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CNET Editors' review
Despite a couple of flaws that can be annoying, especially if you use Facebook or Gmail, AnchorFree's Hotspot Shield Elite is an otherwise good tool that does its job well. The shield's job is to protect your online privacy, especially when you're connecting to the Internet via wireless hot spots.
The installation isn't the usual drag-and-drop routine; you need to have admin rights to install it, but as soon as the application is on your computer, you'll notice the change. First of all, your browser can't connect to the Internet until you register the trial version using an e-mail address. Interestingly, the e-mail sent by AnchorFree ended up in the Junk Mailbox, which we found odd, since it's from a security company. What we liked, though, is the product's simple interface: it's a shield that is placed in the Menu bar when you launch the application. It communicates using colors: red is off and green is on. And it's that simple. Hotspot Shield excels in simplicity, and we love the the fact that the application is ad-free.
Unfortunately, the second thing we noticed was that we couldn't connect to our Facebook account. If you have recognized devices activated, the social network will block your account. In addition to that, our Mail application stopped fetching e-mails from our Gmail account. This is pretty annoying if you use Gmail for communication. Except the aforementioned flaws, however, Hotspot Shield performed well during our testing. The load time of the Web sites we visited was visibly faster, so the browsing experience was good (and safe), which is the primary role of the app. Although Hotspot Shield primarily aims to protect the online presence of those who connect to the Internet through hot spots, it can easily become the choice of privacy-conscious individuals as well.
We liked the feeling of a protected online presence, but if the shield works against you, then it isn't quite the tool you need. Also, users only have eight days of free protection, and they need to opt for one of the available offers if they want to have all their browsing information shielded from prying eyes.
Editors' note: This is a review of the trial version of Hotspot Shield Elite for Mac 1.585.
Hotspot Shield - Get Wi-Fi privacy and security, protect yourself from malware threats, and access blocked content - Video Previews:Publisher's Description
From AnchorFree:
Hotspot Shield is the security product for Mac that detects and protects against 3.5 million malware threats including the Flash Trojan virus. It also makes your communications secure in public Wi-Fi hotspots which otherwise leave you vulnerable to hackers and security breaches. Hotspot Shield's VPN tunnel also gives you a simple solution to maintain your anonymity, hide your IP and protect your privacy.
What's new in this version: - performance improvements
- multiple bugfixes
- does not support 32-bit OS
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All versions:
3.0 starsout of 65 votes
-
Current version:
3.7 starsout of 9 votes
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My rating:
Write review
Results 1-9 of 9
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"It's free. It works. Good software."
Version: Hotspot Shield 2.85
Pros
Free and does the job of hiding my ip address
Cons
Can't really complain on a free product
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"Work as promised"
Version: Hotspot Shield 2.85
Pros
I use it on my Mac Book Pro and it works just fine. I have been using Hotspot shield for over 6 months now and I haven't had any problems so far. Recently it blocked some malware sites so the antimalware works as well :)
Cons
No cons so far
Summary
It is great that you can have such product for free.
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"Works really good for a free product"
Version: Hotspot Shield 2.85
Pros
This VPN is pretty good considering the fact that it's free. It pretty much does what it says on their website. Some pros about the VPN: able to get on blocked sites and keeps your browsing anonymous (so all those websites that you go on..well no one won't know you went on it because its hidden by the VPN)!
Cons
Can't really complain since it's free...but I don't really like the ads, so i think i'll go try out the premium version
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"Best free vpn out there!"
Version: Hotspot Shield 2.85
Pros
-Easy to use
-Ability to unblock sites like Facebook at work
-Protects my computer from malware
-It's free!Cons
-A bit slow at times, but I think that's how VPNs work. They make your internet browsing a bit slower since it's on another server
Summary
I mainly use Hotspot Shield at work so I can get onto Facebook and my personal email. They blocked Facebook and Gmail at my work, so I thank Hotspot Shield for saving me from boredom at work!
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"Favorite app of the moment!"
Version: Hotspot Shield 2.85
Pros
I can now watch Netflix and listen to Pandora since I am located in Canada. The $39.95/year is a pretty good deal since I can use it across my iOS devices and on my computer at home. Another plus is that I like knowing that no one can snoop around when I am shopping online in unsecured networks.
Cons
For the Elite version, you have to redeem a license code and create a username/passcode and log in each time you use the software. They should provide more simple steps of how to use HSS.
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"Very strange activity"
Version: Hotspot Shield 2.85
Pros
Didn't use it long enough to find any. See why below.
Cons
As soon as I installed and configured the free version for maximum privacy, I started getting messages from various sites that my IP address was blacklisted. This stopped happening as soon as I trashed the app.
Also, I got a message from Google telling me that there had been unauthorized login attempts from AnchorFree in California. What is going on here? I have no idea, but it's sure not acceptable. That's not my idea of security. They have no business trying to log into my accounts. -
"Developer greed has rendered this app obsolete."
Version: Hotspot Shield 2.85
Pros
Nothing at all, whatsoever, anymore.
Cons
Once a standard and free feature (arguably its ONLY feature), being able to access American sites and stream content blocked in other territories on superficial "copyright" grounds was probably the only reason one would even bother installing Hotspot Shield. And now it's been removed, repackaged as a pay-only feature in another app, which defeats the ease of use and true "security" they once purported.
Summary
Do not download, do not install, do not support. Seek free alternatives. When something once free becomes charged for, and not the other way around, the only excuse in this case can be greed. For shame, Hotspot.
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"This program is really great & very easy to use!"
Version: Hotspot Shield 2.85
Pros
When you go online @ public locations, you are vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Meaning criminals can steal all your passwords to all your accounts (e.g. bank accounts, e-mails, social networks, etc.) and they can even monitor your web traffic.
With HotSpot Shield, all that scary stuff is long gone!
In some countries like China, literally all websites (Google, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, etc.) are blocked. However with HotSpot Shield, you can bypass the blocks and surf the web as if you were in the United States!Cons
For the free service, there is a banner displayed on the top of your browser. Also recently there has been a problem with Skype, but this has all been fixed :).
Also this VPN Service may be currently blocked in China. So if you are planning on going to China, you may wish to consider another VPN service.Summary
I would really recommend using HotSpot Shield. Not only does it secure your internet connection, it also makes the internet more democratic, meaning that you can access any website you want even if your country, school, workplace, etc. blocks access to the site!
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"Do not update"
Version: Hotspot Shield 2.85
Pros
Worked like a charm for American sites that blocked outside users
Cons
I put off updating for as long as I could, until they forced me to update in order to continue using it. Since then, I cannot access CBS and other American TV stations. This software is now useless and no longer serves its purpose.
Results 1-9 of 9
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