Hola! has been one of the most popular free VPNs on the market for quite a while. However, like all free VPNs, it’s inherently insecure and has quite a few other drawbacks that have many people looking for the best Hola! alternatives.
Hola! forces you to expose your IP address to the public and share your bandwidth with other users. While it may be free, it is not secure. It’s a poor choice for anyone concerned with internet privacy.
If you’re looking for a great alternative to Hola! which will let you do things like stream American Netflix, unblock YouTube content in your country, and ensure that you can browse the web anonymously, you’re in the right place.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the best Hola! alternatives out there, and explain why free VPNs are — at best — a risky proposition. Let’s get started now.
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ExpressVPN
When it comes to Hola! alternatives, ExpressVPN is at the top of our list. While you’ll have to pay a price, it includes top-of-the-line security features, completely anonymous browsing, an enormous number of worldwide servers, and a strict no-logs policy. It surpassees Hola! in just about every way.
What we like
First, ExpressVPN gives you a ton of servers worldwide, and there are no restrictions on which ones you can access, making it one of our best Hola! alternatives. You can get access to a total of over 2,000 VPN servers located in 94 different countries and more than a hundred different cities. This means you’ll always be able to find a server to access the BBC iPlayer or TVPlayer, or to unblock American Netflix.
You also get unlimited bandwidth with absolutely no throttling. Because ExpressVPN is a paid service, you don’t need to worry about slowdowns caused by the P2P architecture of Hola! This makes it better for video streaming, file sharing, and other high-bandwidth applications.
The service also has a strict no-logs policy. There is no way for anyone to see your browsing habits or the websites that you have been accessing, which is very important for any VPN service.
The service supports iOS, Android, macOS, Linux, and Windows. You can also use Chrome, Firefox, and Safari extensions, or install your VPN on a router to protect your entire home network. You can use it on up to 3 devices at once.
What we don’t like
ExpressVPN is pretty pricey, especially if you’re accustomed to the price of “free” provided by Hola! You’re going to have to pay $12.95/month if you purchase a monthly subscription.
You can save a bit of money by committing to a longer subscription, though. A 6-month subscription costs $9.99 per month, while a year-long subscription is only $8.32 per month.
Also, despite having plenty of servers (more than Hola!), ExpressVPN doesn’t have quite as many servers as some competitors like NordVPN.
The 3-device limit is also pretty restrictive, especially given the fact that most competitors let you use your VPN on 5-10 devices at once.
Overall, though, ExpressVPN is a great alternative to Hola! It has a simple UI, great performance, and it’s completely secure and private — so it’s a great choice if you’re buying VPN service for the first time.
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VyprVPN
VyprVPN is becoming very popular with users who are interested in unblocking geo-restricted content from services like Netflix and Hulu. This is because VyprVPN has the “Chameleon” protocol, a unique service that obfuscates metadata and prevents VPN servers from being blocked by content providers.
What we like
The highlight of VyprVPN is certainly the “Chameleon” obfuscation protocol. Though the way it works is private and proprietary, this protocol scrambles the DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) metadata that companies like Netflix use to identify VPN connections.
This is important because Netflix and other content companies have recently taken steps to block VPN users from accessing their content in other countries. The Chameleon protocol prevents this from happening by scrambling DPI, and evading detection.
The service also has a solid no-logs policy in place, and it’s easy to modify VPN security and encryption to modify its performance and security.
What we don’t like
VyprVPN doesn’t have that many servers, compared to competitors like ExpressVPN. You can only choose between 700 servers in a total of 70 countries.
The pricing model is also a bit confusing. For a basic subscription, you’ll pay $9.95 per month, or $5.00 per month if you purchase a year-long subscription. That’s pretty cheap, but there’s a catch — you don’t get the Chameleon protocol.
To get Chameleon, you have to buy a pricier VyprVPN Premium subscription, for $12.95 per month, or $6.67 per month for a year-long subscription.
However, VyprVPN offers rock-solid performance and a unique selling point in the Chameleon protocol, so it’s a good choice if you were primarily using Hola! to unblock content in foreign countries.
StrongVPN
StrongVPN lacks the sheer number of servers and features of ExpressVPN and comparable VPN services. However, it has a very long history of customer satisfaction, a relatively low number of subscribers (which helps ensure plenty of bandwidth), and fantastic security features. It’s simple and affordable, making it a great Hola! alternative.
What we like
StrongVPN has a really good track record in the VPN world. It’s been around for more than two decades, and though it has never had the most subscribers of any VPN service, it’s always offered great server performance at a reasonable price.
One of the things that StrongVPN is most well-known for is their dedication to internet security. They don’t support outdated protocols like PPTP, ensuring that your VPN connection is secured with powerful encryption like OpenVPN, L2TP, or IPSec.
The UI of the StrongVPN app is also very simple, and StrongVPN is available on macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android, and even the Amazon Fire TV.
The price is also quite good. You’ll pay $10 month-to-month, but for a full year subscription, you will pay only $5.83 per month, placing it among the more affordable options on our list.
StrongVPN, just like every other high-quality VPN, does not keep any user logs, and has never had a breach of this policy in their 2 decades of operation. You can be assured that your browsing activities will be protected.
What we don’t like
Compared to competitors like ExpressVPN and NordVPN, StrongVPN has a pretty limited server selection. You get only about 650 servers in 26 countries, and in 46 different cities. This could be a problem if you need to connect to a particular country regularly.
You can also connect only 2 devices at once with StrongVPN, so this is not a good choice for you if you need to share your account, or connect on multiple devices.
Despite these drawbacks, StrongVPN is one of the best Hola! alternatives, due to its dedication to security, simple design, and great track record for privacy.
NordVPN
NordVPN has quite a few things going for it. You get good customer service, simplified VPN apps on most platforms, plenty of advanced features, and thousands of VPN servers — all at a rock-bottom price. If you’re looking for a cheap Hola! alternative, you’re in the right place.
What we like
Let’s start with the price. NordVPN is the cheapest option on our list by far — particularly if you choose a multiple-year VPN subscription. Monthly, you’ll pay $11.95, which is pretty standard.
However, if you can commit to a one-year contract, you’ll pay only $5.75 per month. Extend that to 2 years, and you’ll pay just $3.29 per month. Sometimes, the company even runs special deals where you can get 3 years of service for $99, which comes out to $2.75 per month. There’s even a 30-day refund period, so you can always get your money back if you don’t like the service.
This makes it the cheapest option on our list, by a long shot. But despite its low cost, you get plenty for your money. NordVPN has 4,300 servers in a total of 62 countries. You also get access to VPN servers that are designed for specific web tasks, such as P2P file sharing, video streaming, data obfuscation, and DDoS prevention.
You also can connect on 6 devices at once, which exceeds VyprVPN, ExpressVPN, and StrongVPN. NordVPN is great if you use a number of different devices each day, or want to share your account.
NordVPN also has great app support. You can use it on macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. There are also web extensions available for Chrome and Firefox, which also block malicious web threats and ads.
What we don’t like
You can only get a 3-day free trial with NordVPN, though the 30-day money back guarantee helps you get a more extended trial, if desired.
There have also been some questions about whether or not NordVPN has to comply with US laws about logging policies. Though the company is based in Panama, it has a US-based office, which has made some users a bit suspicious about how secure the service truly is.
However, there has not yet been any reason to doubt NordVPN’s no-logging policy. And with plenty of servers, great security features, and a ridiculously low price, it’s definitely one of the best Hola! alternatives out there.
Why Do Other Hola! Alternatives Require a Subscription Fee?
Hola! is free because the service uses your excess bandwidth to provide connections to other users. It’s a “peer-to-peer” system, which means that you’re connecting through someone else’s computer, and they can connect through yours.
This means that Hola! is totally free, but that also comes with a few negative consequences. First, your internet speeds may slow down as more people use your computer as part of the P2P network, which decreases performance.
More importantly, though, your IP address is exposed, and other users can browse the web using it. This means that it’s completely possible for an ISP or a government agency to track illegal activity or someone else’s browsing habits back to you. You can’t control what other people do using your IP address, so this could result in some serious legal trouble if you’re not careful.
Other VPNs require a subscription fee because they set up individual, dedicated VPN servers in countries around the world. You have to pay to support these servers, but in return, you get a streamlined VPN experience, no risk of exposing your IP address, and much better speeds, as well as more server options.
Why Should I Pay For a VPN? What’s Wrong With Free VPNs?
The words “free” and “VPN” should never be used together. All VPNs require some kind of revenue stream. In the case of Hola!, they make money by charging for premium subscriptions, which allow users access to the VPN network without sharing their connections.
However, Hola! has used more shady tactics to build revenue in the past. In 2015, it was revealed that Hola! sold excess network bandwidth to botnets, through a service called “Luminati”. This service has been used to attack multiple websites.
Other free VPNs have also been found to inject malware into your computer, add extra ads to your web browser, and to sell your private information. This can lead to breaches of your private accounts, your credit card info, and plenty of other private information.
When it comes to a free VPN, just remember this adage. “If you’re not paying forho the product, you’re the product that is being sold.” Setting up VPNs costs money. If you’re not paying, the company will find another way to use your information to make a quick buck.
Eric Liston is a content writer based in Columbus, Ohio. Since 2015, he’s been writing about technology, cord-cutting, and helping everyday people save money. He also has expertise writing about medicine, dentistry, insurance, and a variety of other industries. No matter what he’s writing, his focus is always on simplifying complex concepts and making them approachable for everyone. When he’s not slamming away on his keyboard at his home office, you’ll find Eric reading sci-fi novels, improving his disc golf game (he just hit his first 400-foot drive) and playing video games on his gaming PC.
