Hide.me VPN Review

Hide.me is a less known, but still very decent VPNs to choose from. It has some high-quality features that are worth your attention.

Hide.me VPN is designed to keep you safe and anonymous online, and the free version is not bad at all. On the flip side, it does have some downsides as well – something I’ll get to below.

Continue reading this Hide.me VPN review to learn more about this tool and its features.

Overview

#	Rank	#36 out of 215 providers
	Company location	Malaysia
	Website	hide.me
	Number of locations	72+ countries
	Number of servers	1800+
	Unblocks Netflix	No
	Safe for Torrenting	Yes
	Encryption	Military-grade encryption
	Protocols	WireGuard, IKEv2, OpenVPN, SoftEther, SSTP
	Customer Support	live chat
	Logging policy	Minimal data collection
	Price	From $4.99/month
	Free version or trial	Yes

Security and privacy features

Hide.me VPN may not be among the most prominent players in the market or have an extensive network of servers. Still, when it comes down to the security and safety of users, it’s undoubtedly one of the ones you can trust. It offers all the essential security features and a couple of advanced options to protect your privacy regardless of your location (even in China).

One notable event in Hide.me’s history would be in 2018 when there were reports regarding WebRTC leaks from users of this VPN. The leaks occurred as a result of web browsers disclosing users’ IP addresses without their knowledge.

However, Hide.me swiftly released browser extensions and add-ons for Google Chrome and Firefox to resolve this issue. These extensions allowed users to manually block the WebRTC leaks, preventing further recurrences. While this seems to be a significant concern, it’s a result of vulnerabilities in Firefox and Chrome. It affects a wide range of VPN providers.

Encryption and tunneling protocols

Hide.me VPN is very impressive when it comes to technical qualities. It uses military-grade AES-256-CBC and AES-256-GCM encryption, as well as an RSA-8192 Handshake, both of which are impenetrable means of security.

As of this moment, Hide.me VPN uses the following tunneling protocols:

• WireGuard
• IKEv2
• OpenVPN
• SoftEther
• SSTP

This is a respectable suite of protocols, with several choices for beginners and experts. What is especially welcome is that Hide.me VPN managed to implement the WireGuard tunneling protocol. Even some of the higher-tier VPNs don’t have it available.

If you don’t need or want to encrypt some of the apps or traffic from your network, you can always use their Split Tunneling feature. It allows you to determine which apps or traffic goes directly to your ISP and which should be routed via the VPN tunnel.

Kill switch

Hide.me VPN has a kill switch that is customizable and allows custom scripts on a desktop version. This means that you can add additional commands that will be performed if your connection to the VPN server drops.

If you’re not that tech-savvy, you will still be able to toggle auto-reconnect and limit connection to VPN. Most users will probably stick to these toggles, but experts will surely appreciate the ability to tinker with the software.

You can turn the feature on in the Settings menu:

If you’re using Hide.me on your mobile device, you can enable your kill switch in the Settings, as well:

IP or DNS leaks

When it comes to Hide.me VPN IP or DNS leaks, well, there are none. While the VPN has suffered from WebRTC leaks in the past, so has every other VPN service on the market. To solve the issue, Hide Me VPN released browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox to deal with this back in September 2018, allowing users to block potential WebRTC leaks manually.

To see how Hide.me is improving, I decided to test IP or DNS leaks myself.

I first connected to the Netherlands and was assigned this IP address: 37.120.192.116.

Then I went online to check whether my IP address was leaking:

This is the same IP address that Hide.me assigned me, meaning there are no leaks.

Hide.me proxies

Alongside their VPN features, Hide.me also offers several proxy options.

• Hide. me proxy as their browser extensions name
• SOCKS5 proxy integrated Hide.me VPN software
• The Hide. me web proxy that they have on their site

It gets confusing because, in each case, the used word is the same. It would surely help if they came up with unique names to help to clear out this mess.

Hide.me browser proxy

Prepare for even more confusion, because the proxy browser extension has premium features like integrated SOCKS5 proxy toggle. It’s available only to premium users, and it binds connection to an active VPN session. It also provides three locations to choose from (Canada, Netherlands, and Germany).

SOCKS5 proxy

It’s an internet protocol that exchanges the data packets using an intermediary server. Hide.me team couple this protocol with their VPN service to add better protection against IP leaks. It’s also a significantly faster method of data packets exchange but lacks encryption. The team recommends using it with VPN encryption that comes with their software to get the best privacy possible. It can be toggled in browsers or used in BitTorrent clients.

Web proxy

The developers of this service went as far as to provide a free web-based proxy for when you need a quick solution when accessing blocked sites or safer browsing. You can select which location you want to act as a proxy. Currently, there are three different countries for you to choose from, which are Germany, Finland, and the Netherlands.

It’s nice to see that even this basic browser variant is somewhat customizable. For example, it is up to you whether you want to allow cookies on the page. On top of that, you have the option of completely encrypting the URL, as well as the data on the page that you are visiting. Encryption makes sure that even if someone can intercept your network traffic, they will not be able to decrypt it and take a look at your data.

Lastly, you have the option of removing both Scripts and Objects. These two combined are known as some of the most common ways of spreading malware, and being able to remove them can give users concerned with security an incentive to use the tool.

Where is Hide.me based?

Hide.me VPN is based in Malaysia. This country is not among 5 and 14 eyes countries, which is excellent in terms of your anonymity. What is more, there are no data retention laws in Malaysia, which makes Hide.me VPN’s “zero-logs” policy more trustworthy.

However, it might be worth observing the Malaysia-China relations over the next few years to see whether cooperation between both governments may lead to the sharing of personal data in any form. As things stand, for now, Malaysia is a VPN-friendly country and should pose no safety concerns to Hide.me users worldwide.

Logging policy

I looked through the Privacy Policy for this Hide.me VPN review. I found that the tool logs the absolute minimum of data necessary to make the service run smoothly.

I don’t consider this an issue because almost all VPNs are forced to collect some of your data. Many of them collect a lot more of it.

According to their Privacy Policy:

We do NOT keep logs of your VPN sessions, browsing behaviour, websites you visit or any activity related to your VPN connection. In addition we NEVER store VPN connection logs and timestamps that match your incoming and outgoing IP address or session duration.

Their privacy promises seem trustworthy, plus, the VPN hasn’t had any documented instances of giving user data to the authorities in the past. What’s a bit disappointing is that you have to take their word for it. A third-party audit where it would investigate the validity of these claims would be much appreciated and make this service a top-shelf VPN product.

Anonymous purchase

Hide.me allows you to remain protected at every stage of your transaction with them by allowing you to make subscription payments using anonymous methods like a range of cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Monero, Tron, Ethereum, and Litecoin). By using anonymous payment methods, you can essentially ensure that your identity remains hidden at every point.

Since most VPN providers will usually keep your account information on file when you subscribe, an anonymous payment method further reduces the kind of personally identifiable information they have access to. So, in terms of accepting anonymous subscription payments, Hide.me VPN can be considered safe.

Speed

You can read tonnes of comments online about the speed of the particular VPN, but the only way to know for sure is to run online speed tests.

I checked the speeds connected to servers around the world.

Hide.me is an above-average VPN in terms of Download speed. However, the Upload speed numbers are really bad across the board – I found even the nearby German server rather slow.

Server coverage

Hide.me VPN has 1800 servers in 72 locations.

These are high numbers, especially considering that mere months ago, Hide.me had a fraction of the network they have now. The country selection is significantly varied, with servers over much of Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

Does Hide.me VPN support my device?

Hide.me supports all the most widely used devices. However, the features you get on them might differ.

Hide.me VPN desktop apps

Hide.me works on both Windows and Mac.

It’s worth mentioning that the Windows Hide.me VPN app offers the Firewall feature for an extra layer of security. This feature makes sure that all your apps use a secure VPN tunnel for online communications – essentially, it’s a kill switch.

Hide.me Mac client is very similar in look to the Windows version, but the functionality is different. The most crucial difference is the lack of options on Mac compared to the Windows app:

If you’re using a Mac, you won’t get to see many options. However, if you’re not a veteran user, the lack of options should not be a problem as its security credentials are still solid.

The Change option takes you to a country list that is easy to navigate because it’s small, and there’s a search option.

The IP Details panel shows whether you’re connected, what your IP address/location is.

Moving on, welcome to the well-equipped Settings menu:

Let’ start with the Application tab:

Here you can choose among many options – from launching on system startup or remembering the selected location to showing the traffic meter or notifications. This is also the place to select your interface language.

Network tab:

In this tab, the majority of settings are related to DNS – you can see servers, choose whether to use Custom DNS, set MTU size, and allow sleep when VPN is active.

Auto Connect:

This section is pretty self-explanatory – you will have a chance to set your preferences regarding Auto connection.

Split tunneling:

This is the Settings section for Split Tunneling – you can decide whether all of your device’s apps would use the VPN or only the selected ones.

After checking these tabs, head to VPN Protocol:

There’s plenty to tinker with here:

• • • Choose the protocol.
    • Set up a “Fallback Protocol” (what security protocol will be used if the first option fails).
    • Set up a primary/secondary DNS server to use.
    • Choose to randomize the port for OpenVPN connections.
    • If you’re using the SoftEther protocol, you can enable, disable, or customize the UDP acceleration function, which can bring the SoftEther protocol speeds closer to that of IKEv2.

As you can see, Hide.me is quite an easy-to-use tool that also leaves room for customization to veteran VPN users.

In that sense, it’s comparable to some of the top VPNs on the market, and in some cases, even manages to provide more options than the cream of the crop VPNs.

Hide.me VPN mobile apps

The Hide.me VPN has mobile apps for both Android and iOS.

Both mobile versions are also similar in appearance to the desktop apps. However, neither offers as many features as their desktop counterparts:

On the more positive side, this is a mobile-friendly VPN and will not annoy you nearly as much as some others.

Hide.me VPN for web browsers

The Hide.me VPN has extensions for Chrome and Firefox:

Enabling the extensions is quick and straightforward:

1. Install the Hide.me Chrome or Firefox Extension
2. Add the Extension in your Chrome or Firefox Browser
3. Connect to any server you desired

Hide.me for Fire OS

Great news for content lovers – Hide.me also works with Amazon Fire OS. You can install the app and enjoy your favorite shows on Amazon Fire Tablet or Amazon Fire TV.

Netflix and other streaming services

The Hide.me VPN does not unblock Netflix. After a long session of extensive trial and persistent error, this is all Netflix US showed us:

Aside from Netflix, Hide.me was also not capable of unblocking the BBC iPlayer. Users may have more luck with other steaming platforms or Netflix libraries, but this is certainly not the strongest streaming VPN.

Does Hide.me VPN support torrenting?

You’ll have a much better time with torrents than with Netflix. The Hide.me VPN has proper encryption and doesn’t log any personally identifiable data – that takes care of the safety issue, mostly. As long as you skip the “No P2P” servers and choose the right option, you’ll be fine:

What about Kodi?

Hide.me supports using Kodi.  This is even better since they have an excellent, very minimal logging policy so that you can enjoy Kodi safely and securely with this VPN provider.

Keep in mind that this service also has SOCKS5 proxy, which can be configured to work with BitTorrent clients.

Support

The Hide.me VPN support is decent but not great.

In particular, they seem to lack a meaningful self-help section – FAQs, troubleshooting guides, etc. These do exist, but they will not cover many of the issues that can arise while using the VPN.

With that said, Hide.me does have a live chat support option. It says this is only for Billing and sales questions, but they’ll answer some of the more straightforward technical queries as well.

In the event of something more complicated, you can open a support ticket. They will not respond immediately, but that’s still better than some other VPN services offer.

Pricing

Again, there’s no way to make this look prettier –  the Hide.me VPN prices are very high:

• Premium: $12.95/month
• Premium: $4.99/month
• Premium: $8.32/month

In short, Hide.me is expensive. While their service has improved and their price has gone down quite significantly over the past year, we’d like to see the price even lower.

If you’re not browsing a lot, the Hide.me free plan is not bad at all. It has all the features, so it’s an excellent way to check what to expect from the service.

However, if you’re a user that has above-average demands, the Free plan will not satisfy your needs. The 10 GB/month traffic limit won’t get you very far as well as the fact that with the Free plan, you can only choose from several countries.

Hide.me Free version

Hide.me VPN offers a great free version. It doesn’t have ads, and the providers don’t make money off it. It exists because they believe that everyone should have a right to privacy on the internet. There are, however, some differences between the paid and free versions.

For starters, the free version introduces a monthly 10 GB data cap (which is an upgrade from the previous 2 GB data cap). Once you exceed the limit, you’ll have to wait for next month for it to reset. Premium users get unlimited data cap, so they can do whatever they like, and they won’t have to calculate how much data is left before they reach their cap.

Another thing that is different from the Premium version is the number of server locations. Free users get only 5 (Germany, Canada, Netherlands, US East Coast, and US West Coast). Meanwhile, Premium users can choose between 60 servers scattered across the globe.

The last difference is the number of simultaneous connections. Free users can only connect with a single device at a time. Premium users can connect ten devices simultaneously. This is more than the industry’s average.

Regardless, which user you are, you will also get 24/7 customer support via tickets.

Bottom line

All in all, the Hide.me VPN does have its selling points.

It’s got decent encryption and protocol selection, and it will let you use torrents to your liking. Moreover, it offers above-average speeds and the Hide.me app is both user-friendly and customizable.

On the flip side, Hide.me is more expensive than its competitors.  If this VPN service were to update its prices, it would be well on its way to the top of the market.