Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Freenet VS Hotspot Shield

Compare Freenet VS Hotspot Shield and see what are their differences

Freenet logo Freenet

Mae-enjoy mo na ang LIBRENG INTERNET ACCESS mula sa freenet! Ang libreng net na bet! freenet is an app where you can access the internet for free. Get 24/7 free access to our partner apps and sites. FREE INTERNET!

Hotspot Shield logo Hotspot Shield

Hotspot Shield is a software application developed by AnchorFree, Inc.
  • Freenet Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-12
  • Hotspot Shield Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-17

Freenet features and specs

  • Privacy and Anonymity
    Freenet is designed to allow users to publish and retrieve information with strong privacy guarantees. This is achieved through decentralized data storage and routing, which makes it difficult to trace the source or destination of data.
  • Censorship Resistance
    Due to its decentralized nature, Freenet is built to resist censorship. Data is spread across various nodes, making it hard for any single entity to control or block access to information.
  • Decentralized Network
    Freenet does not rely on centralized servers; instead, data is distributed across a network of volunteers. This reduces single points of failure and lowers the risk of network shutdown.
  • Self-Healing Technology
    Freenet incorporates self-healing algorithms to ensure data redundancy and resilience. If a node goes offline, the network automatically redistributes the data, maintaining availability.
  • Free Software
    Freenet is open-source software, meaning its code is freely available for anyone to inspect, modify, and distribute. This openness fosters transparency and collaboration among developers around the world.

Possible disadvantages of Freenet

  • Performance Issues
    Due to the encryption and decentralization methods used, Freenet can be slower than traditional internet services. Users may experience longer wait times for data retrieval and downloads.
  • Complexity
    Setting up and using Freenet can be more complex compared to conventional internet applications. Users may need to invest time to understand the system and properly configure it.
  • Limited Content Availability
    Freenet's user base is smaller compared to the traditional internet, leading to less content being available. Additionally, because it's decentralized, finding specific content can be more challenging.
  • Storage Load
    As a node in the Freenet network, users contribute storage space to help host distributed data. This can consume significant disk space, affecting the performance of the host machine.
  • Potential for Malicious Content
    The anonymity and decentralization that protect privacy and resist censorship can also be exploited to distribute illegal or harmful content. This raises ethical and legal concerns.

Hotspot Shield features and specs

  • High-Speed Performance
    Hotspot Shield is known for its high-speed connections, making it ideal for streaming, large downloads, and gaming.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The application is designed with a simple, intuitive interface that makes it easy for both technical and non-technical users to operate.
  • Large Server Network
    Hotspot Shield provides access to a large number of servers in various locations around the world, which can help bypass geo-restrictions.
  • Strong Security Features
    It offers robust encryption and security features such as malware protection, which enhance user privacy and data security.
  • Free Version Available
    A free version of Hotspot Shield is available, allowing users to try the service before committing to a paid subscription.

Possible disadvantages of Hotspot Shield

  • Logging Policy
    Hotspot Shield’s privacy policy has been criticized for potential logging of user data, which raises concerns for privacy-conscious users.
  • Ads in Free Version
    The free version of Hotspot Shield includes advertisements, which can be intrusive and disrupt the browsing experience.
  • Limited Features in Free Version
    The free version offers a limited set of features compared to the premium version, which may not meet all user needs.
  • Cost of Premium Version
    The premium subscription can be relatively expensive, which may not be affordable for all users.
  • Inconsistent Performance
    Some users have reported inconsistent performance, such as occasional slowdowns or interruptions depending on the server or location.

Freenet videos

Aaron Jones: Introduction To Freenet

More videos:

  • Review - Internet Security: TOR and Freenet

Hotspot Shield videos

Hotspot Shield Review - Brutally Honest Review in 2019

More videos:

  • Review - Hotspot Shield VPN Review
  • Review - Hotspot Shield review: Should you get it? | VPNpro

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Freenet and Hotspot Shield)
VPN
29 29%
71% 71
Security
40 40%
60% 60
Cloud VPN
24 24%
76% 76
Security & Privacy
21 21%
79% 79

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Freenet and Hotspot Shield

Freenet Reviews

The 10 Best Open Source VPN Apps
Although you can get this VPN free of cost, the creators recommend making donations so that the software can be updated more frequently. Lastly, you can install this application on Windows, Linux, and macOS, but Freenet is not available on mobile platforms like some of the other entries on our list.

Hotspot Shield Reviews

The Best Top 10 VPNs for Spotify 2025
Hotspot Shield is a popular VPN solution for Spotify users, offering fast and secure connections to its vast network of servers. With a user-friendly interface and 24/7 customer support, Hotspot Shield is perfect for music lovers.
Turbo VPN Alternatives – Best Free VPN Apps For Android in 2022
Hotspot Shield is the best and most popular VPN proxy application for Android smartphones. It takes security and privacy very seriously. Since it’s a VPN app, it can be used to unlock geo-restricted websites and content.
Source: techviral.net
112 Best Chrome Extensions You Should Try (2021 List)
Hotspot Shield extension is a freemium security tool. It uses WebRTC technologies to hide your IP and uses military-grade encryption to protect your data. Yes! it offers both free and paid plans, but as free, it only connects to one location and provides primary security. But premium subscription plans come with a 45-day money-back guarantee. However, for beginners, the free...
8 Best Turbo VPN Alternatives for Android and iOS
HotSpot Shield is yet another VPN that offers unlimited data just like Turbo VPN. It does not throttle the speed and the servers are always up which translates to excellent performance. However, bear in mind, under the free service, you have servers only from the US region which could be a bummer for some. Nevertheless, the best part about Hotspot Shield is that it offers...
Source: beebom.com
8 Similar Apps like Psiphon that are Actually Better
Hotspot Shield VPN is yet another incredible app like Psiphon. However, it does require you to subscribe to a plan to be able to utilize the VPN service. The pricing plans are similar to the ones offered by other VPN providers.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Freenet seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 33 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Freenet mentions (33)

  • We're getting some positive attention on HN right now
    You are linking "original Freenet" to a PDF on freenet.org instead of linking to freenetproject.org ? Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Freenet 2023: A drop-in decentralized replacement for the world wide web
    It clashes with the Freenet project https://freenetproject.org/. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Ask HN: What Are Alternatives to the Internet?
    There's a few abstractions of the web you can use today. https://freenetproject.org/ https://geti2p.net/en/ https://www.gnunet.org/en/ https://www.ipfs.tech/. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • A player-owned RPG - would you want to participate in such a game?
    Instead of use of Blockchain you could also use Freenet . The only bad thing here data could be lost, but mostly only data is lost when not used. This could be used to auto purge forks that most people dislike. If for example some reason there are multiple alternatives how the story goes some of them will die after a while and removed from system. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Internet Archive Takes Down BBC’s Documentary on PM Modi: Report
    An automatically space balancing solution would be Freenet. Given that it's content addressing, it's possible to push data into it and have it deduplicate automatically. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

Hotspot Shield mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Hotspot Shield yet. Tracking of Hotspot Shield recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Freenet and Hotspot Shield, you can also consider the following products

I2P - The I2P network provides strong privacy protections for communication over the Internet.

ProtonVPN - ProtonVPN is a security focused FREE VPN service, developed by CERN and MIT scientists. Use the web anonymously, unblock websites & encrypt your connection.

Tor Browser - Tor is free software for enabling anonymous communication.

OpenVPN - OpenVPN - The Open Source VPN

Psiphon - Psiphon is circumvention software for Windows and Mobile platforms that provides uncensored access to Internet content. Read more about Psiphon.

TunnelBear - Really simple VPN to browse the web privately & anonymously.