9.9
/ 10
Don’t buy hide.me if you’re just looking for a VPN that will bypass the Netflix geo-block. If that’s the case we recommend using NordVPN. If you’re looking for a secure, reliable VPN that allows unlimited P2P and torrenting, read on.
The world’s fastest VPN is a claim that we hear often among the VPNs we review. However, in the case of hide.me there is the potential for this statement to be true. As well as fast speeds hide.me provides a range of features and offers reasonable value for money across its three levels of subscription.
The VPN offers excellent levels of encryption, using AES-256bit with 8192-bit keys. It also offers leakage protection, a strict no-logging policy, stable connections and an excellent range of protocol choice for premium users. These benefits do need to be balanced against the free account having a 2GB data transfer limit and being limited to only 3 server choices.
Hide.me’s features include unlimited bandwidth and data transfer on the premium account, as well as the choice between PPTP, L2TP/IPsec, SoftEther, SSTP, OpenVPN and IKEv2 protocols.
Users need Plus or Premium to take advantage of protocol support. They offer unlimited server switching on all accounts, 24/7 customer support and a 14-day money back guarantee.
Hide.me can be used on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, routers, consoles and Smart TVs. With 5 simultaneous connections allowed on Premium, you can get the most out of the service and achieve great value for money by using it on pretty much every device you own.
Hide.me is easy to install and straightforward to use. It lives up to its claims in terms of speed, consistency and uptime.
P2P traffic is allowed on hide.me and the service highlights the best servers for this service. Like many VPNs, hide.me does not guarantee access to geo-restricted content, and this is near impossible to achieve on the free service because of the lack of server choice.
The speeds that could be achieved with this VPN were little short of amazing, in fact with some connections, we found that surfing and downloading was actually quicker than without the VPN. There was no lag during streaming and speeds were consistent during the tests.
Thanks to a recent upgrade, even the free accounts can enjoy faster speeds, thanks to dedicated servers that are running at full speed.
Speed determines how fast content uploads, so if you're torrenting or streaming, you want the speed to be somewhat identical to your regular internet speed. Since a VPN encrypts your data, it usually takes a bit longer to send your data back and forth, which can slow down your connection. However, if your ISP deliberately slows down your connection (also known as throttling) a VPN might increase your internet speed. Testing a VPN is somewhat pointless because new servers pop up and affect speed. Your speed can also differ according to your location, so your speed test might not match ours. Having said that, we tested the speed in numerous locations to provide you with the average.
Hide.me has 150+ dedicated servers in 55 cities and 34 different countries.
Hide.me is a simple VPN to use. Sign up is as easy as picking your level of subscription, entering your details and payment details, and entering an email address. If you are signing up for the free account, you are not presented with the payment screen. Once you have verified your email, you simply create a user name and password, set your communication preferences and click create account.
If you are downloading for Windows, Mac, Android, or iOS, then you click on the right OS and let the install wizard do the rest. For other OS, there are set up guides and support to get you started.
You are automatically connected to the best available server, meaning you are ready to surf anonymously with no further action required on your part. Your server can be changed by clicking on the ‘change’ button but remember to disable the VPN first. Other options can be accessed through the settings icon on the right-hand side of the connection screen.
Rarely have we seen a support system that responds to messages as quickly as the team at hide.me do. They answered the question we sent on live chat less than a minute after the question was sent.
The information was clear, useful, and in line with the details on their site and our experience to that point.
As well as live chat there is a ticket system available and a forum style community to raise questions and search for answers. There are detailed set up guides for different operating systems and FAQ pages, which are a little limited in their scope.
However, with 24/7 support available this is not the biggest problem ever.
We personally test the customer support team of every VPN we review. This means asking technical question through the live chat feature (where applicable) and measuring the response time for email questions. Whether you need to connect to a specific server, change your security protocol, or configure a VPN on your router, finding a VPN with quality customer support should be important to you.
Hide.me has packages and payment options to suit most budgets. A premium subscription can be accessed for less than $10 a month, and a plus account for less than $5 a month, if you choose to pay annually. Free accounts are great for light users that do not need to access specific server locations as the only choices you have are Netherlands, Canada, and Singapore.
Hide.me accept credit and debit cards, including American Express, Diners Club, PayPal, wire transfer, and BitCoin.
Canceling your paid account is not as simple as it is with some providers, and users need to email hide.me to cancel and request a refund. Refunds are granted when the service is cancelled within the first 14-days. However, your bandwidth usage must also be under 500MB to qualify for a refund. Refunds, where applicable, should be received within 10 days of the request being made.
Free accounts do not automatically renew, and therefore no action is required on the side of the user if you decide the service is not for you.
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