When comparing Hide Me vs IVPN, the Slant community recommends IVPN for most people. In the question“What is the best VPN provider? ” IVPN is ranked 4th while Hide Me is ranked 8th. The most important reason people chose IVPN is:
You can switch between a single VPN connection (singlehop), or routing your internet traffic through multiple VPN servers (multihop) at any time. The latter increases anonymity, but comes at the cost of a slightly worse performance. Furthermore their multihop system has a built in restriction that dictates that it must be a hop from one country to the next, so no Dallas to LA hop, but because of this there should be nothing too shocking about the overall latency. NY - Toronto - London can still edge under 100ms, LA - SLC - HK hitting 350 - 380ms is pretty normal for everyone. A single hop from Brooklyn to Jersey can be as low as 7ms, with 20ms to Atlanta. To further the point, really this means that if you route through a US node they may throttle you, but it may help to be on a private tracker. It certainly wouldn't affect you if you're connecting from a peer through Canada or Bucharest.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro No logs are kept, it's completely anonymous
Because Hide.me is based in Malaysia, where there are no laws that would require a company to retain their data, the VPN service has chosen to avoid logging any personal data. Actually, no logs of any kind are kept. This saves them from liability and ensures your privacy.
Additionally, if the Malaysian government would change laws requiring retention of logs or customer data, Hide.me promises to change countries to be able to protect your privacy.
Pro Free plan
The free plan allows for 1 connection that's limited to 3 servers (Canada, Netherlands & Singapore), 2GB of data, 3Mbit/s of bandwidth speed and it doesn't support OpenVPN. There's also the "plus" package that uncaps bandwidth speed, increases data limit to 75GB and adds OpenVPN support. Finally, there's the "premium" package, that uncaps data, allows for 5 simultaneous connections and port forwarding.
Pro Softether support
Accepts tor network, encryption upon itself using another protocol, no server throttling.
Pro Supports multiple devices (premium)
With the Hide.me Premium Plan (9.99 $/mo) you can connect up to 5 devices simultaneously including mobile devices and routers, meaning you can safely browse even on devices without VPN support.
Pro Pass-through of any kind of encrypted or tor traffic
Accepts passthrough of even self re-encrypted traffic of any protocol, any provider and tor traffic, this is proof of transparency.
Pro Fast
Hide.me is among the fastest VPN services available. It does not impose any limits on their services and the speed is mostly determined by your own internet connection speed and chosen exit country.
Pro IPsec over IKEv2
IPsec over IKEv2 is one of the fastest, most reliable VPN protocols and as secure as OpenVPN, but you can choose other options if you prefer. Hide.me supports OpenVPN, Softhether, IPSec (IKEv1 & IKEv2), L2TP/IPSec and PPTP protocols.
Pro Quick setup
Setting up requires downloading and installing software that asks once for your e-mail.
Pro No traffic or protocol restricitions except for US
You can use any and all protocols at your disposal, no traffic is restricted, except for US where P2P and BitTorrent traffic is restricted with a firewall. Additionally, users are encouraged to avoid US/UK locations for their filesharing activities.
Pro Watch IPTV
With Hide.me you can watch popular streaming services such as Netflix, HBO and Hulu even in countries where they are blocked. Hide.me also guarantees that speeds stay fast so you aren't waiting at an endless buffering screen.
Pro Cross-platform
Hide.me software works on OS X, Windows, Android, Windows phone, Windows RT, Ubuntu, and iOS. Not only this but it also works on devices like Xbox, Roku, Routers, etc.
Pro Over 80 international payment methods
Including Paypal, credit cards, bank transfer, PaySafeCard, and UKash.
Pro Supports popular devices
Hide Me specifies that their services are compatible with PC, Mac, and Android gadgets. However, no additional operating systems are mentioned.
Pro Anonymous signup
You don't need to enter your street or phone number, etc. You just need a valid email address.
Pro It supports every device, not just Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS
Hide.me VPN supports all devices and platforms available out there, including Linux and routers. They also have a well-maintained blog which has a how-to section, which gives you a step by step guide to set up Hide.me VPN even on devices like PlayStation, Roku, X-box, etc..
Pro Multihop and Singlehop options
You can switch between a single VPN connection (singlehop), or routing your internet traffic through multiple VPN servers (multihop) at any time. The latter increases anonymity, but comes at the cost of a slightly worse performance. Furthermore their multihop system has a built in restriction that dictates that it must be a hop from one country to the next, so no Dallas to LA hop, but because of this there should be nothing too shocking about the overall latency. NY - Toronto - London can still edge under 100ms, LA - SLC - HK hitting 350 - 380ms is pretty normal for everyone. A single hop from Brooklyn to Jersey can be as low as 7ms, with 20ms to Atlanta.
To further the point, really this means that if you route through a US node they may throttle you, but it may help to be on a private tracker. It certainly wouldn't affect you if you're connecting from a peer through Canada or Bucharest.
Pro Wireguard is available
Pro Multiple payment options
Bitcoin, cash and PayPal are accepted.
Pro Token-based account
You can create an account by generating a token and using it to login. If you don't believe it's secure you can also add 2FA.
Pro 2FA Supported
Can setup 2FA for extra security.
Pro Ethical company
Opened and runs DoINeedAVPN.com — A website to determine if you need a VPN or not. IVPN's website also offers a Blog to help determine if other VPN companies are trustworthy, what to ask companies, and other safety practices.
Pro Based in "No Eyes" Country
Company is based in Gibraltar, so IVPN is not obligated to provide access to three letter agencies.
Pro Warrant Canary is provided on their website
You can find it here.
Pro Non-persistent logs are kept for 10 minutes
They are kept for troubleshooting reasons.
Pro No traffic or protocol restricitions except for BitTorrent in US
Except for BitTorrent in US, you can use any and all protocols at your disposal, no traffic is restricted.
Cons
Con Guides for DDWRT, OpenWRT, and Pfsense missing details and not working
No stealth VPN to defeat DPI.
Con Mac OS software is leaking IP address
Con Wireguard is only allowed within the app. No Config generater that allows use on routers for Example
There should be config Generator like any other VPN provider to allow use outside the app like openWRT router or pfsense firewall
Con Incompatible with Windows RT
While Hide Me clearly puts forth effort to maintain compatibility across devices, Windows RT is incompatible with this service.