Hotspot Shield VS NordVPN Comparison

UPDATED Apr. 2024
Table Of Contents+
This website features affiliate links. For purchases made via these links, we earn commissions that allow us to keep producing helpful content. To find out more click here. Close

If you are trying to decide whether you should opt for Hotspot Shield or NordVPN, we understand how you feel. It is a tough choice, especially because it is not easy to distinguish which of these VPN service providers is better.

Hotspot Shield
Best For General Users
VS
NordVPN
Best For General Users

Highlights

Hotspot Shield
Hotspot Shield is a VPN service provider that offers anonymous and undisturbed Internet surfing. Unlimited bandwidth, numerous servers, and a no logs policy let you browse the Internet privately and safely on up to 5 devices.
  • User-friendly client
  • Unlimited bandwidth
  • Strict no logs policy
  • 7-day trial version
NordVPN
NordVPN has some of the best speeds in the VPN business and plenty of attractive features to offer to its clients, including an excellent security suite and various dedicated servers in more than 60 countries across the globe.
  • Double encryption
  • P2P-friendly
  • Netflix servers
  • 5,100+ servers

Compare Prices

Company
1 Month
3 Months
6 Months
1 Year
2 Years
Hotspot Shield
1 Month
$12.99
3 Months
/
6 Months
/
1 Year
$7.99
2 Years
$6.99
NordVPN
1 Month
$11.95
3 Months
/
6 Months
/
1 Year
$6.99
2 Years
$3.99
* The prices shown represent the cost of one month within different subscriptions. To see all available plans and pricing options, check individual reviews.

Compare Features

Hotspot Shield
Based In
USA
Number Of Servers
22
Number Of Countries
22
Protocols
Catapult Hydra
Encryption
AES-128
Simultaneous Connections
5
Logs Policy
no logs
Dedicated IP
Killswitch
DNS Leak Protection
Allows Torrenting
Torrenting Servers
SmartDNS
NordVPN
Based In
Panama
Number Of Servers
3557
Number Of Countries
61
Protocols
OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP and IPSec
Encryption
256-bit AES (double encryption)
Simultaneous Connections
6
Logs Policy
no logs
Dedicated IP
Killswitch
DNS Leak Protection
Allows Torrenting
Torrenting Servers
SmartDNS

Supported Devices

Hotspot Shield
Windows
OS X
Android
iOS
NordVPN
Windows
OS X
Linux
Android
iOS
Router

Compare Ratings

Hotspot Shield
FINAL RATING
7.7/10
Anonymity
Reliability
Performance
Features
Support
Value For Money
NordVPN
FINAL RATING
9.8/10
Anonymity
Reliability
Performance
Features
Support
Value For Money

Compare User Reviews

Hotspot Shield
  • Submitted By bellokelvin on 03/17/2019
    hotspot shield works perfectly on iphone when i were using it in 2010 bt i dont kw if it also work great in an an android phone
  • Submitted By Felix Kiesinger, on 12/15/2016
    Very good vpn, easy to use and really reliable. I’ve been using it for a couple of years, still satisfied.
  • Submitted By Norma Kelly, on 11/04/2016
    Hotspot Shield really works for me. I get to watch Netflix and open any site, even from my dorm. Elite plan is great, I can use it on my laptop, phone and Kindle at the same time.
  • Submitted By Gregory Thomas, on 06/24/2016
    Quite good. Just don’t like that my internet gets slow sometimes, but I guess that’s because I often use those European servers.
NordVPN
  • Submitted By Yaretzi Peterson on 12/04/2019
    Usually, I stick to what I know and nordVPN happens to be just one of the examples of a reliable company that always delivers what’s promised. I really didn’t want to waste time or money on trying out some unknown brand and possibly ending up with a bad product. But what made me choose Nord yet again is that I use multiple brand devices and platforms for my job and Nord supports every one of them… it was really a no brainer.
  • Submitted By Al Gonzalez on 11/29/2019
    I moved from ExpressVpn to Nord to save money and got the 1 year deal. Initially Nord has good performance in the first three-four months. Then there servers started disconnecting frequently sometimes the servers would stop working and you had to reconnect to a new one. This can be inconvenient if do stream or download a lot. After the security fallout with Nord where they had one of their servers hacked for almost an year, more Nord servers started having issues such as a missing password or otherwise you couldn't connect to them. The US servers were alright but they can sometimes stop working after a period of time. Express never had this problem. I spent nearly a month in one of their servers. With Nord you'd be hard pressed to stick with the same server for a day or two. Overall Nord is okay. The Kill Switch works. I did checks with Ipeaks both on my computer and phone Ive seen no DNS leaks so far. Comes with anti-adware/malware and it works. Autoconnect on phone is like the kill switch. Has potential overall to recover from the embarrassing security gaffe but Nords biggest challenge will be server stability. This seems to be a problem with a lot of new name and affordable vpns. Nord been in the game for a while but longevity of servers is very important. Hope they get their game together or otherwise might have to go back to Express or an equally good alternative.
  • Submitted By Magnus on 10/26/2019
    Since the beginning of October, NordVPN does not work in Hangzhou AT ALL! I can't vouch for other cities. Their support team is polite but useless. They conceded they needed to *invent* a new protocol to get their VPN to work here. Even though a refund was requested by me within 30 days (for a renewal--they were great for a year!), they refused to answer my request and kept stalling my support ticket. I'm still awaiting my refund. USE THEM AT YOUR PERIL IF YOU LIVE IN CHINA! Caveat emptor!!
  • Submitted By Sammi on 09/17/2019
    Love these guys even after having it for 2 years. Super fast and makes me feel safer online.

Winner

NordVPN is widely known as one of the best services on the market thanks to its impressive features, bulletproof security setup, and knowledgeable 24/7 customer support. Read more in this honest review.

* All the prices on this website are subject to change without notice. While we put a great deal of effort into making sure that all the prices are accurate, one or more products may have outdated prices. Please visit the specific product’s official website for exact prices.