Hotspot Shield

Hotspot Shield
Hotspot Shield VPN

Hotspot Shield is a solid entry-level free VPN service. However, as a paid option, it is better to avoid. The company is under US jurisdiction and has limited means of privacy protection.

Hotspot Shield is an entry-level VPN provider based in California, USA. The service belongs to AnchorFree, a venture funded company with a list of investors including Goldman Sachs.

Pricing

While offering free VPN to all users, Hotspot Shield restricts access to particular categories of content. Noisy ads also become tiresome after some time. To get rid of them, you have four options:

  • Elite lifetime subscription – $109.99;
  • One year subscription – $5.99 (per month);
  • Six months subscription – $8.99 (per month);
  • Monthly subscription – $12.99.

The company offers a 30-days money back guarantee so you can try Hotspot Shield without risk.

Hotspot Shield Pricing

Payment Options

Hotspot Shield accepts payments via:

  • Credit/debit cards;
  • Paypal;

Unfortunately, Hotspot Shield doesn’t accept anonymous payments.

Features

Hotspot Shield claims to:

  • have servers in 20 countries, including US, UK, Australia, Japan, Canada;
  • support five devices simultaneously;
  • intercept phishers and spammers;
  • provide easy-to-use VPN coverage;
  • automatically secure the connection when an unsecured network is detected.
Hotspot Shield Features

Privacy & Security

Hotspot Shield is a subject to US federal jurisdiction which means it cannot guarantee ultimate privacy online. The company, however:

  • uses OpenVPN protocols (as well as PPTP and L2TP) along with proprietary VPN technology;
  • offers malware protection.

Support

Customer support is pretty slow and consists of a limited knowledge base and ticket system.

Platforms

Hotspot Shield has apps for a range of platforms:

  • Windows;
  • Mac OS/OS X;
  • iOS;
  • Android;
  • Firefox/Chrome extensions.
Hotspot Shield Platforms