We review vendors based on rigorous testing and research but also take into account your feedback and our affiliate commission with providers. Some providers are owned by our parent company.
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vpnMentor was established in 2014 to review VPN services and cover privacy-related stories. Today, our team of hundreds of cybersecurity researchers, writers, and editors continues to help readers fight for their online freedom in partnership with Kape Technologies PLC, which also owns the following products: ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access which may be ranked and reviewed on this website. The reviews published on vpnMentor are believed to be accurate as of the date of each article, and written according to our strict reviewing standards that prioritize professional and honest examination of the reviewer, taking into account the technical capabilities and qualities of the product together with its commercial value for users. The rankings and reviews we publish may also take into consideration the common ownership mentioned above, and affiliate commissions we earn for purchases through links on our website. We do not review all VPN providers and information is believed to be accurate as of the date of each article.
Advertising Disclosure

vpnMentor was established in 2014 to review VPN services and cover privacy-related stories. Today, our team of hundreds of cybersecurity researchers, writers, and editors continues to help readers fight for their online freedom in partnership with Kape Technologies PLC, which also owns the following products: ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access which may be ranked and reviewed on this website. The reviews published on vpnMentor are believed to be accurate as of the date of each article, and written according to our strict reviewing standards that prioritize professional and honest examination of the reviewer, taking into account the technical capabilities and qualities of the product together with its commercial value for users. The rankings and reviews we publish may also take into consideration the common ownership mentioned above, and affiliate commissions we earn for purchases through links on our website. We do not review all VPN providers and information is believed to be accurate as of the date of each article.

ExpressVPN vs Hola VPN 2024

Table of Contents
    Our Score: 9.9/10
    %s User Reviews
    More Info
    Our Score: 5.3/10
    %s User Reviews
    More Info
    Editors' Note: Intego, Private Internet Access, Cyberghost and Expressvpn are owned by Kape Technologies, our parent company.

    Which VPN is better?

    Author Image Daniel Krohn
    Daniel Krohn

    Cybersecurity Researcher

    You might find it difficult to find two VPN services that are more different than ExpressVPN (a traditional VPN) and Hola VPN (a peer-to-peer proxy service, which isn’t a true VPN and may have security and privacy risks). ExpressVPN’s paid service comes with a variety of additional protections to keep you secure, while Hola VPN introduces serious security risks. ExpressVPN is a crowd favorite because it gives you access to more than 2,000 servers, has military-grade encryption, and beats almost all geoblocks we’ve seen. Hola VPN is a freemium proxy service that cannot change servers by nature. We found mixed performance for streaming, browsing speeds, and bypassing geoblocks . There are many other potentially harmful aspects of the P2P network that could drain your bank account and collect your data.

    Our Score

    Features 9.9/10
    Pricing 9.4/10
    Ease of Use 10.0/10
    Reliability & Support 10.0/10
    Features 5.3/10
    Pricing 4.0/10
    Ease of Use 6.4/10
    Reliability & Support 4.8/10

    Reviews

    Review by our expert
    Author Image Keira Waddell
    Keira Waddell

    Senior Writer

    Our Score: 9.9/10

    ExpressVPN is one of the most popular and trusted names in the industry. It’s known for being one of the safest, fastest VPNs around, so I wanted to see if it can live up to these claims. It’s not the cheapest VPN, but it often offers discounts that make it a better value for the money. Other decent VPNs offer similar security features for much cheaper. So, do you really need to pay that muc...

    Read all
    Latest positive user review
    J
    JKJHB
    8.0/10
    jhJ JJ

    I've been an ExpressVPN customer since 2017 and it's been great: quickly connects to a nearby server i... n the Wash DC region, embedded shortcuts to apps I want to use while using VPN, disconnects quickly, has the kill switch feature which is necessary these days, and has a fine mobile app which works well on my Android phones and tablets. However, I was just notified that the annual price is jumping from $99 to $117 upon the next renewal, so it's time to see how the others compare within VPN Mentor.More

    Latest negative user review
    C
    Charli
    6.0/10
    Ok, but expensive

    Seems ok, but I wouldn't say it's worth $20AUD a month. That's steep if you live in a backwater like A... ustralia, where the currency is not valuable. Easy enough to set up - you don't need to be Einstein - but unless you're a tech nerd who can take a look under the bonnet, you'll just have to trust what they say about their product. It frequently drops out without the slightest warning, often when it's the only thing online at the time - despite fast and flawless fiber internet, rendering expression entirely useless UNLESS you have it sitting on your desktop where you can keep an eagle eye on it to actually see it when it drops out so you can kick it back into service again (it doesn't do it by itself), which seems to defeat its purpose, so I'm taking away 2 stars for that. Support is good and they do get back to you as fast as they can.More

    Read the full review
    Review by our expert
    Author Image Ren Sayer
    Ren Sayer

    Senior Writer

    Our Score: 5.3/10

    Warning! Hola VPN’s “Free Unlimited VPN” is NOT a real VPN. Hola’s peer-to-peer model may be popular, but you put yourself at risk if you use it because all your personal data is exposed and your IP address can be used by other people. Since we don’t consider Hola’s free service an actual VPN, we’ve reviewed Hola’s paid Premium VPN service. However, we always recommend a reputable...

    Read all
    Latest positive user review
    D
    Danilo
    10.0/10
    Really good and reliable VPN client

    I am very insecure about this post and how reliable this comparison actually is. There will always be ... people that either love or hate Hola VPN, whereas, this is a very individual decision. Personally, I am rather happy with the app (i am also using it on my desktop from time to time) and i do not share the rating that is displayed on this webpage. I cannot say much about the support side but would give the rest (user functions, friendliness as well as pricing) 5 stars; why?!... because it fits my needs in a very easy and reliable manner.More

    Latest negative user review
    M
    Max Johnson
    2.0/10
    Free does not offer conf files for WireGuard client

    VPN is of little value if it cannot BOTH provide WireGuard conf files and offer residential IP address... es Because it does not BOTH provide WireGuard conf files and offer residential IP addresses it is of low value.More

    Read the full review

    Pricing

    Starting price $6.67/month
    Money Back Guarantee (Days) 30 Days
    Number of devices per license 8 devices
    Starting price $2.99/month
    Money Back Guarantee (Days) 14 Days
    Number of devices per license 10 devices

    Best VPN by Category

    Best VPN Overall

    ExpressVPN is a traditional leader in VPNs thanks to its strong 256-bit encryption, servers in 94 locations, great security tools, and support for both torrenting and streaming content. Hola VPN offers an easy-to-install service with a large number of connections, but our tests found it could leak your real DNS and other data. On top of that, Hola VPN logs a large amount of your data.

    Best VPN for Torrents

    Hola VPN actively blocks BitTorrent traffic and discontinued its torrent Media Player feature. On the other hand, ExpressVPN supports torrenting on every single server offered, giving you more than 2,000 options to find the best speeds.

    Best VPN for Windows

    ExpressVPN provides more location options than Hola VPN or almost any other VPN and offers a Windows package that we found to be easy-to-use, user-friendly, and consistently delivers high speeds and safe browsing. Hola VPN does not offer a dedicated app for Windows, rather operates in a separate browser. Most find it easiest to use a Chrome or Firefox extension with Hola VPN.

    Best VPN for Android

    Hola VPN's Android app offers access to all of its standard services, but its performance is often mixed. ExpressVPN has a superior record for protecting information and delivering top speeds consistently, though it is worth noting that the service has yet to extend all of its safety features to Android.

    Best VPN for Mac

    Similar to Windows, Hola VPN doesn’t have a Mac client, but does include Safari support. Unfortunately, that also means it leaks DNS information. ExpressVPN applies its strict no-logs policy here and did not leak any information in our tests, but we were able to stream content and easily switch among thousands of servers.

    Best VPN for iOS

    To work on your iOS device, you must pay for Hola VPN Premium. ExpressVPN also charges for iOS, but you’re able to choose your location, stay secure with military-grade encryption, keep data private, and not risk someone else eating up your bandwidth on a shared network.

    Best VPN for USA

    ExpressVPN bypasses the toughest geo-restrictions, including the ever-growing blacklists and Netflix blocks. It also provides more US servers than any other VPN we’ve seen. The P2P connections utilized by Hola VPN mean your functionality will only be as useful as its available users. This often means you can't get around blocks for popular services like Netflix.

    The Bottom Line

    See Plans & Pricing

    Your best bet here is definitely ExpressVPN. For many, the main reason for getting a VPN is to browse without having their information tracked and collected. ExpressVPN lives up to that demand while Hola VPN doesn’t. You’ll also like the enormous number of secure servers and its ability to avoid content restrictions as well as robust P2P and torrenting support. Hola VPN still appears to be a service to avoid. There are significant concerns around the privacy of your connection, and it has a history of collecting detailed service logs and sharing these with its partners. Plus, Hola’s proxy structure could mean the data you pay for gets used up by someone else, making its “free” option potentially costly.

    Time to decide which one is best for you

    Go with ExpressVPN
    Go with Hola VPN
    Or click here to check best VPNs, rated by {{review_count}} users

    FAQ

    Is ExpressVPN better than Hola VPN?

    Yes, ExpressVPN is better overall than Hola VPN. It has 3000 servers in 105 countries, fast speeds, and impressive security features.

    Best of all, you can take advantage of its latest discount and get it for only $6.67 a month.

    What should I keep in mind when choosing between ExpressVPN and Hola VPN?

    When choosing a VPN, you want to pay close attention to its number of servers, overall speed score, pricing, and the number of simultaneous device connections it offers. While some VPNs provide a flawless online experience, others will really slow you down.

    If you’re ready to commit, then ExpressVPN may be perfect for you due to its performance during the tests .

    Is ExpressVPN faster than Hola VPN?

    Yes, ExpressVPN is faster than Hola VPN. Since your VPN is your computer’s main connection to the internet, you need to use a service that won’t slow you down by more than 20%.

    If speeds are important to you, then I recommend you take a look at ExpressVPN. It’s the fastest service out there, provides unlimited bandwidth, and you won’t experience any slowdowns even when you connect to the other side of the planet. You can try it out risk-free. It’s backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can get a full refund if you don’t like it.

    Do ExpressVPN or Hola VPN offer any deals?

    Both ExpressVPN and Hola VPN offer deals on occasion. You can check out the current coupons and discounts here. However, ExpressVPN has the best deals. Right now, you can get a 49% discount and up to 3 months for free with a new subscription.

    We review vendors based on rigorous testing and research but also take into account your feedback and our affiliate commission with providers. Some providers are owned by our parent company.
    Learn more
    vpnMentor was established in 2014 to review VPN services and cover privacy-related stories. Today, our team of hundreds of cybersecurity researchers, writers, and editors continues to help readers fight for their online freedom in partnership with Kape Technologies PLC, which also owns the following products: ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access which may be ranked and reviewed on this website. The reviews published on vpnMentor are believed to be accurate as of the date of each article, and written according to our strict reviewing standards that prioritize professional and honest examination of the reviewer, taking into account the technical capabilities and qualities of the product together with its commercial value for users. The rankings and reviews we publish may also take into consideration the common ownership mentioned above, and affiliate commissions we earn for purchases through links on our website. We do not review all VPN providers and information is believed to be accurate as of the date of each article.

    About the Author

    Technical writer with a passion for online privacy.