🔮

Hide.me

Best for Transparency — Audited No-Logs

out of 10

Founded: 2012

Jurisdiction: Malaysia

Hide.me combines Malaysian privacy jurisdiction with independently audited no-logs credentials, publishing transparency reports since 2012. With StealthGuard, SmartGuard, and a generous free tier, it offers serious privacy tools at competitive prices.

Best for: Transparency advocates and privacy-conscious UK users

Detailed Ratings

Speed

8.2

Privacy

9.2

Streaming

8.0

Value for Money

8.5

Ease of Use

7.8

Chrome Extension

7.0

Full Review

Hide.me has quietly built one of the most transparent and privacy-focused VPN services in the industry. Based in Labuan, Malaysia — well outside the reach of the Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and Fourteen Eyes surveillance alliances — Hide.me benefits from a jurisdiction with no mandatory data retention laws.

Transparency is where Hide.me truly distinguishes itself. The company has published annual transparency reports since 2012, documenting every law enforcement request and DMCA complaint received. In 2023 alone, Hide.me received 42,487 DMCA complaints and 14 law enforcement requests — and handed over zero data because none is stored. The no-logs policy has been independently audited by DefenseCode and most recently by Securitum in December 2024.

Hide.me operates approximately 2,600 servers across 91 locations in 75+ countries, all self-managed on 10 Gbps connections with no third-party hosting. This level of infrastructure control is rare and provides an additional layer of security assurance. Full native IPv6 support on all servers is another technical advantage that most competitors lack.

The feature set is impressively deep. StealthGuard is an advanced kill switch that can lock specific applications to only work when the VPN is active, with support for custom script execution. SmartGuard provides network-level ad blocking, tracker blocking, and phishing protection. The Bolt protocol, currently Windows-only, is a proprietary speed acceleration layer that can significantly boost OpenVPN performance.

For UK users, Hide.me reliably unblocks Netflix UK and US, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and most major streaming services. The Chrome extension functions as a proxy for quick browser-level protection without installing the full client.

The free tier offers unlimited data — a significant advantage — though speeds are throttled to approximately 1 Mbps and you are limited to one device and eight server locations. Paid plans start at £3.23 per month on the 26-month deal, with the notable benefit that renewal prices are locked at the signup rate.

Hide.me's parent company holds ISO 27001 certification, and the service joined the i2Coalition VPN Trust Initiative in 2020, further cementing its commitment to industry-leading transparency standards.

Features at a Glance

🌍

Servers

2,600+

🗺️

Countries

75+

📱

Simultaneous Connections

🔐

Encryption

AES-256-GCM

🔧

Protocols

WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, SSTP, SoftEther

💰

Money-Back Guarantee

30 days

✅Kill Switch

✅Split Tunnelling

✅No-Logs Policy

✅Ad Blocker

✅Chrome Extension

✅Free Tier

Pros

✅Independently audited no-logs policy (DefenseCode + Securitum)
✅Malaysia jurisdiction — outside all Eyes surveillance alliances
✅Annual transparency reports published since 2012
✅StealthGuard advanced kill switch with app-level controls
✅Free tier with unlimited data (speed-throttled)
✅Renewal prices locked at signup rate (no price hikes)

Cons

❌Free tier throttled to ~1 Mbps (1 device only)
❌Speed drops significantly on distant servers
❌Interface can feel complex for beginners

Special Features

StealthGuard (Advanced Kill Switch)SmartGuard (Ad/Tracker/Phishing Blocker)Bolt Protocol (Speed Acceleration)Multihop (Double VPN)Dynamic Port ForwardingAnnual Transparency ReportsISO 27001 CertifiedTor over VPN

UK Servers

UK servers in London with 10 Gbps connections

Streaming Support

●Netflix UK & US
●BBC iPlayer
●Amazon Prime Video
●Hulu

How to Set Up Hide.me

Getting started with Hide.me is straightforward and takes only a few minutes. Begin by visiting the official Hide.me website and selecting the plan that suits your needs. The 26-month plan at £3.23/mo (£83.99 total, includes 2 free months) plan offers the best value. Complete the sign-up process with your email address and preferred payment method.

Once your account is created, navigate to the Chrome Web Store and search for the official Hide.me extension. Click "Add to Chrome" to install it. After installation, click the Hide.me icon in your browser toolbar, sign in with your account credentials, and select a UK server or your preferred location. The extension will begin encrypting your browser traffic immediately. For full device protection, you can also download the desktop or mobile application from the Hide.me website.

We recommend enabling the kill switch feature in the settings to prevent data leaks if the VPN connection drops unexpectedly. If you experience any issues, Hide.me's support team is available to help, and their 30-day money-back guarantee means you can try the service risk-free.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Hide.me good for streaming BBC iPlayer from abroad?

Yes, Hide.me is an excellent choice for streaming BBC iPlayer. With a streaming score of 8/10, it reliably unblocks UK streaming services including Netflix UK & US, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video. The uk servers in london with 10 gbps connections ensure fast, buffer-free streaming. Simply connect to a UK server and navigate to iPlayer as normal.

Does Hide.me keep logs of my browsing activity?

No, Hide.me operates a strict no-logs policy, meaning it does not record, store, or monitor your browsing activity, connection timestamps, or IP addresses. Based in Malaysia, Hide.me benefits from favourable privacy laws. This policy has been independently verified, providing genuine assurance that your online activity remains private.

How many devices can I use with Hide.me simultaneously?

Hide.me supports 10 simultaneous device connections on a single subscription. This means you can protect your laptop, phone, tablet, and other devices at the same time without needing to disconnect from one before connecting another. If you need more connections, some providers like Surfshark and IPVanish offer unlimited simultaneous connections.