Speed
|
1.0 / 10 |
Servers
|
2.0 / 10 |
User Experience
|
1.0 / 10 |
Support
|
4.0 / 10 |
Pricing
|
1.0 / 10 |
VPN.ht Review 2024: Before You Buy, Is It Worth It?
Reading time: 11 min
Updated on Nov 1, 2024
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Written By Chukwuemeka Mbam Cybersecurity & Tech Writer
VPN.ht Overview
VPN.ht does not guarantee connections to its servers and therefore isn’t recommended. Just like most VPNs, VPN.ht claims to support your access to content around the world, offer fast speeds without limits, and cater for peer-to-peer file sharing.
However, when I tested this service I was disappointed that I could not connect to any of the servers it offers on its native apps or third-party options. This experience made it difficult to verify the authenticity of the numerous claims it makes about its service.
VPN.ht does not offer a free plan and although there is a 30-day money-back guarantee, I don’t suggest you give this VPN a try when there are numerous alternatives that offer stable server connections and decent speeds.
Don’t Have Time? Here’s a 1-Minute Summary
Usually, we test a VPNs full set of features for our reviews. Unfortunately, I was not able to connect to VPN.ht and so could not test it. But here are a few things to note.
- No server connection. I couldn’t establish a VPN connection with any VPN.ht server. Read about my attempts to secure a VPN connection with VPN.ht.
- Military-grade level encryption. VPN.ht claims to provide solid cryptographic encryptions but there was no way of verifying this. See the security features it advertises.
- Compatible on multiple devices. You can download VPN.ht on several devices but the connection on any of these devices is not guaranteed. Here are some of the devices it can be installed on.
- Poor customer support. Customer support failed to help me secure a connection to their service. Have a look at the only way you can reach customer support.
I Couldn’t Access Any Streaming Platforms Using VPN.ht
After installing VPN.ht, I couldn’t connect to any server at all, which made it impossible to access any streaming platforms.
As a VPN user, accessing streaming content is often a primary concern. A reliable VPN should have the capability to connect seamlessly with various popular streaming platforms such as Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, and more. This ensures that users can enjoy the content they have subscribed to even when traveling abroad.
Since I couldn’t connect to VPN.ht, it’s difficult to say which of the streaming platforms it can unblock. Therefore, I don’t recommend VPN.ht if you are looking for a reliable VPN to access content on streaming platforms. To stream comfortably, a VPN service like ExpressVPN would help you unblock multiple streaming platforms and let you stream in high definition at top speeds.
Editor's Note: Transparency is one of our core values at WizCase, so you should know we are in the same ownership group as ExpressVPN. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to a strict testing methodology.
Speed
- 1.0
/ 10
Impossible to Determine
It was impossible to test how fast VPN.ht servers are since I couldn’t connect to any server. However, during the period I tried connecting to a server, I tested my speed and there was no impact on my base speed whatsoever. This indicates that connection was not established in any form.
Why Most Speed Tests are Pointless & How We Correctly Test VPN Speeds
Speed determines how fast content uploads, so if you're torrenting or streaming, you want the speed to be somewhat identical to your regular internet speed. Since a VPN encrypts your data, it usually takes a bit longer to send your data back and forth, which can slow down your connection. However, if your ISP deliberately slows down your connection (also known as throttling) a VPN might increase your internet speed. Testing a VPN is somewhat pointless because new servers pop up and affect speed. Your speed can also differ according to your location, so your speed test might not match ours. Having said that, we tested the speed in numerous locations to provide you with the average.
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Servers
- 2.0
/ 10
Server Network — 90 Servers in 28 Locations
VPN.ht might not have an extensive server list, but its available servers are well distributed. There are several servers in conventional locations like the USA, the UK, and France. Additionally, there are servers in locations like Serbia, the UAE, South Africa, Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Romania.
Countries in Europe maintain the largest server bases. For instance, France has 14 servers, Germany has 8, the Netherlands 22, while the US has 18. Other notable server locations are in Norway, Sweden, New Zealand, Belgium, Poland, Italy, Spain, Canada, Australia, and the Asian/Middle East locations like Japan and Korea. Confusingly, VPN.ht still has several servers in the US but claims that it no longer offers US servers in its privacy statement.
Security — Robust Security Encryptions, If You Can Get It to Work
VPN.ht advertises that all of its connections are backed by the military-grade 256-bit encryption algorithm. According to information from the site, a secure tunnel with the service would shield your activities online from the glare of government surveillance and malicious websites.
I also discovered useful security options on its Windows apps such as firewall bypass, smart DNS, and auto-reconnect.
There are also options to switch your encryption level or opt for TCP instead of using the default UDP servers. However, there was no way to test if these features functioned as advertised because the servers would never connect.
Privacy — An Entirely Unclear Privacy Policy
It is difficult to verify the privacy claims of VPN.ht. Although the VPN claims to have a no-logs policy, these claims are yet to be verified by independent auditors. VPN.ht is based in Hong Kong, a jurisdiction outside of the 5/9/14 Eyes Allegiance. The 5/9/14 Eyes is a conglomerate of countries that tracks internet use for security reasons. Being outside of this location is a good sign for the privacy of VPN.ht.
VPN.ht’s privacy statement is quite different from what you might expect. Instead of a clear statement of how it respects your privacy and the information it logs, it only highlights its legal tussle with Hollywood Studios that sued them for breach of privacy, which made it decide against offering US servers anymore. However, repeated mentions of its resolve to not log user data can be found in several places in the statement.
To avoid mingling with a service with no clear logs policy and which is in constant legal trouble, I would recommend you opt for ExpressVPN which is a VPN that has been certified by independent auditors not to keep logs of user activities.
Torrenting — Claims to be Torrent Friendly
VPN.ht supports sharing peer-to-peer files using BitTorrent and other torrent sites. According to its terms of use, there are no restrictions on the amount of data that you can use. However, just like other sections, I couldn’t verify the authenticity of its torrenting claims due to failure to establish a connection with any server.
Does VPN.ht Work in China? No!
It was an uphill task getting VPN.ht customer support to respond to my inquiries. Since I wasn’t in China during the period of my tests, it was difficult to ascertain if VPN.ht would let you access censored websites in China.
VPN.ht claims that its service can access content anywhere in the world, but China wasn’t mentioned specifically. However, when inquired from customer support, the reply indicated that even if you got VPN.ht to work for you, it still wouldn’t be able to bypass the firewall in China.
Server Locations
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User Experience
- 1.0
/ 10
Simultaneous Device Connections — Three Simultaneous Connections
VPN.ht claims you can share your account to three devices simultaneously. However, when I tried logging in my details on the android app, it declined it as invalid even though the same credentials were used to access the Windows software.
Device Compatibility — It Claims to Work on Virtually all Devices
You can run VPN.ht on several devices. According to the VPN, you can use its service on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Ubuntu, Redhat, Linux, and some routers running DD-WRT. I was able to download its native app on my Windows and Android devices, but I never got either of them to work.
There is also a provision to access VPN.ht’s service via open-source protocols like OpenVPN and L2TP across all devices. I couldn’t find any browser extensions and also didn’t find any special provisions for consoles and TVs.
Ease of Setup & Installation — Easy to Install but Impossible to Utilize
It’s pretty easy to download and install VPN.ht. From a section on the website, you can choose your device model and the native app for it would begin to download. It was simple for me to set up on Windows, however, I had to restart my device after installation to get it running.
There are useful guides on VPN.ht’s website if you want to set it up via third-party software like OpenVPN. Nevertheless, I couldn’t use VPN.ht at all despite paying for a plan. After downloading the native app on my Windows device and signing in, I discovered that I wasn’t able to establish any server connection. In an attempt to correct this, I uninstalled it and installed it again to no avail.
I sent a message to customer support about my plight and, after over 18 hours, I received my reply suggesting that I migrate to the OpenVPN protocol. However, I still couldn’t get VPN.ht to work even after opting for the OpenVPN GUI.
It is an absolute waste of time trying to get VPN.ht to work for you when several top-range VPNs offer instant server connections at nearly the same price as VPN.ht.
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Support
- 4.0
/ 10
VPN.ht has weak customer support. Ticket submission was the only means I had to get a response for my numerous inquiries. I tried contacting support via email, but it was of no use.
Some of the replies I received through ticket submission for the times I requested help were not specific, they were simply a reiteration of the answer I was previously given. I was not impressed that I had to check back to the support section on the page to see if my question has been answered as emails are not sent out to notify you that your question has been answered.
Furthermore, I was disappointed that support couldn’t successfully change the password of my VPN account as there were no provisions to do it myself.
How We Test Customer Support and Why Should You Care
We personally test the customer support team of every VPN we review. This means asking technical question through the live chat feature (where applicable) and measuring the response time for email questions. Whether you need to connect to a specific server, change your security protocol, or configure a VPN on your router, finding a VPN with quality customer support should be important to you.
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Pricing
- 1.0
/ 10
VPN.ht does not offer a free trial, but you can get an easy plan to test out their service for the first month. However, I consider it to be a waste of money and time paying for a VPN service that makes server connections practically impossible.
VPN.ht maintains a dual price structure that is either billed monthly or annually. Although not offering a free plan, VPN.ht compensates for this by offering a very affordable plan only for the first month. Every user also has the privilege to ask for a refund within the first 30-days of purchase if the VPN isn’t performing properly.
There are several channels to pay for a VPN.ht premium plan. Although I paid with a Visa credit card, you can explore other alternatives that are more convenient for you. Alongside credit/debit cards, you can pay with PayPal, cryptocurrencies, bank transfer, gift cards, and Mobiamo. Credit card payments are not processed by VPN.ht themselves but by third-party platforms like Mint, Dollar General, FasterPay, and CVS Pharmacy.
VPN.ht offers the following plans
Final Verdict
VPN.ht couldn’t establish a connection to any server when I and a handful of my colleagues tested it, despite paying twice for a plan on different devices. The experience was similar on other devices and third-party protocols, therefore I do not recommend trying this VPN.
It would be a waste of funds and time to pay and test this VPN yourself. Excellent VPNs should be able to establish connections easily, protect users, and offer decent speeds. VPN.ht failed in all of these categories. However, you can access all these requirements and more if you sign up for a superb VPN service like ExpressVPN.
Editor's Note: Transparency is one of our core values at WizCase, so you should know we are in the same ownership group as ExpressVPN. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to a strict testing methodology.
FAQs About VPN.ht
Is VPN.ht good?
Can I use VPN.ht for free?
No! You can not find a free plan for VPN.ht. However, it is not recommended that you pay for a plan as connectivity isn’t guaranteed.
If you are looking for VPNs that offer free plans, you can try a few of these reliable vendors.
Is VPN.ht really safe?
Editor's Note: We value our relationship with our readers, and we strive to earn your trust through transparency and integrity. We are in the same ownership group as some of the industry-leading products reviewed on this site: ExpressVPN, Cyberghost, Private Internet Access, and Intego. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to a strict testing methodology.
| Canada | |
| 2014 | |
| 3 | |
| 30 days guaranteed |
