HideMyAss (HMA VPN) VPN Review 2024: What Are Positive and Negative Sides, Features Overview
With the cyber world throwing threats and chances of possible security breaches galore, the need for VPNs or virtual private networks is constantly felt. One of the most popular ones I tried to protect my identity and data online is HideMyAss. You see how direct the name is? With a straightforward and fuss-free interface, the app looks friendly too. In fact, I had taken a liking for it in the first look itself. But then, it’s not without its share of few discrepancies. For example, the expensive plans and session logging policies might be a turn-off for some users. Let’s take a look at the features to know whether HideMyAss can be an ideal VPN service for you.
| Location | Denver, USA |
| No-log policy |  |
| Hiding IP | |
| Kill-switch | |
| Max connections | 10 |
| Total servers | 1090 |
| Total countries | 190 |
| Compatible devices | Windows, Android, MAC, iOS, Linux- all |
| TOR support | |
| Torrenting | |
| Netflix | |
| Does it work in China? |  |
| Servers’ speed (overall) | Fast |
| Usability | User friendly |
| Customer support | Good knowledgebase, offers help via emails and phone numbers, but no chat facility |
| Website | https://www.hidemyass.com |
Strange as it may sound, HideMyAss is often called the ‘donkey VPN’! With a sprawling number of servers based all over the world (above 1090 in close to 290 locations in 190 countries and more), HideMyAss stays a top favorite for most people also because of being the oldest VPN service provider. Despite this widespread availability, HMA has not forsaken on the performance and speed aspects.
Considering all the pros and cons of HideMyAss, there are reasons to fall for this VPN. With the kind of unmatched servers’ networks in the industry, great pricing plans and updated version of the software in particular, you can be very comfortable using this software. Not that it’s sans its own share downsides, but those are easily overlooked when it comes to the efficiency of HMA.
Locations
HMA VPN has the biggest VPN network in the world. Added to that are locations, countries and IPs that no other competitor can possibly touch. With an ‘incredible’ number of 1090+ servers, HideMyAss is spread over 10000 ‘available’ IPs. These servers are scattered in 290 locations and more that cover about 190 countries all over the world, which is more than any other VPN provider at present. So you will actually find this in most nations that you visit enabling accessibility of several sites, security and speed.
Does VPN keep logs?
The company stated that starting from 2019 the servers no longer collect your originating IP address and delete all logs on 30-day rolling basis. You can be rest assured knowing that once you’ve logged into HideMyAss, the encryption internet tunnel connection acts as a barricade between the site activity done and anybody trying to see that online. While using, I have seen that the IP address is the only thing that can be traced and that too for 3 months only, which is also largely because of legal requirements and complying with local laws, rules and regulations.
Does VPN hide IP address?
Yes, but there’s a catch. It actually collects some log files. For example, it would collect your original IP address, the connection and disconnection time. This data is deleted from their server after three months. Cody Kretsinger, hacker who hacked into Sony Pictures database and was later detained by the police and he is now serving his time in jail. You might wonder who handed over Cody’s IP address to the law enforcement officials. It’s HMA. Apparently, if you are not into some illegal activities, you are safe and HMA won’t disclose your data. But that’s all theory. They routinely store usage data (it’s even in their logging policy) and if they wish, they can share your data with a third-party. There’s always a thin chance.
Does VPN have a kill switch?
Yes! Kill switches are vital VPN components and the best of VPNs usually comes with the feature. The Kill Switch facility has been added fairly recently in HMA and there has been no looking back since. In fact, HMA has resorted to one of the best kill-switch technologies. It is way advanced than the traditional form as it allows for specific programs (like torrent client) to access the internet using a certain IP only. So consider yourself lucky if you have HMA, for you also have the kill switch as a strong safeguard.
Maximum number of connections
One of the best things about HMA is that you can have 10 simultaneous connections with it. This means you connect your PC, laptop, mobile device and any such thing and keep working. Besides, there are no restrictions or limitations as regards the download or upload speed is concerned, transfer limit and connection trials.
Total number of servers
When I talk about the total number of servers, there’s no beating HMA. It’s amazing how HMA has a record number of 1090+ servers with more than 100000 IPs. You can check the website for the number of servers available and the nations where it happens.
Number of countries
A total of 190 countries have access to HMA VPN. The servers are present in large numbers in almost all these countries. Besides, it also reaches out to 6 inhabited continents. To reach out to remote places like Africa, Middle East, smaller Pacific Islands and Greenland is not easy. But then the only place that is deprived of HMA is Antarctica. What more!
Compatible Devices
HMA works with almost all major platforms, including Windows, Android, Mac, iOS, Linux and more.
Is HMA compatible with TOR?
Well, this is a little problematic at times. But if you use Tor with HMA’s Freedom Mode, then running it won’t be an issue anymore. Well, speed loss might be a bit of a turn-off for obvious reasons.
Does HideMyAss support torrenting?
Well, yes, but not really. There’s a big difference between allowing the Torrent on your network and being Torrent-friendly. HMA actually allows VPN subscribers to download torrents, excepting for few scenarios, especially when the account gets suspended or cancelled without prior warning or when HMA is known to block or slow down torrents on some USA based servers and so on. Frankly speaking, there are evidences where HMA has cancelled the accounts of torrent downloading peoples who keep doing that on a frequent basis. That’s not all! They have also forwarded the complaints to users who have possibly downloaded infringing files (thanks to their long-term logging policy). I have found on the official forum that you can still use torrents but you should connect to their servers in Frankfurt, London, New York, Amsterdam and Prague.
Does HideMyAss work with Netflix?
Yes. Most individual users these days use VPN services for torrenting and watching movies on Netflix only. After 2019 improvements the company stated that watching Netflix is not an issue anymore when you connect to server Liberty Island, New York or USA. Here is a link to support requests and solutions. To stream Netflix in a glitch-free manner, ensure you clear your cache and cookies also.
Does HMA work in China?
Bypassing restrictions imposed in China as regards to use of VPNs is not that easy. Despite its growing popularity and support provided to major VPN protocols, HMAs primary website is blocked at present in China. Well, that’s a sad piece of news surely, but breaking through the firewall is no mean feat. Even some time back, HMA had 3 Chinese servers- Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, with the latter being the best option for all those who wished to access any content that was restricted in mainland China. The Beijing server was a virtual one in Czech Republic, but meant to allow the Beijing IP address. You would actually be doing that to the Czech one and naturally the virtual nationality would act as a saviour. As per records, that’s history. HMA has proved unsuccessful in bypassing the blocks in the nation with the IPSec protocol. So accepting it is a better decision.
To an extent, the performance and speed of VPNs keep differing, largely because of the server chosen at a specific location or country and also the conditions of the internet at that point of time. One good thing about HMA is that it makes no speed claims on their website. When the testing was complete, I have got the following numbers:
- US New York server showed 41 Mb download/4.5 Mb upload speed
- London server showed 45.5 Mb download/6.6 Mb upload speed
- Australia server showed 31 Mb download/2.2 upload speed
After some time, with no VPN being enabled and at Speedtest.net for the best test target, 18 ms ping, 60 Mb/s download speed and 10 Mb/s upload speed was found. A general trend that I observed was for most locations, download speeds didn’t exceed a couple of megabits slower than the baseline. Also, the upload speeds showed an erratic tendency, with sometimes proximity displayed at the baseline test and the other times, it was 30-40 % slower. It’s indeed impressive that the speed for the most part remained consistent across several tests of the same place. Even when disconnection and reconnection happened for fresh testing, the results showed a steady path.
Even some time back in the past, HMA’s speeds have just proved mediocre but that’s far advanced now. When connectivity has been established via UK and Netherlands based servers, a decent level of 86% and 83% of normal and non-VPN download speeds have been obtained.
HMA stands for ease of use and a relatively simple interface. Both the website and clients display noticeable simplicity in understanding and navigation, which makes it a rather easy choice for VPN users. Now that the Pro version has come in for desktops, the working has been all the more streamlined and friendly. The individual connection modes are offered to configure the VPN connection. All the modes find the fastest server from the vast VPN network of HMA. So when choosing instant mode, you will find quick and easy set-up, location mode facilitates browsing from more than 190 nations and over 1090 servers, while the freedom mode comes handy to bypass stringent and unnecessary censorship laws.
Basically, the instant mode, as the name suggests, makes sure that the immediate connection is automatically chosen. Location Mode is the most complicated of the three and the Freedom Mode gives you the added advantage when travelling in a nation where strict government firewalls prevent the accessibility of internet.
Based in the UK, HMA is subject to British laws for the data capture and retention. The company has kept its transparency when it comes to logging policies. As stressed earlier, the IP addresses and bandwidth usage are recorded, but I can assure you that details of specific websites that you browse through will not get revealed anyway or for that matter, the actual data that you wish to transfer.
From the security standpoint, there’s good news too. From the beginning, HMA implemented the 128-bit Blowfish data encryption, which is way shorter than the AES-256 standard employed by competitive VPNs. The DoILeak’s IP and DNS leak tests have also proved strong enough and allowed US Netflix to be accessed. Guaranteeing on the continuity is a tad tough, but then good things are up your way!
Of the enormous number of VPN providers making their presence felt in the market, HMA VPN has stayed popular for its availability and age-old charm. I usually use Google Trends to learn what people are searching for in a specific domain, and it’s actually a popular tool among marketers and web researchers the world over as it helps them in understanding seasonal trends. I searched with the keyword “HMA VPN” on google Trend and found some very interesting information. I set location as wordlwide and the duration for 5 years (2019-2024).
From the very beginning, it’s been a premium one and known for its hefty price. If the recent trends are observed, the last 5 years show a stable search trend. There were some unusual spikes in search traffic, in 2019 and then in 2020 but after a short period of time returned to the previous positions.
It’s quite likely that most sophisticated VPNs have made their mark in the industry, which partly explains why the trend of using HMA has slightly decreased, particularly in the last two years.
It seems that 2022 has become a turning point for many VPN services and HMA VPN was not an exception. I chose two similar VPN services for comparison – Atlas VPN and ProtonVPN. HMA VPN and ProtonVPN were on the same level of search queries upto autumn 2018 but the last managed to improve its search trends over years and right now ProtonVPN has pulled far ahead compared to HMA VPN. As for the Atlas VPN, HMA VPN has managed to preserve the dominance only until spring 2022. At the present time (January 2024) Atlas VPN is showing a very big gap in comparison not only with HMA VPN but also with other top 10 VPN services.
The HMA site is an interactive one and you can always resort to it for resolving any query that arises anytime. For any help or questions, the support team is present at the beck and call. You need to simply click on ‘Help’ and then type your question or keyword and press ‘Enter’. The top results will be there for you to see on the widget and that can solve the issue to an extent. The ‘Live Chat’ option is also present, whereby you can type your name and the email address and put down your query or problem for which you require assistance. Besides, there is the knowledge base where you find answers to all your queries in addition to the community that provides advice and news from users like me who are acquainted with this provider.
1 Month
$8.99 /month- Save 25%
- Billed $8.99 every month
- 30-day money-back guarantee
3 Years
$2.99 /month- Save 80%
- Billed $107.64 every 36 months
- 30-day money-back guarantee
1 Year
$3.99 /month- Save 65%
- Billed $47.88 every 12 months
- 30-day money-back guarantee
HideMyAss was recently acquired by AVG Technologies, and the level of privacy and pricing have improved a lot since then. At present, you can snag the monthly plan for $11.99/month, the twelve-month plan for $6.99/month, and the two yearly plan for $4.99/month. There’s a 30-days money back guarantee that comes with each paid plan. Unfortunately, for availing the free 7-day trial, you have to provide your payment information, and post the 7 days, you will be automatically billed for whole one year.
If shelling out a few extra bucks doesn’t hurt you much, you should try this classic VPN service. Besides, HMA has undergone a total makeover from over the past few years, so the Pro version and all the excellent features that come with the different custom-designed packages. When it comes to connectivity options and support, HideMyAss is still the undisputed king of the VPN world. With unlimited data use and transfer and an option to change your IP address at any point, you might just fall in love with this VPN service within a few days.
