At a Glance – Private Internet Access and Hola
Private Internet Access
Private Internet Access (PIA) is a well-established VPN provider delivering comprehensive VPN protection and enhancement for most popular connected devices. The provider’s large server network covers much of the globe, providing access to global content.
Hola
Hola provides reliable VPN protection with fast connections. However, some of the provider’s services are less than private. While the provider offers free VPN services, it makes your computer part of a network of other free Hola users, sharing your spare bandwidth with the network.
Choosing a VPN
When you’re considering VPN protection, always think about each VPN provider’s features and its performance in each VPN service arena.
By the time you finish this article, you should have plenty of information, allowing you to make an informed VPN buying decision.
Features of Private Internet Access and Hola
I’ll be taking a close look at two VPN providers, Private Internet Access (PIA) and Hola. I’ll compare them in each important VPN service category, tally the scores, and name an overall winner.
Connection Speeds
Whatever your favorite online pastimes, a fast internet connection is your friend, as it makes almost any online activity more enjoyable.
To ensure that I am kept up to date on any variations in a VPN’s connection speeds, I run tests on a regular basis.
I perform the connection speed tests as follows:
- Tests are performed using a North American Windows server sporting a fast gigabit Ethernet connection.
- Connections are made to three VPN server locations – London, New York City, and Hong Kong – at three different times of the day.
- I use the Windows version of the VPN apps, configured to connect using the Wireguard protocol when it is available.
- I use the Speedtest app to measure the VPN’s download speed tests after connecting to each VPN server location. I restart the app between each test.
While both providers performed well in the connection speed trials. However, one provider easily outperformed its competitor.
Private Internet Access delivered average download speeds of 73.3 Mbps.
Hola also delivered even more impressive average download speeds, clocking in at 186.7 Mbps.
Your connection speeds will likely differ from what I saw. Your speeds will depend on your usual unprotected connection speeds, your location, and that of the VPN server you’re connected to.
Average Connection Speed Winner: Hola
| Provider | Avg. Connection Speed | Link |
| Hola | 186.7 Mbps | Visit Site
Read Review |
| Private Internet Access | 73.3 Mbps | Visit Site |
Pricing
Prices are rising and there is currently no end in sight. If you’re like me, you’re looking to save money whenever you can. However, be careful when considering uber-cheap and free VPN providers, as they will often lack proper online privacy protection and other features.
A month of Private Internet Access will cost about the price of a medium coffee when you opt for the provider’s one-year plan. PIA offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Hola is just a little bit more expensive. If you opt for a one-year commitment, you’ll pay a bit more than double what you’d pay for a month of Private Internet Access’s services.
Hola also offers a free level of VPN service. However, the free tier of service is where most of my privacy and security concerns lie. We’ll talk about that a bit later.
I never include exact VPN pricing in my articles. This is because providers change their pricing on a regular basis, as well as periodic special deals. A VPN provider’s website can provide its current pricing information.
Pricing Winner: Private Internet Access
| Provider | Money-Back Guarantee Period | Link |
| Private Internet Access | 30 Days | Visit Site |
| Hola | 30 Days | Visit Site
Read Review |
Privacy
It is downright dangerous to go online without using a VPN. If you don’t use a VPN, you’ll leave behind logs recording your online antics. Using a VPN’s privacy features keeps your online antics private.
A VPN prevents an ISP from tracking your online travels, meaning the ISP can’t log your online activities, as it cannot see what you’re up to, as all it sees is your VPN connection. A VPN should also not log your online travels.
Consider the following when concerning a VPN’s privacy protections:
- Is the provider in a privacy-friendly country?
- Does the provider save user activity logs on its servers?
- Does the provider accept cryptocurrency as payment?
Private Internet Access is located in the United States. While the U.S. isn’t exactly the most private country on earth, PIA does not save user logs on its servers and it accepts cryptocurrency to protect your payment privacy. (Use a disposable email address to sign up and score additional privacy for your payments.)
Hola is based in Israel. While not a member of the Five Eyes alliance, Israel does share information with alliance members. Hola logs some information when you’re using its servers, including your IP address, your operating system and browser type, a record of the web pages you visited, the amount of time spent on those pages, and access times and dates. Hola does not accept cryptocurrency as payment.
Hola’s free VPN service routes your data through other Hola users’ computers, while also sharing your “spare” bandwidth with other users. This is a privacy risk. While paid Hola users can opt-out of being a node, participating should not be an “opt-out” feature.
Privacy Winner: Private Internet Access
| Provider | Privacy Ranking | Site |
| Hola | 3.5 | Visit Site
Read Review |
| Private Internet Access | 5.0 | Visit Site |
Online Security
A VPN hides your online activities, ensuring that you won’t be tracked in real time. A VPN encrypts your internet connection, while also temporarily assigning a different IP address to your connected device. This means your online travels are hidden in an encrypted tunnel and your real IP address is also hidden.
Private Internet Access uses banking-grade encryption, a kill switch, and DNS/IP leak prevention to prevent your online travels from being monitored. The provider uses the Wireguard, PPTP, OpenVPN, and L2TP/IPSec connection protocols, depending on the app you’re using.
While Hola also protects its customers’ connection with banking-grade encryption, it offers only the IKEv2 or L2TP/IPSec connection protocols. The provider does not offer kill switch protection or DNS leak prevention, although it offers port forwarding and split tunneling.
“Routing your data through a network of volunteer nodes” is a security and privacy threat, so I’m not comfortable with that “feature.”
Online Security Winner: Private Internet Access
| Provider | Overall Security Score | Link |
| Hola | 4.0 | Visit Site
Read Review |
| Private Internet Access | 5.0 | Visit Site |
Simultaneous Connections
I own more than one connected device and I use multiple devices at the same time. This is why a VPN provider’s simultaneous connections allowance is an important consideration.
Hola limits users to 10 simultaneous connections at a time.
PIA places no limit on how many devices you simultaneously connect to its servers.
Simultaneous Connections Winner: Private Internet Access
| Provider | Simultaneous Connections Allowed | Link |
| Hola | 10 | Visit Site
Read Review |
| Private Internet Access | No limit | Visit Site |
Streaming Support
There are streaming services for just about every taste. Unfortunately, no matter which streaming services you enjoy, you’re not getting everything you could be from your streaming subscriptions. This is because streaming services put geographic restrictions on their content.
Luckily, a VPN can help you access geo-fenced streaming content designated for viewing in other countries. A VPN can do this because it temporarily assigns a different IP address to your connected device. This makes it appear that you and your device are located in another part of the globe.
Private Internet Access provides reliable access to Netflix content in the US, UK, Japan, Denmark, Germany, and Sweden. It also provides access to BBC iPlayer, CBC, Hotstar, 9Now, 10play, Amazon Prime, HBO Max, Disney+, and numerous other streamers.
Meanwhile, Hola could not provide reliable access to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, or any other streaming services.
Streaming Support Winner: Private Internet Access
| Provider | # of U.S. Streaming Services VPN Unblocks | # of International Services VPN Unblocks | Link |
| Hola | 0 | 0 | Visit Site
Read Review |
| Private Internet Access | 8+ | 25+ | Visit Site |
BitTorrent Support
BitTorrent is an excellent way to share files with other online users. While file sharing is legal in the U.S and most other countries, it is illegal to share copyrighted files, which include movies, music, and e-books.
The entertainment industry puts pressure on Internet Service Providers to block file sharing out of hand, leading ISPs to throttle or block their users’ internet connections if they find them engaging in P2P activity, even legal file sharing.
Since a VPN encrypts your internet connection, it keeps your online activities undercover, hiding your activities from your ISP. A VPN also temporarily assigns a different IP address to your connected device preventing anyone from connecting your online antics to your real IP address.
Private Internet Access allows users to share files on its entire server network.
Hola does not allow torrenting activity, actively blocking P2P connections, just like your ISP.
BitTorrenting Winner: Private Internet Access
| Provider | # of Countries Where VPN Allows BitTorrents | Link |
| Hola | None | Visit Site
Read Review |
| Private Internet Access | All of them | Visit Site |
Global Server Coverage
A VPN subscription will ideally allow users to access geo-fenced content from around the globe. This means you should be in search of a provider with a large global server network. Also, look for a provider with multiple servers in each country. This helps ensure that a single server won’t be overloaded with too many users at once.
Hola claims it has servers in over 190 countries. However, the provider uses a peer-to-peer network of users’ computers. The provider does not publish actual server numbers.
Private Internet Access has 3,300+ servers, located in 80+ countries around the globe.
Global Server Coverage Winner: Private Internet Access
| Provider | Server Count | Countries | Link |
| Hola | ? | 190+? | Visit Site
Read Review |
| Private Internet Access | 3,300+ | 80+ | Visit Site |
Multi-Platform Support
If you own multiple connected devices, it’s likely that each one runs a different operating system. This makes a VPN provider’s native app support an important consideration.
PIA’s native app support includes offerings for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Android TV, Linux, and Amazon Fire TV devices. Chrome, Firefox, and Opera browser extensions are also available, as is support for select routers. (Pre-configured routers can be purchased from Flashrouters.com.)
Hola offers apps for the iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and Amazon Fire TV device platforms. Browser extensions are available for the Chrome, Edge, and Opera browser platforms. Hola is compatible with only the Keenetic Ultra router.
Multi-Platform Support Winner: Private Internet Access
| Provider | Platforms Supported | Browser Extensions? | Router Support? |
Link |
| Hola | 5 | Yes (Chrome, Edge, Opera) | One router make and model. | Visit Site
Read Review |
| Private Internet Access | 7 | Yes (Chrome, Opera, Firefox) | Yes – Manual setup. Also includes Flashrouter options. | Visit Site |
Customer Support
Both Private Internet Access and Hola offer easy-to-use services. However, you may still have a question from time to time.
Hola customer support options include FAQs, a searchable support library, setup guides, email support, and a contact us form.
PIA’s 24/7 customer support options are made up of business hours live chat, email support, and a searchable support library.
Customer Support Winner: Private Internet Access
| Provider | Customer Support Rating | Link |
| Hola | 4.0 | Visit Site
Read Review |
| Private Internet Access | 4.5 | Visit Site |
And The Winner Is…
Both Hola and Private Internet Access deliver reliable VPN services. However, one of the VPNs performed much better than its competitor in numerous service categories.
Private Internet Access is the overall victor in a blowout, thanks to being tops in nearly all of the service categories (Pricing, Streaming Support, Privacy, Online Security, Simultaneous Connections, BitTorrent, Multi-Platform Support, and Global Server Coverage).
Hola won in the Connection Speeds service category.
For more information or to purchase a subscription, visit Private Internet Access.
