Pow VPN vs Hotspot Shield: Which Should You Choose?
Hotspot Shield is one of the better-known names in the VPN category. If you're deciding between Hotspot Shield and Pow VPN, here's an honest look at where each one actually stands out -- not a one-sided takedown.
Hotspot Shield at a glance
| Jurisdiction | the United States |
| Primary protocol | Catapult Hydra, its own proprietary protocol |
| Network | a free, ad-supported tier alongside the paid plans |
| Standout feature | Catapult Hydra is tuned specifically for speed over long distances |
| Pricing pattern | mid-range pricing, with the free tier carrying ads and a daily data cap |
Where Hotspot Shield does well
- Catapult Hydra consistently benchmarks well for raw throughput.
- A genuinely free tier exists, not just a time-limited trial.
- Simple, mainstream-friendly app design.
Hotspot Shield is a solid pick for people who mainly care about raw speed and are comfortable with a proprietary (not open) protocol.
Where Pow VPN is the better fit
- Plans sized to how many devices you actually have -- 1 device on Lite, 2 on Max, 3 on Elite -- instead of one fixed price for everyone.
- AmneziaWG (an obfuscated WireGuard variant) and VLESS Reality, both designed to blend in on networks and countries that actively block ordinary VPN traffic.
- No browsing activity, DNS query or destination logs kept at the network layer -- session metadata used for abuse prevention is short-lived and never includes what you visited.
- A real free plan (2 GB every month on Lite locations) and a genuine 3-day, 10 GB trial before you enter a card for a paid plan.
- One price shown once -- no countdown-timer discounts that quietly renew at a much higher rate.
Pricing side by side
Pow VPN's paid plans start at $1.59/month (Lite, 1 device), $2.99/month (Max, 2 devices) and $4.59/month (Elite, 3 devices) on monthly billing, dropping further on 3-month and annual terms -- see the pricing page for the current annual rates. Compare that against Hotspot Shield's pricing pattern above and pick based on how many devices you actually need to cover and which protocol matters more for your network.
Bottom line
Hotspot Shield suits people who mainly care about raw speed and are comfortable with a proprietary (not open) protocol. If you'd rather pay only for the devices you use, connect through obfuscated protocols built for restrictive networks, and know exactly what is (and isn't) logged, try Pow VPN free -- no card required to start.