HideMyAss HMA VPN Review

How Much Does HMA cost?

If you visit the pricing section of the HideMyAss! website, it appears that the VPN company offers just two different pricing options, including 1-year and 3-year options. In actual fact, HMA offers more subscription plans than most other VPN services on the market, they are somewhat difficult to locate on the website.

HMA subscription plans

The HideMyAss monthly plan costs $11.99 a month, which is average in the VPN industry. This price is only likely suitable for an occasional monthly subscription. The HMA 6-month subscription is also quite pricey at $7.99 a month.

The monthly price falls slightly to $5.99 if you opt for the yearly plan, $4.99 a month if you choose the 2-year option, and $3.99 for 3-years, which is the most cost-effective option. However, with Private Internet Access, you can sign up for a single year and pay just $3.33 a month without needing to sign up for multiple years in advance.

HMA Family plan

HMA also offers a Family subscription that offers support for your entire household and comes with 10 simultaneous connections for $7.99 a month. This is a decent option, but it is somewhat disappointing compared to Surfshark’s standard offer of unlimited simultaneous connections for 2 years at just $59.76.

HMA Business plan

The HMA Business VPN option allows support for more devices. Protecting up to 10 simultaneous devices will set you back $13 a month, $24 for 20 devices, and $33 for 30 devices. There is also the option to request a tailored quote from HMA if you require more.

HMA Free trial

Hide My Ass comes with a 7-day free trial, which is a sufficient amount of time to test the service. This is also a feature that is rarely seen by VPN providers. It is necessary to note that you will need to input your payment details, and if you forget to cancel within 7 days, you will automatically be charged for the 12-month subscription. Canceling the free trial is easy and can be done so through the website.

Users can choose to pay with a range of payment methods. Hide My Ass (HMA) VPN does not accept Bitcoin payments; however, there is the option to pay with a credit card or PayPal.

Does HMA Have a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee?

All of HMA’s subscription plans come with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee for added peace of mind. This means that you can test the services and features on offer for a month and request a full refund if you are not completely satisfied, no questions asked.

If you are looking for a streaming VPN, we recommend testing the VPN with your favorite streaming sites like Netflix during the guarantee period to ensure it will enable access.

Also, we would suggest that you test the VPN on a range of different devices such as iOS, Mac, Android, Windows, and Linux to ensure it works seamlessly before you commit to a paid subscription.

Is HMA VPN Really Private?

HideMyAss! VPN has an extensive legal section that contains 12 separate sections. Most of the sections are also extremely long, with the privacy policy alone reaching almost 5000 words. However, it is easy to navigate the sections and find the article that you need. Each separate article is well-written and structured clearly, reassuring users of its no-logging policy.

The policy reassures customers that the service does not log original IP addresses (a potential means of identifying users and linking their activity back to them), timestamps (when a user connected to the HMA VPN or completed certain activities), transferred files or data, or browsing history.

With HideMyAss!, there is a limited amount of data logging, including the information regarding your VPN server connection and whether it was in the morning or evening, as well as a general figure of data transferred.

The company states that the information stored is used for troubleshooting purposes, improving customer services, and analyzing VPN network capacity. This is typical among VPN providers and isn’t worrying that HMA logs such data.

Has HMA VPN Been Audited?

If you are still concerned about HMA’s approach to user privacy, you do not have to take the provider’s word for it, as it recently announced that privacy company Versprite had independently audited its privacy policy.

The audit included assessments of storage, data, and traffic on the HMA VPN client and server locations worldwide. HideMyAss! passed the security audit and received the lowest possible user privacy impact rating.

It is reassuring to know that an external audit has been completed, although the company has not yet released a detailed audit summary. We would like to see the audit results be made available to the public, and we hope that the company will undergo further audits in the future.

Does HMA VPN Offer Additional Features?

HideMyAss! (HMA) VPN does not offer the most extensive range of features. However, it does provide everything that the typical user would require. You can set the HMA VPN to automatically connect when you access the internet. Users can also set the VPN to automatically alter their IP addresses at specific intervals throughout the day via the IP Shuffle feature.

There are two kill switches with HideMyAss! too. The standard kill switch feature serves to cut data transfer if your VPN server connection drops for any reason. This ensures that no unencrypted information or your real IP address ever becomes exposed.

The HideMyAss! kill switch appears reliable, and during testing, it prevented our actual IP address from leaking when the VPN app was forced to close.

Is HMA Easy to Use?

HideMyAss! VPN comes with a range of Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android apps. The apps have all recently been updated using recent technologies and now feature simplified, easy-to-navigate interfaces.

The Windows app now operates like most other VPN apps on the market and comes with a well-designed user interface that features a simple ON/OFF switch, a clear list of servers around the world, and a Settings section. The Android and iOS apps are similar in design but come with a limited number of features.

Is HMA Good for Streaming?

Many users choose to download a VPN service to overcome geo-restrictions on streaming sites such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and more. HMA offers VPN servers and IP addresses worldwide, enabling access to a host of content that would typically be unavailable in your region.

Server speeds are decent, meaning that you can stream and game in high-definition without lagging and buffering. Also, HMA will mask your IP location so your ISP cannot throttle your internet connection speeds, and with limitless bandwidth, you can stream as much as you like without worrying about your data consumption.

Connect to a server located in the same country as the content you want to stream. HideMyAss! usefully marks its specialized streaming servers for easy access to the best servers for each streaming site. During testing, the VPN enabled access to Netflix using a VPN server location in the United States. However, it failed to access other streaming services like Hulu and Amazon Prime Video, as well as Netflix libraries in other countries.

Overall, HMA may not be the absolute best VPN for streaming, but it should enable reliable Netflix access.

How Does HMA Work?

When you activate HMA VPN, it will create an encrypted tunnel to secure your internet connection as it passes from your device to one of its remote server locations around the world. Your data will be sent and received via the VPN server to ensure it is safe from the prying eyes of cybercriminals, malicious advertisers, and even the government.

HMA makes it more difficult for your ISP and the government to gather information about you and your online activities. The VPN will mask your real IP address with that of one of its remote server locations so that it is almost impossible for anyone to link your internet activities back to you or your device.

VPN services like HMA will also protect you if you connect to an unsecured public Wi-Fi network in cafes, public transport, and hotels. Such networks are often prime targets for hackers and cybercriminals who prey on vulnerable customers and steal user activity. Connect to HMA’s server network for a safer internet experience no matter where you are.

A VPN may even offer faster connection speeds as it will prevent ISP speed throttling. Your ISP may restrict your internet speeds if it notices a significant amount of streaming and gaming., but a VPN hides these activities enabling you to have a better experience.

Is HMA Compatible With All Devices?

A single HMA subscription comes with support for Windows, Android, Mac, iOS, Linux, Wi-Fi routers, Apple TV, Android TV, Firefox, and Chrome. The VPN comes with 5 simultaneous connections on the basic subscription, meaning that you can protect your computer, mobile phone, smart TV, tablet, and browser simultaneously.

If you install the VPN on your Wi-Fi router, you will gain support for an almost unlimited number of devices. Your router will count as just one device connection, and the VPN will subsequently protect any device connected to your router. This means that you can protect all of your family’s internet activity, as long as they are connected to your home router.

HMA’s apps are all well-designed and simple to use, even if you are a beginner user. Each app delivers a clean interface with a clear ON/OFF button, server list, and Settings option. In case you run into issues while setting up or using the VPN on any of your devices, there is 24/7 live chat support and a decent range of written articles available on the company website.

Author Cliff Durward

Hi, I'm Cliff. I'm based in Cleveland, Ohio, with my wife and two kids. I have a keen interest in cybersecurity and have been writing about it for around a decade now. Due to my background in computer science, I am familiar ...
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