Private Internet Access vs Hotspot Shield 2025

Agnieszka Stec Cybersecurity Researcher

Updated on April 16, 2025

Absolutely — in 2024, Private Internet Access (PIA) was ranked the third best and most secure VPN by Statista, earning a score of 9.4/10.¹ Its vast server network, advanced security features, and more robust privacy policy make it a strong contender in the VPN world, and particularly against Hotspot Shield.

We thoroughly compared both VPNs based on speed, streaming performance, torrenting support, gaming capabilities, security, pricing, and privacy protections. PIA delivered consistently fast speeds and safe, smooth streaming across multiple platforms. While Hotspot Shield performed well in most areas, its weaker privacy policy raised our concerns.

Ultimately, we recommend PIA. Both VPNs support streaming, gaming, and torrenting, but PIA offers better overall value, plus stronger privacy protection.

Short on Time? Here Are My Key Findings

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Streaming — PIA Works With More Platforms

PIA and Hotspot Shield both deliver solid streaming results. However, PIA leads by offering more consistent HD streaming across more streaming platforms. For example, Hotspot Shield struggled to work with specific Netflix libraries, including Brazil and South Korea.

PIA has streaming-optimized servers allowing safe access to popular services from anywhere. Hotspot Shield also offers streaming-optimized servers. While we used them easily on Windows, we couldn’t locate them on a Mac, which left the customer support agent baffled.

Despite that hiccup, Hotspot Shield offers reliable HD streaming on platforms like Max, Netflix, and Hulu on its regular servers. However, it falls short compared to PIA by failing to work with services like Hotstar and Disney+.

Winner

Does PIA or Hotspot Shield have better streaming performance? PIA is better for streaming because it reliably works with a wider range of platforms, including multiple Netflix libraries, Hotstar, and Disney+.

Server Network — PIA’s Larger Server Network Wins Easily

PIA boasts a larger server network than Hotspot Shield, covering more regions with greater network density. This extensive infrastructure enhances connectivity and reduces latency for a smoother online experience.

For an additional monthly fee, PIA offers dedicated IP addresses in the US, UK, Germany, Canada, and Japan. These addresses help prevent issues caused by shared IPs being blocked or flagged for spam. In contrast, Hotspot Shield doesn't currently offer dedicated IP addresses.

PIA also utilizes RAM-only servers, which automatically erase all data upon reboot for added security. Hotspot Shield does not disclose whether its servers operate on a RAM-only basis.

Winner

Does PIA have a larger server network than Hotspot Shield? Yes, PIA has a much larger server network than Hotspot Shield — it offers 29,650 servers in 91 countries. More servers often means better reliability and lower congestion.

Speed — PIA Is Slightly Faster Overall

To compare the speeds of the two VPNs, our US-based speed tester conducted tests on both nearby and distant servers in the US, UK, and Japan, using the WireGuard protocol for PIA and the Hydra protocol for Hotspot Shield. Both VPNs were fast, but PIA demonstrated more consistent performance across different regions.

For download speeds, PIA had an advantage, especially when connected to the Japan server, where it significantly outperformed Hotspot Shield. However, Hotspot Shield provided slightly better speeds when connected to a UK server. In the US, both VPNs offered nearly identical download performance.

The services showed a more pronounced difference in upload speeds. Hotspot Shield excelled in the US, offering substantially higher upload speeds. However, PIA performed much better on the UK and Japan servers, providing significantly faster upload rates than Hotspot Shield.

Here’s a summary of our tests:

Winner

Which VPN has better speed test results, PIA or Hotspot Shield? PIA was generally faster in our tests than Hotspot Shield on both nearby and distant servers.

Gaming — Both VPNs Offer Lag-Free Gaming

To evaluate gaming performance, we measured each VPN's ping — the time it takes for a device to communicate with a server. A lower ping is crucial for smooth, lag-free gameplay, with anything under 100 ms considered ideal. Both services showed similar results in the gaming category, with PIA being slightly faster on a distant UK server.

Both PIA and Hotspot Shield delivered low ping rates when connected to nearby servers, making them suitable for high-speed gaming. However, like most VPNs, their ping increased on distant servers, which can impact performance. For the best gaming experience, we recommend connecting to the nearest available server.

Thanks to the low ping, the characters responded to our commands with no delay

Winner - draw

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Which VPN works better for gaming, PIA or Hotspot Shield? Both VPNs are suitable for gaming on nearby servers, and both have similar struggles on distant ones.

Torrenting — PIA Wins With a Better Privacy Policy and Port Forwarding

Both VPNs allow torrenting across their whole networks, and both delivered fast download speeds with nearly identical performance. In our tests, we downloaded a 5 GB copyright-free file in approximately four minutes using both services.

Regarding security, both VPNs provide essential features to protect your online activities. However, PIA stands out with stronger privacy protections. I’ll discuss this in detail below. However, PIA’s privacy policy offers greater peace of mind.

PIA also supports port forwarding, which can enhance torrent seeding and download speeds. Unfortunately, this feature isn’t available on its US servers. But this is still an improvement on Hotspot Shield, which doesn’t offer this at all.

Torrenting is legal in most places, but downloading copyrighted content is not. My team and I do not support using a VPN for illegal activities. Always verify whether the content you intend to download is copyright-free or in the public domain.

Winner

Is PIA better for torrenting than Hotspot Shield? Yes, PIA is better for torrenting because it supports P2P traffic on all servers, offers port forwarding, and has a robust privacy policy. Hotspot Shield also supports torrenting, but it lacks port forwarding, which can limit seeding speeds, and it doesn’t have the same level of privacy features.

Security — PIA Offers Far More Features

Both PIA and Hotspot Shield provide strong security features, including military-grade 256-bit AES encryption and IP/DNS leak protection. Neither VPN showed any leaks in my tests, ensuring a secure connection.

However, PIA stands out with additional privacy tools such as its MACE ad and tracker blocker, RAM-only servers, and open-source software. Hotspot Shield misses out on these features. Plus, it uses 128-bit encryption as standard, while PIA defaults to the more secure 256-bit. You can choose to use 128-bit with OpenVPN, but you have to set this up manually.

While both VPNs include malware protection, PIA’s MACE is more comprehensive as it also blocks ads once you’ve enabled it. On the other hand, Hotspot Shield works automatically once you connect to a VPN server. If a site matches this list, Hotspot Shield displays a snapshot of the page and warns users before proceeding.

Remember to reconnect to the VPN after making any changes to your settings

Additionally, PIA’s apps are open-source, allowing anyone to review the code for potential vulnerabilities, which enhances transparency and security. In contrast, Hotspot Shield's software remains closed-source.

Both VPNs support obfuscation but implement it differently. PIA offers obfuscation through its Multi-Hop feature, which routes your traffic through a VPN server and a Shadowsocks/SOCKS5 proxy. This can hide that you’re using a VPN IP. Hotspot Shield integrates obfuscation into its proprietary Hydra protocol.

Another thing worth mentioning is that, while Hotspot Shield states it offers a kill switch for macOS and iOS, we couldn’t find it in our apps. Reinstalling the apps didn’t fix the issue, either.

Winner

Do PIA and Hotspot Shield support the WireGuard protocol? PIA offers full WireGuard support, while Hotspot Shield only offers the protocol on macOS and Android. Also, PIA goes a step further by offering a range of advanced features, like a reliable ad and malware blocker.

Privacy — PIA’s Stronger Privacy Policy Keeps Your Data Safe

Both Hotspot Shield and PIA are based in the US, which is a member of the 14 Eyes Alliance.

PIA only retains essential user data, including your email address, payment details, state, and zip code (for tax purposes), and anonymized data for service improvement. It also supports cryptocurrency payments for added privacy and ensures customer information is never rented or sold. This has been independently verified by Deloitte, too.

While Hotspot Shield’s policies have also been verified, it collects (and shares) more data than PIA. It's not the worst in the industry, but it does potentially collect aggregated data — this can’t be linked back to any individual user, though it's still concerning. On top of that, it also states that it shares user information with its advertising partners, which is a big privacy risk.

PIA has never been involved in a user data breach. In contrast, Hotspot Shield faced a security issue in February 2018 when a researcher discovered a vulnerability in the app. This flaw led to an information leak, exposing details such as the user’s country and Wi-Fi network name when connected.

While some users have expressed concern following PIA being bought by Kape Technologies in 2019, this hasn’t affected the VPN’s operation or privacy prowess. However, other long-term users state that PIA has continually improved since its acquisition, and they have no cause for concern.

Winner

Is PIA’s privacy policy more secure? Yes, PIA has a more secure and transparent privacy policy than Hotspot Shield and has been proven to only log minimal data. Hotspot Shield’s potential data sharing and logging raise concerns. Even though it doesn’t log any crucial data, it still keeps some information about its users.

Works in China — Both Might Work, but It’s Not Guaranteed

China's Great Firewall is known for its strict internet censorship and restrictions on VPN usage. According to customer support, PIA and Hotspot Shield can work in China, thanks to obfuscation technology that helps with safe internet access under restrictive conditions.

PIA is among the few VPNs that offer Chinese servers, though they are virtual, meaning connection speeds may be slower than you expect. However, they do provide a Chinese IP address. PIA recommends using the WireGuard protocol and its Multi-Hop feature, while Hotspot Shield may also work in China using its Hydra protocol.

Since reliable VPNs for China are hard to find, if you’re looking for a reliable option, check out our list of the best VPNs for China.

Winner - draw

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Does PIA or Hotspot Shield work on restrictive networks? Yes, both PIA and Hotspot Shield can work on restrictive networks due to their obfuscation feature. However, some network blocks are more sophisticated than others, so neither can guarantee a consistent performance in restrictive countries like China.

Installation & Ease of Use — Hotspot Shield Is More User-Friendly

Both VPNs have user-friendly interfaces, but Hotspot Shield is slightly more intuitive. Its simple layout and well-organized menus make it easy to navigate across all devices. PIA offers more advanced settings and customization options, which may appeal to experienced users. However, it comes preconfigured, so you can start using it immediately without adjustments, even if you are a beginner.

Installation for both VPNs was quick and straightforward, taking under two minutes on a Mac. What I especially like about Hotspot Shield is that it provides useful connection details, such as server load, as this helps you choose the best server for whatever you want to do.

PIA has introduced a native VPN application optimized for ARM-based Windows devices for full compatibility with Microsoft's Copilot+ series and devices powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite processors. It’s one of the first VPNs to offer this service, which is currently in beta version.

While talking with customer support, we also discovered that Hotspot Shield ended support for router installation in late 2024. This is unfortunate, particularly because most premium VPNs offer some degree of router support, and it really puts it on the back foot in the current market.

Winner

Which VPN is more user-friendly in real-world testing? Hotspot Shield is more user-friendly, especially for beginners, because of its simple, intuitive interface and minimal customization. PIA, while powerful, offers more customization options, which might be overwhelming for non-technical users.

Reliability & Support — Both VPNs Offer Great Customer Support

PIA provides 24/7 live chat support, providing immediate assistance whenever needed. Hotspot Shield also offers live chat, but it’s limited to Premium users, and you have to go through the chatbot first. However, I do like that if a technician isn’t available immediately, the chatbot will forward your request, and you’ll get a reply via email. Unfortunately, if you’re on the free plan or just exploring the service, you won’t have access to this feature.

Overall, I found the customer support for both PIA and Hotspot Shield to be responsive and helpful. Additionally, both VPNs have extensive knowledge bases, making it easy to find answers to common questions.

Winner - draw

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Which VPN has better customer support? Both PIA and Hotspot Shield provide 24/7 live chat, email support, and knowledge bases, and I had no trouble getting the answers to my questions.

Pricing

	Private Internet Access	Hotspot Shield
Starting Price	$2.03/month	$6.66/month
Price (On Renewal)	$49.99 per year (subject to change)	$79.99 per year (subject to change)
Money-Back Guarantee (Days)	30 days	45 days
Number of Devices per License	Unlimited	10
Router Setup (for Unlimited Devices)	Manual setup	No

PIA and Hotspot Shield offer flexible subscription options, but PIA stands out with its more budget-friendly long-term pricing. The best value comes with its 3-year initial offer, which brings the monthly cost down to just $2.03/month and includes 4 free months of service. Its renewal cost is also almost half of that of Hotspot Shield’s, which makes it a winning choice given how much more reliable the service was in our tests.

Hotspot Shield has a slightly higher monthly cost on its 1-year plan, while its 3-year plan reduces the monthly rate to $6.66/month. While not as low as PIA’s, this is still a competitive price for long-term use. Hotspot Shield allows up to 10 device connections, which is generous but falls short of PIA’s unlimited device support.

Both VPNs come with a money-back guarantee, but Hotspot Shield shines with a longer one, allowing you to test it risk-free for 45 days.

Winner

Does PIA or Hotspot Shield offer unlimited simultaneous connections? PIA allows unlimited simultaneous connections, meaning you can use one account across all your devices under one account. Combine this with a great initial deal and a lower renewal price, and PIA offers far more value for your money.

Our Methodology for Testing Private Internet Access vs Hotspot Shield

We began by evaluating each VPN’s performance in key online activities, including streaming, file sharing, and gaming. Then, we conducted thorough speed tests across multiple locations to assess their consistency. Additionally, we analyzed server networks, security features, and privacy policies to determine their overall reliability. Lastly, we examined user-friendliness and pricing structures to provide a well-rounded comparison.

For a detailed breakdown of our testing criteria, visit our methodology page. It outlines the approach our global team of digital experts uses to deliver the latest insights on security technology. You can also refer to it as a guide for conducting your own VPN tests.

Private Internet Access vs Hotspot Shield — Reddit Opinions

Opinions on Reddit about both VPNs are mixed, but PIA is generally the preferred choice. It gets praised for its fast speeds, reliability, and strong privacy protections, with many long-term customers expressing satisfaction. In contrast, Hotspot Shield receives a great deal of criticism, particularly for its privacy policy and inconsistent performance in China.