VPNhub Review & Test (2020) - Why It's NOT For Everyone

Pornhub releasing their very own VPN service is as much surprising as it is expected. After all, the adult website is known for its forward-thinking mindset and willingness to branch out. But do they have the necessary expertise and resources to make VPNhub a success?

It turns out they don’t need to — in this day and age, simply hiring an app developer and obtaining a bunch of servers is enough. VPNhub may be Pornhub’s brainchild, but the software is developed and maintained by the US-based AppAtomic, while the server network is ostensibly owned by cloud services giant StackPath.

When your VPN’s infrastructure is the product of a partnership and not your own, there will be some concerns for users. Limited control and accountability are an inevitable result, but the real issue often is privacy — it takes a hit.

I was disappointed to find that VPNHub can’t unblock Netflix or BBC iPlayer. If your main reason for using a VPN is to unblock streaming services, I suggest NordVPN instead. It’s super-fast and can unblock more than 140 streaming services. Additionally, it offers much stronger security features than VPNHub.

Although VPNhub is smart to avoid advertising a zero-logs policy (because it doesn’t really have one), that doesn’t help its case much. The VPN is covered by the same privacy policy all other AppAtomic products are under. Granted, there’s been a recent addition of two hastily-put sentences which reassure VPNhub users that none of their activities are tracked. That’s hardly enough, however — more VPN-specific information is needed to convince us that they’re really guarding our privacy.

Glaring transparency issues aside, VPNhub is a pretty good piece of software. It’s clean, stylish, and has plenty of handy features. Premium users have 800+ servers at their disposal, and the Windows client gives an overview of load and ping times for each one of them.

Encryption is solid, working with OpenVPN (at least on Windows). You can also choose between AES-128 and AES-256 ciphers alongside SHA256 authentication. Notable features include a kill switch, DNS and IPv6 leak protection, as well as switching to OpenVPN TCP port 443 for extra muscle against censorship.

VPNhub offers a free version with unlimited bandwidth. That’s great; what’s not so great is the one available US location, along with limited speed and a barrage of ads.

VPNhub Premium gets rid of all ads and offers much faster (though not overly impressive) connections. You also get the full 800+ server roster — but at just 18 countries, you won’t have much variety in unblocking content. Popular streams like Netflix and Hulu are off-limits, too.

One thing to note: VPNhub’s clients bear a striking resemblance to StrongVPN, which is most likely owned by StackPath. The latter was also involved in a hush-hush acquisition of IPVanish, whose server network appears to be shared with several VPNs — VPNhub included. This raises even more privacy concerns as more variables are added to the equation.

So, what’s the major takeaway? Porn sites have yet to make a top-shelf VPN. Don’t get us wrong — we thoroughly enjoy the way Pornhub does business, but VPNhub feels like a brilliant idea suffering from subpar execution. It’s expensive, it’s definitely not private, and it makes use of questionable wholesale practices.

If all you need is decent encryption and no bandwidth caps (or a free VPN to watch porn on your phone), you’ll find use in VPNhub’s free offering. The Premium aspects, however, need some serious work to justify the hefty price tag, and we recommend avoiding this VPN altogether if privacy and anonymity are the first items on your shopping list.

Want spotless privacy with a legit zero-logs policy and a proven track record? How about the ability to unblock Netflix and other popular services? Check out NordVPN as your trusted alternative.