
(They used to be known as AnchorFree, but rebranded late in 2019.) It was formerly owned and operated by Pango, who has offices in Ukraine and Russia. The VPN is one of the original providers, and they now have over 3,200 servers in over 80 countries around the world.

iOS and Android support were added in 20 respectively, and they now have an estimated 500m users worldwide, and over 650 million downloads. Hotspot Shield was originally released back in 2005, with the first client app coming out just a few years later, for both Windows and Mac. Hotspot Shield is now owned by a new parent company(Aura), so have there been any drastic changes over the last 12 months? Have they had an impact on the company, and can the VPN be trusted with your personal data? About Hotspot Shield Nonetheless, we’ll delve into just what the popular free tier has to offer, as well as look at the premium service, and whether it’s worth the asking price. Most notably, speeds are reduced, and the data limit is paltry. Of course, they also have a Premium version which they’d prefer you’d use, so they place various limits on the unpaid software. OverviewĪs Free VPN providers go, Hotspot Shield is far from the worst you’ll find. With a free tier that helped it into the public eye, their paid version is marketed as ‘the fastest VPN ever’.Ĭan Hotspot Shield live up to its promises, and is it viable if you’d like to use it to hide your online movements? In our review, we cover all aspects of the service, providing the lowdown on everything you need to know about Hotspot Shield, from the Free version to the Premium edition of the software.

Since 2008, Hotspot Shield’s VPN has been used by protestors and streamers alike as a method to bypass restrictions and access content while they’re online.

Both the premium and family plans provide 24/7 customer support and advanced security features like identity theft, malware and phishing protection, smart VPN and password management.Disclaimer: Partnerships & affiliate links help us create better content. Hotspot’s family plans include up to 5 accounts and 25 devices (5 for each family member). This VPN allows for over 115 virtual locations. You can register up to five devices and get unlimited data and speeds up to 1 Gbps. These plans are optimized for streaming with popular platforms like Netflix, YouTube, Hulu and Disney+. Hotspot also offers premium VPN subscription plans for Windows PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Chrome, Linux, routers and TVs. Both Hotspot’s basic and premium plans come with an internet kill switch. The basic free download has limited streaming access, up to 2 Mbps connection speed, a 500 MB daily data limit and one virtual location, and it’s not compatible with all devices.
You can download its VPN at no cost from the company’s website or buy a subscription for premium security services. Hotspot Shield’s VPN lets you stream safely and privately.
