hide.me vs Zoog VPN (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick hide.me: it is second in our ranking of VPNs, and it grades higher too, 3.0 against 2.4.
Checked Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
hide.me grades higher on the free plan, features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money 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
Zoog VPN
VPN with a 10GB free plan and cheap multi-year terms
Which one is for you
Pick hide.me if
- Fits if you want a free VPN on one device without giving an email
- Works for games or torrents that need port forwarding or a fixed IP, on a paid plan
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: one device, 8 locations and restricted speeds
- Watch out: the pricing page says the free plan has unlimited data, but the FAQ still says 10GB a month
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $11.99, against $69.99 for 26 months
- Not for you if you want the Bolt speed-up on a Mac or phone, as it's described for Windows only
- Watch out: the 3-, 6- and 36-month terms show no price outside a coupon checkout, and VAT may be added
Pick Zoog VPN if
- Fits if you stay under 10GB a month on one device
- Works for households that want one Premium account on up to 10 devices
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stream, because free is 10GB, 1 device and limited speed
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $9.99 against $2.49 on the 2-year term
- Watch out: the pricing page shows first-term prices only, and renewals fall under other conditions
- Watch out: the 2-year plan bills $59.99 at once for 27 months
- Watch out: the 7-day refund covers new subscriptions only
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAhide.meVery good | 2.4GPAZoog VPNFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | B$2.49 a month on the 27-month plan ($59.99 up front) and $3.39 on 12 months, inside the category's cheapest quarter ($3.99). Monthly is $9.99, and renewal prices are not stated. |
| 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. | CFree is 10GB a month on 1 device, 5 locations and limited speed, which a regular user will outgrow. |
| 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. | CAd blocker, kill switch, P2P servers, streaming access and a free tier. The free plan is only basic 128-bit encryption. |
| 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. | CNo store rating on record, and the listing shows nothing to set up beyond installing an app. |
| 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, iOS, Android, Fire TV, Android TV and browser extensions. |
| Best for | a free VPN with no sign-up | a cheap long-term VPN or a light free one |
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 Zoog VPN. 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. Zoog VPN starts at $2.49 a month and scores 2.3.
hide.me scores higher, and starts $0.20 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 2 score higher than Zoog VPN 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
At a glance
| hide.me | Zoog VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $2.69 per month, billed $69.99 every 26 months at the same price on renewal | $2.49 per month, billed $59.99 for the first 27 months |
| 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 traffic a month, 5 locations, 1 device, basic 128-bit encryption and limited speed. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | eVenture Ltd. | Zoog Services IKE |
| Price read from | hide.me | zoogvpn.com |
| Checked | Nov 2, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
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.
Zoog VPN
- The pricing page shows only first-term prices; the 7-day refund covers new subscriptions, while renewals fall under other conditions.
- The free plan is limited to 1 device, 10GB a month and 5 locations.
- The 2-year plan bills 27 months at once, so the up-front cost is $59.99.
- Apps are listed for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Fire TV and Android TV, plus Chrome, Firefox and Edge extensions.
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.
Zoog VPN
- Free plan
- 10GB of traffic a month on one device with 5 locations. Premium lifts the cap, adds locations and raises encryption to 256-bit.
- Ad Blocker
- A built-in blocker for ads, trackers and harmful sites, described on its own feature page.
- Kill switch
- The desktop apps cut traffic if the VPN connection drops unexpectedly.
- Shadow protocol
- Aimed at countries that block VPNs; the vendor names Russia, China, the UAE and Iran, and supplies a manual IP to connect.
- P2P servers
- Servers marked P2P allow torrenting, and the vendor says it keeps no logs.
- Streaming access
- Premium lists access to 20 Netflix regions, Hulu, Disney+ and BBC iPlayer.
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.
Zoog VPN
Free$0
10GB a month on 1 device, 5 locations, limited speed, and partial access to streaming services.
Premium 2 years$59.99
for 27 months, first term; renewal price not stated
$2.49 a month over 24 months plus 3 free months, shown as 75% off $9.99 a month.
Premium 1 year$39.99
for 12 months, first term; renewal price not stated
$3.39 a month, shown as 66% off $9.99 a month. Unlimited traffic, up to 10 devices.
Premium 1 month$9.99
per month
Billed $9.99 for 1 month. Same Premium features as the longer terms.
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.
Zoog VPN
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, hide.me or Zoog VPN?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Zoog VPN is cheaper to start with: $2.49 a month, against $2.69 a month for hide.me. hide.me starts at $2.69 per month, billed $69.99 every 26 months at the same price on renewal, and Zoog VPN starts at $2.49 per month, billed $59.99 for the first 27 months.
Which has a free plan, hide.me or Zoog VPN?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both hide.me and Zoog VPN have a free plan.
Which platforms do hide.me and Zoog VPN run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only hide.me lists a Linux app. Both list macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.