Hideman VPN Review in Australia (November 2023 Updated)

Hideman. If you haven’t heard of this VPN, you’re not alone. Despite being around in the VPN industry since 2012, you’ll be lucky if you can find any information about Hideman VPN online. While Hideman VPN may be a feasible VPN solution with decent performance and a few nifty tweaks like the kill switch and the DPI protection, there are a number of reasons why I don’t recommend using Hideman. So you can Check out the VPNs recommended by VPNRanks in 2023.

For starters, it is based in the UK, so you know that it keeps logs. This is enough of a reason to not use this VPN in the first place. Although it offers a free version, it only comes with, wait for it…one server location. And even with just one server, I still couldn’t connect on either my iPhone or on my Windows computer.

The free version also didn’t work with torrenting or with Netflix and any other streaming services I tried accessing in Australia. The paid version, on the other hand, worked with US Netflix and BBC iPlayer, however, the speeds were atrociously slow. I couldn’t stream anything without endless annoying buffering issues in Australia.

Overall, after doing all the testing before writing this Hideman VPN review in Australia, I found it to be an outdated and probably a neglected VPN service. It only offers servers in 22+ countries, and that too if you opt for the premium version, it’s super slow, and most of the apps that it offers, are terrible looking and don’t even work.

So after weighing in all the pros and cons of both paid and free versions of Hideman, I recommend you don’t use this service in Australia. The version is terrible and the paid version is frankly doesn’t justify the starting price of AU$9.12/mo. For this price, there are far better VPNs like NordVPN and ExpressVPN that offer way more features, apps, and servers in Australia.

Hideman VPN Review in Australia (2023 Updated) – My Rating Criteria

Before writing this Hideman VPN review in Australia, I thoroughly tested Hideman for its pros and cons, I used my 9-step rating criteria:

1. Jurisdiction – Where is Hideman VPN based?
2. Security – Does Hideman VPN keep logs in Australia?
3. Leaks – Does Hideman VPN leak IP, DNS, and WebRTC?
4. Servers – Is Hideman VPN P2P compatible in Australia?
5. Speed – How fast is Hideman VPN in Australia?
6. Streaming – Does Hideman VPN work with Netflix in Australia?
7. Compatibility – Which devices can I use Hideman with?
8. Pricing – How much does Hideman VPN cost in Australia?
9. Trustworthiness – Is Hideman VPN safe?

Jurisdiction – Where is Hideman VPN based?

Hideman VPN is based in London (UK). If you don’t know, the United Kingdom is actually the founding member of the infamous surveillance alliance called the 5 eyes. This means that if the authorities were to ask Hideman for users’ data, it will have to comply with them. So, if you value your privacy, Hideman’s location of operations should be a big enough reason for you to avoid it.

Security & Privacy – Does Hideman VPN keep logs in Australia?

Yes, with the free version, Hideman VPN keeps logs for 14 days. The good thing, however, is that it does not store usage logs. With the paid version, on the other hand, Hideman claims to keep zero logs. But none of this information is available in their privacy policy.

In fact, I had to go through their FAQs section to get any information about their logging policy. Their privacy policy contains a bunch of gibberish and no valuable information whatsoever. Except for the fact that it’s clearly written in their privacy that they reserve the right to share personally identifiable information about you.

Encryption, Protocols & Basic Features

As for security features, Hideman seriously lacks quite a lot. Even though it offers 256-bit encryption, it only offers just one protocol (OpenVPN). You just get the option to switch between TCP and UDP. In comparison, other VPNs like ExpressVPN or PureVPN offer way more protocols in Australia.

But on the plus side, Hideman does offer a few basic features like Kill Switch, Anti-DPI mode, and DNS filter. It also offers options to set up port forwarding and proxy settings. Then again, other paid VPNs offer additional features like dedicated IP, Split tunneling, and even ad-blockers. Overall, Hideman barely offers any features.

Leaks – Does Hideman VPN leak IP, DNS, WebRTC?

So, despite being short on features, Hideman VPN surprisingly passed all my leak tests in Australia. To conduct my comprehensive leak tests, I connected to its Netherlands server in Australia and checked for IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks.

IP Leak Test:

Firstly, I checked for obvious IP leaks while connected to the Netherlands server in Australia. As you can see from the screenshot below, my actual IP address is not getting leaked.

DNS Leak Test:

Next, I checked for DNS leaks and Hideman still came clean again. As you can see from the screenshot below, I’m only connected to a DNS server in the Netherlands.

WebRTC Leak Test:

I also checked for WebRTC leaks and Hideman VPN passed this test too, which is pretty good. Even after conducting multiple tests, Hideman VPN stood pretty strong.

Virus Test:

Last but not the least, I also checked for any kind of viruses in the Windows client of Hideman VPN. Surprisingly enough, I did not find any kind of viruses, malware, or adware. Check out the screenshot below:

Servers – Is Hideman VPN P2P compatible in Australia?

Yes, Hideman VPN is P2P compatible in Australia. Actually, Torrents, Tor, and I2P are a few of the prominently advertised features of Hideman. It also promises torrents ‘without restrictions and penalties’ and offers access to Onion and I2P resources.

Another thing to like about Hideman is that it let you know which countries have put restrictions on torrents and P2P networking. For example, on its client, you will see red marks on locations such as Russia and Canada where torrents are illegal.

But since it only has servers in some 22+ countries, it is not good performance-wise. I tried downloading a small torrent file, but the performance was quite dreadful. So, if you use VPN services solely for torrenting, I suggest using some other VPN service with optimized P2P servers.

If you want to revolve around torrenting, my strong recommendation would be to opt for ExpressVPN. With servers in 105 countries, 162 locations, and a robust count exceeding 3000, ExpressVPN not only outshines Hideman but also provides dedicated P2P-optimized servers for a seamless and secure torrenting experience.

Speed – How fast is Hideman VPN in Australia?

As for speeds, Hideman VPN is very poor. To test what Hideman was capable of, I performed the speed test using my base 20 Mbps Internet connection. First, here’s a screenshot of my actual speeds without Hideman enabled:

United States:

With the US location, I managed to get both terrible uploadings and downloading speeds. On average, the US only managed to output 1.47 Mbps download speeds.

United Kingdom:

With the UK sever, I got slightly better pings as described in Hideman VPN Review in Australia, however, the speed was still quite terrible. At max, the UK server only managed to push out 1.69 Mbps download speeds.

Canada:

Last but not least, I also tested the speeds with the Canadian server. Again, I only managed to get excruciatingly slow speeds. Even after multiple tests, I only managed to get around 1.77 Mbps downloading speeds.

Overall, Hideman VPN is unapologetically slow. I knew Hideman wasn’t going to impress me with its speeds, but never knew it would be this slow. If you don’t want to get stuck with something super slow, you might be better off with Surfshark VPN.

Streaming – Does Hideman VPN work with Netflix in Australia?

Surprisingly enough, Hideman actually worked with American Netflix in Australia. That being said, the streaming and playback quality was terrible. No surprise when their servers are so slow.

Looking back at it, I now know why it didn’t offer better streaming performance. It’s simply because it has a small server network. If it offered thousands of servers like ExpressVPN or PureVPN it would have easily offered better performance in Australia.

Other Streaming Service that works with Hideman in Australia

Aside from Netflix, Hideman also managed to work with BBC iPlayer in Australia. However, similar to Netflix, Hideman performed pretty terribly. Overall, Hideman is not ideal for streaming.

Compatibility – Which devices can I use Hideman with?

Compatibility-wise, Hideman VPN is quite weak. It only offers apps for Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome, and macOS. Although it basically covers all smartphones, tablets, and desktop devices, however, since it doesn’t offer support for routers, you have no way to use it with Smart TVs and gaming consoles.

But the good thing is that if you choose the ultimate plan, you can secure up to 4 devices simultaneously.

Hideman Windows App

The Windows app of Hideman VPN looks and feels pretty outdated. After all, their Windows client hasn’t been updated since 2015. As I mentioned earlier, the version didn’t work at all.

I clicked on the connect button and the status bar at the bottom kept on loading but nothing actually happened. The paid version managed to connect, however, the performance was still terrible.

Hideman macOS App

The macOS app looks quite modern compared to its Windows counterpart. It worked just fine and even offered a decent amount of features. However, nothing impressed me too much.

Hideman Android App

As mentioned in Hideman VPN Review in Australia The Android app of Hideman VPN looks quite dated as well. Genuinely speaking, it boasts a very outdated design. It also doesn’t have very positive reviews on Google Play Store. In fact, it just has a 2.8-star rating overall.

Hideman iOS App

The iOS app, on the other hand, has a rather modern design. It also has a slightly better rating. On the iTunes store, Hideman VPN has a 3.6-star rating. But as for features, you only get options to connect automatically and enable or disable malware protection.

Pricing – How much does Hideman VPN cost in Australia?

According to this Hideman VPN review in Australia. The pricing for Hideman VPN in Australia is slightly expensive. It offers 3 different packages, but none of them offers any real value for money. Here are all the packages and their pricing:

Pricing plans:

• 1 month – AU$12.35
• 6 month – AU$66.43
• 1 year – AU$111.25

Overall, Hideman is not cheap. Especially when you consider its lack of features and spotty performance. The only decent thing it offers is 4 multi-logins and 30 day money-back guarantee. In comparison, PureVPN and Surfshark are still way more affordable and offer far better features. If you want to get these VPNs instead at low prices, check out our exclusive deals on VPNs.

Payment Methods

As for payment methods, Hideman accepts only a handful of payment methods, and that too that you might have never heard of. Currently, you can purchase Hideman using the following payment methods:

• Mobiamo
• Mint
• Bitcoin
• OK Pay
• Perfect Money

Free Trial

As for the free version, yes, Hideman offers 7 hours of free access for new users, plus 4 hours every week. But the free trial will only have 1 server. In my case, I got a German server with a limited 2 GB/month bandwidth. But as I mentioned earlier, the free version is even worse than the paid version.

Trustworthiness – Is Hideman VPN safe in Australia?

To be honest, Hideman VPN is not safe in Australia. For starters, as I mentioned earlier, Hideman is based in the UK which is not a safe jurisdiction for VPN providers. It also keeps logs and doesn’t offer a lot of security features. Even its Trustpilot page has barely any reviews or ratings. In fact, it only has one (1) user review and a 3.6/<5.0 star rating. Overall, it’s not sure what other people think about Hideman VN.

Customer Support

As for customer support, Hideman VPN Review in Australia highlights it has no live chat option. You can contact them through either e-mail, Skype, or Jabber. There is also a FAQ section that has concise answers to several basic questions. Some may find these answers to be ‘too concise’ but I appreciate the straightforward approach of Hideman. Hideman also offers manuals to set up their applications.