Features
Speed & Performance
Ease of Use
Mobile App
Customer Support
Pricing
Inside This Article...
vpn.ht Pros:
- Seamless app
- Privacy-friendly jurisdiction
- Torrenting fully allowed
vpn.ht Cons:
- No kill-switch
- Quite slow
It seems that there are new VPNs entering the market all of the time, and vpn.ht is another option that you have got to consider as a buyer.
But is it the right one for you? Read on to discover my take on this platform and whether it lives up the claims the company has put in place!
Overview
Vpn.ht was created back in 2014 by the company known as Wicked Technology.
Through providing exclusive support for Popcorn Time, the VPN started to gain a lot of prominence. However, the original Popcorn Time service was discontinued, and the partnership between the two entities has since ended.
I am happy to report that vpn.ht is based in Hong Kong, which is a privacy-friendly location. It is outside of the 5, 9, and 14 Eyes Alliance.
Nevertheless, the closeness to China can be a bit of a concern, as it’s possible they may share information. However, they are not obligated to do so.
The network for vpn.ht is rather small. The company has servers in 22 countries, with 95 servers in total. This covers Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US.
There are other VPNs out there that have thousands of servers. For example, CyberGhost has more than 6,200 servers around the world.
Speeds
In terms of speeds, I certainly would not recommend vpn.ht if you are trying to find the quickest VPN on the market.
I would say that this VPN is rather slow. My connection speeds seemed to drop by around 60 percent when connecting to a server in the US, which is not ideal.
You are definitely going to find faster VPNs out there. Some of the fastest VPNs that I have reviewed include the likes of ExpressVPN and NordVPN.
Security
I always spend a lot of time exploring the security credentials of any VPN, and I was impressed with what vpn.ht has brought to the table.
In terms of encryption, vpn.ht has followed the same path as a lot of the major VPN providers, electing for the industry-standard and most secure encryption: 256-bit AES. On some servers, 64-bit and 128-bit are available. I would not advise going for 64-bit. In terms of 128-bit, it delivers high enough performance and it is still secure enough to use, yet 256-bit is always going to be the best.
With regards to the protocols, you can select from IPsec, PPTP, P2TP, and OpenVPN protocols. Personally, I recommend OpenVPN. You can read my OpenVPN review for more information about this.
One thing that is a bit disappointing to see is that there is no kill switch available. A kill switch is an important feature because it ensures that you are protected should your connection drop out for any reason, so I hope that vpn.ht considers adding this feature in the future.
You are also not going to get an ad blocker with vpn.ht. This means that you are still vulnerable to online profiling and tracking. If you do want to use vpn.ht, I would recommend looking for a third-party ad-blocker. You will have no trouble using one of these with your VPN.
Does vpn.ht collect logs?
No, you don’t have anything to worry about here. Vpn.ht has a strict no-logs policy in place, which is great news.
Ease of use
Ease of use is a box that vpn.ht definitely ticks. The interface is very clean-cut and simple. You should have no trouble finding the server that you need and connecting it.
Even if this is the first VPN you have ever used, I don’t think you are going to run into too many problems.
You can also configure the VPN so that it connects to the best server for you based on your current location. This means that you are going to be connected to the fastest server for you, which is a feature that I like a lot!
On the negative side, though, you can find yourself waiting for quite a bit of time to connect to a server. There have been a number of times where I have had to wait between five and 10 minutes to connect, which is way too slow in my opinion!
Torrenting
Torrenting is permitted on all of the servers at vpn.ht, which is great news.
The no logging policy combined with the high level of encryption make it a good choice for torrenting.
On the downside, the slow speed can be a bit of a hurdle when it comes to sending P2P files. I found that the VPN was a bit too slow because of the network being overloaded, and so this presented me with a few problems on the torrenting front.
Unblock streaming services
If you are looking for a VPN that is good for streaming, there are some good and bad points when it comes to vpn.ht.
The good news is that there are some streaming services that can be unblocked. The bad news is that there are some problems along the way as well.
So, let’s start with the success stories. I was able to unblock ESPN, Disney+, HBO GO, and Hulu. In regards to Netflix, some of the servers worked effectively in terms of unblocking the US Netflix library. Some servers did not work, but you should be able to connect to at least one server that is going to give you access.
I was not able to unblock ITV Hub or BBC iPlayer. Because of this, it is easy to assume that vpn.ht is good for unblocking US streaming services, but it is not good if you are looking to unblock other streaming services, notably those in the UK.
I would recommend taking a look at NordVPN if you would like to use a VPN that will enable you to unblock UK streaming services.
Does vpn.ht unblock the Great Firewall of China?
As vpn.ht is based in Hong Kong, it is a good choice for anyone looking for a VPN to use in China.
It has proved reliable at passing these geoblocks, so it is definitely an option to consider if you are looking for a VPN that won’t let you down in China.
Compatibility
You can expect this VPN to be compatible with all of the main devices. This includes iOS, Android, Windows, and Linux.
You are allowed to have three devices connected with the one subscription. This is lower than the industry standard, which seems to be five.
If it is important for you to be able to connect a large number of devices, I would advise trying out Surfshark. They enable you to connect as many devices as you want at the same time, which is pretty much unheard of for a VPN.
Customer support
The customer support that is on offer for vpn.ht is pretty much average. There is no live chat feature available, which is a bit disappointing. I always prefer to see live chat support so that you can get instant assistance.
Instead, there is a ticketed system in place. I have used this a few times, and I have always had a response within 12 hours, which isn’t too bad. However, if you need urgent assistance, you’re probably not going to be able to get it.
There are set-up guides on the website and a basic knowledge base as well. This is good for standard information, but it is not very in-depth.
Pricing
There are only two payment plans available for those who want to sign-up to vpn.ht.
The first is a one-month plan, which costs $1 for the first month, after which it costs $4.99 per month.
The second plan, which vpn.ht claims is the most popular, is the 12-month plan, which costs $39.99 for the full year, which equates to $3.33 per month, so you will make some savings if you decide to go down this route.
If you are unsure whether or not this is the right VPN for you, you may want to sign-up for the one-month plan at just $1, and then switch to the 12-month plan if you’re happy.
However, do keep in mind that there is actually a 100 per cent money-back guarantee for the first 30 days of your service too, so this can give you a little peace of mind!
Summary
So there you have it: my thoughts on vpn.ht. This is certainly a decent VPN in some areas, yet there are a number of drawbacks that the company certainly needs to work on. They definitely need to make an effort to improve the speed of their VPN. Plus, I hope that they decide to add a kill switch in the future. If you would like to look at some VPNs that do have a kill switch feature, I would recommend checking out the likes of VyprVPN and IPVanish.