Two of the most popular VPN providers on the VPN market are HideMyAss (HMA) vs ExpressVPN.
We’ve compared both of these VPN services in areas such as privacy, pricing, and streaming abilities to help you choose the best provider for your needs. Read on to learn more.
HMA VPN has an impressive network of server locations, a range of well-designed, useful clients, and an interesting array of privacy and security features, making it one of the best VPN services on the market. However, its relatively high subscription prices and disappointing streaming performance leave room for improvement.
Thanks to an impressive network of over 3,000 servers across 94 countries, first-rate privacy and security features, an independent audited no-logging policy, and impressive streaming capabilities, ExpressVPN is arguably one of the best VPN providers on the market.
One of the most important things to consider when choosing between VPN providers is affordability and value for money. Therefore, we have compared ExpressVPN vs HMA regarding their pricing plans, discounts, and refund policies.
As with any VPN provider, if you opt for the ExpressVPN rolling monthly contract, you will be paying a premium price of $12.95 a month, but you’ll enjoy discounts on longer-term spricing plans.
If you commit for a longer time, you will notice significant discounts. Signing up for 6 months will cut the price slightly to $9.99 a month. However, this is still relatively expensive compared to its competitors’ prices, and it is necessary to fork out $59.94 in advance.
When it comes to payment methods, ExpressVPN provides support for PayPal and credit cards. You can also pay using Bitcoin, AliPay, Yandex Money, or Web Money. Opting to pay with cryptocurrency makes it almost impossible for your VPN activity to be linked back to you.
Canceling your subscription with Express is easy. All you need to do is contact the ExpressVPN support team and ask for your refund.
It’s important to note that this VPN offers 5 simultaneous connections across all of its plans. Signing up for longer won’t increase the number of device connections you can have.
Unlike ExpressVPN, the HideMyAss pricing plans are confusing and difficult to find on the website. HMA offers a free VPN trial and a range of different subscription plans.
Users can take advantage of a 7-day trial to start with, but it will be necessary to enter your payment details upfront to test the VPN product. It is also important to note that you will be automatically charged for the annual plan if you forget to cancel within 7 days.
Although the longer HMA subscription plans offer decent discounts, the provider significantly raises the monthly price to add extra simultaneous connections. This is difficult to justify considering that many other VPN providers offer unlimited simultaneous connections for no additional cost.
Arguably, the most important aspect of any VPN service is the level of privacy and security VPN features on offer. We took a deep look at HMA and ExpressVPN in these areas.
ExpressVPN utilizes a 4095-bit SHA-512 RSA certificate combined with military-standard AES-256 bit encryption and an HMAC safeguard. This ensures that your private internet data is undecipherable.
For an additional layer of online protection, ExpressVPN employs Perfect Forward Secrecy to ensure a new encryption key is created every time you log in to the VPN, as well as every 60 minutes thereafter. This means that even if your VPN session is compromised for any reason, the hacker will gain access to a maximum of 60 minutes.
ExpressVPN also offers access to a range of obfuscated servers that mask the fact that you are using a VPN. This is helpful if you need to overcome VPN blocks or firewalls in places that do not typically support the use of VPNs, such as universities, libraries, or offices.
The provider operates its own zero-knowledge DNS across all of its servers. This removes the need to rely on vulnerable third-party DNS servers or OpenDNS. There is complete IP and DNS leak protection too, which is reassuring.
ExpressVPN also comes with a kill switch (known as the Network Lock) to ensure your internet connection is cut if your VPN connection fails for any reason. This ensures that your real IP address and unencrypted data do not become exposed to hackers or cybercriminals.
Moreover, ExpressVPN operates on completely RAM-only memory, which is much more secure than typical hard-drive storage. If a server became compromised, ExpressVPN could wipe its servers by simply shutting down the network.
As well as using advanced encryption to hide users’ web traffic, HideMyAss comes with 2 kill switches. The standard one cuts your entire internet traffic connection if the VPN fails or drops for any reason. This worked reliably during testing and ensured our IP address never leaked if the app was forced to close.
There is also the option to set up the smart kill switch to close specific apps or clients if the VPN connection drops and re-launch them once the connection is re-established. This helps torrenting fans who want to ensure that they are always protected, even if they forget to activate the VPN manually every time they want to download or share once it is active again.
With HideMyAss, there is support for a wide range of first-rate VPN protocols, including OpenVPN and IKEv2, which is reassuring; however, there is no support for the newest WireGuard protocol.
The provider utilizes RSA-4096 for handshaking and SHA-256 encryption for data authentication. HideMyAss also employs its own DNS servers to prevent DNS leaks, and it protects against dangerous phishing websites.
Another important thing to consider when choosing a VPN service is data logging and user protection. So, we have compared the no-logging policies and security audits offered by HideMyAss vs ExpressVPN.
On its website, ExpressVPN states that it believes privacy to be a fundamental user right. The provider does not store, log, monitor, or share VPN connection or user online activity logs. Moreover, ExpressVPN offers a simple, readable no-logs statement, which is extremely reassuring. ExpressVPN also states that it does not store accessed IP addresses, login timestamps, originating IP addresses, or any information regarding the websites you visit.
However, there is still some logging, including the date of your VPN connection, chosen server, data bandwidth utilizes, and the version number of your VPN client. Fortunately, since the provider does not store the time, IP address, or browsing information, there is no way that your VPN activity could be linked to you, your device, or your actual IP address.
Moreover, ExpressVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands, a country that enjoys excellent privacy laws. This means that the provider is not required to store or submit any information to the United States or the United Kingdom, and it is not a member of the 5 or 14 Eyes Alliances either.
Users don’t even have to take the company’s word for it, as renowned internet security company PricewaterhouseCoopers have independently audited its software and security policies, and the audit is free to read.
HMA offers a no-logs policy as part of a large legal section on its website. The policy states that the provider does not log originating IP addresses, precise connection timestamps, DNS queries, user browsing activity information, or shared data.
Like ExpressVPN, HideMyAss carries out a minimal amount of logging, namely the date of your VPN connection and a general indicator of transferred data. However, HideMyAss states that this data is stored for the purpose of customer service, troubleshooting, and analyzing network capacity and server coverage, which is understandable.
Reassuringly, HideMyAss has even completed an independent security audit of its no-logging policy. VerSprite, a well-known security company, carried out the audit. The audit analyzed data, internet traffic, and storage on the HideMyAss client and server network, and the VPN provider received the lowest possible user privacy rating from VerSprite.
So, even though HMA is based in the UK, a country well-known for strict data regulation laws, we’re satisfied that user data is safe with this provider.
Ease of use is an important factor when using a VPN service, so we’ve looked at HMA and ExpressVPN’s desktop clients to compare them.
Setting up and installing ExpressVPN on Windows or macOS is easy. All you need to do is sign up for an ExpressVPN account; then, the site will detect your system OS and redirect you to the relevant client download link. There is also the option to use a QR code or email yourself a client setup link for a different device.
Once you have downloaded and installed the ExpressVPN client on your device, you will need to verify your identity with an activation code, which is simple and reduces the need to enter your login information. There is multi-platform support as ExpressVPN offers dedicated desktop clients for Windows, macOS, and Linux. If you want to use a different client, you can also use the ExpressVPN OVPN configuration files.
When you launch the ExpressVPN client on the desktop, the interface is clean, simple, and easy to use. There is an automatically selected Smart Location and a large Connect button that allows VPN protection instantly. Clicking on the selected server location will offer a list of additional servers, as well as a search box to find a particular server.
The app also features a handy Favorites system which will save your most used servers for easy access later on. On Windows and macOS, you can also access your last three server connections on a menu panel without even needing to open the actual client.
There is little information regarding the internet speed, latency, or ping of a particular server. However, there is a built-in internet speed test option for precise server data, and connection speeds were good on our speed tests.
In the Settings, you will have access to a choice of VPN protocols, including L2TP/IPsec, IKEv2, Lightway, OpenVPN UDP, and OpenVPN TCP. You can also activate IPv6 leak protection and configure the DNS settings. There is also a split tunneling feature, which allows you to choose the apps that run through the VPN connection and those that don’t.
Signing up for HideMyAss is easy; choose your desired payment plan, and after paying, the download page will offer the relevant download link for your device. There are dedicated HMA clients for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
The HideMyAss client has recently been updated and is now simplified and easier to use. A list of server locations, a large ON/OFF button, and a Settings section feature various configurable settings and features.
There is a useful Location Picker feature, which means you do not have to scroll endlessly to find your desired server. You can view server locations by continent, streaming support, or P2P optimized. There is a Search box and a Favorites section too. There are no latency or internet speed indicators; however, you can check a particular server’s speed with the speed test.
The sidebar features a few configuration options, including the option to set up an automatic connection whenever you access the internet or to activate the VPN’s two kill switches. HideMyAss also offers an unusual IP shuffle feature that alters your IP address at regularly defined intervals. This adds an additional layer of online protection and makes it almost impossible for anyone to track your activity.
All VPN companies should offer native smartphone apps. ExpressVPN and HideMyAss offer dedicated apps for mobile that are well-designed and easy to use and come with a range of advanced security features.
On mobile, ExpressVPN is excellent too. The iOS, Android, and desktop apps are relatively similar. Both mobile apps can be easily downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. Setup is simple and requires you to enter your login information and accept some terms and conditions. You can also download an APK file for Android from ExpressVPN’s website.
Both ExpressVPN mobile apps come with a range of interesting features, including an IP address checker, a WebRTC and DNS leak tester, and a strong password generator. Unfortunately, neither mobile app features the useful speed test available on the desktop version, so there is no way to tell how fast a particular server is.
However, a Smart Location feature enables easy access to the best available server regarding internet speed and proximity. Although they lack some advanced desktop features, the ExpressVPN mobile apps are impressively powerful and well-designed.
The HideMyAss iOS and Android mobile apps are similar to its desktop clients. Many VPNs neglect to include their best features on mobile versions; however, HideMyAss is different. The user-friendly apps for mobile feature OpenVPN UDP/TCP connections, IP Shuffle, split tunneling, Auto-Connect, and more.
The advanced features available on the HideMyAss mobile VPN apps are rarely seen elsewhere. The apps are well-designed and easy to use, which means that they are a great choice for beginner VPN users.
For many users, the streaming performance of a VPN service is one of the most important features.
As an ExpressVPN user, you will gain access to a host of geo-restricted content on streaming sites such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, YouTube, and HBO, making it one of the most reliable streaming VPNs on the market. The provider boasts excellent connection speeds, so you can stream your favorite content in high-definition or even 4K without lag or buffering.
However, HMA’s streaming reliability leaves room for improvement. Although HMA has 189 optimized streaming servers and can access BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime Video, it struggles to access a host of other streaming services, which is disappointing.
The upside is that HMA offers decent connection speeds, so if you manage to access your favorite geo-restricted content, you can stream it in high-definition with ease.
Although ExpressVPN does not openly advertise its support for torrenting and P2P sharing, the provider offers P2P optimization across all its servers, which is incredibly impressive. This means that you do not have to worry about finding a torrenting server, as they are all suitable by default.
With ExpressVPN, there are excellent connection speeds meaning that you do not have to worry about long download times. With no bandwidth restrictions, you do not have to worry about how much data you are consuming.
HMA also supports torrenting; however, it is limited to a small number of locations, which may cause issues for some users. There are excellent privacy protection features, decent server coverage, IP Shuffle, and decent connection speeds, meaning that it is not a bad choice for torrenting, as long as you can find a P2P-optimised server close to you.
Problems can arise while using even the best VPN service, so it is reassuring to know that the provider offers decent customer support to ensure assistance is on hand when you need it most.
ExpressVPN offers a host of troubleshooting content on its website that is well-written, helpful, and comprehensive. However, if you do not have time to read through the articles, there is a 24/7 live-chat customer support option too for instant assistance whether you are having issues while web browsing or you want to find out more about the subscription payment options.
With HideMyAss, customer support is excellent, thanks to a range of setup and troubleshooting guides, FAQs, and a 24/7 live-chat customer support option. Although the content is not as in-depth or comprehensive as ExpressVPN, it is still helpful and will be sufficient for the average user.
Express’ VPN server network consists of 3,000 servers in 160 locations across 94 countries. It has many US-based servers in popular states such as California, New York, and Washington. However, ExpressVPN also offers locations in the Middle East and African countries such as South Africa.
HMA Users also have a large selection of choices regarding its VPN server network. Although the provider offers fewer servers, at around 1,000 only, it operates across 290 countries which is extremely impressive. You can get IP addresses from many regions, which gives you more internet freedom than ever.
Overall, ExpressVPN comes out on top when compared to HMA. Although HMA offers a stellar service and is a popular VPN provider, with various subscription plans, server locations, and good security features, ExpressVPN wins out of these two VPN services.
The deciding factor is the fact that with ExpressVPN, you are guaranteed more online privacy. This is thanks to the secure technology it uses to keep subscribers safe.
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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