HideMyAss launched in 2005 and has been protecting users privacy ever since. They were a pioneer in the VPN industry and continue to expand the service. You will be hard pressed to find a VPN with a larger network footprint than HMA. The service is perfect for those who travel frequently. They host servers in 190 countries and continue to expand into new server locations. Members enjoy unlimited access and two connections at a time.
HMA Pro VPN Plans and Discounts
HideMyAss offers a single VPN plan that comes with unlimited access to their network. Members can use the service on up to two devices at a time. This allows you to secure both your laptop and phone while on the go. The retail price of HMA Pro VPN is $11.52 a month but HMA is running a Black Friday special. HideMyAss is offering discounts on all terms and even deeper savings on longer terms including six month and annual sign ups.
The HMA team is currently running a promotion. At the moment they are offering 57% off annual sign ups. Enjoy a full year of VPN access from just $4.99 a month. Visit their HMA Pro VPN Special page to learn more. You will clearly see the discounted pricing as shown above.
Video Review
In addition to our full written review we have recorded a video review that shows their VPN service in action. It also gives you an inside look at their Windows client software. You can use it to easily connect to any of their 350 server locations in 190 countries.
Sign Up Process & Payment Options
The HideMyAss VPN sign up process consists of two steps. In step one you will choose a username and password. You will also enter the email address you want HMA to use for a welcome email and for future support requests. The next screen and second step in the sign up process is where you enter payment information. You can pay for HMA using PayPal, credit card, bank wire transfer, bitcoin, iDeal, WebMoney, and Onebip SMS.
HideMyAss Free Trial
The HideMyAss team offers a 30 day money back guarantee. You can test their VPN network risk-free for a month. There are a few limitations. To be eligible for a refund you need to stay under 10 GB of data usage and 100 sessions. If you decide that you do not wish to keep the service just send an email to cancel. Make sure you don’t go over the usage limits.
Key VPN Service Features
HideMyAss has a number of features that stand out for their VPN service. Here are a few highlights:
Large network – HMA has the largest VPN network in the world and continues to add new server locations on a regular basis.
Load balancing – the HMA Pro VPN client for Windows and Mac will recommend another server if the server you choose is crowded.
Auto IP changes – you can set the HMA client to rotate your IP address on a regular basis. Allowing you to use several IPs in a single session.
VPN clients – custom software for Windows and Mac.
Mobile apps – custom apps for iOS and Android devices.
VPN Server Locations
The HideMyAss network is huge with over 940 VPN servers in 350 server locations in 190 countries. Members have access to over 120,000 IP addresses. Switch between servers anytime with the HMA Pro VPN client and mobile apps. Here’s a list of server locations sorted by region:
Africa – Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Cote d’lvoire, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Seychelles, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, and Zambia.
Asia – Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, South Korea, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Yemen.
Central America – Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama.
Europe – Aland Islands, Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and United Kingdom.
North America – Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Greenland, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, and United States.
Oceania – Australia, Christmas Island, Cook Islands, Kiribati, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Palau, Pitcairn Islands, Tokelau, and Vanuatu.
South America – Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Falkland Islands, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Security and Privacy
HideMyAss uses 128-bit encryption for OpenVPN and PPTP. They support 256-bit keys for L2TP connections. The HMA Pro VPN service supports OpenVPN, PPTP and L2TP protocols. We recommend using OpenVPN (UDP) for the best speeds. Connect to the network using their custom Windows and Mac software. They also have custom apps for iOS and Android.
If you’re looking for a no log VPN service then HideMyAss isn’t for you. The HMA team is open about what they log and how long they keep logs. You can read the details on their site to learn more. In short here’s a list of info HMA collects:
a time stamp when you connect and disconnect to our VPN service;
the amount of data transmitted (upload and download) during your session;
the IP address used by you to connect to our VPN;
and the IP address of the individual VPN server used by you
Customer Support
Technical support is an area HideMyAss has focused more effort on lately. In the past it could be hard to get a response at times. They have done much better lately. I hope the trend continues. The HMA team is available through the live chat, email, and Twitter. They also have a knowledge base with helpful articles and a forum where you can discuss the service.
HideMyAss Speed and Reliability
We run speed tests on a regular basis and HideMyAss has shown mixed results over the years. The HMA service is massive. They have a large network and a lot of customers. That can cause a challenge at times. I’m happy to share that HMA updated their client software to default to using UDP connections. Since the update the performance is much better for members without having to tweak advanced features in the client.
HMA US speed test – we tested Hide My Ass in several US cities and found their speed in Chacago to be 36.91 Mbps download and 4.00 Mbps upstream.
HMA UK speed test – connecting to a server in London we were able to achieve speeds of 38.69 Mbps download and 3.94 Mbps upstream.
HMA Canada speed test – we were able to achieve download speeds up to 30.52 Mbps connected to their Toronto server.
VPN Client Software and Compatibility
HideMyAss has developed some of the best software in the industry. Their HMA Pro VPN client for Windows and Mac has several advanced features. We’ll show you some of them in a moment. They also have nice mobile apps for iOS and Android. You can connect to their network on two devices simultaneously. HMA provides set up guides for those who want to encrypt all your network traffic through a DD-WRT router.
HideMyAss Windows client in action
The HideMyAss client supports Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 10. Here is a quick summary of the HMA Windows client features:
Server locations – easily find server locations based on the country and city.
Favorites – set favorite servers for easy access.
IP address settings – change IP address without disconnecting and schedule regular IP changes
HideMyAss Mac client in action
The HideMyAss Mac client requires OS X 10.7 (Lion) or later. They also have an older version compatible with Snow Leopard, Leopard, Tiger, Panther and older OSX versions. Here is a quick summary of the HMA Mac client features:
Search feature – easily search for a server in the country selection
Auto-path – enable this option to connect using UDP for the fastest connections
IP address settings – change IP address without disconnecting and schedule regular IP changes
HideMyAss iOS app in action
The HideMyAss iPhone app require iOS 6.0 or later. The app is optimized for iPhone 5. Here is a quick summary of the HMA iOS app features:
Favorites – set server locations as favorites
Select by country – select a server location from country list
Protocol type – select between VPN protocols
HideMyAss Android app in action
The HideMyAss app requires Android 4.0 and up. Here is a quick summary of the HMA Android app features:
Favorites – you can mark your favorite server locations
Server list – select a server from a list of countries
Search – you can search for server locations
Tips for Using HideMyAss
There are so many uses for a VPN like HMA that we wanted to end with some tips to help you select the best server location and protocol for different situations.
Secure your internet connection – if your primary goal is to secure your data and increase your online privacy then I suggest you connect using the OpenVPN protocol. For the best performance you will want to connect to a nearby server.
Unblock geo-blocked sites like Netflix – if your primary goal is to unblock popular online streaming sites like Netflix, Hulu and HBO Go then you will want to connect to a server in the United States. In the case of Netflix you can connect to a server in another country if you want to view a content library in another region. For BBC iPlayer and other British channels connect to a server in the UK. The same is true for channels in other countries. Connect to a VPN server in the country you wish to watch content in.
Watch live sporting events – this is one of my favorites. HMA has a large network for watching live sporting events like the World Cup, Olympics, ICC Cricket, Super Bowl, and Grand Prix circuit. Connect to a server in the country you’d like to watch coverage in to enjoy the event.
Conclusion
HideMyAss is one of the largest VPN service in the world for a reason. They had a head start on the competition and continue to push the envelope. The HMA team is very focused on network expansion. They have the largest VPN network and continue to add server locations on a regular basis. If I had to pick some negatives for the service it would be their logging policy and delay in response to tech support in the past. That said, the pros of the HMA service far outnumber the cons.
I’ve been a member of HideMyAss since 2010 and don’t plan to drop my subscription anytime soon. The service is perfect for those who travel a lot. They have server locations in places that I didn’t even know existed. The combination of their network and client software makes them well suited for those seeking privacy protection and those who want to unblock content in other countries. You can sign up for HMA Pro VPN from just $4.99 a month. All new members are covered under their 30 day money back guarantee.
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