Hola VPN

ola is a free VPN that bucks a lot of trends.
Most free VPN services place harsh

limitations on things like server choice and bandwidth, but Hola doesn�t. The catch
is that Hola isn�t a real VPN, in that it doesn�t have dedicated servers for you to
connect through. What it has instead is a peer-to-peer network of users that have
agreed to provide access to their internet connections in exchange for free access
to the network.
The way this works is that when you use the service to unblock Netflix Japan,
you�re actually plugging into a Japanese user�s home internet connection. If you
pay for the premium version of the service, you can opt-out of placing your own
device into the pool of available connections.
Since a peer-to-peer VPN network like Hola brings up a lot of security questions,
we installed it on both desktop and mobile devices to put it to the test. We
checked out things like whether it can really unblock sites, the speed and latency
of connections, and more.
Design: Easy and Intuitive to Use

We tested the Windows and Android Hola apps, and we also installed the Firefox and
Chrome Hola browser plug-ins. In each instance, we found the installation process
to be relatively pain-free, and the app or plug-in to work in a fairly intuitive
fashion.
The Windows app is very minimalist. When you launch it, you�re presented with a
choice of which country you want to connect through. The list is fairly exhaustive,
as Hola boasts roughly 200 million users, and the service actually connects you
through their devices instead of dedicated servers.
The Android app works a little differently. It presents you with a choice of
country and allows you to choose which app you want to connect to the VPN. For
example, you can choose the United Kingdom or Japan, and then choose Netflix to
access region-locked content.
The browser plug-in may be a little confusing for some users because it works on a
site-by-site basis. You can either browse to a site, and then activate Hola for
that one site, or choose a site to unblock, choose a country, and have Hola open
the necessary webpage for you.
Hola VPN
Hola VPN
Setup Process: One-Click Installation
Hola is easy to install on both desktop and mobile. We found that the process
consists of downloading and launching the app, logging in, and then the app takes
care of everything else. There is very little actual setup to speak of, and the VPN
is ready to go right away.
Performance: Free Users Give Up System Resources and Bandwidth

When we tested the premium version of Hola, we found it to work just as well, or
better than, other VPNs that we�ve tested. With the Windows version of the app
running, we found the websites loaded quickly, and we were able to stream video on
sites like YouTube without a hitch. We were also able to unblock the BBC iPlayer on
the first try and stream an episode of Carole & Tuesday on the Japanese version of
Netflix.
The catch is that if you don�t opt for the paid version, your device is placed into
Hola�s P2P network. Once in that network, other users are able to access the
internet through your device. Hola promises that your devices will only be used in
this way when they are otherwise idle, but the fact remains that your system
resources and bandwidth will be used by the Hola P2P network.
Hola VPN
Hola VPN
Privacy Policy: Problematic in a Number of Ways
Hola�s privacy policy is upfront about how the company monitors, records, and uses
data, which is a good thing. The bad thing is that they monitor, record, and use a
lot more of your private data than we�re comfortable with. Hola is also located in
Israel, which has a history of cooperating with the 14 Eyes surveillance alliance.
According to Hola, they monitor everything you do on their network. That includes
the web pages you visit, how much time you spend on each site, your personal IP
address, the node that you connected to the internet through, and more. They say
that they monitor activity to identify hackers and cybercriminals so that their
information can be passed on to the proper authorities.
The bottom line here is that privacy-minded users should stay away from Hola. If
you�re using a VPN to protect your anonymity or privacy, this isn�t the service
you�re looking for.
Hola�s privacy policy is upfront about how the company monitors, records, and uses
data, which is a good thing.
Security Features: Premium Users Get Encryption

The way most VPN services work is that they route your traffic through their own
secure servers, using encrypted data connections, which provides a lot of
protection. Hola doesn�t do that, so it�s inherently less secure and more
exploitable. In fact, the free version of the service doesn�t even encrypt data.
Paid users can opt into a protected connection by clicking a button, which provides
access to AES-256 encryption. Additional user settings allow you to customize the
VPN protocol and type of encryption that you want to use.
Despite the addition of encryption for paid users, we still can�t recommend this
service to anyone who is especially concerned about data security.
Hola VPN
Hola VPN
Torrenting: No Torrenting Allowed
Hola explicitly disallows the use of torrent programs. In fact, they block all
Bittorrent traffic on their network. Even paid users are locked out of using
torrents. The good news there is that free users don�t have to worry about their
bandwidth being sucked up by torrents, but you�ll have to look elsewhere if you
need a free VPN that allows torrenting.
Price: From Free to Pretty Expensive

Hola advertises itself as a free VPN, and the free subscription option works quite
well. It provides unlimited bandwidth, speedy connections, and a lot of location
options compared to other VPNs. The drawback, as we�ve mentioned before, is that
the free version requires you to allow other users to connect through your devices.
The paid version, Hola Plus, is too expensive for what you get. It ranges in price
from about $3 per month for a three-year subscription to about $12 for month-to-
month. These prices are in line with what you�d pay for a real VPN with real
security and privacy protections.
Hola Plus essentially gives you access to Hola�s network of free users, so it�s
really good at unblocking websites around the world, but if you�re forking out that
kind of money you�d be better off with a better VPN.
Hola VPN
Hola VPN
Competition: Competitors Offer Better Security and Privacy
It�s difficult to compare Hola to real VPN services in an apples-to-apples kind of
way because Hola almost looks more like a Tor network than a traditional VPN
service. It connects you through user devices instead of private servers, it
aggressively monitors your activity, and it keeps extensive logs. The best VPNs,
like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and ProtonVPN, all have strict no-logging policies.
In terms of performance, Hola compares favorably to premium services like

ProtonVPN. For example, we found that our connection speed was reduced by half when
connected to servers in the United States, and by 90 percent when connected to
Japan. Hola left our connection speed nearly untouched when tested in the United
States, Canada, Japan, and other countries.
Hola beats out competitors like Windscribe, ProtonVPN, and TunnelBear in terms of
bandwidth.
When looking specifically at free alternatives, Hola beats out competitors like
Windscribe, ProtonVPN, and TunnelBear in terms of bandwidth. Hola doesn�t limit the
bandwidth of free accounts, while those competitors provide between 500MB and 10GB
of data per month.
Final Verdict
Say Hasta La Vista to Hola.
The bottom line is that Hola works, and it works well, as a website unblocker, but
it throws up far too many red flags for us to recommend the service. Hola Plus at
least removes concerns about other users connecting through your devices, but it�s
so expensive that you might as well pay for a top of the line VPN and enjoy much
higher levels of security and privacy.

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ola is a free VPN that bucks a lot of trends.

Most free VPN services place harsh

Design: Easy and Intuitive to Use

Performance: Free Users Give Up System Resources and Bandwidth

Security Features: Premium Users Get Encryption

Price: From Free to Pretty Expensive

In terms of performance, Hola compares favorably to premium services like

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