Hola VPN Review

Founded in the early 2010s in Israel, Derry Shribman and Ofer Vilenski created hola VPN under the organization Hola Networks Limited.

Fast forward to 2020; the company claims that hola VPN has been the choice of over 199 million users worldwide, which is impressive, considering it is considered as a new entry in a highly competitive market. However, there is no clear data on what the real number of users are, although we believe that its popularity might be mainly because it offers a free VPN service.

Official Website: https://hola.org/

Our advice when considering free VPN services is to be cautious because you never know how these companies are benefiting from providing service with no cost. In the world of VPN services, you tend to get what you pay for, and you have to be careful when trusting a free service, even if it fulfils all your needs. You don’t want your personal data to be compromised.

In this hola VPN review you will find comprehensive information about this VPN service.

Servers

The system of hola VPN means that they don’t have any fixed number of server locations. The way their system works is that traffic is routed via other users on the network. Therefore, the server location is determined by the location of the current users. Nevertheless, their website states it has servers in 195 countries.

Speeds

As far as speeds are concerned, hola VPN does well for a free service, but there may be a catch. After digging in deeper, we figured out that hola VPN is a proxy service than an actual VPN.

When you access a website, the service uses an unencrypted connection, which does not affect the speed and performance negatively. However, it would be best if you remembered that your data security might be in jeopardy.

A huge reason for using VPN service is protecting your personal data from prying eyes but hola VPN seems to miss that mark, so be advised when choosing this service.

Unblocking Streaming Platforms

If you are thinking of using hola VPN to access popular streaming platforms then you will be disappointed with their free service because it was unable to unblock top choices like Hulu, Netflix, or BBC iPlayer, during our tests.

However, the hola VPN PLUS paid package was able to access all streaming platforms without any issues. There are plenty of benefits of paying for the premium service, including adding up to 10 devices for the monthly cost of $11.95 or $6.99 per month if you commit to annual, monthly payments.

Based Out in Israel

Hola is based in Israel, which adds insult to injury. While it is not the worst country to set up a VPN, it is far from the finest.

While Israel is not a party to the 14-Eye surveillance and intelligence-sharing pact, it nonetheless works with the nations that are. This means that the Israeli government may simply inquire Hola for your private surfing details, and once they get it, it will be freely shared across the 14 countries.

The term “irony” appears to be an ongoing theme in our Hola assessment since the corporation does not attempt to conceal the fact that it is eager to publicly share all of the data you provide with the authorities.

It doesn’t get any better than this, we guarantee.

Setup and Installation – Get Started in Under 5 Minutes

The Hola VPN apps follow the simple premise of Hola, so you don’t need any experience to download and install them. There are parts on the website where you may download Hola’s VPN program for your devices. I had no problems downloading and installing Hola on our Windows device. The entire installation should take no longer than one minute.

A separate window with a location selection will open when you click the small arrow just below the “ON” button. You may slim down your options by searching for a specific country or exploring the complete list to find your favorite. Your server option, however, is limited to nations. There is no city-level choice, ping times, speeds, or load statistics provided by the service. When you connect to a server, the session time, along with your IP address, is displayed.

The settings can be found in the upper-right portion of the window. The settings section allows you to select which options to enable, such as activating the VPN immediately upon device startup or using the Kill Switch to disconnect your device if the VPN is disrupted quickly.

Steps For Hola Installation on Windows:

Client Download. Go to hola.org/download to get the appropriate version for the device you are using.
Run The Installation File. Open the file (on Windows, it’s called Hola-Setup.exe), then follow the on-screen instructions to complete Hola app installation.
Connect To Your Preferred Server. Open Hola, enter your username and password, choose a server, then click ON it to join!

Although their pricing is extremely competitive, you must consider all things before deciding to pay because you might be able to find a much better service for the same price.

Can you use hola VPN in China?

Due to the strict censorship policies of China hola VPN cannot be used there or in other countries with similar regulations. The service lacks the obfuscation tools that it needs to go through China’s stern firewall measures.

Compatibility

Hola does offer free (unencrypted) VPN apps for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices; however, the Hola app does not work like other VPN apps because it operates like proxy browsers. The Hola VPN does not route all device traffic through the tunnel; instead, it only routes traffic within the particular app or the web browser.

Android users can choose to route certain external apps through the Hola VPN; however, this feature works on an app-by-app basis, it does not route all internet traffic of the device by default.

It is also important to remember that Hola VPN is only compatible with iOS 8 and later and Android 5 and later devices. Android and iOS phone users only have a 3-day free trial period. To start the free trial, you have to share your payment details, so if you are unsure about getting a paid Hola subscription, you have to unsubscribe Hola because they charge you for the premium Hola subscription after the third day.

Hola is not usable on any gaming console or streaming device unless you pay for the premium subscription.

Streaming Devices And Gaming Consoles Compatibility

Although many leading VPN services now have dedicated apps for game consoles and streaming platforms, Hola VPN doesn’t offer any custom apps for them. Therefore it is not recommended for that purpose unless you want your data to be unprotected.

Security

If you expect premium security with hola VPN, then be ready for an underwhelming performance. Hola VPN offers average protection with limited security features. Hola VPN also provides below average encryption, compromised leak blocking features, and no kill switch.

So, if you deal with sensitive information often, then hola VPN might not be the best option for you. One positive feature of hola VPN is its smart ad blocker, though it is available for the Windows version only.

Logging Policy

Hola VPN has a dodgy logging policy. According to reports, hola VPN stores critical information of its users, including sensitive data like User name, real IP address, email address, screen name, browser type, payment and billing information, connection timestamps, the websites that you visit, and the duration spent on each site.

Is hola VPN safe? As previously mentioned, Hola VPN is not the ideal option for you if you deal with sensitive data because hola VPN is said to keep logs.

Easy To Use

Hola VPN is not only easy to install but it also easy to operate. If you are new to using VPNs, then you will face no difficulties in using Hola VPN.

Torrenting

Torrenting is another critical factor that can help you decide on a VPN service. Hola VPN offers an average torrenting experience, although it lacks encryption, kill switch, and it is blamed to keep logs. However, if you are looking for an easy to use, affordable VPN service, and you do not deal with sensitive information, then you hola VPN can be a good option for you.

Browser Extensions

Hola VPN is one of the best VPNs when it comes to the range of browser extensions for Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and hola VPN chrome extension. However, most of the extensions operate at browser level, which means that the extensions do not change the IP address or provide encryption.

Pricing

It all comes down to one of the most significant deciding factor – the price! Hola VPN comes for free! Yes! You can download hola! VPN for free from their website. It seamlessly operates around the globe world for unlimited devices and unlimited duration.

For additional security, you can opt for the hola VPN PLUS paid package for of $11.95 or $6.99 per month if you commit to annual, monthly payments.

Customer Support

Hola! VPN provides reliable customer support. Although there is no live chat or call contact option available for hola VPN customers. However, there is a FAQ section that provides all the essential information about hola! VPN and its features.

For further help, you can also send the customer support an email. The best thing is that the customer support team is quite responsive; thus, you wouldn’t have to wait for too long to receive a response.

Hola FAQs

Is Hola a good option?

No, unfortunately. Hola’s free and premium versions are only valid for accessing content. We don’t suggest it because of its dubious privacy practices and inadequate security features.

Is Hola available in a free version?

Yes! Hola has a free version, but it has several drawbacks. If you use the free version, you will have to forgo any kind of safety encryption, and other participants of the P2P network may collect your personal information or IP address. If you prefer a free plan but wish to use more complex VPNs, these VPN services may be what you require.

Is Hola really safe?

No! We wouldn’t suggest Hola as a VPN for security-conscious consumers. This service provider has excellent unblocking features, unlimited bandwidth, plus no advertisements. However, there is one massive drawback to all of the service’s good qualities. It does not serve the basic purpose of a virtual private network, which is to protect your privacy and security. Hola also does not provide encryption for users who are using the free version and has a lax privacy policy.

Conclusion

Although hola! VPN has a few shortcomings, but if you are looking for a free VPN service for day to day use, then hola VPN is the right choice. Due to the lack of encryption, kill switch, and complains about log keeping, it is up to you whether or not you want to give hola! VPN a fair chance to prove its worth.

Have you used hola VPN? Do you recommend it? Please share your experience with us in the comments sections.

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Lucas Brown

Lucas is an IT student completing his studies in Networking. He worked at Ycombinator as a research analyst. He loves to write about his technology experiences. He also enjoys traveling and captures the best moments with his Canon 5d lens. He is a review specialist at Reviewsed.

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