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Hide.me is a small VPN service provider based in Malaysia. It’s one of the few that offers a decent (albeit limited) free version to everyone.
It allows you to select from multiple locations while also providing DNS leak protection and a kill switch. Hide.me’s free version can even be used for torrenting.
Hide.me is a Malaysia-based VPN service provider. It’s one of the few that provides everyone with a decent (albeit limited) free version.
It lets you choose from multiple locations and includes DNS leak protection and a kill switch. The free version of Hide.me can even be used for torrenting.
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Pros and Cons of Hide.me VPN
Pros
- Have free version
- Tunneling protocols that are cutting-edge
- Most streaming services are unblocked.
- 10 concurrent connections
- SOCKS5 proxy server
- Excellent customer service
- IPv6 compatibility
Cons
- The kill switch could be enhanced.
- Basic mobile apps
- Expensive plans
Is Hide.me VPN fast in terms of speed?
The average IKEv2 speed drop-off is only 44%, while uploads struggle even more—84%. It’s worth noting that the spike in Lithuania has significantly improved the upload average. When I choose a more remote location, the upload rates plummet dramatically.
The average SoftEther download speed dropped by only 27%, allowing it to compete with NordLynx and ExpressVPN’s Lightway (though the encryption will be less strong).
Meanwhile, average upload speeds suffer a larger drop, but they remain within a safe margin – 45%. It’s a welcome surprise.
Speeds are reduced even further in TCP mode, but consistency is maintained. The average drop-off in download and upload speeds is 83%. As a result, it is not significantly different from UDP scores.
This means you could use the safer TCP variant and achieve performance comparable to that of the UDP mode. The main takeaway is that UDP is usually much faster.
Nonetheless, Hide.me made a favorable impression. If you need faster or more secure tunneling protocols, they have viable options. The speeds are also consistent, with no significant drops in subsequent locations.
Is Hide.me VPN compatible with Streaming Sites?
A large number of TV shows and movies are exclusively available to viewers on streaming sites. However, using Hide.me VPN, we were able to access the entire library of every streaming site.
We had no loading or buffering issues, and the overall experience was pleasant.
BBC iPlayer is available to UK citizens who are homesick. Hide.me VPN works flawlessly with the British streaming platform, with no errors reported. The same is true for YouTube, where Hide.me VPN easily unblocks geo-restricted videos.
DAZN was the true litmus test. It is one of the most difficult sports streaming services to unblock. Only a few VPNs managed to do it during our tests. However, Hide.me VPN unblocked DAZN, allowing full access to content that would otherwise be unavailable.
In short, Hide.me VPN has an excellent track record when it comes to streaming services. You’ll also find optimized servers for Disney+, RAI, and other services in your quick access list. As a result, you should be able to unblock even more of them.
Is torrenting allowed on Hide.me?
Hide.me VPN supports torrenting and does not throttle any traffic. So, if you’re looking for a torrenting service, it’s definitely an option. The speeds in our tests were quite good. The speeds are affected by a variety of factors, including the number of seeders, so your results may vary.
Hide.me VPN’s Features
Stealth Guard
Stealth Guard is a one-of-a-kind Hide.me VPN feature that combines the kill switch and split tunneling. You can select apps or your entire Internet connection, and which apps will only work with VPN enabled.
It goes beyond split tunneling in that if the connection between your device and the VPN server is lost, the selected apps will be turned off as well.
Consider the following scenario: you’re torrenting and your VPN connection drops. When you add a torrenting app to Stealth Guard, not only will your Internet connection be terminated, but so will the torrent client.
SOCKS5
In contrast to other VPN service providers, the SOCKS5 proxy is inextricably linked to the VPN connection. To use it, you must be connected via a VPN. It limits the possible usage scenarios, but it also solves one of the inherent SOCKS5 proxy issues.
SOCKS5 typically does not add encryption; instead, it simply routes your connection through an intermediary VPN server. However, requiring the use of SOCKS5 increases the security of your connection.
Furthermore, because authentication is already established during the VPN connection, you are not required to provide it when connecting to the server.
IPv6 Network
The Internet is mostly powered by Internet Protocol version 4, which means that IPv4 addresses will become obsolete at some point. To prepare for the future, Hide.me VPN is already IPv6 compatible. A more recent and advanced standard.
When you connect to Hide.me VPN servers, you will notice that they are all IPv4 and IPv6 compatible. However, the VPN connection itself is based on IPv4, which is also encrypted.
When you connect to a VPN server, you gain access to IPv6 addresses as well as potentially faster download speeds for all incoming connections.
Fixed IP
Contrary to popular belief, Fixed IP here does not refer to a Static IP address, which is typically sold separately and provides you with your own unique IP address. A Fixed IP address, on the other hand, is similar to an IP reservation on a public VPN server.
As a result, you’ll get the same IP address every time you connect to the same VPN server. Though the service recognizes that if the server is under heavy load, the IP address can be assigned to someone else.
However, keep in mind that the feature will not work for web hosting because some of the ports have been restricted.
Is Hide.me VPN safe to use?
Hide.me VPN is a trustworthy VPN service. They use encryption standards that are comparable to those used by market leaders. Furthermore, their privacy and transparency policies prioritize their users’ anonymity above all else.
Encryption
When you connect to Hide.me VPN servers, your connection is encrypted, as previously stated. If someone decides to start monitoring your network, all they will see is gibberish.
Hide.me ensures this by employing the AES-256-CBC cipher. This service isn’t an outlier because many secure VPNs use the same method to secure a connection.
When you authenticate, your login and password are scrambled, as is your connection. The SHA-256 cipher is used for this purpose by the service. As a result, their servers only store hashed versions of your credentials that are impossible to reverse engineer.
Self-managed DNS
Because you rely on third-party DNS servers, they have access to your connection logs. As a result, if you use DNS addresses assigned by your Internet Service Provider, you can easily retrieve every accessed domain.
Hide.me VPN makes use of its own DNS servers. As a result, when you connect to their network, your DNS queries will be encrypted at the same level as your VPN connection.
This not only keeps your online history private but also helps to prevent the spread of DNS poisoning cases. As a result, it addresses two potential issues at the same time.
Kill switch
Most VPN services advertise that their kill switch will disconnect your connection if your connection to a VPN server is lost. To see how the client would react, I decided to block access to the server’s IP address and forcefully close app processes.
The first test produced inconclusive results. The ping command was still running after the IP address was blocked on a router, indicating that not everything was blocked. A functioning kill switch would show unreachable or timeout errors, which is not the case here.
DNS functionality was completely disabled as a quick fix. However, it does not cover all possible gaps that could be exploited if your connection goes down.
Logging
Hide.me VPN is headquartered in Malaysia. It’s not only an unusual location for a VPN service provider, but it’s also out of reach for the Five Eyes alliance. Because Malaysia has no data retention laws, VPN service providers are not required to keep them. This enables a truly anonymous service.
Hide.me’s Privacy Policy states that the service is completely anonymous and keeps no logs. According to the policy, they do not save any connection information or exchange contents. So, whatever you intend to do online, you will leave no trace.
Locations and servers
Hide.me VPN has around 2000 servers spread across 46 countries. It’s a small fleet, but it should provide adequate coverage.
Despite the fact that they only have servers in four countries in the Americas, they have some of the most server locations in these countries. In other words, connecting to the United States will be simple, but connecting to a smaller South American country may be difficult.
To some extent, the same holds true for other continents, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say the service is lacking in locations.
Customer service
The knowledge base is where this provider’s customer support begins. There, you’ll find guides for a variety of scenarios, ranging from the most basic to the most advanced.
Hide.me VPN does not disappoint if you prefer to communicate with a live person. I used live chat to contact customer support to troubleshoot WireGuard issues. After asking some general questions, they directed me to open a ticket, which was answered approximately 30 minutes later. I was astounded by their response time.
One of the areas where Hide.me VPN truly shines is in customer support.
Is Hide.me VPN reliable?
Hide.me VPN is an excellent VPN service with excellent security, connection speeds, and unblocking capabilities. It has advanced features to bypass firewalls, unblock streaming platforms that other providers cannot access, and exclusives such as an app-level kill switch.
The VPN is compatible with a wide range of streaming services, including Netflix, BBC iPlayer, DAZN, and Youtube. And because the speeds are usually quite fast, there will be no buffering issues. The speeds are also sufficient for torrenting.
Their privacy policies and customer service are also commendable. Furthermore, Hide.me is based in Malaysia, which is not a member of the 14-Eyes alliance. As a result, there’s a lot to like about this service.
Kill switch malfunctions, SSTP connection errors, rather basic mobile apps, and high prices, on the other hand, can be strong arguments against it. Overall, though, it’s not a bad option.
FAQs
Is Hide.me VPN safe to use?
Yes, in general. Hide.me VPN does not keep any activity or usage logs, ensuring your privacy. During our testing, we encountered some issues with the kill switch, which could be a weakness.
What is the price of Hide.me VPN?
Hide.me VPN has a free version, so the initial cost is $0.00. The premium version, on the other hand, costs between $3.45 and $9.95 per month.
Is Hide.me VPN trustable?
Yes. Hide.me VPN is based in Malaysia, a privacy-friendly country that is not part of the Five Eyes surveillance alliance. The service also publishes transparency reports on a regular basis.
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