How to Cancel Hotspot Shield VPN (2026 Guide) — The VPN With a Sketchy Track Record
Updated 2026-02-24 · 4 min read
Hotspot Shield Premium costs $12.99/month or $7.99/month on an annual plan. Owned by Aura/Pango (formerly AnchorFree), Hotspot Shield has been caught injecting tracking cookies and redirecting traffic through advertising partners. If privacy was your reason for getting a VPN, this one defeats the purpose.
Apple: Settings → Your Name → Subscriptions → Hotspot Shield → Cancel
Google: Play Store → Subscriptions → Hotspot Shield → Cancel
🔴 Privacy Concerns: In 2017, the CDT (Center for Democracy & Technology) filed an FTC complaint against Hotspot Shield for "undisclosed and unclear data sharing and traffic redirection." The free version was found to inject JavaScript for ad tracking. Even the paid version uses a proprietary protocol (Catapult Hydra) that hasn't been independently audited like WireGuard or OpenVPN.
Trustworthy VPN Alternatives
ProtonVPN (free/$4.99/mo) — Swiss privacy laws, open-source apps, free tier with no data limit
Mullvad ($5.50/mo) — No email, no name, no tracking. Pay with cash if you want
Windscribe (free/paid) — 10GB free, transparent, Canadian
Mozilla VPN ($4.99/mo) — Backed by Firefox, uses Mullvad's servers
🔍 VPN & Security Audit: Upload your bank statement to JustCancel to find every VPN and security subscription you're paying for — including ones auto-renewing from years ago.