Hotspot Shield vs VyprVPN: Which wins?

To the uninitiated, competing VPNs tend to look very similar. Consider Hotspot Shield and VyprVPN, for example. They both offer servers in dozens of countries, have desktop and mobile apps, and secure your internet traffic with encryption. However, if you look a little more closely, you’ll see that there are also many areas in which they differ.

To help you out, our team created a beginner-friendly breakdown of every major feature that Hotspot Shield and VyprVPN have to offer. We hope this will give you a better idea of what you’re paying for and help you make a more informed decision.

We’ve performed an exhaustive analysis of every aspect of these VPNs. Below, you’ll find a side-by-side comparison of everything from pricing to encryption standards.

Summary: Hotspot Shield vs VyprVPN

Hotspot Shield vs VyprVPN Pricing

Hotspot Shield and VyprVPN both offer monthly and annual subscriptions, but HSS also has a three-year plan in case you’d prefer something a little more long-term.

What’s interesting here is that although Hotspot Shield is more expensive in the short and medium terms ($12.99 per month instead of $10 and $95.99 instead of $60), its long-term plan includes a 77 percent discount that sees it become cheaper than VyprVPN. This means subscribers only pay $2.99 per month, well under the $5 per month minimum that VyprVPN users have to fork out.

What’s more, Hotspot Shield comes with a 45-day money-back guarantee compared to the 30 days offered by VyprVPN. This is great because it means you can sign up, try either service without limitations for a full month, and cancel the subscription if you’re not impressed.

BEST DEAL FOR HOTSPOT SHIELD:Save up to 77% and effectively reduce your monthly payment to just pay $2.99.

BEST DEAL FOR VYPRVPN:Pay as little as $5 per month with the VyprVPN annual plan (a saving of 50%).

Hotspot Shield vs VyprVPN Features

You can use Hotspot Shield and VyprVPN on a variety of devices. Apps are available for desktop (Windows and Mac), mobile (Android and iOS), Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV. Furthermore, both VPNs allow you to connect up to 10 devices simultaneously — double the industry average.

VyprVPN is also capable of blocking malware, which helps to increase privacy for its users. This helps VyprVPN to compete with market-leading VPNs like NordVPN and Surfsharl – though some of those rivals also block ads and trackers. Hotspot Shield used to come bundled with 1Password and a spam call blocker named Robo Shield but unfortunately, that’s no longer the case.

Both Hotspot Shield and VyprVPN have a split tunneling feature that allows you to route apps outside of the VPN tunnel while doing other tasks inside of the encrypted VPN tunnel. This is handy when torrenting, for example, or if you want to watch a local TV service while doing other tasks using an international IP address.

A key difference between these services is that Hotspot Shield uses a proprietary protocol called Hydra rather than OpenVPN or WireGuard. Some users may feel uncomfortable using a proprietary protocol of this nature.

Hydra includes obfuscation by default, meaning it is pretty effective for bypassing online blocks and censorship. Another advantage of using a proprietary protocol is that networks and regions attempting to block VPN connections won’t have as much experience blocking that protocol – which again can make it perform better in some circumstances.

For those who prefer trusted protocols that have been audited and are known to offer high levels of security, VyprVPN may be more suitable. The VPN provides the ability to connect with both OpenVPN and the super-fast WireGuard protocol.

Netflix and streaming comparison

As you can see in the table above, VyprVPN is a fantastic choice for streaming, no matter whether you’re looking to watch Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, or YouTube TV. Hotspot Shield put up a good fight, and can now reliably access BBC iPlayer and Channel 4, two platforms that it previously struggled with. However, it still has difficulty accessing ABC and CBS.

Which of these VPNs work in China?

Many VPNs you come across simply won’t work in China due to the strict internet restrictions within the country. However, the good news is that both Hotspot Shield and VyprVPN are able to bypass the Great Firewall of China (though some users have reported difficulty getting connected to VyprVPN recently). This means that you can use them to unblock websites that are normally inaccessible in China such as Facebook, Google, and Wikipedia.

With VyprVPN, all you need to do is change protocol in your settings. You’ll want to select the Chameleon protocol which VyprVPN expressly says it designed for use in “countries that suppress a free and open internet”. The process with Hotspot Shield is almost exactly the same; just make sure you’re using its Hydra protocol. You should then be able to unblock government-censored and geo-restricted content.

Keep in mind that the websites of Hotspot Shield and VyprVPN are blocked in China. As such, you’ll need to download and install your preferred VPN ahead of your arrival in China. If you still encounter issues when there, be sure to try changing servers in case the IP address you’re using has been blacklisted (a common method used by Chinese authorities).

Setup and interface

It’s easy to get started with either service. That’s because they both offer automatic setup wizards for every popular platform, a quick-connection button, and searchable server list.

Hotspot Shield has a nice, simple design that won’t overwhelm novice users. There aren’t too many settings to choose from, and you can quickly find a server suitable for streaming British or American content abroad. It’s almost identical on mobile devices too, which is a huge plus.

VyprVPN recently debuted a new interface. In addition to looking a little more modern, it now allows you to view important info about your connection, such as what your current IP address is and how much data you’ve transferred.

Servers and performance

Hotspot Shield has a far larger network than its rival. In fact, there are more than twice as many servers and over a dozen extra countries to choose from. However, both providers offer servers in some of the most popular locations like the US, the UK, Australia, and Japan. Although VyprVPN has the smaller network, it does offer support a few countries that Hotspot Shield doesn’t such as Macau. However, Hotspot Shield has servers in the likes of China, Hungary, and South Africa.

Below, you’ll find a list of every country in which these VPNs have servers:

Hotspot Shield and VyprVPN: speed comparison

Both of these VPNs are extremely fast, with average speeds of around 200 Mbps. For context, streaming 4K video only requires about 25 Mbps, so you’re unlikely to notice any performance issues, whichever VPN you choose.

That said, Hotspot Shield was more consistent across multiple locations. For instance, VyprVPN’s Hong Kong servers averaged less than 80 Mbps, while its US results were more than four times that.

Hotspot Shield vs VyprVPN for gaming

If you want a VPN for gaming, both VyprVPN and Hotspot Shield are pretty decent options. They both offer decent speeds and reliable connections.

Hotspot Shield is known for its consistently high speeds across various server locations. This consistency, provided by the proprietary Hydra protocol,  is crucial for a smooth gaming experience, ensuring minimal lag in fast-paced games like Call of Duty and Fortnite.

VyprVPN, while offering robust security features with its Chameleon protocol, falls a bit short in terms of speed consistency. Some servers were much faster than others in our tests, which may lead to issues if you are trying to find easier lobbies or play on specific regional servers.

Both VPNs can successfully bypass ISP bandwidth throttling, ensuring your gaming isn’t discriminately slowed down by your ISP.

Hotspot Shield vs VyprVPN Security

What’s clear is that these are two highly secure VPN services that help keep you safe online. Both use 256-bit AES encryption to secure your internet traffic, shielding you from hackers and snoopers alike. Both Hotspot Shield and VyprVPN provide protection from DNS leaks and IPv6 leaks, so there’s no need to worry about any unencrypted data being intercepted.

VyprVPN supports some of the most common VPN protocols including OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard. Its proprietary protocol, Chameleon, bypasses VPN blocking so you can evade online censorship. Hotspot Shield also supports IKEv2 but the only other available protocol is its very own Catapult Hydra.

Both VPNs provide some form of cloaking technology through the use of their own proprietary VPN protocols (Catapult Hydra for Hotspot Shield and Chameleon for VyprVPN). This means that you can use these VPNs to bypass censorship such as in China. Hotspot Shield has a Windows-only kill switch while VyprVPN’s kill switch is available in both its Windows and Mac desktop apps. This stops sending internet traffic should the VPN connection drop unexpectedly, stopping you from browsing unprotected.

Hotspot Shield and VyprVPN provide additional security in the form of public wifi protection. This ensures your device automatically connects to the VPN when you use public wifi. The two VPNs also use their own private DNS servers so you don’t need to worry about risky exposure to third parties.

Privacy

Aside from security, it’s also important to consider your privacy and how much a VPN does to protect it. Hotspot Shield is headquartered in the United States which is a Five Eyes member. This means that if any logs were to be obtained, they could then theoretically be shared with other participating Five Eyes member countries. However, it’s important to emphasise that Hotspot Shield doesn’t keep any logs by which its users can be identified.

VyprVPN operates out of Switzerland which is a country with much stronger data privacy laws. Unlike Hotspot Shield, it doesn’t even keep aggregate data. In fact, VyprVPN is one of few VPNs that has had its no-logs policy subjected to an audit from an independent third party. As a result, users can have more confidence that all of their personal information remains private at all times.

When it comes to signing up for these VPNs, you don’t need to provide a wealth of personal details. Indeed, the only information required when signing up for a Hotspot Shield account is an email address. Even this can be a burner account if you want to be anonymous. Aside from an email address, VyprVPN also asks for your name. Unfortunately, neither Hotspot Shield nor VyprVPN provides any anonymous payment options such as Bitcoin.

Customer Service

If you’re looking for a VPN with high-quality customer service, these are certainly worth your consideration. Notably, they both offer live chat and email support. Indeed, these are available 24 hours per day. However, Hotspot Shield and VyprVPN don’t have phone support. To be fair, aside from IPVanish, there are very few VPNs that do.

We decided to test out the customer support of Hotspot Shield and VyprVPN for ourselves. The live chat support is, as you’d expect, the fastest way to get a response. However, the email support of these two VPN providers is also fairly quick to respond, especially compared to many of their rivals. Hotspot Shield took an average of 3 to 4 hours to get back to us. VyprVPN was only marginally quicker with an average response time of just 3 hours.

In our conversations with Hotspot Shield and VyprVPN, we found their responses to be helpful. You can also find answers by searching their knowledge bases. There you’ll find various setup guides as well as answers to frequently asked questions. Both providers offer step-by-step instructions and screenshots in their help articles, which is great to see. However, unlike some VPNs, Hotspot Shield and VyprVPN don’t provide any video guides to speak of.

The Winner: Hotspot Shield

Truth be told, there isn’t a great deal to separate Hotspot Shield and VyprVPN. The two VPN services possess a similar number of pros and cons. However, based on the above information, Hotspot Shield is our overall winner.

Though Hotspot Shield is the more expensive of the two, it offers steep discounts on longer plans, has a much larger server network, and includes servers specifically designed for streaming.

It’s also worth mentioning that Hotspot Shield’s speeds are more reliable VyprVPN’s, making it the better option for  everyday usage. However, both VPNs offer unlimited bandwidth. With Hotspot Shield, you’ll be able to securely access some of your favorite streaming services while traveling abroad. This includes Netflix US, Amazon Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer.

With more features, a larger network of servers, and faster speeds, Hotspot Shield ultimately wins. Note that it also comes with a 45-day money-back guarantee. This is much longer than that of most VPNs (VyprVPN has a money-back guarantee of 30 days), allowing you more time to try it out risk-free.

Methodology: How we compared Hotspot Shield and VyprVPN

Hotspot Shield and VyprVPN are two of our top-rated providers, so comparing them was never going to be easy. To be as fair and thorough as possible, we focused on the following areas, recording any strengths, weaknesses, or things of note:

• Server network: This impacts which content you can access and which laws apply. We were particularly interested in the number of available servers, their bandwidth, and any unusual server locations.
• Speed: Our team performs regular speed tests, which allows us to see how well each VPN performs over time. We run a total of nine tests per VPN (three locations, at three times of day), then average the results. This approach accounts for consistency and delivers a more representative speed.
• Security and privacy: Our experts looked for secure encryption protocols, uncrackable encryption algorithms, and safeguards like a kill switch or leak protection. We also dug into their privacy policies to find out exactly what information they log, and checked to see if either had been audited.
• Versatility: We attempted to securely access major platforms like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime Video to see which worked the most reliably. We also checked to see if each service was suitable for playing games, torrenting, and making video calls.
• Ease of use: We’re big fans of anything that makes a VPN more newcomer-friendly. This might be apps for all major operating systems, task-specific servers, 24/7 live chat, or clearly-explained settings menus.
• Price: We looked into how these VPNs’ prices held up to their competitors’, searched for any deals or discounts that were available, and found out whether there were any free trials or money-back guarantees on offer.

Looking to find out more about how we put VPNs through their paces? Our testing methodology post explains our full process.

Other VPN comparisons:

• NordVPN vs Hotspot Shield
• Surfshark vs Hotspot Shield
• ExpressVPN vs VyprVPN
• CyberGhost vs VyprVPN

Hotspot Shield vs VyprVPN: Frequently Asked Questions