and referring URLs)” along with a whole host of other information.
If you use the free version, you’ll also be sharing personally identifying information with advertisers. As always, it’s best to stay away from ad-supported services when trying to stay private online.
Connection timestamps could potentially be used – alongside other data points – to prove that you have visited a certain website. This is unlikely to happen, but we would rather Hotspot Shield didn’t log this information for three years.
SUMMARY:
At the very least, Hotspot Shield VPN monitors your IP address and website requests, even if in aggregate form. Combined with a worrisome past concerning user privacy, we can’t recommend the service for users seeking high-level anonymity online. If you want a VPN that doesn’t log web activity, read our PIA VPN review.
Where is Hotspot Shield based?
Until recently Hotspot Shield was owned by Pango, formerly known as AnchorFree. But as of July 2020 it has been acquired by a security company called Aura.
Aura is based in the US, which has very intrusive privacy laws. It’s also one of the founding members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. These countries work together to collect, share, and analyze mass surveillance data – this alone is a red flag.
Invasive jurisdictions like the US can compel supposedly privacy-focused companies like Aura to retain and share user information.
Hotspot Shield’s transparency reports
In January 2019, Hotspot Shield released its annual Transparency Report. The report shows the number of data requests Hotspot Shield received from authorities around the world since 2016 (227) – crucially, it also showed that Hotspot Shield didn’t hand over any data.
However, the company hasn’t released another transparency report to account for the time that has passed since then, so there’s no way of knowing whether it has given up user data to any third parties.
Aura / Pango’s Controversial History
Pango provided an all-in-one subscription service to a number of online security and privacy products including Hotspot Shield Elite, 1Password, Robo Shield, and Identity Guard. It costs $12.99 a month, or $95.88 a year.
The Pango group also owned a few different VPN apps including Betternet, Hexatech, and TouchVPN, which are not part of the main Pango subscription service. These services have since been brought within Aura.
A 2016 CSIRO report brought some of the company’s questionable activities to light. Hotspot Shield’s Android VPN app was highlighted for “injecting JavaScript codes for advertising and tracking purposes.”
Essentially, Hotspot Shield was using tracking codes to collect information about users in order to sell it to third-party advertisers.
The company was also exposed for redirecting user traffic through affiliate networks in order to profit from purchases made while using the VPN service.
The investigation relied on evidence that included Hotspot Shield’s own marketing materials, which overstated the privacy and security of its VPN service.
Hotspot Shield didn’t consider the logging of IP addresses collection of personal information, which is misleading and untrue.
The CDT’s report mainly targeted the free version of the app, but it was still a sizable breach of trust.
Hotspot Shield’s website materials and privacy policy have since been revamped to clearly show users what the VPN does and doesn’t collect, along with how the free app is used in conjunction with advertising. There has also been a change in leadership since then.
It’s hard to fully trust a company that has put profit before user privacy in the past, but with new management and an updated logging policy Hotspot Shield will be private enough for the majority of users.
Speed
Hotspot Shield is one of the fastest VPNs we've tested
9.89.8/10
How is this calculated?
Speed ratings are calculated using upload speeds, download speeds, and ping (latency).
We test average speeds regularly using a dedicated 100Mbps connection. Local download speed is considered the most important factor.
Hotspot Shield’s speeds are impressively fast and reliable across the board. No matter which server you choose, you can stream in HD or browse the internet without experiencing delays. Just make sure you test a couple of different nearby VPN servers to find the best speeds.
Ranked #2 out of 56 VPNs for Speed
We have measured Hotspot Shield’s performance when connected to servers in countries around the globe.
If you’re looking to stream video content from another country, Hotspot Shield’s connection speeds will do the job easily.
The company claims this impressive performance is thanks to its proprietary connection protocol, Hydra VPN. This technology is supposedly designed to fix the latency issues associated with other encryption protocols like OpenVPN.
Unlike most VPNs, Hotspot Shield doesn’t automatically connect you to the nearest or fastest VPN server upon startup – it always picks a US server. For the best speeds, we recommend picking a server closer to your physical location.
The free version of Hotspot Shield didn’t perform as well as the premium version in our speed tests, though. Sadly, we measured much higher speed losses connecting to the VPN’s free servers.
Local Speed Test results before using Hotspot Shield:
Download Speed: 95.97Mbps
Upload Speed: 98.36Mbps
Ping: 4ms
Local Speed Test results with Hotspot Shield:
Download Speed: 86.64Mbps
Upload Speed: 93.82Mbps
Ping: 15ms
Download speed loss when Hotspot Shield is running: 10%
Local speed tests measure the difference in connection speed before and after connecting to a VPN server near your physical location.
Connecting to a nearby server is the best way to get the fastest speeds, although you won’t benefit from all the unblocking capabilities of a VPN.
We began our testing with a download speed of 95.97Mbps. After connecting to Hotspot Shield’s UK server this number dropped to 86.64Mbps – a percentage speed loss of just 10%.
On other European servers the speed loss dropped by just 1%. This is incredibly impressive when compared to most VPN services – even the best VPNs experience a speed loss of around 5-10%.
Connections to nearby servers were stable and reliable over time – we were able to connect consistently and did not experience any dropped connections during our testing.
International server speeds
To test international speeds we repeated the same process while connected to servers in Germany, United States, Singapore, and Australia. This simulates accessing websites or streaming content outside of your home country.
We found that Hotspot Shield’s international speeds were almost as fast as its local performance. Speed loss is negligible, meaning that you can stream foreign content with ease.
We tested speeds when connected to four servers across the US and found our average download speed was 80Mbps. This is a percentage speed loss of just 17% – an impressive speed, especially for the distance from our physical location.
Here are the full US speed results:
Dallas: 88Mbps (download) & 31Mbps (upload)
LA: 84Mbps (download) & 27Mbps (upload)
New York: 62Mbps (download) & 66Mbps (upload)
Seattle: 92Mbps (download) & 27Mbps (upload)
Across the world in Singapore we measured download speeds of nearly 70Mbps. In Australia speeds reached 59Mbps, a drop of just 39% – one of the best speeds in Australia we’ve ever recorded. This performance is incredible given the physical distances involved; most other VPNs struggle to maintain even 50% of the original speed on this type of long-distance connection.
Here are the full international speed test results:
Germany: 93Mbps (download) & 95Mbps (upload)
USA: 79Mbps (download) & 43Mbps (upload)
Singapore: 68Mbps (download) & 18Mbps (upload)
Australia: 59Mbps (download) & 14Mbps (upload)
Switching between servers is also very fast. However, beware that the kill switch doesn’t protect traffic when you change servers.
It’s therefore best to close down all your browser tabs and apps before you do so to ensure the highest levels of privacy.
Hotspot Shield’s upload speeds aren’t quite as speedy as its downloads, but they are still more than good enough for torrenting if you connect to a nearby server.
Ping times are also a little high and the software isn’t manually configurable, so Hotspot Shield isn’t ideal for gaming.
How fast is Hotspot Shield compared to other VPNs?
To give the best comparison of VPN services we run an automatic custom VPN speed test tool.
It tests the ping, download and upload speed of each VPN four times per day, with speeds capped at 100Mbps (a number similar to what you might get on your home internet connection).
It shows the VPN’s average speed loss compared to the connection with no VPN running. You can see how Hotspot Shield fared versus other popular VPNs over the past two months. The data below is taken from a New York to New York connection.
Thanks to its proprietary VPN protocol Hotpsot Shield is one of the fastest VPNs we’ve seen. Over the last few months it has maintained an average download speed drop of under 10%.
Top-rated VPNs offer OpenVPN or WireGuard protocols, AES-256 encryption, and a functional kill switch. We also consider additional security features and the global spread of VPN servers. It’s proprietary Catalpult Hydra protocol isn’t as tested as open-source alternatives, though.
Hotspot Shield is a safe VPN that uses AES-256 encryption, a secure proprietary protocol, and a reliable VPN kill switch. We've never seen the VPN leak IP or DNS information.
Ranked #18 out of 56 VPNs for Security & Technical Features
Protocols
Available in Hotspot Shield
IKEv2/IPSec
Yes
Hydra
Yes
L2TP/IPSec
Yes
OpenVPN (TCP/UDP)
Yes
WireGuard
Yes
Encryption
Available in Hotspot Shield
AES-128
No
AES-192
No
AES-256
Yes
Blowfish
No
ChaCha20
No
Security
Available in Hotspot Shield
DNS Leak Blocking
Yes
First-party DNS
No
IPv6 Leak Blocking
Yes
Supports TCP Port 443
No
VPN Kill Switch
Yes
WebRTC Leak Blocking
No
Advanced Features
Available in Hotspot Shield
Ad Blocker
Yes
Dedicated IP
No
Double VPN
No
Smart DNS
No
Static IP
No
SOCKS
No
Split Tunneling
Yes
Tor over VPN Server
No
Tracker Blocker
No
Hotspot Shield is a safe VPN using AES-128 encryption and leak protection to secure your internet traffic while it travels through the network.
We detected no IP, DNS, or WebRTC leaks when using the desktop and mobile applications, but the browser extensions weren’t as secure. They leaked both DNS requests and WebRTC information, which means your ISP would be able to view your browsing activity.
Hotspot Shield’s kill switch
The Windows, Android, and iOS apps come with a VPN kill switch that shields your IP address if your internet connection suddenly drops.
The kill switch is disabled by default, and isn’t currently available for macOS, which is disappointing for a VPN with such a large user-base.
Hotspot Shield’s kill switch
It also doesn’t activate when you change servers, which temporarily exposes your true IP address. This flaw may only expose your personal information for a couple of seconds, but it’s still a privacy concern.
DNS leak proof but no WebRTC protections
Windows users will find DNS leak protection enabled by default. IPv6 and WebRTC leak protection aren’t built-in though, so privacy-conscious users should disable these settings in their browser.
Lack of extra features
If you expect advanced features like split tunneling, double-hop, or an ad-blocker, then Hotspot Shield isn’t for you.
That said, there is a ‘domain bypass’ feature that allows you to route certain websites outside the VPN tunnel.
Hotspot Shield’s past security flaws
It’s also worth noting that security researchers found a major security flaw in Hotspot Shield’s code in February 2018.
The flaw allowed hackers to see users’ true location via their WiFi network name. This was later addressed and fixed. Read Hotspot Shield’s clarification of the incident here.
The amount of third-party trackers in the Android app and the lack of transparency regarding its connection protocol are also points of concern.
SUMMARY: Hotspot Shield’s security offering isn’t as strong as the very best VPNs on the market. It provides robust encryption and security in general, but browser extension leaks and the lack of a kill switch on macOS are problematic. That said, the VPN is more than safe enough for casual use, streaming, and protecting your data over public WiFi.
Please note: If you have Hotspot Shield on Windows you must update to the latest version of the software, as older versions have a security vulnerability.
Hotspot Shield doesn’t use standard VPN protocols like OpenVPN. Instead, it offers IKEv2 and its own proprietary protocol called Hydra VPN (previously known as Catapult Hydra).
There’s not a lot of information about Hydra VPN available online.
We do know that Hydra VPN is optimized to deliver lightning-fast speeds. This is due to its focus on the data transport aspect of VPN performance, which supposedly makes long-distance connection speeds 2.4x faster than connections using OpenVPN.
According to Hotspot Shield, Hydra VPN is based on TLS 1.2. It uses 128-bit AES encryption, 2048-bit RSA certificates for server authentication, and incorporates perfect forward secrecy.
For casual users, Hydra’s VPN encryption is more than secure enough to keep you safe.
We spoke to a Hotspot Shield representative to understand exactly how Hydra VPN works. We were told:
“[Hydra VPN] relies on OpenSSL library (same as used by OpenVPN). It’s an enhancement of a transport protocol: it works inside the already established VPN tunnels to increase the speed of reliable data transfer.
In particular, it is an improvement of TCP protocol: when packets are randomly lost during the long distance connections, Hydra VPN doesn’t confuse this loss with last-mile congestion and doesn’t decrease the throughput like old-style TCP.
These improvements are applied packets that are already encrypted within a secure tunnel. Hydra VPN can increase throughput of any type of VPN tunnel, including OpenVPN and IPSEC.”
One issue with proprietary technology like this is there’s no simple way to see exactly what is going on behind the scenes. Most closed-source protocols cannot be peer-reviewed by independent security experts.
Hotspot Shield has its own Hydra protocol alongside industry-standard security protocols
We typically recommend OpenVPN as the most reliable and trustworthy VPN protocol. OpenVPN is fast, secure, and open-source, so anyone can inspect the code for bugs or improvements.
In the case of Hydra VPN, Hotspot Shield claims the code is evaluated by experts from some of the world’s largest security companies, including BitDefender and McAfee. These companies use Hotspot Shield’s Software Development Kit (SDK) to offer VPN services within their apps.
This means that although the code isn’t publicly available, its functionality and security has been evaluated. If you trust these companies you can extend that trust to Hotspot Shield, if you don’t trust them then it’s probably better to go with an alternative.
Though fast and secure, it’s surprising that Hotspot Shield doesn’t offer at least a few other popular VPN tunneling protocols for situations in which their own protocol simply isn’t the best option.
IP, DNS, & WebRTC leaks
We tested Hotspot Shield’s desktop client, mobile applications and browser extensions for data leaks. Security is about more than just the protocol in use – it has to be used properly, particularly when it comes to leaks that might reveal your identity.
We didn’t record any IP, DNS, or WebRTC leaks during our tests of the premium and free desktop and mobile applications. Our real IP address and location in the UK remained hidden, which means the VPN was protecting our identity.
Hotspot Shield leak test results using browserleaks.com
The VPN doesn’t support IPv6 traffic, so if your ISP supplies you with an IPv6 address your personal data may leak. In order to prevent this you should disable IPv6 on whatever device you’re using. This isn’t ideal, but there are a handful of VPNs that support IPv6, including Perfect Privacy.
While the desktop and mobile apps didn’t leak any of our private information, both the Chrome extension and the Firefox add-on suffered from vulnerabilities. The Chrome extension leaked DNS requests and the Firefox add-on leaked WebRTC requests – even with the WebRTC leak blocking feature enabled.
This means that your ISP can still see the websites you visit when you’re connected to the Chrome extension, and your true IP address and location is exposed when you use the Firefox extension.
Many other VPNs have had WebRTC issues with Firefox recently due to the version 73.0 update, however there’s an easy fix for WebRTC leaks that you can take to protect yourself. The chrome DNS leak is harder to resolve, so we don’t recommend downloading it.
Trackers, malware, and permissions
It’s not enough to know how a VPN encrypts your data – it’s also important to know if it installs any unexpected extras on your device, including malware and trackers.
We used the εxodus tool to find out how many trackers and permissions Hotspot Shield’s Android app uses, and were pretty shocked by the results.
Most of these trackers let Hotspot Shield know how users are interacting and engaging with the app. This helps produce marketing analytics profiles and also identifies how users respond to issues like crashes.
While this may aid app performance and usability it’s by no means ideal for privacy. After all, VPNs are able to function well without trackers – for example Astrill’s code contains zero.
The tool also found 13 device permissions. These grant the app access to view your network and WiFi connections, retrieve running apps, and prevent your phone from sleeping, amongst others. None of these are particularly concerning permissions.
We also put the Hotspot Shield .exe download file through two different virus and malware scanners to be sure it’s safe to use. Fortunately, we found that Hotspot Shield doesn’t contain any viruses.
Streaming
Hotspot Shield streams BBC iPlayer but not US Netflix
66.0/10
How is this calculated?
Streaming is rated by the number of different services unlocked, how many regional libraries are viewable, and how consistently the VPN can access them.
Netflix, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video and more are all tested on a weekly basis.
Hotspot Shield's premium service unlocks BBC iPlayer, DAZN, HBO Max, and Hulu. The real disappointment is its inability to access US Netflix. Also, it doesn't have dedicated streaming servers, so you might have to connect to a few before it works consistently.
Ranked #24 out of 56 VPNs for Streaming
We tested Hotspot Shield’s apps to check how the service works with popular streaming services like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney+ and Hulu.
Hotspot Shield access Hulu from overseas
Hotspot Shield used to be a reliable VPN for US Netflix, but it no longer unblocks the American library, and most other Netflix regions. The only Netflix content it’s now able to access is India.
It’s the same for Hotspot Shield Free, which prevents you from accessing Netflix with a paywall prompting you to upgrade to the premium subscription.
Hotspot Shield works with Disney+ and BBC iPlayer
Hotspot Shield Elite is one of the best VPNs for unblocking Disney+.
And after several months of not working with BBC iPlayer, the VPN now beats the BBC’s VPN blocks. You can now watch all your favorite British TV shows hassle-free through the UK server.
We also tested Hotspot Shield Elite with Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and HBO Max, and we were able to unblock all of them.
Torrenting
Torrenting with Hotspot Shield carries risks
5.25.2/10
How is this calculated?
We calculate the average download bitrate of every VPN using a bespoke torrenting setup.
Testing also factors in the percentage of servers which permit P2P, plus useful features like port forwarding.
Torrenting and P2P traffic is fully permitted and unrestricted on all Hotspot Shield’s premium servers and while it isn't officially supported, we've been able to torrent on the free VPN, too. However, slow P2P speeds and untrustworthy logging practices hold it back.
Ranked #35 out of 56 VPNs for Torrenting
Hotspot Shield openly endorses P2P activity unlike some of its competitors. For example, TunnelBear VPN keeps its torrenting policy a near-secret on the website despite permitting it on every server.
Fast upload speeds, a VPN kill switch (unavailable for Mac users), and effective DNS leak protection all make Hotspot Shield Elite a good VPN for torrenting. The VPN masks your IP address, hiding your P2P activity from your ISP.
You can also torrent on any supported device or platform, but unfortunately you can’t use Hotspot Shield with Kodi.
Hotspot Shield allows you to torrent while using the VPN
Hotspot Shield’s lack of transparency over its proprietary VPN protocol means we can’t guarantee it as the safest option for P2P. The company’s logging policy isn’t the most privacy-friendly, either.
While it’s likely that Hotspot Shield Elite is a safe choice for users looking for safe P2P activity, there are far more secure VPNs for torrenting with stronger privacy policies.
Server Locations
Hotspot Shield offers 1,800 servers in 80 countries
9.69.6/10
How is this calculated?
The global spread and coverage of the VPN server network is the most important factor here.
We also consider the number of city-level servers, plus how many IP addresses are maintained.
This rating does not directly contribute to the Overall Rating, but instead makes up a portion of the Security & Features rating.
Hotspot Shield’s VPN server network consists of 1,800 covering 80 countries. While this is a great number of servers, it’s not the largest selection of VPN locations we’ve seen.
Even if Hotspot Shield doesn’t have the most servers we’ve seen, they’re are well spread out. You can get an IP address associated with popular countries like the UK, the US, Canada, and Australia, as well as some less common destinations like Ecuador, Egypt, and Thailand.
Hotspot Shield users can choose from VPN servers in 27 different US cities – including New York, Los Angeles and Dallas – which is great news for North Americans as well as customers looking to browse or stream from specific US locations.
Until recently there wasn’t any other city-level server choice, but we got in touch with the Hotspot Shield and requested that it add city servers in Australia and Canada, as these are popular options. The VPN company took our feedback on board and now you can find city-level choices in the below countries:
Hotspot Shield states that the number of server locations may differ from one supported device to the next, but when we checked all the apps showed exactly the same server location list.
Hotspot Shield uses a mixture of virtual and physical (bare metal) servers but isn’t willing to reveal which are which due to “security reasons,” which isn’t as transparent as we’d like.
Hotspot Shield’s server locations as seen on the Windows app
The IP addresses that Hotspot Shield assigns are dynamic and shared among multiple users at one time, meaning that you can easily hide in the crowd – ideal for privacy.
Hotspot Shield Free VPN users have a choice of four free server locations to choose from: Los Angeles, New York, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.
There is also a fifth free server location labeled Auto, which connects to a US location out of your control.
The distinction between free and paid servers isn’t clear within the app, where you see the full ‘premium’ server list regardless of which version you’re using. If you click on a location that isn’t free, you’ll be prompted to upgrade to one of the paid plans.
Bypassing Web Censorship
Hydra VPN protocol works in China
7.27.2/10
How is this calculated?
Our remote-access server in Shanghai, China routinely tests if a VPN can beat restrictions and access a free, open internet. Obfuscation technologies and nearby servers are also a contributing factor.
This rating does not directly contribute to the Overall Rating, but instead makes up a portion of the Security & Features rating.
Hotspot Shield does sometimes work in censored regions like China. However in recent months it has been consistently unable to beat China's firewall.
Ranked #17 out of 56 VPNs for Bypassing Web Censorship
Hotspot Shield isn’t the most reliable VPN for use in China and other high censorship countries, especially when compared to other VPNs such as VPN.AC.
In our recent tests from our Shanghai server, the VPN has worked less than 15% of the time in the last 3 months. As such, we suggest using a more effective VPN for China, instead.
With servers all over the world and lightning fast speeds, Hotspot Shield is an attractive option for those in other high-censorship countries like Iran and Russia.
Remember that Hotspot Shield’s website is blocked and its apps de-listed from web stores in China. Make sure you download the appropriate software before you travel.
Device & OS Compatibility
VPN apps for desktop, mobile and Android TV
How is this rated?
A quality VPN should maintain functional, fully-featured applications and extensions for as many platforms and devices as possible.
This does not directly contribute to the Overall Rating, but instead makes up a portion of the Ease of Use rating.
Hotspot shields lets you install the app on up to five devices and is compatible with Windows, Mac, iOS and Android.
Apps
Windows
Mac
iOS
Android
Linux
Router
Hotspot Shield is compatible with most major platforms and devices. You can use the VPN on up to five devices at any one time on the paid plan.
It’s an industry-standard device limit, however we recently reviewed IPVanish and it now operates an unlimited device limit.
Here is the full list of native Hotspot Shield applications:
Microsoft Windows
Apple macOS
iOS
Google Android
Linux
Amazon Fire TV Stick
Android TV
Hotspot Shield’s router support
Hotspot Shield has also added router support, so you can use the VPN with Apple TV, Roku and games console. It also means you can connect far more devices in your home with one subscription.
There are installation guides available for the following routers:
Linux support has also recently been added, which is rare. Some top-rated services, like ExpressVPN, still don’t offer a custom graphical user interface for this platform.
Games consoles & streaming devices
Amazon Fire TV
Chromecast
Nintendo
PlayStation
Roku
Xbox
Hotspot Shield provides a long list of unsupported devices, including:
Apple TV
Roku
Chromecast
Windows phones
Kindle devices
Blackberry phones
Rooted or jailbroken devices
Game Consoles
Custom router configurations
Direct VPN connectivity (without using the application)
However, it has recently brought out a custom VPN app for Amazon Fire TV Stick and Android TV. These apps are only available for Premium subscribers.
Browser extensions
Chrome
Firefox
Hotspot Shield has browser proxy extensions for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox users. These extensions can spoof your location, block ads, cookies, and trackers, as well as protect you from malware.
They also include Auto Protect and Bypass lists, which tell Hotspot Shield to automatically turn itself on or off whenever you try to access certain websites.
These two features are useful for sites that don’t work with a VPN, or services that need to see your true location. However, these features are quite hard to find – you need to click on ‘Browser settings’ in the extension’s main settings menu, which will open up a browsing tab.
There’s also a WebRTC blocker feature to prevent unwanted IP address leaks, however it’s disabled as default on both extensions. What’s more, the Firefox add-on leaks WebRTC requests even with the feature enabled.
In our tests, the Chrome extension suffered from DNS leaks. As such, we don’t recommend using Hotspot Shield’s extensions.
Another reason not to use them is that they only offer access to nine server locations, significantly fewer than what the full VPN software offers.
The desktop and Android apps are far more secure, even if they don’t include the ad and cookie blockers.
Ease of Use
Hotspot Shield’s apps are simple and user-friendly
8.28.2/10
How is this calculated?
This rating mainly consists of the intuitiveness of setup and everyday use.
Device or platform compatibility and customization options are also a factor.
While they don’t offer much in terms of advanced settings or customization, Hotspot Shield’s apps are simple, intuitive, and easy to use.
Ranked #22 out of 56 VPNs for Ease of Use
How to Install & Set Up Hotspot Shield
To set up Hotspot Shield, all you have to do is go to the downloads section of the website and choose the device you want to use the VPN on.
The installation wizard will guide you through the process from start to finish.
It only took around 30 seconds for us but you can keep an eye on the installation progress here.
Here's the main screen of the Hotspot Shield Windows app. There's a big central connect button.
From here you can choose a server from the locations list. Click on the country flag to see which city locations you can connect to.
Within the settings menu you can enable the VPN kill switch and IP leak protection.
When you connect to a server you can see lots of information about your connection on the screen, including the amount of data transferred, your new IP address, and the server load. To disconnect click the stop icon at the bottom of the app.
To set up Hotspot Shield on your device just download the relevant VPN software either directly from the website or through an official app store.
Click through the installation prompts – they are very easy to follow – and log into the app with your email and account password. It’s that simple.
Overall, Hotspot Shield has created an excellent user experience with its native apps. The main issue is a lack of advanced settings, especially in non-Windows versions of the app. macOS users, for example, will find their only options are turning on push notifications and enabling automatic connection.
Hotspot Shield’s Windows client
Important: If you’re using the Windows Hotspot Shield client, make sure it’s the newest version as older versions have a security vulnerability.
The Windows app displays a central connect button, your selected VPN server location, and the amount of data transferred during the VPN session. When you connect, you’ll also see your new IP address and the server load percentage.
The Hotspot Shield Windows application.
The app’s main interface is straightforward, minimalist, and simple to navigate. You can quickly connect to a server with a single click, or manually select a server location by clicking on the sphere in the top-right corner.
To access the settings menu just click the cog symbol. The most important features can be found under the ‘Advanced’ tab – you’ll want to make sure that the VPN kill switch (Windows only) and Prevent IP Leak features are toggled on in order to prevent personal data leaks.
If you want a more tailored VPN experience, you can play around in the General settings menu, where you can choose to start the VPN on launch and auto-connect.
There’s also a domain bypass feature, which allows you to route certain websites outside of the VPN tunnel. This works a bit like split tunneling. It’s useful for accessing local content on secure sites while you use the VPN to browse foreign content on other websites.
To see the full list of available server locations just click on the arrow next to the VPN’s current virtual location. From there you can even choose specific cities in some countries.
Hotspot Shield’s Mac client
The macOS app is much simpler, with none of the advanced features that make the Windows app so comprehensive.
Hotspot Shield’s app for macOS.
It’s still very easy to use, with a central connect button, but it lacks a VPN kill switch and the domain bypass feature, which is disappointing.
Hotspot Shield’s mobile apps (Android & iOS)
Hotspot Shield’s Android application has a similarly clean and simple interface to the desktop apps. Once you start the application and press connect, your virtual location will be displayed below.
The Hotspot Shield Android application.
The settings menu also follows a similar pattern to the Windows client, with settings to automatically connect when your device turns on or when you connect to certain network types.
There’s no kill switch setting, but you do get the option to turn the VPN off when your device is sleeping, which can help save battery.
Likewise, the iOS application is just as simple as the other clients. It displays a large connect button, a list of locations, and very few advanced settings.
The iOS app looks great and is simple to use, but it doesn’t have any settings whatsoever. It’s fairly typical for iOS VPN apps to be stripped back, but Hotspot Shield’s is particularly bare.
Customer Support
24/7 live chat support available
8.28.2/10
How is this calculated?
This rating is based on our assessment of each VPN’s:
Email support
Live chat support
Online resources
Not every VPN offers all of these, and they often vary in quality and response time.
For paying users, Hotspot Shield offers 24/7 live chat support but free users will have to stick to online tutorials and FAQs.
Ranked #23 out of 56 VPNs for Customer Support
Customer Support
Available in Hotspot Shield
24/7 Live Chat Support
Yes
24/7 Email Support
No
Chatbot
No
Email
No
Email Support via Online Form
No
Tutorial Videos
No
Online Resources
Yes
Hotspot Shield’s around-the-clock live chat support is by far the best way to get your queries addressed and problems solved.
However, you have to subscribe to a Hotspot Shield Elite account before you can benefit from live chat.
That makes asking simple questions before you purchase a subscription a little harder than you’d expect. There is email support, but it’s quite limited, and even then some queries are restricted to premium subscribers.
You should be able to find answers to basic questions in the knowledge base and FAQs section, which is fairly comprehensive and simple to navigate. Once you’re a paying customer, you can access live chat support directly from the Hotspot Shield app, or via your account on the Hotspot Shield website.
The applications also display popular questions within the interface so you don’t have to navigate to the Hotspot Shield website. You can get advice here quickly, and if that doesn’t help, a contact button will open your browser at the Live Chat page for personalized assistance.
Thankfully, responses are well-informed and timely.
Price & Value
How much does Hotspot Shield cost?
7.57.5/10
How is this calculated?
Price & Value for Money receives a rating, but is not factored into our Overall Rating. We believe the reader should decide what is or isn’t a reasonable price.
A good rating here isn’t just based on how cheap the VPN is, but for the value it offers overall.
Hotspot Shield is relatively cheap, especially if you select a longer VPN plan. But it is far from the best value VPN we've reviewed.
Ranked #12 out of 56 VPNs for Price & Value
You can choose from four different-length subscription plans with Hotspot Shield Premium. Each plan comes with the same features. As usual, you’ll get the best value for money with a longer subscription plan.
While a 12-month plan is priced at a moderate $7.99 per month, Hotspot Shield’s three-year plan costs just $2.99 per month – a very competitive price.
If you want to pay on a month-to-month basis, Hotspot Shield costs $12.99.
Oddly, Hotspot Shield’s prices don’t accommodate different currencies – you’ll pay exactly the same price whether you use Euros or Dollars.
While these prices are reasonable for what Hotspot Shield has to offer, there are certainly cheaper VPN services out there that still offer a premium service.
You can pay for Hotspot Shield Elite using the following methods:
Major credit and debit cards
PayPal
It doesn’t accept any privacy-friendly methods such as Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, though, and there’s no option to pay using international methods like AliPay either.
Hotspot Shield provides a 45-day money-back guarantee, which is generous, but it does involve submitting a form for review.
Whether you receive a refund or not is up to Hotspot Shield, so canceling before your plan ends is not exactly risk-free.
There’s also a seven-day free trial, which allows you to test out the full-featured premium software without restrictions.
This is a great alternative to the subpar free VPN service, but it does require you to submit your payment details. Just remember to cancel before the seven days are up if you don’t want to continue onto a premium subscription.
Hotspot Shield Free
You can use the free version of Hotspot Shield on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices, but it comes with lots of restrictions.
Hotspot Shield’s free VPN is limited to 500MB of VPN data per day – that’s barely enough for a 30-minute show on Netflix. But over a month it can add up to quite a but of data.
If you try to access Netflix’s website (or any other popular streaming platform), you’ll be met with a payment wall for its premium product. The custom apps for Android TV and Amazon Fire TV Stick aren’t available for free users, either.
Torrenting works on the free app, but the data limit prevents you from downloading any large files.
If you use the Android app, you’ll also experience annoying pop-up ads as you’re browsing. This helps contribute to the overheads of the free app but can feel very intrusive, especially considering Hotspot Shield shares certain information like your city-level location with third-party advertisers.
Finally, if you require any assistance or run into any issues, Hotspot Shield’s live chat agents won’t be able to help you, as they attend to paying customers only. Even some email queries will go unresolved if you’re a free user.
Generally, we recommend ‘freemium’ VPNs above stand-alone free services because they support the free service through their premium product. This is the case with Windscribe, Proton VPN, and TunnelBear.
However, Hotspot Shield hasn’t always adhered to this business model.
As we discussed earlier in this review, Hotspot Shield Free has been involved in a handful of privacy scandals, including injecting affiliate links into user traffic for profit and overstating the security and anonymity provided by the service.
While Hotspot Shield is now under new management and the logging policy has been rewritten, some of its previous privacy concerns still remain.
Though the free service is still fast, these restrictions mean you simply can’t take advantage of all the benefits a VPN has to offer.
There’s a lot to like about both versions of Hotspot Shield. The VPN offers impressive speeds, a sizable international server network, and an extremely simple interface.
However, past controversies surrounding the company’s practices raise some concerns about its ability to put user privacy, security, and anonymity first.
There is also a lack of transparency regarding the intricacies of the Hydra VPN protocol, and a lack of support for OpenVPN and manual configuration.
In addition, the browser extensions leak location data, and the privacy policy is not ideal for users primarily seeking high-level anonymity. For privacy purposes, there are certainly better VPNs available.
However, given its speeds and good unblocking capabilities, Hotspot Shield is a good choice of VPN.
The VPN is also a strong choice if you’re simply looking to secure your connection to public WiFi networks.
Alternatives to Hotspot Shield
ExpressVPN
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IPVanish
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