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Why look for Hola VPN alternatives? Because of how Hola’s free tier works. Hola’s own FAQ says free users contribute network and processing power that Bright Data uses for business, and that only Premium subscribers don’t contribute their devices, VPN Scorecard reports. In practice, a free user’s connection can serve as an exit point for other people’s traffic. That model became public in 2015, when attackers routed an assault on the 8chan message board through Hola users’ connections.
This page explains the free model’s problem, what Hola’s Premium changes, and free and paid alternatives that don’t borrow your connection.
Why the Free Model Is the Problem
| Issue | What happens | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Your bandwidth is shared | Free users’ devices route others’ traffic | Hola FAQ via VPN Scorecard |
| Your IP can front others’ activity | Bright Data customers may route through it | vpnmasterpro |
| Weak protection on the free tier | No full encryption, and logging | The High Tech Society |
| Past abuse | 8chan attack in 2015 | Wikipedia, Fortune |
The 2015 case showed the risk. Hola’s founder, Ofer Vilenski, confirmed that using free users’ connections was part of the deal, and Hola updated its FAQ after 8chan’s founder contacted the company, Wikipedia records. Hola had about 46 million users at the time, Fortune reported.
Some organisations ban it. The University of Delaware’s IT team is one, The High Tech Society notes. Our free VPN guide explains how free VPNs pay their bills.
Who Owns What
| Company | Role | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Hola VPN Ltd | Runs the Hola apps; founders kept their stake | VPN Scorecard |
| Luminati, now Bright Data | Commercial proxy network; renamed March 2021 | VPN Scorecard |
| EMK Capital | Bought control of Luminati in 2017, not Hola | VPN Scorecard, vpnmasterpro |
Premium works differently. Paid Hola users move to encrypted servers outside the peer network, The High Tech Society notes, and Hola’s FAQ says its browser extensions aren’t part of the peer network, VPN Scorecard adds. Our VPN ownership guide covers why structures like this matter, and our no-logs guide sets out the standard Hola’s free tier misses.
Hola VPN Alternatives: The Picks
| Option | Cost | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Proton VPN free | Free, no data cap | Server-based; audited no-logs policy |
| NordVPN | Paid | Audited; fast; streaming |
| Surfshark | Paid | Unlimited devices; same parent as NordVPN (Nord Security) |
| Opera’s built-in VPN | Free | Browser only, no peer sharing |
Among Hola VPN alternatives, Proton VPN’s free plan is the obvious free swap: it runs on Proton’s own servers with no data cap, as our Proton VPN value guide explains. For streaming or speed, a paid VPN with audits beats any free tier; our audit tracker shows which providers outside auditors have checked.
Removing Hola before switching to Hola VPN alternatives? Uninstall the app and any extension, as our Chrome extension guide shows, then check your connection, as our VPN check guide explains.
How We Research
Hola’s FAQ wording, ownership and the extension exception come from VPN Scorecard; the founder’s confirmation and 2017 sale from Wikipedia’s Bright Data article; the EMK figures and later cases from vpnmasterpro; encryption, logging and the university ban from The High Tech Society; user numbers from Fortune. VPN Scorecard’s Hola page is at vpnscorecard.com. We read all sources on 28 September 2026. Proton and NordVPN are providers we link to. Our full approach lives on the About Us page.
Hola VPN Alternatives FAQ
The free tier shares your connection with Bright Data’s network and lacks full encryption, according to several reviews. Premium works differently.
Free users contribute bandwidth and processing power that Bright Data uses commercially, Hola’s FAQ says.
In 2015 attackers routed an assault on the 8chan message board through Hola users’ connections via Luminati, now Bright Data.
Proton VPN’s free plan, which uses Proton’s own servers and has no data cap.
No. Hola’s FAQ says only free users contribute their devices; Premium uses separate servers.
The Verdict
Hola VPN alternatives exist because the free model uses your connection; the price of ‘free’ is your bandwidth and IP address.
Proton VPN’s free plan is a clean free swap, and a paid, audited VPN is the step up.