Our Verdict
Overall Rating: 4.1/10
Hola Free VPN stands out as one of the least reliable free VPNs we’ve reviewed. It is problematic due to its lack of encryption, extensive logging of online activity, and the sharing of user data. We do not recommend this VPN if you prioritize privacy, personal security, or online protection.
Ranked #38 out of 62 VPNs
Hola Free VPN Category Ratings
- Streaming: 6.5/10
- Torrenting: 0.0/10
- Privacy & Logging: 0.1/10
- Speed: 8.5/10
- Server Locations: 5.5/10
- Bypassing Censorship: 0.1/10
- Security & Features: 1.0/10
- Ease of Use: 7.0/10
- Customer Support: 4.9/10
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Simple setup and user-friendly interface
- Access to some blocked websites
Cons:
- Lacks a kill switch and encryption on mobile
- Sells bandwidth from free users to premium users
- Monitors and logs online activity
- Android app removed due to malware issues
- Incompatible with macOS
- Blocks all torrenting clients
Overview
Established in 2012, Hola VPN is a freemium service designed to bypass website restrictions quickly. However, it operates as a peer-to-peer network that shares idle bandwidth with other users. This not only exposes your network to potential unauthorized activities but also compromises your privacy and security.
Our comprehensive review highlights several significant privacy and security concerns associated with Hola VPN.
Expert Recommendation:
If you are considering a VPN service, we strongly advise against using Hola VPN. Instead, opt for a reliable, secure, and private VPN like ExpressVPN, which offers robust encryption, no logging of your internet activity, and access to 18 Netflix regions. ExpressVPN provides a 30-day risk-free trial, allowing you to experience its benefits without commitment.
Hola Free VPN Key Data
| Data Cap | Unlimited |
|---|---|
| Download Speed | 93Mbps |
| Logging Policy | Intrusive Logging |
| Data Leaks | Yes |
| Jurisdiction | Israel |
| Servers | Not disclosed |
| IP Addresses | Not disclosed |
| Countries with Servers | 41 |
| US Netflix | Yes |
| Torrenting | No |
| Simultaneous Connections | Unlimited |
| Works In China | No |
| Support | Online Resources & Email Support |
| Official Website | Hola.org |
Privacy & Logging Policy
Hola VPN: Privacy and Security Concerns
Privacy & Logging Policy Rating: 0.1/10
Hola VPN has demonstrated significant shortcomings in safeguarding user privacy. It logs a range of data, including browsing activity and originating IP addresses, and is known to share this information with third parties. Furthermore, there have been reports of Hola VPN misappropriating user bandwidth in the past, raising substantial concerns about its reliability and the security of its users’ data.
Rank: #52 out of 62 VPNs for Privacy & Logging Policy
Summary of Data Logged by Hola VPN:
- Browsing activity
- Originating IP addresses
- Additional data types (details available upon request)
Given these practices, Hola VPN poses considerable risks to user privacy and data security.
| Data Type | Logged by Hola Free VPN |
|---|---|
| Account Information | Yes |
| Browsing Activity | Yes |
| Date of Last Connection | Yes |
| Device Information | Yes |
| DNS Queries | Yes |
| Individual Bandwidth Usage | Yes |
| Individual Connection Timestamps | Yes |
| ISP | No |
| Number of Simultaneous Connections | No |
| Originating IP Address | Yes |
| VPN Server IP | Yes |
| VPN Server Location | Yes |
Hola VPN’s full privacy policy is available on its website for detailed review.
Hola VPN collects a broader range of data compared to most VPN services. This includes your IP address and browsing activity, which can potentially be used to identify you.
If you register for Hola VPN via a social media account, Hola gains access to additional personal information such as your home address, birth date, profile picture, and any publicly available details on your social media profile.
The logging practices of Hola VPN are among the least favorable observed. Your personal data faces significant risks each time you use Hola VPN.
Use of Personal Bandwidth and IP Address
Despite its name, Hola VPN operates as a peer-to-peer proxy service, utilizing peer-to-peer caching to facilitate access to restricted content.
To circumvent geo-blocked websites, Hola VPN directs your internet traffic through the IP addresses of other users located in non-restricted regions.
Users essentially act as ‘peers’ or ‘nodes,’ similar to the Tor network model.
Simultaneously, your IP address can be utilized by other Hola VPN users, potentially for activities that may include accessing illegal content, which could be linked to your online identity.
Resource Sharing by Free Users
Free users of Hola VPN contribute their ‘idle resources’—including WiFi and cellular data—to the network, which helps reduce operational costs for Hola VPN.
This practice allows Hola VPN to monetize users’ bandwidth by selling it to other users.
Ownership and Jurisdiction Issues
Hola VPN was established by Ofer Vilenski and Derry Shribman under the company name Hola Networks Limited. The company offers a free VPN service along with a premium subscription and corporate service known as Luminati.
Luminati utilizes bandwidth from free users, charging other customers per gigabyte without compensating the free users. This practice has faced criticism from cybersecurity experts.
Hola VPN is headquartered in Israel. While Israel is not a formal member of the Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, or Fourteen Eyes intelligence-sharing alliances, it maintains collaborative relationships with these groups.
Given Hola VPN’s extensive logging practices, it is highly plausible that the service would comply with data requests from authorities. The privacy policy indicates that Hola VPN will “comply with law, regulation, subpoena, or court order” and may disclose personal information if it deems it necessary.
Speed Performance
Fast Speeds with Privacy and Security Trade-Offs
Speed Rating: 8.5/10
In our tests, Hola VPN demonstrated commendably fast speeds for local connections. This performance is attributed to its operation as an unsecured proxy rather than a full-fledged VPN. However, its speeds on international connections were less impressive, influenced by the availability of other peers in the network.
Rank: #36 out of 62 VPNs for Speed
To assess Hola VPN’s speed performance, we measured the connection speeds between our location and various Hola users globally.
Refer to the table below for a detailed breakdown of Hola VPN’s speed test results:
| No VPN (New York) | US (New York) | Canada (Toronto) | US (Los Angeles) | UK (London) | Germany (Berlin) | Brazil (São Paulo) | Japan (Tokyo) | Australia (Sydney) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Server Location |  |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Download Speed | 100Mbps | 93Mbps | 94Mbps | 81Mbps | 90Mbps | 88Mbps | 8Mbps | 81Mbps | 81Mbps |
| Upload Speed | 100Mbps | 90Mbps | 91Mbps | 10Mbps | 74Mbps | 62Mbps | 18Mbps | 46Mbps | 31Mbps |
| Ping | 1ms | 6ms | 14ms | 116ms | 75ms | 90ms | 114ms | 143ms | 208ms |
| Distance | 0mi | 5mi | 300mi | 2,500mi | 3,500mi | 4,000mi | 4,800mi | 6,700mi | 9,900mi |
We observed a reduction in average download speeds from 100 Mbps to 93 Mbps when connecting to a peer within the same region.
This represents a modest speed decrease of only 7%, which is notably fast, particularly for a free service.
Hola VPN utilizes a peer-to-peer network with limited encryption, which results in faster speeds compared to some VPN services with more robust security. However, this increased speed comes with significant risks.
The speed of your connection can also be influenced by the node you connect to. If the peer handling your traffic has suboptimal internet speeds, your own connection may be adversely affected.
Inconsistent Performance Over Longer Distances
For long-distance connections, Hola VPN’s download speeds exhibit a slight decrease. We recorded an average download speed reduction of 12% when connecting to Germany and 19% when connecting to Japan.
While these results are impressive for a free VPN, they fall short when compared to paid services.
Furthermore, Hola VPN’s upload speeds decline significantly on international connections. We experienced an average upload speed reduction of 90% when connecting to the US West Coast and 69% when connecting to Australia.
The disparity between Hola VPN’s download and upload speeds highlights the inherent inconsistencies of a peer-to-peer network. Consequently, speeds may vary considerably when connecting to peers outside of your local region.
For a comprehensive analysis of the fastest and most secure VPNs, please refer to our list of top VPN recommendations.
Server Locations
Variability Based on Peer Availability
Server Locations Rating: 5.5/10
Hola VPN offers 41 server locations through its free apps; however, the actual number of available locations fluctuates depending on the peers present at any given time. If you attempt to connect to a location without an available peer, your IP address may be exposed, compromising your online privacy. We recommend that Hola consider implementing a dedicated VPN server network to enhance its service in the future.
Rank: #45 out of 62 VPNs for Server Locations
Server Locations Overview:
- 41 Countries
- 41 Cities
- Undisclosed Number of IP Addresses
Hola VPN claims access to servers in these regions:
| Continent | Number of Countries |
|---|---|
| Europe | 24 |
| Asia | 8 |
| South America | 4 |
| North America | 3 |
| Africa | 0 |
| Oceania | 2 |
Hola VPN Free does not operate a traditional server network like most VPN services. Instead, it reroutes your internet traffic through a peer-to-peer network, meaning there are no fixed server locations.
Each time you connect, you are assigned another real user’s IP address.
However, Hola VPN does not notify users when a location is unavailable due to the absence of online peers.
As a result, during our testing, our real IP address was frequently exposed when attempting to connect to unavailable servers. The app falsely indicated a connection to a specific country, even though our IP address remained unchanged.
We recommend that Hola VPN consider introducing a dedicated VPN server network for its free plan. At the very least, it should implement a feature that blocks connections when no peers are available in a given location to prevent IP address exposure and enhance user privacy.
Streaming Performance
Unblocks Geo-Restricted Content, But at the Expense of Privacy and Security
Streaming Rating: 6.5/10
In our recent streaming tests, Hola VPN Free successfully unblocked popular platforms such as US Netflix and BBC iPlayer. However, we encountered frequent issues with slow video loading, excessive buffering, and subpar picture quality. Given these limitations, Hola VPN is not a practical choice for streaming, especially when there are more reliable free VPN options available.
Rank: #24 out of 62 VPNs for Streaming
Below is a list of popular streaming platforms that Hola VPN Free supports:
| Streaming Platform | Works with Hola Free VPN |
|---|---|
| Amazon Prime Video | Yes |
| BBC iPlayer | Yes |
| Channel 4 | No |
| Disney+ | Yes |
| Hotstar India | No |
| Hulu | Yes |
| ITVX | No |
| Max | No |
| Netflix US | Yes |
In our recent tests, Hola VPN successfully unblocked several major streaming services, including US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video. While this may seem like an impressive feat for a free VPN, Hola VPN’s unsafe peer-to-peer (P2P) network, history of malware distribution, and intrusive logging practices make it an unsuitable choice for streaming.
The potential risks to your online privacy, security, and safety far outweigh the benefits of using Hola VPN to access geo-restricted content. Additionally, as a P2P-based service, Hola VPN’s reliability is inconsistent, and we cannot guarantee it will continue to work in future tests or deliver the same results for other users.
It is also important to highlight that Hola VPN failed to unblock any streaming platforms during our previous evaluations. In contrast, a premium VPN service offers a much safer and more reliable solution for streaming. We recommend ExpressVPN for its seamless 4K streaming experience, custom Smart DNS feature, and comprehensive access to all major streaming platforms.
For those seeking a free alternative, Windscribe Free is a more reliable option. It consistently unblocks five international Netflix libraries, HBO Max, and BBC iPlayer.
Performance on US Netflix: Unblocks, but with Poor Quality Although Hola VPN was able to unblock US Netflix, our tests revealed subpar video quality. The video remained in low resolution throughout, accompanied by frequent buffering, even for a 25-minute clip.
Slow Performance When Unblocking Hulu
While Hola VPN did grant us access to Hulu, the experience was hindered by significant loading delays. The main Hulu webpage failed to load properly, with missing images and disorganized text, resulting in a frustrating and incomplete browsing experience.
For uninterrupted access to Hulu, we recommend using ExpressVPN. With 17 VPN servers across US cities, fast connection speeds, and robust encryption, it is the most reliable choice for bypassing Hulu’s geo-blocks.
Struggles with HBO Max During our testing, Hola VPN was unable to bypass HBO Max’s restrictions, preventing us from progressing beyond the login page.
It’s likely that Hola VPN assigned us a peer in a region where HBO Max is unavailable, which blocked our access to the site.
This highlights a fundamental issue with using Hola VPN for streaming. Beyond its privacy and security risks, you cannot be certain that the IP address assigned will correspond to the location you selected, leading to unreliable access to geo-restricted content.
Torrenting
Hola VPN Blocks All BitTorrent Traffic
Torrenting Rating: 0.0/10
Hola VPN blocks all BitTorrent traffic, making it unusable for torrenting. Even if torrenting were allowed, Hola VPN lacks the essential security features required to protect and anonymize your torrenting activity, leaving your data exposed to significant risks.
Ranked #53 out of 62 VPNs for Torrenting
Here’s a brief overview of Hola VPN’s performance in our recent torrenting tests:
| Torrenting Attribute | Result |
|---|---|
| Average Download Bitrate | N/A |
| No. of P2P Servers | N/A |
| Logging Policy | Intrusive Logging |
| Kill Switch | Faulty |
| Port Forwarding | No |
“The use of torrent apps on our network is not allowed, and we are blocking torrents traffic.”
As a result, Hola VPN is incompatible with all major torrent clients, such as qBittorrent and uTorrent.
Even if Hola VPN allowed torrenting, we strongly advise against using it. Hola VPN lacks critical privacy and security features essential for torrenting, such as VPN encryption, modern tunneling protocols, and a kill switch. Without these, your real IP address remains exposed, making it visible to your ISP, law enforcement, and other parties during torrenting activities.
Additionally, Hola VPN logs and stores your web activity, meaning any copyrighted content you may torrent—intentionally or accidentally—could be shared with authorities.
For a secure torrenting experience, we recommend Private Internet Access (PIA). PIA employs the WireGuard protocol and ChaCha20 encryption, ensuring your real IP address and online activity remain private and protected.
Bypassing Web Censorship
Hola VPN Is Ineffective in China and Other Censored Regions
Censorship Bypassing Rating: 0.1/10
Hola VPN performs poorly when it comes to bypassing web censorship. In our tests, it consistently failed to connect to our Shanghai server and lacks any obfuscation tools necessary for circumventing government firewalls. Additionally, due to its insecure peer-to-peer network and invasive logging practices, Hola VPN is unsafe to use in countries with strict censorship.
Ranked #57 out of 62 VPNs for Bypassing Web Censorship
Using a dedicated test server in Shanghai, we evaluate each VPN’s ability to unblock websites in China. Over the past year, Hola VPN has failed every single attempt. In our latest test, the Hola VPN app wouldn’t even launch properly, displaying the following error message:
It appears that Hola VPN operates using a peer-to-peer network without encryption, rather than a traditional VPN server network, which raises significant security concerns.
Moreover, Hola lacks any VPN obfuscation tools, which are essential for bypassing censorship. These tools, such as specialized servers or stealth protocols, are absent in Hola’s offerings.
Even if Hola VPN could circumvent censorship, it would still be unsafe to use in countries with heavy restrictions. Its extensive data logging practices and lack of encryption expose users to significant risks.
For users in China or other regions with strict censorship, we recommend Astrill VPN. It offers robust security, ensures user privacy, and demonstrated a 100% success rate in our tests within China.
Security & Technical Features
No Encryption or Essential Security Features
Security & Technical Features Rating: 1.0/10
Hola VPN falls significantly short when it comes to essential security features. Its protocols are outdated, and it lacks encryption or a kill switch on mobile devices. Furthermore, instead of routing traffic through secure VPN servers, it uses a peer-to-peer network, routing data through other users’ devices. These deficiencies make Hola VPN neither secure nor safe for use, and it is strongly advised to avoid this service.
Ranked #61 out of 62 VPNs for Security & Technical Features
Below is a table detailing the limited VPN protocols, encryption ciphers, and other technical features available with Hola Free VPN:
Protocols
| Protocols | Available in Hola Free VPN |
|---|---|
| IKEv2/IPSec | Yes |
| L2TP/IPSec | Yes |
| OpenVPN (TCP/UDP) | No |
| PPTP | Yes |
| WireGuard | No |
Encryption
| Encryption | Available in Hola Free VPN |
|---|---|
| AES-128 | No |
| AES-192 | No |
| AES-256 | No |
| Blowfish | No |
| ChaCha20 | No |
| Undisclosed | Yes |
Security
| Security | Available in Hola Free VPN |
|---|---|
| Diskless Servers | No |
| DNS Leak Blocking | No |
| First-party DNS | No |
| IPv6 Leak Blocking | No |
| Supports TCP Port 443 | No |
| VPN Kill Switch | Yes |
| WebRTC Leak Blocking | No |
Advanced Features
| Advanced Features | Available in Hola Free VPN |
|---|---|
| Ad Blocker | No |
| Dedicated IP | No |
| Double VPN | No |
| SOCKS | No |
| Split Tunneling | No |
| Static IP | No |
| Tor over VPN Server | No |
| Tracker Blocker | No |
Unsafe Peer-to-Peer Network
Hola Free VPN employs a peer-to-peer network that routes your internet traffic through other users’ devices to disguise your IP address and bypass website restrictions. However, this system exposes your IP address to others, allowing them to use it as they wish. This creates significant security risks, as your IP address could be linked to illegal activities, potentially implicating your identity and home address.
A security-focused website, Adios, Hola!, created by researchers, has classified Hola as “harmful to the internet” and its users. The platform refers to it as a “poorly secured botnet,” warning of serious consequences due to its design. Researchers uncovered several vulnerabilities in Hola’s architecture, one of which allowed external parties to execute unauthorized programs on users’ computers.
While Hola has reportedly fixed some of these vulnerabilities, others still persist, raising ongoing concerns. In one instance, Fredrick Brennan, the founder of 8chan, claimed that his website was subjected to a DDoS attack through the Hola network in 2015. This claim was later confirmed by Hola VPN’s co-founder, Vilenski.
Furthermore, Hola VPN is known to be susceptible to IP address leaks and has been involved in data scraping, according to the cybersecurity firm Trend Micro.
Hola VPN Lacks Essential Security Features
Hola VPN’s mobile applications are particularly vulnerable, utilizing the outdated PPTP protocol, which lacks encryption. This means users’ internet traffic remains unprotected, making it easy for malicious actors to exploit.
On Windows, Hola VPN defaults to the IKEv2/IPSec protocol, offering better security; however, it may revert to the insecure PPTP protocol when attempting to bypass certain geo-blocks. Although a drop-down menu allows users to select different encryption ciphers, with AES-256 being the default, this feature does not guarantee consistent protection.
Testing with Wireshark, a packet-sniffing tool, confirmed that while using IKEv2/IPSec, our data packets were encrypted, ensuring private browsing. However, given Hola’s inconsistent protocols, this protection cannot be relied upon across all devices and scenarios.
IKEv2/IPSec Protocol Limitations
While the use of the IKEv2/IPSec protocol on Hola VPN’s Windows app is an improvement over its mobile versions, this protocol is closed-source and has known security vulnerabilities. To enhance security and user trust, it would be beneficial for Hola VPN to adopt more secure, open-source tunneling protocols like OpenVPN or WireGuard. These protocols are widely trusted in the industry and offer enhanced privacy protection by ensuring your personal data remains secure.
During testing, we were unable to evaluate Hola VPN’s macOS app as it blocked our internet access entirely. Given this issue, along with the absence of encryption or tunneling protocol options in its settings, it is doubtful that the macOS app employs proper security features.
Faulty Kill Switch With Limited Availability
Hola VPN’s kill switch, a crucial feature for ensuring privacy in case of a VPN disconnection, is only available on its Windows app. Unfortunately, users on mobile and macOS are left vulnerable without this essential safeguard.
When testing the Windows kill switch using our in-house tool, we discovered a critical flaw: it failed to prevent our real IP address from being exposed during disconnection, compromising the overall security of the connection.
Technical Features That Should Be Added
Hola VPN lacks several essential technical features that are standard across most VPN services. Below is a summary of the key features missing from its offerings:
- Dedicated VPN server network: Unlike other VPNs, Hola does not provide its own secure server network, instead routing traffic through other users’ IP addresses, which raises privacy and security concerns.
- AES-256 encryption across all platforms: This encryption standard is crucial for safeguarding your data and hiding your online activities, but it is absent from many of Hola VPN’s applications.
- Modern VPN protocols: Protocols such as WireGuard and OpenVPN are critical for ensuring secure, fast, and reliable internet traffic encryption. These open-source protocols are widely trusted for their speed and lack of known security vulnerabilities, but they are missing from Hola’s services.
- VPN kill switch: This vital feature prevents data leaks during unexpected VPN disconnections. Unfortunately, Hola VPN does not offer a kill switch across all platforms.
- IPv4 & IPv6 leak protection: Ensuring your real IP address stays hidden requires robust leak protection. Without this feature, users are at risk of having their private IP addresses exposed.
Device & OS Compatibility
App Compatibility and Malware History
Device Compatibility
Hola VPN offers dedicated applications for Windows, macOS, and iOS. However, its Android app has been removed from the Google Play Store due to safety concerns related to malware. Hola VPN also provides browser extensions for Microsoft Edge, Chrome, and Opera, though their use is not recommended.
Supported Devices:
- Windows
- macOS
- iOS
- Router
The removal of Hola VPN’s Android app from the Google Play Store highlights a significant issue with device compatibility. Although Hola VPN has since introduced custom apps for Samsung and Huawei devices, many Android users remain unsupported. This situation is atypical for most VPN services, which typically offer apps for both iOS and Android platforms.
Browser Extensions
Hola VPN browser extensions are available for the following browsers:
- Chrome
- Microsoft Edge
- Firefox
- Opera
In September 2021, Google removed Hola VPN’s Chrome extension from the Chrome Web Store due to malware concerns. Although it has since been reinstated, we advise against using Hola VPN on Chrome.
It is important to note that Hola’s browser extensions function at the browser level and do not alter the IP address of traffic associated with apps outside the web browser. Additionally, these extensions do not utilize encryption.
Hola VPN asserts that its browser extensions operate as a standard VPN service. This means they are not part of the peer-to-peer VPN network, so your IP address is not utilized by other users.
Ease of Use
User-Friendly and Minimalist Interface
Ease of Use Rating: 7.0/10
Hola VPN features a minimalist design across its apps and browser extensions. While this design simplifies usage, it lacks advanced settings and configurations, which can compromise security and functionality. The installation and setup process varies by platform and may be somewhat confusing on desktop systems.
Ranking: #36 out of 62 VPNs for Ease of Use
On iOS, Hola VPN is straightforward to set up—our testing showed that the entire process took less than two minutes. You need only to download the app from the App Store, follow the prompts, and complete the setup.
The process is more involved for Windows and macOS users. Installing Hola VPN involves downloading both an app and a browser extension, which initially caused confusion regarding which software to use. Additionally, email verification is required during registration, which is unusual for a free VPN service.
Desktop & Laptop (Windows & macOS)
Hola VPN’s desktop applications are visually similar to its browser extensions, featuring a simple white background and a prominent central power button. The user experience is consistent across platforms, allowing for seamless navigation between them.
We appreciated the ability to resize both desktop applications, which proved especially beneficial when using the VPN on smaller screens.
The primary distinction between the Windows and macOS applications is their functionality. The Windows app offers several additional settings, including the ability to select different encryption ciphers from a drop-down menu and assign specific apps to the kill switch. Users can also enable ‘manual server selection’ to view the server load percentages of individual nodes, helping to avoid congested servers and optimize connection speeds.
In contrast, the macOS app is more basic, offering only a server list and a connect button. Additionally, the macOS app requires users to accept a “VPN settings change” prompt each time they connect to a new server, which we found to be both frustrating and disruptive. Moreover, the macOS app frequently failed to load web pages without providing any explanation, which hindered our ability to complete comprehensive testing.
Mobile (iOS)
The iOS app for Hola VPN mirrors the functionality and design of the macOS app. It features a sleek design with a white background, which is better suited to the dimensions of an iPhone compared to its desktop counterpart.
Similar to its macOS counterpart, the iOS app for Hola VPN lacks advanced settings and features such as a VPN kill switch, encryption options, and tunneling protocols.
Users are restricted to one hour of free VPN usage before being prompted to either upgrade to a premium plan or wait one minute. This limitation proved to be frustrating and frequently interrupted our testing.
Additionally, we are concerned about the potential security and privacy risks associated with the VPN connection abruptly terminating after an hour for users who may not be aware of this time limit.
We would recommend that Hola VPN consider adopting features similar to those found in IPVanish’s iOS app, such as mobile-specific functionalities. For instance, IPVanish offers Siri shortcuts that enable users to quickly start or stop the VPN connection.
Apple TV
Hola VPN’s Apple TV app maintains the same minimalist design as its desktop and iOS versions, featuring a central connect button on a white background.
While the streamlined user interface of Hola VPN’s Apple TV app is visually appealing, it presents several usability challenges.
Each time you connect to a server, an intrusive pop-up prompts you to confirm whether the VPN is functioning. This notification cannot be disabled and often complicates the user experience. Selecting “Yes” to dismiss the message can be challenging, as the cursor frequently triggers the server list instead.
Additionally, a persistent “Upgrade to Premium” button is positioned in the top-left corner of the screen, located between the home and connect buttons. This placement increases the likelihood of accidental activation.
Customer Support
Unhelpful FAQs & Email Support
Rating: 4.9/10
Hola VPN’s customer support is notably limited in terms of both quality and availability. The email support provided by Hola is infrequent and often lacks helpfulness. Additionally, the FAQs on Hola’s website are generally poorly written and lack substantive information.
Ranking: #47 out of 62 VPNs for Customer Support
Customer support for Hola VPN can be accessed through the following methods:
| Customer Support | Available in Hola Free VPN |
|---|---|
| 24/7 Email Support | No |
| 24/7 Live Chat Support | No |
| Chatbot | No |
| Yes | |
| Email Support via Online Form | Yes |
| Live Chat Support | No |
| Online Resources | Yes |
| Tutorial Videos | No |
Hola VPN’s customer support includes a ticket-based email system and a help center featuring FAQs, troubleshooting guides, and setup instructions.
The quality of written support is inconsistent. While the setup guides provide useful information, the general FAQs often read more as disclaimers for Hola’s questionable practices. The guides are frequently marred by typos and awkward phrasing, which detracts from their readability.
Locating the support hub on the website is not straightforward, adding to the difficulty of accessing assistance.
Initially, the email support team was unresponsive, with many queries redirected to the help center. However, persistent follow-up yielded more useful and informed responses, marking a significant improvement from prior experiences where many inquiries went unanswered.
To enhance support further, we recommend Hola VPN introduce live chat functionality. This would allow for quicker responses and more detailed interactions, similar to the 24/7 live chat support offered by leading VPN services such as NordVPN and CyberGhost.
