Hotspot Shield Premium and Family prices, and the renewal bill that follows
The cheapest way in is €1.71 a month, paid upfront for the longest term. After that term, Hotspot Shield renews at its standard price: 3.3× more per month than the first term. Market median across the main ranking: €3.13 a month.
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Real cost over 1, 2 and 3 years
What you pay to keep Hotspot Shield running: the first term, then renewals at the published renewal price. Where no renewal price is published, plans shorter than a year are counted as repeat payments at the current price; longer plans show a dash after their term. Converted to euros at the rates used in our data (1 USD = €0.86). The lowest cost for each period is marked.
| Plan and first term | First payment | Then | 1 year | 2 years | 3 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium (latest version, intro), 12 mo | €24.94 | €82.55 / 12 mo | €24.94 | €107.49 | €190.04 |
| Premium monthly (intro), 1 mo | €1.71 | €11.17 / 1 mo | €124.60 | €258.65 | €392.71 |
Compare Hotspot Shield’s full cost with other VPNs, for any number of devices
All plans as published
| Plan | Term | Price for term | Per month | € / month | Renewal price | Renewal term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium (latest version, intro) | 12 mo | $29.00 | $2.42 | €2.08 | $95.99 | 12 mo |
| Premium (older version, billed annually) | 12 mo | — | $7.99 | €6.87 | — | 12 mo |
| Plus (older version) | 12 mo | — | $6.99 | €6.01 | — | 12 mo |
| Premium Family (older version) | 12 mo | — | $11.99 | €10.31 | — | 12 mo |
| Basic (free) | 1 mo | $0.00 | $0.00 | €0.00 | $0.00 | 1 mo |
| Premium monthly (intro) | 1 mo | $1.99 | $1.99 | €1.71 | $12.99 | 1 mo |
Refunds, trial and payment
- Refund window
- 45 days
- Refund conditions
- full refund within 45 days of enrollment, direct purchases (no questions asked)
- Free trial
- No
- Auto-renewal
- Yes
- How to cancel
- turn off auto-renewal in account
- Payment methods
- credit/debit cards; PayPal (review)
- Renewal note
- Premium intro $29 first year, auto-renews at $95.99/year; turn off auto-renew in account
Hotspot Shield Premium costs $29 for the first year ($2.42 a month) or $1.99 for the first month, then renews at $95.99 a year or bills at $12.99 a month from month two. The free Basic tier costs nothing. Against the VPNRadarLab market median of €3.13 a month, the intro price sits well below it; the renewal price sits well above.
Two price lists on one order page
The official plan selection page shows a fresh intro deal next to an older annual grid, and the figures do not line up. The main paid options as published are gathered below (euro values are VPNRadarLab conversions at 1 USD = €0.86):
| Plan | Billing | First payment | Per month | € per month | Renews at | Devices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium (current) | yearly | $29 | $2.42 | 2.08 | $95.99 a year | 10 |
| Premium (current) | monthly | $1.99 | $1.99 | 1.71 | $12.99 a month | 10 |
| Premium (older table) | billed annually | not shown | $7.99 | 6.87 | not shown | not shown |
| Plus (older table) | billed annually | not shown | $6.99 | 6.01 | not shown | 5 |
| Premium Family (older table) | billed annually | not shown | $11.99 | 10.31 | not shown | 25 (up to 5 members) |
The older grid carries discount badges (30% for Plus, 38% for Premium, 40% for Family) and a monthly rate only. Since that table lists neither the annual total nor the renewal, check both before buying on it; the current Premium offer is the only line where every figure is published, so plan your budget around it.
What happens to the bill after the intro term
On the yearly term, the second year costs $95.99 against $29 for the first, 3.3 times more. Monthly is harsher: $1.99 covers one month, then the rate jumps to $12.99, roughly six and a half times as much. Auto-renewal is on by default, so the intro rate turns into the full price without a reminder unless you switch it off in your account.
Over three years the two routes diverge sharply. Yearly Premium totals $220.98 (€190.04) with two renewals counted; monthly Premium reaches $456.64 (€392.71) over the same horizon. Treat the monthly offer as a one-month test.
Premium extras and the Family plan
Premium bundles more than a tunnel: Aura Antivirus for Windows and Mac, the 1Password password manager, Identity Guard identity theft protection (listed with the older Premium) and a spam call blocker (Robo Shield in the US and Canada, Hiya elsewhere). Anyone already paying for a password manager will find part of the bundle redundant. Double VPN, eSIM and cloud storage are absent from the lineup altogether.
The Family plan covers up to 5 members and 25 devices at $11.99 a month billed annually, about €2.06 per member with all five seats filled. Plus is a reduced tier with 5 device slots. Unlimited data applies on all paid plans; tiers differ in locations, speed and extras.
Hotspot Shield against the €3.13 median
| Rate | € per month | Against the median |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Premium, first month | 1.71 | About 55% |
| Yearly Premium, first year | 2.08 | About two thirds |
| Plus, older table | 6.01 | About 1.9 times |
| Yearly Premium, after renewal | about 6.88 | About 2.2 times |
| Premium Family, older table | 10.31 | About 3.3 times |
| Monthly Premium, from month two | 11.17 | About 3.6 times |
Only the intro rates beat the median; everything after renewal lands far above it. VPNRadarLab scores price and terms at 3.7 of 10, and the renewal jump takes the full two-point penalty. Points come from the low entry price, the free plan, the 45-day refund window, the 10-device limit and self-service cancelling. Nothing is scored for a free trial, crypto payment, renewal reminders, refunds on monthly plans or pro-rata refunds, and the criterion "auto-renewal switched off by default" earns nothing either, because Hotspot Shield turns it on.
Card, PayPal and the 45-day refund
Checkout takes credit and debit cards plus PayPal. Crypto is not accepted and brings no discount, the provider publishes no cash option, and no identity check (KYC) is required. Direct purchases carry a 45-day money-back guarantee with a full "no questions asked" refund.
Hotspot Shield price FAQ
Is Hotspot Shield still free?
Yes. Basic gives 500 MB of data a day, up to 2 Mbps on one device, a single US virtual location and ads in the mobile apps; more data comes from watching ads. Streaming and 24/7 chat support are limited or absent.
Is there a free trial?
No. The free Basic tier plus the 45-day refund window cover that need.
Is there a 3-year plan?
No two-year or three-year price was published when VPNRadarLab checked. The longest term on sale is one year.
Which Hotspot Shield plan to pay for
Take the yearly Premium deal at $29 and set a reminder before month twelve, because the renewal is $95.99. The Family plan pays off with most of its five seats filled, at roughly €2 per member. Use the $1.99 monthly offer for a short test, then cancel in the account or switch to the yearly term before the $12.99 rate starts. In the VPNRadarLab main ranking Hotspot Shield holds a total score of 3.94 and place 44.
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