Compare speeds, free options, subscription prices and renewal terms to see which VPN fits your needs.
| Speed | Hotspot Shield | Surfshark |
|---|---|---|
| Paid · Download | No data | No data |
| Paid · Upload | No data | No data |
| Free · Download | 448.18 Mbps | No data |
| Free · Upload | 252.95 Mbps | No data |
No speed history available.
| Free options | Hotspot Shield | Surfshark |
|---|---|---|
| Free options | Free Basic offers unlimited traffic, one connection and one virtual location on Windows, macOS, Android and iOS; ads may appear. A 7-day trial is also offered with an annual subscription. It converts to paid access unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the trial ends. | No permanent free plan. New customers can try the VPN for 7 days when choosing an annual or two-year subscription. Payment details are required; cancel before the trial ends to avoid a charge. The trial allows three simultaneous devices, compared with unlimited VPN connections after payment. |
| Pricing | Hotspot Shield | Surfshark |
|---|---|---|
| Paid plan | Premium | Surfshark Starter |
| 1 month | 1 month / $1.99 $1.99 per month At renewal: 1 month / $12.99 $12.99 per month (+553%) | 1 month / $16.45 $16.45 per month At renewal: 1 month / $16.45 $16.45 per month (Same monthly price) |
| 1 year | 1 year / $29.00 $2.42 per month At renewal: 1 year / $95.99 $8.00 per month (+231%) | 15 months / $50.85 $3.39 per month At renewal: 12 months / $79.00 $6.58 per month (+94%) |
| 2 years | No plan for this term | 27 months / $67.23 $2.49 per month At renewal: 12 months / $79.00 $6.58 per month (+164%) |
Direct purchases only. Monthly equivalents include bonus time; the full amount is charged upfront. Taxes and eligibility may differ.
| Managing your subscription | Hotspot Shield | Surfshark |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic renewal | Subscriptions purchased through the VPN website, App Store, and Google PlayRenews automatically. | Subscriptions purchased through the VPN websiteCredit card Renews automatically. For plans other than monthly subscriptions, a renewal notice is sent 30 days before expiry. Your card may be pre-authorized before the subscription expires. Subscriptions purchased through App Store and Google PlayRenews automatically. |
| How to turn off renewal | Subscriptions purchased through the VPN websiteIn your VPN account or Through support In your VPN account
Through support
After your paid period ends, your account returns to Basic. Canceling your subscription does not automatically request a refund. Subscriptions purchased through App Store and Google Play If you purchased through the App Store or Google Play, open the subscription settings in that store, select the VPN and cancel the subscription. | Subscriptions purchased through the VPN websiteCredit card In your VPN account
Subscriptions purchased through App Store and Google Play If you purchased through the App Store or Google Play, open the subscription settings in that store, select the VPN and cancel the subscription. |
| When to cancel | Subscriptions purchased through the VPN websiteIn your VPN account: At least 24 hours before the next charge. | The exact cancellation deadline is not specified. Cancel well before the next renewal charge to avoid being charged again. |
| Access after cancellation | Subscriptions purchased through the VPN website, App Store, and Google PlayAvailable until the paid period ends. | Subscriptions purchased through the VPN website, App Store, and Google PlayCredit card Available until the paid period ends. |
| Removing a card from your VPN account | It is unknown whether the saved card can be removed. | Removing the card requires deleting the VPN account. |
| Refund conditions | Hotspot Shield | Surfshark |
|---|---|---|
| What can be refunded and under what conditions | Purchases on the VPN websiteThe provider’s refund guarantee applies subject to conditions. Within 45 days Starting from your initial purchase Refund amount & fees The website advertises a full refund within the guarantee window. How to request a refund
App Store & Google Play purchasesIf you paid through the App Store or Google Play, you can request a refund through that store. Requests are assessed under the store’s rules; approval is not guaranteed. | Purchases on the VPN websiteCredit card The provider’s refund guarantee applies subject to conditions. Within 30 days Starting from your initial purchase If you start with the direct seven-day trial, the window begins with the first paid charge. Important limitations We could not confirm how non-refundable extras affect the refund amount for a bundle. Conditions Only one refund is available per service. How to request a refund
App Store & Google Play purchasesIf you paid through the App Store or Google Play, you can request a refund through that store. Requests are assessed under the store’s rules; approval is not guaranteed. Additional conditions from the VPN provider Subscriptions purchased through Google PlayThe provider’s refund guarantee applies subject to conditions. Within 30 days Starting from your initial purchase Important limitations We could not confirm how non-refundable extras affect the refund amount for a bundle. Conditions Only one refund is available per service. Exclusions Renewal payments are not covered by the provider’s guarantee. Prepaid and gift-card purchases are excluded. Trials lasting 30 days or longer are excluded. Purchases that violate the terms of service are excluded. Some extras, including Anonymous Dedicated IP and Alternative ID-related purchases, are excluded. How to request a refund
|
| What is not covered by refunds | Purchases on the VPN websiteRenewal payments after the initial 45-day guarantee period are not covered by the money-back guarantee. Purchases through resellers have separate refund terms. | Purchases on the VPN websiteCredit card Renewal payments are not covered by the provider’s guarantee. Prepaid and gift-card purchases are excluded. Trials lasting 30 days or longer are excluded. Purchases that violate the terms of service are excluded. Some extras, including Anonymous Dedicated IP and Alternative ID-related purchases, are excluded. |
| Ownership & jurisdiction | Hotspot Shield | Surfshark |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs the VPN? | The legal documents name Anchorfree, LLC and Pango Gmbh as possible service operators, but we could not confirm which company provides your subscription. Terms name either Anchorfree, LLC or Pango Gmbh depending on purchase location; the exact mapping was not established. | Surfshark B.V. (registered in Netherlands) is the company named as providing the VPN service. Direct consumer VPN contracting entity; separate bundled-service operators not assigned. |
| Which laws apply? | The terms specify New York law while preserving mandatory consumer protections. The company may be registered elsewhere. | The terms specify British Virgin Islands law and courts. Mandatory consumer protections in your country of residence still apply. |
Each audit covers particular systems and a particular point in time. A provider announcement is distinct from a publicly available audit report.
| Audits | Hotspot Shield | Surfshark |
|---|---|---|
| No-logs policy | No-logs review Aon · 2023 What was checked: Logging behaviour in free and paid clients and a development server node. Findings: The review found no browsing activity traceable to an individual and no plaintext IP-address logging in the examined setup. Limitations: This privacy review did not assess the security of data storage or hosting. Read the auditor’s summary | No-logs review Deloitte Lietuva UAB · 2025 What was checked: No-logs server configuration and supporting operations, examined in May–June 2025. Findings: The reasonable-assurance report supported compliance with the described no-logs setup. Limitations: The audited setup allows temporary user IDs and connection timestamps, deleted within 15 minutes after disconnection. Read the audit report |
| App security | No independent audit found for this area. | Application security SecuRing · 2025 What was checked: Desktop and mobile apps and browser extensions, tested from February to April 2025. Findings: The public attestation reports no critical vulnerabilities. It does not publish the full finding list or confirm that all findings were fixed. Read the auditor’s summary |
| Infrastructure security | No independent audit found for this area. | Server and infrastructure security SecuRing · December 2025 What was checked: Selected VPN infrastructure, tested in December 2025. Findings: The report found a medium-severity TLS configuration issue and recommended improving HTTP redirects. Fixes: The public material does not confirm whether the reported issue was subsequently fixed. Limitations: These findings describe the tested versions at that time, not the current state of every app or server. Read the audit reportDausos protocol security Cure53 · 2026 What was checked: The Dausos VPN protocol and related components, tested in February–March 2026. Findings: Ten findings were reported. The eight within the protocol scope were medium severity or lower; the two most severe concerned external hosting infrastructure. Fixes: The summary says most findings were addressed and submitted for verification; it does not establish that every fix was verified. Read the auditor’s summary |
| Apps, protocols & servers | Hotspot Shield | Surfshark |
|---|---|---|
| Computers & mobile devices | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux |
| TV devices | PaidAndroid TV, Fire TV FreeNot supported | PaidAndroid TV, Fire TV, Apple TV FreeNot applicable |
| Browser extensions | Chrome | Chrome, Firefox, Edge |
| Manual setup | Not supported | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Routers, Raspberry Pi, NAS |
| Apps, protocols & servers | Hotspot Shield | Surfshark |
|---|---|---|
| Simultaneous connections | Paid10 Free1 | PaidUnlimited FreeNot applicable |
| WireGuard | Supported | Supported |
| OpenVPN | Supported | Supported |
| IKEv2/IPsec | Supported | Supported (Not available in: Windows app) |
| Provider-specific technologies | Hydra | Dausos |
| Apps, protocols & servers | Hotspot Shield | Surfshark |
|---|---|---|
| Servers | No data | 4,500+ |
| Countries | Paid85 Free3 | Paid100 FreeNot applicable |
| Locations | 1 | No data |
| Features | Hotspot Shield | Surfshark |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-connect | Supported | Supported |
| Kill Switch | Supported | Supported |
| Split tunneling | Supported (Smart VPN) | Supported (Bypasser) |
| VPN traffic obfuscation | Supported (Hydra) | Supported |
| Multi-hop | Supported (Android app only) | Supported (Dynamic MultiHop) |
| Tor over VPN | Supported | Not supported |
| P2P / torrenting | Supported | Supported |
| Ad blocking | Not supported | Supported (CleanWeb) |
| Tracker blocking | Not supported | Supported (CleanWeb) |
| Malicious website blocking | Supported | Supported (CleanWeb) |
| Port forwarding | Not supported | Not supported |
| Dedicated IP | Not supported | Supported (Paid add-on) |
| Shared static IP | Not supported | Supported |
| Automatic IP rotation | Not supported | Supported (Rotating IP) |
Based on providers’ published information. “Not supported” means the service was not listed in the reviewed materials; playback has not been tested.
| Features | Hotspot Shield | Surfshark |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix | Supported | Supported |
| Amazon Prime Video | Supported | Supported |
| Disney+ | Supported | Supported |
| HBO Max | Not supported | Supported |
| Hulu | Supported | Supported |
| Crunchyroll | Not supported | Supported |
| BBC iPlayer | Not supported | Supported |
| Features | Hotspot Shield | Surfshark |
|---|---|---|
| Paramount+ | Not supported | Not supported |
| Apple TV+ | Not supported | Not supported |
| Peacock | Not supported | Not supported |
| YouTube TV | Not supported | Not supported |
| iQIYI | Not supported | Not supported |
| WeTV | Not supported | Not supported |
| Viki | Not supported | Not supported |
| DAZN | Not supported | Not supported |
| ESPN+ | Not supported | Not supported |
| F1 TV | Not supported | Not supported |
| beIN Sports | Not supported | Not supported |
| fuboTV | Not supported | Not supported |
| Kayo Sports | Not supported | Not supported |
| JioHotstar | Not supported | Not supported |
| ZEE5 | Not supported | Not supported |
| SonyLIV | Not supported | Not supported |
| Vidio | Not supported | Not supported |
| Canal+ | Not supported | Not supported |
| ITVX | Not supported | Not supported |
| Channel 4 | Not supported | Not supported |
| NOW TV | Not supported | Not supported |
| France.tv | Not supported | Not supported |
| TF1+ | Not supported | Not supported |
| RTL+ | Not supported | Not supported |
| Joyn | Not supported | Not supported |
| ARD | Not supported | Not supported |
| ZDF | Not supported | Not supported |
| RaiPlay | Not supported | Not supported |
| Mediaset Infinity | Not supported | Not supported |
| Movistar Plus+ | Not supported | Not supported |
| RTVE Play | Not supported | Not supported |
| Viaplay | Not supported | Not supported |
| U-next | Not supported | Not supported |
| TVING | Not supported | Not supported |
| Coupang Play | Not supported | Not supported |
| Wavve | Not supported | Not supported |
| FPT Play | Not supported | Not supported |
| VieON | Not supported | Not supported |
| VTV Go | Not supported | Not supported |
| Vision+ | Not supported | Not supported |
| RCTI+ | Not supported | Not supported |
| Exxen | Not supported | Not supported |
| puhutv | Not supported | Not supported |
| M6+ | Not supported | Not supported |
| Videoland | Not supported | Not supported |
| NPO Start | Not supported | Not supported |
| Ziggo Go | Not supported | Not supported |
| RTÉ Player | Not supported | Not supported |
| RTBF Auvio | Not supported | Not supported |
Relevant mainly where VPN services are blocked
If you are in the US, a European country, or elsewhere and VPN services are not blocked on your network, these results need not rule this VPN out of your purchase decision. A failed test under blocking in Russia does not, by itself, mean the VPN is poor quality or will not work where you live. Consider its speed, features and price for your needs.
| Censorship | Hotspot Shield | Surfshark |
|---|---|---|
| Does it work on restricted networks? | In our tests in Russia, the free plan bypassed VPN blocking and allowed data transfer. We could not establish a working connection with data transfer on the paid plan. | In our tests in Russia, we could not establish a working VPN connection that allowed data transfer under VPN blocking. |