Icon of program: Hotspot Shield Elite

Hotspot Shield Elite for Mac

  • Paid
  • In English
  • V4.18.3
  • 3.2
  • (56)

Access blocked sites outside of your region

Hotspot Shield Elite is a subscription-based service that allows you not only to secure your connection while surfing WiFi hotspots, but also to access sites not normally available outside of the USA such as Pandora and Hulu. It is the paid version of Hotspot Shield and guarantees faster and more stable streaming.

To secure your internet connection, Hotspot Shield Elite creates a Virtual Private Network (a secure connection, usually abbreviated to VPN) between your computer and the Hotspot Shield Elite developer's website, Anchorfree, based in the USA.

Everything is done in an extra tab open in your browser so there's no need to configure anything. A green and red shield in your system tray indicates when Hotspot Shield is and is not connected. The VPN is encrypted with 128 bit SSL encryption so that you can surf safely without worrying about others intercepting your data.

The major reason why users are flocking to Hotspot Shield Elite though is because it allows you to view sites in the USA that are usually restricted to outside users. This is particularly useful for video sites such as Hulu or restricted videos on YouTube. The advantage over the free version is that streaming is much more stable. You can also view your purchase history for Hotspot Shield Elite in your browser.

Hotspot Shield Elite works very well and you don't have to put up with an ad banner at the top of your browser like in the free version. In addition, it tries to install a toolbar at the beginning although you can opt out of this. Also, surfing with Hotspot Shield is noticeably slower than normal but it's fine for streaming video from video sites such as Hulu.

Hotspot Shield now includes malware protection meaning that while using it, you shouldn't get infected by anything that may damage your system.

Hotspot Shield Elite is an easy-to-install and use way of accessing sites that are blocked in your region.

  • Pros

    • Secures your internet connection
    • May allow you to watch sites restricted in your region
    • Easy to use and install
    • Streams fairly well
    • No data transfer limit
    • No intrusive banner
  • Cons

    • Slows down surfing
 0/3

App specs

Program available in other languages


Icon of program: Hotspot Shield Elite

Hotspot Shield Elite for Mac

  • Paid
  • In English
  • V4.18.3
  • 3.2
  • (56)

User reviews about Hotspot Shield Elite

by Anonymous

Worth every penny spent to stay protected and safe. Love how I can use one subscription on up to 5 computers. I currently use Hotspot Shield Elite for both work (Windows) and personal (Mac) computers. Both my computers are free from viruses and malware thanks to the malware protection thats included. Pros: no adsmalware protectionget to choose different IP locations Cons: none

You may also like

Alternatives to Hotspot Shield Elite

Explore Apps

Latest articles

Laws concerning the use of this software vary from country to country. We do not encourage or condone the use of this program if it is in violation of these laws. The regulation about the use of VPN services varies per country; If the Law of your country forbids or limits its usage, don’t download. Any unlawful behaviour of this software is not permitted. You are solely responsible for any use of the service.
Softonic
Your review for Hotspot Shield Elite
Softonic

In Softonic we scan all the files hosted on our platform to assess and avoid any potential harm for your device. Our team performs checks each time a new file is uploaded and periodically reviews files to confirm or update their status. This comprehensive process allows us to set a status for any downloadable file as follows:

Clean

It’s extremely likely that this software program is clean.

What does this mean?

We have scanned the file and URLs associated with this software program in more than 50 of the world's leading antivirus services; no possible threat has been detected.

Warning

This software program is potentially malicious or may contain unwanted bundled software.

Why is the software program still available?

Based on our scan system, we have determined that these flags are possibly false positives.

What is a false positive?

It means a benign program is wrongfully flagged as malicious due to an overly broad detection signature or algorithm used in an antivirus program.

We’d like to highlight that from time to time, we may miss a potentially malicious software program. To continue promising you a malware-free catalog of programs and apps, our team has integrated a Report Software feature in every catalog page that loops your feedback back to us.

Flag any particular issues you may encounter and Softonic will address those concerns as soon as possible.