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BTGuard VPN vs
Hotspot Shield vs
Private Internet Access 2021
With so many VPNs out there, finding the one that fits everything that you want can be a difficult task. With these three VPNs, there is a range of different priorities. Even though that might seem like a detractor for some people, if your VPN tried to do everything under the sun, then you would end up suffering because their services wouldn’t be as great as they could have been. If you’re looking for a lower price point, then Private Internet Access is going to be hard to beat. If you are more concerned with bit torrenting, then BTGuard is going to appeal to you more than the other ones as it has dedicated services customized for torrenting. Hotspot Shield is fantastic at protecting your data, but it doesn’t have the best customer support. If you’re looking to protect more devices at one time, then you’d probably like Hotspot Shield or BTGuard better. With the ability to cover more devices, you won’t have to worry about one of your devices being vulnerable.
Features
8.3
Pricing
6.0
Ease of Use
8.8
Reliability & Support
8.5
Features
8.0
Pricing
9.0
Ease of Use
9.0
Reliability & Support
8.6
Features
9.7
Pricing
8.0
Ease of Use
9.6
Reliability & Support
9.8
Rating
Features
8.3
8.0
9.7
Pricing
6.0
9.0
8.0
Ease of Use
8.8
9.0
9.6
Reliability & Support
8.5
8.6
9.8
Reviews
Review by our expert
Guy Fawkes
Anonymous Cybersecurity Experts
8.0
BTGuard is a small VPN and BitTorrent proxy provider that offers a scaled-back but secure service. Although they do offer a full VPN service, their main focus is providing security and anonymity for torrenting.
This is an okay choice for a VPN. However, we don't think 'okay' is enough. 'Okay' doesn't get past Netflix's geoblocks, either. For that, I'd recommend one of these vendors, which are guarante...
Works for me for yearsNot sure why seen so much bad feedback here. Using BTGuard for more than 8 years. I ran into problems about 3 times. Figured out it was a software upgrade. Following their setup instructions for PCs/Linux phones works.
Latest negative user review
Ben Leeth
2.0
Take The Money And Run!Used BTGuard for a few years with really no issues. However, I ran into an issue about a month ago. Have opened tickets through support and sales with no luck. I even tried calling them to no avail. I even informed my CC company and they can't seem to get in touch with them. I just want to inform people to not use BTGuard and hope this review helps someone in the future. -2 stars!
Hotspot Shield is a popular VPN service with over 650 million users and multiple servers in 80+ countries.
In fact, the website claims it is the #1 grossing app for productivity in the US App Store. (When we checked the App Store source, it actually indicated #8, which is still an impressive ranking.)
One of the features that make Hotspot Shield special is its unique Catapult Hydra protocol...
Probably RecommendedI personally would recommend it, I have been using it for quite some times and it works perfectly for me both on Mac pc and phone, In fact, I always give them 5 stars when disconnecting, I don't know if that's why I get a full service, thanks for the service tho love it.
Latest negative user review
Steve
2.0
Too slow to be of any useI get 18 MPs without it but down to less than 5. Another VPN is much faster I now use an alternative which is giving around 12 to 14. I bought a lifetime membership a few years ago and since then it has steadily got worse.
Private Internet Access (PIA) is one of the most popular VPNs on the market. True to its name, this provider is best known for its strict no-logs policy and commitment to user privacy.
Is PIA truly as trustworthy as they claim when it comes to protecting user privacy and anonymity? How does it perform in other categories like streaming, torrenting, and safety?
We tested PIA ourselves to fin...
Best VPN Out on The MarketI like PIA VPN the best for the following reasons:
● It's a reliable and trustworthy policy; they don't record anything harmful to you; strict no logs.
● I've been using it for one month and there are specific times when it speeds up my internet speed (varies by internet)
● It's a distinctive feature of DIP (dedicated IP) - I think not many popular VPNs have this feature, I also purchased this feature to avoid getting the captcha verification and it never showed up ever since.
It's only been a month using this VPN but as I gain more experience with this client, I'm pretty sure I will find more good features and utilize them. Thanks for having read my review:)
Latest negative user review
Mark Chambers
2.0
Stopping working on my MacBook Air, terrible tech supportI used PIA on my MacBook Air, for about a year without a problem then, after an upgrade, a year ago, it blocked all traffic. The only way I could use it at all was with the "use existing DNS option" under network settings (which they directed me to use back in July). I didn't pay attention to the consequences until I installed PIA on a different MacBook Air and I had exactly the same problem - all traffic blocked unless I chose "use existing DNS. This time, I did a DNS leak test and it did leak. Tech support kept giving me the same advice over and over as if my problem could be solved by a couple of clicks. They didn't listen. When I got fed up and asked to cancel, they denied me any refund even though I was only 3 months into a 2-yr plan. I rated it highly when it worked, but they were totally unable/unwilling to solve my problem.
BTGuard is a small VPN and BitTorrent proxy provider that offers a scaled-back but secure service. Although they do offer a full VPN service, their main focus is providing security and anonymity for torrenting.
This is an okay choice for a VPN. However, we don't think 'okay' is enough. 'Okay' doesn't get past Netflix's geoblocks, either. For that, I'd recommend one of these vendors, which are guarante...
Hotspot Shield is a popular VPN service with over 650 million users and multiple servers in 80+ countries.
In fact, the website claims it is the #1 grossing app for productivity in the US App Store. (When we checked the App Store source, it actually indicated #8, which is still an impressive ranking.)
One of the features that make Hotspot Shield special is its unique Catapult Hydra protocol...
Private Internet Access (PIA) is one of the most popular VPNs on the market. True to its name, this provider is best known for its strict no-logs policy and commitment to user privacy.
Is PIA truly as trustworthy as they claim when it comes to protecting user privacy and anonymity? How does it perform in other categories like streaming, torrenting, and safety?
We tested PIA ourselves to fin...
Works for me for yearsNot sure why seen so much bad feedback here. Using BTGuard for more than 8 years. I ran into problems about 3 times. Figured out it was a software upgrade. Following their setup instructions for PCs/Linux phones works.
Paite
10.0
Probably RecommendedI personally would recommend it, I have been using it for quite some times and it works perfectly for me both on Mac pc and phone, In fact, I always give them 5 stars when disconnecting, I don't know if that's why I get a full service, thanks for the service tho love it.
Ez
10.0
Best VPN Out on The MarketI like PIA VPN the best for the following reasons:
● It's a reliable and trustworthy policy; they don't record anything harmful to you; strict no logs.
● I've been using it for one month and there are specific times when it speeds up my internet speed (varies by internet)
● It's a distinctive feature of DIP (dedicated IP) - I think not many popular VPNs have this feature, I also purchased this feature to avoid getting the captcha verification and it never showed up ever since.
It's only been a month using this VPN but as I gain more experience with this client, I'm pretty sure I will find more good features and utilize them. Thanks for having read my review:)
Latest negative user review
Ben Leeth
2.0
Take The Money And Run!Used BTGuard for a few years with really no issues. However, I ran into an issue about a month ago. Have opened tickets through support and sales with no luck. I even tried calling them to no avail. I even informed my CC company and they can't seem to get in touch with them. I just want to inform people to not use BTGuard and hope this review helps someone in the future. -2 stars!
Steve
2.0
Too slow to be of any useI get 18 MPs without it but down to less than 5. Another VPN is much faster I now use an alternative which is giving around 12 to 14. I bought a lifetime membership a few years ago and since then it has steadily got worse.
Mark Chambers
2.0
Stopping working on my MacBook Air, terrible tech supportI used PIA on my MacBook Air, for about a year without a problem then, after an upgrade, a year ago, it blocked all traffic. The only way I could use it at all was with the "use existing DNS option" under network settings (which they directed me to use back in July). I didn't pay attention to the consequences until I installed PIA on a different MacBook Air and I had exactly the same problem - all traffic blocked unless I chose "use existing DNS. This time, I did a DNS leak test and it did leak. Tech support kept giving me the same advice over and over as if my problem could be solved by a couple of clicks. They didn't listen. When I got fed up and asked to cancel, they denied me any refund even though I was only 3 months into a 2-yr plan. I rated it highly when it worked, but they were totally unable/unwilling to solve my problem.
With servers all over the world, PIA is a very strong provider in terms of security. Despite its speeds being limited due to strong encryption and data protection levels, PIA managed to maintain stable and decent speed levels, just enough for streaming purposes. What is also impressive is that they strictly follow their no-logs policy. Hotspot Shield is also a strong provider, with fast and reliable service that gives users access to a selection of well-encrypted IP addresses. The only concern is that they do store logs partially. Lastly, BTGuard VPN is a provider that guarantees your anonymity on the web and offers unlimited and fast download speeds. Even so, their server base is rather small and they are overall quite pricey.
With servers all over the world, PIA is a very strong provider in terms of security. Despite its speeds being limited due to strong encryption and data protection levels, PIA managed to maintain stable and decent speed levels, just enough for streaming purposes. What is also impressive is that they strictly follow their no-logs policy. Hotspot Shield is also a strong provider, with fast and reliable service that gives users access to a selection of well-encrypted IP addresses. The only concern is that they do store logs partially. Lastly, BTGuard VPN is a provider that guarantees your anonymity on the web and offers unlimited and fast download speeds. Even so, their server base is rather small and they are overall quite pricey.
If you’re looking for a VPN just to protect your information and help you stream Netflix, Hulu, and other content from around the world, then you’ll probably want to go with Private Internet Access or Hotspot Shield. Private Internet Access does the best overall, but Hotspot Shield (for a higher price) has quality data protection. If you’re more concerned about being able to use bit torrent services, then BTGuard might be the better option. Regardless, all three of the services are decent and should serve you well.
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