# Hotspot Shield

> VPN with a free Basic tier and its own Hydra protocol

Hotspot Shield is a VPN from Anchorfree, LLC with apps for Windows, Mac, iPhone and iPad, Android, Chrome and smart TVs. A free Basic plan covers one device and one virtual location, and Premium opens 125+ locations on up to 10 devices. Connections run over the company's own Hydra protocol, with OpenVPN and IPSec as alternatives.

- **Category:** VPNs
- **Made by:** Anchorfree, LLC
- **Website:** https://www.hotspotshield.com
- **Runs on:** macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Browser extension
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 17, 2026

## Pricing

Hotspot Shield has a free plan. Paid plans start at $95.99 per year at renewal (Premium), after a first year for $29.

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **Free plan:** Basic covers one device and one virtual location, with help from the support center only. The page calls its data unlimited but also notes a daily limit that iOS and Android users can extend by watching ads.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Basic | $0 | One device and one virtual location, on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and Chrome. |
| Premium, 1 year | $95.99 per year at renewal, after a first year for $29 | 10 devices, 125+ virtual locations, smart TV apps and 24/7 live chat. The first year costs $29 as an introductory offer, then it renews each year at $95.99. |
| Premium, 1 month | $12.99 per month at renewal, after a first month for $1.99 | The same Premium plan billed monthly. The first month costs $1.99, then it renews at $12.99 a month. |

Read from https://www.hotspotshield.com/select-plan/ on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Hotspot Shield before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **First year of Premium for $29** (Other savings): The yearly Premium plan costs $29 for the first year as an introductory offer, then renews automatically at $95.99 a year. Source: https://www.hotspotshield.com/select-plan/
- **First month of Premium for $1.99** (Other savings): The monthly Premium plan costs $1.99 for the first month, then renews at $12.99 a month. Source: https://www.hotspotshield.com/select-plan/

## Key features

- **Hydra protocol:** Hotspot Shield's own patented protocol, which can also disguise VPN traffic to get past VPN blocks. OpenVPN and IPSec are offered too.
- **Kill switch and Smart VPN:** The kill switch cuts the internet if the VPN drops unexpectedly, and Smart VPN picks which apps or domains bypass the VPN.
- **Malware and phishing protection:** Warns before you open a suspicious site, and a DNS filter blocks malicious sites and can filter harmful or inappropriate content.
- **Tor over VPN and leak protection:** Reach Tor sites while connected to the VPN, with IP and DNS leak protection built in.
- **10 devices per account:** Premium links up to 10 devices, including phones, tablets, computers and TVs, across 125+ virtual locations.
- **Third-party security apps:** Versions of the plan page list access to 1Password and a spam-call blocker (Robo Shield in the US and Canada, Hiya elsewhere) with Premium.

## Good for

- Occasional users who want a free VPN on one device
- People who want the VPN on a smart TV as well as phone and laptop
- Buyers who want a cheap first year before deciding to stay

## Worth knowing

- The $29 first year and $1.99 first month are introductory; Premium then renews at $95.99 a year or $12.99 a month.
- The 45-day money-back guarantee covers subscriptions bought directly from Hotspot Shield, not through an app store.
- No Linux app is listed among the downloads, and smart TV apps need Premium.
- The plan page is shown in several versions; others list a Premium Family plan and a cheaper Plus tier that the current version does not offer.

## ToolGPA grades

**GPA: 2.6 out of 4**, graded Oct 17, 2026. Hotspot Shield has a free plan for one device and a cheap first paid year: $29 for Premium, with 10 devices, 125+ locations and smart TV apps. The second year is the catch, at $95.99. The free plan gives you one location and a daily limit, which phone users can stretch by watching ads.

- **Value for money: C.** Premium is $29 for the first year and then renews at $95.99, so two years cost $124.99, about $5.21 a month. That's just above the middle of what VPNs charge. Monthly starts at $1.99, then goes to $12.99.
- **Free plan and trial: C.** Basic is free on one device and one virtual location. The page calls the data unlimited but also notes a daily limit, which phone users can stretch by watching ads. Fine for the odd café session, not for living on.
- **Features: B.** Its own Hydra protocol, which can also get past VPN blocks, plus OpenVPN and IPSec, a kill switch, Smart VPN for choosing what bypasses it, malware and phishing warnings, Tor over VPN and 10 devices. It covers the whole job.
- **Ease of use: B.** No App Store rating on record. It's an app you install and connect, and Basic asks for no payment, with nothing to set up first.
- **Platforms and integrations: B.** Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android, Chrome and smart TVs, but the downloads list no Linux app. 1Password comes with Premium, but that's not an integration list or an API, so it stops at B.

These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Hotspot Shield's own pages on 17 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.

## Where it stands among VPNs

- Hotspot Shield's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 10 of the 16 other VPNs we grade, and level with 2.
- It stands best on ease of use (B, above 6 of 16) and worst on value for money (C, above 1).
- Its paid plans start at $8 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $5 for the category: 12 of the 15 others that charge start lower.
- On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. 1 tool scores higher and costs less.

The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/vpn

## Keep it, or make your own?

**Keep it.** To replace Hotspot Shield you would be making servers in dozens of countries, kept fast and private. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It costs $95.99 a year.

- You could not: Servers in dozens of countries, kept fast and private.
- You could not: An engine that recognises new malware as it appears.
- You could not: Apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.

A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it.

## Works with

1Password

**Tags:** VPN, Malware protection

## Alternatives

- [TunnelBear](https://toolgpa.com/tools/tunnelbear): McAfee-owned VPN with a 2GB free plan and pay-once multi-year plans. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/hotspot-shield-vs-tunnelbear)
- [Windscribe](https://toolgpa.com/tools/windscribe): VPN with a 10GB free plan and pay-per-location pricing. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/hotspot-shield-vs-windscribe)
- [Proton VPN](https://toolgpa.com/tools/proton-vpn): Open-source Swiss VPN with a free plan that has no data cap. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/hotspot-shield-vs-proton-vpn)
- [NordVPN](https://toolgpa.com/tools/nordvpn): Subscription VPN with threat protection and Meshnet device links. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/hotspot-shield-vs-nordvpn)
- [ExpressVPN](https://toolgpa.com/tools/expressvpn): VPN with its own Lightway protocol, sold in three yearly tiers. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/expressvpn-vs-hotspot-shield)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026:

- https://www.hotspotshield.com/select-plan/
- https://www.hotspotshield.com/
- https://www.hotspotshield.com/vpn/

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/hotspot-shield
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).