ExpressVPN vs Hotspot Shield: which wins?

Shopping for VPNs can get complicated quickly but we’re here to help. Our team of experts has put together a beginner-friendly comparison of every feature that ExpressVPN and Hotspot Shield have to offer. This should shed some light on which is better for your needs and help you get your money’s worth.

Editor’s Note: Hotspot Shield is owned by Aura, Comparitech’s parent company. This has not influenced our comparison in any way and all of our findings, claims, and statements are backed by concrete evidence.

Our in-depth analysis of these VPNs will reveal which is faster, better for streaming, and more privacy-conscious. Let’s jump right in.

Summary: ExpressVPN vs Hotspot Shield

ExpressVPN vs Hotspot Shield: Price comparison

There are definately cheaper options out there for short-term subscribers. That said, ExpressVPN and HSS both offer steep discounts on their longer plans. ExpressVPN provides 15 months of coverage for less than $100, while Hotspot Shield users can get three years’ protection for as little as $2.99 per month.

Both VPNs include a money-back guarantee, meaning you can try them out and cancel for a full refund if you’re unimpressed. ExpressVPN’s last for 30 days, which is the industry average but HSS goes further with a 45-day guarantee on all plans.

Best Deal for ExpressVPN:Save 49% and get an extra three months free by choosing ExpressVPN’s annual subscription.

Best Deal for Hotspot Shield:Get an exclusive 77% discount on three-year plans.

ExpressVPN vs Hotspot Shield: Features

Both VPNs have apps for all of the main platforms including Linux and Amazon Firestick, as well as browser extensions for popular browsers. However, HSS has to be manually installed on routers whereas ExpressVPN has its own firmware that makes things a little simpler. This is particularly useful considering ExpressVPN has a fairly low five-device limit (Hotspot Shield allows 10 connections at a time).

Both VPNs offer split-tunneling (though not on iOS). This is the ability to let specific apps or websites bypass the VPN. This can be helpful, for instance, if you want to ensure the highest possible download speeds and don’t care whether it’s encrypted or not.

Hotspot Shield also includes its own speed tester while ExpressVPN has a Smart DNS service called MediaStreamer that lets you stream US content on Xbox, PlayStation, or any device without full VPN support.

Streaming and Netflix comparison

ExpressVPN and HSS both work with plenty of streaming platforms, and have showed real improvement in this area lately. For instance, the last time we checked, neither could access CBS, whereas now, this service poses no problem.

Interestingly, we were able to securely access multiple Netflix libraries with both VPNs. For context, most providers struggle to even provide access to the US library, so this is a huge win for the 350 million VPN users around the world.

China

The Chinese government restricts access to all kinds of content using a collection of web-filtering tools known collectively as the “Great Firewall.” The good news is that both ExpressVPN and Hotspot Shield let you bypass these restrictions and browse the web freely (though they will occasionally run into issues when the Great Firewall is updated).

Here’s the best part: unlike with many other VPNs, neither ExpressVPN nor Hotspot Shield requires you to do anything differently to surf safely in China. However, as both service’s websites are currently blocked, you’ll have to install them before leaving. It doesn’t hurt to save manual setup instructions too, just in case you find that the apps don’t work when you arrive.

Setup and interface

ExpressVPN really tries to make things as straightforward as possible. Its main screen features a quick-connect button and lets you quickly regain access to your last-used location. The settings menu is nice and simple too, making it perfect for beginners.

Hotspot Shield has a similar design but provides a little more functionality. For instance, you can quickly connect to a server designed for streaming, run a speed test, or contact support staff without ever having to leave the app.

Servers and Performance

Most paid VPNs offer access to around 60 locations but ExpressVPN and Hotspot Shield blow this out of the water, with 94 and 80, respectively.

ExpressVPN has servers in some less common locations including Andorra, Jersey, and Macau, while Hotspot Shield offers IP addresses from China, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates. Note that these servers are free from government interference as they’re virtual — in other words, they’re actually hosted elsewhere in the world and not subject to these locations’ laws.

Below, you’ll find a full list of every supported country:

These VPNs are actually very well-matched when it comes to speed. In our latest performance testing, ExpressVPN delivered average speeds of 193 Mbps whereas HSS averaged 197 Mbps. This means that they’re two of the quickest VPNs on the market and certainly more than fast enough for any task yo have in mind.

Security

First things first: both providers use effectively-uncrackable encryption so there’s no need to worry about your activies being monitored They each also protect against DNS, IPv6, and WebRTC leaks and include a kill switch, preventing your data from being seen in its unencrypted form.

ExpressVPN supports the OpenVPN protocol and IKEv2 (on MacOS and iOS), plus its own custom protocol, Lightway.This is extremely quick, and can keep users safe in the brief moment when swapping from mobile data to wifi (or vice versa).

Not to be outdone, Hotspot Shield has a custom protocol too, Catapult Hydra. This is known for its ability to evade VPN-detection systems and is a large part of how this service has been able to remain functional in China for so long. HSS users can also switch over to IKEv2 or WireGuard, or have the VPN connect automatically when on public wifi networks.

Privacy and audit history

ExpressVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands, which doesn’t have any mandatory data-retention laws. This service does collect some aggregated information such as the data you connect and how much bandwidth you’ve used, but nothing that could be used to identify you. More importantly, it’s had several independent audits to prove this fact. Users can also pay in Bitcoin for an added layer of protection.

Hotspot Shield is based in the US, which is a member of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. However, you don’t have anything to worry about as this VPN doesn’t log any personally-identifiable info. Its Catapult Hydra protocol has been audited by independent experts but we’d like to see them examine the company’s infrastructure to let users know that their data is really as private as it claims.

Customer Service

If our years of experience testing consumer VPNs have taught us anything, it’s that a good customer support team is the mark of a truly great service. ExpressVPN and Hotspot Shield both offer around-the-clock assistance over live chat, as well as ticket systems, a support email address, and searchable knowledge bases full of answers to commonly-asked questions.

We’ve always found that the best way to evaluate customer support is to try it for ourselves. That’s why we always get in touch anonymously to see how easy it actually is to get help, claim money-back guarantees, and troubleshoot complex issues. ExpressVPN and HSS staff have always replied quickly to our messages, refunded payments without any pushback, and patiently walked us through solutions to particularly tricky problems. Really, you can’t ask for much more than that.

The winner: ExpressVPN

Dec 2023

Hotspot Shield would be a great choice but overall, ExpressVPN is the better option for most people. It has more locations to choose from, lets you pay in crypto, and works with every streaming service we tested. Not only that, but it’s gone the extra mile, bringing in outside auditors to prove that it really doesn’t keep any logs.

Whether you’re looking to browse free from government surveillance or simply stream while traveling abroad, ExpressVPN is well worth your time.

See also:

• Zenmate vs ExpressVPN
• NordVPN vs ExpressVPN
• NordVPN vs Surfshark

Methodology: How we compared ExpressVPN and Hotspot Shield

Comparing two VPNs is more difficult than you might expect. After all, what’s best for one user might not be the best for another, and we need to ensure that our winner can handle whatever you throw at it. With this in mind, we paid close attention to each of the following areas when testing ExpressVPN and Hotspot Shield:

• Server availability: The number of servers isn’t everything but it does have an impact on speed and reliability, as well as the range of content you can access. We checked to see how many servers were available, which locations were supported, and whether any of the provider’s servers were virtual (since this changes which country’s data-protection laws apply).
• Performance: There’s always an element of randomess when it comes to speed, so we designed a test that would account for consistency as well as maximum potential. We repeatedly speed tested these providers at different times of day using servers in three countries before averaging the results to get a single representative speed.
• Streaming ability: It’s becoming increasingly difficult for VPNs to evade detection but constantly disconnecting leaves users open to inadvertently browsing unprotected. That’s why we check to see if providers can reliably access platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer.
• Security and privacy: A VPN’s main job is to keep your activities private. That’s why we examined ExpressVPN and Hotspot Shield’s encryption protocols, their safeguards (including leak protection, kill switches, and obfuscation tools), and their privacy policies to make sure that there’s as little risk to you as possible.
• Ease of use: The more beginner-friendly a VPN is, the better. Our team made sure that these services were suitable for video calling, gaming, and torrenting, and noted down anything that made them easier to use, such as 24/7 live chat, multi-platform support, and well-organized apps.
• Price: We can’t in good conscience recommend any provider that charges more than is really fair. To make sure you get the best deal possible, we looked for any discounts, free trials, or money-back guarantees that a VPN offers.

If you’d like to learn more, check out our VPN testing post. This breaks down our full methodology in a concise, easy-to-understand way.

ExpressVPN vs Hotshot Shield FAQs