TopVPN - Fairly easy to set up and use
- Unblocks some websites (many are for paid users only)
- Free version doesn’t use encryption
- Sells free user bandwidth to premium users
- Monitors & logs all your online activity
- A history of controversy
- Doesn’t work with Netflix or torrenting
Hola VPN Review
Hola is one of the better-known names associated with VPNs. A product of the Israel-based Hola Networks Ltd., this service has amassed over 180 million users since its launch in 2012. It markets itself as the first peer-to-peer VPN on the market, but we don’t think it’s a good thing.
Pricing and Plans
Apart from its free option, Hola VPN offers 3 pricing plans for a Plus subscription: 3 years at $2.99/month, 1 year at $7.69/month, or 1 month at $14.99. As usual with VPN subscription models, the longest subscription will save you the most money (on a monthly basis).
Pros and cons
- Fairly easy to set up and use
- Unblocks some websites (many are for paid users only)
- Free version doesn’t use encryption
- Sells free user bandwidth to premium users
- Monitors & logs all your online activity
- A history of controversy
- Doesn’t work with Netflix or torrenting
Features
Both the free and premium version comes with a ton of fantastic features. Let’s take a look at all the details.
P2P Network
Hola VPN’s P2P network is community-powered and routes your traffic through other idle peers. The main benefit is that it’s cheaper than a global network of servers.
This is why Hola VPN can offer a free version. The speeds are likely to be better as there is little encryption involved. The service claims that routing traffic through peers instead of servers makes it harder to detect or block the traffic.
Kill Switch
If the VPN connection is temporarily lost, Kill Switch ensures that external agents can’t exploit your device’s vulnerability. Enabling this feature stops your device from connecting to the internet until the VPN connection is reestablished. The Hola VPN client allows you to select which apps you want to ‘kill’ in case of a connection drop.
Customer Support
You can get support from Hola VPN in 2 ways:
- Email support
- FAQ/knowledgebase
Hola VPN Review Conclusion
Hola doesn’t add extra protection – on the contrary, it takes it away.
At best, it’s a hybrid VPN for accessing blocked content. At worst, it’s a risky service with no security or privacy features and a history of misconduct.
Let’s put the many issues aside for a moment. Hola is fast and useful for unblocking. With a peer-to-peer connection, you can (in theory) deal better with regional blocks, especially in the United States.
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