VPNhub Review

VPNs are the epitome of digital security, especially for an individual who worries about the safety of his data and online identity. Today, numerous VPN (virtual private networks) providers offer their services at attractive prices. But what never fails to turn heads is the term “free”. No matter what one says, getting a free VPN is certainly charming to the multitude. Although users know the potential security threats VPNs can pose, many can’t resist the temptation and hope for the best. One such free VPN is the objective of our review today, VPNhub.

It is a free VPN but, at the same time, quite different from others as it offers free services as per platforms. As long as you need a mobile VPN for platforms like Android or iOS, VPNhub is free, but the service charge quite a hefty fee for its desktop version. Why? Let’s find out more in our VPNhub review.

Note – Interested users can always visit the official VPNhub website to learn more about the service.

Overview of VPNhub

VPNhub is a Cyprus-based vendor that offers decent service at alarming pricing. If not for the free version, the product would have failed to make any noise. But does it mean the VPN is safe enough for daily use? VPNhub is a subsidiary of MindGeek, a company from Luxembourg with servers in the US. It alone makes us frown. The term free combined with relations to Cyprus, Luxembourg, and the infamous US, paints a weary picture. But we still gave the service a go. Yes, the VPN is easy to download and use, especially the mobile version. Moreover, it offers almost identical services to the premium one at no added costs.

But we can’t dismiss our concerns regarding performance expectations simply because a service is free. Take ProtonVPN, for example. It is also a free VPN, but with a solid reputation and performance delivery. Although VPNhub can’t exactly measure up to this well-known provider, we were still optimistic before starting our review. One feature that stood out was the absence of mandatory payment information for using the free version, making it more flexible and private. Furthermore, it has a decent logging policy and offers unlimited data. For a gratis service, it checks a lot of the right boxes.

Unfortunately, the feasibility and usability of the VPN worried us. There is virtually no streaming or torrenting support. It has an average speed and not-so-good obfuscation technology. Plus, Customer Support left us wanting. Overall, the VPN barely qualifies for basic use, because it’s free. However, we passionately recommend against the overly priced premium version. That’s all for now, as we jump right into a detailed review of the various features offered.

Key specs of VPNhub

VPNhub	Premium version	Free version
Bandwidth	Unlimited	Unlimited
Connection speed	52 Mbps	Up to 52Mbps
Logging policy	No logging	No logs policy
IP, DNS data leaks	None	None
Jurisdiction	Cyprus and US	Cyprus and US
Numbers of VPN servers	Not revealed	Undisclosed
IP addresses available	Undisclosed	Not revealed
Server locations	44	1
Streaming	Netflix only	Netflix only
Torrenting	Barely supported	Barely supported
Simultaneous connections	10	5
Obfuscation	No	No
Customer Care	Email and online resources only	Email and online resources only
Pricing	$3.5 per month over 3 years	Free

VPNhub features

Let us examine the numerous perks VPNhub has to offer users:

Data privacy, logging, and jurisdiction

The service offers a straightforward and transparent logging policy that admits it logs your IP address temporarily. It also ensures that the logs are kept anonymously behind the safety of encryption. Technically, the VPN is not a no-logs VPN, but it is still safe. Here are all the bits of information the VPNhub service records:

• Your device ID
• The operating OS and platform
• The browser information
• The network information

But what ticked us off wasn’t the temporary logging practices. Rather, the VPN admits that it will sell user data to third-party advertisers. While the data in question will not be PII (Personally identifiable information), it is still off-putting that a VPN can do so, making our worries regarding a free VPN more genuine.

Security and advanced features

The VPN fails to offer any advanced features. If it is only for the free version, there will be no surprises. But even the premium version lacks the necessary advanced features. Although it protects the user data behind the latest encryption profiles, that’s it. The premium version offers a few more VPN protocols but nothing significant like WireGuard. Here are the available features:

• VPN protocols – IKEv2/IPsec, L2TP/IPSec, OpenVPN (TCP/UDP), PPTP, SSTP
• Encryption – AES-256-bit
• Security – Kill switch
• Advanced Features — None

VPN servers and locations

Although it doesn’t limit the free version with data, the provider only offers a single server for free users. And it can be frustrating. While the rumors seem to point toward over 500 US city locations as VPN server locations for VPNhub, we didn’t find any written information on the official website. Also, giving the premium version a quick look, we found at least 44 different countries (out of claimed 60+) where the service has a VPN server in place.

VPN speed and connectivity

The service isn’t the fastest, but it isn’t the slowest either. It falls just short of the average, and that makes it a not-so-good choice. Although users in America will not experience crucial issues with their connection, it is not a global VPN, and international speed will suffer.

Here is a table showing the speed of the VPN on a 100 Mbps connection –

Server Location	Download Speed (Mbps)	Upload Speed (Mbps)	Ping (ms)
New York	50	20	25
London	45	18	30
Tokyo	40	15	40
Sydney	55	22	50
Frankfurt	48	19	28
Singapore	42	16	45

Streaming and bypassing geo-blocks

On the streaming front, the slow speed and limited VPN network are undoubtedly glaring drawbacks. Yet, surprisingly, the VPN circumvented the geo-blocks on Netflix US. But that’s it. You can’t use the VPN exclusively for streaming.

Service	Bypasses Geo-blocks
Netflix	Yes
Amazon Prime	No
Hulu	No
Disney+	No
HBO Max	No
YouTube	No
Spotify	No
Apple Music	No

Torrenting and P2P traffic

The servers on the VPNhub network are not P2P friendly. There is no advanced feature to support such traffic. And as a result, torrenting suffers from below-par speeds on the VPN. Yes, the service provides a kill switch but keeping the logging policy in mind, we do not recommend the service for torrenting.

Obfuscation and VPN unblocking

We can’t expect cutting-edge technology on a free VPN. There is no obfuscation. And the chances of bypassing blocks and censors are slim for this service. The server support is also lacking.

Customer Care

The online material is lacking a lot and there is no live chat support. The only recourse before a customer is to write an email and await their response. This is underwhelming compared to industry standards.

Platform support for VPNhub

Sadly, the VPN offers a limiting experience. Although it has an app for desktops, the service charges a hefty sum for its use. Furthermore, there is no manual installation for routers or IoT devices. It offers an app for Smart TVs and Fire Stick TVs via the Amazon Store, but that’s all. The platforms supported are Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS.

VPNhub subscription plans and pricing

The VPN is unexpectedly pricey. Although it has a free version, and it still offers a weekly free trial on subscriptions, it is costly. The prices for VPNhub are as follows:

• Monthly – $14 monthly
• Annually – $7 monthly
• 2 Years – $5 per month
• 3 Years – $3.5 monthly

Verdict

While the service delivers a free version, it is also limiting as you can’t use it on desktops. But still, it is a fairly decent product if one can manage expectations. However, if a user wants a desktop VPN, we can’t recommend this service to them. There are far better providers within the same price range for us to do that. Also, we can’t trust the free version 100% due to its logging philosophy. If all you want is a mobile VPN that can hide your IP address and encrypt your data, VPNhub is a good match. Anything more than the bare basis is asking too much of the provider.