

This can be hugely complicated, but just seeing that a service supports a secure protocol like OpenVPN gives some reassuring feedback about its safety. Understanding a VPN's security usually starts with looking at its protocol support, encryption and authentication details. Hotspot Shield allows you to choose your preferred VPN protocol from its Settings menu (Image credit: Hotspot Shield) Privacy There's no Bitcoin payment option, unfortunately, but you can use a card or PayPal, and if anything goes wrong later you're protected by an unusually generous 45-day money-back guarantee. If you'll use all those licenses, that translates to $2.40 per user per month. Hotspot Shield does have one handy option in the Family plan, which gets you coverage for five people, with five devices each, for only $19.99 billed monthly, or $11.99 on the annual plan. Most providers charge around $3 to $5 a month for annual products, and even less for longer-term contracts ( Private Internet Access offers a three-year plan covering up to 10 devices for $2.19 a month). That's at the high-end of the normal VPN price range. The paid VPN starts at $12.99 billed monthly, dropping to $7.99 on the annual plan to protect up to five devices.
#HOTSPOT SHIELD FREE DOWNLOAD CNET PLUS#
There’s also a big plus – there are no annoying ‘per month’ bandwidth limits, and you can use it as much as you like – but unless you really have no VPN budget at all, it’s impossible to recommend. Hotspot Shield's free VPN plan offers one location (US), almost no features, no email or live chat support, and a host of annoying ads on the mobile apps. You can either pay by card or PayPal (Image credit: Hotspot Shield) Hotspot Shield pricing
