Hotspot Shield vs TorGuard vs 2020

Item: Hotspot Shield
Rating: 4.4
Author: Ariel Hochstadt

After comparing these VPNs, we have a winner!

308 User Reviews

4.4

More Info

74 User Reviews

4.0

More Info

Which VPN is better?

Ariel Hochstadt
Ex-Google, International tech speaker

Hotspot Shield and TorGuard are two very popular VPN providers with very large networks and many practical security features. You can find your own ideal balance of speed and security by choosing either 128-bit or 256-bit encryption with either of these providers. Because they provide apps for all major platforms, you can enjoy a user-friendly experience with either Hotspot Shield or TorGuard regardless of the device or operating system you use. Hotspot Shield’s subscription plans make it a more budget-friendly service than TorGuard. Hotspot Shield also has a 45-day money-back guarantee, whereas TorGuard competes poorly in this area with a 7-day refund policy. In addition, while unique features like the StealthVPN protocol and Open Connect SSL can be found in TorGuard, Hotspot Shield fiercely competes with malware protection and its proprietary Catapult Hydra technology. With regard to network size, Hotspot Shield offers 2,500+ in over 25 countries, while TorGuard has around 3,000 servers in 50+ countries. Keep on reading to discover which VPN wins this super close contest. NOTE: This comparison is for the paid Hotspot Shield plan, Hotspot Shield Elite.


Features
4.0
Pricing
4.5
Ease of Use
4.5
Reliability & Support
4.3

Features
4.4
Pricing
3.7
Ease of Use
4.4
Reliability & Support
4.5

Rating
Features	4.0	4.4
Pricing	4.5	3.7
Ease of Use	4.5	4.4
Reliability & Support	4.3	4.5

Reviews

Review by our expert

Katie Kasunic

Technology Researcher

4.4

Hotspot Shield is a popular VPN service with over 650 million users and multiple servers in 55+ 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,

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Latest positive user review

JoeR

5.0

Fast VPN! Based on my trial tests, I am very pleased with the speed and access to streaming sites like Hulu and Amazon Prime. I knew I will get good speed in the US. I am impressed with the speed internationally. I haven’t tried additional services yet.

Latest negative user review

Anonymously

1.0

Now worthless They have gotten rid of cities, cutting down their servers, my speed went from 136mbps to 38 - 82.5 mbps. their support is either dishonest or does not know what they are doing. They kept sending me emails to go to their site and sign in, even gave me a new password, because mine no longer worked, and the new password would not let me log into answer. Now they have closed the dispute. I am cancelling and moving to ExpressVPN or Surfshark, my friends have switched over also. Once the best out there, now the worst.....I would give -5 stars if I could.

Pricing

Starting price

$2.99/ month

Money Back Guarantee (Days)

Number of devices per license

See Plans

Starting price

$4.99/ month

Money Back Guarantee (Days)

Number of devices per license

See Plans


Starting price	$2.99/ month	$4.99/ month	121332/
Money Back Guarantee (Days)	30	30	0
Number of devices per license	5	5	Unlimited
See Plans & Pricing	See Plans	See Plans

Best VPNs by category

Best VPNs Overall		Hotspot Shield offers fast servers and more budget-friendly plans than TorGuard, with features like malware protection that make it a very comprehensive VPN service. TorGuard also offers a very reliable VPN service that’s easy to use and includes numerous features for improved security.
Best VPNs Overall Hotspot Shield offers fast servers and more budget-friendly plans than TorGuard, with features like malware protection that make it a very comprehensive VPN service. TorGuard also offers a very reliable VPN service that’s easy to use and includes numerous features for improved security.
Best VPNs for Torrents		TorGuard is our recommended VPN if you want to torrent, as it supports the service and also includes leak protection to keep your downloading activity anonymous. Hotspot Shield does not allow torrenting on any of its servers and therefore would obviously be a poor choice for this activity.
Best VPNs for Torrents TorGuard is our recommended VPN if you want to torrent, as it supports the service and also includes leak protection to keep your downloading activity anonymous. Hotspot Shield does not allow torrenting on any of its servers and therefore would obviously be a poor choice for this activity.
Best VPNs for Windows		TorGuard offers a reliable Windows service, with a dedicated client that features military-grade encryption, ad blocking, and access to the provider’s entire network of servers. Meanwhile, by offering a kill switch and malware protection via its dedicated app, Hotspot Shield can be trusted to provide a very robust VPN service for Windows.
Best VPNs for Windows TorGuard offers a reliable Windows service, with a dedicated client that features military-grade encryption, ad blocking, and access to the provider’s entire network of servers. Meanwhile, by offering a kill switch and malware protection via its dedicated app, Hotspot Shield can be trusted to provide a very robust VPN service for Windows.
Best VPNs for Android		Hotspot Shield features a very user-friendly Android app with a simple interface and access to the free limited version of the VPN. TorGuard also has an Android app that automatically updates its server list and includes features like 24/7 support from within the app and unlimited bandwidth.
Best VPNs for Android Hotspot Shield features a very user-friendly Android app with a simple interface and access to the free limited version of the VPN. TorGuard also has an Android app that automatically updates its server list and includes features like 24/7 support from within the app and unlimited bandwidth.
Best VPNs for Mac		With its unique Catapult Hydra technology, malware protection, and a user-friendly dedicated app, Hotspot Shield is the ideal choice for MacOS users interested in streaming at fast speeds. TorGuard competes with a very powerful MacOS app that features DNS and WebRTC leak protection alongside very strong encryption.
Best VPNs for Mac With its unique Catapult Hydra technology, malware protection, and a user-friendly dedicated app, Hotspot Shield is the ideal choice for MacOS users interested in streaming at fast speeds. TorGuard competes with a very powerful MacOS app that features DNS and WebRTC leak protection alongside very strong encryption.
Best VPNs for iOS		With features like an automatic kill switch, malware protection, and access to very fast servers, Hotspot Shield provides a good service for iOS. TorGuard also offers an iOS app that supports the IKEv2, IPsec, and OpenVPN protocols and includes access to dedicated IP addresses at an additional cost.
Best VPNs for iOS With features like an automatic kill switch, malware protection, and access to very fast servers, Hotspot Shield provides a good service for iOS. TorGuard also offers an iOS app that supports the IKEv2, IPsec, and OpenVPN protocols and includes access to dedicated IP addresses at an additional cost.
Best VPNs for USA		Hotspot Shield offers numerous US servers and a dedicated streaming feature for unblocking content from Netflix and other US-based web services. We especially recommend it for its ease of use when you want to access US sites. TorGuard also provides many US servers capable of unblocking Netflix and similar websites.
Best VPNs for USA Hotspot Shield offers numerous US servers and a dedicated streaming feature for unblocking content from Netflix and other US-based web services. We especially recommend it for its ease of use when you want to access US sites. TorGuard also provides many US servers capable of unblocking Netflix and similar websites.

The Bottom Line

Ariel Hochstadt

Ex-Google, International tech speaker

Winner

Visit website »

www.hotspotshield.com

See Plans & Pricing

While these two VPNs provide similar levels of service by most standards, Hotspot Shield’s simplicity, user-friendliness, and budget-friendly subscription prices make it our winner. Other key points in favor of Hotspot Shield are its 45-day money-back guarantee and its unique Catapult Hydra feature that optimizes servers speeds. Its dedicated streaming feature, which allows you to bypass tough geoblocks worldwide, also contributes to its very tight victory in this contest. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t necessarily dismiss TorGuard as an option, particularly if you torrent.

Interestingly, if you compare Hotspot Shield with NordVPN, which is our top ranked vpn, you'll see that Hotspot Shield can learn a lot from NordVPN. Compare Hotspot Shield with NordVPN

Time to decide which one is best for you

Go with Hotspot Shield

Go with TorGuard

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