Beware of Hola VPN – Major Privacy Concerns!
I used Hola VPN for a while, thinking it was a simple and free way to browse safely. But after digging into how it actually works, I realized it's one of the worst VPNs out there in terms of privacy.
Hola doesn’t function like a normal VPN. Instead of using real servers, it routes your internet traffic through other users' devices, and other people's traffic can run through yours too. That means your IP address could be used by strangers to access anything online—including things you wouldn’t want to be connected to. That’s a massive red flag.
They also log user data, and in the past, they’ve been caught selling user bandwidth through a separate company (Luminati, now called Bright Data). So basically, while you think you’re getting a “free VPN,” you’re actually the product being sold.
I immediately uninstalled Hola and switched to something way more trustworthy. If you care at all about your privacy, avoid Hola VPN at all costs. There are much better free or cheap options like Mullvad, Proton VPN, Windscribe, or Surfshark.
Reply from Hola VPN
Hi there, thank you for sharing your concerns — we genuinely appreciate your feedback.
At Hola, your privacy and security are our top priorities. We operate in full compliance with strict standards, including those set by AppEsteem, an independent organization that certifies trustworthy apps. You can find out more about why Hola is a trusted service here:
https://support.hola.org/en/articles/9636397-why-should-i-trust-hola
We also encourage you to review our Privacy Policy, which provides a transparent breakdown of how we collect, use, and protect user data:
https://hola.org/legal/privacy
Regarding your concern about network usage: Hola uses a unique peer-to-peer model to offer access where many traditional VPNs fall short. This is a key part of what makes Hola different and effective. That said, only users of our full VPN service who have explicitly opted in become part of the peer network. Users of our browser extensions (Chrome, Opera, Edge) do not participate in the peer-to-peer network, but still benefit from the technology.
Even for opted-in users, peer-to-peer routing is limited, secure, and carefully managed. It is only used to handle traffic to specific, pre-approved websites. You can read more about how our network works here:
https://support.hola.org/en/collections/9935345-faq
If anything remains unclear or if you'd like to discuss your concerns further, we’re always here to help. Please feel free to reach out directly through our support page:
https://hola.org/premium_support