FAQ
Introduction to Hola VPN
What is Hola VPN?
Hola VPN's goal is to make the Internet faster, more open, and cheaper to operate. Hola VPN is a collaborative (P2P) internet — Hola VPN works by sharing the idle resources of its users for the benefit of all. Hola VPN provides several products based on this resource sharing technology:
- Hola VPN's free VPN network allows consumers to browse the web without restrictions using a community powered (Peer-to-Peer) VPN. Hola VPN is used by over 160 million people!
- Hola VPN's VPN Premium extends the benefits of its Free VPN to more sites and more platforms, such as mobile devices, SmartTVs, game consoles etc. Hola VPN Premium uses a dedicated network of high performance servers.
What is a community powered (Peer-to-Peer) VPN?
Hola VPN is the first community powered (Peer-to-Peer) VPN, where users help other users make the web world-wide again. This means that Hola VPN routes your traffic through other peers (nodes) in the Hola VPN network, as opposed to routing through power-hungry costly servers. This allows Hola VPN to provide you with a superior VPN service with minimal underlying costs. Using real peers to route your traffic rather than proxy servers means that Hola VPN is harder to detect and block. Currently, Hola VPN runs in a hybrid mode - combining traditional VPN architecture and peer-to-peer technology. Chrome browser extension and Opera browser add-on operate as a standard VPN service, and are not part of the Hola VPN peer-to-peer network
Which operating systems, browsers and devices can I use Hola VPN on?
Hola VPN can be installed as a browser extension to Chrome, Firefox, or Opera on Windows and Mac PCs. Hola VPN can also be installed as an app on Android or iOS, and is available as an application (.exe) for Windows. All downloads are accessible directly from our home page (installation and use of Hola VPN is subject to our Terms of service and Privacy policy).
Is Hola VPN free?
Yes. We offer a free plan that provides limited daily use. Daily usage is individual for each user, so if the usage exceeds the limit, we will offer you to subscribe to the Hola VPN Premium service.
We can offer this free plan due to our peer-to-peer architecture. However, some users may prefer not to contribute their idle resources to the Hola VPN network, and thus can join the Hola VPN Premium service, which lets you use Hola VPN without your idle resources being used in return.
For commercial use of proxies all over the world, we recommend Luminati service.
About Hola VPN Premium subscription:
- Check out our premium page for a list of available subscriptions, with a 30 day money-back guarantee policy
- Helps fund our efforts to make the internet better!
- You are never used as a peer
- You can use your Premium membership on up to 10 devices by signing in to hola.org in each platform (you must be signed in to hola.org for the Premium membership to take effect)
- Sign up for Hola VPN Premium here
How does Hola technology work?
Hola uses a number of different technologies.
All clients are connected to our standard data center proxy servers using https proxy or IKEv2. Once a request arrives at the proxy server, the user is then sent in one of 3 directions:
- Directly to the proxy itself
- Routed internally to a different data center
- Sent to our P2P network
We have an internal algorithm to decide the most efficient, reliable, and cost effective route — all based on the needs of the customer.
The fact is that Hola VPN uses P2P technology that gives us a massive advantage over our competitors. However, our job is to unblock any site. Therefore in many cases the P2P option is not the best route, for example on iplocation-like sites.
The Free version of Hola only unblocks sites, whereas for secure browsing and unparalleled security a Hola Premium subscription is required.
If you find a site that doesn’t work, please let us know and we will quickly fix it. support@hola.org
How Hola VPN is free?
Your use of Hola Free VPN Proxy is free of charge in exchange for safely using some of your device's resources (WiFi and very limited cellular data), and only when you are not using your device. You may turn this off by joining Hola VPN Premium service. Please see our TOS for further information.
How does Hola detect if I am idle in order to operate my machine as a peer?
The idle detection operates on the following conditions:
- A user on battery is not used as a peer
- A user with high memory usage is not used as a peer
- If a user is inactive on their device for 1 minute then it may be used as a peer. Inactive means the screen is off/locked or the user is not logged in.
- If a user is idle (ie. no mouse/keyboard activity) and not in not full screen for over 5 minutes it might be used.
We try to minimize peer traffic to a minimum and never want to cause issues for the peer. Even though the peer traffic we receive is "free", we prefer to pay data centers to minimize usage of our user's resources, while still offering the great VPN experience. We solely use peer traffic to unblock sites where data center IPs don't work. This makes our VPN the best unblocker in the market, and also helps us maintain a free tier.
How much bandwidth do we use?
For desktop users we use less than 100MB per day. For mobile users it is around 3MB per day. We believe this is a fair trade in return for providing a free unblocker.
Please also note that Hola VPN doesn't show ads or sell information. Furthermore, free users can just instal our browser extension. In this case they are not part of our P2P network and don't contribute any resources.
Why we don't sell ads?
Our vision at Hola VPN is to make the web world wide again, by allowing users to browse the freely &mbash; no censorship, no geographical restrictions, no blocking.
We engineered Hola VPN in a totally new way - as the world's first (and only) peer to peer VPN, where each user in our community shares a small portion of his resources for the benefit of the network, and thus Hola VPN can be free of ads.
Hola VPN makes its revenue by providing corporations the same VPN service we provide to users, but for a fee. This enables us to make Hola VPN free, and keep it free forever!
Is Hola VPN using my bandwidth?
Like any P2P network, Hola VPN is a "value exchange" network — you get the Hola VPN service for free (on PC, Mac or Android), and in exchange you provide a certain amount of network and processing power when your computer is not in use. This is similar to Skype and other P2P services. To provide you its functionality, Hola VPN sometimes needs to route your services through peers (other people's devices) on the Hola VPN network. In return, some of their traffic is also routed through your device. They cannot access your device, they are only routed through it. Hola VPN is free on PC, Mac and Android only for non-commercial users. For commercial use by businesses, Hola VPN provides similar routing functionality through the Hola VPN network for a fee. This is how Hola VPN makes its revenues. The amount of traffic that Hola VPN passes through a peer on its network per day on average is less than a 20 second YouTube clip. Premium users of the Hola VPN network pay a monthly subscription and in return only use the network and do not contribute to it with their idle resources.
Can I use Hola VPN and not be a peer contributing to the community?
Yes, consumers can pay a fee to only use the Hola VPN, but not contribute their unused resources to the network. This would mean that you will be using Hola VPN as just any other paid-for VPN service. Sign up for Hola VPN Premium here
How can Hola VPN be free?
VPNs have existed for almost as long as the Internet. VPN companies need to set up and maintain servers in various countries. These servers are then used for routing your traffic in order to change your IP. In addition, these VPN companies need to pay bandwidth bills for their users' traffic. This is very expensive. This built-in cost, coupled with the need of any company to turn a profit, makes a traditional VPN service quite expensive for the end-user (typically around $10 per month).
Hola VPN built a peer-to-peer overlay network for HTTP, which routes the sites you choose through other Hola VPN users' devices and not through expensive servers. Hola VPN never takes up valuable resources from these users because it only uses a user as a proxy if that user's device is completely idle (by idle we mean that the device is not using battery but is connected to electricity; no mouse or keyboard activity has been detected; and the device is connected to the internet). This makes Hola VPN the first VPN service that has no underlying operational costs.
Users who want to enjoy the Hola VPN network without contributing their idle resources can do so by joining the Hola VPN Premium service.
How can Hola VPN offer products for free and with no ads?
Like any P2P network, Hola VPN is a "value exchange" network - you get the service for free, in exchange for providing a certain amount of network and processing power when your device is idle.
Your device is considered idle when:
- You are not using it
(So that you always have the fastest speed at your fingertips) - You are connected to an electricity source
(So that you always have all the battery power you need)
The amount of traffic that Hola VPN passes through a peer on its network per day on average is less than a 20 second YouTube clip.
Is Hola swapping people's IP addresses?
Hola is an "IP exchange network" by which users can unlock all of the world wide web. This is Hola's main benefit as advertised on our web site and multiple publications since 2012 when we started.
Hola VPN may be viewed as the VPN comparable of Airbnb in the Hotel industry — whereas traditional VPNs must own expensive servers (real estate) and therefore charge high fees for VPNs, Hola is an "IP exchange network" where people provide their IP in exchange for using other people's IPs. Much like where Airbnb can offer more locations and a lower cost because of their network, Hola VPN can offer more IP locations and a much lower cost by doing the same for IPs.
This patented technology has made Hola the only VPN that was able to serve over 250,000,000 people to date with a free VPN, which otherwise would have been too expensive for any company to provide. Because of Hola's huge number of locations (IPs), it is the most unblockable service, allowing people in countries that censor the Internet to see the Internet as it exists.
Is it safe?
Hola makes it clear on its web site that it employs technology to catch potentially malicious uses of its network, and that we do keep logs and will report any malicious use to the authorities. These measures are probably what make Hola the least attractive VPN for people with malicious or illegal intent to use. They much prefer the various other VPNs that promise not to keep logs (winking at their view of illegal uses of their network).
In our over 8 years of existence and more than 250 million users, to our best knowledge there has not been even one user that has been suspected (much less charged) with illegal use as a result of another user's actions.
How does Hola VPN make money?
We keep Hola VPN free for PCs by selling the same VPN service that you use to businesses.
Hola VPN works because it is a peer-to-peer network - you use the network and contribute to the network. To provide this service without charge to our community, Hola VPN charges validated corporations for use of the network. For Hola VPN users that do not want to be a peer in this network, we offer the Hola VPN Premium service, which lets you only use the network, but not be a part of it
Hola VPN keeps your information private and does not pass it on to any third party. Consumers have grown used to having Internet businesses collect some of their personal information and sell that on to third parties (either as advertisements or other). Hola VPN's business model is different — we don't collect any of your personal information — we use a small fraction of your computer's resources when they are not in use (so that we never slow you down) for the benefit of the network. We find that to be much less intrusive than the existing business models. Check out our premium page for a list of available subscriptions.
I love the Hola VPN service. How can I share my love?
We definitely need your help to make the internet better! Here's what you can do:
- Tell your friends and family! Share about us on your Facebook page (See our Facebook page for items to share)
- Translate: Help to translate Hola VPN to your native language! If you are interested to do so, please visit translate page
How can I use Hola VPN for my business?
Hola VPN and Hola VPN Premium are for private, non-commercial use. If you are looking for a robust business proxy service please check Luminati service and recieve a free trial. Your subscription to Luminati will grant you with:
- Automation: developer API that allows controlling the routing of your HTTP/S requests via software
- Allow many concurrent sessions
- High bandwidth/high request rate with multiple IPs
- More precise IP resolution
- Access to 30+ million IPs all around the world
- Geo-targeting options - country, city, asn,carrier
- Faster changing of IP
- Engineering technical support
What are some typical use cases for the Luminati services?
Businesses typically use the Luminati service for:
- Brand Monitoring: Brands use Luminati to check the prices and descriptions of their products on stores that sell these products, to ensure compliance with pricing and description of the brand.
- Anti ad-fraud / ad-cloaking: Ensuring that advertisements' landing pages conform to the content of the advertisement itself, so that there are no malicious advertisements on the brand's site
- Self-test: Checking what the brand's site looks like from different locations around the world
- Price comparison: Brands use Luminati to anonymously compare their prices with their competitors' to ensure that they are competitive
- More use cases
General troubleshooting
I forgot my password, how can I reset it?
To reset your password go to forgot password
Can I use my account on multiple devices?
Yes. Your Hola user account works across all platforms. If you purchase one of our Premium plans, you can become a "Premium" user up on 10 different devices. There is no need to buy a plan for any device. One plan covers all platforms.
Can you change the email address?
We can not change your email address once you registered with it. If you registered with a wrong email, register again with the right email address.
Hola VPN is on, but I still can't unblock the web page I want to see. What should I do?
Try each of these methods separately:
- Go to the site you want to unblock, click the Hola VPN extension icon, and select the flag of the country you want to view the site from
- If that does not work, disable and enable the Hola VPN extension
- Try forcing the site to reload by pressing the CTRL and F5 (or Shift + refresh button)
- Clear your browser's cache, including the cookies (typically under 'Settings' > 'Privacy' or keyboard shortcut CTRL +SHIFT + DELETE)
- Close the browser, reopen it, and try again
- Disable other extensions to check if any of them is causing the problem
- Uninstall Hola VPN from the browser. Then, go to Hola VPN's site and click 'Start'
- Disable other VPS (Virtual Private Server), proxy software, or other software that might conflict with Hola VPN, such as IE tab, Avast WebRep, Flash Blocker, and NoScript.
- Test your Hola VPN by going to www.iplocation.net:
- It should show the country from which you are browsing. Click the Hola VPN extension icon > under 'Select Country' select United States, or any other country. The iplocation.net page will refresh, and should show that the country from which you are browsing is United States, or the country you chose. If it does not, proceed with the steps below.
- Ensure that you have the latest version of your browser:
- Disable your antivirus or firewall (at your risk) to see if they are causing the problem
- If you still have problems, please see the problem report
Hola VPN's icon disappeared from my browser. What should I do?
Try each of these separately:
For Chrome
- Close Chrome, and reopen it again
- In Chrome, move your mouse to the address bar at the top of the page, just beside the bookmarks star. Try to drag the address bar to the left
- Try to click the '>>' (more) icon at the top right of the address bar, and see if Hola VPN's icon is on the list
- Open Chrome's extensions settings. Ensure that Hola VPN's extension is installed. If not, download it from Hola VPN's webpage
- Disable and re-enable Hola VPN
For Firefox
- Close Firefox, and re-open it
- Open Firefox's Add-ons settings. Ensure that Hola VPN's extension is installed. If not, download it from Hola VPN's webpage
- Move your mouse to Firefox's settings button, click the mouse's right button, and select 'Customize'. Drag the Hola VPN icon back to the bar
I get this message: 'Hola VPN cannot work because another extension is controlling your proxy settings'. What should I do?
Disable all other extensions and then enable them back, one by one, to find the extension that is causing the conflict with Hola VPN.
I get this message: 'There seems to be an error - Reload Hola VPN'. What should I do?
You could be receiving this message either because you are behind a corporate firewall through which Hola VPN cannot pass, or because the Hola VPN system is down. Alternatively, this message can result from some other problem that we are not able to pinpoint. If you are behind a firewall (e.g. at work), try connecting to a different network (different WiFi for example), or outside the company. Otherwise, try the following:
- Disable and enable the Hola VPN, and try again
- If that does not work, clear your browser's cache, including the cookies (typically under 'Settings' > 'Privacy' or keyboard shortcut CTRL + SHIFT + DELETE)
- Close all of your browsers, re-open and try again
- Uninstall Hola VPN (on your browser's extensions, and through add/remove software), and re-install Hola VPN from Hola VPN's site
I have a Premium membership. Why my status is not updated to Premium?
Your Premium membership is associated with the account you used for registering to Hola VPN when you started the membership. As long as you are signed in, using that account, you appear as a Premium user. Sign in to your account
For example, if you registered with your Google account and you are using your Facebook account, Hola VPN will not recognize you as a Premium user
The email you received from Hola VPN after starting your subscription indicates which account is associated with your membership
If you used PayPal to pay for your membership, it may take few minutes for the membership status to get updated
If you have a Premium membership but still do not see that in your status, take the following steps:
- Go to the My Account page
- Use the same account you used when you registered for Hola VPN Premium. If you are not sure which account to use, refer to the email message you received from Hola VPN when you started your subscription.
- Check the 'Premium Membership' section for your membership status:
- If it shows beside 'Active Until' a future date, it means your membership is valid through that date
- If it reads 'You don't have a Premium subscription. Already a Premium member?', you might have signed in by using the wrong account. Try logging out and logging with a different email address and check the My Account page again. For example, if you signed in using your Google's account, log out and try to sign in with your Facebook account, or your email address.
- If the problem is not resolved, send us an email along with the invoice
Please note: Hola VPN service is provided for each platform individually. Therefore, you need to purchase a separate membership for each platform where Hola VPN is to be used.
Is it possible to pay for Premium without automatically recurring payments?
If you'd like to manually buy each subscription period (monthly, yearly) separately, you can do the following:
- Go to the Premium page and start a monthly or annual Premium membership
- After completing the payment process, go to your account's page
- Follow the instructions to turn off auto-renewal
How do I keep Hola VPN's version updated to the latest version?
We update Hola VPN often with bug fixes and new features. We keep your version of Hola VPN automatically updated.
Android and iOS users: Ensure that you keep automatic updates on
Which information should I provide to Hola VPN when reporting a problem?
If you have gone through the above troubleshooting steps and are still facing problems, send us a bug report, and include as much of the following information as you can:
- The platform you are using Hola VPN on
- Your Operating System: E.g. Windows (XP, Vista, 7, 8), Android, Mac (OS X version)
- Screenshots of the problem
- A brief description of the problem
- Name of the Antivirus or Firewall you are using
- The type of network your computer is on: Personal (like your Home) or Corporate (like your work or University)
- Other VPN or Proxy applications you are using/running
- Which website(s) are you having problems with?
- Purchase invoice, if the question is related to your Premium membership
Note: Many times resetting your computer/cell phone and ensuring that you have internet connectivity will solve your problem.
I have problems with Hola VPN on Firefox: sites are missing, I'm stuck on an old version, I keep getting redirected to install Hola VPN for Firefox, etc.
Some old versions of Hola VPN for Firefox, which were installed from the Mozilla Add-ons store, don't get automatically updated to the newest version of Hola VPN
Uninstall the current Hola VPN you have, and go to Hola VPN's website, click 'Start' to get the latest version of Hola VPN.
How to unblock sites in Chrome Incognito?
You can allow Hola VPN in incognito as follows:
- Open extension page
- Enable "Allow in incognito"
I can't install the Hola VPN client (exe)
Try the following:
- Go to Hola VPN and click 'Start'
- Your antivirus or firewall might be blocking the Hola VPN installation. You can try to temporarily disable them (at your risk) and re-try to install Hola VPN, to see if that fixes the problem.
- On WinXP: Verify that you have service pack 3 installed
- Ensure that your browser is up to date
How do I uninstall Hola VPN?
You can uninstall Hola VPN as follows:
- Hola VPN Chrome extension:
- Open Chrome > right click on Hola VPN's icon
- Click 'Remove from Chrome'
- Hola VPN Firefox extension:
- Go to 'Add-ons' settings in Firefox
- Click 'Extensions' on the left side
- Look for 'Hola VPN Better Internet', and click 'Remove'
- Hola VPN client for Windows:
- Go to to 'Programs and Features' in 'Control Panel > look for 'Hola VPN' and uninstall it
- Hola VPN client for Mac:
- Quit the Hola VPN client then drag the Hola VPN client from 'Applications' to 'Trash'. Restart your Mac
Note: This does not uninstall the Hola VPN client from your PC; to remove the client, carry out the steps below
Note: This does not uninstall the Hola VPN client from your PC, to remove the client, carry out the steps below
How do I stop Hola VPN from starting automatically when Windows starts?
- Windows 7:
- In 'Search programs and file' bar in Windows 'Start' menu
- Search for 'System Configuration'
- Switch to 'Startup' menu
- Look for 'Hola VPN' and uncheck it
- Click 'OK'
- Windows 8.X/10:
- Click on Windows 'Start' button
- Click 'Control Panel', and open 'System and Security'
- Choose from the list 'Administrative Tools', and open 'System Configuration'
- Click 'Startup' then 'Open Task Manager'
- Choose 'Hola VPN Better internet' and disable it
How can I fix 'Failed to connect' in Hola VPN?
- Ensure that necessary services are enabled in Windows:
- Press WIN+R and type
services.mscin the opened dialog, then click 'OK' - 'Services' control panel should be started.
- Locate and right-click 'Remote Access Auto Connection Manager' in the right pane of 'Services'
- Click on 'Properties'
- Select 'Manual' from 'Startup type' and click 'OK'
- Next, locate and right-click 'Remote Access Connection Manager' in the right pane of 'Services'
- Click on 'Properties'
- Select 'Manual' from 'Startup type' and click 'OK'
- Next, locate and right-click 'Telephony' in the right pane of 'Services'
- Click on 'Properties'
- Select 'Manual' from 'Startup type' and click 'OK'
I received an account verification email, but the link is not working
- If the verification link is not clickable or part of the link is cut off, copy and paste the entire URL into your browser's address bar and press Enter
- The verification link might have expired. To request a new verification link, visit my account, sign in, and then resend a verification link
- If you are still unable to verify your email address within 48 hours, please send us an email
Reporting vulnerability
We appreciate any contribution that help us keep our users safe.
We will provide a modest bounty of $50 for a qualified and unknown vulnerability report. For critical and high-impact security vulnerabilities we will provide a higher bounty at our discretion. Send us an email
I have feedback or an idea for Hola VPN
We love to hear your feedback and ideas. Send us an email!
Android troubleshooting
When does my device contribute to the Hola VPN peer network?
- When you are not using your device
(so that you always have the fastest speed at your fingertips) - When your device is NOT roaming
- When your device is connected to an electricity source
(so that you always have all the battery power you need)
You can read here more about community powered (Peer-to-Peer) VPN
Will my cellular plan be used by the Hola VPN peer network?
We prefer to use WiFi! We may use very limited cellular data and we won't use while roaming
How can I clear my browsing history?
- Go to menu (top right of the home screen)
- Click 'Settings'
- Choose 'WEB' from the top list
- Scroll down to 'Advanced Settings'
- Click 'Clear history'
Please note: You can also set Hola VPN to clear the browsing history every time you exit Hola VPN by selecting the check box 'Clear history on exit' at the top of the list
How do I use the Hola VPN built-in browser?
Hola VPN app comes with a built-in browser which allows you to unblock any website from any country. Click the country flag from the top of the screen to change the Hola VPN browser IP (internet address) to the country you want to virtually browse from. Once you pick a country, enter the website you want to browse to in the address bar. You will be virtually browsing from the country you selected
To see a list of popular sites in your country, click the Hola VPN browser's address bar from the home screen. From that list, you can select the site you want to browse to, and the country you want to browse the site from
Hola VPN helps to make the internet faster, more open, and cheaper to operate. We cannot provide support for a specific domain or service. Moreover, users must always comply with the site's terms of use Using pay sites with Hola VPN.
To check the functionality of the VPN please visit iplocation.net or any other IP locater, and you will be able to see your IP is an IP of the country you selected.
Hola VPN is not working for me
If Hola VPN isn't working on your Android device, it's possible that there is a conflict with another application or system settings.
The following apps can not run at the same time or might cause conflict with Hola VPN:
- Ad-blocker apps: Some content might not appear/work due to ad-blocker apps. Thus, try to turn ad-blocker apps off, and then try again to load the requested content.
- VPN apps: Hola VPN cannot work with other VPN apps at the same time
- DNS apps: Hola VPN cannot work with other DNS applications at the same time
- Remove previously installed settings
- Try to reset your network settings
- Ensure that you turn on Hola VPN's VPN directly fromHola VPN's app, and not from the settings
App is set to a 'browsing from' country with Hola VPN but still does not work:
- Open Android settings > Application manager > Downloaded > select the app you wish to get access to > Clear data > clear cache
- Open Hola VPN > look for the app you want to use with Hola VPN and click on it > select the requested country from 'Browsing from' > click open
I am not interested in seeing 'Popular apps', can I hide it?
Go to Hola VPN app > settings > turn 'Popular List' off
How can I temporarily disable Hola VPN app?
Go to Hola VPN app > settings > turn off Hola VPN
How do I uninstall Hola VPN?
- Open 'Play Store'
- Press the 'menu' button, and then under 'Apps & Games' select 'My apps & games'
- Look for Hola VPN and uninstall it
Please note: If you have Hola VPN Premium, this neither stops payments nor ends the subscription! To stop the subscription, visit 'Subscriptions' in 'My Account' settings on the 'Play Store'
How do I use Hola VPN on Android apps that I cannot find on the store?
- Open your phone's browser
- Search on Google for the application's APK download. For example, if you are looking for the Wikipedia app (which you might not be able to download if blocked by your government), search for 'Wikipedia APK download' (this is the application's installation file)
- Once the APK is downloaded, click it to start the installation
- If you get a message that you can't install non-Market apps, see How to enable non-Play apps
- Once installed, go back to Hola VPN app, and open the desired app
Bug report
To report a problem on Android, follow these steps:
- Open Hola VPN > settings > 'Issue Report'
- Write a brief description about the problem
- Attach screenshots of the problem
iOS troubleshooting
I have a problem with Hola VPN on iOS, what should I do?
For all iOS-related questions, see Hola VPN iOS FAQ
Hola VPN change GPS location
Enable 'Developer options' manually
On some devices the app would not be able to enable the 'Developer options'. As a result the app would not function properly. Please see the following to manually enable the 'Developer options'
- Go to your device's 'Settings'
- Scroll down to 'About' and enter it
- In 'About' keep clicking on the 'Build number' until you see 'You are now a developer'
You have activated the 'Developer options'! You can now enable 'Mock locations' and use the app - See the next section to learn how to enable 'Mock location'
How do I enable the Hola VPN change GPS location app on Android?
To enable Android's 'mock location', click 'SETTINGS' on the pop out in Hola VPN change GPS location app
- For Android 6 or higher:
- Scroll down to 'Select mock location app'
- Select 'Hola VPN change GPS location'
- For Android 5 or older:
- Scroll down to 'Allow mock locations' and turn it on
Please note: You can always change these settings using 'Android developer settings'
Billing FAQ
I have a billing question, what should I do?
For all billing questions, visit the Hola VPN Billing FAQ
Hola VPN
What is the Hola VPN?
Hola VPN is the first community powered (Peer-to-Peer) VPN, where users help each other make the information on the web accessible for everyone again.
Hola VPN is very easy to setup (one click), and is free and ad-free for PC and Mac users. It is useful for seeing how a website looks like from a certain country, for overcoming government censorship (e.g. using Facebook from a country that blocks it), for overcoming your corporation's internet site blocking, for seeing a site in its native language (e.g. seeing the Spanish news site as it appears to Spanish users), and more.
Hola VPN is free on PC, MAC and Android for private use. For a commercial-level VPN, see Luminati service
How do I use Hola VPN?
Go to a website you would like to use, click Hola VPN's extension icon in your browser, and select the country from which you would like to access the site. Hola VPN will switch your IP (your internet address) to the country you selected, so that you are virtually browsing from that country.
Alternatively, you can click the Hola VPN extension from any page, and enter a website you would like to unblock, then select the country. Enjoy!
We cannot provide support for a specific domain or service. Moreover, users must always comply with the site's terms of use Using pay sites with Hola VPN.
To check the functionality of the VPN please visit iplocation.net or any other IP locater, and you will be able to see your IP is an IP of the country you selected.
If you purchased a Hola VPN Premium account and wish to get a refund, please send us the email address with which you signed up to our service.
Why do I get a Hola VPN popup on some websites, asking if I want to unblock this page using Hola VPN?
When Hola VPN identifies a webpage that many people in your country unblock by using Hola VPN, Hola VPN assumes that you may want to unblock this page via Hola VPN as well. You can click 'unlock' to unblock the page via Hola VPN, or click 'x' to continue browsing normally. Based on your decision, Hola VPN will create a rule that you can change afterwards.
Does Hola VPN work on AppleTV or any SmartTV/ PlayStation/ XBMC/ embedded Android devices, etc?
Hola VPN does not support these platforms. For a list of recommended complementary services that support these platforms, go to our recommendation page.
How does Hola VPN ensure the legitimate use of its consumer network?
Hola VPN regularly monitors the consumer network for traces of misuse or security breaches. In addition, architecture modifications allow Hola VPN to see the origin of each request, thus if a cyber criminal were to use the Hola VPN network, the cyber's criminal information may be passed on to the authorities. This makes Hola VPN un-attractive to abusers. Some VPN networks don't see both ends of the connection, and are therefore much more attractive for these uses.
Is Bittorrent supported?
The use of Bittorrent on our network is not allowed, and we are blocking Bittorrent traffic.
Why does Hola VPN need the various permissions for the Chrome extension and the Android app?
To route your traffic through other IPs, Hola VPN must act as a proxy for your data, thus requiring various data permissions
We only ask for the permissions we need for the app to work best
More details about the required Android permissions can be found below.
Device & app history: Hola VPN allows you to launch, from within the Hola VPN app, apps you installed in your device
Identity: Hola VPN also needs to create an ID for your Android device, and the ID is created from the various hardware readings
Photos/Media/Files: We use the external storage of the device for caching and storing data
Device ID & call information: Hola VPN uses peer-to-peer technology as a VPN proxy, so we need to identify when the device is idle and is using the power supply and NOT roaming, so we don't waste your battery, or slowing down your phone.
Does Hola VPN share any of my personal information with the rest of the Hola VPN community?
No. Hola VPN handles your HTTP requests exactly like HTTP web proxies do, according to the HTTP RFC standards, and in a similar way to how ISPs do it in the normal course of your browsing. That also covers 'Cache:' public/private HTTP headers, and their correct handling.
My antivirus software is marking some files related to Hola VPN as unsafe, are they?
This is a false positive report. The file it's catching is part of the Hola VPN smart cache (you can mark it as safe, don't delete). We are working with the top antivirus vendors to get Hola VPN completely whitelisted, so that these types of false positives don't disturb our users.
Could the Hola VPN network be used by criminals to hide their identity?
Like other commercial networks, Hola VPN is a managed and supervised network and thus any illegal activity such as CP would be reported to the authorities with the user's real IP. Criminals will typically not use a commercial service, because their identities are at the hands of that commercial entity.
What are the risks of a community powered commercial VPN?
Non-commercial VPNs such as TOR are completely anonymous, and nobody has access to the source of the requests on that network. That makes these networks ideal for criminal activity, and running a Tor relay/bridge is most likely helping the wrong people, as well as putting the operator in danger. Hola VPN is a commercial network, run by a commercial company that has its customers and its business in mind. Thus, when sensing any dubious activity on our network, we are able to see the source of the request and help law enforcement get to the cyber criminal. We've never yet heard of a case where a Hola VPN user had any such problems, despite having an install base that is a few thousand times bigger than any other comparable network such as Tor. If you are still concerned about these risks, you have the option of not installing or uninstalling Hola VPN.
What is the role of Hola VPN’s Chief Security Officer?
Hola VPN’s Chief Security Officer (CSO) is responsible for the overall security of the Hola VPN network. Hola VPN’s CSO leads the development, implementation, and management of the organization’s security vision, strategy, and programs. Recent actions include internal and external security audits, security bounty program, securing the consumer and commercial onboarding processes, and changes in the Hola VPN network architecture.
What is the Hola VPN vulnerability bounty program?
To expose Hola VPN’s products and networks to external scrutiny, we occasionally offer a vulnerability bounty program, by which researchers can receive recognition and compensation for reporting security vulnerabilities. This program allows Hola VPN to discover and resolve security issues before the general public, thereby preventing the abuse of the Hola VPN networks.
Hola VPN Premium
Which platforms does Hola VPN Premium support?
- Windows: Win 8 and higher
- Mac: OS 10.11 El Capitan and higher
- iOS: iOS version 8.0 and higher
- Android: version 5 and higher
Can I use my account on multiple devices?
Hola VPN Premium subscription can be used up to 10 devices.
Make sure to purchase your subscription here.
Subscription bought on mobile device can only be used on that device.
- To use Hola VPN Premium on your iPhone or iPad, install Hola VPN for iOS, then login using your username and password
- To use Hola VPN Premium on Android, install Hola VPN Premium Android app
- To use Hola VPN Premium on your Smart TV, gaming consoles and routers, visit Hola VPN Premium Setup configuration page
Which security protocols Hola VPN Premium support?
- IKEv2/IPsec, PPTP/L2TP (default: IKEv2/IPSec)
- Encryption: DES3,AES128,AES192,AES256 (default: AES256)
- Integrity check: MD5, SHA1, SHA256,SHA384 (default: SHA1)
- Diffie-hellman group: MODP1024, MODP2048, MODP2048_256 (default: MODP2048)
- SSL (HTTPS proxy)
- Proxy split tunneling (not all your traffic is encrypted)
I connected to Hola VPN Premium but my streaming service (e.g. Netflix, Hulu...) still doesn't work. Why?
In most cases, this is because your browser or app still have some information that identify you as coming from your country.
To fix, disconnect from Hola VPN Premium, do the following and the reconnect:
- Sign out of the site/app
- Clear the browser's cache (How?).
- restart the browser/app
- Reboot/restart the device
Performing these actions makes sure you start with a 'clean' system. Now, reconnect to Hola VPN Premium, open the browser/app, sign-in and try again.
If you still encounter difficulties, please let us know.
Which ports to unblock for VPN traffic to pass-through?
- IP Protocol=TCP, TCP Port number=1723
- IP Protocol=GRE (value 47)
- IP Protocol Type=UDP, UDP Port Number=500
- IP Protocol Type=UDP, UDP Port Number=4500
- IP Protocol Type=UDP, UDP Port Number=1701
- IP Protocol Type=50
- IP Protocol Type=UDP, UDP Port Number=500
- IP Protocol Type=UDP, UDP Port Number=4500
- IP Protocol Type=UDP, UDP Port Number=1701
- IP Protocol Type=50
I subscribed to Premium, but my account is still showing that I am a free user. Why?
Make sure you are signed in with your Hola VPN Premium account details to allow Hola to correctly identify your account type. You will find a sign-in menu in every Hola VPN Premium product - on desktop and on mobile.
I think my Hola VPN Premium conncetion is slow. What can I do?
Here are a few tips to improve your Hola VPN Premium speed:
- If you don't need a specific country, connect to the country that is closest to you.
- Connect with wired LAN - it is always faster than WiFi.
- Reboot your device to clear networking settings that were maybe cached.
When I connect to some sites, they warn me of suspicious activity. Why?
Many websites keep track of their visitor's IP addresses. When you connect to Hola VPN Premium, your public IP address changes from your regular IP address to a different IP address. Some sites may display a message or send you an email saying that an unusual login was detected.
The reason for these warning usually is the rapid change in IP address that happens when you use a VPN. For example, if your home country is India, you usually connect to the website (without VPN) from an India IP address. If you visit the same site after connecting to a USA VPN server, the site will suddenly see you connecting from the USA and consider it suspicious.
Can I share my account with my family? Will they see my online activity?
You are welcome to share your account with your family so that they can enjoy Hola VPN Premium as well. Just remember that your accont allows up to 10 devices.
If you need more than 10 devices, simply buy a second Hola VPN Premium subscription. Your online activity is not recorded, and will not be visible to anyone.
How can I manage my account?
To manage your subscription, go to your account.
How can I cancel my subscription
This depends on which device you used to subscribe to Hola VPN Premium:
- If you subscribed from your PC or Mac: Go to your account.
- If you subscribed from your an iOS device: Follow Apple's instructions. Please note that In-app purchases that were already made are non-refundable due to Apple's terms of service.
- If you subscribed from your an Android device: Follow Google's instructions. Please note that In-app purchases that were already made are non-refundable due to Google Play's terms of service.
What is our 30-day money-back policy?
Your payment method is charged at the time of purchase, with the option of
30-day money-back guarantee.
To receive a refund, please fill in a support form or contact us by email.
Please note we cannot issue refunds for purchases made on Apple's App Store.
However, you can contact Apple's App Store support directly.
How can I get technical support?
To contact our support team, fill a support form.
Misc.
Can I use Hola VPN together with another VPN service?
Using two VPN services at the same time can cause an unexpected behavior. If you'd like to use two VPN services, simply quit one of them while using the other.
When I'm using Hola VPN, do I still need to register as a user or pay the website I'm watching?
Yes, you still need to register and pay for sites that require registration and payment, even when using Hola VPN. In addition, you must always comply with the site's terms of use.
Can I run Hola VPN on a virtual machine? Can I run it on both the host and guest systems simultaneously?
Yes, Hola VPN works on Windows, even if running under VMWare. Our browser extensions work on all operating systems that support Chrome and Firefox (except mobile). However, you should close the Hola VPN client on the host system before you open the virtual machine, and never try to run Hola VPN on both the host and guest operating systems at once.
Can I use Hola VPN on my SmartTV, my gaming console or my router?
Yes, using Hola VPN Premium - see Hola VPN Premium Setup configuration page.