Hotspot Shield is an unexpended name for avirtual private connection ( VPN)service , but it ’s one of the fastest you’re able to get . However , upper is n’t everything . You need a VPN that works on all your gimmick , protect your privacy and hides your location , and offer beneficial customer service , all at an affordable cost .

I went hands - on with Hotspot Shield to see how well it do againstthe best VPNs , and whether it ’s the correct option for you .

Tiers and pricing

Hotspot Shield volunteer free and paid versions . We recommend Hotspot Shield ’s free app , but we might have to rethink that hint since it now has a data cap of 250 MB per day and includes ads . There are muchbetter free VPNs to prefer from .

affect on to Hotspot Shield Premium , pricing and availability of subscription plan varies . navigate the website to find pricing , I see only two options : $ 10 monthly or $ 80 annually , which work out to about $ 7 per month .

When I get the picture deeper , I found a much better deal . Browsing through web log posts , I came across a liaison to aVPN offer pagewith a price of about $ 3 each month if you pay for three days in procession . The total price is $ 108 , only $ 28 more than the one-year plan to get two more years of service .

Hotspot Shield is n’t the onlyVPN with gravid deals , particularly if you ’re willing to prepay for age of service . However , its 7 - mean solar day liberal trial and 45 - daytime money - back guarantee are quite generous .

Design

The Hotspot Shield app is gentle to instal and simple to use . A great , friendlyConnect VPNbutton on the home screen automatically choose the fastest server . For introductory privacy aegis , it only takes a pawl .

Unfortunately , the app ’s window is small and is n’t resizable . On the leftover sidebar , I can do a speed test through the Hotspot Shield app , check my story status , get helper , or dig into setting for more advanced options .

The options tab is where everything of involvement is placed . I can set up machinelike connection , activate split - tunneling so select sites and apps bypass the VPN , choose which protocol to employ , and enable a kill switch that reduce net approach if the VPN by chance disconnects .

Hotspot Shield ’s Catapult Hydra protocol is fast and includes obfuscation to help obscure VPN use of goods and services . That ’s important when you demand to short-circuit administrative firewalls . The good VPNs for schoolhave like feature of speech .

Those are fairly common features for top VPNs . I could n’t discover an pick for embrasure forwarding and Hotspot Shield does n’t propose dedicated IP computer address .

Features

Any VPN can obscure my IP reference and encrypt information to help protect my secrecy . When I ’m paying for a VPN , I also expect great bandwidth and a large number of servers to choose from so I can stream video , download content , and browse news from around the world like I ’m a local .

In my examination , Hotspot Shield prove to be one of the fastest VPNs useable . I usedSpeedtest.netto mensuration download and upload speeds for waiter in the U.S. , U.K. , Canada , France , Germany , and Australia .

My Ethernet connection handles over 900 Mbps speeds both for downloads and uploads . Hotspot Shield correctly identified a U.S. waiter as closer and quicker for my location .

With Hotspot Shield link up , I got U.S. downloads as tight as 441 Mbps ( 94 milliseconds ping ) and uploads at 134 Mbps ( 79 ms Ping River ) . That ’s the secure upload hurrying I ’ve quantify so far from my localization in Canada and among the good download speeds .

Overseas , download rates ranged from 26 Mbps ( 823 ms ping ) in aloof Australia to 64 Mbps ( 352 ms ping ) in Germany . Uploads were quite slow , reach only 3 Mbps ( 232 ms ping ) “ down under ” and a usable 6 Mbps ( 121 ms Ping River ) in Germany .

In some location , Hotspot Shield offers waiter optimise for streaming and gaming . I checked whether there was a measurable conflict and found the U.K. streaming host was quicker and had lower pings .

Hotspot Shield should take inspiration fromProton VPN , a compete service that designate the host loadto avail me get the best speed .

Support

Hotspot Shield claims to offer 24/7 live chat support . When I reached out at 7 p.m. ET , a chatbot offered utile aid with my first question about usingHotspot Shield as part of my Dashlane password manager subscription . I verified that a full Hotspot Shield Premium architectural plan is admit .

Next , I asked about the hr of live confabulation . The bot dismiss that motion the first few times I asked . I get going a fresh conversation to clear whatever glitch was happening and this time was tell to ask an email response within an minute .

I did n’t get a response that even , so I tried again the next day at 2 p.m. ET . The chatbot again collected my name and email with the doubtful hope that I ’d see back within an time of day .

In my experience , Hotspot Shield unrecorded chat is limited to a virtual help that ’s not as helpful as a modern AI . I examine the common keywords “ federal agent ” and “ human ” with no success . As for email reinforcement , it ’s very tedious with replies , train more than a day even for unproblematic questions .

Privacy and security

Hotspot Shield ’s terms of help state that the costless service may show third - party ads , but the paid version does n’t . It also notes that you will be transferring personal information to the U.S.

That mean the U.S. and its ally may request to access your datum . Most of your data is remainder - to - end cypher with Hydra , IPSec , or WireGuard communications protocol , so that should keep your activity private .

There have also been concerns about data leaks when using the VPN.Hotspot Shield confirmeda minor data leakage of a Wi - Fi meshwork name in December 2017 . I could n’t find any official statement about a Federal Trade Commission ( FTC ) complaint made earlier that year .

Aura acquired Hotspot Shield in 2020 , so hopefully any leak or logging return have been set . Hotspot Shield ’s no - log insurance has n’t been audited , leaving some doubt about how much data it might collect .

Is Hotspot Shield right for you?

I ca n’t commend Hotspot Shield ’s free app , since it limits data to 250 MB and might show advertizing . Proton Free is a much better barren VPN , and it include free encrypted storage , a free password manager , and more .

Hotspot Shield Premium is dissolute , scoring the best uploads stop number I ’ve quantify . However , Hotspot Shield does n’t have as many servers or location as the best VPNs . For exercise , NordVPN lists 6,400 planetary servers , which is more than triple Hotspot Shield ’s 1,800 servers .

You might be capable to recover a good deal on Hotspot Shield , but most companieshighlight the best VPN deals , so you do n’t need to grok through blog post to happen them .

I care Hotspot Shield ’s speed and ease of use , but I ca n’t recommend it whenthere are better and cheaper VPNs available .