Comparison

VPN Hotspot Shield vs VPN

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

VPN Hotspot Shield

Secure your internet connection with a fast and reliable virtual private network. Protect your online privacy, encrypt your traffic, and shield your IP address from threats, especially on public Wi-Fi. Enjoy faster speeds and unlimited bandwidth.

Highlights
  • Fast VPN speeds
  • Unlimited bandwidth
  • One-tap connection
  • Military-grade encryption
  • Global server locations
  • Multiple VPN modes
  • Connect up to 10 devices
Features
Read full description

Hotspot Shield VPN is the fastest VPN for secure, private internet access on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Protect your online activity with industry-leading VPN encryption and protocols, shield your IP address, and enjoy lightning-fast speeds whether browsing, gaming, streaming movies, or using public WiFi. Activate our VPN with one tap to encrypt your traffic and block threats while maintaining a lightning-fast connection. Hotspot Shield VPN delivers superior privacy and performance with patented technology that automatically connects you to the fastest VPN server. Free VPN Features: • Industry-leading speed - up to 2.2x faster vs. other VPN apps • Unlimited bandwidth and data with our free VPN • Simple one-tap VPN connection • Secure proxy VPN with no-logs policy and military-grade encryption • Multiple VPN plans — use free with ads or upgrade to premium • Optimized for latest iOS on Apple devices • Advanced patented VPN protocols for reliable connections • 24/7 customer support Premium VPN Features (with subscription): • 1800+ ultra-fast VPN servers up to 1 Gbps • 125+ premium VPN locations across 80+ countries • Auto-connect VPN on startup with IKEv2 • Specialized VPN modes for gaming, browsing, and video streaming • Connect up to 10 devices simultaneously • Fully ad-free VPN experience Choose from flexible VPN subscription plans: monthly, 6-month, or annual. Unlock full VPN access with a premium subscription — 45-day money-back guarantee. Cancel anytime. Payments via App Store; subscriptions auto-renew unless turned off 24 hours before renewal. Unused trial portions are forfeited upon purchase. Privacy Policy: https://www.hotspotshield.com/privacy-policy/ Terms of Service: https://www.hotspotshield.com/terms/

About

VPN

This app provides a free, unlimited VPN service with no activity logs and military-grade encryption. It offers access to content from over 40 server locations and supports multiple VPN protocols. Premium plans are available for enhanced features.

Highlights
  • Unlimited speed, bandwidth, and time
  • Access content from 40+ server locations
  • 5,000+ servers for free users
  • No activity logs
  • Military-grade encryption
  • No registration needed
Features
Read full description

FREE VPN FEATURES Experience the best free VPN: no ad interruptions and limits - Unlimited speed, bandwidth, and time at no cost - Access content from 40+ server locations (20+ US cities) - Fast VPN: 5,000+ servers dedicated to free users - No Activity Logs - Military-grade encryption - Optimized for iOS devices with 16.0+ (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision) - No registration needed First time users get a 7-day free trial to our monthly and yearly plans. WHAT IS A VPN? VPNs create an encrypted tunnel for your data and protect your online identity by hiding your IP address. VPNs can help you - secure your connection on public WiFi - such as in school, at work, or traveling - protect your privacy from your Internet Service Provider or at work - access messaging services (e.g., WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger, Discord) - access social media (e.g., Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook, Snap, Twitter, X, Reddit - access streaming services (e.g., Netflix, HBO, Hulu, YouTube) - access mobile games (e.g., Plato, Honor of Kings, Genshin Impact, Pokémon GO, Rise of Kingdoms, Clash of Kings, PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty: Mobile, Fortnite, Minecraft, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Free Fire, Roblox, ) VPN PROTOCOLS - We offer up to 4 VPN protocols for free users (depending on location) - Users are recommended to select “Auto” and our VPN will choose the best protocol for you - We support OpenVPN, IKEv2, Super, and V2Ray (new protocol) VPN SERVER LOCATIONS WORLDWIDE Choose from over 5,000+ servers across 55+ countries, including: - North America: USA (40+ cities), Canada (3 cities), Mexico - Europe: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom (3 cities), Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine - Asia: Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Turkey, Philippines - South America: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru - Africa: Egypt, South Africa PREMIUM VPN FEATURES - Ultra fast 10Gbps servers - No ads - Servers in 55+ countries - 40+ US city-level servers - City-level servers in Canada and the UK - Premium users can protect up to 10 devices PREMIUM PLANS (no ads, 10G servers, and more): Weekly: $9.99/week Monthly: $11.99/month (7-day free trial) Yearly: $79.99/year (7-day free trial) PRIVACY COMMITMENT VPN - Super Unlimited Proxy is committed to privacy with zero activity logs. We don't collect or retain any information that could compromise your online security. Links to our Terms of Service and Privacy Notice can be found below: - Privacy Notice: https://www.vpnsuper.com/privacy-notice - Terms of Use: https://www.vpnsuper.com/terms-of-service Download the top free iPhone VPN to: - jump through gaming levels faster than you can say biubiu - express yourself on social media - browse the internet faster than a proton - shield yourself on hotspots - turbo charge your tunneling - break the filters with our proxy master - hide your internet activity better than an ostrich - vpnify your connection

Screenshots

VPN Hotspot Shield4 screens
VPN4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: VPN Hotspot Shield at none against VPN's shown. VPN Hotspot Shield also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). VPN's advantage is review sentiment (91% vs 76%) and ratings volume (2.1M vs 361K). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. VPN Hotspot Shield sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and VPN sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for VPN Hotspot Shield against 4.6 for VPN. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: VPN has 2.1M ratings behind it against 361K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of VPN Hotspot Shield's written reviews are positive against 91% of VPN's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VPN Hotspot Shield ships an update every 10 days, VPN every 6 days. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
VPN Hotspot Shield versus VPN: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVPN Hotspot ShieldVPN
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (361K ratings)4.6 (2.1M ratings)
Positive reviews76.1% of reviews90.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings361K2.1M — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 6 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#57#11 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size120 MB174 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAnchorFree Inc.Mobile Jump Pte Ltd

Customer experience

VPN Hotspot Shield

All ratings360,777 ratings
Positive89.4%
Neutral3.0%
Negative7.6%
Written reviews2,741 reviews
Positive76.1%
Neutral4.9%
Negative19.0%

VPN

All ratings2,109,989 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral3.4%
Negative6.2%
Written reviews14,987 reviews
Positive90.7%
Neutral2.0%
Negative7.3%

User reviews

VPN Hotspot Shield

From 361K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 😄 THE BEST VPN
  • 🔒 MAKES MY PHONE SECURE
  • 🚀 FAST CONNECTION
  • 👍 EASY TO USE
  • 💯 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Room to improve

  • 🐛 CONNECTION ISSUES
  • 🔌 DISCONNECTS FREQUENTLY
  • 💰 REQUIRES PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION
  • 📺 DOESN'T WORK WITH STREAMING SERVICES
  • 🤖 MANY FAKE REVIEWS

VPN

From 2.1M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and reliable connection
  • 👍 Easy to use interface
  • 🔒 Secure and private
  • 💡 Wide selection of server locations
  • 👍 Effective for bypassing geo-restrictions

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional connection drops
  • 🔋 Can drain battery quickly
  • 📢 Intrusive ads
  • 🔍 Ambiguous privacy policy

Bugs and requests

VPN Hotspot Shield

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Frequent disconnections
  • Inability to turn off VPN
  • Compatibility issues with certain devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • More free server locations
  • Better compatibility with streaming services
  • Improved stability and reliability

VPN

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Freezes and crashes on older devices
  • Fails to connect to certain servers

Requested features

3 requests
  • More Netflix-compatible servers
  • Automatic reconnect option
  • Ability to favorite/bookmark servers

In-app purchases

14 purchases

VPN Hotspot Shield

Subscriptions14
  • Hotspot Shield Premium$9.991 Month
  • Hotspot Shield Premium7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • 1 month VPN subscription7 Days trial$9.991 Month
Show 11 more
  • 1 month VPN subscription7 Days trial$10.991 Month
  • Hotspot Shield VPN with Pango2 variants$12.991 Month
  • Hotspot Shield VPN with Pango7 Days trial3 variants$12.991 Month
  • Monthly VPN Subscription7 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • Hotspot Shield Premium Bundle7 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • Hotspot Shield VPN with Pango14 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • 1 month VPN subscription7 Days trial2 variants$12.991 Month
  • 1 month VPN subscription$12.991 Month
  • Hotspot Shield Premium7 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Hotspot Shield Premium7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • 1 year VPN subscription7 Days trial$95.991 Year
10 purchases

VPN

Subscriptions10
  • 1-Week Plan3 Days trial$9.997 Days
  • 1-Week Plan Discount3 Days trial$9.997 Days
  • 1-Month Plan7 Days trial$12.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • 1-Month Plan Discount7 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • 3-Month Plan7 Days trial$24.993 Months
  • 3-Month Plan Discount7 Days trial$24.993 Months
  • 3-Month Plan SG-27 Days trial$24.993 Months
  • 6-Month Plan7 Days trial$59.996 Months
  • 12-Month Plan7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • 12-Month Plan Discount7 Days trial$79.991 Year

Questions

Is VPN Hotspot Shield free?
VPN Hotspot Shield is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is VPN free?
VPN is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, VPN Hotspot Shield or VPN?
VPN Hotspot Shield and VPN are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 361K and 2.1M ratings respectively.
Do VPN Hotspot Shield or VPN have ads?
VPN shows ads; VPN Hotspot Shield does not.
Which is updated more often, VPN Hotspot Shield or VPN?
VPN Hotspot Shield ships an update every 10 days, and VPN every 6 days. Most recently, VPN Hotspot Shield was updated on September 24, 2026 and VPN on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, VPN Hotspot Shield or VPN?
VPN Hotspot Shield currently peaks at #57 in the App Store charts, and VPN at #11. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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