Hidester VPN/Proxy Review – My Experience of Using It (2024)
Hidester is based in Hong Kong and is interesting primarily for the Chinese market - this VPN service supports many technologies to bypass censorship.
But lately, the political situation in Hong Kong has raised doubts about the security of VPNs located there. Also, I took advantage of the proposed technologies and didn’t see a significant advantage over the truly anonymous, safe, and cheap Surfshark VPN which also works in countries with internet censorship.
Like any VPN, Hidester can be used not only in China but also in any other country. Technologies used to bypass complex blocks are well suited to provide additional security and convenience in normal and highly restricted environments.
I liked how easy it is with Hidester to create an encrypted secure channel even without using the OpenVPN protocol.
What can Hidester do?
Its most basic app is bypassing blocking of VPN connections. To do this, it uses 3 effective technologies at once:
- CamoVPN is a special obfuscation of the standard protocol, making it "invisible" to network analyzers of the tray.
- CamoWeb is a proxy connection that works independently of the VPN. It is also impossible to recognize it.
- Smart Mode is a convenient solution that allows you to visit selected sites without a VPN.
The provider confidently declares that there is no logging on its servers. But belonging to the politically unsettled Hong Kong casts doubt on the 100% anonymity of their users.
Hidester is suitable for:
- masking the IP address;
- access to IP addresses in 35 countries;
- safe torrenting;
- usage on all OSs.
The combination of standard features with additional features makes Hidester quite attractive. But still, before buying, you should study the result of the real use of the provider and compare prices with other similar or stronger providers, which I will discuss later.
Brief result of the conducted testing
First of all, I’ve tested:
- the speed and stability of the connection;
- the quality of support for Netflix and other video services;
- the work with BitTorrent;
- the ease of use and security of software.
What results did I get?
The speed was quite high but didn’t exceed 50 Mbps. This is a good result for a service that has few servers. According to my estimates, there aren’t many more of them than supported locations. In comparison, NordVPN has over 5900 servers.
Streaming isn’t supported. I was unable to unblock Netflix (the most popular and largest geo-restricted video service) in any location.
Torrenting isn’t only supported but completely secure. The presence of the Kill Switch function in all apps allows you not to worry that your ISP will register prohibited P2P activity, even in unforeseen situations.
The software seemed to me unnecessarily overloaded with additional functionality like determining the IP address and other tools. Also, in 2 out of 5 cases, the IP address was determined incorrectly.
The rest of the Hidester apps are simple and intuitive. The scan predictably didn’t reveal any embedded threats or malware.
Overall, Hidester has proven itself to be a run-of-the-mill VPN with advanced features. Does it sound contradictory? It does and it is. The functionality can be compared to the best services, but the size of the technical base (the number of servers and load distribution) is below average.
I would like to dwell on the extended functionality of the provider.
It allows you to effectively bypass VPN blockages and various network filters that prevent the use of a Virtual Private Network. This is both Proxy and Smart Mode. I won't go into detail on how they work, you can read about it on this page of the Hidester website.I will describe my impressions of using them. Everything works well and efficiently. I was able to easily use the usual OpenVPN protocol modified by CamoVPN (though I noticed a decrease in the speed of the Internet) and I used the CamoWeb proxy. The latest technology turned out to be the fastest, but it significantly reduces the level of security. It doesn’t protect torrenting and some programs work bypassing proxy connections, which completely deprives traffic of protection.
Tariffs and prices of Hidester VPN
Although there is no variant to use Hidester VPN free, its pricing system is moderate enough.
Like the majority of VPN services, Hidester has 3 plans on offer:
1-month planIt costs $9.99 a month and presupposes no discounts. However, it is a very convenient variant in case one prefers month by month payment. Is a bonus, Hidester VPN subscriber can get a refund within 3 days in case he/she is NOT satisfied with the VPN client.
6-month planDo you want to get unrestricted access to the web content and pay less? Get Hidester VPN with a 14% discount. It is possible when one pays $36 for 6 months at once. The refund period is provided as well.
1-year planThe best offer is available for no more than $3.99 per month thanks to a 35% discount. That's amazing! Apart from a comparative law price, having opted for a 1-year Hidester VPN package, the refund period is enlarged up to 7 days!
How to pay for Hidester VPN service?
Hidester provider cares for its subscribers and offers 3 different variants of payment:
- Credit card;
- PayPal system;
- Cryptocoins.
The last one is the securest and really anonymous method of payment. It allows purchasing the VPN service without being tracked by third parties.
Info on servers of Hidester VPN
This part of Hidester VPN review will definitely make you become a part of Hidester VPN subscribers!
Want to know why?
Hidester VPN server network is worth using in case one aims at restrictions bypassing, torrenting and surfing the Internet anonymously.
The figures speak for themselves!
Hidester VPN servers are placed in 35 countries of Africa, Oceania, Asia, Europe, and America. With this VPN provider, a user gets access to 8 US-based servers.What does it mean?
It indicates that having opted for Hidester VPN a netizen will unblock all the American content. Thus, Hidester is a good VPN for Netflix, Amazon Prime, and many other streaming services.
Want to know the most attractive part?
Apart from streaming a Hidester VPN consumer can make use of opening the best torrenting websites, as the provider highlighted in this VPN review 22 P2P-friendly servers.As a bonus, smart Hidester VPN client helps its customers to choose the correct server for a proper location. For example, a Japanese server is recommended for the residents of China.
Platforms
Good news for those who are about to subscribe for Hidester VPN!
This Virtual Private Network service is available for all popular platforms and operating systems.
But there are some facts users are to take into consideration:
- Windows version is to be 7, 8 or 10;
- Hidester may be installed on both Linux 32 bits and 64 bits;
- The holders of Android and iOS devices can find the app on Google Play and on the App Store accordingly;
- It is possible to install and run Hidester on macOS and OSX.
Client account procedures of Hidester VPN
The installation of Hidester VPN is dead easy. It usually takes no more than 7 minutes. But this Hidester VPN review will help to accelerate the process.
Are you ready?
Let us start!
To begin with, one is to register on Hidester VPN website and provide the service with a valid email. It will be used to supply a subscriber with a username and a password. Besides, many problems may be solved through the email.
After the registration is finished one may sign in and check the subscription status.
The next step is to download the VPN software for the device one uses. And here is a bonus from Hidester. The provider identifies the OS of a user's device and offers a suitable VPN client.
And here is the most interesting part of this process.
Hidester VPN was worked out for the convenience of users. Thus, during the process of Hidester installation, the program allows choosing the region, the purpose of VPN usage, preference (online privacy or fast browsing).
A bit later on the basis of user's answers, the VPN client helps to choose the most appropriate VPN server.
When the client is installed a netizen is to log in. That's it! A user is totally protected.
For user convenience, the provider offers a brief tutorial to study all the facilities of this VPN provider.
Support service of Hidester VPN
Do you need a professional assistance?
No problem!
Hidester VPN provides its consumers with such opportunity. Just open a ticket and the specialists of Hidester will answer all questions.
It is even possible to attach a picture to describe the problem easily.
Security and privacy of Hidester VPN
Security of Hidester VPN subscribers is achieved through AES-256-CBC encryption. It means that all the data protected by this provider cannot be used by adversaries even in case they were stolen.
But wait…
That’s not all yet!
Hidester VPN follows strict no-logging policy. That’s exactly why one may be absolutely sure that user search history, visited websites and used services will be hidden from the prying eyes.
Summary for Hidester VPN review
On the basis of this Hidester VPN review, one may conclude that this provider is definitely worth using.
With Hidester VPN installed any device will be totally protected against cracking or unauthorized invasions. And users will NEVER lose their data.
Hidester VPN pros:
- Compatibility with Android, IOS, Windows, Mac OS, Linux (32 and 64)
- Specially designed interfaces for beginners and power users (Quick and Advanced modes)
- Light and dark skin
- 5 logins per 1 Hidester VPN account
- 4 window sizes (Full, Small, Dock or Tray) for convenience
- Diverse network of VPN servers
- 3 protocols OpenVPN & CamoVPN (VPN protocols) and CamoWeb (Encrypted proxy designed for fast web-browsing and streaming)
- A kill Switch function
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