Hotspot Shield Free VPN: Is It Good? Should I Trust It?

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a technology that allows you to create a secure connection to another network over the Internet. For many users, it has been a helpful and popular tool to safeguard internet privacy and unblock global content. If you are looking for a powerful free VPN and come across Hotspot Shield free VPN, this article can provide you with the information you need. 

This Hotspot Shield VPN review will outline its essentials as well as its pros and cons for you to make a wiser decision. You will find an alternative to Hotspot Shield VPN at the end of the post.

Hotspot Shield free VPN is a popular VPN service that provides users with a secure and private internet connection. Hotspot Shield VPN is known for its fast and reliable connection speeds, as well as its ability to bypass internet restrictions and access blocked content.

Hotspot Shield free VPN is available on multiple platforms, including Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, and offers a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate. The service offers both a free and a premium version, with the premium version offering additional features such as unlimited bandwidth and access to more server locations.

Pros & Cons of Hotspot Shield VPN

Pros:

• Large server network. Hotspot Shield VPN offers 3200+ servers in 80+ countries.

• Fast and reliable connection speeds. Thanks to its proprietary Hydra VPN protocol which is optimized for speed and stability and its server that support speeds up to 1 Gbps, Hotspot Shield free VPN is among the fastest VPNs. 

• Various apps. Hotspot Shield VPN has dedicated apps for a wide variety of internet-enabled devices including Windows, Android, iOS, macOS, Linux, Smart TV, Chrome, and Routers. 

• Free version available. Hotspot Shield free VPN version offers 500 MB of data for free every day.

Cons:

• Pricier than many competitors

• The free version comes with limited features and is supported by ads

• Criticized for its logging policy

Is Hotspot Shield Free VPN Fast? 

Hotspot Shield free VPN version has a 2 Mbps speed limit, so it is slow. Additionally, the free version has a data limit of 500 MB per day, which can slow down your connection more if you exceed this limit.

Does Hotspot Shield VPN Unblock Streaming Sites? 

Yes, Hotspot Shield VPN has servers located in over 80 countries, which allows users to bypass geo-restrictions and access popular streaming sites such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer, among others.

Is Hotspot Shield VPN Private? 

Hotspot Shield VPN claims not to log your online activities, such as your browsing history, IP address, or other identifying information. However, the service does collect some connection data, such as the amount of data transferred, connection timestamps, and the duration of your session. In addition, Hotspot Shield VPN is based in the United States, so it may be subject to government surveillance or data requests.

Is Hotspot Shield VPN Safe? 

Hotspot Shield VPN is generally considered to be a safe VPN service. The VPN service uses strong encryption to protect your online activities and keep your data secure. 

How Much is Hotspot Shield VPN? 

The premium version of Hotspot Shield VPN costs 12.99/month with a 45-day money-back guarantee. 

Is Hotspot Shield a Good VPN?

Overall, Hotspot Shield VPN is a good VPN service that offers strong security and privacy features, fast connection speeds, and a large selection of server locations.

The VPN service has a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate. The next section explains how to use Hotspot Shield free VPN on an iPhone. Other supported devices go through a similar process.

1. Open App Store on your iPhone and search for Hotspot Shield. 

2. Click GET and open it from your iPhone after the installation completes. 

3. Click Proceed with ads and limits to use the Hotspot Shield free VPN version.

4. Click the server at the bottom of the screen to see more server locations. Hotspot Shield gives you an Auto server by default.

5. Select a free server and click the Connect to [server name] button. 

6. When prompted if you allow Hotspot Shield free VPN to configure your device, click Allow.

7. Wait for the VPN to connect and you can click the off button on your screen to stop the VPN connection.

To sum up, Hotspot Shield free VPN is a mid-ranged VPN solution. There are some notable disadvantages to the free edition such as limited features, slow speeds, advertisements, and an unsatisfactory privacy policy. 

You have better choices. iTop VPN is the best alternative to Hotspot Shield in terms of features, performance, and privacy aspects.

iTop VPN is a relatively new VPN service provider that currently offers VPN for Windows, Mac, and iOS. It quickly catches up to the highest standards in the industry. 

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Key Features of Best Free iTop VPN:

• Safe VPN for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
• 3200+ VPN servers in 100+ locations
• Dedicated IP in US, UK, Germany, Canada
• Block ads, split tunneling, kill switch
• Double VPN and dark web monitoring

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iTop VPN can create a secure and encrypted connection between your device and a remote VPN server, allowing you to access content that may be restricted in certain countries, protect your online privacy and security, and bypass internet censorship and geo-restrictions. 

What You Will Get from iTop VPN

• Free data with high speeds. iTop VPN never caps connection speeds when you are using its free version. 

• Rich security features. iTop VPN provides strong encryption, system reinforcement, kill switch, ad-blocking, and many more security features to safeguard your online activity.

• Strict no-log policy. iTop VPN respects users' privacy and doesn't collect any user data. It also offers DNS protection, browser history cleanup, and other privacy features.

• Unblock streaming. iTop VPN is the best VPN for streaming as it can unblock almost all popular streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, HBO, Paramount+, Disney+, and BBC iPlayer.

How to Use iTop VPN

iTop VPN has client software for Windows, macOS, and iOS. The following steps describe how to use iTop VPN for iOS on an iPhone. 

Step 1.  Install iTop VPN on your iPhone from App Store. 

Step 2.  Launch iTop VPN and sign in with your email and password. 

Step 3. Click All Servers to find the whole list of iTop VPN servers. 

Step 4. Select a server you would like to connect to.

Step 5. Go back to the home window and click the Connect button.

Compare Hotspot Shield VPN with iTop VPN. 

Both Hotspot Shield VPN and iTop VPN are reliable VPN services that can safeguard you as you browse the web and offer free servers to get around IP address restrictions. iTop VPN is packed with more configurable options and offers better privacy security than Hotspot Shield free VPN. If you don't care about these factors, Hotspot Shield's secure connection and extensive server coverage can meet your demands.

Conclusion

This Hotspot Shield free VPN review reveals that Hotspot Shield is a fairly great VPN tool for its fast and reliable connection speeds, approachable apps, and excellent collection of servers. It is expensive for its premium version but offers Hotspot Shield free VPN version. 

In light of Hotspot Shield's shortcomings, iTop VPN stands out as the best alternative to Hotspot Shield because it offers greater privacy protection, supports no ads, and provides unlimited bandwidth.