NordVPN vs Hotspot Shield in 2024

There’s no denying that NordVPN is one of the top VPNs in the market right now. But just how far ahead of everyone else is it? What if we tried comparing it to a smaller provider? For example NordVPN vs Hotspot Shield. However, the latter is certainly not a small fry in the industry. It has made a name for itself by being a great freemium option and having its own proprietary tunneling protocol called Hydra.

A good side-by-side comparison will help us understand what’s keeping the best providers on top and in what areas others can improve. I’ll have a look at the most relevant criteria of any VPN, including connection speeds, server coverage, pricing plans, security and privacy features, and much more. After checking through all the categories, I’ll summarize the results and declare a winner.

NordVPN vs. Hotspot Shield: specifications

After carefully comparing everything these two VPNs offer, NordVPN emerged as the clear winner of our NordVPN vs. Hotspot Shield comparison. It has an extensive server network, impressive speeds, is more secure, and it’s great for streaming & torrenting. But let’s go into more detail and find out what else you should expect.

NordVPN vs Hotspot Shield: pricing

Pricing is one of the categories where we had a pretty close outcome. Hotspot Shield comes with a 45-day money-back guarantee and a free version. However, NordVPN has a greater variety of payment options, including anonymous payment methods like cryptocurrencies. Furthermore, it’s much cheaper, especially going for longer plans. And in our opinion, that’s enough to make NordVPN the winner.

Hotspot Shield Pricing

Compared to NordVPN, Hotspot Shield comes with a free trial and a free version. It also includes a 45-day money-back guarantee in all of its additional plans:

• Monthly Premium – $12.99/month
• Monthly Premium Family – $19.99/month
• Annual Premium – $7.99/month
• Annual Premium Family – $11.99/month

Speaking of the free version, naturally, it comes with limitations. The only available server location is the US, you get a daily allowance of 500MB of data, slower connection speed, and limited video streaming features.

Regarding payment methods, you can only pay with a credit card and PayPal, making it a more limited option than NordVPN. The fact that there are no anonymous options isn’t the best, either.

NordVPN pricing

NordVPN offers a 7-day free trial only for Android users. And you can also get a risk-free testing experience due to its 30-day money-back guarantee. Let’s have a look at its three Standard plans:

• $12.99/month for the monthly plan
• $4.59/month for the annual plan
• $2.99/month for the two-year plan

The other subscription tiers are Plus and Complete. As expected, they come with extra perks each. Besides the VPN, the Plus plan includes a data breach monitor and the NordPass password manager. And the Complete plan adds 1 TB of encrypted cloud storage on top of that.

This VPN lets you pay with a credit or debit card, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, UnionPay, ACH Transfer, or even cryptocurrencies. Due to the crypto payment method, you can benefit from anonymous payments.

Speed comparison

As NordVPN introduced its own version of WireGuard, called NordLynx, it has significantly showcased better connection speeds. This modification sets NordVPN apart and enables stable and consistent connections. And the vast server fleet covering an impressive number of countries ensures everyone can experience great connectivity.

In comparison, Hotspot Shield relies on its in-house Hydra protocol, which is effective and provides decent speeds. Still, it doesn’t compare to NordLynx, and it has a significant connection speed drop-off. Therefore, NordVPN has an advantage over Hotspot Shield in the speed category.

NordVPN vs Hotspot Shield: which is more secure?

The outcome of this NordVPN vs. Hotspot Shield round isn’t that surprising – NordVPN is the winner. However, both providers come with some excellent security features, such as:

• AES-256 encryption
• Kill switch
• IP and DNS leak protection
• No-logs policies

Alas, NordVPN proves to be the safer option as it’s based in a privacy-respecting jurisdiction, has proved the veracity of its no-logs policy thrice, and implements RAM-only servers throughout the whole network. In comparison, Hotspot Shield is missing all of that, making us question whether you can trust this provider.

Privacy

Hotspot Shield is located in the United States and is a founding member of the 5 Eyes Alliance. In other words, the VPN may share your online activities and history in response to government requests. And you can’t be sure that isn’t happening since the no-logs policy hasn’t been audited. Plus, there are no RAM-only servers that would make logging data impossible.

Luckily, NordVPN is headquartered in Panama and avoids all jurisdictions of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance. Your VPN activities will stay safe and won’t be surveilled as there is no outsider push to do so.

Logging

In terms of the no-logs policy, NordVPN has an independently-audited one. Furthermore, it’s been audited three times, and the entities doing so found that no funny business is happening behind the scenes.

On the other hand, Hotspot Shield also comes with a no-logs policy which means that the VPN doesn’t collect personal data. However, it has never been verified, so one can only guess.

Servers location

One of the biggest differences between these two VPNs is their server fleet. NordVPN offers more than 7000+ servers in 118+ countries, while Hotspot Shield has 1800+ in 80+ countries. While the latter covers more ground, the server count is certainly lacking and may lead to network congestion. Meanwhile, NordVPN manages to avoid that.

Moreover, NordVPN comes with RAM-only servers that delete all of your activity, while Hotspot Shield, unfortunately, doesn’t employ RAM-only technology, leaving you a bit more vulnerable. And it also utilizes all physical hardware, meaning that they are actually located in the country you’re connecting to. And you can’t forget the fact that most of 10 Gbps, further guaranteed great speeds.

As such, it shouldn’t be surprising you’ll be better off with NordVPN server-wise.

Features comparison

Both NordVPN and Hotspot Shield offer many features, but in this feature-packed round, NordVPN takes the lead once again. Let’s find out why.

Smart DNS

NordVPN implements a Smart DNS feature, which allows you to stream even on devices that don’t support VPN software natively. It’s known as SmartPlay, and it also adds an extra security layer, ensuring a high level of protection across all devices.

On the other hand, Hotspot Shield doesn’t offer a Smart DNS feature, which limits its usage only to devices that support VPN providers. Which isn’t ideal if you want to use this service to unblock regional streaming content on streaming peripherals (which usually lack VPN support).

Malware & ad blocker

NordVPN has the Threat Protection feature, which blocks suspicious websites, user trackers, and ads. It also immediately warns you of any potential threats that it detects, and it even scans your downloads (up to 5 GB) for malware. The best thing about is that it doesn’t require a VPN connection – you can just turn it on and leave it running in the background.

Like NordVPN, Hotspot Shield also offers a built-in antivirus to protect you from malicious sites. It performs fairly okay, but you have to keep in mind that it doesn’t replace standalone antivirus solutions. Furthermore, there’s a built-in ad blocker on all servers, however, it isn’t very effective, and you have to be connected to the VPN at all times for it to work.

Split tunneling

NordVPN excels once again by providing a split tunneling feature for Windows, Android, and Android TV. This allows you to select which apps to route through the VPN tunnel, thus, letting you control which apps only work with the VPN connection.

Hotspot Shield also has split tunneling for all frequently-used OS like Windows and MacOS and even for mobile devices like iOS and Android.

Specialized servers

In terms of specialty servers dedicated to different online activities, both providers come with plenty.

NordVPN includes:

• Dedicated IP servers. For users who bought a dedicated IP address.
• Double VPN servers. For multi-hop fans who want to send their connection via two servers for double the encryption and extra security.
• Obfuscated servers. When you’re in a country with restricted internet access or where VPN software is banned.
• Onion over VPN servers. When you want to combine a VPN with the Tor Network.
• P2P servers. Optimized for torrenting, no bandwidth limits, and no ISP throttling.

Hotspot Shield includes:

• Auto. Great for general browsing (up to 1 Gbps).
• Streaming. For Netflix, YouTube, and other video platforms.
• Gaming. For playing Fortnite, Roblox, and other online games.
• Social networks & chat. For TikTok, WeChat, and other social media websites.

Other features

And that’s not all. Hotspot Shield additionally includes Auto-protect, which automatically turns on the VPN once you connect to an unsecured Wi-Fi network, and a built-in password manager called 1Password.

Then NordVPN throws in:

• SOCKS5 proxy. You can configure it with your torrent client or a specific app to change the IP address only for them. But since it’s a proxy, it lacks encryption.
• Invisibility on LAN. Useful when you don’t want your device to be visible on your local area network.
• Dark Web Monitoring. Checks whether your accounts associated with a particular email were compromised.
• Meshnet. Ensures secure remote access to your device, which can be used to share files, play online games on the same network, and more. It can even be used to bypass Netflix’s password-sharing restrictions.

It should be pretty clear right now why NordVPN is the better option if you want functionality and pure versatility.

Netflix and streaming comparison

Streaming is one of the main activities that require a reliable streaming VPN.

Luckily, with NordVPN and Hotspot Shield, you’ll manage to unblock many popular streaming services. We’re talking about Netflix US, other Netflix libraries, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and HBO Max. And with reliable performance, you can expect crisp HD quality.

However, NordVPN comes with a Smart DNS feature (SmartPlay) and better speeds which gives it a minor advantage over Hotspot Shield. Therefore, in this round of our Hotspot Shield vs. NordVPN comparison, the winner is NordVPN!

Device compatibility

While both VPN providers prove to be compatible with a fair share of devices, NordVPN still takes the lead. It has applications for a larger number of gadgets, not to mention the SmartPlay feature, which lets you use it on virtually everything. With Hotspot Shield, you’ll be limited to what you’re seeing in the table.

Desktop applications

In terms of desktop apps, NordVPN and Hotspot Shield provide dedicated clients for Windows and macOS. Both competitors chose to keep the applications similar no matter the OS, and sleek in terms of design. A significant difference here is that NordVPN offers a visual server map, while Hotspot Shield doesn’t.

In general, NordVPN’s apps are simple, very easy to use, and secure whether you’re a Windows or a macOS owner. The only thing that’s missing feature-wise is split tunneling on the macOS. Other than that, no OS version is neglected.

As for Hotspot Shield, it also looks great after the latest redesign, making it more modern and easier to navigate. And while the level of security remains equal, we can’t say the same about features. Unfortunately, the macOS app is less customizable, with the only option to toggle split tunneling.

Finally, both NordVPN and Hotspot Shield offer Linux clients. However, you can only control them via the command line. It isn’t ideal, especially when there are VPNs on the market that manage to offer Linux apps with a GUI.

Mobile applications

Same as with desktop apps, Hotspot Shield and NordVPN offer apps for iOS and Android. Again, they look sleek and modern, so navigation won’t be an issue even for first-time VPN users. But as is the case in the industry, iOS clients have fewer features than Android.

For example, NordVPN’s iOS application is missing split tunneling. Another Android-exclusive feature is Tapjacking protection.

In Hotspot Shield’s case, the iOS client’s customizability is purely abysmal. There’s no option to toggle the general settings, with the only perk being split tunneling. And there’s no WireGuard either, so you will have to make do with IKEv2.

Torrenting

Although you are able to torrent with both of these VPN services, only one of them is truly optimized for it. And of course, that would be NordVPN, which provides split tunneling on Windows and Android and specialized P2P servers for greater download speeds.

On the other hand, Hotspot Shield supports torrenting, but it lacks P2P specialized servers, SOCKS5 proxy, or at least port forwarding. And since the speeds aren’t the best either, don’t expect your downloads to be over soon.

China

Hotspot Shield claims that their proprietary Hydra tunneling protocol is one of the most secure options on the market. Sadly, user reports claim that it’s not reliable when dealing with obstacles like the Great Firewall of China.

On the other hand, NordVPN has a few options available for dealing with censorship-heavy countries. They have Obfuscated servers that can get around DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) and Onion over VPN as an extra layer of security when using the Tor Browser. These features make NordVPN one of the best VPN options for China.

Customer support

The final round of our NordVPN vs. Hotspot Shield comparison is the customer support, and we have a tie!

Both VPNs take good care of their customers, and they’ll offer you the same support options. More precisely, you will benefit from 24/7 availability, reach out to them through live chat and email, or go through their guides and knowledgebase. As a result, their expert teams will solve all of your issues that may arise.

We contacted both to get a sense of how well they operate. And we received the replies fast and the agents were fairly knowledgeable. So, the first impressions were good, and we’re sure you will be in good hands if you ever need some quick help.

NordVPN vs Hotspot Shield – which is better?

The conclusion could not be any clearer – NordVPN is the superior choice. This battle may seem a bit unfair, considering that NordVPN is the top provider in almost every category. But sometimes, there is value in seeing what exactly sets apart the good from the best.

In some regards, Hotspot Shield came very close to NordVPN, which means that it’s still a great VPN. Perhaps it makes more sense when getting the premium Hotspot Shield bundle with the password manager and antivirus included. But as a standalone app, it’s a bit overpriced. There are cheaper alternatives out there.

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You may also like to read:
Hotspot Shield vs ExpressVPN
NordVPN vs AdGuard VPN
NordVPN vs ExpressVPN
Hotspot Shield vs PIA
NordVPN vs Windscribe

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FAQ

Is NordVPN better than Hotspot Shield?

Yes, NordVPN is better than Hotspot Shield. It comes with incredible speeds, streaming & torrenting capabilities and effectively bypasses online censorship. Also, its robust security features make sure you always stay protected.

Which is faster – NordVPN or Hotspot Shield?

NordVPN is faster than Hotspot Shield as it has more than 7000+ servers in 118+ countries and robust tunneling protocols (NordLynx, OpenVPN, IKEv2) that enhance its speeds even more.

Is Hotspot Shield good?

Hotspot Shield is fairly good. It is known for having commendable speed with its proprietary Hydra protocol. It's also good at getting around geographical restrictions, for example, those by streaming services. However, it does not have a lot of security features.

Does NordVPN work with Netflix?

Yes, NordVPN works with Netflix. It can effectively get around geo-restrictions and unlock a huge amount of Netflix libraries, such as the US, UK, and Japan.

Is NordVPN worth it?

NordVPN is definitely worth it. It has a wide network of servers, strong encryption, fast connection speeds, plenty of security and privacy features, and an affordable price.