HideMyAss VPN Review

HideMyAss VPN

$83.88/year

8.9

Pricing & Subscription Plans

9.2/10

Ease of Use

9.0/10

Speed & Server Locations

8.5/10

Security & Privacy

9.1/10

Streaming

9.0/10

Online Support

9.0/10

Additional Features

8.7/10

Pros

• Has 1,000 servers in 298 locations across more than 190 countries
• Has zero-logging policy & public Wi-Fi protection
• 256-bit AES-GCM data encryption
• 4096-bit RSA handshake & SHA256 data authentication
• Supports OpenVPN and IKEV2/IPSec
• Can Access Netflix US & BBC iPlayer
• Has Internet Kill Switch & App Kill Switch
• Has I.P. Shuffle Feature & Supports P2P and Torrent
• Has DNS leak, IPV6 leak & WebRTC leak protections

Cons

• Internet Kill Switch does not work in some instances
• Speed of some servers are slower
• Split tunneling feature is only present on Android

Go To HideMyAss VPN

HideMyAss VPN Review

HideMyAss VPN is one of the most interesting virtual private networks in the cybersecurity industry. In fact, it gained the attention of more than 400 million service subscribers worldwide. The VPN platform was actually created and founded by Jack Cator in 2005 while he was only 16 years old. In 2016, HideMyAss VPN became a subsidiary of Avast, a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions. HideMyAss has headquarters in 110 High Holborn, London, WC1V 6JS, UK and offices in Belgrade, Serbia and Prague, Czechia.

Jump to:

Pricing & Subscription Plans
Who is it for?
Ease of Use
Speed & Server Locations
Security & Privacy
Streaming
Online Support
Additional Features
Conclusion

Pricing & Subscription Plans

I browsed the pricing structure for the services of HideMyAss VPN and I found out that the VPN provider has 4 main subscription plans.The monthly plan being the most expensive so it’s better to commit for one of the others and save up. It will cost me $83.88 if I get the yearly subscription plan. On the other hand, it will cost me $119.76 for the 2-year subscription plan.  Furthermore, it will cost me $143.64 for the 3-year subscription plan. All of the pricing plans mentioned above can accommodate a maximum of 5 simultaneous connections at once.

HMA also has a family plan (10 simultaneous connections) as well as plans for small businesses and startups. Because of this, HideMyAss VPN is recognized as the best VPN for multiple devices.

HideMyAss VPN is also generous enough to give a money-back guarantee for 30 days. Check the price table below to know more. HMA is offering a variety of payment methods, from most popular credit cards to PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Web Money, direct debit and many other local payment options.

Who is it for?

HideMyAss VPN is recommended for people who want to implement anonymous web browsing as part of their normal routine. It is also best for people who want to view geo-restricted content from various websites and video streaming services. I also highly suggest getting the services of HideMyAss VPN to bypass internet censorship procedures of various countries. HideMyAss VPN is also for people who want to evade the prying eyes of government agencies in countries with enhanced intelligence gathering and surveillance. I also recommend the VPN platform for downloading and uploading torrent files.

Ease of Use

It is easy to download the desktop client version of HideMyAss VPN. I just have to click the “Download” menu option at the upper right corner of the main page of the website of the VPN provider. Once I clicked it, it redirected me to another page where all of the logos of the operating systems and devices that are compatible with the HideMyAss VPN system can be seen. I clicked the Windows OS icon and it redirected me to the page where the “Download” button is present. It took me 30 seconds to download the desktop client version for Windows OS on my computer.

It is also easy to pay for a subscription plan. All I have to do is select a subscription plan and click the “Buy Now” button at the price page of HideMyAss VPN in order to be redirected to the checkout page. Next, I need to select a payment method. If I choose the credit card option, then I have to reveal my name, e-mail address, credit card details, as well as my country. After doing so, I need to click the “Place Order” button on the screen.

It is also easy to sign up for an account. I just need to provide an e-mail address and type my chosen password twice. I then need to click the box of the reCAPTCHA validation system and then click the “Create” button. These procedures can be done by accessing the “My Account” menu option at the upper right corner of the main page of the VPN provider’s website.

I have found out that HideMyAss VPN is compatible with computer operating systems such as Windows, Linux, and MacOS. The VPN platform is also compatible with iOS and Android mobile devices. HideMyAss VPN can also be used in routers as well as in Apple TVs and AndroidTVs. HMA is also offering free proxy browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox.

Once I’m inside the desktop client version of HideMyAss VPN, I can modify the following general settings:

• Start HMA VPN when my computer starts (activate / deactivate)
• Hide the app once it started (activate / deactivate)
• Show notifications (activate / deactivate)
• Language (28 options including English)
• Participate in beta testing (activate / deactivate)

Advanced settings include the following:

• Use TCP only (activate / deactivate)
• Show diagnostics window when the app starts (activate / deactivate)

Connection settings include the following:

• Auto-connect (Do nothing, Ask or Turn VPN on automatically)
• Exclude private networks (activate / deactivate)

All other settings and features not mentioned above are discussed in great detail under security and privacy section as well as in the additional features section of HideMyAss VPN Review.

Speed & Server Locations

I was really amazed when I found out that HideMyAss VPN has lots of servers at its disposal. This best VPN service provider currently has more than 1,000 servers in 298 locations across more than 190 countries spreading throughout the entire world.

The United States of America dominates in terms of the number of HideMyAss VPN Servers since the country has 204 servers. It represents approximately 20% of the total number of available servers.

 On the other hand, France has 52 servers while Canada has 45 servers. Australia has 39 servers while Germany has 24 servers. South Africa has 21 servers while Brazil has 20 servers. The United Kingdom has 19 servers while Spain has 16 servers. Russia has 13 servers while Norway has 10 servers.  The rest of the servers not mentioned above are placed in various countries.

HideMyAss VPN also has unlimited bandwidth. However, there are some servers that are underperforming. The data centers of HideMyAss VPN can accommodate a minimum of 10 Gbps and a maximum of 20 Gbps throughput according to the VPN provider. Check the table below for the actual results of the speed tests I conducted without any bias and any prejudice.

Security & Privacy

I can easily protect my internet privacy when connected to HideMyAss VPN since the virtual private network platform issues a false I.P. address to hide the original one. I can activate the VPN system by selecting a server from any of the 298 locations and by clicking on the oval-shaped switch button. HideMyAss VPN also implements a zero-logging policy. It also has a public Wi-Fi protection system.

HideMyAss VPN currently supports OpenVPN and IKEV2/IPSec VPN protocols. The VPN system uses the unbreakable 256-bit AES data encryption in Galois Counter Mode in combination with 4096-bit RSA handshake and SHA256 data authentication.

Streaming

HideMyAss VPN can stream videos directly from Netflix US at a very fast pace. In fact, it took less than 5 seconds before the movie I watched loaded initially. The efficiency and speed of the streaming server of HideMyAss VPN are confirmed by the absence of video buffering. This confirms the notion that HideMyAss VPN is fast and efficient. I have not experienced technical issues while connected to the streaming server. There are 3 streaming servers in the United States, 1 streaming server in the UK, and 1 streaming server in Germany. Because of the presence of streaming servers, we can assume that all geo-restricted content of various video streaming services such as BBC iPlayer can be bypassed as well.

Online Support

HideMyAss VPN has a relatively strong online customer support system. In fact, there are setup guides, knowledge base, user manuals as well as a collection of frequently asked questions (FAQs). There is also a forum page for the community that is using HideMyAss VPN.

I can send an e-mail to customer support at info@hidemyass.com. I can also create a support ticket to convey my technical concerns. On top of that, I can easily contact the technical support team through the live chat system.

Additional Features

There are various additional features that HideMyAss VPN offers. Listed below are the following:

Internet Kill Switch & App Kill Switch

HideMyAss VPN has an Internet Kill Switch that will block any form of unencrypted internet traffic from passing through. This means that websites and other apps running on the internet will temporarily be unavailable if you are not connected to the VPN service. However, I’m not sure why the Internet Kill Switch feature does not properly function in my end.

I.P. Shuffle

I can use the I.P. Shuffle feature to increase my internet security further. It allows me to use different I.P. addresses while connected to a particular HideMyAss VPN server. It will make hackers and spying government agencies harder to track my location with this feature. I can set the frequency of I.P. shuffle as well.  I can set it to every 30 minutes, every 1 hour, every 6 hours, every 12 hours, or even daily. I can also set a custom schedule for implementing the I.P. shuffle.

P2P Servers & Torrent

I can also connect to servers dedicated to peer-to-peer file sharing. This means that uploading and downloading files can be much faster through the P2P servers while constantly remaining to be under encrypted internet connection and secure data transfer. This also means that uploading and downloading torrent files are also supported.

Split Tunneling

The split tunneling feature is only present on Android mobile devices. With this feature, I can select which websites and which internet traffic goes through the VPN connection. I can send some other internet traffic through unencrypted channels.

Mobile Applications

HideMyAss VPN has mobile applications for Android & iOS mobile devices. I can connect to public Wi-Fi in a much more secure manner using the VPN application.

Other Features

HideMyAss VPN has other features such as DNS leak protection, IPV6 leak protection, and WebRTC leak protection.

Conclusion

I can easily protect my internet privacy when connected to HideMyAss VPN since the virtual private network platform issues a false I.P. address to hide the original one. This means that my true location and identity is never exposed. On top of that, I can use the I.P. Shuffle feature to increase my internet security further. It allows me to use different I.P. addresses while connected to a particular HideMyAss VPN server. I can set the various time intervals based on my preference. Furthermore I can encrypt my internet using 256-bit AES encryption whenever I connect to the VPN platform.

I would also like you to know that the results of the speed tests I conducted conveyed that HideMyAss VPN servers are relatively fast and efficient. However, there are certain servers however where the speed results are lower. HideMyAss VPN can also stream videos directly from Netflix US at a very fast pace and without video buffering based on my experience.

HideMyAss VPN also has a relatively strong online customer support system. All of the advanced features such as split tunneling, and I.P. shuffle work well with the exception of the Internet Kill Switch. Overall, I would still recommend using HideMyAss VPN.

I hope I answered all your questions within this HideMyAss VPN Review. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section down below!