Compare speeds, free options, subscription prices and renewal terms to see which VPN fits your needs.
| Speed | Hotspot Shield | Whoer VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Paid · Download | No data | 155.13 Mbps |
| Paid · Upload | No data | 31.18 Mbps |
| Free · Download | 448.18 Mbps | 0.95 Mbps |
| Free · Upload | 252.95 Mbps | 1 Mbps |
No speed history available.
| Free options | Hotspot Shield | Whoer VPN |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Whoer advertises free Chrome and Opera extensions with a Netherlands server capped at 1 Mbps, without a traffic or time limit. They cover browser traffic only. |
| Pricing | Hotspot Shield | Whoer VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Paid plan | Premium | WhoVPN |
| 1 month | 1 month / $1.99 $1.99 per month At renewal: 1 month / $12.99 $12.99 per month (+553%) | 1 month / $9.90 $9.90 per month At renewal: 1 month / Standard price at the time of renewal |
| 1 year | 1 year / $29.00 $2.42 per month At renewal: 1 year / $95.99 $8.00 per month (+231%) | 12 months / $29.90 $2.49 per month At renewal: 12 months / Standard price at the time of renewal |
| 2 years | No plan for this term | 24 months / $49.90 $2.08 per month At renewal: 24 months / Standard price at the time of renewal |
Direct purchases only. Monthly equivalents include bonus time; the full amount is charged upfront. Taxes and eligibility may differ.
| Managing your subscription | Hotspot Shield | Whoer VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic renewal | Subscriptions purchased through the VPN website, App Store, and Google PlayRenews automatically. | Subscriptions purchased through the VPN website, App Store, and Google PlayCredit card Renews automatically. Subscriptions purchased through the VPN websiteCryptocurrency No automatic renewal. Another paid period requires a manual payment. |
| 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 Through the link in your purchase email
WhoVPN does not provide a cancellation dashboard or process cancellations manually. Use the Stripe portal. 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 websiteCredit card Available until the paid period ends. Subscriptions purchased through App Store and Google PlayRemaining access after cancellation is not established. |
| Removing a card from your VPN account | It is unknown whether the saved card can be removed. | It is unknown whether the saved card can be removed. |
| Refund conditions | Hotspot Shield | Whoer VPN |
|---|---|---|
| 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 website1 month The provider’s refund guarantee applies subject to conditions. Within 7 days Starting from your initial purchase Important limitations The purchase page advertises 30 days without conditions, but the detailed refund policy imposes technical-problem requirements and different windows by plan length. The threshold for significant use is not specified. Refund amount & fees Cryptocurrency refunds use the original cryptocurrency and the USD exchange rate at the time of the refund. Unused parts of a billing cycle are not refunded after cancellation. Conditions Provide evidence of a software problem that support cannot resolve. You must be unable to connect to any server listed on the website. The subscription terms require that there has been no significant use of the service. How to request a refund
12 months · 24 months The provider’s refund guarantee applies subject to conditions. Within 30 days Starting from your initial purchase Important limitations The purchase page advertises 30 days without conditions, but the detailed refund policy imposes technical-problem requirements and different windows by plan length. Refund amount & fees Cryptocurrency refunds use the original cryptocurrency and the USD exchange rate at the time of the refund. Unused parts of a billing cycle are not refunded after cancellation. Conditions Provide evidence of a software problem that support cannot resolve. You must be unable to connect to any server listed on the website. 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. |
| 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 website1 month, 12 months · 24 months Renewal payments are not covered by the provider’s guarantee. The absence of a preferred country or city is not a valid reason for a refund. Accounts blocked for violating the terms of use are excluded. |
| Ownership & jurisdiction | Hotspot Shield | Whoer VPN |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Sam digital solutions FZE (registered in United Arab Emirates) is the company named as providing the VPN service. Current WhoVPN terms identify this operator; legacy customer contract transfer not established. The legal documents name Whoix Ltd. as a possible service operator, but we could not confirm which company provides your subscription. Named in Whoer.net terms, not assigned to current WhoVPN purchases. |
| Which laws apply? | The terms specify New York law while preserving mandatory consumer protections. The company may be registered elsewhere. | Sam digital solutions FZE: The terms refer to the law of a UAE free zone but do not name the zone. Whoix Ltd.: The Whoer.net website terms mention Nauru law. This does not confirm which law applies to current VPN subscriptions. |
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 | Whoer VPN |
|---|---|---|
| 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 independent audit found for this area. |
| App security | No independent audit found for this area. | No independent audit found for this area. |
| Infrastructure security | No independent audit found for this area. | No independent audit found for this area. |
| Apps, protocols & servers | Hotspot Shield | Whoer VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Computers & mobile devices | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux |
| TV devices | PaidAndroid TV, Fire TV FreeNot supported | PaidNot supported FreeNot applicable |
| Browser extensions | Chrome | Firefox, Opera, Yandex Browser |
| Manual setup | Not supported | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Routers |
| Apps, protocols & servers | Hotspot Shield | Whoer VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Simultaneous connections | Paid10 Free1 | PaidUnlimited FreeNot applicable |
| WireGuard | Supported | Not supported |
| OpenVPN | Supported | Supported (Manual setup) |
| IKEv2/IPsec | Supported | Not supported |
| SSTP | Not supported | Supported (Manual setup) |
| Provider-specific technologies | Hydra | — |
| Other connection technologies | — | L2TP (L2TP: Manual setup) |
| Apps, protocols & servers | Hotspot Shield | Whoer VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Servers | No data | No data |
| Countries | Paid85 Free3 | Paid20 FreeNot applicable |
| Locations | 1 | No data |
| Features | Hotspot Shield | Whoer VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-connect | Supported | Not supported |
| Kill Switch | Supported | Supported |
| Split tunneling | Supported (Smart VPN) | Not supported |
| VPN traffic obfuscation | Supported (Hydra) | Supported |
| Multi-hop | Supported (Android app only) | Supported (Double VPN) |
| Tor over VPN | Supported | Not supported |
| P2P / torrenting | Supported | Supported |
| Ad blocking | Not supported | Not supported |
| Tracker blocking | Not supported | Not supported |
| Malicious website blocking | Supported | Not supported |
| Port forwarding | Not supported | Not supported |
| Dedicated IP | Not supported | Not supported |
| Shared static IP | Not supported | Not supported |
| Automatic IP rotation | Not supported | Not supported |
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 | Whoer VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix | Supported | Not supported |
| Amazon Prime Video | Supported | Not supported |
| Disney+ | Supported | Not supported |
| Hulu | Supported | Not supported |
| Features | Hotspot Shield | Whoer VPN |
|---|---|---|
| HBO Max | Not supported | Not supported |
| Paramount+ | Not supported | Not supported |
| Apple TV+ | Not supported | Not supported |
| Peacock | Not supported | Not supported |
| Crunchyroll | Not supported | Not supported |
| YouTube TV | Not supported | Not supported |
| BBC iPlayer | 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 | Whoer VPN |
|---|---|---|
| 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, this VPN bypassed VPN blocking: we successfully connected to a VPN server and transferred data through the connection. |