Hide My IP VPN Review

Hide My IP is a VPN service that has been around since 2006. It is registered to My Privacy Tools, Inc., which was formerly based out of the United States but now operates from the Bahamas. They offer a variety of connection options including Smart DNS Proxy and support for OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols.

In this updated Hide My IP review for 2025, we’re going to take a look at their proxy options, examine their current protocol and encryption standards, and determine if their network connection will keep your internet privacy safe from prying eyes.

Let’s get into it.

Hide My IP VPN Overview

OVERALL RANK:	#51 out of 85 VPNs
USABILITY:	Not user-friendly
LOG FILES:	Some Logging Policy
LOCATIONS:	40+ countries, 1,000+ servers
SUPPORT:	Limited support options
TORRENTING:	Allowed but unreliable
NETFLIX:	Limited functionality with browser extension only
ENCRYPTION/PROTOCOL:	AES-256, OpenVPN, WireGuard, Smart DNS Proxy
COST:	$2.91/mo
OFFICIAL WEBSITE:	www.Hide-My-IP.com

Hide My IP Pros

You don’t stay in business for almost 20 years in the cybersecurity field without doing something right. And Hide My IP does quite a bit right.

For starters, they’ve updated their security protocols to include modern standards.

Their service allows for decent speeds on local connections, supports multiple devices, and offers strong encryption.

It works with torrenting (with some limitations), which can be complemented by the application’s speed.

To top it all off, their security testing shows minimal leaks. This is a generally secure service, though with some limitations.

So let’s celebrate some of the good things that Hide My IP does.

1. Strong Encryption and Improved Security Protocols

In 2025, Hide My IP now offers military-grade AES-256 bit encryption with a 2048-bit key, putting it on par with industry standards for data protection. This is a significant improvement over their earlier security offerings.

Hide My IP has also expanded its protocol options to include OpenVPN and WireGuard, two of the most secure and efficient protocols available in the VPN market today. OpenVPN remains the gold standard for security while WireGuard offers excellent speed with strong security.

These security upgrades mean your connection is much better protected than with earlier versions of the service. The encryption is effectively unbreakable with current computing technology, which would theoretically take billions of years to crack.

The service also maintains its Smart DNS Proxy feature, which relocates specific information regarding your internet signal. This differs from traditional VPN tunneling protocols which funnel the entire session through a secure tunnel.

In our testing, the service generally protected against WebRTC, DNS and IP leaks when using the browser extensions, though the desktop app showed occasional inconsistencies.

2. Decent Performance on Local Connections

Hide My IP’s performance has improved since our previous reviews, but remains inconsistent across different connection types and locations.

When connecting to local servers (those geographically close to our physical location), the service delivered adequate performance with minimal speed reduction – typically around 15-20% slower than our baseline connection. However, performance degraded significantly when connecting to distant servers.

The best performance was consistently achieved using the browser extensions rather than the desktop application, which frequently had connection issues during our testing.

For a VPN focused on privacy rather than streaming or gaming, the speeds are adequate but not impressive compared to market leaders that offer less than 10% speed reduction.

3. Expanded Server Network

Since our last review, Hide My IP has expanded its server presence. They now operate over 1,000 servers across more than 40 countries worldwide. This is a moderate improvement, though still significantly smaller than premium VPN providers that operate 5,000+ servers globally.

The service covers major regions including North America, Europe, Asia, and parts of South America and Oceania, providing users with a reasonable selection of virtual locations to choose from.

This expansion helps to reduce server congestion and provides more options for accessing geo-restricted content, though the relatively limited server count can still lead to performance issues during peak usage times.

4. Device Support and Connections

Hide My IP continues to support a wide range of devices and platforms. The service works across Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and Chrome OS. Browser extensions are available for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and other Chromium-based browsers.

The premium plan allows for five simultaneous connections, which is below the industry standard of 6-10 connections offered by most competitors in 2025. This might be limiting for households with multiple devices.

One advantage Hide My IP maintains is its Smart DNS Proxy service that allows configuration on devices that don’t typically support VPN applications, such as gaming consoles, smart TVs, and various streaming devices.

5. Improved Jurisdiction

In a positive development, Hide My IP has relocated its jurisdiction from the United States to the Bahamas. This change removes the service from the direct reach of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, potentially improving user privacy.

The Bahamas has no mandatory data retention laws and is not part of any major international surveillance agreements, which creates a more favorable privacy environment for a VPN service.

This jurisdictional change addresses one of our previous major concerns with the service and represents a step forward for user privacy protection.

Hide My IP Cons

Despite some improvements, Hide My IP still faces several significant challenges that prevent it from competing with the best VPN services on the market in 2025.

There are some problematic issues that remain unresolved:

1. Cumbersome User Interface

The user interface for Hide My IP remains outdated and unintuitive compared to modern VPN services. The installation process is straightforward, but navigating the application itself can be confusing for new users.

Key functions are often hidden in unintuitive places, and the overall design feels dated compared to the clean, one-click interfaces offered by leading VPN providers. The connection button isn’t clearly labeled as such, causing potential confusion for first-time users.

The settings menu is cluttered with technical options that aren’t well-explained, making it difficult for non-technical users to configure the service optimally. This poor user experience remains one of the most significant drawbacks of Hide My IP in 2025.

2. Concerning Privacy Policy

Despite relocating to the Bahamas, Hide My IP’s privacy policy still raises significant concerns. While they claim not to log browsing activity, our review of their privacy policy reveals they collect more user information than is ideal for a privacy service.

They continue to retain personal information including:
– Email addresses
– Payment details
– Connection timestamps
– Device information

This amount of data retention is at odds with truly privacy-focused VPN services that have moved to minimal or zero logging policies verified by independent audits.

Furthermore, Hide My IP has not undergone independent security audits to verify their privacy claims, which has become standard practice among leading VPN providers in 2025.

3. Limited Netflix and Streaming Support

While Hide My IP claims to work with streaming services, our testing found significant limitations. The desktop applications consistently failed to unblock Netflix and other major streaming platforms.

Access to streaming services was only possible through the browser extensions with the “Floating IP Network” mode enabled, which is an extra step that most users will find inconvenient compared to VPNs that work seamlessly with streaming platforms.

Even when successfully connected via the browser extension, streaming reliability was inconsistent, with frequent disconnections and the need to try multiple servers before finding one that worked with a particular streaming service.

4. Inconsistent Torrenting Performance

While Hide My IP technically allows torrenting, our testing found it unreliable for this purpose. The desktop application frequently failed to maintain stable connections during P2P file transfers, making it impractical for serious torrenting use.

The Smart DNS Proxy offered better performance for torrenting but lacks the encryption of a full VPN connection, creating a significant security trade-off that undermines the primary purpose of using a VPN for torrenting.

Additionally, their terms of service explicitly prohibit downloading copyrighted material, which creates a potential privacy concern given their data retention policies.

5. Limited Customer Support

Customer support remains a significant weakness for Hide My IP. They offer limited support hours for their phone support, and the live chat was frequently offline during our testing.

Email support response times averaged 24-48 hours, which is significantly longer than the industry standard of a few hours. The knowledge base and self-help resources are minimal and outdated compared to competitors.

For users encountering technical issues or needing assistance with configuration, this lack of responsive support creates a frustrating experience, especially considering the service’s already challenging user interface.

Hide My IP Costs, Plans, and Payment Options

Hide My IP’s pricing structure remains competitive but somewhat confusing. They offer a free seven-day trial that allows users to test the service before committing.

Their standard service costs $29.95 per year (approximately $2.50 per month), which is economical compared to premium VPN services that typically charge $4-12 per month. This includes a license that never expires.

The premium service allows for up to five simultaneous connections but has an unusual pricing structure. The minimal difference between monthly and annual plans (just a few cents per month) makes the annual commitment questionable in terms of savings.

Payment options have been expanded to include:
– Credit Cards (Visa, Mastercard)
– PayPal
– Cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Litecoin)

The cryptocurrency options provide an additional layer of privacy for security-conscious users. All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Do We Recommend This VPN?

No, we cannot recommend Hide My IP as your primary VPN service in 2025.

While the service has made some improvements since our last review, including better encryption, expanded protocol options, and relocation to a more privacy-friendly jurisdiction, it still falls short in several critical areas.

The outdated user interface, concerning privacy policy, inconsistent performance, limited streaming capabilities, and poor customer support make it difficult to recommend over more polished alternatives available at similar price points.

For users seeking a reliable VPN service with better performance, stronger privacy guarantees, and more modern features, we recommend looking at our top-rated VPN providers instead.

Out of the 78 VPNs that we’ve reviewed, we rank Hide My IP at number 48, placing it squarely in the middle of the pack but behind the market leaders.

Find best VPN services here.

Add your own Hide My IP VPN review