NordVPN Vs Hotspot Shield

NordVPN vs. Hotspot Shield is two of the best providers for keeping IP anonymity. They not only have great customer reviews published, but they also come with a slew of worthwhile app benefits.

The NordVPN vs. Hotspot Shield app costs differ based on the type of package you wish to purchase. So, you can receive an excellent quality of service, reasonable speed, and certain benefits like Netflix, torrenting, or streaming, and more.

NordVPN is regarded as a high-security option for maintaining privacy, unblocking fast and without any hassle. On the other hand, Hotspot Shield is distinguished by its remarkable speed and user-friendly design.

This guide and professional examination will show you all you need to know about these two VPN providers, including which one delivers the best Hotspot Shield vs. NordVPN experience. By the end, you should have a clearer idea of exactly what app matches your requirements and provides the best value for money. (Read our NordVPN Review)

NordVPN vs Hotspot Shield Features

VPN Providers Summary of Features

FeaturesNordVPNHotspot Shield
Money-back Guarantee30-days45-days
HeadquartersPanama USA
Logging-PolicyZero loggingZero logging
Device Connections65
Servers55651800
EncryptionAES 256-bitAES 256-bit
ProtocolsNordLynx, OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP and IPSecCatapult Hydra
Countries6180
Works in ChinaYesYes
TorrentingYesYes
StreamingYesYes

Servers and Performance

NordVPN app is among the fastest VPNs available, and in use, you’ll hardly notice any slowdown by using your VPN to access streaming or torrenting, thanks to its incredible speeds.

Hotspot Shield offers decent speeds with many server locations, even if Hotspot Shield claims to be the world’s fastest VPN.

It’s fascinating to see how these two services approach things differently. With more servers on its server list numbering over 5,500 in nearly 60+ countries, NordVPN boasts one of the most extensive network service of any major VPN provider. Hotspot Shield has fewer VPN servers but a wider range of locations. (Find the Best Free VPN in Australia)

NordVPN always had good speeds, but now with the NordLynx protocol, it can deliver faster. Average speeds are 115 Mbps, while you get an average of 70 Mbps from Hotspot Shield. In summary, both can handle data-intensive applications like torrenting and 4K video streaming access.

One thing you can notice is Hotspot Shield makes more use of virtual servers to connect, compared to NordVPN. Besides this, NordVPN uses dedicated servers for certain functions. It is these specialty servers that help when torrenting or accessing popular streaming services. (Read HBO Australia)

Rather than rely on virtual servers, NordVPN offers obfuscated servers that hide users using a VPN as part of its arsenal of security features.

Pricing

NordVPNHotspot Shield
Free VersionNoYes – Limited Features
Free trial7-day, for Android and iOS7 Days
Monthly$11.95 per month $12.99 per month
One year$4.92 per month$7.99 per month
Two years$4.13 per month N/A
Money-back guarantee30 days45 days
Payment optionsCredit card, cryptocurrency, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, ACH Transfer, UnionPayCredit Card or PayPal

Hotspot Shield vs. NordVPN offers a tiny advantage as it offers a 45-day money-back guarantee compared to NordVPN’s 30 days. In reality, this makes little difference as it is only any use if you use it. NordVPN offers anonymous payment methods such as cryptocurrencies.

Pricing for Hotspot Shield

For pricing, Hotspot Shield doesn’t offer much. You have the limited free version, a monthly subscription for $11.99, or the annual plan for $7.99/month.

With this, you get 5 member accounts and can connect 25 devices at the same time for the virtual Shield price, though it is just 5 simultaneous connections per user account.

Pricing for NordVPN

NordVPN offers a cheaper range of options and is affordable. Sign up for 2-years, and the price drops considerably. NordVPN also offers a 7 day free trial for Android devices and iOS. (Read ExpressVPN vs NordVPN)

NordVPN vs Hotspot Shield Security Comparison

Security

Both VPNs use AES-256 strong encryption, which is military-grade. The IKEv2 tunnelling protocol is also shared by the two. However, when checking unique technologies, you see NordVPN makes use of NordLynx, a WireGuard-based VPN client.

In addition, they offer OpenVPN protocols and others. Hotspot Shield employs the Hydra tunnelling protocol and not much else. Both services, thankfully, have an internet kill switch to prevent IP leaks, DNS leaks, and more should you lose your VPN connection.

Unfortunately, for extra privacy features, Hotspot Shield cannot match what NordVPN offers. NordVPN comes with Split Tunneling, Double VPN, Onion over VPN, Obfuscated servers.

You also get the CyberSec suite that comprises an ad-blocker and malware scanner, etc. Split tunnelling allows you to choose what data goes through your VPN tunnel while the other has direct links via your ISP’s service. (Read About Opera VPN Stuck On Connecting)

Both VPNs offer users private internet access, yet for a totally secure connection, NordVPN takes the top spot and offers the extra security features to take away any worry.

Privacy

In terms of privacy, the product’s ranking of NordVPN is at the top as it does most often. Their headquarters are outside any 5-eyes jurisdiction in privacy-friendly Panama, and their no-logs policy has been through independent audits.

Add in the crypto payments; you can remain anonymous and hide your IP address all the way through.

Hotspot Shield has headquarters inside the USA, which is one founder of the 5-eyes alliance. They offer a no-logs policy, yet you never know how much pressure they could bow to if the US government were to push.

Device Compatibility

One area where these two have negligible differences is device compatibility. They provide dedicated apps for all main platforms, so you get Nord VPN, Hotspot Shield for PC, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS. There are additional apps for Amazon Fire TV, Fire Stick, and Android TV.

Support for browser extensions is much the same with Chrome and Edge supported, and NordVPN adds Firefox support. Both can be set up on routers, but not all VPNs offer this functionality.

For the most, it is a tie, but NordVPN edges out Hotspot Shield by supporting six simultaneous connections rather than five. (Read Is NordVPN Netflix Not Working)

NordVPN vs Hotspot Shield Streaming and Torrenting Comparison

Streaming and Torrenting

Besides keeping browsing habits secure, two of the key uses for a VPN are streaming and torrenting. Keeping user data safe when performing either of these tasks can be vital, especially with so much data retention in Australia by ISPs.

You can unblock Netflix and various regional versions using both NordVPN and Hotspot Shield. In addition, both VPNs have fast speeds, allowing for HD and 4K streaming Netflix to Australia. So, who would come out on top for the NordVPN vs. Hotspot Shield streaming comparison?

You get good speeds, unlimited bandwidth from both VPN providers; To choose a winner, we must also consider other streaming providers. Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and a slew of other services may be unblocked with NordVPN.

Even though it unblocks BBC iPlayer and a few other sites, Hotspot Shield can’t compete. NordVPN appears to be a solid choice in the long run, with its multitude of servers, as it will always have a solution for unblocking media streaming websites.

NordVPN is one of the best VPNs for streaming, which should come as no surprise. NordVPN also uses the Smart Play feature that features part DNS and part VPN for the best streaming experience for users.

Although both VPN services allow you to torrent, only one is optimized for such a task to download content totally anonymously.

NordVPN offers a SOCKS5 proxy for enhanced security; split tunneling isn’t on iOS, Windows and Android do have this feature, as well as specialized P2P fast servers for quicker downloads.

Customer Support

The sign of any great VPN is that of their customer support. Such standards slip in many VPNs, yet it is good to see each VPN service here offers a lot for its users. When you get a lot of customer service covering 24/7 live chat, ticketing systems, and email, it delivers lots of commercial value.

The best VPNs cover all this area, as do the two here. While conducting tests, the strict reviewing standards went as far as finding neither offers telephone support, yet this isn’t common in the VPN world. The best VPN you can find relies on live chat as it makes things easier and more approachable for users. (Read What is a Double VPN)

Conclusion

VPN users can have a tough choice in deciding which VPN serves their purposes. Here, the server choice covers most needs, yet NordVPN pulls away in pure volume. Security is upheld with a kill switch and other features to protect a connection, and in other areas, the two are closely matched.

However, there are more features in NordVPN than what’s on offer from Hotspot Shield. Add to this, the value for money is better with Nord, so it isn’t such a tough choice to make in the end.

NordVPN Vs Hotspot Shield