HideIPVPN Review 2024: Features, Search Trends, Installation
Choosing a VPN can be tricky as you do not have any clue about what you will actually get for the money you spend on it. HideIPVPN is a VPN service that comes with a free trial so you can get a sneak preview of the world of security and anonymity features that it can bring to the table. With that being said, HideIPVPN definitely doesn’t make it up to the top ten VPNs I have reviewed of late. But it certainly has some welcome benefits, including a built-in Smart DNS service, which is great for unblocking streaming websites that can appeal to you. Here’s a brief roundup of all the features of this US-based VPN.
| Location | California, United States |
| No-log policy |  |
| Hiding IP | |
| Kill-switch | |
| Max connections | 5 |
| Total servers | 24 |
| Total countries | 12 |
| Compatible devices | Windows, MacOS, iOS and Android |
| TOR support | |
| Torrenting | |
| Netflix | |
| Does it work in China? | |
| Servers’ speed (overall) | Fast |
| Usability | Easy to use |
| Customer support | Ticket-based and live chat |
| Website | https://www.hideipvpn.com |
HideIPVPN comes with a rich array of VPN protocols, along with good speed and stable connections. Owing to the superior security features, many users choose this VPN for P2P file sharing and torrenting. It’s a pretty basic service, and you shouldn’t expect much in terms of additional features. the default DNS leak protection is definitely a plus, and there is also an ‘Applications Killer’ (instead of a kill switch, which commands the VPN client to stop certain desktop applications and programs in case your connection drops out of nowhere. This is where the VPN is quite different from its competitors as most VPN services come with a kill switch, which kills the entire internet connection session, and not specific programs.
The VPN service providers claim that they do not log the user activities. The Windows client is particularly easy to set up and configure. The official website comes with detailed setup guides for nearly everything they offer, along with an info-rich FAQ section. The company offers 24/7 support, and you can either chat live with their support team or raise a ticket to get started. There is also a 30-day moneyback guarantee along with super-customized plans for every kind of user. As mentioned previously, you can always avail their 24-hour trial, for which you don’t even need to give out your credit card information.
HideIPVPN Logging Policy
“HideIPVPN.com may collect personally identifiable information from Users in a variety of ways, including through online forms for ordering products and services, and other instances where Users are invited to volunteer such information. HideIPVPN.com may also collect information about how Users use our Web site, for example, by tracking the number of unique views received by the pages of the Website or the domains from which Users originate.
HideIPVPN may request proofs of your identity (card ID, driver license, etc.) if the order looks suspicious or if it is made from a high-risk country. The refuse to send the required documents will result in termination of your account, without any refund of amounts previously paid for this service.”
HideIPVPN official privacy policy is a bit sketchy and ambiguous. On one hand, they claim that they have a ‘no-logs’ policy in place. On the other hand, the company says it ‘may collect personally identifiable information’. Although they maintain no ‘server logs’ per se, they seem to monitor or analyze what you are doing, and they may also maintain a note on your usage. Also, I found a very unusual and borderline spooky clause in their privacy statement which says that the company may request proofs of your identity (!) if your order appears suspicious. I understand that it’s totally their discretion, but if you are not interested in sending high-value personal documents to a third-party, I have no idea how you will deal with this part of their privacy statement.
Is It Compatible With TOR Browser?
Using Tor over VPN is a common workaround to bypass the internet censorship rules and to game the prying eyes of the surveillance agency. While you can use HideIPVPN with TOR browser technically, the VPN service provider strongly advises against pairing it up with TOR. They cite the exit node problem to corroborate this and clearly warn against using TOR over VPN. They even mention that using this trick might land you in trouble and recommends users to stick to a VPN only. In case you still want to go about it, you should first check with their support team before pairing these two up.
Is Torrenting Allowed?
The VPN service provider doesn’t allow its users to share files peer-to-peer or to download torrents on most of their servers, specifically on the servers based in the USA, UK, Poland, France or Canada. Only if your package includes Dutch (NL) and German (DE) servers, you can use the service for unlimited P2P sharing. Technically speaking, P2P sharing is allowed on some of their servers, but if you try to use P2P sharing on the other servers, you will be ‘warned’ by their system. If you make repeated attempts to download torrents on non-DE and non-NL servers, they may terminate your account with zero refund.
Can You Access Netflix?
Streaming Netflix US content using a VPN has proved to be a Royal Pain for non-US users, as the streaming giant has started blocking VPNs quite aggressively. Fortunately, using HideIPVPN’s USA server, you can now watch movies and TV shows on Netflix US. Also, by activating the Smart DNS feature, you can actually increase your options of what to stream. Not just Netflix, but you can also watch US-only content on HBO Now, Hulu, and Yahoo View! using their Smart DNS service and the US server. A full setup and troubleshooting guide can be found on the official website.
Does It Work In China?
Back in 2009, the VPN service provider made some changes to their service so that users from China can bypass China’s notorious and Great Firewall. The company officially claims that they have solved the DNS spoofing issue, although they have stated it clearly that only premium users can access certain banned sites in China. Among the changes that they made back then, the biggest one was that they added a host of UK and US servers. Also, you have to use the appropriate config to access certain sites in China using OpenVPN. You can download the OpenVPN config on their official website.
Are People Actually Looking For HideIPVPN Online?
Google Trends is actually a great tool to measure the overall popularity of a particular keyword, topic, product or service. It’s become a staple for internet marketers the world over. I decided to use the Big G’s tool to get an idea of how popular the VPN service has been in the US region over at least the past five years. Although HideIPVPN was quite popular in the US region in 2014 and even in 2017, it seems that the popularity of the VPN has gone through a downward spiral. I used to two more search terms, namely ‘buy hideipvpn’ and ‘hideipvpn review’, but Google couldn’t fetch any data for those two keywords.
First things first, if you always want the best speed, simply use the built-in Smart Location feature to connect to the fastest server. Generally speaking, it’s not a lightning fast VPN, but the speed is not bad either. I set the protocol to OpenVPN and used Speedtest.net to conduct a speed test. The US1 server I chose was actually located in Virginia and the test server was in Miami. I also connected to their London server. Much to my pleasure, the VPN didn’t cause the upload and download speeds to slow down too much. The fastest download speed I got on one of its servers (US) was 25.3 Mbps and the fastest upload speed was 18.6 Mbps. Not bad, right?
Google Trends is actually a great tool to measure the overall popularity of a particular keyword, topic, product or service. It’s become a staple for internet marketers the world over. I decided to use the Big G’s tool to get an idea of how popular the VPN service has been wordwide starting 2004 till 2024.
As you can see from the screenshot above VPN service was very popular from 2009 till 2015. I assume it began to lose its popularity due to the increased number of other vpn services and as a result of great competition.
When I tried to download the VPN client on my Windows system, I came across various detailed installation guides and tutorials, which made the installation a cakewalk for me. As the installation was done within seconds, I tapped the ‘Connect’ button almost right away and boom! I went anonymous within seconds. On their server list, some of the countries have more than just one server, and choosing these servers individually was a hassle-free process overall. You can also choose from a wide variety of advanced options, which I found handy at least. The service proved to be DNS and WebRTC leak-free, and I was amazed to see that they have at least managed to strike a perfect balance between functionality and usability.
The VPN service provider provides a couple of ways to get in touch with them. If you are my type of user, you may prefer the ‘live chat’ option, which is the quickest way to reach out to the support team of HideIPVPN. The executive who attended me was quick to respond and you may expect a reply within half a minute or less. There’s also a ticket-based support system in place, and the turnaround is roughly one hour. You can also avail remote assistance from their support team if you have TeamViewer. Their support executives are quite friendly and knowledgeable. In addition to that, you can also find a biggish FAQ section, along with very detailed and useful setup tutorials.
1 Month
$6.99 /month- Save 30%
- Billed $6.99 every month
- 30-day money-back guarantee
1 Year
$4.99 /month- Save 50%
- Billed $59.88 every 12 months
- 30-day money-back guarantee
3 Months
$5.99 /month- Save 40%
- Billed $17.97 every 3 months
- 30-day money-back guarantee
HideIPVPN is a little on the higher end of the price spectrum. The Ninja Power plan, as the claim, is the best-selling plan, which would set you back $9.99 a month (or $5.99 a month if you go for the quarterly plan, or $4.99 per month if you go for full one-year plan). Whether you go for the US VPN, or the UK VPN, or Poland VPN, you have to shell out $5.99 every month for the monthly plan, $4.33 per month for the quarterly plan, and $3.33 every month for the annual plan, respectively.
The BitTorrent VPN would cost you $5.99 every month if you opt for the monthly plan, $4.33 every month for the quarterly plan, and $3.33 per month for the annual plan, respectively. If you want the Smart DNS service, you will have to shell out $4.95 per month for the monthly plan, $4.32 every month for the quarterly plan, and $3.25 per month for the annual plan. The only limitation of the country-specific VPNs is that they will only provide you IP addresses in the respective countries. However, you can always avail the 24-hour free trial, which allows you to test their features and servers quite well.
If you don’t mind paying for a tiny server pool, and you are fine with just three simultaneous connections as long as the speed is decent on all three, HideIPVPN might be the holy grail of internet anonymity for you. There are actually faster VPNs at almost this price range (IPVanish VPN is one of the fastest VPNs I have tested so far), but the speed of this US-based VPN is more than decent. I expect them to flesh out their privacy policy a bit more in the future too, but it’s a decent choice as far as seed, privacy and usability factors are concerned. Go for the free-trial in case you are apprehensive.
