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PrivateVPN vs Hide.me compares two small, long-running VPNs that cost about the same and offer port forwarding. PrivateVPN charges around $2 a month on a three-year plan; Hide.me around $2.69 a month on a 26-month plan. Both have operated for more than a decade.
They differ on the two things that matter most for a privacy tool: evidence and location. Hide.me has an audit from 2024 and operates from Malaysia, outside every intelligence alliance. PrivateVPN has never been audited and operates from Sweden, inside the Fourteen Eyes. PrivateVPN’s answer is streaming, where reviewers rate it strongly.
PrivateVPN vs Hide.me: The Short Answer
Choose Hide.me over PrivateVPN for privacy. It rates 3.6 in our Hide.me review, has an audit, runs its own servers, and offers a free tier with no email.
Choose PrivateVPN for streaming and torrenting extras. It rates 3.2 in our PrivateVPN review, adds SOCKS5 to its port forwarding, and gives one plan a free dedicated IP.
On price they are close, so the choice turns on what you use a VPN for.
Privacy: Evidence and Location
Hide.me has an audit from 2024, with sources naming the auditor as Securitum or Altius IT, and the VPN Trust Initiative re-accredited it in 2026. eVenture Ltd has run it from Labuan since 2012, and its servers are self-managed rather than rented.
PrivateVPN has no audit. Its support reportedly told a reviewer there was nothing to audit because it keeps no logs, and confirmed its servers are disk-based. Sources disagree on whether it is independent or owned by the hosting group Miss Group. Our audit tracker and our no-logs guide explain why that matters.
⚠️ Location widens the gap. Malaysia sits outside the Five, Nine and Fourteen Eyes; Sweden sits inside the Fourteen. Our ownership guide covers both companies.
| Provider | No-logs audits | Auditor | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|---|
| NordVPN | 6 | PwC, Deloitte | Panama |
| Surfshark | 2 | Deloitte | Netherlands (9 Eyes) |
| ExpressVPN | 3 | KPMG (28 security reports in total) | British Virgin Islands, Kape-owned |
| CyberGhost | 3 | Deloitte | Romania, Kape-owned |
| PureVPN | 4 | KPMG | BVI, operated from Pakistan |
| IPVanish | 2 | Leviathan, Schellman | United States (Five Eyes), Ziff Davis-owned |
| Windscribe | 1 | Packetlabs, production infrastructure | Canada (Five Eyes); Greek case dismissed, no data to give |
| Proton VPN | 5 | Securitum | Switzerland, moving infrastructure to EU |
| Private Internet Access | 3 | Deloitte | United States (Five Eyes), Kape-owned |
| Mullvad | 10+ | Cure53, Assured AB | Sweden (14 Eyes) |
| TunnelBear | Annual since 2017 | Cure53 | Canada (Five Eyes), US parent |
| Norton VPN | 2 | VerSprite | United States (Five Eyes) |
| Hotspot Shield | 0 | protocol audited, policy not | United States (Five Eyes) |
| AirVPN | 0 | none — the client is open source instead | Italy (14 Eyes) |
| IVPN | 8, annual since inception | Cure53 | Gibraltar (status disputed) |
| Hide.me | 1 modern, in 2024 | Securitum, though one source names Altius IT | Malaysia (outside the alliances) |
| PrivadoVPN | 0 | none in six years of operation | Iceland (moved from Switzerland, 2026) |
| TorGuard | 0 | none; settled a lawsuit without disclosing records | United States (Five Eyes) |
| FastestVPN | 1, in 2023 | Altius IT | Cayman Islands (outside the alliances) |
| StrongVPN | 0 | none in over two decades | United States (Five Eyes), Ziff Davis-owned |
| VyprVPN | 1, in 2018 | Leviathan Security, before the 2023 sale | United States (Five Eyes), Certida-owned since 2023 |
| PrivateVPN | 0 | none; support says there is nothing to audit | Sweden (14 Eyes), ownership disputed |
| ZoogVPN | 0 | none; support describes one as planned | Greece (outside the alliances), run from Ukraine |
| Malwarebytes Privacy VPN | 1, in 2026 | X41 D-Sec, white-box over two months | United States (Five Eyes), runs AzireVPN infrastructure |
| Astrill | 0 | — | Disputed: Seychelles or Liechtenstein |
PrivateVPN vs Hide.me on Price
PrivateVPN costs around $2 a month on its three-year plan and gives 30 days to claim a refund. Check its renewal at checkout before committing.
Hide.me costs around $2.69 a month on its 26-month plan, and its renewal is reported to stay at that rate, though one source disagrees. Its free tier needs no email or card. Our renewal price table explains why renewals matter.
PrivateVPN vs Hide.me on Features
Streaming: reviewers report Netflix, iPlayer, Disney+ and Prime Video working reliably on PrivateVPN. Hide.me streams on paid plans only, and our review calls it not the strongest in the category. Our Netflix guide covers the landscape.
Port forwarding: PrivateVPN includes it with SOCKS5; Hide.me offers dynamic forwarding on paid plans. Our port forwarding guide explains the difference.
Dedicated IP: free on one PrivateVPN plan. Our dedicated IP guide explains who needs one.
Free tier: only Hide.me, with the kill switch on by default and a data limit that sources disagree on. Our free VPN guide compares it with the rest.
Network: PrivateVPN runs about 200 servers in 63 countries; Hide.me between 1,900 and 2,600 across 48 to 50 countries, depending on the source.
What Each One Lacks
PrivateVPN lacks an audit, RAM-only servers and a base outside the alliances. Its ownership is disputed, and its live chat is not staffed around the clock.
Hide.me lacks strong streaming and consistent published figures. Its server count, free data limit and auditor vary between sources, and its apps suit technical users best.
Which One
Hide.me for privacy you can point to: an audit, an offshore base, self-managed servers and a free tier to try.
PrivateVPN for streaming, torrenting with SOCKS5 and a free dedicated IP, if an unaudited claim is acceptable to you. FastestVPN vs Hide.me and FastestVPN vs PrivateVPN set each against a third budget option.
How We Research
Hide.me’s audit, ownership, free tier, price and features come from our Hide.me review, and PrivateVPN’s support answers, price, refunds, features and ownership dispute from our PrivateVPN review and tables. We do not run our own tests. Our full approach lives on the About Us page.
PrivateVPN vs Hide.me FAQ
In PrivateVPN vs Hide.me, Hide.me rates higher, 3.6 against 3.2, thanks to its audit, Malaysian base and free tier. PrivateVPN is stronger for streaming and adds SOCKS5 and a free dedicated IP on one plan.
Hide.me had an audit in 2024. PrivateVPN never has; its support reportedly said there was nothing to audit.
They are close. PrivateVPN costs around $2 a month on its three-year plan; Hide.me around $2.69 a month on its 26-month plan, and it also has a free tier.
PrivateVPN. Reviewers report Netflix, iPlayer, Disney+ and Prime Video working reliably, while Hide.me streams on paid plans only.
Hide.me operates from Labuan, Malaysia, outside the intelligence alliances. PrivateVPN operates from Sweden, inside the Fourteen Eyes.
The Verdict
PrivateVPN vs Hide.me splits cleanly. Hide.me has the better privacy case: an audit, an offshore base and self-managed servers. PrivateVPN has the better streaming and torrenting extras.
If privacy is the reason you want a VPN, choose Hide.me. If streaming is, PrivateVPN delivers more for about the same money, with the missing audit in view.