We put these VPNs to the test to find out which is the best!
Hotspot Shield isn’t the best VPN on the market, but it does perform somewhat well across the board, whether it’s the free or subscription version, as both are the same minus bandwidth limits. Hola VPN’s unique setup puts it at a disadvantage, and the paid subscription doesn’t offer much more.
Hotspot Shield doesn’t offer blazing speeds, but it’s still good enough to stream without lagging, and download/upload speeds aren’t all that bad. With Hola VPN, speeds are dependent on where you’re connected, but you can often find some very fast speeds.
| VPN vendor |
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|---|---|---|
| Download speed reduction | 24% (UK) | 40% (UK) |
| Upload speed reduction | 59% (FRA) | 38% (FRA) |
| Ping time to google.com | 8.43ms | 107ms |
| Average time to connect (sec.) | 7ms | 12ms |
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| Visit Site | Visit Site |
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.
Hola VPN’s actual server count is dependent on the amount of users currently online, but there are users all over the world. You can access a decent amount of countries with a subscription, which doesn’t rely on P2P. Server choices are a weak point for Hotspot Shield, as it offers only 27 locations in 27 countries.
| VPN vendor |
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|---|---|---|
| Server Locations | 1500 | 27 |
| Server Countries | 195 | 27 |
| IP Addresses | 10000000 | 27 |
| Dynamic Server Switching | ||
| Visit Site | Visit Site |
The ratio of servers to countries is an important factor to look at when choosing a VPN. Only paying attention to location or number of servers can get you in trouble. More servers generally means faster speeds, but if VPN X has a few more servers than VPN Y but twice as many users, VPN X will typically have slower speeds. Ideally, you want a VPN that has a lot of servers in every location. This way you won’t have to worry that server/country that you want will be overburdened and running slow.
Hotspot Shield is decent at customer support, offering fast email ticketing to go along with their large online knowledge base. Hola VPN only has email ticketing, which can result in long waits.
| VPN vendor |
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|---|---|---|
| Email Response Time | X | 9 |
| 24/7 Support | ||
| Live Chat | ||
| Knowledge Base | ||
| Video Tutorials | ||
| Visit Site | Visit Site |
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.
Although it’s only available on desktop and not mobile, Hola is super easy to download and install on Windows and Mac. Furthermore, you can install the Hola Chrome extension, which appears as a drop-down in your browser and secures the websites you’re visiting.
As an illustration, one option is to select the Hola Chrome extension and designate the UK as your desired location if you wish to access the BBC website. This feature sets it apart as a highly user-friendly VPN in terms of both speed and simplicity, making it incredibly easy to install and utilize.
After signing up and choosing the platform, installation and setup took less than two minutes.
Hotspot Shield connects automatically to the closest server to your location. You can, however, change your virtual location manually by selecting the country you desire from the dropdown list. You cannot choose which server in the country — Hotspot picks for you.
When we turned on Hotspot Shield, we were already streaming Netflix, and it continued to stream without issue. However, when we tried to use Hulu, we experienced an error. You must have a premium account to stream Netflix, and it only works with the virtual US location selected.
There isn’t much configuration to Hotspot Shield, which is suitable for those who aren’t technically savvy. You can turn on/off automatic startup and turn on the kill switch option. Other than these few settings, there is not a lot to personalize.
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