HotSpot Shield Review
Hotspot Shield is an overall great VPN that offers you modern features with over a decade worth of experience. While they are a little more expensive compared to other services, they still offer great value for money.
Hotspot Shield | |
Pros | Cons |
· Multiple servers throughout 82 countries | · Relatively expensive |
· 5 simultaneous accounts | · No open source VPN protocol |
· No log storage | · Does not support connection to routers |
· Free version |
Introduction
There are plenty of popular names in the VPN market, but all of them started relatively new. Not a lot of old VPN service providers made it into the current market. All except one. Hotspot Shield is one of the oldest VPN service providers on the market.
With over a decade worth of operating experience under their belt, they are still running strong. So if you are still thinking of which VPN service provider to choose from, then you might want to consider Hotspot Shield. Despite their age, they are still a major competitor in the market.
Things to Consider before Using a VPN
Using a VPN is as simple as pressing a button. However, VPN service providers hold a lot of power over your information and traffic. Therefore, you will have to consider a few things before you willingly hand over your traffic data and personal information to them.
One of the first things that you should consider is if they log your traffic data. Most VPNs do this, and can your information as they please. Another thing that you should consider is their speed. Protection is great and everything, but if it is at the cost of speed, I’m better off with the eavesdropping hackers.
Reviewing Hotspot Shield
· Top Features of Hotspot Shield
Despite Hotspot Shield being one of the oldest VPNs on the market, their features are perfect for the modern day consumer. One of their unique features is that they offer malware protection with their VPN service. This feature can protect you from potentially malicious websites that are trying to take advantage of you.
Content unblocking is another great feature that they offer. With the help of content unblocking, you can easily access content in other countries. This includes Netflix, Amazon prime, and various other services. You can also access content across different countries over five different continents.
A feature that I particularly liked was their unlimited bandwidth. One thing that really grinds my gears with other VPN services is their constant ads. On some of the cheaper accounts, Service providers will fill your app with ads. Hotspot Shield avoids adding ads to their service, even if you are using their free version.
· Hotspot Shield Pricing
One of the most interesting things about Hotspot Shield is definitely their pricing. Other than having two different packages for people to choose from, they also have a free version for you to use. This free version comes with a lot of features that the other packages come with, just with a few limitations. It is essentially a trial version that allows you to see if the service is for you.
Their other packages include the premium plan and the premium family plan priced $7.99 and $11.99 per month respectively. Both of these plans offer the same features with one major exception, the family plan also allows for five different accounts. And each account can connect up to five devices.
So if you live alone then the premium plan is just right for you, allowing you to connect various devices to a single account. On the other hand, if you live with a family, it is best to give each of them their own account.
· Why You Should Consider Hotspot Shield
Hotspot Shield offers various features that makes it a great service you should consider using. One of the reasons why you should use Hotspot Shield is its multi-platform support. It can connect to most major devices that run windows, iOS, and android. In other words, their VPN can also work on Smart TVs that run on iOS or android.
Other than working on various platforms, Hotspot Shield also protects your identity with its service. Their private server protocol is able to mask your IP address, ensuring optimum anonymity when browsing. Moreover, since they do not log your data, there is no way for anyone else from the outside to know what you are doing. Their AES-256 encryption also helps keep your traffic safe as you browse through the internet.
Finally they do not support ads on their platform, even on the free one. This makes for a much less infuriating user experience, as they do not constantly bring ads your way.
FAQs
1. Is Hotspot Shield VPN free?
Yes, Hotspot Shield does offer a free plan that you can use for as long as you like.
2. Can anyone track me when I use Hotspot Shield?
Hotspot Shield encrypts all of your browsing data while you are using the internet, ensuring that no one can track or see what you are doing.
Final Verdict
Hotspot Shield is an overall great VPN that offers you modern features with over a decade worth of experience. While they are a little more expensive compared to other services, they still offer great value for money.
Hotspot Shield | |
Pros | Cons |
· Multiple servers throughout 82 countries | · Relatively expensive |
· 5 simultaneous accounts | · No open source VPN protocol |
· No log storage | · Does not support connection to routers |
· Free version |