Many people use VPNs for many different reasons. Some need security and identity protection, others - speed and unlocking geo-restricted content. Whatever the case might be, in this HideMyAss review, we’ll try to see if HideMyAss fits in any of those roles.
VPNs might seem like tricky tools to figure out at first, but worry not - we’ll be looking at some of HMA’s most essential features, and see what customer HMA VPN reviews have to say about the security software. After we’ve discussed all the general information, in the end, I’ll also tell you if I’d recommend HideMyAss myself.
TL;DR: HideMyAss is a pretty interesting VPN. It’s very simple to use, has all of the essential security features you could expect from a top-tier product, yet does also possess some quirky issues, such as connecting to the wrong servers. However, the team behind HMA has been hard at work to make the VPN the best it can be.
Pros
- AES 256-bit data encryption
- Multiple security protocols (OpenVPN included)
- Great speeds
- No DNS or WebRTC leaks
- A new no-logging policy
Cons
- Limited torrenting and Netflix support
- Mediocre customer support
Table of Contents
- 1. HideMyAss Review: PROS
- 1.1. AES 256-Bit Encryption + OpenVPN Protocol
- 1.2. Kill Switch
- 1.3. No DNS & WebRTC Leaks
- 1.4. Above-Average Speed Statistics
- 2. HideMyAss Review: CONS
- 2.1. Glitchy Servers
- 2.2. Some Information Logging
- 2.3. Limited Torrenting and Netflix USA Access
- 2.4. Poor Customer Support
- 3. Price
- 4. Conclusions
HideMyAss Review: PROS
To start off our HideMyAss review, let’s talk about some of the more positive aspects of the VPN.
In all honesty, no matter your reasoning for looking for a VPN, a device like that should always be secure. Whether you want to watch Netflix, download and upload files or are interested in online anonymity, security is going to be beneficial, either way - most customer HMA VPN reviews tend to agree.
With that said, let’s start off by looking at the security aspects of HideMyAss.
AES 256-Bit Encryption + OpenVPN Protocol
If you’ve ever dealt with VPNs before, you’re probably well aware of AES 256 and OpenVPN. Well, to cut to the chase - HMA utilizes them.
If, however, you’re not quite sure what all of that means, allow me to elaborate.
AES 256 refers to a data encryption system. What it does is that it encrypts the information that your machine sends and receives while the VPN is active, with the hope that malicious third parties wouldn’t be able to track it and see what you’re doing on the web.
Now, some customer HideMyAss reviews might tell you this, but it’s very important to reiterate - AES 256 is the most advanced data encryption system to date. It is yet to be breached (frankly, it probably won’t be in our lifetimes), and is utilized by top governmental agencies in the US.
A note here should be made that, sometimes, you’ll see VPNs offer AES 128, instead. While it is true that this encryption system will allow your internet connection to be faster, it’s not as secure, and is thus not recommended.
So, HMA uses AES 256… But what about OpenVPN?
Well, the same customer HideMyAss VPN reviews will explain that OpenVPN is a security protocol-software. It’s the main type of security protocol used with all of the major VPNs in the industry, and will help HMA keep your connection safe and secure.
On that note, HMA actually supports other protocols, too - IPSec, L2TP, and so on. Pretty neat!
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Kill Switch
Upon first logging into HMA and going to check out the settings of the VPN, you’ll notice that there is a feature called a “kill switch”.
A simple google search will reveal to you that kill switches are like the emergency buttons in a factory. If something goes wrong, and a person presses the button, all of the machinery in the factory immediately stops, without taking its tie and shutting down “the proper way”.
Well, the same concept can be applied in this HideMyAss review, too.
As far as VPNs are concerned, kill switches are like those emergency buttons, except that they’re automatic - you don’t need to press anything. A kill switch, if activated, will terminate all of the online processes that you’re doing (browsing the web, logging into a site, downloading or sending something, etc.) if you suddenly lose connection to the VPN.
This is done in order to prevent your personal information from leaking out. Say, your VPN spazzes out, but your internet connection is still active - suddenly, anyone and everyone can see what you were doing online! In order to prevent this, however, you’d keep your kill switch active - HMA lets you do just that.
UPDATE 2023:
HMA has significantly updated their kill switch. As of a recent update, you can now add certain apps to a designated list on the VPN. Once you launch an app from the list, HideMyAss will turn on, as well, and launch a safe and secure tunnel for the app to function through. An amazing feature!
No DNS & WebRTC Leaks
Information leaks are among the most severe issues that a VPN might have. If the tool leaks your DNS (Domain Name System) or WebRTC information, it basically reveals your identity and all of the sensitive data associated with it to any and all interested third parties.
As is customary, I’ve performed DNS and WebRTC leak tests for this HideMyAss review. And, as you’ll notice below, both tests passed with flying colors.
It’s actually a huge relief! What this means is that the VPN is secure, and has all of the essential background safety processes running flawlessly.
Above-Average Speed Statistics
So, it’s fair to claim in this HideMyAss review that HMA does, indeed, have most of the proper security measures in place - that’s great! Now, the next most important thing that comes after security tends to be the connection speed.
It makes sense, though! Say, you’ve read all of the customer HideMyAss reviews and HMA Pro VPN reviews, and decided to try out the digital security tool for yourself. While you can frankly rest assured that you’ll be safe data security-wise, if your connection is slow, you won’t be able to do all that much online, now will you?
Well, thankfully, from all of the tests that I’ve done for this HMA VPN review, the situation seems to be pretty good.
Since I’m located in the EU, I first tested the EU server located in the Netherlands. My average download speed without a VPN sways around 80Mbps.
I have to say, even though some customer HideMyAss reviews did note that the VPN has decent speed parameters, I was very pleasantly surprised! The tool almost didn’t affect my download speed whatsoever!
Next up, the server located in the US - more specifically, in New York.
Wow! Sure, the ping isn’t ideal, but that was to be expected. The upload speed did suffer, as well, but that is usually also the case with even the best of VPNs out there. The download speed, however, is amazing - definitely a win on HMA’s part!
UPDATE 2023:
Among other updates, HMA has taken measures to ensure that their server speed would improve even further. These measures include employing new, 20Gbps servers on the company's VPN servers. Frankly, you can expect much faster VPN performance results!
HideMyAss Review: CONS
Now, we’ve discussed some of the most prominent benefits that customer HideMyAss and HMA Pro reviews cover. With that, it’s probably obvious that no digital security tool is perfect - as great as it may look at first glance, it’s important to be transparent and cover some of the more negative aspects, too.
Glitchy Servers
One of the more common issues that I and my colleagues have faced has to do with the server connectivity of HMA.
It’s actually somewhat of an interesting and unique issue, but sometimes, as you’re connecting to a server through HMA, you might notice that you did, in fact, get connected to a different one than you intended.
For example, I wanted to connect to a server located in the US. Instead, I noticed that HMA connected me to one based out in Hungary.
To put it very simply, it would seem that the VPN’s servers are prone to glitching out every once in a while. While this might not be a major issue in the grand scheme of things, it’s something worth keeping in mind, nonetheless.
Some Information Logging
This is actually one of the more serious issues that some customer HideMyAss VPN reviews have pointed out.
Information logging happens when a VPN provider tracks the private information of your session. This can include timestamps, the sites that you visit, messages, email addresses, original IP addresses, and so on.
The provider might then do one of the two following things - either sell the collected information off to advertising agencies, or hand it over to the government. Given the fact that HMA is located in the UK, this is actually a pretty big possibility.
You see, UK is one of the five countries that form the 5-Eyes surveillance alliance. It is comprised of five different countries that share information with one another. If you do something that’s considered illegal while logged into a VPN that tracks your data, that information might reach governmental agencies in no time.
As far as this HideMyAss review is concerned, however, things might not be AS bad as that.
According to various customer HMA Pro reviews, the VPN tracks customer usernames, IP addresses, timestamps and a few other, less-intrusive pieces of information. In all honesty, that’s not ideal.
Update 2023 / 2023:
HMA updated its logging policy. The company no longer saves your IP address, DND queries, the time you were connected, the amount of transferred data, and your activity.
On top of that, the VPN is now certified with a cybersecurity consulting platform called VerSprite. We're happy to see that HMA is taking user privacy seriously and is moving in the right direction!
Limited Torrenting and Netflix USA Access
If you read some customer HideMyAss VPN reviews and were planning to purchase and use this VPN for file-sharing and Netflix-watching purposes, I’m afraid you’re a bit out of luck in this regard, too.
Thing is, HMA does support both torrenting (and P2P file sharing, in general) and Netflix. Both, however, are supported to a very limited extent.
As far as Netflix is concerned, HMA has one single server that unlocks the extra content that would be region-restricted in any other case. This isn’t all that surprising, granted that Netflix seems to be hard at work on cracking down on the usage of VPNs, in general.
Torrenting is also an interesting case. You can torrent files (both download, and upload them), but it would seem that some clients work better than others, and all of them suffer from a single, yet severe issue - super-slow connection speeds.
Truth be told, as far as content-streaming and file-sharing activities are concerned, there are much better alternatives to HMA out there. If these are the main reasons why you’d need a VPN, do check out some of those alternatives instead.
Poor Customer Support
An interesting note is that one of the things that HMA promises its customer on the pricing page is “24/7 customer support”. I say that this is interesting because, if you were to take a single look at some customer HideMyAss reviews online, you’d notice that they tell a whole different story.
People who have bought the VPN and needed some sort of support mention that it’s very difficult to get it from HMA. Apparently, they are not at all responsive to emails, and the only way to get some life signals from the company is by contacting them via social media.
Needless to say, that should not be the case. While it is true that customer support is one of the more painful areas in the VPN industry, that’s not a scapegoat by any stretch of the imagination. If HMA wants to climb up the ladder and build up a reputation of being a reliable VPN provider, they should definitely address the negative customer HideMyAss reviews, and step up their support game.
UPDATE 2023:
HMA has proven that they've taken into account all of the customer feedback that they receive, both as far as customer support is concerned, and when it comes to other features of the VPN. You can expect the support team to be much more responsive, to address your concerns appropriately, and for the general interface of the product to be much simpler and more fun to use.
Price
With all the pros and cons of HMA out of the way, let’s discuss one final thing concerning this VPN provider - the price.
HMA’s pricing plans look a little something like this:
In all honesty, it’s far from being the most affordable VPN out there, but it’s also not too expensive.
The brand promises a 30-day money-back guarantee, which is a good sign for anyone who’s not sure and wants to try the VPN out before committing to using it longterm. Combine that with a 7-day free trial, and you’ve got yourself a pretty good deal!
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Conclusions
So, then - judging by the customer HideMyAss reviews, is HMA worth using?
Well, it depends. Admittedly, the VPN comes with a whole lot of different security features, does not leak sensitive information and is very easy to use. These are some great signs, especially when you add the fact that the speed statistics are top-tier!
That said, if you’re someone who needs absolute privacy, or are planning to use the VPN for Netflix and torrenting purposes, then there are much better options out there. The best and most-reputable VPN providers in the industry are going to provide you with all of those features, and often for a lower price tag, too.
By the way, if you're interested, do check out our VPN comparison tool - there, you'll get all of the essential information about the industry-leading VPNs, all packed into concise and easy-to-follow blocks.
All of that said, I hope that this HideMyAss review was informative to you, and that you now know more about HMA. Thanks for reading, and until next time!