In addition to this, HideMyAss currently has 120K+ IP addresses, making it a network to be reckoned with. It has an average connection speed and is based in the UK, which has its issues, as well as offering 24/7 customer support, a 7-day free trial, unlimited server switches and a decent encrypted network. All features shall be expanded throughout the review.
**Official website: https://www.hidemyass.com
Hidemyass is one of the old brand VPN providers which have more than 10 years in VPN market, Offer the Most biggest Private VPN networks,HMA client on windows and app on IOS or android are easy to use and load faster.
Pricing and Packages
HideMyAss has some relatively cheap plans starting from an industry average of $4.99 a month for their 2-year plan. Pricing and price packages are extremely important in any VPN service as this is ultimately the final factor considered before the purchase decision is made.
An interesting point to make is that HMA does not discriminate between price plans in terms of features, and no matter which plans you choose you will still receive the same features as you would with any other plan, unlike some VPN services who can be quite grey about it. Like the majority of VPN services, however, HMA does increase the monthly price depending on how committed you are to their network, implying that the more you use their services, the cheaper your package will be. HideMyAss has 3 price plans: a monthly plan, an annual plan and a 2-year plan, which is pretty standard in the VPN industry.
Payment Options
Like many good VPN services HMA offers a range of payment options for you to purchase their products. A VPN service wants you to be secure and private on the internet, so they should also want to make you feel safe and secure when checking out on their software. HMA offers the use of all major credit/debit cards such as Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, as well as using one the safer options on the internet – PayPal. PayPal is one of the most secure third-party applications for money transfers and will ensure that your payments are going to where they’re supposed to and that you’re not getting scammed. HMA also offers some alternative payments. However, I was slightly disappointed at the lack of Bitcoin as this is possibly the safest and most private way to exchange money on the internet.
Setup and User-friendliness
Like most VPN services I have used, setup was relatively easy and quick, and unlike some VPN services, I wasn’t required to restart my computer which is always a bonus. Once the payment was completed and I was free to download the software, I was given the option to choose which version I wanted to download. I chose the Windows version as that was the system I had on my computer.
Once I had chosen Windows I followed instructions for installation, choosing a destination for the files and creating a desktop shortcut. The entire installation took about 5 minutes and was quicker than some other VPN services. Once the application has loaded you’ll have to log in. For some reason, the software took a while to log in and initially I had problems with connecting to my nearest server, and it took about 8 attempts to finally establish a connection. You’ll be greeted by the screen as seen on your left. The application for Windows was very slim and consisted of just a few basic options, which was disappointing when you compare it to other services such as IPVanish and ExpressVPN. There are two tabs you can select from instant mode, location mode, and a gimmicky freedom mode. The instant mode does exactly what it says and will instantly connect you to the nearest server with the best connection. The location mode essentially does the same thing but lets you chose a custom location, and thirdly, the freedom mode connects you to the nearest country with a high level of ‘free speech’. The client is very basic and other than the connect/disconnect slider, you only have the option to switch your IP address. Although a little disappointed in the function when compared to its competition, Load faster for only a few basic options. Also, The client more easy to use than the previous version.
Server Locations
As mentioned above, HMA is one of the most widely used VPN networks on the market and as a result has over 940 servers in over 190 countries, allowing you to connect to just about anywhere in the world and surf the web, as HMA puts it, “like a local”. This enormous reach gives HMA an edge over the competition but is let down by its poor to average connection speeds and the occasional broken server! Also, as we will explore later, HMA has some privacy issues and despite a large number of servers and IP addresses, privacy and security are everything in a VPN making the reach redundant.
Compatibility
Just like many other VPN services, HMA offers the ability to use their software on multiple devices including your smartphone, tablet, router and many more. We live in a digital age where mobile internet connections, social media, and on-the-go web surfing is becoming more frequent, meaning that any good VPN service should be offering protection on multiple devices, and HMA is no exception.
HMA allows you to use their software on many devices including IOS, Android. The IOS app can be downloaded straight from the App Store and is roughly 10MB. It is quick and easy to install and gives you the same basic features as the Windows client does. You can connect/disconnect from services, choose locations and it also gives you an option to always stay connected to a VPN. There are also manual installation guides for other more difficult devices directly on the HMA website that are pretty straightforward.
Customer Support
Like most VPN services, HMA offers 24/7 support via email, live chat and also offers a knowledge base. However, HMA is yet to offer telephone support, which is quite disappointing. They also give you the option to discuss your issues with the community which is something I haven’t seen in other VPN services.
Their live chat responses were very snappy and they responded to an encryption question I had in under 10 minutes, which is very impressive. As social media is progressively growing HMA has also established a good reputation on sites like Facebook and Twitter where they post regularly and are quick are responding to queries and comments.
Privacy and Security
One of the most important aspects of any VPN service is its ability to protect you and give you the privacy that you need on the internet. HMA’s privacy record is notoriously shady and has received criticism in the past. They do offer many security protocols including OpenVPN-UDP, OpenVPN-TCP, PPTP and L2TP and the protocol being used can be changed at any time by the user. Despite this, HMA is based in the UK which is one of the worst countries for issues regarding privacy, as the service is, therefore, subject to mandatory log checks, and in the past HMA users have been arrested in regards to their internet activity. The service is therefore very shady when it comes to their log keeping activity. Moreover, the VPN only offers 128-bit blowfish encryption which, although it is pretty average, is not up to scratch with what you would usually see with a modern VPN (256-bit). Concerning P2P activity, there are no signs that suggest HMA allows this to approach with caution.
Free Trial and Refund Policy
You’d be glad to hear that HMA does offer a free trial of up to 7 days for its software, and it will not charge you until the 7 days are up. Also, even if you use the free trial and are unsatisfied with the software, you can claim your money back before 30 days, as HMA offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
The Other Free Services Offered
As well as offering a fairly decent VPN service, HMA also offers its users a number of free services and applications they can use to stay anonymous on the web for free, including a free web proxy, an anonymous email, an anonymous referrer, and a number of browser extensions that tell you your current IP address and offer an emergency panic button. The free web proxy gives you a quick and easy way to bypass your geographical location and hide your IP address when surfing specific websites. It is, however, limited in terms of streaming, encryption, and gaming, and is slower than your standard VPN. The anonymous email system is great and allows you to create a free email address that cannot be traced and keeps you anonymous when signing up to services. You can even trigger it to delete after some time. The anonymous referrer is great for creating untraceable links that you can use to direct traffic to particular websites. Great if you don’t want a website owner knowing who sent them the traffic.
Conclusion
To conclude, HMA is a good service that is well established in the VPN community. It has a load of servers that are dotted all around the world and offers many cool, free services that allow you to be anonymous on the web. However, with the issues in privacy and log keeping, HMA is difficult to recommend, especially since users have been arrested and jailed in the past. Furthermore, their clients for both Windows and IOS are very basic and are outmatched by their competition. Despite being a widely used VPN with relatively cheap price plans, there are better services out there and you should consider them before purchasing.
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