hide.me VPN Review (2025): Features, Pricing, and Security

hide.me VPN fast facts Our rating: 4.1 stars out of 5 Pricing: Starts at $4.57/mo (annual plan) Key features: Generous free version. 10 simultaneous device connections. Affordable subscription options.

hide.me VPN is a Malaysian-based VPN service, offering a generous free version with unlimited data and affordable premium plans. It’s available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome, Android, and iOS, to name a few.

While hide.me can be a good choice for users on a budget, it may not be the best for users needing an extensive server network. Its server fleet only has around 2,600 servers across 91 locations, compared to other VPNs in 2025 that usually provide 3,000+ servers and a larger selection of locations.

Continue reading to explore hide.me VPN’s, pricing, features, and performance based on our hands-on review.

hide.me VPN pricing

In 2025, hide.me has a monthly, a yearly, and a 26-month premium plan. It also has a dedicated free version, with no credit card required.

Across the board, hide.me offers very affordable pricing for its premium plans. In particular, its one year plan at $4.57 per month is a good price compared to other VPN providers, with annual plans from other VPNs averaging around $4 to $7.

Duration	Price
1 month	$9.95 per month
1 year	$4.57 per month
26 months	$2.69 per month

When I first reviewed hide.me in 2023, it did not have a one-year plan available. The closest thing to it was a six-month subscription at $5.82 at the time. In 2025, I’m happy to report that a one year subscription is now being offered at $4.75 per month — a reasonable price when put side by side with other one year subscriptions like NordVPN Basic for $4.99 per month and ExpressVPN’s $6.67 annual subscription.

hide.me VPN continues to have their longer 26-month subscription at $2.69, which is a good pick for long-term hide.me users that want a lower monthly fee.

hide.me’s monthly subscription priced at $9.95 is also well-below industry average, as other VPN providers charge around $10-17 for a monthly plan. Fortunately, all three hide.me premium tiers come with a consumer-friendly 30-day money-back guarantee.

Before making a decision, I highly recommend using hide.me’s free version or purchasing the one year subscription and using the 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied.

hide.me free version

hide.me offers a full version of its VPN for free. While most free VPNs have a monthly data cap, hide.me’s free version offers unlimited data to its users and possesses the same security protocols and encryption as the premium version.

I personally appreciate how hide.me VPN’s free version doesn’t require any credit card or payment information to access. This allows it to be a fully free, no-strings-attached free plan that doesn’t require users to hand over unnecessary data.

However, there are limitations. The free version doesn’t have hide.me VPN’s Smart Guard ad, tracker, and malicious websites blocker and it only allows for one connection and access to seven locations compared to the 10 connections and 91 locations available with the premium plan.

The seven available server locations are France, Finland, Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Two years ago, hide.me VPN’s free plan didn’t allow you to select which free server you connected to and simply chose one automatically. Now, their free plan finally lets users connect to their preferred connection, among the seven free country servers provided.

While these are sizable limitations, having unlimited data on a free version is still a huge advantage.

hide.me VPN pros

• Free version with unlimited data.
• 10 simultaneous device connections.
• Very affordable pricing.
• Customizable app experience.
• Company has a clean privacy reputation.

hide.me VPN cons

• 2,600 server network is lower than average.
• Free version offers slow speeds.
• Desktop app looks dated.

Security: Is hide.me VPN safe?

hide.me comes with the requisite security protocols we want in a modern VPN. It has OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2 IPsec, and even SSTP and SoftEther. hide.me also includes AES-256 encryption, a built-in kill switch, and DNS leak protection.

hide me has a no-logs policy, which states that they don’t collect personal data or monitor or log browsing behavior from its users. The VPN provider also states that all its usage data is completely anonymous.

Back in 2023, hide.me VPN’s most recent independent audit was one conducted by Defense Code Ltd. in 2015. In 2025, hide.me VPN finally has a more recent third-party assessment done by Securitum,  published in July 2024. To me, this is a significant development considering how important it is for VPN audits to be recent and timely — considering how things can change quickly in terms of the security of an application like a VPN.

In the Securitum audit, the firm confirmed that hide.me VPN did, in fact, apply its no-logs policy properly and did not have any issues that could compromise overall user privacy.

hide.me also continues to provide a publicly accessible Transparency Report (2023) that covers illegal activity usage, copyright data, and law enforcement requests received by the VPN. This shows that hide.me is committed to upholding transparency and trust with its users.

hide.me is based in Malaysia and isn’t obligated to store logs by local laws — a plus for privacy enthusiasts concerned about government surveillance.

With its release of a more up-to-date third-party audit, hide.me hits all the marks needed to be considered a safe and secure VPN service to use in 2025.

Key features of hide.me VPN

Split Tunneling

hide.me comes with a split tunneling feature that allows you to select which apps you want connected to the protected VPN connection and which ones you want routed to your regular connection. This is useful because not all applications need a VPN’s secure connection and would benefit from a faster connection, given that VPNs usually have lower internet speeds.

In my testing, split tunneling on hide.me performed well; it was able to route my Microsoft Edge browser to my internet service provider (ISP) and connect my work browser to the VPN.

Split tunneling can be valuable for remote employees, allowing them to route work applications, such as Slack, to the secured VPN connection, and have less important applications that might need more speed — such as a music-streaming service — running on their local network.

It’s important to note that you have to restart your connection after enabling the split tunneling feature for it to work properly.

StealthGuard

StealthGuard is a unique feature from hide.me that I really like. It acts as a kill switch but is configurable to certain applications.

StealthGuard automatically blocks any connection that’s not protected via the VPN. What differentiates StealthGuard from a kill switch is the ability to select which apps you want to run through the protected VPN connection.

For example, let’s say you want your work browser to be connected only through hide.me’s VPN. Through StealthGuard, your work browser won’t connect to the internet if it’s not through hide.me’s secured connection, reducing the risk of a possible leak.

You can also set StealthGuard to “Bind Internet to VPN,” which restricts your entire internet use to only work via hide.me.

10 device connections

hide.me allows for 10 simultaneous device connections with a premium VPN plan; the industry standard ranges from five to seven device connections.

Other options such as Mullvad VPN and ExpressVPN only allow five and eight connections, respectively. If you plan on protecting multiple devices with a VPN, hide.me’s 10 simultaneous connections gives you that option.

While having an unlimited number of VPN device connections is an ongoing trend in the VPN space, I personally think 10 simultaneous connections is more than enough for the average user.

Performance: How fast is hide.me VPN?

As a disclaimer, I was only able to test hide.me’s free version for this review. Therefore, my hands-on assessment of hide.me VPN’s performance is limited to that version.

Throughout my use, hide.me VPN’s free version gave slow speeds that translated into web pages taking a while to load. For example, YouTube was slow to populate text and thumbnails, and there were a few instances when sites wouldn’t open at all. This is likely due to the lower location count on the free version compared to hide.me VPN’s premium plan — once again, an important caveat to consider as you read this section of our review.

According to user testimonials, hide.me’s premium plan can provide fast speeds — albeit inconsistently. In this case, I would say your mileage may vary in terms of hide.me VPN’s performance. However, I do  appreciate how accessible hide.me VPN’s free plan is, as it allows interested users to test out its VPN speeds for themselves. In terms of DNS leaks, I ran hide.me multiple times through a public DNS leak tool and recorded zero leaks.

SEE: Securing Linux Policy (TechRepublic Premium)

hide.me VPN servers and locations

As of January 2025, hide.me VPN provides 2,600 servers across 91 locations. This is a decent step up from its server network two years ago, which had 2,300 servers from 85 locations on offer. Despite this, it’s still much lower than the industry average of around 4,000 servers and location counts that can reach up to 100+ countries.

If you prefer a large server suite, hide.me may not be the best choice. Providers such as CyberGhost VPN or Private Internet Access both offer larger server suites.

hide.me VPN categorizes servers into Standard or Streaming, giving users who plan to watch content easy access to servers optimized for streaming.

hide.me also has a multihop feature that allows you to pick an entry and exit server, making it even more difficult for bad actors to get a hold of your data or location.

hide.me app experience

hide.me VPN’s Windows application has a straightforward interface that’s fairly easy to understand. Design-wise, however, it does look a bit dated compared to the competition. It adopts an aesthetic that feels less refined and a bit unpolished. If you want a more modern-looking VPN, ExpressVPN has one of the best interfaces.

In terms of user experience, I had no issues with hide.me VPN’s desktop app. It held a stable connection throughout my testing and I had no trouble trying out its different features.

I also commend hide.me for bringing a ton of customization options to its users. For example, hide.me VPN lets you select a “Fallback” VPN protocol, which automatically connects you to a preferred tunneling protocol if the initial connection fails.

You also have the option of adding a PIN to your hide.me VPN app, locking out any unwanted access to your VPN connection and your prescribed connection settings.

If you’re the type of user who wants flexibility in personalizing each aspect of your VPN, hide.me’s desktop app will be a good pick.

Is hide.me VPN worth it?

hide.me VPN is worth a try if you’re looking for an affordable VPN or want a full-fledged free VPN with unlimited data. It’s also a good choice if you value having a customizable desktop application.

In 2025, hide.me VPN has progressed in significant ways such as having a more recent third-party audit on its no-logs policy and a slight bump in its server fleet.

However, if you’re looking for a VPN with an extensive server network, consistently fast speeds, or a more modern-looking interface, other providers such as CyberGhost VPN, ExpressVPN and NordVPN are going to provide better experiences for those use cases.

Alternatives to hide.me VPN

CyberGhost VPN

CyberGhost VPN is one of the best VPNs when it comes to having an extensive server suite. It comes with servers across 100 countries and 125 locations. It also offers specialized servers for streaming, torrenting, and gaming. In our full review, it received a rating of 4.3 stars out of 5.

ExpressVPN

For users that prioritize having a well-designed desktop application, ExpressVPN should be a top consideration. Its app interface is clean and easy on the eyes, on top of being a well-performing VPN. It has servers spread across 105 countries and received 4.6 out of 5 stars in our full review.

NordVPN

NordVPN has built an impressive reputation of being one of the fastest VPNs available. It has tons of security features such as an encrypted file-sharing system and built-in protection against malware and ads. It’s one of our top VPN picks and received a rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars in our full review.

Review methodology

My review of hide.me VPN involved a detailed analysis of its features, price, and real-world performance. I had hands-on experience with hide.me’s free VPN and supplemented my findings with user testimonials and reputable reviews.

For speed, I tested hide.me VPN using Ookla’s public Speedtest. I also used DNSleaktest to test hide.me’s DNS leak protection.

I rated hide.me VPN on everything from its protocols to its pricing based on an internal algorithm to get a rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars. The scoring was based both on hide.me VPN on its own and in relation to other available VPN services.

This article was originally published in November 2023. It was updated by the same author in January 2025.