Hide.me’s free VPN service is highly regarded for its strong security measures and generous bandwidth limit. In order to provide a comprehensive and unbiased assessment of the service, we have conducted a thorough analysis of its pros and cons.
Our goal is to present a detailed evaluation of the performance and value of Hide.me’s free plan in this review so that users can make an informed decision about whether or not it meets their VPN needs.
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What is Hide.me's Free Service?
Here at FireTVSticks, we understand how important it is to protect your online privacy and security. That is why we assess the safety and security of free VPNs to help you stay secure on a budget.
VPNs create a private network from a public internet connection, which means your IP address is hidden and your data is encrypted. This makes it nearly impossible for anyone to track your online activity.
With 10GB of monthly data available, Hide.me’s free VPN service is a respectable, well-rounded free VPN. The service is praised for its robust security, which includes an independent verified no-logs policy, kill switch and AES-256 encryption.
Hide.me (Free) Quick Overview
| Data Limit/Month | 10GB |
| Number of Free Locations | 7 - France, Germany, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, United Kingdom, United States |
| Number of Free Servers | 7 |
| Number of Connections | 1 |
| AES-256 Encryption | ✅ Yes |
| No Logs Policy | ✅ Yes |
| Headquarters | Malaysia |
| Is Outside the 5,9 and 14 Eyes Alliance | ✅ Yes |
| Support Available | ✅ Yes |
| P2P/Torrenting | ✅ Yes |
| Unblocks Streaming Services | ⛔ No |
Hide.me (Free) Features
Data Limits
Using Hide.me’s free service allows users to securely access the internet with up to 10GB of monthly data. This amount of data can allow for 20 hours of streaming or 120 hours of browsing online. It’s important to note that while 10GB per month is higher than what is typically offered for free VPN users, it has certain limitations, such as being unable to unblock streaming services.
Number of Servers and Locations
The free plan gives users access to servers in seven locations: France, Germany, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Canada was supported as a free location until mid-2023 but has since been removed.
Although Hide.me has more than 2,100 servers overall, it is unclear how many are accessible to free users across its seven locations. IKEv2, OpenVPN, SSTP, and WireGuard protocols are supported on all servers.
Encryption and Security
High-level security features are available on Hide.me for free users. Your data is secure and unreadable to any possible hackers since it uses AES-256 encryption, regarded as the industry standard in data encryption.
These security elements are neatly integrated into the user-friendly design of the Hide.me app. Your connection is instantly encrypted once you are connected to a VPN server, and you can select the IKEv2, OpenVPN, or WireGuard VPN protocols from the app’s settings menu. Many options are available for free users, including setting up a custom DNS for individuals with more technical knowledge.
It is important to note that Hide.me undergoes regular audits conducted by independent security analysts. This is to ensure that their no-logs policy is strictly adhered to and that user data is not stored in any way. This level of security and privacy protection is made available to free and premium users, with robust encryption applied to all data transmissions. Rest assured that Hide.me takes user privacy and security very seriously, and their commitment to maintaining a safe online environment is unwavering.
Hide.me differentiates itself from other VPN companies with an independently audited no-logs policy and strong encryption. Although some VPNs offer similar encryption, not all have their no-logs policy officially audited.
Hide.me (Free) Performance Tests
Speed Test
We tested the download speed, upload speed and latency of Hide.me’s free servers. We ran the tests on a Fire TV Stick 4K Max, connected via 5ghz Wi-Fi and the speed test website speedtest.net.
Though a decrease in internet speed is expected when using a VPN, large drops can negatively impact your streaming or browsing experience. Below are the results of our tests.
| Location | Download Speed | Upload Speed | Latency |
| No VPN | 145 Mbps | 239 Mbps | 1.5ms |
| UK to UK | 23 Mbps | 14 Mbps | 13ms |
| UK to France | 21 Mbps | 17 Mbps | 27ms |
| UK to United States | 9 Mbps | 16 Mbps | 784ms |
Our tests using Hide.me’s free servers did not yield desirable results. The speed reduction on our closest server (UK) was a significant 84.14%.
When connected to a US server, the speed dropped even further by 93.79%, reaching a mere 9 Mbps. Video streaming was impossible due to extensive buffering and lag.
Based on our experience, Hide.me’s free VPN is not ideal for streaming videos on distant servers using a streaming device.
DNS Leak Test
We used IPLeak.net to check for DNS leaks, which can reveal a user’s location even when connected to a VPN. The screenshot confirms that no DNS leaks were found when connected to one of Hide.me’s free servers.
Hide.me (Free) Breaches and Audits
Hide.me has issued transparency reports annually since 2012 and has not encountered any major data breaches. In these reports, the company details the different types of data requests it receives, which include those related to illegal activities, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), and those from law enforcement and police authorities. Throughout 2021, Hide.me received numerous inquiries falling into these categories. As a no-logs VPN service, Hide.me maintains that it has no user data to provide in response to these requests. While the company does cooperate with each request, it affirms that it does not possess any information to surrender.
Hide.me is a VPN service committed to enhancing online security. It is part of the VPN Trust Initiative, a group of VPN providers that have passed an independent audit of their no-logs policy. Hide.me has a solid history of security and privacy, making it a respectable choice for users. The business values user privacy and is transparent about its operations.
Hide.me (Free) Apps and Compatibility
The free VPN from Hide.me works with various hardware, software, and browsers. Supported devices include Windows, MacOS, Linux, web extensions, Android, iOS, Fire TV, and routers.
Fire TV/Android TV App
You can use the Hide.me app with Fire TV and Android TV streaming devices, which you can download from the Amazon App Store and Google Play Store.
The app has various features, such as a kill switch, network protection, IP check, and split tunnelling. Additionally, you can customise your connection by manually selecting the VPN protocol from IKEv2, WireGuard, and OpenVPN.
Unlike other free VPN services, the Location menu on Hide.me only displays free server locations, making it easier to find them. The app is very user-friendly overall.
Desktop/Mobile App
The user-friendly interfaces of the desktop and mobile VPN apps for Android and Windows are simple enough for beginners to use. The apps support the IKEv2, OpenVPN, and WireGuard security protocols, which can be easily found in the Settings menu. You can choose to put them on automatic and let the program decide which protocol to use.
With this VPN, you can set up an automatic connection as soon as you connect to a Wi-Fi or mobile network, just like many other free VPNs. You can also enable the kill switch, split tunnelling, and Stealth Guard in the options menu, which can prevent specific apps from accessing the internet when the VPN connection is idle.
All of the free servers are conveniently grouped at the top of the Locations menu by Hide.me, This is a welcome and refreshing feature as most other free VPN providers hide the free servers among the premium ones, making them difficult to find.
Is Hide.me (Free) Better Than Other Free VPNs?
Hide.me’s free VPN service provides a generous data cap of 10GB. This offering is comparable to the free plans of PrivadoVPN and Windscribe, which offer similar data caps that can be increased up to 15GB by tweeting about the company. However, Hide.me falls short of Proton VPN‘s unlimited bandwidth for free users.
Despite this limitation, Hide.me is compatible with 19 platforms, which is impressive and makes it one of the most widely used VPN services available. However, when it comes to servers and regions, Atlas VPN‘s free service outperforms it.
One thing to note is that Hide.me does not allow free users to access blocked streaming websites. However, it does support torrenting.
Overall, Hide.me’s free plan is a good option for those who need a VPN for moderate usage and are looking for a compatible service with multiple platforms. However, if you want unlimited bandwidth or access to blocked streaming websites, consider another VPN service, such as Proton VPN or Windscribe.
| Free VPN | Servers | Countries | Data Limit/Month | Torrenting | Unblocks Streaming |
| Hide/me VPN | 7 | 7 | 10GB | Yes | No |
| Hotspot Shield | 160+ | 1 | 15GB (can be increased by watching ads) | Yes | No |
| Proton VPN | 152 | 3 | Unlimited | No | Some |
| Privado VPN | 12 | 10 | 10GB | No | Yes |
| Windscribe VPN | 11 | 11 | 2GB-15GB | Yes | Yes |
| Atlas VPN | 3 | 3 | 5GB | Yes | No |
Wrapping Up
Hide.me’s free VPN is a solid choice with a generous data cap, strong security measures, and a variety of features such as split tunnelling, a kill switch, and support for torrenting.
Its customer support is exceptional, with quick issue responses and a helpful live chat function. However, Hide.me falls short in some areas when compared to other free VPNs. It lacks the ability to unblock streaming websites and has fewer free server options. We also noticed a significant decrease in download and upload speeds when using the free servers, even those closer to home. While the speeds are still suitable for most online activities, frequent streamers or heavy internet users may want to explore other options.
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