Hotspot Shield vs Ivacy VPN

​​Hotspot Shield, developed by Pango (formerly AnchorFree Inc.), is a prominent VPN service headquartered in Redwood City, California, with additional offices in Boston and Ukraine. Founded in 2005 by David Gorodyansky and Eugene Malobrodsky, the company has grown significantly, boasting over 3,200 servers across over 80 countries. This extensive server network allows users to bypass geo-restrictions and access region-locked content, enhancing privacy and security online. Hotspot Shield offers both free and premium plans. The free version includes limited server access and a daily data cap, while the premium version provides faster speeds, a broader server selection, and additional features like antivirus protection. A standout feature of Hotspot Shield is their proprietary Catapult Hydra protocol, which aims to deliver enhanced speed and security compared to traditional VPN protocols. Despite their strengths, Hotspot Shield has faced criticism for not conducting third-party audits to verify their no-logging policy. However, they maintain a strict no-logging policy to protect user privacy. The service is available on multiple platforms, including iOS, macOS, Android, Windows, and Linux. As of December 31, 2024, Hotspot Shield will discontinue support for router-based VPN configurations.

Founded in 2007 and based in Singapore, Ivacy VPN was a long-standing player in the VPN industry, known for their focus on privacy, security, and affordability. They provided a strict no-logs policy, AES-256 encryption, split tunneling, and a kill switch, making them a solid choice for users seeking secure browsing. Ivacy also catered to streaming and torrenting, offering optimized servers for services like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Disney+. With apps for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, and routers, Ivacy was widely accessible and user-friendly. While they lacked advanced features like RAM-only servers and WireGuard support, they remained a budget-friendly option with dedicated IP servers and multi-login support. Customer feedback was generally positive, with users praising their affordability and ease of use, though some reported inconsistent speeds and streaming performance. Despite their solid reputation, Ivacy VPN merged with PureVPN in August 2024, meaning it is no longer an independent service. If you’re curious about what Ivacy VPN offered before their shutdown, or how they compared to other VPN providers, this review takes a closer look at its features, security, and overall performance.