Hide My Ass (HMA) has been one of our top providers for a long time. They just increased the value of their service by dropping their prices, making them more than competitive with other VPN companies. They have a huge network of servers to select from, with 853 in total, across 182 nations, offering a whopping 114,732 + IP addresses. This is a UK-based provider.
Hide My Ass has been in business since 2005 and has rapidly evolved to be the most popular VPN service for personal VPN users as judged by both their user community and their Alexa.com ranking.
Pricing and Plans
HMA recently reduced their prices for the summer. All of the following packages include unlimited bandwidth.
- $9.99 for 1 month of service
- $8.33 per month billed every six months
- $6.55 per month billed annually
You can pay for the service using credit cards, debit cards, PayPal, Bitcoin, WebMoney or via a wire transfer.
There is a business VPN option for those who require more connections or other accommodations. You can contact HMA directly to discuss this option.
Free Trial / Money Back Guarantee
All HMA plans come with a 30-day money back guarantee.
Privacy & Anonymity
HMA collects minimal data, including the time you logged in, the amount of data you transmitted, the IP you connected from and the IP of the VPN server you selected.
From their privacy policy:
“We DO NOT store details of, or monitor, the websites you connect to or any of the data sent over our network, when using our VPN service.”
Torrent Policy
Torrents are allowed on HMA servers. Be aware that HMA is subject to UK law. If you’re torrenting, you may want to connect to a server in a privacy-friendly location such as the Netherlands.
Customer Support
HMA has a knowledge base and a ticketing system on their site. They also have a live chat option that you can use to get support if you need it fast.
Product Testing
The HMA client is easy to use and, at the same time, suitable for power users. It has a host of different options, all of which are easily accessible via a tabbed interface.
Hide My Ass comes with clients for Windows, Mac, Linux and mobile operating systems. You can also configure your router to connect via their service. The available clients include:
- HMA Windows Client – .exe file (easy install) provides a visual interface.
- HMA Mac Client – .dmg file (easy install) provides visual interface.
- HMA Linux Client – There is an experimental GUI client for Linux available. There is also a command line version.
- HMA iPhone – Supported with easy built-in configuration. Works with tablets and smartphones.
- HMA Android App—the Android app offers a lot of convenience for users. It allows you to switch countries and IPs, just like the desktop client. It comes free with the service and can be downloaded from the Google Play store.
- HMA Router – DD-WRT routers are supported (instructions inside).
The client offers many great features. It’s set up so that you can use any of the following features without any technical knowledge at all, but power users will find it very versatile:
- Schedule IP Changes: This allows you to switch to a random IP at set intervals. The software simply keeps track of how long you’ve been online and, after a user-selected time interval, it grabs another IP address from the available pool and assigns it to you.
- IP Address History: You can keep track of which IP addresses you’ve used on a local log.
- Use Secure IP Bind: This will only allow applications that you specify to connect to the Internet if you’re connected to the VPN already. If you want a program to work only from behind a VPN, this is a great feature.
- Safe Disconnect: This is a built-in feature that offers a lot of security. If programs that you specify are running and the VPN connection drops, the app will shut those applications down. This ensures that you’re never running certain programs unencrypted.
- Speed Guide: If you want to know where the fastest VPN available is, this will help you do it.
- Load Balancing: This is a great feature. If you’re looking for a server in a specific location, the app will let you know which one of them has the least connections. This can significantly increase your speed.
Speed Test
Baseline Speedtest
With VPN Speedtest
Connected over a 50Mbps/5Mbps line from Albuquerque to Washington DC, the speed reduction when connected to HMA’s server was barely noticeable; less than 2Mbps. Ping was only 1ms longer with the VPN hooked up. Upload speeds were reduced by less than 1Mbps. This is a very fast service.
IP Check and DNSLeak
The IP addressed given by the HMA client while connected to their servers was accurate. DNS did not leak with Windows configured to get the DNS server address automatically.
Feature Summary
- PPTP, L2TP, OpenVPN
- Hide My Phone mobile privacy app
- Free Web Proxy
- IP Port Proxies
- Anonymous Email
- Anonymous Referrer
- Browser Extensions
- Router support
- Business VPN
- Supports Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android and DD-WRT routers
Countries Supported
We Liked
- Huge server network
- Very fast speeds
- Excellent client
- Very attractive pricing
- Constantly developing features and adding servers
- Useful and well-designed website
- Kill switch; called Safe Disconnect on the HMA client
Areas for Improvement
HMA really has little to improve upon. They’ve consistently been an industry leader and continue to expand their network. They do have to log some data, due to being located in the UK, but they keep it to a minimum. If this is an issue for you, you may want to select a provider located in a nation with friendlier privacy laws.
Conclusion
HMA is one of the top VPN services available. Their client is incredibly easy to use and, at the same time, won’t make power users feel like they’re limited in any way. They boast compatibility with all the major desktop and mobile operating systems and support routers, as well.
Radziwill M says
September 23, 2011 at 2:17 amI am on the 1 month trial VPN Service from HMA!. Great VPN Service. May renew for the 1 year service. I can now watch and listen to most of USA only sites for IPTV and Internet Radio such as Flycast and Pandora and other Apple iPhone and iPad Apps that works only in the USA and UK. Finally i can watch BBC via BBC iPlayer and ITV iPlayer in the UK. Next is to try Netflix. My local ISP provides good bandwith and works well with HMA! VPN.
Terry says
February 7, 2012 at 6:16 pmTwo questions…
Is it possible to use this on multiple computers without purchasing it twice, such as my home computer and work computer?
Is there any reason putting this on a work computer is advised against? Could affect network or server?
Thanks.
Gee S says
February 9, 2012 at 1:19 amBeen running HMA on Linksys E4200 and it’s connecting all my devices to HMA. Excellent service with good speed and timely support.
Matt K says
September 3, 2013 at 11:52 amI’ve been testing out HMA for over a month week now and it’s been great .. It pretty much meets my goals which was to be fast enough so that I can watch Netflix from the UK.
Stewart says
March 6, 2014 at 12:52 pmCan I sign up for it if I am in Mainland China?
James J says
September 3, 2014 at 11:55 amSo far I have tried several VPN providers and Hide my ass is my favorite so far. They have free proxy lists, a good user community and in my case most important, VPN servers all around the world and most of them are really fast.