Hotspot Shield is a relatively known name in the tech community, largely due to their popular Chrome Proxy extension. Hotspot Shield VPN offers plenty of features for streaming geo-restricted content and improving overall browsing experience. It has a good global coverage with servers all over the world, helping users bypass local restrictions. The interface is pretty straightforward and there’s also a free limited plan available, which is always appreciated. All in all, it is a great choice for those who need a reliable VPN service for Netflix and other streaming services. However, Hotspot Shield is not the best solution for those who prioritize security and privacy, as the company’s logging policy is somewhat unclear.
Pros & Cons
- Unblocks just about any major streaming service
- Vast server-base worldwide
- Free plan available (500Mb of traffic per day)
- Apps for every major operating system
- Lack of industry standard WireGuard
- Live customer support available only for Premium users
- Dubious privacy policy (service is based in the US)
- Lack of No-logs policy
Security
If Hotspot Shield shines in terms of rich selection of servers worldwide and the ability to hop on Netflix from any part of the world, security is where it struggles a bit. First, Hotspot Shield is located in the US, which means that the service falls under the jurisdiction of 5 Eyes, 9 Eyes and 14 Eyes alliances. Member states of these alliances, including the USA, can access and monitor users’ online activity. Despite the claims that Hotspot Shield does not store users’ information and browsing history, a strict No-logs policy is missing. They keep your IP address until your session is over, which is another red flag. Besides, using a free plan makes the user even more vulnerable, considering that the app has to detect your location in order to roll out the ads. If we skip sugar-coating, the free plan is poor in terms of security and valuing your privacy.
Hotspot Shield has a kill switch feature, stopping all your traffic if you happen to lose the connection to the VPN service. The service utilizes strong encryption AES-256 bit cipher, which is enough to cover the needs of any demanding user.
Speed
Speed is a Hotspot’s bargaining chip. They proudly wear the title of ‘World’s fastest VPN’. Without a doubt, Hotspot Shield boasts impressive speeds thanks to their own Hydra protocol. It is designed to perform well using less bandwidth and achieve faster speeds than the competition.
Be mindful, though, as the support for OpenVPN and WireGuard is limited on certain devices. Hotspot place their bets on Hydra, and it seems to be working well for them.
We’ve seen a drop from 56Mbps to 31Mbps in our Download test and from 63Mbps to 33Mbps in an Upload test. Don’t expect those speeds on a free plan, as it is capped at 1Mbps.
Features
Hotspot Shield has one of the best and most intuitive interfaces across all platforms. Even the least tech-savvy users won’t have a hard time connecting to the appropriate server for some Netflix.
Where Hotspot truly shines is in the number of servers worldwide. Premium plan boasts with more than 1800 servers in 80 countries. Plus, when you upgrade from a free plan to a Premium, Hotspot hooks you up with an antivirus and a password manager. Free plan has only one location available and neither kill switch nor split-tunneling are present.
There is also a separate gaming mode, optimized for the best gaming experience and getting rid of annoying rubber-banding. However, there only seems to be the American gaming server at the time of writing. Hopefully, the list will get bigger soon.
Price
The service is priced above average and is totally comparable with the industry-leading NordVPN and ExpressVPN. The 12-month Premium plan will set you back $7.99/mo or $12.99/mo if you choose to go with a monthly plan. Another thing that we must mention is that Hotspot Shield allows only up to 5 simultaneous connections, while many competitors in this price bracket and below allow unlimited amount of devices on a Premium plan. To unlock an unlimited amount of simultaneous connections, one would have to upgrade to a more expensive yearly $11.99/mo plan or a monthly $19.99/mo plan.
Streaming
Hotspot Shield is a great choice for streaming, as it unblocks Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, ITV without a hitch. One can spot a few hiccups while trying to connect to BBC iPlayer. However, potential users should be mindful that the free plan does not support streaming and unblocking Netflix and other streaming services. Some niche streaming services with more strict anti-VPN measures may not be accessed with Hotspot Shield, but all major streaming services should be a breeze.
The service has a p2p support, so in theory it should be a great choice for torrenting. We need to mention that you’re not protected by a No-logs policy, which seems to be a must-have feature for all major VPN services in 2022. For those who fear receiving a DMCA notice, this is a substantial problem.
Conclusion
Hotspot Shield is a great choice for users with wallets on a thicker side who need a zippy solution to play their favorite Netflix shows. The service is great for streaming content or reducing ping in a multiplayer game. However, despite the rich server base and some pleasant bonuses like a password manager and an antivirus, there are some concerning signs in terms of privacy. Moreover, the service is pretty expensive by default, yet you have to spend extra if you’re sharing your account with a few of your pals or family members.