HMA comes with the most robust đĄsecurity without any vulnerabilities. Though this VPN is from the UK, still retains its no-log policy promise. Want to know is it safe? How it performs, speed, security, the featureâs it offers. We explained everything in detail, continue readingâŚ
Quick Glance
đDetailed Review
VPN Background
HideMyAss is a clean VPN with a verified zero-log policy by VerSprite (audited). The audit reports clearly state itâs completely safe for user privacy (you can rest assured). But the only personal information they collect is your email address & username (very common in most VPNs). Though the VPN is based in the UK which is a 5 eye surveillance group (a terrible base for a VPN provider). Due to their tough data retention laws, HMA will be subjected to sharing usersâ information with the law (if necessary). But thanks to VPN improved no-log policy that doesnât keep any userâs information to share.
Server Network
HideMyAss maintains a decent server network in 190 countries covering 290 locations. It has a VPN server in almost every country. Though the total server is merely 1100 (little network congestion). But every server is capable to unblock any website. HMA covers most of the Middle East and Africa region compared to other VPN providers. They have categorized the servers for torrenting & streaming. So, you will get connected to the đĽfastest server. HideMyAss also maintain multiple servers (city-level) in these locations These city-level servers will benefit you in reducing network congestion. Out of these servers, there are 5 streaming servers (Germany, US, and the UK) and 9 torrenting servers (France, Germany, Netherlands, US, UK, and the Czech Republic).
Speed
HideMyAss perfectly tuned its encryption so the VPN đĽspeeds will be mostly your regular internet speeds or massively boosted ending your ISP throttling. So, decided to put this VPN to the speed test, results are not amazing though. Though these are decent speeds for streaming in Ultra HD. if speeds are your major concern to stream. Itâs better to choose other premium VPNs like ExpressVPN. Itâs quite natural that VPN speeds will drop drastically when you connect to distant servers. The surprising part is, speeds improved a đlot in the second test. Itâ seems speeds are not consistent across all the servers. đNote: My base internet speed is 100Mbps, speed might vary depending on your base speed & location.
Security & Features
HideMyAss uses industry-leading AES 256 bit encryption where your privacy is safe with its class-leading secure protocol support (OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec, and PPTP). Also, it uses custom DNS for an additional layer of privacy. We did run some DNS & IP leak tests, nothing was found. You donât need many configurations, everything is quite simple with a single click. While HMA uses OpenVPN (UDP) as its default protocol on almost all the device platforms. Along with these, it uses first-party DNS and IPV6 leak protection with some essential security features listed below. HideMyAss uses tough encryption, hereâs how your connection is being secured when you connect to a VPN. 1ď¸âŁ RSA-2048 handshake secures your connection. 2ď¸âŁECDH (Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman) provides perfect forward secrecy. 3ď¸âŁSHA-348 hash will authenticate your data connection integrity. 4ď¸âŁAll the data transmitted will be encrypted using AES-256 encryption. Kill Switch A Kill Switch is an essential VPN feature that blocks or pause your internet connection when your VPN connection is đ ââď¸down. This security feature prevents your IP or data leaks. So, your identity is still under protection at the time when your VPN connection is down. Split Tunneling HideMyAss also offers split tunneling so you can đĽłenjoy local and international content simultaneously. But this feature is only available for Android applications, Split Tunneling has some security risks. HMA thinks itâs better to leave the choice for their users. Automatic Connection Rules Think how coolđ it will be, automatically get connected to a VPN on specific networks. HideMyAss make it happen, an amazing feature that turns your VPN when you connect to some networks (need to configure). So, you donât need to turn it on every time, simply surf the web unconsciously. IP Shuffle HideMyAss adds another privacy layer by shuffling your IP Address so you continue streaming or torrenting without any interruptions in the middle (even if your VPN is blocked suddenly). This IP shuffling feature helps you to evade tracking, spying on the go. This feature is available on these platforms. DDoS Protection HMA servers not only protect your data but also protect your connection from any kind of DDoS attacks. So, your connection wonât be comprised in speed. This is a blessing feature for streamers or gamers available on these platforms. đNote: Protocol performance varies depending upon your device.
Streaming
No đ¤wonder why people mainly use VPNs for streaming to bypass the geoblocks to watch other regionsâ content. HideMyAss smoothly unblock Netflix without any VPN blocks. I was able to watch Netflix US, UK, and other libraries like Germany. However, this canât compete with the best Netflix VPNs out there, which can unblock more than 30+ libraries. HideMyAss handled most streaming services like a piece of cakeđ°. When I tried to access BBC iPlayer which is only available in the UK. It maintains 5 dedicated streaming servers that deliver lightning âĄspeeds to stream in Ultra HD. But the only platform I wasnât able to unblock is Disney+. Our test went hard during Disney+ HMAâs struggles to unblock this streaming service. But other premium VPNs like ExpressVPN đwins in this battle without any đŚsweat. I hope HMA will expand its streaming servers in near future.
Torrenting
HideMyAss has a decent đ´ââ ď¸P2P torrenting support, it maintains dedicated P2P high-speed servers. These servers are listed on the application with p2p đmark. HMA offers unlimited bandwidth so you can torrent hassle-free without any worries in your mind about speeds. Lightning mode feature massively boosts your torrenting speeds while its security features ensure that your information is never leaked during torrenting.
IP Shuffle
This feature periodically changes your IP Address even after you connect to a VPN Server. This provides an additional layer of security guarding your privacy. Automatic protection for select apps This feature makes sure that your VPN is turned on when you open some specific apps, here you can enable it for torrenting clients. Kill Switch A Kill Switch cuts down your internet connection when your VPN connection is down to prevent any data leaks.
Ease of Use
HideMyAss is available for almost all device platforms except for FireTV. Also, it âdonât have a SmartDNS feature to stream on your TV. But you can enjoy its services on up to 10 of your devices. Itâs very easy to đ¤install & use HMA on your devices. Also, their app design is very intuitive and minimalistic with clear labels mentioned on every feature. You can see the home screen of the HideMyAss android app which has a minimal interface with âĄlightning connect button on the center. This helps you to quickly connect to the fastest servers available nearby. All the HMA features are available in its mobile version which comes with OpenVPN (UDP) by default. So, you can have the great advantage of using it in android (one of the best android VPNs). HMA iOS app is much similar to its Android version with the latest feature on version 5. But there arenât many configurations and options available like you there is no OpenVPN, Kill Switch, and Split Tunneling support. You can check out the best iOS VPNs HideMyAss also offers its class-leading features on the windows platform that exclusively used OpenVPN (TCP/UDP) which quickly connects to a server. Though WireGuard protocol is not available, still OpenVPN is a great choice. HMA is one of the best Windows VPNs making itâs easy to choose servers and use VPN. We can HideMyAss macOS version is well-designed and offers a stable VPN connection without any frequent drops. But there are some drawbacks such as (only limited to IKEv2, no split tunneling, no-kill switch). Itâs a bit disappointing to not have these features on macOS, while the best macOS VPNs offer all these features.
Customer Support
HideMyAss customer support is very responsive and helpful. Though there is live chat support, you canât access it 24/7. Also, its knowledge base is not updated often with the latest features or guides. But the email service response is very quick compared to other VPN services in the market. Itâs very essential to have 24/7 live chat support for a VPN. Though you can look at its video tutorials or walkthrough guides if you run into any issues during installation. Lacking customer support (24/7) draws a â from its rating. đNote: HideMyAss maintains different live chat timings for different regions.
Pricing
Every premium VPN offerâs the same features in every of its subscription plan. But HideMyAss subscription varies on the simultaneous device connections. Here are the 5 simultaneous connection plan pricing. You can đĽłenjoy a 7-day free trial (requires a credit card). Also, there are 2 more deals from HideMyAss that cost you $4.99/month (1-year plan) and $2.99/month (3 years plan). But I đ˘couldnât find any 1 monthly subscription plan to try out the service. While its 10 simultaneous subscription plans are different, have a đlook at them once. They have included 2 years subscription plan for 10 device connections which cost you $6.99/month for 24 months. For the rest of the plan, they are likely to charge đ¤twice as they are providing double connections. đNote: Keep in mind that there are no 7 days free trials for 10 device connections.
Conclusion
HideMyAss is a great choice for beginners, though it canât unblock every streaming service. But it covered major regional libraries. Even they have a bad history of sharing logs, now they have refined their privacy policies. While the only downside is, HMA doesnât work in China and its complete features are only enjoyable in windows & Android. There is no đ˘one-month subscription plan to try it out. But they are offering 7 days free trial & 30 days money-back guarantee program. Also, đcheck other VPN reviews below.
