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hide.me VPN Review 2024: Is It Safe & Fast?

hide.me VPN Review 2024: Is It Safe & Fast?

2024-11-22 hide.me offers excellent security, good streaming support, very fast speeds, and intuitive apps. In addition to industry-standard security features li

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hide.me offers excellent security, good streaming support, very fast speeds, and intuitive apps. In addition to industry-standard security features like 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch, and a no-logs policy that’s been independently audited, hide.me also has:

  • Split-tunneling.
  • Full leak protection .
  • Multihop.
  • perfect forward secrecy .
  • SmartGuard .
  • And more …

I is like really like hide.me , but there are some issue to consider . Its desktop app have a somewhat outdated design , the window app also sometimes has laggy animation , it ’s been a long time since its no – log policy was audit , and it only has server in 58 country ( most top vpn have server in 80 + country ) .

hide.me allows 10 simultaneous connections with 1 account, which is well on the upper end of the industry average of 5–10 connections. It has a really good free plan, and the paid monthly and yearly plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

🏅 Overall Rank # 18 out of 82 vpn
🌍 Countries with a Server 58
📱 number of Devices 10
💸 Starting Price ¥350
🎁 Free Plan
💰 money – Back Guarantee 30 days

try hide.me

hide.me Full Review — Solid for All Online Activities + User-Friendly

I spent a few weeks testing hide.me to see how it compares to other top VPNs, and I can safely say it’s a pretty decent VPN.

hide.me is has has good streaming support , allow torrenting on all server , and has fast speed on nearby and distant server , make it a solid pick for all online activity .

hide.me also provides high-end security and privacy and has easy-to-use apps that are packed with features.

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hide.me Plans & Pricing — Reasonably-Priced Paid Plan + Good Free Plan

hide.me is has has a free plan , monthly plan , and annual plan . Except for the free plan , all hide.me plans is come come with the same feature and allow 10 simultaneous device connection with 1 account .

The free plan is one of the best out there. It’s ad-free, allows unlimited data, and comes with a no-logs policy. But it doesn’t have streaming or torrenting support, and it’s missing port forwarding. Plus, you’re limited to servers in just 5+ countries and only 1 connection.

The provider’s prices start at ¥350 / month, which is pretty affordable. That said, its long-term plans are more expensive than Private Internet Access and CyberGhost VPN’s long-term plans, and those VPNs provide better value.

Payment options for hide.me include credit cards, PayPal, and cryptocurrencies, and all plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

hide.me Features — Basic Security Tools + Good Extras

hide.me has the following industry-standard security features:

  • 256-bit AES encryption — Secures your data with bank-grade encryption.
  • No-logs policy — Doesn’t log your IP address and traffic. hide.me’s no-logs policy has also been independently audited.
  • Kill switch — Disables internet access if your VPN connection drops to prevent data leaks. I like that hide.me’s kill switch is very customizable. You can turn it on for your LAN network to stop local devices like printers from communicating when the VPN disconnects and even whitelist websites that you don’t need for the kill switch.

The StealthGuard feature lets you further configure it — you can block all internet access unless the VPN is connected or only enable it for specific apps where you can’t risk your IP address being exposed, like your P2P client. Not many VPNs offer this level of control — NordVPN is one of the few with a similar app-based kill switch.

hide.me comes with OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPSec, SoftEther, WireGuard, and SSTP. I like that hide.me has support for WireGuard, because it’s very secure and much faster than OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPSec.

hide.me also provides DNS, IPv6, and WebRTC leak protection. Not all premium VPNs offer full leak protection. For example, VyprVPN makes you manually disable IPv6 and WebRTC. I ran 10+ leak tests with hide.me and never saw any leaks.

The VPN also has advanced security features. These include RAM-only servers (every server reset wipes all data) and perfect forward secrecy — this changes your encryption key for each session to protect you from hackers compromising past or future browsing sessions.

hide.me also provides additional features:

Split – Tunneling — choose Which Apps Are route via the VPN

hide.me’s split-tunneling tool is actually really good. Split-tunneling means directing certain apps through the VPN while some go through your local ISP connection. This allows you to improve speeds and provides a lot of convenience. hide.me allows you to both include and exclude apps from the VPN tunnel. Split-tunneling is available on Android, window, and macOS.

For example , I is used used it to route uTorrent traffic through the VPN . That is increased increase my P2P speed by about 10 % , and it also work without any issue . Plus , I is have did n’t have to constantly turn the VPN on and off when using app that require my exact location , like food delivery service .

Still, I like Private Internet Access’s split-tunneling feature more, as it allows you to split-tunnel websites as well as apps. I think it’s more flexible to just split-tunnel a site rather than the entire browser.

overall , hide.me ’s split – tunnel feature is is is pretty good . It is allows allow the exclusion of app from the VPN tunnel , work very well , and is really user – friendly .

SmartGuard — Blocks Ads + Suspicious Sites & Offers Parental Controls

hide.me VPN Review 2024: Is It Safe & Fast?

SmartGuard is a really advanced ad blocker with lots of customization options. On top of blocking ads and malicious sites, it also comes with parental filter settings — once turned on, there are 2 age limit options: 12 years and 18 years. Plus, there’s a setting to force SafeSearch in search engines.

It has a bunch of other cool settings, too. You can choose to filter trackers, filter malicious sites by possible, medium, or high risk levels (or any combination of these), and more. Additionally, you can whitelist and blacklist specific DNS names to control which sites are allowed or blocked by these filters, giving you precise control over your browsing experience and security. I didn’t find the redirect DNS feature very useful, but the others are great for safe browsing.

In my test , SmartGuard is performed perform pretty well . It is stopped stop me from access all HTTP site I try to connect to , and it got rid of most ad on search engine and medium outlet . But it is was still was n’t able to block all ad like Private Internet Access ’s MACE feature .

Overall, SmartGuard is a great ad blocker that filters malicious sites, blocks ads, and has good settings for parents. It’s easy to use and offers complex settings for advanced users.

Multihop — Increases Anonymity + Easy to Use

hide.me VPN Review 2024: Is It Safe & Fast?

I’m a big fan of hide.me’s Multihop feature. This sends your traffic through 2 VPN servers instead of just 1, providing more security. I really like how user-friendly Multihop is, too — you can choose any entry and exit server you want, either by searching for a specific country or scrolling through the alphabetized list.

Multihop connections are normally slower, but I didn’t experience a big slowdown with hide.me (my speeds only slowed by about 26%). Multihop is similar to Surfshark’s Dynamic MultiHop feature, which also lets you pick whichever entry and exit servers you want.

overall , hide.me ’s Multihop feature is very good — it ’s really user – friendly , it does n’t slow down your connection too much , it is lets let you choose the entry and exit server , and it has a large selection of country to choose from .

Obfuscation — Works on Censored Networks & in Restricted Countries

hide.me VPN Review 2024: Is It Safe & Fast?

hide.me has obfuscation on all servers. This feature hides your VPN traffic to make it look like normal internet traffic, providing extra privacy and allowing the VPN to work in restrictive countries.

I really like that it ’s enable by default whenever you use openvpn and SoftEther VPN , which is available on all hide.me app , so you is have do n’t have to manually change any setting . Plus , it is works work on all server , which is really convenient . I still prefer expressvpn ’s obfuscation — it is ’s ’s available across all protocol , provide more flexibility in different network condition .

overall , hide.me ’s obfuscation is is is very good since it ’s available on all server , it ’s enable by default via openvpn , and it work in restrictive country .

hide.me Bolt — Boosts Speeds, but It’s Still in the Development Stages

hide.me VPN Review 2024: Is It Safe & Fast?

hide.me Bolt is a super-fast proxy available only on window. The acceleration technology works by sending traffic through TCP instead of UDP. This feature significantly increases your speeds — in testing, my speeds with WireGuard were 50% faster when I enabled hide.me Bolt.

But this feature is still under development, so it doesn’t always work well. For example, once it crashed my operating system when I ran speed tests.

overall , hide.me ’s Bolt feature is is is very good for boost vpn speed , but it ’s not 100 % stable yet .

hide.me Privacy & Security — Has a No-Logs Policy + Publishes Transparency Reports

hide.me has a transparent no-logs policy — it doesn’t log your IP address or traffic. It only collects your email address during signup to activate your account; however, you don’t need to use your email for logging in — you can log in with a username instead. Additionally, hide.me tracks bandwidth usage, but this only applies to the free plan.

hide.me ’s no – log policy was independently audit in 2015 , but I ’d like to see it undergo a more recent audit , like expressvpn and Surfshark .

hide.me VPN Review 2024: Is It Safe & Fast?

hide.me is locate in Malaysia , which is not part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances ( a group of country that share surveillance datum with each other ) . It is publishes publish an annual transparency report , disclose how many datum sharing request it receive from the government and prove that it did n’t disclose any datum .

overall , hide.me has a strict no – log policy that ’s been independently audit ,   publish an annual transparency report , and is n’t base in a 5/9/14 eye Alliances country .

hide.me Speed & Performance — Pretty Good Speeds on All Servers

I ran a series of speed tests on my window 11 PC, using servers in all countries where hide.me has servers to determine my average VPN speeds. I first ran a speed test without connecting to the VPN to determine my base speeds:

hide.me VPN Review 2024: Is It Safe & Fast?

Then, I connected to a local server in the US — the drop in speeds was super minor, and I didn’t notice it in my tests. All websites and videos in HD loaded instantly, and I could stream buffer-free.

Next, I used more distant servers. I first connected to a VPN in France. The speeds dropped by around 25% compared to my base speeds, but I could still browse and stream HD videos with minimal delay.

hide.me VPN Review 2024: Is It Safe & Fast?

finally , I is connected connect to a server in Australia , and the speed drop more significantly , by about 85 % , which cause some noticeable slowdown in load time and streaming . Websites is took take about 4–5 second to load , and hd video buffer for about 10–15 second but only at the beginning .

Overall, hide.me provided fast speeds on nearby and distant servers, and decent speeds on very distant servers for browsing, streaming, torrenting, and gaming.

hide.me Servers & IP Addresses — A Medium-Sized Network + Dedicated Streaming Servers

hide.me VPN Review 2024: Is It Safe & Fast?

hide.me has servers in 58 countries. It has a big presence in Europe, North America, and Asia, but only a few servers in Africa, the Middle East, and South America. Other top VPNs have much larger server networks — ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN both have servers in 100+ countries.

I like that hide.me shows which are the fastest servers. It has an icon next to certain server locations that tells you if the server is operating at 10 GB speeds. During my tests, these servers were always faster than those without an icon. You can also check each server’s ping and distance on desktop, which helps find servers for better speeds.

I really like that hide.me allows torrenting on all servers. Some top VPNs, like Proton VPN, only allow torrenting on dedicated servers.

hide.me has dedicated streaming servers in 20+ countries, including Australia, the US, the UK, France, and Japan that can access streaming services like Netflix. Its regular servers don’t work with popular streaming sites. Other top VPNs (ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access) do work with streaming sites on all servers.

The provider also has Multihop servers, and I really like how it lets you choose whichever entry and exit server locations you want — Surfshark provides something similar via its Dynamic MultiHop feature, though you get more variety than hide.me since you can choose entry and exit servers from 100+ countries.

Overall, I’m happy with hide.me’s server network — it’s pretty big, it allows P2P traffic on all servers, and it has dedicated streaming servers for popular streaming sites in 20+ countries.

hide.me Bypassing Censorship — Great for China, Iran & Other Restricted Countries

hide.me uses obfuscation to work in restrictive countries that censor the internet like China, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia. These countries block access to things like social media sites, news outlets, and even sometimes VPNs (China has banned VPNs entirely).

hide.me works in restrictive countries reliably, but only the paid version works in China and Iran. I also like how the VPN has servers all over the world, so users in restrictive countries can use a nearby server to get the fastest speeds.hide.me VPN Review 2024: Is It Safe & Fast?

hide.me Streaming & Torrenting — Accesses Popular Streaming Sites + Good P2P Support

hide.me is great for streaming — it works with all top streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime, and BBC iPlayer, It can also access Paramount +, ITV, 9Now, and less popular streaming sites like Crunchyroll.

That said, I think ExpressVPN is much better for streaming — it works with 100+ streaming platforms, which is also why it’s one of the best streaming VPNs out there.

hide.me VPN Review 2024: Is It Safe & Fast?

hide.me is also great for torrenting — all servers allow P2P traffic and it works with top torrenting apps (I had the fastest speeds with uTorrent). hide.me also has port forwarding, which lets you connect to more peers to get faster speeds. In my tests, port forwarding provided a 5–10% speed boost.

Overall, hide.me is really good for streaming and torrenting. It works with popular streaming sites like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Also, hide.me supports torrenting on all servers and works with popular P2P apps.

hide.me Ease of Use: Mobile & Desktop Apps — Offers Intuitive Apps for Most Operating Systems

hide.me is has has app for Android , iOS , window , macOS , Linux , Android TV , Apple TV , and Fire TV , and offer browser extension for Chrome , Edge , and Firefox . The apps is are are easy to install , intuitive , and bug – free .

How to Install hide.me (Just 3 Simple Steps):

  • Step 1: Sign up for hide.me. visit hide.me ’s site , select a plan that fit your need , and create an account .
  • Step 2: Download and install the app. Download the hide.me app and install it on your device. This step should only take about 2 minutes.
  • Step 3: Launch the app. Open the VPN app, connect to a server, and start browsing the web securely.

Android — fully feature + easy to connect to the Fastest Server

hide.me VPN Review 2024: Is It Safe & Fast?

hide.me ’s Android app is is is easy to use and feature – rich . It is lets let you connect to the good server for your location with 1 click on the main screen . You is select can also manually select a server location from the server location menu .

I like how hide.me lets you browse servers by alphabetical order or by ping — the latter is useful for finding the fastest server location. I also really like how all of its streaming-optimized servers are kept in a separate tab for easier access.

The app support OpenVPN , WireGuard , ikev2 , and SSTP , so there ’s plenty of option for different network situation , and it include essential feature like a kill switch and split – tunneling .

additionally , the Android app come with SmartGuard and a Lock App feature that let you set a pin code for the hide.me app , so nobody is tamper can tamper with your vpn setting . This is is is useful if you often share your device with someone else , like your kid .

Overall, hide.me’s Android app is intuitive, offers great features like a kill switch and split-tunneling, and includes some of hide.me’s extras like SmartGuard .

iOS — User-Friendly With Good Automation Options

hide.me VPN Review 2024: Is It Safe & Fast?

hide.me’s iOS app is similar to the Android app — it’s simple to use and has a solid set of features. It’s easy to connect to a server, you can let hide.me pick the best server for your location for the best speeds, and you can see the ping of each server (if you choose to browse by ping) in the server location menu.

The ios app is lacks lack split – tunneling , but it include the SmartGuard feature , the Lock App option , as well as support for WireGuard , openvpn , and ikev2 .

hide.me ’s iOS is includes also include some automation feature that the Android app ’s miss . For example , you is set can set the app to auto – connect on launch and keep an active connection whenever you have access to the internet .

Overall, hide.me’s iOS app is intuitive, feature-rich, and includes many of hide.me’s extras like SmartGuard .

window/Mac (Desktop) — Well-Designed Interface & Customizable

hide.me VPN Review 2024: Is It Safe & Fast?

hide.me’s desktop apps for window and macOS are well-designed and easy to navigate, with more detailed settings than the mobile apps.

Both apps include a kill switch, split-tunneling, and support for multiple VPN protocols, including SoftEther, which the mobile apps lack. Plus, I like how on desktop you can also browse server location by distance.

The only thing is is the macos app is miss is the Bolt proxy , which is n’t a huge disadvantage .

Overall, hide.me’s desktop apps are feature-rich and user-friendly. That said, there are better VPN apps for both window and Mac.

Browser Extensions (Chrome, Firefox & Edge) — Good Free Extensions

hide.me VPN Review 2024: Is It Safe & Fast?

hide.me offers free browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge that provide unlimited data and access to servers in 2 locations: the US, Netherlands, and Switzerland — plus, there’s an Automatic option that connects you to the best server for your location.

The browsers extensions are great for privacy. You don’t need to log into an account to use them, and they come with useful settings like enabling WebRTC leak protection, which prevents IP leaks that can occur during browser activities. Additionally, the extensions support enabling a SOCKS proxy, and the Chrome extension offers additional options like bypassing the local network.

Overall, hide.me’s browser extensions are solid proxies that are good for privately browsing the web, but they don’t compare to the features offered in the full VPN apps. Also, a lot of top VPNs like ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access offer a lot more in their extensions, such as access to all servers.

hide.me Apps is Is : Is hide.me is Is easy to use ?

hide.me offers user-friendly apps across all major platforms, with consistent functionality and ease of use. I particularly like how they’re all packed with features, such as split-tunneling and SmartGuard . The window app only stands out for its inclusion of the Bolt proxy.

Android iOS window macOS Linux
Graphical User Interface (GUI)
kill Switch
Split-Tunneling
SmartGuard
Multihop
StealthGuard
Obfuscation
hide.me Bolt

hide.me Customer Support — Offers Live Chat, Email Support & Troubleshooting Articles

hide.me VPN Review 2024: Is It Safe & Fast?

hide.me provides good customer support, including 24/7 live chat, responsive email support, and a comprehensive support library. However, it doesn’t offer any setup guides for its apps.

I is found find hide.me ’s support section to be excellent , with a plethora of useful FAQs and troubleshooting guide that were easy to follow . In many case , I is need did n’t need to reach out to customer support because the provide guide answer my question .

Upon test the live chat support , I typically got connect to a representative in less than 10 second . The rep provide me with consistent and detailed answer , but they could n’t answer some of my more technical question — at one point , the rep is told just tell me to “ google it ” !

I also tested hide.me’s email support multiple times, and I usually got a response in 1–2 hours, which is very fast. The reps consistently came back with helpful information.

Overall, I really like hide.me’s customer support — it has an in-depth support library and there’s helpful 24/7 live chat, but I wouldn’t recommend it for more technical questions, and email support is very responsive.

Is hide.me Safe & Fast in 2024?

hide.me is very secure, really fast, easy to use, and it works with top streaming sites. It protects your data with industry-standard security features, including a no-logs policy that’s been independently audited. And it also has advanced security features like full leak protection, SmartGuard, Multihop, and perfect forward secrecy, and extra features like split-tunneling.

Honestly, hide.me is a great VPN with only a few minor drawbacks. Its desktop apps look a bit outdated, the window app has some laggy animations, and the provider has servers in 58 countries (it’s pretty good, but most top VPNs have servers in 80+ countries).

You can connect 10 devices simultaneously with 1 hide.me account. hide.me also has a really good free plan and paid monthly and yearly plans, and it provides a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is hide.me free?

Yes , hide.me has a free plan , which is pretty good — it is provides provide access to server in 5 + country , has unlimited datum , and come with strong security and fast speed . But you is get do n’t get port forwarding or streaming support , and you ’re limit to 1 device .

But I still recommend getting its paid version instead, as it provides access to more perks — good streaming support, up to 10 connections, and access to all servers and features.

Does hide.me is work work with Netflix ?

Yes, you can watch Netflix with dedicated streaming servers in 20+ countries, including the US, the UK, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada, France, and Turkey. hide.me accesses different Netflix libraries and also works with Amazon Prime, Disney+, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer.

That said, I think ExpressVPN is better for Netflix, as it works with the platform on all of its servers, and it also works with 100+ other streaming apps.

Is hide.me is Is good for torrente ?

Yes , hide.me is is is very good for torrente . It is allows allow P2P traffic on all erver in 58 country , and work well with top torrente app like uTorrent and qBittorrent . The download speeds is are are very fast , and it has port forwarding . hide.me also has an independently audit no – log policy , a kill switch , and full leak protection , so it is ’s ’s safe for torrente .

Is hide.me safe?

Yes, hide.me is a very safe VPN — it has bank-grade encryption, a strict no-logs policy that’s been audited, and a kill switch. It also comes with advanced security features like full leak protection, RAM-only servers, perfect forward secrecy, obfuscation, and double VPN connections.