hide.me Review 2024: Safe and Fast, But Has a Catch

Speed — Excellent Speeds on Nearby Connections

I tested hide.me’s servers around the world, using WireGuard protocol because it’s the fastest that hide.me provides. I looked at the following factors while running these tests:

• Download speeds — how fast data comes from the internet, important for streaming, torrenting, gaming, video-calling, or other high-bandwidth activities.
• Upload speeds — how fast data goes to the internet, key for sharing media or emails.
• Ping — measures internet reaction time, which is crucial for gaming with less lag.

While the nearby connections matched my base speeds of 98 Mbps, the distant connections were disappointingly slow. I also tested hide.me’s free servers and all of them slowed down my internet speeds by over 70%, regardless of their location.

Premium users of hide.me’s Windows app can increase its speed by enabling the “Bolt” feature. I found the feature to be a bit patchy, but it boosted my traffic by 4-5% on many servers.

Speed Test Results

I experienced a minimal speed drop of up to 15% on nearby server locations. While hide.me doesn’t have servers in India, I got around 89 Mbps speeds on its Melbourne server and 92 Mbps on the Singapore server.

When I connected to distant servers, the speeds dropped by more than 30%. The New York server clocked around 53 Mbps, and the server in Toronto around 68 Mbps. While the speeds are good for bufferless streaming and gaming, it can cause issues if your base speeds are less than 50 Mbps.

The speeds dropped further by 70%-90% when I switched to the free account. I could watch some HD videos on YouTube, but there was frequent buffering and quality drops.

The premium subscribers can boost speeds using hide.me’s Bolt feature on the Windows app. This provides you with better speeds for streaming and torrenting. It didn’t work as well as I expected, as my speeds were sometimes better without Bolt enabled. However, it may benefit you if your base speeds are quite low.

Gaming Speed — Lag-Free Gameplay on Nearby Servers

I always play online games, so I was happy that hide.me let me avoid lag in Warzone, Forza Horizon 4, Counter-Strike, Among Us, and other online lobbies. I connected to a server in Australia and tested the games that take up the most bandwidth. There wasn’t any screen freezing or buffering, and the online chat was crystal clear.

I also tested a server farther away from me, and because hide.me’s connection latency increases when you connect to distant locations, there was some lag and chat disruption. These interruptions weren’t bad enough to rage-quit, but they caused some frustration, especially when trying to get a good sniper shot.

Server Network — Solid Coverage in Popular Locations

hide.me has a server network of 2,400+ servers spanning 55 countries. The best thing is that hide.me owns all of its servers, enhancing user privacy by eliminating third-party access to data.

The majority of servers are in Europe, including some less common locations like Bulgaria and Croatia. In addition, hide.me has a significant presence in the Americas and Asia, offering you numerous locations to connect to.

Also, there are city-level servers in 8 countries, allowing for more precise location selection and faster connection speeds. Furthermore, hide.me offers a Multihop feature, enabling users to route their traffic through 2 different servers for added security.

Despite its extensive server network, hide.me’s free plan limits users to access only 8 servers in select countries such as the US, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Overall, hide.me’s self-owned servers and diverse network make it a compelling option for users seeking privacy and performance in their VPN service.

Best Location Feature

Many VPNs offer the “Best Location” feature to automatically connect you to a quick server, but hide.me’s stands out for its customization. You can adjust the “Best Location” setting to connect you to the server with the fastest response time, least congestion, or closest proximity.

No Virtual Servers

Unlike many VPNs that use virtual servers, hide.me exclusively uses physical servers. This ensures you know the true location of your server.

Free Dedicated IP addresses

Hide.me includes dedicated IP addresses at no extra cost, unlike most VPNs that charge extra. While setup requires a few steps through the website and app, it allows for a static IP address for specific needs like banking without additional fees.

Here’s how you can enable your static IP address:

Once set up, you will automatically use this dedicated IP address whenever you connect to the selected country or city.

Torrenting — Highly Secure With Good Speeds

With its solid encryption and IP address leak protection, hide.me supports torrenting on every server (including free locations). When I connected to a nearby server, I could download a 3GB file from the public domain in 7 minutes. Also, it works with all major torrent clients, including uTorrent, BitTorrent, Deluge, qBittorent, and Vuge.

hide.me doesn’t allow traditional (static) port forwarding due to security concerns. Instead, it offers a more secure option called Dynamic Port Forwarding (UPnP), which you can set up yourself through the Members Area.

This feature opens a direct port between you and the seeders, allowing for quick downloads. But remember that it’s not very secure, as everyone on the network can see your real IP address. So, if you have security concerns I don’t recommend using it.

You can also use hide.me’s SOCKS proxy to speed up downloads by sending your traffic through special servers. This cuts down on how long it takes your torrent client to connect with seeders, which reduced my torrenting time by 27%. However, the proxy doesn’t encrypt your data, so I don’t recommend it if you’re more concerned about your security.

If you’re planning on using the free servers for torrenting, keep in mind hide.me’s free plan restricts your speeds.

Does hide.me Work in China? Yes

Yes, hide.me works in China but with some limitations. Due to government efforts to block VPN services, not all hide.me servers and protocols may be available. For those looking to try it out, hide.me suggests starting with their Free Plan. This way, you can test how well it works before considering an upgrade to the Premium Plan for better access and services.

If you need a more reliable VPN for China, our tests show that ExpressVPN consistently works in China. Also, my team and I highly recommend you use your VPN responsibly and not break any law while doing so.

Security Features

Top-Level Security With 256-Bit AES Encryption

With 256-bit AES encryption, hide.me effectively protects your details and internet traffic, even on public WiFi. This encryption is currently the most secure option.

In addition, it uses 4096- and 8192-bit RSA keys that establish an unbreakable connection between your device and the server. These 2 RSA options are way above the industry standard of 2048 bits. And you don’t have to worry about choosing one over the other — hide.me automatically applies appropriate RSA keys based on the VPN protocol you’re using.

For added security, hide.me uses Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS), which generates a new encryption key whenever you connect to a server. That key is deleted when you end your session, so no one would have time to hack it.

The only problem is hide.me states you get up to 256-bit encryption, which means the cipher changes depending on your traffic needs. The encryption is set automatically and depends on your chosen VPN protocol. There is no option to change it manually, which is annoying as the stronger encryption tends to slow down your speeds, so it’s not always ideal for streaming.

Protocols — Uses 5 Security Protocols

hide.me has 5 secure tunneling protocols. It’s easy to switch between the following protocols, all of which have their pros and cons:

• IKEv2 (macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android) — Offers stable and secure traffic, but it’s more likely to be blocked by firewalls.
• OpenVPN (macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android) — Industry-standard protocol with solid security and fast speeds that are almost as smooth as your regular internet traffic.
• SoftEther VPN (macOS, Windows, Linux) — One of the most secure protocols that easily bypasses online firewalls while offering great speeds, but it’s unavailable on mobile devices.
• WireGuard (macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android) — A popular choice with the best speeds, top security, and optimized device performance, but it’s still in development.
• Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP) (macOS, Windows, Linux, Android) — Combines SSL and TCP traffic to resolve any connection and speed issues but it’s owned by Microsoft, which could impose privacy concerns.

If you’re unsure which option to choose, hide.me can automatically select a protocol by analyzing your connection. The “Automatic” setting is enabled by default when you install hide.me. But if you want to switch, each protocol option has a simple explanation underneath it.

hide.me also lets you choose a secondary protocol as a “fallback configuration” if the primary protocol fails. While it doesn’t happen often, it’s a good backup plan that ensures your traffic is protected to the same (or very similar) level.

Leak Protection — No IP address, DNS, or WebRTC Leaks Found

My tests showed that hide.me doesn’t leak DNS, IPv4, IPv6, or WebRTC addresses on any server. I connected to servers in the UK, Australia, Austria, Canada, and the US. Every time I ran a test, the results showed hide.me’s server location and IP address instead of my own. This means that hide.me protected my entire session from prying eyes, like hackers or advertisers.

The level of security doesn’t change even on the free account, so you’ll be protected against data leaks no matter what.

Advanced Kill Switch — Protects Your Data Without Disabling Your Traffic

hide.me’s kill switch is more advanced than other providers. During tests, I initially thought that hide.me’s kill switch didn’t work properly because the provider didn’t drop my connection when I switched between servers — but I was wrong.

Instead of simply disabling your network adapter, the kill switch works like a firewall and blocks all traffic coming from outside the VPN connection. This prevents any accidental leaks during connection drops.

Unfortunately, hide.me’s kill switch is only available for Windows and macOS. Also, the kill switch is disabled by default, so turn it on as soon as you install hide.me on your devices.

SmartGuard — Disable Ads, Malware, and Trackers

SmartGuard is hide.me’s built-in ad blocker that shields you from ads, malware, and trackers trying to steal your information. It even includes SafeSearch and parental controls. It’s available with all subscriptions at no extra cost, enhancing your online privacy and security.

Stealth Guard — Blocks Apps When Not Connected to the VPN

Stealth Guard boosts security by only allowing the apps access to the internet when connected to hide.me. You can use this feature to block all or certain apps from going online without a VPN connection.

MultiHop — Maximizes Protection by Encrypting Your Connection Twice

hide.me lets you reroute your traffic through multiple servers at once. Double VPNs wrap your traffic in 2 layers of security — your outgoing data is encrypted by the first server, and the second server encrypts your incoming data.

The Multihop feature is customizable. You can choose an entry server and an exit server from any country on the server list (including the streaming-optimized servers). Unfortunately, Multihop is only available with a premium subscription.

Split Tunneling — Available on Windows, Android, macOS, and Routers

There’s a split tunneling feature for Windows, Android, macOS, and routers. It lets you select specific apps to use VPN traffic.

It’s a great addition if you control any LAN devices (such as printers) over your WiFi or want to browse local websites, such as banking or news, while torrenting or streaming. Unfortunately, the feature isn’t available on iPhone or iPad as the iOS platform does not support it.

Enhanced Security With Self-Managed DNS

hide.me runs its own DNS servers and ensures they don’t store any data about you, boosting your privacy. This setup means your DNS requests are managed directly by Hide.me and encrypted.

In addition, Hide.me allows you to use custom DNS settings. You can opt to connect through a different port each time, known as a Dynamic or Ephemeral Port.

Privacy Features

No-Logs Policy — Zero Browsing Information Stored on hide.me’s Servers

hide.me’s privacy policy states it doesn’t log identifiable information such as browsing habits, location, IP address, or full name. Its adherence to a zero-logs policy is backed by annual audits, showing no legal data requests have been fulfilled since 2013 due to a lack of user data.

That being said, hide.me does store an encrypted version of your email address as well as your randomly assigned username, VPN IP address, and the amount of data you use. However, you can remove your email address from your account after you subscribe if you don’t want any information at all on hide.me’s servers.

I was pleased to see that hide.me is so committed to internet safety that it joined the i2Coalition. This is a part of the VPN Trust Initiative (VTI), which screens its members and other providers on the market to make sure they put the safety of their users above profit. To be accepted, hide.me had to prove it’s fully transparent about its practices.

Company Jurisdiction — Malaysian Laws Protect hide.me’s Privacy Policies

hide.me, headquartered in Malaysia, benefits from local laws that don’t require data retention and are outside major surveillance alliances like the 5-, 9-, and 14-Eyes. This ensures complete privacy, as it cannot be compelled to hand over user data for criminal investigations.

Independent Audits — Verified Privacy Policies Confirm Full Transparency

hide.me passed an independent audit carried out by a highly reputable security analyst from DefenseCode LTD, Leon Juranic, in 2015. The report confirmed that hide.me has no activity logs or user data on its servers.

hide.me’s live chat support wasn’t great for complex questions, but their online resources like the knowledge base, FAQs, and forums, were useful. Although live chat is usually faster, the agents lacked expertise.

The Knowledge Base articles are detailed and offer step-by-step solutions for common problems. FAQs, forums, and email support are also helpful but require more time as you need to look for answers or wait for a reply.

24/7 Live Chat — Fast Response Time, but Lacks Details

24/7 live chat agents respond quickly to your queries. I never have to wait more than a few seconds to get answers to my questions.

However, I felt that the answers I got were ready-made for any question and didn’t go into much detail. When I asked multiple people a question they all gave me the same answer, showing they might be using a set list of responses instead of giving more tailored, in-depth replies.

Email Support — Knowledgeable Specialists Respond Within 24h

After a disappointing exchange with live chat advisors, I was happy that I got a detailed email response that answered all my questions the day after I sent my question. This is a standard response time — most VPNs take about 24 hours to get back to you.

You can contact the email support team by sending the message directly or filling in an online ticket. I tried both methods and didn’t notice a difference in response time.

Online Resources & FAQs — In-Depth Articles and Forums

hide.me offers comprehensive online support through in-depth articles, guides, and community forums, which I found to be the best way to address technical queries. Despite the well-organized topics, it sometimes took a bit of effort to locate the exact information I needed.

Its knowledge base contains articles on a wide array of subjects, from account setup and VPN app installation to troubleshooting and general assistance. Each article is detailed, providing specific feature explanations and, when relevant, step-by-step instructions complemented by annotated images for clarity.

I personally used the knowledge base for optimizing connection speeds, successfully resolving my issues in just a few minutes.

The forums also proved valuable for discovering updates on hide.me’s transparency efforts, seeking advice from other users, proposing new features, and more, all available in English and German.