Features
Speed & Performance
Ease of Use
Mobile App
Customer Support
Pricing
Inside This Article...
Hide My IP Pros:
- OpenVPN
- User-friendly
- Torrenting permitted
- Kill switch
Hide My IP Cons:
- Based in the U.S.
- Collects logs
Hide My IP – a great name, right? Straight to the point! But, does it hide my IP successfully? I had to do some digging to find out whether this service was up to scratch. Read on to discover my thoughts about this VPN provider in further detail.
Overview
Hide My IP is a VPN provider that is based in the United States. This is not the best jurisdiction in the world for VPNs. In fact, it is one of the worst!
The United States is part of the 5 and 14 Eyes Data Sharing Agreements, which means that it agrees to share data with other countries.
A bad jurisdiction can often be offset by a strong no-logs policy, so I will tell you everything you need to know about the logging policy at Hide My IP so you can determine whether or not this makes up for the poor jurisdiction.
What is Hide My IP’s server network like?
At present, Hide My IP has servers in 123 different countries around the world. This isn’t bad at all. However, there are some VPNs that have a more extensive server coverage, with ExpressVPN being an obvious example.
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Speeds
One area that I have been satisfied with when it comes to Hide My IP is the speeds. The download speed drop was about 15%. This is not too bad. There are certainly some faster options out there, such as ExpressVPN and NordVPN. However, 15% is not too bad at all.
The upload speeds did slow down more, which is usually the case. However, a drop of 61% is quite a lot, so it would be good to see Hide My IP improve in this area.
Security
In terms of security, there are a lot of good qualities relating to Hide My IP. Firstly, it supports OpenVPN protocols. You can read my review on OpenVPN for more information about this. I definitely feel it is the best protocol for VPNs, and so this is the first tick in the box when it comes to security at Hide My IP.
Does Hide My IP collect logs?
I was disappointed to discover that Hide My IP collect logs. They are not very upfront about it, which is even worse.
When I went to their FAQ page, I saw that they were asked if they keep logs, and they said they don’t. I did not get too excited, as I know that there are a lot of VPNs out there that claim they do not collect logs, when they actually do.
Once I headed to the privacy policy on the website, the situation got worse. Firstly, they do not keep any logs of your activity on the web, so that is good. On the flip side, though, they keep a considerable amount of personal data, which is really not necessary for a VPN.
In fact, they collect all of the following information:
- Your name
- Your email address
- Your address
- Your IP address
- Access duration and browser visit time to the Hide My IP website
- Information relating to how you use Hide My IP services
- Your account details, for example, subscription type and billing date
- Any communication you have with Hide My IP
- Your preferences regarding specific services and products
- Debit card, credit card, or other payment information
That is really quite a lot of information for a VPN to hold onto, isn’t it? There is no deadline for erasing this information either; they simply hold onto it for as long as they feel is necessary, which could simply be forever!
The company has also made it clear that they will pass on this information if they are ordered to do so by the law. Considering they are based in the United States, this does not come as much of a surprise. When you combine this with all of the information that they do actually collect, it is clear to see that your privacy is not a main concern for Hide My IP.
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Ease of use
Ease of use is a given with this VPN. You are not going to have any complaints in this department. I found the download and installation process to be straightforward. Even if this is your first time downloading and using a VPN, I don’t think you will have any issues.
The interface is user-friendly, making this VPN a joy to use. There are quick settings, including launch on startup, clear cookies on IP change, and the number of IP rotations.
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Torrenting
If you are searching for a VPN to use for torrenting purposes, you will be pleased to know that it is permitted on Hide My IP.
As Hide My IP has a kill switch, it is definitely a viable option for those who wish to torrent. The kill switch means that you are going to be protected even if your VPN connection drops out. I consider this a must when it comes to the VPNs on the market today.
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Unblock streaming services
Hide My IP is not the best option when it comes to streaming, as it can be a bit unreliable.
I have tried to unblock Netflix on many occasions, and it appears to me that the only way this can be done is through one of the browser extensions, rather than the desktop client. This is not the best news when you want to watch a streaming service, so I would personally advise looking elsewhere.
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Compatibility
Hide My IP is compatible with all of the major platforms. This includes the following:
- iOS
- Android
- Max
- Linux
- Windows
- Ubuntu
Not all VPNs are compatible with Linux, and even fewer are compatible with Ubuntu, so this definitely scores Hide My IP some points.
You can check out my “reviews by device” if you would like more information on the best VPN for a specific device.
As is the industry standard, you are going to be able to connect five devices simultaneously should you decide to opt for a paid plan from Hide My IP.
Browser extensions
Hide My IP does have browser extensions available. As mentioned, this was actually the only way I was able to have any luck in terms of getting into Netflix.
Please remember that browser extensions should not be used as standalone products and that you should still use the desktop client to make sure that you are fully protected.
Customer support
The customer support that is available at Hide My IP is pretty standard. It is good to see that there is a telephone number for this VPN, as most VPNs don’t give you this option.
Aside from calling the customer services team, you can send an email or use the online form. The team is available from 9 am until 4 pm PST, Monday to Friday.
It would be good if there were live chat support or, at least, seven-day email support available.
There is a FAQ section on the website as well, which is decent and provides you with answers to the questions that people most commonly ask.
Pricing
You certainly cannot complain when it comes to the pricing for Hide My IP, as it is one of the cheaper options out there.
As is the case for most VPNs, you are going to have the choice of different payment plans based upon the contract length. The longer you sign up for, the cheaper the VPN will be per month.
If you sign up for the monthly contract, you are going to pay $4.95 per month.
If you decide to for the three-month plan, you will pay $8.79 upfront, which equates to $2.93 per month.
The cheapest plan of the three is the 12-month plan, which you will pay for in one single payment of $34.95. This is the equivalent of $2.91 per month.
There are plenty of different payment options, including credit card, debit card, PayPal, and bitcoin.
If that wasn’t enough, there is a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if you are not happy with the service, you can get your money back.
I really cannot complain about the price of Hide My IP, and the payment options and terms are fair too.
Summary
So there you have it: everything that you need to know about my thoughts on Hide My IP. This is certainly a VPN that has a lot going for it, from the multi-platform compatibility to the user-friendly interface.
If you’re looking for a VPN that offers a good all-round service, you won’t be too disappointed. I would like to see Hide My IP work on improving their customer service in the future. Of course, there is one major flaw and concern, though, and this is the logging policy!
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