Hoxx VPN is a free and premium VPN proxy service that is offered by VPN1 LLC. While it states it has apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and the Opera, Chrome, and Firefox browsers, it is clearly designed to be a browser-based product. Despite being out for a number of years, the Google Play Store has it listed at just over 100k downloads. It also only has a 4.3-star rating across 7k+ reviews. As with many VPN companies, this one makes many promises. Those include the ability to unblock any site, high speeds, High encryption values, a commitment to keep the user safe, and more. The question is, does the hype match up to the actual tests? We will find out here.
About the Company
Interestingly, the registration on the website shows that all the information has been “redacted for privacy”. Whereas we get what they are trying to, we prefer a bit more transparency in our companies. That said, if you look at the Google Play Store data, It shows that the company, VPN1 LLC is located in Coral Gables, Florida. While that is not always a concern to us, it certainly leaves the VPN service open to US government surveillance as well as to the countries in the 14 eyes program. Those are the 14 countries that share information with each other. Another concerning factor is the company’s log keeping policies. Even though many providers these days make claims of being zero logs, Hoxx makes no such claim. In fact, the company is very upfront about the fact they keep logs. They frown on doing things that you might use a VPN for.
Pricing
Pricing for Hoxx is minimalistic. There seems to only be one price for the service, and that is $1.99 a month. While you can get it in other lengths, there does not seem to be a benefit in doing so. They do offer a 14 day, moneyback guarantee for all accounts over 3 months. However, the low pricing makes us a bit suspicious of the service. As far as what methods of payment are available, they are not clear and present.
Security
This is where things really start to get ugly for this VPN. As you know, most of the purpose of connecting to a VPN is to protect yourself. However, we found some troubling. While the company says they keep logs, let’s take a closer look at what they collect, and keep.
Really? Needless to say, that is a bit scary. However, it does get worse. Even though we will not show it all here, we suggest you take a look at the Hoxx Privacy Policy. Even though we are aware that most people do not want to read privacy policies, it is crucial that you read the Hoxx Privacy Policy before you use it. To summarize, they admit that they work with law enforcement and will easily turn over your data to any law enforcement agency that subpoenas it. In our eyes, that defeats one of the big reasons for connecting to a VPN in the first place. As far as encryption goes, the protocols they are using are somewhat outdated. While the “4096-bit RSA Encryption” used to be the best around, times have changed. It was first cracked in 2013.
Features
Features-wise, the company offers 2 options. The first option is free and gives you access to an unlimited number of simultaneous connections. That is good because you can connect a number of devices to keep you safe from hackers. Here is a list of the features that you can find in their “free” service.
- 50% Locations all over the world
- 1024-bit encryption
- Static IP Addresses
- Family malicious website filtering
- Zero configuration set up
- No bandwidth restrictions
- Bypass government-mandated filtering
- Faster streaming
- 99% Uptime guarantee
- Unlimited server switches
The premium version comes with those as well as these.
- 24/7 Premium Email Support
- Support though chat
- 14-day Money-Back-Guarantee
- 4096-bit encryption end-to-end
- Seperate premium servers available in more countries
- Advanced malicious website filtering
- No quota restriction
- Prevents advertising networks from tracking your habits
While they do say that they prevent advertising networks, they will sell their data to their 3rd party partners.
Server Locations and Countries
As we said before, the VPN gives you access to a number of countries.While they may not be all available in the free version, these are the ones in premium. Hong Kong, India, Canada, UK, Singapore, USA, Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Germany, Moldova, Italy, Estonia, Lithuania, Norway, Israel, Australia, Russia, Cyprus, Poland, South Africa, Greece, Spain, Bulgaria, Belgium, France, Finland, Brazil, Austria, Slovakia, Switzerland, Republic of Ireland, Czech Republic, Romania, South Korea
As you can see, there are quite a few servers available to use if you have the premium version.
Hands-On Testing
As far as the VPN goes, It is interesting. Sofware is available, but it seems to crash whenever we try to open the Windows version. Additionally, you can’t register in the app, it has to be via the browser. After you add it to your browser (whichever one you use), there are only a few steps you have to do.
- Locate the Hoxx badge.
- Open the panel. As you see, you need to select a server and click on it.
- You will then see a message that says you are connected. If you are using the app, it will take you longer to connect if it does connect at all instead of crashing.
You might be interested to know that this VPN will not give you access to the different zones of Netflix, either.
Hoxx Speed Test
Hoxx is surprisingly fast for a VPN. However, earlier we mentioned why. It is because even their best encryption was cracked in 2013 using simple tools. We show you the numbers below, but you need to take them with a grain of salt.
Why you should use a VPN
Since so many establishments now offer free WiFi, you will want to use a VPN when you connect. While WiFi is great, the cybercriminals think it is great as well. By connecting to the server of your choice, you create a secure and encrypted connection. That way, you greatly reduce the risk that criminals or cyber thieves will steal your private information.
Another reason to use a VPN is to help you get around geo-restrictions. No matter where you are, connecting to a server there will help. That is because it makes the blocking software think you are located somewhere else. That can be a real advantage if you are trying to access certain regions or you are being blocked from viewing content. Simply connect to a server and you can start browsing or viewing the content you want to access.
What About Leaks?
While this is a free VPN service and it did not necessarily have leaks, there are other indications that it is a proxy. That is a big giveaway and is definitely a bad thing.
Should I Use this VPN?
Absolutely not. From the crazy collection policy with a guarantee that your information will be turned into to authorities, to the horrible encryption, to not being able to access Netflix, you are only slightly better off than using nothing at all. There are definitely better premium products on the market that would be a much better choice than this “service”.
Final Thoughts About Hoxx VPN
While the speeds are good in the free version, it is entirely unsafe. If your go is to keep your privacy safe, this is not the VPN for you. We found very few positives in our review and many negatives. This is definitely a VPN you will want to avoid if at all possible. Feel free to take a look at our top 10 VPNs for comparison.