The verdict
Hide.me's free plan is the most privacy-respecting on this site, and not because of the traffic allowance. It requires no email address and no payment details — you install it and it works. Combined with a Labuan, Malaysia base outside the Five, Nine and Fourteen Eyes arrangements and with no mandatory data retention, it is a genuinely coherent privacy proposition rather than a marketing line.
The paid service adds StealthGuard obfuscation, multi-hop, dynamic port forwarding and split tunnelling, and it renews at the same rate you signed up for — rare in this market. Against that: the network is on the smaller side, Netflix access is unreliable, and the ad blocker did not work in at least one independent test.
Key facts
| Company | eVenture Ltd |
| Jurisdiction | Labuan, Malaysia — outside 5/9/14 Eyes |
| Data retention law | None mandatory |
| Independent audit | Yes — Securitum, 2024 |
| Monthly price | $9.95–$11.99 |
| Annual plan | $4.58 / month ($54.99 per year) |
| Longest plan | $2.69 / month (26 months, $69.99) |
| Renewal price | Same rate — no jump |
| Free plan | Unlimited traffic, 1 device, no email or card |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days |
| Simultaneous devices | 10 |
| Protocols | WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, SSTP, SoftEther |
| Obfuscation | StealthGuard |
| Split tunnelling | Yes — even on the free plan |
| Multi-hop | Yes (premium) |
| Port forwarding | Yes — dynamic |
| Server network | 2,600+ servers |
| Anonymous payment | Bitcoin |
Features that set it apart
Hide.me's distinguishing choices are mostly about what it does not ask of you, and about which features it declines to lock behind the paywall.
Free plan with no account
No email, no password, no payment details, and no traffic cap. Every other free tier we cover wants at least an address to sign up. If the point of a VPN is not handing over identifying information, starting by not handing over any is consistent.
Malaysian jurisdiction
Registered in Labuan, outside the Five, Nine and Fourteen Eyes arrangements, in a jurisdiction with no mandatory data-retention requirement. That shapes what could be compelled in the first place, rather than only what the company promises.
StealthGuard
An obfuscation layer that hides the fact you are using a VPN at all, for networks that filter VPN protocols. It also lets you bind specific applications so they only run while the tunnel is active.
Split tunnelling on free
Choosing which apps use the tunnel is normally a paid feature elsewhere. Hide.me leaves it available on the free tier, which makes the free plan genuinely usable day to day rather than a demo.
No renewal price jump
The 26-month plan renews at the same $2.69 a month rather than reverting to a higher standard rate. Several competitors advertise a low entry price and quietly renew far above it.
Five protocols and dynamic port forwarding
WireGuard and OpenVPN alongside SSTP and SoftEther, which are useful on restrictive corporate networks. Dynamic port forwarding and IPv6 support round out the technical side for P2P and self-hosting.
Streaming, speed and the ad blocker
Streaming results are mixed. Prime Video, Max, Hulu and BBC iPlayer connect reliably enough, but Netflix access has been inconsistent — which matters, because Netflix is the platform most people are actually asking about.
On speed we are not going to give you a number. Independent measurements for Hide.me disagree with each other dramatically, from "inconsistent" to figures near the top of the market, and averaging contradictory tests would produce a figure that describes nothing. Use the free plan on your own connection — it costs nothing and answers the question directly.
One caveat worth flagging: SmartGuard, the premium ad and tracker blocker, failed to block in at least one independent test. Treat it as a bonus rather than a reason to upgrade, and keep a browser-level blocker regardless.
Pricing and plans
Free
$0
1 year
$4.58
26 months
$2.69
The annual plan is poor value; the 26-month plan is not. At $4.58 a month the yearly option costs nearly 70% more than the long plan, and more than most competitors charge. If you are buying Hide.me, buy the long term — and note it renews at the same price rather than jumping.
Pros
- Free plan needs no email and no card, with no traffic cap
- Malaysian base, outside 5/9/14 Eyes, no retention law
- Renews at the same price — no introductory-rate trap
- Split tunnelling available even on the free tier
- StealthGuard obfuscation and multi-hop on premium
- Five protocols, dynamic port forwarding, IPv6
- Audited by Securitum in 2024; Bitcoin accepted
Cons
- Netflix access is unreliable
- SmartGuard ad blocker failed in an independent test
- Annual plan is poor value at $4.58 a month
- 2,600+ servers — smaller than most competitors
- Free plan covers one device and a handful of locations
- Only one recent independent audit
- Reported speeds vary wildly between sources
Who it suits
Good fit if you
- Want a free VPN without creating an account at all
- Care about jurisdiction and data-retention law
- Dislike introductory pricing that jumps on renewal
- Need SSTP or SoftEther for a restrictive network
- Want port forwarding without a separate charge
Look elsewhere if you
- Are buying primarily to watch Netflix
- Want to pay yearly rather than commit for 26 months
- Need a large server network for peak-time consistency
- Are relying on the built-in ad blocker to work
Final verdict
Hide.me is the most consistent privacy story here: a jurisdiction chosen for it, a free plan that collects nothing, split tunnelling not held hostage to the paywall, and a price that stays where it started. Where it falls down is entertainment — Netflix is unreliable and the network is modest. Buy it for privacy on the 26-month plan, test it free first, and use something else for streaming.
Visit Hide.meHow it compares
For a cheaper long plan with ten devices, a free tier and obfuscation aimed specifically at heavily censored countries, see ZoogVPN at $2.49 a month. For a much larger network, compare Proton VPN.
VPN Truth Lab Editorial
Pricing checked against the provider's site on the date below. See How We Test VPNs.
Last reviewed: 16 August 2026 · Spotted an error?