{"id":26452,"date":"2019-05-28T07:08:25","date_gmt":"2019-05-28T07:08:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/comparakeet.com\/?page_id=26452"},"modified":"2019-08-14T06:44:52","modified_gmt":"2019-08-14T06:44:52","slug":"hola-review","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/comparakeet.com\/best-vpn-services\/hola-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Hola Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Who is Hola?<\/h2>\n

Before anything else, it\u2019s important to know that Hola is unlike other traditional VPN services<\/strong>. Instead of relying on dedicated servers to reroute your web traffic, Hola has what it refers to as a community-powered VPN. Essentially, what this means is that users\u2019 traffic is rerouted through other users\u2019 internet connections. This provides the benefit of masking your IP address, thereby allowing you to access geo-restricted content. But it also means that your system\u2019s resources and internet connection are shared with the rest of the network<\/strong>. It\u2019s an interesting (and rather unsettling) approach, to say the least.<\/p>\n

Here is a brief overview of Hola services:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Owned and Operated by<\/strong><\/td>\nHola<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Year Launched<\/strong><\/td>\n2012<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Base of Operations<\/strong><\/td>\nIsrael<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Operates in a Privacy-friendly Country?<\/strong><\/td>\nNo<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Logging Policy<\/strong><\/td>\nKeeps user logs<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Encryption Used<\/strong><\/td>\n(unclear)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Servers Located in<\/strong><\/td>\nN\/A<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Plans and Pricing<\/h2>\n

Hola is free for non-commercial use<\/strong>. Private individuals can use Hola indefinitely and on any number of devices. Users get access to all the features the service provides without any restricting limitations. The biggest drawback is that using the free service opens up your device to be used as a \u2018peer\u2019 in their network<\/strong>. To put it simply, you don\u2019t pay with money, but with bandwidth and processing power. The only way to get around this is to purchase their premium service.<\/p>\n

Hola Premium is advertised to come with several benefits. Upon further inspection however, it\u2019s clear that the premium service has no distinct edge over the free plan. The only real advantage of paying for Hola premium is the promise that you will never be used as a peer on their network. That, and a 30 day money-back guarantee.<\/p>\n

Below are the payment plans for Hola Premium. Payment options include credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, and American Express) and PayPal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
One Month<\/span><\/td>\n$5.00\/mo<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
One Year<\/span><\/td>\n$3.75\/mo ($45.00 billed)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div><\/div>
Other products in this category<\/div>
<\/a>
<\/div>1st<\/sup> Place<\/span>9.8 out of 10<\/span>
Read Review<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/div>2nd<\/sup> Place<\/span>9.7 out of 10<\/span>
Read Review<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/span>
<\/div>11th<\/sup> Place<\/span>5.0 out of 10<\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>
\n

Servers and Locations<\/h2>\n

Due to the nature of Hola services, users don\u2019t connect through dedicated servers like on other VPNs. Instead, a worldwide network of peers serves as rerouting points for your internet traffic. In theory, this means that you should be able to connect from anywhere a peer is located. But in practice, it isn\u2019t so great because these connections are unreliable and unsecure (more on this later).<\/p>\n

Usability and Performance<\/h2>\n

Hola is extremely easy to install<\/strong>. If you\u2019re accustomed to other VPN software however, you\u2019ll notice that Hola operates a bit differently. It may be confusing at first, but its simplicity and lack of other features should allow you to figure it out in no time. Applications are clean, and beginner-friendly – featuring minimal functionality and easy navigation.<\/p>\n

Internet speeds while using Hola services are relatively good<\/strong>. Users report minimal loss in bandwidth and are able to stream or download at pretty much the speeds they\u2019d expect.<\/p>\n

As for being able to unblock geo-restricted content, which is Hola\u2019s main marketing point, sources indicate success for the most part. Users are able to access sites like Netflix<\/strong>, but don\u2019t expect this to be the case all the time.<\/p>\n

Security and Privacy<\/h2>\n

One of the biggest reasons to pay for a VPN service is the protection that it grants. Unfortunately, Hola fails in this regard. Tests indicate multiple data leaks<\/strong> even when connected to their network. No information on what kinds of encryption or protocols they use, if any, are available anywhere. Other features like a Kill Switch – common to most VPNs – are nowhere to be found, either.<\/p>\n

Also, because of the P2P nature of Hola networks, other users\u2019 unsavory internet activities may be associated with your IP address. This is dangerous as it could potentially put you at risk without you even knowing.<\/p>\n

Hola\u2019s privacy policy also clearly states that users\u2019 data logs are in fact recorded<\/strong>. Your IP address and websites you visit, along with plenty of other information, are all logged for Hola to use as they see fit. It\u2019s all very discouraging and simply defeats the purpose of having a VPN in the first place.<\/p>\n

Supported Devices<\/h2>\n

The primary version of Hola functions as browser extensions for Chrome, Opera, and Firefox. There are Windows and Mac installers available for download on the official website, but these merely install the appropriate software needed to work in conjunction with your internet browser.<\/p>\n

However, the Android and iOS versions work a bit differently. These versions are indeed standalone apps that run by launching your other apps through the Hola network. It\u2019s a little clunky in practice and doesn\u2019t always work right.<\/p>\n

As for connectivity, since Hola doesn\u2019t require users to sign in with an account, you can simultaneously connect any number of devices<\/strong> to their service.<\/p>\n

Other Features<\/h2>\n

Hola\u2019s main software has very limited functionality, but the company does offer a few privacy tools to complement their service. These include:<\/p>\n