Hotspot Shield vs IVPN
Side-by-side comparison based on Reddit & Twitter discussions
Community Pick
IVPN
Based on community sentiment and discussions
Approval Rate
57%
8 recommend · 6 warn
Data Quality
Medium
Reviews
19
Reviewers
19
Best for:
People who want a simple VPN for school/work network blocks
Casual users who mainly need protection on public Wi‑Fi
iPhone or Windows users who want something straightforward
Hotspot Shield comes up a lot as a quick, easy VPN that can help on sketchy public Wi‑Fi and get around basic blocks at school or on restricted networks. People like that there’s a free option and tha...
IVPN
Winner
Approval Rate
90%
45 recommend · 5 warn
Data Quality
High
Reviews
65
Reviewers
48
Best for:
Privacy-focused users who want a trustworthy VPN
Linux users who want a VPN that plays nicely with their setup
People who value audits, transparency, and anonymous payment options
IVPN has a really solid reputation as a privacy-first VPN, and it often gets mentioned in the same breath as other “trusted” names like Mullvad and Proton. People like it for being straightforward, ta...
Performance by Use Case
| Use Case | Hotspot Shield | Winner | IVPN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Streaming | 100% (1) | → | 100% (3) |
| Privacy | 33% (4) | → | 93% (45) |
| Censorship | 100% (1) | ← | 0% (4) |
| Travel | 33% (3) | ← | - |
| Price | - | → | -- (2) |
Hotspot Shield
Strengths
- Easy to use
- Good for public Wi‑Fi
- Free tier available
- Often feels fast when it connects well
- Works on iPhone and Windows
Weaknesses
- Free tier can be unreliable
- Can be slow at times
- Connection issues and disconnects
- May conflict with Apple iCloud Private Relay/Cloud Relay
- Privacy and ownership concerns
IVPN
Strengths
- Strong privacy and trust focus
- Good Linux support
- Open-source friendly vibe
- Anonymous payment options
- Helpful customer support
Weaknesses
- Not the cheapest option
- Not the best choice for streaming-first needs
- Doesn’t work reliably in Russia for bypassing restrictions
- Some skepticism about how it’s promoted online