We put these VPNs to the test to find out which is the best!
NordVPN is one of the fastest VPNs we have around which is something that impressed us. Whether it was downloading torrents or streaming Netflix, we barely noticed any drop in our speeds.
Hotspot Shield has favorable speeds with several servers in 20 different locations. We did notice that there’s a huge difference between the Elite and free versions of the app, but that is to be expected.
| VPN vendor |
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|---|---|---|
| Download speed reduction | 40% (UK) | 19% (UK) |
| Upload speed reduction | 38% (FRA) | 17% (FRA) |
| Ping time to google.com | 107ms | 25ms |
| Average time to connect (sec.) | 12ms | 9ms |
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| Visit Site | Visit Site |
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.
Nord has more servers in more countries than Hotspot Shield. Both VPNs will give you a secure connection, and you can access sites such as Hulu and Netflix.
NordVPNs servers outperformed Hotspot Shield, mainly because of the sheer number of servers, and the fact that they offer five specialty servers
| VPN vendor |
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|---|---|---|
| Server Locations | 27 | 59 |
| Server Countries | 27 | 60 |
| IP Addresses | 27 | 2819 |
| Dynamic Server Switching | ||
| Visit Site | Visit Site |
The ratio of servers to countries is an important factor to look at when choosing a VPN. Only paying attention to location or number of servers can get you in trouble. More servers generally means faster speeds, but if VPN X has a few more servers than VPN Y but twice as many users, VPN X will typically have slower speeds. Ideally, you want a VPN that has a lot of servers in every location. This way you won’t have to worry that server/country that you want will be overburdened and running slow
Hotspot Shield’s help and support system doesn’t need any personal contact which is something that favors those people who don’t enjoy talking through the phone. Sadly though, it means that such a system is neither fast nor efficient. So, we were not entirely satisfied with what we saw. Despite this, they offer services such as:
| VPN vendor |
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|---|---|---|
| Email Response Time | 9 | 3 |
| 24/7 Support | ||
| Live Chat | ||
| Knowledge Base | ||
| Video Tutorials | ||
| Visit Site | Visit Site |
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.
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