Everything Connectify Hotspot can do
Hotspot Lite, the free edition, shares Wi-Fi, Ethernet, VPNs, and tethered phones with your devices. PRO adds mobile broadband and removes the time limit. MAX extends your network and puts devices directly on it.
Share any connection
Choose how to share, pick what your PC is connected to, and start your hotspot.
Wi-Fi and Ethernet Free
Turn a wired connection into Wi-Fi, or rebroadcast the Wi-Fi network you're already on, like a hotel's. Set a name and password and your hotspot is ready.
Your phone's connection Free
Plug in an iPhone or Android phone with USB tethering on and Hotspot shares its connection like any other. PRO and MAX also share 4G and 5G mobile broadband adapters.
VPN connections Free
Share your PC's VPN over Wi-Fi so phones, tablets, and streaming devices that can't run a VPN app are covered by it too.
Tip: How to share a VPN over Wi-Fi walks through the setup.
Wired router mode PRO
Share your PC's internet through its Ethernet port. Plug in a switch or router, or connect desktops, older consoles, and TVs that don't have Wi-Fi.
No time limit PRO
Hotspot Lite runs in timed sessions. PRO and MAX keep your hotspot on for as long as your PC is on.
Your own hotspot name PRO
On Lite, network names start with "Connectify-". PRO and MAX let you name your network anything you like, emoji included.
Create a
Internet to share
Share over
Plug your router or switch into this port.
Wi-Fi network to repeat
Extends this network's range. Devices that join appear on it as if connected directly.
See and control every device
Hotspot shows you who's connected and lets you decide what each device can reach.
Join by QR code Free
In Wi-Fi hotspot mode, your network name, password, and a QR code sit together on the Hotspot screen. Guests scan the code with a phone camera to join.
Traffic and data for every device Free
The Clients screen lists every device that has joined, with its address, maker, live traffic, and data used. A device's total carries over when it leaves and comes back.
Controls for each device Free
Choose whether each device can use the internet or reach this PC and your other devices, and set gaming mode for PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, or Nintendo.
Tip: Seeing a strict NAT type on a console? Set its gaming mode, and leave Let apps open ports automatically (UPnP) on in Settings > Network. How to fix a strict NAT type.
Ad blocking for every device Free
Block ads stops known ad domains before they load, so pages are lighter and quicker on every device, with nothing to install on them. It works in routed hotspots, and isn't available in Wi-Fi repeater or Bridged mode.
Your choice of DNS Free
Choose who looks up website names for devices on your hotspot: your PC's own DNS, Cloudflare, Google, or OpenDNS, or a service that blocks known malware sites, like Cloudflare for Families or Quad9. You can also enter your own servers.
Access switches for the whole hotspot PRO
Turn off Devices can use the internet and devices reach only this PC and each other, while you let single devices back online from the Clients screen. Turn off Devices can reach this PC and each other to keep devices apart on public networks.
Works where device limits apply Free
To the network you're sharing, all traffic comes from your PC. Consoles, TVs, and tablets get online on networks that only allow one device or charge for each one.
Extend your Wi-Fi to every room, with everything on one network
With MAX, devices that join your hotspot can reach your printers, TVs, and consoles like any other device in your home.
Bridged mode MAX
Bridged mode, also called bridging, puts devices on your hotspot directly on your home network. Set Network access to Bridged and they join it, getting their addresses from your router. Consoles can host games and find each other, and printers and casting work as if the devices were plugged into the router.
Bridged mode works when you share a Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection. It isn't available with Speedify, mobile broadband, or Automatic.
Wi-Fi repeater mode MAX
Use a PC in a far room as a Wi-Fi repeater to extend your existing Wi-Fi to a basement, garage, or back bedroom. Devices that join appear on your main network as if connected directly. It repeats WPA or WPA2 networks that Windows has connected to, and needs a Wi-Fi adapter that supports repeater mode.
Custom address range and fixed IPs MAX
Hotspot picks an address range that doesn't clash with your other networks. If you need a specific one, set it under Addresses for devices, and give individual devices a fixed IP address from the Clients screen.
Command-line tool MAX
connectify_cli starts and stops the hotspot, changes modes, and manages devices, DNS, and access from a script, with results in JSON. It's handy when you set up Hotspot on several PCs.
Routed gives devices their own private network behind this PC. They reach the internet through it, but the rest of your home network can't see them.
Built for Windows
64-bit Windows 10 and 11
Runs on Windows 10 (Creators Update or later) and Windows 11, on 64-bit PCs. ARM-based PCs aren't supported.
Light, dark, or System
Choose a theme, or let Hotspot follow your Windows setting as it changes.
Easy on phone data
Tell devices to save data, and phones and tablets hold off on large updates and photo backups while on your hotspot.
10 languages
English, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish.
Connectify Hotspot or the Windows hotspot?
Windows 10 and 11 include Mobile Hotspot, and for sharing a connection with a few devices now and then, it does the job well. Here's how the two compare, so you can tell whether you need more.
| What you need | Windows Mobile Hotspot | Connectify Hotspot |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Included with Windows | Hotspot Lite is free. PRO and MAX are one-time purchases. |
| Share Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or cellular | Yes | Yes, plus VPNs and USB-tethered phones. 4G and 5G adapters need PRO. |
| Share over Bluetooth | Yes | No. Hotspot shares over Wi-Fi or Ethernet. |
| Share through an Ethernet port | No | Yes, with Wired router mode (PRO) |
| When no one is connected | Turns off after a while, unless you turn off Power saving | Keeps running until you stop it. Hotspot Lite runs in timed sessions. |
| Connected devices | Lists the devices that are connected | Live traffic, data used, internet access, and gaming mode for each device |
| Devices on your main network | No. Devices get a separate network. | Yes, with Bridged mode or Wi-Fi repeater mode (MAX) |
| Extend your existing Wi-Fi | No | Yes, with Wi-Fi repeater mode (MAX) |
| Ad blocking and DNS choice | No | Yes, for every device on your hotspot |
If the Windows hotspot covers what you need, keep using it. If not, Hotspot Lite is free to try on the same PC. Turn the Windows hotspot off before you start Connectify Hotspot, since running both at once causes dropouts. Read the full comparison.
Compare editions
PRO and MAX are one-time purchases for each PC, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. MAX is also available as a 3-PC license.
| Feature | Hotspot LiteFree | Hotspot PRONo time limit, mobile broadband | Hotspot MAXRepeater and bridged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharing | |||
| Share Wi-Fi and Ethernet | Y | Y | Y |
| Share USB-tethered phones | Y | Y | Y |
| Share VPN connections | Y | Y | Y |
| Hotspot uptime | Timed sessions | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Share 4G and 5G mobile broadband adapters | N | Y | Y |
| Automatic as the internet to share | N | Y | Y |
| Wired router mode | N | Y | Y |
| Custom hotspot name | N | Y | Y |
| Devices and security | |||
| Join by QR code | Y | Y | Y |
| Traffic and data used by device | Y | Y | Y |
| Internet, local access, and gaming mode for each device | Y | Y | Y |
| Ad blocking | Y | Y | Y |
| DNS choice, including malware blocking | Y | Y | Y |
| Access switches for the whole hotspot | N | Y | Y |
| Home networks | |||
| Wi-Fi repeater mode | N | N | Y |
| Bridged mode | N | N | Y |
| Custom address range and fixed IP addresses | N | N | Y |
| Command-line tool (connectify_cli) | N | N | Y |
| Download free | Get PRO | Get MAX | |
Try it on your PC
Hotspot Lite is free to keep. Upgrade to PRO or MAX whenever you need more.