We put these VPNs to the test to find out which is the best!
Editor's Note: We value our relationship with our readers, and we strive to earn your trust through transparency and integrity. We are in the same ownership group as some of the industry-leading products reviewed on this site: ExpressVPN, Cyberghost, Private Internet Access, and Intego. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to a strict testing methodology.
Cyberghost scores well in every category for a reason: it’s a well-developed service with a good price, and doesn’t have any real drawbacks. Hotspot Shield has some advantages of its own, but isn’t as well-rounded as Cyberghost.
Hotspot Shield is not that far behind Cyberghost when it comes to speeds, regardless of server location. With that said Cyberghost has a slight edge, and both services are suitable for streaming media without any lags or buffering.
| VPN vendor |
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|---|---|---|
| Download speed reduction | 36% (UK) | 40% (UK) |
| Upload speed reduction | 22% (FRA) | 38% (FRA) |
| Ping time to google.com | 309.29ms | 107ms |
| Average time to connect (sec.) | 13ms | 12ms |
| Unblock successful for |
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| Visit Site | Visit Site |
Speed determines how fast content uploads, so if you're torrenting or streaming, you want the speed to be somewhat identical to your regular internet speed. Since a VPN encrypts your data, it usually takes a bit longer to send your data back and forth, which can slow down your connection. However, if your ISP deliberately slows down your connection (also known as throttling) a VPN might increase your internet speed. Testing a VPN is somewhat pointless because new servers pop up and affect speed. Your speed can also differ according to your location, so your speed test might not match ours. Having said that, we tested the speed in numerous locations to provide you with the average.
Cyberghost has a clear edge in server amounts, especially with the numerous locations spread around their 60 countries to choose from. Hotspot Shield only offers 27 locations in an equal amount of countries, which is much more restricting.
| VPN vendor |
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|---|---|---|
| Server Locations | 11670 | 27 |
| Server Countries | 100 | 27 |
| IP Addresses | 1,300+ | 27 |
| Dynamic Server Switching | ||
| Visit Site | Visit Site |
The ratio of servers to countries is an important factor to look at when choosing a VPN. Only paying attention to location or number of servers can get you in trouble. More servers generally means faster speeds, but if VPN X has a few more servers than VPN Y but twice as many users, VPN X will typically have slower speeds. Ideally, you want a VPN that has a lot of servers in every location. This way you won’t have to worry that server/country that you want will be overburdened and running slow
Customer support is a big difference. CyberGhost has a strong dedication to support, with an extensive help section on their site that includes everything from guides and FAQs, to announcements and platform-specific how-to’s and troubleshooting. Hotspot shield does have a lot of resources on their site, but only an email ticketing system after that.
| VPN vendor |
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|---|---|---|
| Email Response Time | 14 | 9 |
| 24/7 Support | ||
| Live Chat | ||
| Knowledge Base | ||
| Video Tutorials | ||
| Visit Site | Visit Site |
We personally test the customer support team of every VPN we review. This means asking technical question through the live chat feature (where applicable) and measuring the response time for email questions. Whether you need to connect to a specific server, change your security protocol, or configure a VPN on your router, finding a VPN with quality customer support should be important to you.
CyberGhost is available for all major platforms, installs quickly, and will automatically connect you to the best server upon your first use. For those wanting a specific country, you can click on “simulated location,” where you’ll gain access to view all locations within your chosen country.
The interface is very easy to navigate, and new users will have no trouble figuring out how everything works. If you encounter any difficulties while configuring torrenting servers or utilizing CyberGhost in a location such as China, our live chat team is available to guide you through the process.
In regards to unblocking content, CyberGhost can bypass Netflix and Hulu restrictions, along with ESPN and YouTube.
After signing up and choosing the platform, installation and setup took less than two minutes.
Hotspot Shield connects automatically to the closest server to your location. You can, however, change your virtual location manually by selecting the country you desire from the dropdown list. You cannot choose which server in the country — Hotspot picks for you.
When we turned on Hotspot Shield, we were already streaming Netflix, and it continued to stream without issue. However, when we tried to use Hulu, we experienced an error. You must have a premium account to stream Netflix, and it only works with the virtual US location selected.
There isn’t much configuration to Hotspot Shield, which is suitable for those who aren’t technically savvy. You can turn on/off automatic startup and turn on the kill switch option. Other than these few settings, there is not a lot to personalize.
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