HideMyAss! (HMA) VPN Review

Is HMA VPN Really No-Logs?

If you are looking for a VPN provider, you need to find one that doesn’t store, shall, or sell your data. Many VPNs call themselves ‘no-logs’ but actually store more data than you may think. Luckily for HMA customers, HideMyAss! is a 100% certified no-log provider.

HMA doesn’t collect any data that could link you to using the app, including browsing activity or your real IP address. However, that doesn’t mean that HMA doesn’t log some information. We scoured through HMA’s long privacy policy to find what it does store on users and discovered that HMA collects the following information:

• The day you connect to the VPN
• Whether you connect in the AM or PM (but no specific time)
• The amount of data transmitted during your session

This data is collected and stored for 35 days before being deleted. HMA states that it stores this information to analyze its servers’ activity and capacity but doesn’t do anything more with it. Since HideMyAss! has had its privacy policy audited and verified by a third-party, we believe that there is nothing untoward going on with the information the provider collects.

Where is HMA VPN Based?

HideMyAss! is a UK-based VPN, which isn’t great news for customers. For one thing, the UK is well known for its surveillance of citizens. Plus, the UK is a founding member of the Five Eyes security alliance, which means it shares citizen information with other Five Eyes members.

Even though HMA is based in a country that isn’t so privacy-friendly, HMA itself doesn’t log data. Therefore, if the UK government were to request data from HMA’s servers, there would be nothing for HMA to hand over. For this reason, we wouldn’t worry too much about the location of HMA’s headquarters.

Is HMA VPN Free?

We all love a free product. However, in some cases, ‘free’ doesn’t always equal quality. When you’re browsing VPNs, you may be taken in by the fact that some are free, but these services will more often than not abuse your data and have less than effective security features.

HMA is not one such free service. However, there is a way to test out the VPN without paying anything. HMA has a 7-day free trial. To enjoy this, you have to sign up with credit card details. If you don’t cancel your plan before the end of the 7 days is up, you’ll be billed automatically at the end of the trial.

Other providers like NordVPN have pulled free trials from their services, so it works in HMA’s favor to allow customers to try the VPN for nothing on its free trial.

How Much is HMA?

Before we dive into the different subscription plans on offer with HMA, it’s worth noting that there is no VPN monthly plan with HMA for customers in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Why these two countries don’t offer a monthly plan is unknown, and frankly, a little disappointing. Monthly plans are great for users who are still unsure about a VPN’s services and don’t want to sign up for something long term, so it would be great to see HideMyAss! add a monthly subscription in the future.

If you want to purchase an HMA subscription, then you have three options:

• 12-month plan: For one year of the VPN, HMA charges just $4.99 per month, which works out to $59.88 annually.
• 24-month plan: The 2-year option is great value for money, costing just $3.99 per month and $95.76 overall.
• 36-month plan: For 3 years, you will only pay $2.99 per month, which is $107.64 overall.

The 3-year plan works out to cost the same as some other provider’s 1-year plans, for example, ExpressVPN. Compared to other providers, HMA is cheap. Given that it offers a decent server network with 290 locations across the world, it’s great value for money. Each plan comes with 5 simultaneous connections and apps for a large number of devices.

It’s also worth mentioning that there is a generous student discount on all HideMyAss! plans, making this a great choice if you’re currently studying.

Does HMA Have a Family Plan?

If you want to give your entire family VPN protection, you can do so with HMA. The provider offers a family plan service that comes with 10 simultaneous connections. With VPN, you can download the app onto a large number of devices, so long as you only use the service on 10 at any one time. There are three family plan options:

• 12-month plan: This costs $5.99 per month.
• 24-month plan: You’ll pay $4.99 per month.
• 36-month plan: For three years, you’ll pay just $4.59 a month.

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

Like most other VPNs, HMA offers an industry-standard 30-day money-back guarantee. While a 30-day refund policy is great, some providers like CyberGhost have even started to offer a 45-day money-back guarantee to entice users to try out their services.

However, there is a catch to HMA’s 30-day money-back guarantee. Upon checking the terms of service small print, we noticed that the refund is only valid if you use less than 10GB of data during the 30 days and make fewer than 100 connections. It would be great if HMA could make these points more obvious to users before they sign up.

There is one great thing about HMA’s refund policy. Most VPN services only permit customers to take advantage of the refund policy once, but if you decide to try out HMA’s service again after six months, you’ll be able to take advantage of the 30-day money-back guarantee again.

How Do I Pay for HMA VPN?

HMA VPN accepts various payment methods for its VPN. The provider accepts all popular credit cards, including Visa and MasterCard. Aside from credit cards, users can employ other payment methods such as PayPal, AliPay, Google Play, and Apple Play.

It’s worth noting that cryptocurrencies are not currently one of the payment methods accepted by HMA, so if you want to pay anonymously with Bitcoin, you’ll have to find another provider. Luckily, many providers do accept Bitcoin payments.

What Devices Can I Use HMA on?

Users can enjoy the VPN on 5 devices simultaneously. HMA has a VPN app for many different operating systems but can be configured via your router for use on other systems.

HMA has desktop clients for Windows, Mac, and Linux and mobile apps for Android and iOS. Aside from the iOS mobile app, all of its apps come with features like the kill switch. You can use the Android HMA app on your Android TV by simply downloading it from the Google Play store.

If you want to use the VPN solely in your browsers, you can since HideMyAss! has browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox. The browser extensions are straightforward to use and can also act as split tunneling since you’ll only encrypt the data in your browser.

If you want to circumvent the 5 device connection limit and gives all devices on your network simultaneous protection, then you can configure the VPN to your router. If you follow the correct guide, router setup will be simple. By configuring HMA to your router, you can connect the VPN to your Apple TV and use it on your PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles.

Is HMA VPN Easy to Use?

Accessibility is one of the most important aspects of a VPN service. If you can’t easily navigate the VPN and make the most out of its features, then what’s the point in having it?

HMA provides seamless ease of use to its customers. From creating an account and installing the VPN app on your device of choice to customizing the settings based on your preferences, HMA is simple to use.

Upon installing the app, you’ll have access to server locations around the world. You can choose from a list of server locations or narrow down your choices by selecting those optimized for streaming or torrenting. The lighting connect feature on the apps makes it easy to connect to a server, removing the difficulty of choosing a server. Simple tap ‘lightning connect,’ and HMA will do the rest for you.

On the settings area, users can activate certain features such as the kill switch or change protocols. You can also configure the IP shuffle feature to make sure you are surfing the web on different IP addresses.

To help novices understand the app, there is also a simple tutorial on using the app when you first download and install HMA. HMA’s apps’ effectiveness makes it easier for users to have a good experience when using the software.

Is HMA VPN Fast?

Fast servers are essential for VPNs, and providers put a lot of time and money into developing their VPN technologies so that consumers can enjoy fast network speeds. HMA offers users access to its 20Gbps proxy servers and unlimited bandwidth and its large HMA server network that consists of servers in over 290 locations.

We ran a speed test to check how fast HMA really is. Our base download speed was good, at 31Mbps. We connected to a server in the US, and this barely changed to 30Mbps. When we accessed a server in the UK, it dipped slightly but only to 28Mbps.

HMA offers users a free speed test so that they can check how fast the VPN is. We think this is reassuring since it enables users to choose fast servers. Although HMA is no rival to titans like ExpressVPN, it still provides a decent speed.

Does HMA work with Netflix?

HMA boats on its website that it offers 165 optimized streaming servers. That is a large number, so we put the provider to the test to see if it is true.

We first got access to US Netflix, which is a good indication of a VPN’s ability to bypass firewalls. We then tested streaming services in several other server locations and were able to watch BBC iPlayer in the UK, Amazon Prime Video in the US, Hulu in the US, and Netflix in Japan. Speeds were good, and we enjoyed buffer-free video and HD quality across all platforms.

The only streaming service we were unable to access was Disney+. However, that isn’t to say HMA won’t ever provide access to this site since VPNs are constantly improving their technologies to get past firewalls.

Since you can use HMA on your Apple TV and Android TV, you can enjoy more TV shows and films in your home than ever before.

Does HMA Support P2P Networking?

If you like torrenting, then you’re in luck. HMA supports P2P networking on its servers. Not only can users torrent, but they have access to many different IP addresses and have fantastic security features like a kill switch to protect their connection and their real IP from being leaked.

Does HMA Have Good Customer Service?

If you require HMA VPN help, you can access the 24/7 customer support on HMA’s website. Whether you have questions relating to the shuffling of IP addresses, or specific questions about split tunneling and websites, you’ll be able to find your answer.

Firstly, there is a 24/7 live chat where users can chat with a customer representative. You can also submit a ticket request, but you’ll need to put in your email address to do so.

If you are having trouble with servers or setting up the VPN on Android, iOS, or Linux, you can access the HMA support. Here you’ll find FAQs, a knowledge base with installation guides for Android, iOS, and Linux, and a community page where customers share problems and solutions.

Does HMA Have a Business VPN?

For business solutions, you can enjoy one of HMA’s four business plans. Each version gives you more simultaneous connections depending on your business size, and business customers get access to all HMA’s servers.

The plans are scaleable, so if your business grows, you can easily add more connections. It’s great to see that HMA has a corporate VPN since more providers are adding this option for users.

Is HMA VPN Good?

So, overall is HMA a good choice for you? It offers many servers in countries and has some great features such as the smart kill switch and IP shuffle. Plus, we trust that the provider is really zero-logs since it has had its policy audited. Moreover, HMA is priced well and is good value for money.

Author Madeleine Hodson

I’m Madeleine, and I'm a writer that specializes in cybersecurity, tech products, and all things related to the internet. I have a keen interest in VPNs and believe that everyone deserves internet freedom and security. I wr...
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