hide.me, a VPN provider headquartered in Malaysia, has established itself as a prominent player in the industry since its inception in 2012. With over 5 million global users, hide.me offers exceptional security, speed, and user-friendliness. The company operates a network of more than 30 servers across over 25 countries on five continents, ensuring comprehensive anonymity for its users’ online activities.
Disclaimer: We may receive compensation from the companies whose products we review. The opinions expressed in this review are our own.
Features
hide.me distinguishes itself with a strong commitment to zero-logs policies, gigabit speeds, and a user-centric approach. The website is efficiently designed, free of unnecessary clutter, allowing for easy navigation. The sign-up process is streamlined; users need only provide an email address to receive an activation link and install the application.
While my overall experience with hide.me was positive, one notable issue was the difficulty encountered during the OpenVPN setup. Despite the availability of setup guides for various platforms, the process proved challenging and would benefit from integration directly within the hide.me client.
To enhance user support, hide.me offers 24/7 assistance through live chat, support tickets, email, community forums, and a comprehensive FAQ section, ensuring prompt resolution of any issues.
Pricing
hide.me provides a range of secure payment options, including major credit cards, PayPal, various e-payment methods, and even Bitcoin.
Subscribers who commit to a full year of service benefit from discounts of up to 45%. Additionally, the subscription is refundable within the first 14 days, provided that bandwidth usage does not exceed 500MB.
Free Plan
The Free Plan allows users to access a limited range of hide.me services without charge. Although it offers basic functionality, it may not fully meet the needs of all users.
Premium Plan
The Premium Plan, priced at $9.95 per month, is the most popular option. It includes a comprehensive set of features designed for heavy users and businesses, such as unlimited data transfer and port forwarding. All plans are backed by a 30-day, 100% Money-Back Guarantee.
Performance Tests
A reliable VPN should maintain the primary internet speed without significant degradation.
Below is a screenshot of my network speed without the hide.me VPN:
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Here is a screenshot of my network speed when connected to a VPN server in Canada using hide.me (Free Plan):
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DNS Test
hide.me includes DNS leak protection, which can be activated to ensure online security. A recent DNS test confirmed that all DNS requests were routed through hide.me’s servers.
WebRTC Test
To verify the VPN’s effectiveness in masking real IP addresses, I conducted a WebRTC test. hide.me effectively prevents IP address leaks and maintains user anonymity by blocking outgoing IPv6 connections.
Overall, hide.me is a robust VPN choice, particularly for those seeking strong privacy features and reliable performance.
Mobile Performance
The VPN demonstrates robust performance on mobile devices, mirroring the efficacy of its desktop counterpart. The company offers applications for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone. I installed the Android app via the Google Play Store and found it performed admirably on my phone, with no noticeable performance degradation or excessive data usage. During travel, I observed that the IKEv2 protocol exhibited superior resilience compared to other available options.
Privacy
User privacy is a top priority for this VPN provider. The company guarantees that it does not retain any customer data or logs on its servers. Additionally, it has published an audit report from independent security experts, affirming its dedication to user privacy.
Located in Malaysia, the company operates outside the jurisdiction of Western governments, which means it is not legally required to store or disclose users’ Internet session logs to authorities. This ensures a high level of online privacy protection.
Moreover, the company supports a variety of secure payment methods, including Bitcoin, allowing for anonymous transactions.
Security
To maintain high security standards, the VPN utilizes state-of-the-art servers that adhere to rigorous privacy protocols. These servers, which are fully managed and operated by the company, support modern protocols such as OpenVPN, IKEv2, SSTP, PPTP, and SoftEther. The company adheres to the latest cryptographic standards, ensuring that servers are configured to facilitate secure and uninterrupted data flow.
Website Accessibility
This VPN is an excellent choice for users seeking unrestricted access to the Internet and the freedom of expression. For those residing in countries with internet restrictions, this VPN allows for seamless circumvention of such barriers.
In my testing, using hide.me’s Canada VPN, I successfully accessed Netflix without encountering any access issues. Additionally, I was able to use BBC iPlayer as if I were located in the UK, further demonstrating the VPN’s effectiveness in bypassing geographical restrictions.
