Hotspot Shield has 2 modes available: Elite and Free.
Hotspot Shield FREE Mode:
- Only US Virtual location is available
- Elite Payment Wall will display when accessing BBC, Netflix, Hulu, Adult content, etc
- Is ad-supported and displays our sponsors' ads (banners) at the top of the browser
To switch from Free to Elite Mode, sign in to your Elite account through the Hotspot Shield app. Learn how
Hotspot Shield Elite Mode:
- 24 Virtual Locations are available
- No Elite Payment Wall displayed when accessing sites
- Ad-free browsing
- Ability to link up to 5 devices to one Elite account
When you start Hotspot Shield for the first time, it will be in Free Mode. You must sign in to your Elite account to enjoy Elite features.
In case you have a free account, you can try an Elite account for free here.
| Features/Benefits | Hotspot Shield Elite | Hotspot Shield Free |
| Bandwidth Cap | Unlimited | 500 MB per day |
| Virtual Locations | 24 | 1 (US) |
| Ad-free browsing | Yes | No |
| Dedicated Support Team | Yes - 24/7 Chat support (coming soon) and priority email support | Email support |
| Unlimited access to geo-restricted sites | Yes | No |
| Ability to link up to 5 devices to one Elite account | Yes | No |
| Data encryption | Yes | Yes |