There is also no VPN kill switch for macOS, Android, or iOS, which is a major security flaw for such a popular VPN. The company does have a controversial past when it comes to user privacy, though. Hotspot Shield has the fastest connection speeds we’ve seen, thanks to Hydra VPN, its proprietary encryption protocol.Īlso, all the apps are user-friendly, stream US Netflix, and allow P2P and torrenting traffic on all servers. In this review, we put both the free and the paid versions of the VPN through our strict testing process to see how they performed for speed, security, streaming, and more. Upgrading to the paid version removes ads and gives you unlimited bandwidth, access to servers in 80 countries, and a range of bundled security features. Hotspot Shield Free is an ad-sponsored VPN with a daily data limit of 500MB. With over 650 million customers, it’s one of the most popular VPN services in the world. Hotspot Shield offers two services: a free VPN and a premium VPN.