Lots of ads and stuff in the free version, popups can be a bit annoying but never fails to do it's function. Only can change IP to one country.

Make sure to avoid all the "extra features" in the installation process. Unlike TOR, Hotspot Shield provides you a static IP address, which makes it good for watching US content outside of the US.. If you want security then I would recommend TOR, but for breaking geo-blocking HS is relatively good, taking in mind that it is a free service! HS fooled Comedy Central to let me see The Daily Show with Jon Steward and South Park form the UK.. But it unfortunately didn't work with the “big guys” like Netflix or Hulu. The program does starts adds in the top of your browser, but these can be filtered by for example AdBlock for Google Chrome and properly other add-blockers as well.. HS does slow down the speed and response, but the connection seems stable.

THE MOST PIG-LIKE PROGRAM I'VE ENCOUNTERED

Although it's effective at showing a different ip to websites, this is the most piggish program I've encountered apart from viruses !
Just two things it does:

• takes over your browser so that very often, whenever you open a page, HS takes it over to show you a page of ads. You don't even SEE your page. It just completely TAKES IT OVER. Not: it opens up another page for its ads. NO. It TAKES over your page and you never see it. Disgusting. PIGLIKE.

• the most recent version will actually RERUN itself when you shut it down. You shut it down. It reruns. You shut it down. It reruns. If I was a vegetarian, I'd become a meat eater again so I could KILL this PIG of a program.

It's annoying because I haven't found any other freeware programs that do the same without OTHER scams or just NOT WORKING.

The developers are crazy - it does the basic job so if they were less GREEDY, people would use it.
LOOKING FURIOUSLY for a reliable alternative so I can DUMP THE PIG !

They should call it Hotspot Shite.

If you are going to use a malware removing software or a kernel fixing software like ComboFix, then get rid of this before you do so because you will be in a world of hurt if it stays.

Hotspot shield takes your IP, country of origin, browsing history and gives it to advertisers who put a persistent cookie that follow us everywhere, including back to your originating IP. You are not protecting your IP with this. Just the opposite. You are providing all your computer data to anybody who wants to take a look: from governement agencies to hackers and advertisers. This is not for free. It will cost you your freedom. Beware of the facts behind this scam.

I tried to install Hotspot Shield on my pc, but my ESET antivirus blocked this program: Eset detects it as a virus!
Scanning the installer file of Hotspot Shield with VirusTotal, only ESET-Nod32 recognizes it as a virus.
However Hotspot Shield didn't work on my computer.

My experience with Hotspot Shield has been all good. I use it at work for a couple reasons: 1) It prevents nosy IT folks from spying; 2) It gets around their aggressive filters and allows me access to Facebook, YouTube and other essentially benign sites that they block, and it eliminates "red flags" from unexpected redirects, etc.

Powerful proxy ...
But contains a lot of ads .. And change the search results in Google refer you to the ask.com

I have very good experience with Tor + Vidalia to keep anonymity in the web and defend against network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy. It is very simple to use with an own self opening Firefox Explorer, if you start the Tor button. With only one click in the TOR-menu in the system tray you can change your identity (IP-Address).
In this special Firefox Explorer I set http://www.aboutip.de/ as Homepage to see after page-refresh, what IP-Address I use after clicking "New Identity".

such an evil piece of software that is full of ads and background processes and is also very hard to remove

Lot's of ads and stuff. I would pay to get an real VPN instead.