Hotspot Shield vs Perimeter 81

​​Hotspot Shield, developed by Pango (formerly AnchorFree Inc.), is a prominent VPN service headquartered in Redwood City, California, with additional offices in Boston and Ukraine. Founded in 2005 by David Gorodyansky and Eugene Malobrodsky, the company has grown significantly, boasting over 3,200 servers across over 80 countries. This extensive server network allows users to bypass geo-restrictions and access region-locked content, enhancing privacy and security online. Hotspot Shield offers both free and premium plans. The free version includes limited server access and a daily data cap, while the premium version provides faster speeds, a broader server selection, and additional features like antivirus protection. A standout feature of Hotspot Shield is their proprietary Catapult Hydra protocol, which aims to deliver enhanced speed and security compared to traditional VPN protocols. Despite their strengths, Hotspot Shield has faced criticism for not conducting third-party audits to verify their no-logging policy. However, they maintain a strict no-logging policy to protect user privacy. The service is available on multiple platforms, including iOS, macOS, Android, Windows, and Linux. As of December 31, 2024, Hotspot Shield will discontinue support for router-based VPN configurations.

Perimeter 81, founded in 2018 and headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, has quickly become a prominent player in the network security industry. Specializing in Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), Perimeter 81 offers businesses advanced security features such as AES-256 encryption, multi-platform compatibility, and seamless integration with popular cloud services like AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure. Their solutions cater to the needs of modern organizations, providing tools like DNS filtering, automatic Wi-Fi protection, and activity monitoring to safeguard data and enhance operational efficiency. Recognized for its commitment to cybersecurity innovation, Perimeter 81 has been praised for its user-friendly interface and robust security protocols, including WireGuard and OpenVPN, which are designed to meet the needs of diverse use cases like secure business operations, remote work, and data protection. While customer feedback highlights Perimeter 81’s ease of use and flexibility, industry experts have lauded its ability to offer comprehensive protection without the complexity typical of traditional VPN solutions. Dive deeper into our review to explore how Perimeter 81 can elevate your organization’s security posture.