Hide My IP VPN Review 2024: Before You Buy, Is It Worth It?

Inconsistent on Most Servers

Hide My IP VPN ranks middle of the pack when it comes to speed. I experienced good speeds when connecting to closer servers, but the speed noticeably decreased when I connected to servers that were farther away. If you are located near one of the 134 server locations that Hide My IP VPN maintains, you will find that the speed is fast enough for full HD streaming and general web browsing.

Speed Test Results

While hiding My IP’s connections are acceptable in local and neighboring servers, don’t expect lightning-fast speeds across continents. The servers that I tested were all-sufficient for general web browsing as well as other activities such as UHD streaming, torrenting, and gaming.

To establish a comparison, I initially tested my internet speeds without connecting to the VPN. The results showed that my download speed was 94Mbps, my upload speed was 675Mbps, and my ping was a mere 1 ms. However, when I connected to the US server, there was a significant decrease in my speeds. Specifically, my download speed reduced to 50Mbps and my upload speed decreased to 146Mbps. This indicates a loss of 46% in download speed and 78% in upload speed.

When I connected to a server in the UK, my download speed dropped by over 70% to 19Mbps and my upload speed was reduced to 17Mbps, a decrease of over 90%. My speed worsened when I connected to a server in Australia, with a record-low download speed of just 15.92Mbps. However, my speed improved when I tried a server in France, where my download speed dropped by 55% — a far better result than what I recorded on the UK and Australian servers.

It is evident that Hide My IP VPN is an unreliable service when it comes to achieving fast internet speeds, particularly on servers located at a considerable distance. To ensure a smoother experience, it is advisable to connect to a server that is in close proximity, as this will likely eliminate any potential issues.

Server Network — Limited Server Coverage

According to Hide My IP VPN’s website, the company boasts over 130 VPN servers that are secure and located across 70 global locations. This network offers comprehensive global geographic coverage, reaching every region, even those typically overlooked by other VPN providers. Notably, the combined server locations in Asia and Oceania surpass those in North America.

What sets Hide My IP VPN apart from its competitors is its inclusion of servers in China and Russia, which is uncommon among most VPN providers. Moreover, important server locations are also available in Africa and South America.

Hide My IP VPN ensures maximum privacy protection by personally owning, running, and controlling all of its servers. Third-party management of the server network is not allowed. Additionally, the company offers unlimited bandwidth, allowing you to enjoy uninterrupted browsing and streaming experiences.

At present, the VPN lacks the capability to filter or sort servers according to your preferences. While it is generally advisable to connect to the server nearest to you for a reliable connection, it may not always be the fastest option. However, this approach may not be suitable if you need to access websites that are restricted to a specific country or are blocked in your country. To address this, Hide My IP VPN enables you to filter out all IP addresses except those from the United States, but you can also achieve this manually.

In addition, the company offers numerous DNS proxies that cover over fifty countries. Some of these proxies have proven effective at accessing all popular streaming platforms, but keep in mind that they may be blocked at any time. To begin, go to the company’s website and navigate to the DNS proxy page. Select the proxy manually and enter the license key you used for the client. Then, you can access content from your home region on your chosen streaming channel. However, it’s crucial to confirm whether the channel you want to unblock is compatible with a proxy. You can contact live support to obtain information about the status of a particular channel.

Security — Theoretically Solid

Hide My IP VPN ensures exceptional security for your connection through the use of advanced encryption technology. The service exclusively uses OpenVPN, which is paired with the highly robust AES-256 encryption cipher to safeguard your data. This powerful combination is virtually unbreakable, even for the most advanced computers.

In addition to the above, Hide My IP VPN offers several advanced features, which are detailed below:

• IP rotator (Multihop) — this function periodically changes your IP address, enhancing privacy by preventing location tracking. Simultaneously, you can opt to mask your User Agent, conceal Referrer Header, and clear cookies with each IP change, ensuring a cleaner browsing experience. By selecting “Require US-based IP,” IP rotation will be limited to addresses within the United States.
• Smart DNS proxy — the smart DNS proxy enables you to obscure specific information about your internet connection. Unlike traditional VPNs that route your entire session, it offers faster speeds and broader device compatibility. However, this improved performance comes at the cost of reduced security, as it lacks encryption.
• Kill switch — the automatic kill switch enhances privacy and security by maintaining protection even when your VPN connection briefly drops. The connection stays closed until the VPN tunnel is reestablished or the kill switch is disabled, providing an added layer of security to prevent accidental data exposure. Please note that this feature is only present on its Android application.
• DNS Protection — the primary role of DNS protection is to prevent DNS leaks, which can expose your browsing activities and compromise your privacy.

To verify the effectiveness of Hide My IP VPN’s security features, I conducted a comprehensive examination of various servers, including both local (US) and international options. Throughout this testing process, the connection consistently delivered the expected level of security, without any instances of IP, DNS, or WebRTC breaches. This in-depth analysis clearly illustrates the robust and dependable security measures employed by the system.

Privacy — Unnecessary Data Logging

Hide My IP VPN is not a suitable choice for privacy due to its intrusive logging policy and US jurisdiction. Upon examining its privacy policy, I found that while it claims not to log your web activity, it does retain a significant amount of private information. This includes your name, email address, home address, preferences related to services and products, as well as payment details.

Additionally, the company acknowledges recording information about your usage and access to its website, products, services, or network. Collecting such a vast array of data for troubleshooting purposes seems excessive to me. Moreover, Hide My IP VPN retains this data for an extended period even after deactivating your account, which I find unsettling.

If you’re worried about online privacy, you may want to think twice about using Hide My IP VPN. The service is based in the United States, a country with a multitude of anti-privacy laws that allow online activity tracking. What’s more, the United States is a founding member of the 5-eyes intelligence network, which acts as a surveillance system and monitors specific targets. So, if you’re concerned about global surveillance or local data collection, ExpressVPN might be a better option.

In accordance with the company’s terms of service, it reserves the right to release your data to the government upon request. As a United States-based company, this is not surprising at all. Hide My IP VPN does not seem to prioritize your privacy, especially when you consider what information they actually collect.

Hide My IP VPN offers a unique advantage of a daily accountless purchase option, which provides additional anonymity without the need for an account or subscription. This feature can be obtained using Bitcoin, giving you a bit more anonymity.

Torrenting — Supported but Not Safe

Hide My IP VPN has P2P-optimized servers but is not recommended for torrenting due to its invasive logging policy. Additionally, the desktop client lacks a kill switch, which could expose your true IP address if the VPN connection drops.

Neither my team nor I condone illegal activities. Check your country’s rules and regulations to make sure you aren’t breaking any laws. With these providers, you can enjoy ultra-fast speeds and no restrictions on torrenting while having the most secure privacy policies.

Does Hide My IP VPN Work in China? Yes!

A support representative confirmed that Hide My IP VPN works in countries with restricted access, but did not provide details on the connection method. The service has servers in China, Japan, India, Korea, and Hong Kong, enabling fast VPN speeds in China. However, it lacks advanced obfuscation tools such as StealthVPN and Smart Mode to conceal VPN traffic as regular HTTPS traffic.

When traveling to China, I find that using ExpressVPN is the best option due to its proven effectiveness. Nevertheless, it is crucial to exercise caution while using any VPN in China, as it does not grant permission to participate in unlawful activities.

Hide My IP VPN provides various channels for direct contact, ensuring easy communication with their team. These channels include an online chat, an online ticket system, an email support system, postal mail, and a toll-free phone support number. Although telephone support is limited to weekdays from 9 am to 4 pm PST, live chat support is available during regular business hours.

If you have technical or advanced questions, it is recommended to use the email support system. While waiting for a response can be a bit frustrating, it is the best avenue to reach someone with more knowledge. In my experience, I received replies to my emails within a few hours. The support engineer I interacted with was both polite and helpful.

If you like to fix things yourself, the provider also offers a knowledge base and FAQ section. However, it is limited in scope and does not provide in-depth information on VPN and VPN clients. Therefore, you may need to contact live chat repeatedly, which can be inconvenient. To address this issue, it would be beneficial for the provider to expand and improve this section with more comprehensive information. Additionally, the provider maintains active Twitter and Facebook accounts, which may offer additional support and resources.