Planet VPN offers unlimited free use with no registration, a kill switch, ad blocking, and multiple protocols. Premium unlocks 60+ locations, 1200+ servers, streaming, P2P, and special servers. | We tested Hola VPN to unblock sites and streaming. It’s easy and fast for geo‑access, but the free plan has time limits and privacy trade‑offs. Premium is smoother, yet pricey for what you get. | |
| Key Features A summary of the most important features offered by each extension. |
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| Our Rating Tooltivity's expert review score for each extension, based on hands-on testing and research. | 8.5 Winner in this category | 7.5 |
| Total users Total active users across all major browsers: Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari. | 2,511,915 | 5,333,592 Winner in this category |
| Total ratings Total number of user ratings received across all supported browsers. | 28,462 | 368,283 Winner in this category |
| Average rating Average user rating across all browsers, calculated from available store ratings. | 4.4 ⭐ Winner in this category | 4.3 ⭐ |
| Entry Level Price The minimum price required to start using the extension. "Free" means a free tier is available. | Free | Free |
| Chrome User rating and stats for the extension on Chrome browser. | 4.6 2.90 Average Chrome Web Store rating from the last 100 reviews 2.0M+Users | 4.8 3.59 Average Chrome Web Store rating from the last 100 reviews 5.0M+Users Winner in this category |
| Edge User rating and stats for the extension on Edge browser. | 4.3 4.71 Average Microsoft Edge Store rating from the last 100 reviews 415.6K+Users Winner in this category | 3.7 3.82 Average Microsoft Edge Store rating from the last 100 reviews 333.6K+Users |
| Firefox User rating and stats for the extension on Firefox browser. | 4.4 4.67 Average Mozilla Firefox Add-ons Store rating from the last 100 reviews 96.3K+Users Winner in this category | - |
| Safari User rating and stats for the extension on Safari browser. | - | - |
| Features Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Features' aspect of each extension. | 8.4 Planet VPN stands out for its instant, no-registration start, which is still rare among VPNs and makes it easy to try without any commitment. The free plan covers the basics, but the Premium upgrade adds significant depth: over 60 locations, more than 1200 servers, P2P support, and streaming-optimized servers. Security features like a kill switch and multiple protocol options are included, and advanced users will appreciate router configurations and special servers such as Double VPN and Onion-over-VPN. The browser extension’s smart filter is handy for basic ad and site-level controls, though it doesn’t fully replace a dedicated ad blocker. Winner in this category | 8.0 Hola VPN standout strength is geo‑unblocking: in our tests, it opened regional libraries on major platforms after a few reconnects when needed. Per‑tab routing is genuinely useful—being able to set different countries for different tabs keeps workflows simple when you need multi‑region access at once. Premium’s allowance of up to 10 devices is generous for households and multi‑device users, and removing time limits meaningfully improves everyday use. Depth is where Hola lags; there’s no kill switch, no WireGuard or OpenVPN option, no ad/malware blocking, and no multi‑hop—features many competitors include by default. |
| Performance Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Performance' aspect of each extension. | 7.8 On the free tier, speeds are generally good for browsing and light streaming, though they can fluctuate during busy periods. Premium servers are noticeably faster and more stable, especially for region switching and streaming. Streaming-optimized and P2P servers further improve the experience for those specific needs. | 7.9 Speeds were good enough for HD streaming in many regions, though not top‑tier versus leading competitors. Stability varied by country and time of day; reconnecting typically resolved buffering or access hiccups. Availability can be limited in some regions due to external restrictions, which may temporarily impact reliability. Winner in this category |
| Design Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Design' aspect of each extension. | 8.0 The extension’s user interface is clean, intuitive, and easy to navigate. Connecting, switching servers, and adjusting settings is straightforward, and the design is consistent across platforms, making it easy to use whether you’re on desktop or mobile. Advanced options are available but not overwhelming, keeping things approachable for beginners while still offering depth for experienced users. The only minor drawback is that special servers could be highlighted or grouped more clearly in the server list. Winner in this category | 8.0 The interface is clean, with a clear connect button and country picker that make first‑time use straightforward. Per‑tab controls are intuitive in the extension, with obvious feedback when a tab is routed through a different location. Status indicators are easy to read, and switching countries is quick without diving into dense settings. One caveat: behavior differs between the extension (tab‑level) and desktop app (system‑level), which can confuse new users until they understand the default scope. Winner in this category |
| Value for Money Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Value for Money' aspect of each extension. | 9.0 The free plan is generous, offering unlimited time and bandwidth, which is great for casual use and basic privacy needs. Premium pricing is especially competitive on long-term plans, with the multi-year option undercutting many rivals for similar features. The monthly plan is standard for the market, but the real value is in the yearly and multi-year deals. Premium also includes streaming optimization, P2P support, special servers, and 24/7 support, making it a strong value compared to other mid-tier VPNs. Winner in this category | 7.5 The free tier is genuinely useful for occasional unblocking despite time limits, making it an easy try‑before‑you‑buy option. Premium improves speed, removes time limits, and adds multi‑device support, but pricing is higher than rivals that also deliver stronger privacy and more features. Long‑term plans look cheap per month, but require big upfront payments and commitment. Support is mostly form‑based without the richer help channels common at similar or lower prices, which affects perceived value. |
| Ease of Use Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Ease of Use' aspect of each extension. | 8.9 Getting started is nearly instant, thanks to the lack of a sign-up requirement on the free plan. The learning curve is minimal—just pick a region, connect, and browse. Upgrading to Premium is simple and well-explained, so users can easily scale up if they need more features or better performance. Occasionally, free users may need to retry connecting to a server during peak hours, but this is a minor inconvenience and typical for free VPNs. Winner in this category | 8.6 The Installation is quick, and you can test without setting up an account on the extension. The learning curve is minimal—click to connect, pick a country, and browse. Troubleshooting flows like “No, fix it” help refresh a stuck connection. Country switching is fast, and per‑tab routing keeps things flexible for casual streaming and site access. A quirk worth noting: on the free plan, sessions can stop or reset with navigation if you expect app‑wide coverage—using the desktop app helps when you want persistent browser‑wide unblocking. |
| Security & Privacy Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Security & Privacy' aspect of each extension. | 8.7 Planet VPN claims a strict no-logs policy and includes a kill switch, both essential for privacy. Strong encryption and multiple protocol choices let users balance speed and security. However, the free version is ad-supported via AdMob, which introduces a privacy trade-off that some users may not appreciate, even though consent prompts are provided. The company is based in Romania and outlines a minimal-data policy and a clear stance on court-ordered data requests, but as always, trust depends on your interpretation of their disclosures and your personal threat model. Winner in this category | 3.5 Hola’s policy includes collecting IP and usage logs retained for up to 12 months, which won’t suit privacy‑focused users. Protocol support is limited; it can fall back to older protocols and lacks modern options like WireGuard/OpenVPN and a kill switch. There’s an inconsistency between marketing claims and the breadth of data collection disclosed in policy documents—another red flag for privacy purists. The historic peer‑to‑peer approach for free users and lack of third‑party no‑logs audits further reduce our confidence for sensitive use cases. |
| Conclusion A summary of our findings and final thoughts for each extension. | If you need quick privacy without sign-up, the free plan is one of the easiest ways to get started. It worked reliably for light browsing and basic geo-blocking in our tests. If you care about consistent speeds, more regions, and smooth streaming, Premium is the real value—especially the long-term plans, which are priced aggressively for what you get. We appreciate the no-logs stance and kill switch, but free-tier advertising and some user concerns around browser behavior mean you should review settings and permissions carefully before relying on it for everything. | If you mainly need quick, hassle‑free access to geo‑blocked sites, Hola is effective and very easy to use. Per‑tab country control is handy, and we could reach major streaming sites after a few retries when needed. The trade‑off is privacy. Hola’s policy includes IP and usage logging (retained up to 12 months) and a history of a peer‑to‑peer model for free users. That’s a deal‑breaker if you want strict anonymity or advanced security features. We recommend Hola as a lightweight unblocking tool, especially for casual streaming on a budget. For stronger privacy, deeper features, and more consistent speeds, consider Surfshark, Proton VPN, or NordVPN. |
| Our Recommendation | In our comparison between Planet VPN and Hola VPN, Planet VPN came out on top, scoring 8.5. Hola VPN is the most widely used, with over 5 million users and 368k+ reviews, but Planet VPN outperformed it in our review. User reviews for Planet VPN reflect our findings, while we rate Hola VPN lower than users do. Notably, Planet VPN has the highest user rating in the Chrome Web Store at 4.42, which supports its strong performance in our review. There are some noticeable differences between these extensions, so it's worth considering your priorities and the details below.
If you want a quick recommendation, Planet VPN is our top pick. But as always, the best choice depends on what matters most to you. | |