hide.me vs PrivadoVPN
We give hide.me a 3.0 GPA and PrivadoVPN a 2.8, out of 4.0. hide.me grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. PrivadoVPN grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
hide.me
Malaysia-based VPN with a no-signup free plan and flat renewal prices
PrivadoVPN
VPN with a 10GB free plan and ad blocking on paid plans
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAhide.meVery good | 2.8GPAPrivadoVPNGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BThe 26-month plan bills $69.99, so two years cost about $2.92 a month, inside the cheaper quarter of VPNs, and it renews at that same $69.99. The 13-month plan is $54.99, and monthly is $11.99. | AThe 24-month plan is $1.11 a month for the first 27 months, about $30 in all, so two years cost about $1.25 a month, well under the $2 an A needs. The renewal price isn't stated, so check it before month 27. Monthly is $10.99. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree for good with no sign-up and no card: one device, 8 locations and restricted speeds. The pricing page says unlimited data, though the FAQ still says 10GB a month. If the pricing page is right, one person could live on it. | C10GB every 30 days on one device, with a subset of servers. Fine for café Wi-Fi and the odd trip, but streaming will burn through it. |
| Features | B10 devices, 92 locations, the SmartGuard blocker, multihop, port forwarding, split tunneling, a kill switch, WireGuard, IPv6 and an audited no-logs policy. The Bolt speed-up is Windows only, but the core job is covered. | BUnlimited data, 10 connections at once on any number of installs, an ad and tracker blocker, threat protection, parental controls, a SOCKS5 proxy, a kill switch, split tunneling and smart DNS. It covers the whole job; antivirus is $1.99 a month extra. |
| Ease of use | B4.53 from about 7,900 App Store ratings. On the free plan there's no account to make, so you install it and connect. | C3.99 from about 740 App Store ratings, below most VPNs here and well short of the 4.5 a B needs. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android, smart TVs, and Chrome, Firefox and Edge extensions. There's no integration list or API on record, so it stops at B. | BWindows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android, Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and browser extensions. There's no integration list or API on record, so it stops at B. |
| Best for | a free VPN with no sign-up | the cheapest first two years of VPN |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: hide.me and PrivadoVPN. How we grade
Price against what you get
hide.me starts at $2.69 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. PrivadoVPN starts at $1.11 a month and scores 2.7.
hide.me scores higher, and starts $1.58 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other VPNs on the chart, none scores higher than hide.me for less, and none scores higher than PrivadoVPN for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- hide.me starts at $2.69 per month, billed $69.99 every 26 months at the same price on renewal. PrivadoVPN starts at $1.11 per month for a first 27 months (24-month plan); renewal price not stated.
At a glance
| hide.me | PrivadoVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $2.69 per month, billed $69.99 every 26 months at the same price on renewal | $1.11 per month for a first 27 months (24-month plan); renewal price not stated |
| Free plan | No sign-up needed: one device, 8 locations and restricted speeds. The pricing page lists unlimited data, though the site's FAQ still says 10GB a month. | 10GB of data every 30 days on one device, with access to a subset of servers. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | eVenture Ltd. | Privado Networks ehf |
| Price read from | hide.me | privadovpn.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
hide.me
- People who want a free VPN without creating an account
- Buyers who want the renewal price to match the first term
- Users who need port forwarding or a fixed IP address
PrivadoVPN
- Light users who need a few gigabytes of VPN a month for free
- Buyers who want an ad blocker and parental controls with the VPN
- Households with many devices on one account
Worth knowing
hide.me
- The free plan allows one device and 8 locations at restricted speeds; Premium is needed for 10 devices and all 92 locations.
- The pricing page mentions 3-, 6- and 36-month terms but links to them only through a coupon checkout, with no price shown.
- Bolt, hide.me's speed technology, is described for Windows only.
- Prices are in US dollars and VAT may be added at checkout.
PrivadoVPN
- The pricing page gives the 24- and 12-month plans only as a monthly rate and does not say what they renew at; the terms say renewals use the then-current price.
- Antivirus costs $1.99 a month extra on the 12- and 24-month plans.
- The pricing page calls PrivadoVPN Switzerland-based, but its terms name Privado Networks ehf of Iceland as the provider since May 1, 2026.
- The terms allow personal, non-commercial use only, and there is no free trial of paid features.
Key features
hide.me
- Renewals at the first-term price
- hide.me's pricing guarantee says a plan always renews at the same price and for the same length as the term first bought.
- SmartGuard
- Blocks malware, tracking, ads and phishing sites while connected.
- Multihop and port forwarding
- Pick separate entry and exit servers to route through two locations, and open ports automatically for games and P2P.
- Split tunneling and StealthGuard
- Choose which apps go through the VPN, restrict some apps to VPN-only, and cut the internet if the VPN drops.
- WireGuard, Bolt and IPv6
- WireGuard support, Bolt speed technology on Windows, and native IPv6 so IPv6 traffic does not leak around the tunnel.
- Audited no-logs policy
- The no-logs policy has been independently audited, and hide.me publishes a yearly transparency report.
PrivadoVPN
- Ad blocker and threat protection
- Paid plans block ads and trackers and warn about phishing and malware sites.
- Parental controls
- Listed on every paid plan, and the homepage pairs them with social filters.
- 10 connections, unlimited installs
- Paid accounts can be installed on any number of devices and connect 10 at once; free accounts connect one.
- SOCKS5 proxy and kill switch
- A SOCKS5 proxy is included alongside the VPN, and a kill switch cuts traffic if the VPN connection drops.
- Smart DNS and split tunneling
- Control Tower smart DNS and split tunneling, which lets chosen traffic bypass the VPN, are part of the feature set along with VPN SmartRoute.
- Apps for TVs and browsers
- Apps for Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Wear OS, plus proxy extensions for Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Brave.
Plans
hide.me
Free$0
One device and 8 server locations at restricted speeds, with the same no-logs policy as paid plans.
1 Month$11.99
per month
Premium on 10 devices with 92 locations, port forwarding and a fixed IP address. Renews monthly at the same price.
12 Months + 1 Month$4.23
per month, billed $54.99 every 13 months
The same Premium plan for 13 months at a time; it renews at $54.99 for another 13 months.
24 Months + 2 Months$2.69
per month, billed $69.99 every 26 months
The same Premium plan for 26 months at a time; it renews at $69.99 for another 26 months.
PrivadoVPN
Free$0
10GB every 30 days on one device.
24 Month Plan$1.11
per month for a first term of 27 months; renewal price not stated
24 months plus 3 free. Unlimited data, 10 connections, ad blocker, threat protection and parental controls. Shown as 90% off the monthly plan.
12 Month Plan$1.33
per month for a first term of 15 months; renewal price not stated
12 months plus 3 free, with the same features. Shown as 88% off the monthly plan.
1 Month Plan$10.99
per month
The same features billed monthly, with no saving.
Ways to pay less
hide.me
- Annual discount
Longer terms cost less per month
The 26-month plan works out to $2.69 a month and the 13-month plan to $4.23, against $11.99 on the monthly plan. Both renew at the same price.
PrivadoVPN
- Other savings
24-month plan plus 3 free months at $1.11 a month
The first 27 months are priced at $1.11 a month, shown as 90% off the $10.99 monthly plan. The page does not state the renewal price.
- Other savings
12-month plan plus 3 free months at $1.33 a month
The first 15 months are priced at $1.33 a month, shown as 88% off the monthly plan. The page does not state the renewal price.
