Hotspot Shield VPN Alternatives for Netflix

What are the best Hotspot Shield VPN alternatives in 2018? Hotpsot Shield, aka “AnchorFree” is a VPN service that allows you to unblock banned and geoblocked websites from around the world. Having tried it myself, I was unable to watch American Netflix outside USA. Instead, I was shown the notorious Netflix proxy error. “Streaming Error. You seem to be using an unblocker or proxy. Please turn off any of these services and try again. For more help, visit netflix.com/proxy.” 

While Hotspot Shield claims there is a free ad-supported version, I was unable to locate it. All I got was a 6 day trial. After that, you have to purchase the ‘Hotspot Shield Elite’ subscription. Deleting my Hotspot Shield account was also not possible as there was no option to do so within the account. That is why I began looking for the top Hotspot Shield alternatives. Read the following guide for better VPN services you can use to bypass geographic restrictions.

Best Hotspot Shield VPN Alternatives 2018

Your Internet privacy is something you should not take lightly. That is why it is essential to only use a VPN service that does not keep logs of your browsing activity or hand your private info to third parties. The following is an excerpt from Hotspot Shield’s privacy policy.

“AnchorFree may provide Personal Information to third-party service providers who work for AnchorFree and who may contact you to notify you of occasional updates or other information relevant to our Service.”

After protecting your privacy is the main purpose of VPN. If you use VPN to get American Netflix outside USA, Hotspot is a no-go. Apparently, the free Hotspot Shield version is slow and full of advertisement.

There are quite a few better VPN alternatives out there which provide more VPN servers you can connect to. If you want to use VPN to change your region to Netflix USA, I suggest using ExpressVPN, given that they are one of the few working Netflix VPN services.

ExpressVPN also have VPN apps on iPad, iPhone, PC, Mac, and Android. Add to that a 24/7 live support and, most importantly, a 30-day refund period in which you can get your money back.

Top 5 Hotspot Shield Alternatives

Below you can find a table of my top 5 VPN providers in 2016. While ExpressVPN is head-and-shoulders above the rest, the other alternatives are not too bad either.

Hotspot Shield VPN Alternatives – Smart DNS Proxies

You do not have to necessarily use VPN to unblock geoblocked channels such a Netflix, Hulu, or HBO GO abroad. Smart DNS proxies do the same job albeit in different fashion. Smart DNS proxies neither encrypt your traffic nor hide your IP address. Instead, Smart DNS only redirect those URLs of the streaming channel which show your geographic location.

• You can setup Smart DNS on all your streaming device. PS3, PS4, Xbox, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Smart TV, PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android are all compatible.
• One Smart DNS setup unblock multiple channels even if they are not from the same region i.e watch BBC iPlayer and Hulu with one Smart DNS configuration.
• No Internet traffic encryption.
• No IP address spoofing.
• DNS hijacking and transparent proxies both can prevent Smart DNS from bypassing geographic restrictions.

If you want to give Smart DNS a try, go to Unlocator and sign up for a free 7-day trial. You will not be bombarded by ads and you do not need even need a credit card to sign up.

Hotspot Shield VPN Alternative Working with Netflix

Free VPN alternatives, which you might find online, are more of a hit-and-miss. Most of them do not work and if they do, they’re too slow for any proper online streaming. It’s always best to use a reliable VPN provider with proper support for the best streaming experience.