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# of Servers
1100
# of Servers
1100
Server Locations
218
Server Locations
218
Unlimited Bandwidth
Yes
Price Per Month (From)
$2.99
Price Per Month (From)
$2.99
Free Trial
7 days
Free Trial
7 days


7.8/10
Informr score
The HMA currently has an Informr score of 7.8 out of 10. This score is based on our evaluation of 48 sources including reviews from users and the web's most trusted critics.

The "1-Minute" Review

Verdict

If you only want a VPN to protect your identity while browsing the web, then HideMyAss is a great choice. However, if you’re looking for something that truly provides anonymity, you might want to look elsewhere.

What's good

  • Good performance
  • Easy, intuitive interface
  • IP shuffling for extra security
  • Variety of servers and locations
  • P2P servers

What's bad

  • Quite a lot of data retention
  • Limited customization
  • App-specific kill switch

Owned by Avast, HideMyAss offers a huge network of servers across hundreds of locations. Started back in 2005, it is one of the longest-running VPN providers. But let’s see how it stacks up to today’s more competitive landscape.

Pricing

There’s nothing noteworthy here -- just standard pricing for a mid-range VPN. There are multiple options that allow you to save money the longer you subscribe. This means month-to-month subscriptions are the most expensive. With that said, Private Internet Access offers a better yearly subscription, though HideMyAss is cheaper than larger competitors such as ExpressVPN.

HideMyAss offers a 7-day free trial but you must hand over your billing information. If you forget to cancel, you’ll be automatically charged for whatever subscription option you choose.

Supported Devices

You have access to a wide range of apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android. Sadly, there are no browser extensions available. Instead, they provide a free web proxy to mask your IP address in any browser.

Ease of Use

Even if you’re new to VPNs, you can easily figure out Hide My Ass’s interface. There’s zero technical jargon you need to deal with and everything is marked and easy to use. You can choose from three different modes:

  • Instant: A one-click connection that takes you to the nearest server.
  • Location: For when you need to access a specific location. It even suggests servers for streaming videos, P2P, and quick access.
  • Freedom: Connects you through the nearest free-speech country.

Reviewers ran into one issue when they delved into customization. They found that the kill switch worked only for applications, not for the entire system. That meant they had to specify every app they wanted to block manually should the VPN connection drop.

Simultaneous Connections

You can connect up to five devices to HideMyAss. Should you download the client for your router you can protect all of your devices at home with just a single connection.

Included Features

While you won’t find a ton of customizability, the service offers a handful of useful features, including:

  • IP Shuffle
  • P2P servers
  • Military-grade encryption (OpenVPN)
  • Dedicated streaming servers
  • Kill Switch

IP shuffle, as the name suggests, changes your IP address every so often to make your activities harder to trace back to you. It’s perfect for those who want an extra layer of privacy when browsing the web.

Privacy and Logging

HideMyAss is based in the UK with the parent company -- Avast -- in the Czech Republic. While not the best in terms of data privacy laws, both countries are better than the US in terms of data logging and retention.

And speaking of privacy, the company states that there is no logging of what resources you access while online or other data sent or received over VPN. However, they still record every session connect and disconnect, the IP address you use to connect, the IP address of the VPN you connect to, and how much data is uploaded and downloaded.

While it might not affect people who are using a VPN for browsing or online shopping, for those who are sharing files or even accessing streaming services in geo-restricted areas, it might cause problems.

Performance

With hundreds of servers worldwide, reviewers found connection quality and ping times excellent. When it came to actual download speeds, results were more varied even within the same country. For example, TechRadar found download speeds in the US ranged between 15Mbps and 65Mbps. Servers that are further away from your actual location will also have highly variable speeds though that isn’t unexpected.

TechRadar says, “There’s some scope for improvement… but overall HideMyAss performance better than most…”

Support

If you can’t figure out an issue on your own by browsing the company’s FAQ page, you can take advantage of their 24/7 live chat support to get answers to your questions in just a few minutes.

If your problem isn’t urgent, you can also post on their forum where you generally will receive a response from a staff member within a few hours.

Summary

HideMyAss (HMA) is a decent option for people who want good performance speed and unique features such as IP Shuffle. However, its data collection policies might be a problem if you’re a more privacy-focused user.

Cloudwards states, “... we think HMA’s combination of features makes it worth your consideration.”


What the Critics Are Saying...


Expert Reviews
Expert Reviews

HMA is a fast VPN with a wide global reach. It’s also one of the most user-friendly VPNs around and, if five simultaneous connections are enough for you, the pricing is attractive too. Unfortunately, it has two big problems. While the large number of servers might seem attractive for location spoofi...

- Darien Graham-Smith, Expert Reviews
VPNCentral
VPNCentral

HMA VPN has become one of the most popular VPN providers on the market for good reasons. Our review confirms that its good reputation is well deserved. We really like its user-friendliness. The software is incredibly simple to use and especially the new client version 5 makes managing the VPN connec...

- Dejan Cvetnarevic, VPNCentral
All About Cookies
All About Cookies

All things considered, HMA has great functionality as long as it’s compatible with the device on which it’s being used. If all of the specs here look good to you, give that free trial a spin.

- Mary James, All About Cookies
VPN Reports
VPN Reports

HideMyAss! has a large network of servers spread all across the world. It is also one of the fastest VPNs out there that provides buffer-free access to popular streaming services such as Netflix and BBC iPlayer. The company offers an easy to grasp apps that are available on Windows, Mac, iOS, Androi...

- VPN Reports
TechJury
TechJury

The HMA VPN server fleet is admirable, and its service’s speed acceptable in most cases. Although it doesn’t decode geoblocks consistently, it has workarounds. However, we hope to see all of HMA VPN’s features available across all platforms. And, as we already mentioned in our HMA VPN review, the bi...

- Deyan Georgiev, TechJury

Details


Overview
Headquarters UK
Pricing/Sign Up
Starting Price (per Month) $2.99
Plans and Pricing Visit Site
Free Trial 7 days
Money Back Guarantee 30 Days
Payment Options Credit Cards, PayPal, Bitcoin, Other
ID Required Valid email address
Features
Server Locations (# of Countries) 218
Number of Servers 1100 +
Devices Per License 5 - 10
Simultaneous Connections 5 - 10
Unlimited Bandwidth Yes
Double-Hop / Double VPN No
Accesses Netflix Yes
P2P / Torrenting Allowed Yes
Accepts Bitcoin Yes
Non-US Company Yes
Protected
Protocols IPSec, L2TP, OpenVPN, PPTP
Encryption AES-256, Blowfish 128, RSA-2048
No Logs / No Tracking Yes
Dedicated IP Available No
VPN Over Tor Yes
Wi-Fi Leak Protection No
Private DNS Server Yes
DNS Leak Protection Yes
IP Leak Protection Yes
WebRTC Leak Protection No
IPv6 Leak Protection Yes
Kill Switch No
Supported Platforms
Operating Systems Windows, Mac OSX, iOS, Linux, Android
Mobile App Yes
Router Yes
Browser Extension Yes
Customer Support
24/7 Support Yes
Live Chat Support Yes
Telephone Support No
Email Support
More
Additional comments Other Names (AKA): Hide My Ass VPN

Terms & Conditions Official Terms & Conditions

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