Hide My IP VPN is a virtual private network (VPN) under the parent company My Privacy Tools, Inc and was founded in 2006. This VPN provider is definitely fast when connected to semi-local servers, but it sometimes has difficulty connecting with servers that are located further away. Although the service has been around for a long time as far as VPNs go, it’s still lacking in several areas, including its number of servers, shady logging practices, lack of access to streaming services, and collection of personal data.

On the plus side, Hide My IP is extremely affordable compared with its competitors. It’s running military-grade encryption and boasts a Smart DNS Proxy as its flagship feature. Even with its strong encryption and free Smart DNS Proxy, we’re not sure its outdated dashboard and confusing user interface are worth it.

Hide My IP VPN overview

Who is Hide My IP VPN best for?

• Recommended for users on a budget who don’t want frills.

Hide My IP VPN is one of the least expensive and fastest VPNs around — at least when you get a server that connects well. If you do find a server location in one of its 135 countries that performs slower than you’d like, you can quickly connect to another one to eliminate lag time. You’ll find decent speeds on the servers that connect, even on the free version. It’s frustrating that Hide My IP is an all-or-nothing kind of product.

Hide My IP VPN is headquartered in the U.S. and is not shy about letting you know it will turn over logs kept on you if requested by governments or law enforcement. And it does keep far more logs of your personal information and online activity than we’d like to see. Below are snippets from its privacy policy detailing information collected, such as your name, email, IP address, credit or debit info, communication with Hide My IP’s parent company, My Privacy Tools, Inc, your account information, what products you use from the parent company, and all the data related to your usage of those products.

If you’re cool with this because you’re looking for something strong, fast, and affordable, then Hide My IP VPN may work for you.

Hide My IP VPN pros and cons

Hide My IP VPN features

Hide My IP allows you a choice of two servers and its Smart DNS Proxy on the free version. Additional features, such as a kill switch, split tunneling, military-grade encryption, and a choice of protocols are available on the paid version. There are three payment options, but the features stay the same no matter what paid option you choose. The payment options are based on your preferences for subscription management.

Server count and countries

• 260 servers in 131 locations

There’s a lot of differing information on the server count for Hide My IP VPN. The site itself isn’t easy to navigate or forthcoming with its operational information. We were able to find a recent source that confirmed the server and country count, but it differs from even what the website shows.[1]

The country count is on par with other VPN services, but the server count is a little low. This rings especially true when you attempt to connect to lesser-used regions. We found issues connecting to servers in Adelaide, Australia, and countries in Eastern Europe, such as Romania.

No-logs policy and headquarters

• Hide My IP VPN logs policy: Some logs
• Hide My IP VPN headquarters: United States

Hide My IP VPN says it doesn’t log, but when you dig into the privacy policy, it states that your information is being collected. It also shares that information with sister companies, partners, debt collectors, and government agencies. All of this is prefaced with a disclaimer that the company would never sell your information, which means your information would never be sold to just anyone.

The way it describes its sharing of information is too vague to make this a trustworthy VPN. It’s especially egregious considering that My Privacy Tools, Hide My IP’s parent company, is headquartered in the U.S. The U.S. is a Five Eyes Alliance country, so it shares information with the other Alliance countries as well as internally.

Kill switch

The kill switch is an essential part of any VPN. Hide My IP does advertise a kill switch, however, it does have one available on the Windows product so we were unable to test it. Because Hide My IP offers products on multiple operating systems and mobile devices, it’s a wonder why this is only available on one of those products.

Split tunneling

Split tunneling is when you allow certain kinds of traffic to go through your VPN connection while redirecting other traffic through nothing or a different connection. This is especially helpful for VPNs that don’t unlock streaming content or for certain sites, such as online banking websites, that don’t allow VPN usage. We tried to find any information on Hide My IP’s split tunneling options but there was no indication it was a feature.

Encryption

The type of encryption used by Hide My IP is military-grade AES 256-bit encryption with a 2048-bit key. This means, given our current computing capabilities, it would take more than a billion years to crack this type of encryption. It does use OpenVPN protocols, but you’ll need to be a virtual archeologist to uncover that information. It’s unclear why Hide My IP keeps this information so buried instead of making it easily available.

VPN protocol

As previously mentioned, Hide My IP uses OpenVPN protocols. This is one of the strongest and most reliable ways of transmitting data. There are six protocols you should look for when researching VPNs:

• OpenVPN
• IKEv2/IPsec
• WireGuard
• SSTP
• L2TP/IPSec
• PPTP

Smart DNS Proxy

The flagship feature, Hide My IP’s Smart DNS proxy allows you to use its proxy service without any additional downloads. This gives you the option to configure a proxy server for devices that usually don’t have that option, such as gaming consoles. In fact, Hide My IP makes a case that nearly any device that has an IP address (and connects to the internet) can use this feature.

Hide My IP test results

We tested Hide My IP VPN for speed, IP address leaks, and Netflix watchability. Although it passed the first tests, it failed the Netflix test. We test all of these variables so you can get a better understanding of how secure the VPN is as well as if it provides the necessary functions you’re looking for in a product.

Speed tests

• Hide My IP VPN speed test results: Hide My IP VPN passed its speed tests.

Let’s talk speed. Normally we test on a Macbook Pro with an M2 chip running the latest version of Ventura on a mesh network with a new Spectrum modem. Our internet connection is blazing fast, and we realize this may not be the case for everyone. With this test, we went as far away from our Wi-Fi as we could realistically get. Our internet speeds were still strong enough to stream Netflix.

Hide My IP is impressively fast. With the exception of the Australian connection (we connected via Adelaide, Australia), the speed differences were minimal. There was no lag and no speed issues in its performance, except when connected to the Australian server. We experienced some loading issues with our company messaging app and had to connect to another server to load it.

Below are test results of our speed without a VPN connection and then our speed on the Australian server because it was the slowest.

Hide My IP VPN speed test results

Hide My IP VPN Netflix tests

• Hide My IP VPN Netflix test results: Hide My IP VPN failed its Netflix tests.

Netflix is probably the most difficult streaming service to access with a VPN. Wanting to access Netflix’s regional libraries is a common wish between travelers, enthusiasts, and college students. As Netflix continues to crack down on VPNs and password sharing, we anticipate accessing its catalogs will become increasingly difficult.

Hide My IP VPN did not unblock Netflix. As soon as we logged in to the site, it recognized we were using a VPN. We tried through Safari, Brave, and Chrome browsers and all three returned the same message seen below. We also tried the Chrome extension recommended on Hide My IP’s site, and that failed as well. If you really want to watch Netflix with a VPN while you still can, you’ll have to use a different one than Hide My IP.

Hide My IP VPN Netflix test results

DNS leak tests

• Hide My IP VPN DNS leak test results: Hide My IP VPN passed its DNS leak tests.

Domain Name System (DNS) is, in plain terms, the internet’s address book. When you’re using the internet, there will be constant DNS requests between your computer and the sites and apps you’re trying to access. A good VPN will make sure your IP address stays hidden, even as you share loads of information in the form of web surfing.

Our tests found that Hide My IP is a solid VPN that doesn’t leak. It passed with flying colors.

WebRTC leak tests

• Hide My IP VPN WebRTC leak test results: Hide My IP VPN passed its WebRTC leak tests.

A very brief summary of WebRTC is that it’s basically a function used by messaging and communication apps such as WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. It’s the function that allows those apps to communicate with each other and therefore you with your intended recipient. These are all fancy terms for a simple answer: It’s how you can video chat with your loved ones.

If your VPN experiences a WebRTC leak, it means your real IP address shows up when using these applications. Internet-based communication has opened up our world, but it can also leave you vulnerable. Hide My IP is a solid VPN with no leaks. So now you have no excuse not to dial up your cross-country friends.

Hide My IP VPN compatibility

Hide My IP has decent compatibility with different operating systems and browsers. There’s no reason why most people wouldn’t be able to use this VPN. It has operating system and browser compatibility for the following:

• Windows
• macOS
• Linux
• iOS
• Android
• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox

Hide My IP VPN customer support

The customer support for Hide My IP isn’t great. In fact, it’s probably the worst feature it offers. There’s a Support Center that’s really just an expanded FAQ page. The Knowledge Base page touts itself as a separate place for more information, but really it’s just an expanded version of the Support Center.

We sent an email to Support asking a common question about unblocking Netflix and never received a response. We never even received a confirmation our email was received. When we called, we pressed 2 for support and were led to a voicemail box. No one ever returned our call.

If you do want to reach out directly, you can call 1-866-343-6722 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. PST, Monday through Friday. The Hide My IP support page also encourages you to email staff@hide-my-ip.com with specific questions. However, you’ll be on your own for the most part.

Hide My IP VPN prices and subscriptions

Hide My IP has some of the lowest VPN prices on the market. Starting at a flat $2.91/mo for one year, you’ll be hard-pressed to find another fast and leakproof VPN at that price.

A quarterly subscription plan is also an interesting option because most companies only provide a monthly or yearly subscription. The quarterly option allows you to really test out the VPN service at a low price without a year-long commitment.

If you are ready to plunk down a fee for a year’s subscription, Hide My IP rings in at monthly prices similar to NordVPN ($2.99/mo), CyberGhost ($2.03/mo), or Surfshark ($1.99/mo). At just shy of $35 for the year, Hide My IP has one of the most inflation-proof prices we’ve seen.

Hide My IP VPN accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover Card, JCB, Diners Club, PayPal, and bitcoin as payment methods. It provides a 30-day money-back guarantee on all purchased plans.

Hide My IP VPN cost

Accountless VPN

The accountless VPN feature is, by far, the most interesting part of Hide My IP’s VPN offerings. You can purchase its VPN service for 25 cents per day and no identifiers are needed to sign up. This is achieved through bitcoin payment for a true identity masking experience. Unfortunately, it’s still logging your original IP address and location.

This feature is great for people who may want to try out the paid service before committing to a monthly payment. It’s also useful if you’re traveling and need a VPN for online privacy while using hotel Wi-Fi. The only real downsides to this option are the logging policies and the bitcoin payment, as no credit cards are accepted for this accountless VPN server. To pay with crypto, you’ll need a service or crypto wallet that allows for payments.

Hide My IP VPN plan comparison

Hide My IP VPN FAQs

Bottom line: Is Hide My IP VPN good?

Hide My IP VPN uses a strong protocol and passed all of our tests, sans Netflix watchability. It has a usable offering when it comes to servers and locations. Finally, it’s priced significantly lower than its competitors. If you’re looking to save money on a VPN, this could be the option for you.

The problems really come with its logging policy. It’s too vague and alludes to too much data collection for us to be comfortable using Hide My IP. Couple that with the lack of features across products and the poor support, and you have a product that’s not as strong as other VPNs. Overall, we found the experience using Hide My IP to be frustrating and not worth the time. If you’re still looking for the best VPN for your needs, look to NordVPN or ExpressVPN, which are both trusted in the industry.

4.3

Learn More

On Hide My IP's website

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Hide My IP

• Doesn’t slow down usage
• Offers a free version
• Logs policy is unreliable

Author Details

Mary James

About the Author

Mary lives in Los Angeles and has been a cybersecurity writer for over five years. With a B.S. in Liberal Arts from Clarion University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, her career in online security began in sales and content creation for a private cybersecurity firm.