Pornhub, one of the largest adult video websites around, now has its own VPN service. And on top of being amusing, and it might actually be a competitive solution. Called VPNhub (naturally), the free version for iOS and Android offers unlimited bandwidth, though there's a catch.
Throwing caution to the wind, I ignored the security warnings and installed the Windows version only to be met with a login screen, with no option of registering. What gives? A visit to the service's FAQ reveals that the Windows and MacOS desktop versions are only for premium subscribers. Ugh.
"So please subscribe to premium on your mobile device to able to use the desktop version," Pornhub states.
Subscribing costs $12.99 per month, or you can pay $89.99 for an annual sub and save a chunk of change in the long run. Either way, there's a 7-day free trial available if you really want to check it out. Plenty of other VPN services cost around $10 per month, so that's a pretty standard price for a premium VPN.
VPNHub claims to have 1,000 servers in more than 15 countries. The premium version lets you select any of the available countries, and also strips out ads and offers faster speeds.
Speed is really the main catch when it comes to VPN services, as you're trading performance for security and anonymity, to some extent. I installed the free version on an iPhone 6S Plus and ran a couple of speed tests. Here's a look:
- VPNHub: 150ms ping, 49.5Mbps download, 11.5Mbps upload
- No VPN: 29ms ping, 114Mbps download, 11.5Mbps upload
My ping shot up and download speeds were more than halved, while upload performance was untouched.
Performance aside, trusting an adult website with this sort of thing feels a little sketchy. Adding to that, Engadget brings up a few prior security fumbles by Pornhub's parent company, Mindgeek, including a security breach at a couple of subsidiary adult video sites in 2012 that exposed the details of more than 1.1 million users.
Still, Pornhub insists it doesn't store, collect, sell, or transmit any personal information to third parties. You can look over the entire privacy policy here, if you're interested.
"Today, the Internet is rife with hackers, who are growing in number and sophistication, compromising people’s sensitive data. While browsing in incognito may keep users’ browsing history secret, truth is they’re still susceptible to prying eyes, especially when browsing on unsecured public Wi-Fi networks," said Corey Price, VP, Pornhub.
VPNHub is available now on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS.
