Vpn Proxy Unlimited Shield Review
Giovanni Sealy
I tested everything it offers to see if HSS is safe. I fully explored its logging policy and found out if its security features can prevent data leaks. I also tested its speeds, customer support, streaming and gaming capabilities, and more.
Hotspot Shield Premium successfully worked with nearly all the local platforms my colleagues and I tested. The streaming quality was great for the most part too, with only a few exceptions. But, this is only true of the paid app.
Hotspot Shield worked with local Netflix libraries for my global testing team and me in the US, the UK, Germany, Japan, and Canada. Unfortunately, the Brazilian team had trouble streaming the Netflix Brazil library. With only one server located there, it was difficult to determine whether the issue was with that particular server.
I appreciate that the UK streaming servers work with local platforms. However, I do hope it adds streaming-optimized locations from more regions in the future. Some of its competitors have similar servers in 10+ countries spread around the world.
My global testing team and I recorded that Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, All 4, YouTube, and BBC iPlayer loaded quickly from our respective countries. But when skipping through content on Peacock, the US team encountered brief moments of buffering.
Not only can Hotspot Shield work with a large variety of platforms, but I was also pleased with how little troubleshooting was involved. There are a few VPNs that can seamlessly work with multiple platforms, but my experience with Hotspot Shield was hassle-free. I never had to switch servers or protocols, which I often have to do with other VPNs.
Still, I was impressed that it was the only platform we could find that blocked VPN usage. Overall, Hotspot Shield is a compelling option for those looking for a VPN that works with most streaming sites.
On the other hand, the free servers were consistently slow. I expected them to be faster since the free version doesn't put any caps on speed. Overcrowding is a common problem with free VPNs, and that was an issue here. For instance, the Singapore server was more than half full, with a load of 61% during my tests. The free locations were always at least twice as slow as paid servers in our tests, and sometimes much more.
To ensure a fair and accurate comparison, we performed all speed tests from a single location using the same internet connection. Our UK-based speed expert conducted a minimum of 10 tests on each server before creating averages. All its servers were speed-tested using the Catapult Hydra protocol.
Hotspot Shield can be fast on distant servers, but they tend to fluctuate more. Since Hotspot Shield is one of the most popular VPNs, our tester records results for it every week. Some weeks the India via Singapore server I mentioned above would only lower our speeds by around 30%. However, the average on the week when we created our chart was down to 56%, which was still fast enough that we hardly noticed it.
HSS is ideal for online gaming. In my tests, it allowed me to play Dota 2 without problems. It let me enjoy the thrill of coordinating with teammates, executing well-timed maneuvers, and outsmarting opponents to secure victory without any lag.
It ranks near the top when it comes to how many locations it has, but there are a fair amount of VPNs that offer more servers. This can help improve speeds by cutting down on overcrowding, which could explain why CyberGhost, ExpressVPN, and a few others are just a little faster.
The city-level servers are in the US, Italy, Spain, Australia, Canada, France, and the UK. These help you pinpoint your location more precisely, and you get the most options in the US.
Hotspot Shield also owns all its servers, which makes it more privacy-friendly. I always love it when VPNs maintain exclusive control over their servers, as they eliminate any intermediaries that could pose potential threats to your privacy.
Connecting to servers is quick too; it only takes about 10 seconds on average. It also has an Auto option that sets you up with the fastest city-level server in the US. But, I was a little disappointed that this only applies to one country. Most VPNs have a similar feature, but they usually attempt to connect you to whichever location will be the fastest for you out of every location in their network.
Should you encounter connection problems with a server, there are 2 simple tricks that worked for me. First, switch to a different protocol or set it to Automatic so that it chooses the best one for you. If that doesn't solve the problem, you can reach out to its 24/7 customer support for assistance.
Hotspot Shield keeps you a step ahead of potential online threats with malware detection for both desktop and mobile apps. It scans the websites you visit for threats and warns you about viruses, phishing, infected sites, dishonest adware, and other malicious programs. I like that you only have to connect to the VPN to enable this feature. HSS also offers its own antivirus software, available as a separate purchase.
The VPN supports Tor usage across all servers. Using Tor over a VPN connection offers more protection than a regular Tor connection, as it shields against potential IP leaks that may occur during your Tor session. While such leaks are uncommon on the Tor network, should one occur, only the VPN's IP address would be revealed, keeping your actual IP address hidden.
Hotspot Shield has a solid no logging policy, but there are a few improvements it could make. After several incidents, the company made big changes to its policies. Its past issues include a 2016 CSIRO report highlighting questionable activities, a 2017 complaint filed by the Center for Democracy and Technology, and a 2018 bug that exposed users' information like WiFi details.
HSS's privacy policy hasn't been assessed yet, but its Hydra protocol has undergone an audit. I value the fact that this demonstrates its openness to the idea. Nevertheless, a lot of its primary rivals have had their complete privacy policies audited to indisputably substantiate their assertions. Given its previous controversies, I anticipate that a credible firm will scrutinize its policies in the future.
Hotspot Shield helped me maintain short download times during my tests. I was able to complete a 431 MB file in just 2 minutes and 40 seconds while connected to a US server (12000+ km away). Without a VPN connection, I can download the file in 1 minute and 55 seconds, so the VPN hardly increased my wait time. However, the free servers made it take over 5 times as long, most likely due to high load.
With the closest server to me in the UK, I could download the file only a few seconds faster. So, I was impressed that I could torrent quickly on servers both near and far. Its robust DNS/IP leak protection and kill switch provided a sense of security while downloading torrents, and I also love that you can use P2P on any server.
While the act of torrenting itself is generally not illegal in the majority of countries, acquiring copyrighted materials typically is. To ensure you're in compliance with your country's regulations, it's important to be well-versed in its laws and to limit your downloads to files that are in the public domain.
Hotspot Shield has a native app for all the most popular operating systems. However, it doesn't offer a smart DNS feature, which simplifies installation on devices that don't inherently support VPNs, like gaming consoles and smart TVs. If your device doesn't support the VPN, a workaround is to install HSS on your router. That way, you can protect all the devices in your network.
The desktop apps are simple and user-friendly. However, the Mac version offers fewer customization options, only allowing you to activate split tunneling and toggle between available protocols. The Windows app also lets you use some cool shortcuts although I never found it necessary since the app is so simple to use already.
Like many leading VPNs, HSS offers a native app for Android TVs, Fire TVs, and Fire Stick. Setting it up on my large screen took me less than 10 minutes, and installing it on my Fire HD 10 tablet was just as easy. These are full-featured apps, which I appreciate. It would just be nice if it also offered smartDNS, so you could change locations on any smart TV.
Both premium versions have no data limits, and you can only pay via debit/credit card or PayPal. A 7-day trial is also available, but be aware it requires billing details upfront. This is true of nearly every trial, and I do recommend trying it out to see how much better the premium app is compared to the free one.
I liked how the always-on chat feature retains past chats. As long as you don't close it, you can look at previous interactions anytime. Adding to the convenience, each chat session's transcript gets delivered to your associated email account.
There are only a few small changes it could make to be one of the very best. Some of its distant servers can be slow, and I really hope it gets its logging policy audited in the future. It would also be nice if it offered smart DNS to make it easy to avoid ISP throttling on more devices.
Yes, Hotspot Shield works with Netflix. I was able to watch my favorite local Netflix content in HD buffer-free using the server in my location. There were also many other streaming platforms that Hotspot Shield worked with.
Yes, Hotspot Shield does offer a free version. However, it has limitations, such as fewer server options, slower speeds, and ads. With a premium account, you can access more content and experience the full range of features that HSS offers.
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