Hotspot Shield vs NordVPN — Which Is Better? (Results 2024)
Reading time: 17 min
Updated on November 07, 2024
Hotspot Shield and NordVPN are two of the most popular premium VPNs on the market, and I wanted to see which one is better. I tested both VPNs’ capabilities for streaming, gaming, and more. Then, I compared their pricing plans, device compatibility, customer support, and other factors. 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.
Hotspot Shield is the only one of the 2 VPNs that work in China by default. However, I recommend using NordVPN, because of its superior speeds, streaming capabilities, and security. You can get NordVPN for just $2.99 a month with the 2-year + 3 months plan. This VPN also offers a 30-day refund policy so you can try it out and get your money back if it isn’t right for you.
No Time? Here’s a 1-Minute Summary
| Hotspot Shield | NordVPN | |
| Pricing | $2.99/month | $2.99/month |
| Streaming | Unblocks most major streaming services except Amazon Prime Video | Unblocks all major streaming services |
| Servers | 1,800 servers in 80 countries | 6,300 servers in 111 countries |
| Speed | ~40% slowdown | ~10% slowdown |
| Security | 256-bit encryption, kill switch, leak protection | 256-bit encryption, kill switch, leak protection, RAM-based servers |
| Torrenting | Compatible with torrenting clients | Compatible with torrenting clients, SOCKS5 proxy, specialized P2P servers |
| China | Works reliably and servers obfuscated by default | Works reliably but obfuscated servers must be chosen manually |
| Gaming | ~ 100ms ping | ~ 60ms ping |
| Device Compatibility | 5 simultaneous device connections, compatible with all major OSs | 6 simultaneous device connections, compatible with all major OSs, all apps work well |
| Company Jurisdiction | US | Panama |
| Privacy Policy | Unverified no-logs policy, company history of logging data | Independently verified no-logs policy |
| Payment and Refunds | 45-day money-back guarantee, accepts credit/debit card and PayPal | 30-day money-back guarantee, accepts credit/debit card, PayPal, cryptocurrencies, and prepaid card |
| Customer Support | 24/7 live chat, email support, online knowledge base, and ticket support | 24/7 live chat, email support, and online knowledge base |
13 Categories of Comparison for Hotspot Shield vs NordVPN
- Pricing — I compared the various pricing plans of each VPN to find which offered the best deals overall.
- Streaming — I tested each VPN’s capabilities of unblocking various streaming services.
- Servers — I compared each VPN’s server number and locations available to connect to.
- Speed — I tested the download and upload speeds of each VPN on various servers using speed testing software.
- Security — I compared the encryption protocols and additional security features of each VPN.
- Torrenting — I tested each VPN with torrenting clients and checked them for specialized P2P servers.
- China — I tested each VPN’s ability to bypass anti-VPN blocks.
- Gaming — I tested each VPN’s connection with games and checked ping times.
- Device Compatibility — I compared the range of compatible devices and simultaneous device connections of each VPN, and tested different versions of their apps.
- Company Jurisdiction — I compared where each company is headquartered and how privacy-friendly each country is.
- Privacy Policy — I looked at each VPN’s data logging policy, whether it has been verified, and any histories of logging.
- Payment and Refunds — I tested refund policies and tested each via live chat.
- Customer Support — I contacted the customer support channels and resources available with each VPN, and compared the response times to queries.
1. Pricing — NordVPN Offers the Best Value for Money
NordVPN is slightly cheaper than Hotspot Shield’s equivalent subscription plan. There is a free trial available for Hotspot Shield and NordVPN, but only Hotspot Shield offers a fully free version that you can keep forever. However, I don’t recommend the free version of Hotspot Shield as it limits you to either 500MB of data a month or 30 minutes of use a day.
A Hotspot Shield Premium subscription includes a built-in password manager, antivirus, and spam blocker tools, which may make it a good value for money if you want these features. However, NordVPN’s “Complete” subscription includes malware protection, an ad-blocker, a password manager, a data breach scanner, and 1TB encrypted cloud storage. This subscription plan is also only $2.99 a month with the 3-year plan.
| Hotspot Shield | NordVPN | |
| Best Deal | $2.99/month | $2.99/month |
| Free Trial | 7 days | 7 days (only for Android version) |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 45 | 30 |
If you want a free trial on all devices, Hotspot Shield may be the better choice for you as NordVPN only offers a free trial on its Android app. However, NordVPN is the better overall choice for pricing.
Pricing Winner: NordVPN
2. Streaming — NordVPN Unblocks More Services
When it comes to streaming, NordVPN is better than Hotspot Shield as it can unblock more services. It also has faster speeds and a unique SmartDNS feature that Hotspot Shield lacks.
NordVPN reliably works with streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Go, and more. I tested various server and website combinations, and only a couple of combinations failed to provide access. Solving this was as simple as just connecting to another server.
Hotspot Shield also managed to unblock most services, with the notable exception of Amazon Prime Video. I tested several different servers and was unable to use the site each time. However, accessing the other major platforms was easy.
While both VPNs were good for streaming, NordVPN wins this category. Not only can it access Netflix’s US library, but it also offers a SmartDNS feature for streaming on devices that don’t usually allow VPN connections. I tested NordVPN’s SmartDNS feature on my smart TV and managed to stream on Hulu with no issues.
3. Servers — Tie
While NordVPN has over 6,300 servers compared to Hotspot Shield’s 6,300, Hotspot Shield has servers in 80 different countries compared to NordVPN’s 80. However, NordVPN also has specialized servers for different purposes, such as the “Onion over VPN”, “Double VPN”, and “P2P servers”.
| Hotspot Shield | NordVPN | |
| Server Number | 1,800 | 6,300 |
| Server Countries | 80 | 111 |
If you are looking for a VPN with servers in more countries so you can access more content, Hotspot Shield may be best. However, the specialized nature of NordVPN’s servers also has benefits for purposes like using Tor and P2P. When it comes to servers, this one is a draw.
Servers Winner: Tie
4. Speed — NordVPN is Much Faster
Overall, NordVPN has reliably faster speeds than Hotspot Shield. While connected to NordVPN servers, I streamed TV and even online video games with no lag. With Hotspot Shield, loading times were slower and there was some lag.
Using various servers and streaming services, I barely noticed any reduction in connection speeds with NordVPN compared to base speeds (connection speeds while not using any VPN). I tested a local server in the UK and only experienced a 10% slowdown. I then tried an Australian server and the slowdown was around 20% — not bad for a server on the other side of the world. Buffering was extremely rare when streaming Netflix with the Australian server, and non-existent with the local one.
Hotspot Shield also offered fast speeds, but not as fast as NordVPN’s. The slowdown was around 40% compared to base speeds when using local servers, which wasn’t too bad but was noticeable. More distant servers were slower than this, but I was still able to stream video and browse the internet without much interruption.
Speed Winner: NordVPN
5. Security — NordVPN Has an Impressive Selection of Features
NordVPN offers a much better selection of security features than Hotspot Shield does. While Hotspot Shield lacks options like Double VPN and Dedicated IPs, NordVPN includes them. NordVPN also uses RAM-based servers rather than the less secure physical ones.
| Hotspot Shield | NordVPN | |
| Encryption | AES-256 | AES-256 |
| VPN Protocols | Catapult Hydra, IKEv2 | NordLynx, OpenVPN, IKEv2 |
| Kill Switch | ✔ | ✔ |
| Leak Protection | ✔ | ✔ |
| Malware/Ad Blocker | ✔ | Only with “Complete” plan |
| Double VPN | ✘ | ✔ |
| Onion Over VPN Servers | ✘ | ✔ |
| Dedicated IPs | ✘ | ✔ |
| RAM-Only Servers | ✘ | ✔ |
Encryption Standard
Encryption is an essential part of VPN security. While both VPNs offer AES-256 encryption, which is as strong as that used by the US military, NordVPN offers more encryption protocols to choose from.
Encryption Protocol
Hotspot Shield only offers the IKEv2 protocol and its own Catapult Hydra protocol. NordVPN offers a choice of IKEv2, OpenVPN, and its own NordLynx protocol (which is based on advanced WireGuard encryption).
Leak Protection and Kill Switches
Automatic kill switches and DNS/IP leak protection measures are essential to protect your privacy and anonymity in the event of a VPN outage. Both NordVPN and Hotspot Shield have kill switches and leak protection features that performed well in tests.
Dedicated IPs
NordVPN offers the option of using your own dedicated IP address when connected to the VPN, but Hotspot Shield assigns a new IP address each time you connect. NordVPN’s dedicated IP address is only used by you and will give you more reliable access to secure websites like online banking.
RAM-Only Servers
RAM-based servers are more secure than physical servers as data is automatically deleted on each system reboot. NordVPN uses RAM-only servers, but Hotspot Shield uses physical ones.
Security Winner: NordVPN
6. Torrenting — NordVPN Offers Extra-Secure Specialized Servers
NordVPN is particularly good for torrenting due to its extra security features. Hotspot Shield is also a fairly reliable VPN for torrenting, although it.
Hotspot Shield is pretty good for torrenting as all of its servers support P2P traffic, download speeds are reliably fast, and the security features are also robust. I had no trouble using Hotspot Shield with BitTorrent and other clients.
NordVPN offers all of the same benefits for torrenting but also includes an integrated SOCKS5 proxy that gives you an extra layer of anonymity. NordVPN also offers specialized servers for extra-secure P2P connections.
NordVPN also has a more reliable no-logs policy than Hotspot Shield. If you want to torrent securely and anonymously, NordVPN is the better choice.
Torrenting Winner: NordVPN
7. China — Hotspot Shield’s Servers are Obfuscated by Default
Both VPNs work in China, although Hotspot Shield’s servers are optimized to work in the country by default. Although VPN technology isn’t entirely illegal to use in China, the Great Firewall does detect and block VPN traffic.
Both Hotspot Shield and NordVPN are suitable if you want to use a VPN while traveling through China, as they each have obfuscated servers (servers that disguise themselves as non-VPN servers). The only difference between the two is that Hotspot Shield’s servers are obfuscated by default, while NordVPN’s are not. You need to manually choose obfuscated servers in NordVPN’s settings if you want to hide your VPN usage.
Both NordVPN and Hotspot Shield’s servers work reliably in China. However, the fact that Hotspot Shield’s servers are obfuscated by default means it wins this round.
China Winner: Hotspot Shield
8. Gaming — NordVPN is Compatible With Consoles
When it comes to gaming, NordVPN wins because I had lower ping (delay time between my input and the server’s reaction) than Hotspot Shield. NordVPN also has a useful Smart DNS feature.
The Smart DNS feature lets you use the VPN on devices that may not otherwise be compatible, such as game consoles. I was able to use NordVPN with my Xbox One — there is no such feature with Hotspot Shield.
When it comes to PC gaming, both VPNs performed well. I decided to play Call of Duty: Warzone on a VPN connection with NordVPN and had a ping of only 60 milliseconds. When I tried the same with Hotspot Shield, my ping was around 100 milliseconds — still fast enough to play the game without constantly losing, but not quite as smooth.
Gaming Winner: NordVPN
9. Device Compatibility — NordVPN’s Apps Include More Features
While both VPNs are compatible with many devices, NordVPN’s Mac and iOS apps are notably more feature-heavy. Hotspot Shield offers slightly more simultaneous device connections, but its Mac and iOS apps lack a kill switch.
Both NordVPN and Hotspot Shield have apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. Both VPNs also offer browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox. You can use both VPNs on Android TVs, Fire devices, and select routers, although only NordVPN is compatible with Kodi. Hotspot Shield lets you connect 10 devices at a time, while NordVPN allows 10.
I tested the Windows, macOS, Android, Linux, and iOS versions of NordVPN and found each one intuitive with features like a kill switch and the ability to “Auto” connect to the fastest available server. Hotspot Shield’s Mac and iOS apps lack similar security features. While both VPNs work well on Windows, Apple users will probably want to choose NordVPN over Hotspot Shield.
Device Compatibility Winner: NordVPN
10. Company Jurisdiction — NordVPN is Based in Privacy-Friendly Panama
NordVPN is based in Panama, which is a more privacy-friendly country than the US where Hotspot Shield is based. The US is a member of the intelligence-sharing 5, 9, and 14 Eyes Alliances, where countries have agreed to share information on their citizens’ internet activity with each other. Panama is a member of no such agreements.
| Hotspot Shield | NordVPN | |
| Company Headquarters | US | Panama |
| Inside 5/9/14 Eyes | ✔ | ✘ |
| Warrant Canary | ✘ | ✘ |
A “warrant canary” is a statement from a VPN provider that a government has requested access to user data. Neither Hotspot Shield nor NordVPN publishes warrant canaries. NordVPN has published these in the past, but in 2022 it agreed to comply with requests for data from law enforcement agencies. However, this is unlikely to affect the vast majority of VPN users.
Company Jurisdiction Winner: NordVPN
11. Privacy Policy — NordVPN’s No-Logs Policy is Verified
Both Hotspot Shield and NordVPN claim to have no-logs policies, although NordVPN is better for privacy. Hotspot Shield is owned by Aura, a company that also owns VPNs like Betternet and TouchVPN which have been found to log user data. In 2016, Hotspot Shield, the VPN provider, was discovered to utilize a tracking code within Android apps. Consequently, the collected data was subsequently sold to advertising companies.
Unlike Hotspot Shield, NordVPN has an independently-verified no-logs policy. However, the company quietly changed its policy — NordVPN previously promised never to comply with data requests from authorities but said in 2022 that it would do so. Despite this drawback, I would still recommend NordVPN over Hotspot Shield for privacy.
Privacy Policy Winner: NordVPN
12. Payment and Refunds — Tie
For payment and refund policies, both VPNs had pros and cons. While Hotspot Shield has a longer money-back guarantee, NordVPN offers more payment options. Claiming refunds was simple with both VPNs.
| Hotspot Shield | NordVPN | |
| Credit or Debit Cards | ✔ | ✔ |
| PayPal | ✔ | ✔ |
| Cryptocurrency | ✘ | ✔ |
| Prepaid card | ✘ | ✔ |
NordVPN lets you pay for your subscription with a credit/debit card, PayPal, cryptocurrencies (e.g., Bitcoin), or a prepaid card. Hotspot Shield only accepts credit/debit cards or PayPal, which may not be ideal if you don’t want to provide them with your bank details.
Both VPNs offer refund policies — Hotspot Shield has a 45-day money-back guarantee and NordVPN’s is just 30 days. Getting a refund for Hotspot Shield with its live chat was straightforward, and the agent didn’t try and argue. I had my money refunded in just one day.
Getting a refund from NordVPN was also straightforward, although the agent did briefly try to convict me to try new services first. Once the refund was processed, I had my money back within one week.
Payment and Refunds Winner: Tie
13. Customer Support — Hotspot Shield’s Team Responds Faster
I thought that Hotspot Shield’s customer support was slightly better than NordVPN’s. Responses to questions arrived faster, and Hotspot Shield offers a ticket support option that NordVPN doesn’t.
| Hotspot Shield | NordVPN | |
| 24/7 Live Chat | ✔ | ✔ |
| Average Response Time via Live Chat | 1 minute | 5 minutes |
| Email Support | ✔ | ✔ |
| Average Response Time via Email | 2 hours | 3 hours |
| Ticket Support | ✔ | ✘ |
| Phone Support | ✘ | ✘ |
| Online Knowledge Base | ✔ | ✔ |
| Community Forum | ✘ | ✘ |
Both NordVPN and Hotspot Shield have 24/7 live chat features on their websites. Agents responded quickly in English with each and were able to answer questions about how to use various features. Overall, Hotspot Shield performed the best in this category.
Customer Support Winner: Hotspot Shield
And the Winner Is… NordVPN
- Pricing: NordVPN
- Streaming: NordVPN
- Servers: Tie
- Speed: NordVPN
- Security: NordVPN
- Torrenting: NordVPN
- China: Hotspot Shield
- Gaming: NordVPN
- Device Compatibility: NordVPN
- Company Jurisdiction: NordVPN
- Privacy Policy: NordVPN
- Payment and Refunds: Tie
- Customer Support: Hotspot Shield
If you are looking for a VPN that works well everywhere (including China), offers reliable speeds, and has a wide range of customer support options, Hotspot Shield may be the VPN for you. It also has a generous money-back guarantee of 45 days.
However, NordVPN outperformed Hotspot Shield in more categories, and overall I found it to be a better VPN. Its privacy policy is also significantly better than Hotspot Shield’s, which can be particularly important for torrenting and staying anonymous online. NordVPN’s 30-day guarantee was also more than long enough to make my mind up.
Overall Winner: NordVPN
Other Top VPNs to Try in 2024
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.
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