Hotspot Shield
Hotspot Shield's proprietary Hydra protocol delivers fast US server speeds. Free plan with 1 GB/day. Now owned by Aura, a US consumer privacy company.
6.9/10 ScoreHydra Protocol1 GB Free/DayFast US SpeedsAura-Owned
Proprietary Hydra protocol and fast US speeds — Hotspot Shield tested on Windows PC.
Hotspot Shield's proprietary Hydra protocol delivers fast US server speeds. Free plan with 1 GB/day. Now owned by Aura, a US consumer privacy company.
Hotspot Shield achieved 75.8 Mbps on the Hydra protocol in our July 2026 benchmark. US server performance was strong; European and Asian endpoints showed significantly higher variance — a pattern consistent with Hydra's US-optimised routing.
| Location | Download | Upload | Ping |
|---|---|---|---|
| US East (nearest) | 75.8 Mbps | 71.4 Mbps | 28ms |
| UK London | 61.2 Mbps | 57.8 Mbps | 92ms |
| Germany Frankfurt | 58.7 Mbps | 55.1 Mbps | 108ms |
| Netherlands | 60.3 Mbps | 56.9 Mbps | 99ms |
Hydra is Hotspot Shield's proprietary VPN protocol, developed in-house rather than using open-source WireGuard or OpenVPN. It is optimised for high throughput on US endpoints and claims faster connection times. The trade-off is that it cannot be independently audited the way open-source protocols can — users must trust Hotspot Shield's implementation. WireGuard is also available as an alternative on the Windows app.
Hotspot Shield was acquired by Aura, a US consumer privacy company that also owns other security products. The VPN is operated under US jurisdiction — within 5 Eyes scope. The no-logs policy has been independently audited by Veracode. Our DNS, WebRTC, and IPv6 leak tests all passed on Windows 10 and 11.
The free plan provides 1 GB/day — enough for occasional browsing and light use. The paid plan unlocks unlimited data and all server locations. The Windows app is clean with a single-button connect and automatic server selection. Streaming performance was the weakest point: Netflix US worked reliably, but BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and Hulu were inconsistent.
No-logs policy is independently audited. Hydra protocol is proprietary — cannot be independently verified. US jurisdiction and Aura ownership are notable.
Yes — 500 MB/day permanently free, no credit card required. Windscribe and ProtonVPN offer more free data but different feature sets.
Netflix US works reliably. BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and Hulu were inconsistent in our tests — not a streaming-specialist VPN.
Hotspot Shield's proprietary VPN protocol, optimised for US server speed. Not open-source; WireGuard is also available in the Windows app.