HideMyAss (HMA), one of the leading VPN providers from the UK, offers web proxy and VPN services that allow people to hide their IP addresses, unblock websites, and surf anonymously online. With more than 25, 000 anonymous IP addresses – the largest number offered by any VPN service, HMA compares favorably against other VPN products.
In this article I will show you what makes HMA the most popular VPN service compared to others like ibVPN, StrongVPN, and pureVPN. This is a review of HideMyAss, click here if you’re looking for the official HideMyAss website.
HideMyAss Summer Special is back: 50% discount on HMA Pro product. If you missed the previous sale, now is the time to get HMA VPN at the lowest price.
Click here to grab this deal!Table of Contents
Server Locations
HideMyAss currently maintains 620 VPN servers in 75 countries (updated on March 21, 2023) comprising approximately 77,340+ IP addresses. There are 312 servers providing 43,680 IP addresses in the U.S. New VPN servers and new IP addresses are added regularly. It is important to know how many servers are in your country because the closer you are to a server, the faster your connection will be. Click here to check out VPN servers in your geographic region.
You can use HideMyAss to securely unlock region restricted content from around the world. Say that you live in Germany and you want to watch US content like Netflix or Hulu. All you have to do is connect to a U.S. VPN server. This virtually locates you in the U.S. so you can freely access any blocked content.
Note: you may have to clear your browser’s cache in order to make it work. This can be accomplished by turning on the “No tracking” feature of your browser.
VPN Protocols
HideMyAss servers support all major VPN protocols. VPN protocols are rules that control how data is exchanged between computers in a VPN network. The most common VPN protocols are L2TP, PPTP and OpenVPN. OpenVPN is considered the most secure because it utilizes the robust industry-standard cryptography library OpenSSL for encryption and authentication.
When connecting to a HideMyAss server choose one from the list that supports OpenVPN. To connect to an OpenVPN server from your mobile device download and install the “OpenVPN connect” mobile App.To connect to the OpenVPN server on Mac, download “Tunnelblick“; on Windows, download the official OpenVPN client or the HMA Pro VPN software.
Is HideMyAss Fast?
People often ask, how fast is HideMyAss? The simple answer is it’s fast enough for downloading, streaming videos, and playing online games. HMA customers give an average rating of 4 out of 5 on speed, which is a very acceptable score.
Your connection speed depends on several factors: which protocol you use, which data transport method you select, and your choice of DNS server. To speed up your VPN connection, follow my recommendations below.
- Whenever you can, always use OpenVPN protocol. This is because in most cases OpenVPN is not only more secure but also faster than other VPN protocols. Click here to download the configuration files you can use to connect to HideMyAss OpenVPN servers.
- There are two ways for you to connect to an OpenVPN server, through its TCP port or its UDP port. Using the UDP port uses less resources and is faster.
- Use public DNS servers that support anycast routing because they can reduce your DNS response time and make your web pages load faster. Google’s public DNS is the most used public DNS. However, I personally don’t recommend it because your DNS queries could be logged by Google. Instead, I recommend Comodo Secure DNS. The IP addresses of Comodo Secure DNS are:
8.26.56.26 and 8.20.247.20
How Good Is the Support?
It is fair to say HideMyAss offers timely support. Shortly after I purchased their VPN service I couldn’t send emails through the “Mail” program. An hour after I contacted their support team by email, I received a reply with step-by-step instructions to fix the issue. My overall experience with their customer support was positive.
You can get help from HideMyAss by sending them Emails, search for answers to your questions on their forum, or use their “Live chat” service. Their “Live chat” service operates 12 hours a day and is the quickest way to get a response, especially for sales related inquiries. However, for technical or billing related questions, Email is the fastest way to get your problems solved. Email also provides you with trackable records for future reference. HideMyAss forum is where HideMyAss users share their knowledge and their experiences, and help other members. You can often find useful tips, easy-to-follow tutorials and answers to your questions on their forum. I recommend you first visit the HideMyAss forum when you need help.
Visit HideMyAss.com
HMA! Pro VPN – Where the Magic Happens
HideMyAss HMA! Pro VPN client is the most advanced VPN software I’ve ever used. This software is loaded with nifty features such as: Speed Guide, Schedule IP Address Change, secure IP bind, Easier Server Selection, Load Balancing, and more. Here is a quick walk-through of each feature and how it works.
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Speed Guide
HideMyAss offers lots of VPN servers, but how do you make sure that you’re using the fastest ones? Use the Speed Guide feature, which makes finding the fastest VPN servers for your connection easy. It tests the download and upload speeds and response times of VPN servers, and shows you a list of the fastest servers available.
Every time you connect to a different network, switch to a new ISP, or move to a new area, you should run Speed Guide to test your new connection. If you want to always connect to the fastest VPN servers, you should run Speed Guide periodically. When using Speed Guide select “Full Test” for better accuracy. The following video shows how to use Speed Guide.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrwpexcrnKg&hd=1&rel=0] -
Schedule IP Address Change
Periodically changing your IP address will greatly boost your anonymity. You can easily achieve this using the “Schedule IP Address Change” feature of HMA! Pro VPN. This feature changes your IP address to a new random IP address at a set interval, for example every 45 minutes. However, during the IP change you will be momentarily disconnected from the VPN server, which can expose your real IP address. To avoid this, use the “Secure IP Bind” feature.
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Secure IP Bind
If you leave your BitTorrent client running through the night and your VPN service disconnects, your real IP address will be visible. Secure IP Bind prevents this from happening by forbidding an application from connecting to the Internet when your VPN is inactive. Any application running under the Secure IP Bind rules can only connect through your VPN service, which protects your real IP address from accidental exposure, ensuring your anonymity. It is important to be aware that the Secure IP Bind feature currently works only on Windows. If you’re a Mac user, you’ll need to configure your firewall to achieve the same result.
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Easier Server Selection
HideMyAss groups its VPN servers by their protocol types, geographic locations, and download/upload speeds so it’s easy for you to find a server that meets your requirements. To connect to the fastest VPN server, select one from the “10 closest VPN servers based on geographic distance” list recommended in the HMA! client. When HideMyAss adds new VPN servers they will automatically be added to the list in the HMA! client to keep you up to date. You can add your preferred VPN servers to a ‘favorites’ list and then configure the HMA! client to connect only to the servers saved in your favorites list.
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Load Balancing
When you connect to a VPN server you share its resources with all other connected users, so, when a server is very busy (heavily loaded) your connection speed decreases dramatically. To guarantee the best possible connection speed use the Load Balancing feature of HMA! Pro. Load Balancing automatically switches your connection to a less busy server based on your selected settings, which keeps you connected to the fastest server in a given region.
Is HideMyAss Easy to Use?
Using the HideMyAss VPN service is as simple as 1, 2, 3. First, establish your own VPN account. Second, download and install the client software for your device. Third, launch the client software, enter the user name and password you selected when you opened your account, and click “Connect”. You are now connected and can surf the net anonymously. No special knowledge or complicated networking configuration is required. It’s that simple. However, in case of difficulty, or if you have questions, HideMyAss provides easy to follow instructions on their website to help you learn about, set up, and use any aspect of their service.
Works on Any Device
HideMyAss VPN is compatible with every kind of device, from computers and smart phones to tablets, game consoles, routers, and even TV boxes (e.g. Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV). Also, you can use your subscription on up to two devices concurrently.
All you have to do is download and install the software for your device, and it’s ready to use. Computer users can grab the HMA! Pro client we mentioned above. To use the service on your tablet or smart phone choose the mobile app. To use HideMyAss VPN on your TV box – whose VPN functionality has probably been disabled – you will have to set it up on your router. In our experience the router that works best with HideMyAss VPN is the ASUS RT-AC68U, which has built-in VPN functionality. No matter what devices you want to use HideMyAss VPN on, you will find step-by-step installation and usage guides on the HideMyAss website.
Nothing Is Perfect
So far we’ve discussed what makes HideMyAss a great VPN server. However, like any product, HideMyAss isn’t perfect. Though we found the support (by email, live chat or user forums) helpful and reasonably efficient, adding live telephone support would make life a lot easier, and result in faster turnover of inquiries. One thing you need to be aware of is HideMyAss’s logging policies. HideMyAss does keep specific information about their customers. This has made some VPN users question how anonymous their service is. We asked HMA, what exactly do you log? They said:
“We only log the time you connect and disconnect from our service. We do not monitor any traffic or activity such as what websites you visit or who you talk to”.
Try HideMyAss Risk-free
HideMyAss offers a 30 day money back guarantee so you can test their full service for free, whereas other VPN providers typically offer 7 to 10 day limited trials. As the Web’s most popular VPN service, HideMyAss doesn’t frequently offer discounts, however a search for “HMA discount” found this deal ($6.55/month), which is a little more than 40% off their standard price ($11.52/month). Now there’s an offer worth looking at. To take advantage of this offer, click here.
If you are in the market for an affordable, reliable personal VPN with timely support, you should definitely consider HideMyAss. HideMyAss VPN is easy to install and use. The speed is excellent. You can certainly find a VPN service that costs less than HideMyAss, but it is difficult to find a VPN provider that offers better value than HideMyAss.
Go HideMyAssImage Credit: Ethan Kan
Comments
It used to, but more recent HMA responses in support forums have indicated that the service will no longer work for some users. You could try your luck, but if you need a reliable China VPN, you’d best look elsewhere.
the VPN HMA ia a vpn best populer and full spped
HMA IS NOT WORKING IN CHINA! To get a subscription and you use Android, you firstly need another VPN to finish purchase. After that you still arent able to login.
will ask paypal to get my money back.
Be careful if you dont want to autorenew!
There are Lots of complaints in reviews.
Here’s my own:
Log me as yet another HMA disgruntled ex user due to automatic renewal.
I avoid auto renewals. somehow (maybe I was sleeping) this one got checked. Found out too last. didnt use the service. they cannot refund.
I upgraded my HMA software to the latest version 3. (On my windows 10 x64 PC) It did not work at all. It just said that it couldn’t find the server. I followed all their on line instructions., but to no avail. I contacted HMA through chat, who to date have not solved the issue. The HMA staff asked some dumbass question like, “Why did you update?” Well why does anyone update? – bug fixes, resolved security issues, better performance etc. Also the guy did not read all that I had typed. He asked questions that I had already answered several times. And I find that typical of a great many help desks. The best I got was, if the older version was working well, reinstall it. So I have.
To HMA credit, the service is efficient. It does leak a bit. They keep logs. I did try an alternative that was supposedly the best thing ever, but it slowed down and died. HMA is probably the best bet. They do keep logs, and they sent me a torrent warning once along with a clause that said that they can’t prove what I was doing, but I was the one connected to an the ip address in question at the time of the complaint, AND if they have to warn me too often they will terminate the service.
I’ve got a good price deal and so far I have had each year renewed at that excellent price. If they didn’t keep logs, then they would be brilliant.
Hidemyass keeps user logs! I bought their service and then checked some reviews that confirmed that they indeed save user logs.
HIDE MY ASS SUPPORT IS NULL
Take care of HIDE MY ASS they debit your visa card for renew WITHOUT ADVISING YOU ! And refuse to reembourse ! Usually , before renew , the company advise you that they will debit your account TO KNOW IF YOU STILL AGREE , BUT HUDEMYASS DON’T DO
TAKE CARE OF HIDE MY ASS
yinyang3576@gmail.com
I have been using HMA VPN Pro since January 2017. I find the service to be very reliable and most importantly, stable. I use it frequently on my mobile device to access streaming services which are blocked in my country. I do so on the go and on public transport and to my surprise HMA rarely disconnects or drops off.
It is not cheap, compared to free VPNs (which are often touch and go if they work at all), but it is worth it. It is a real must if you are into standing up to discrimination. Discrimination based on geographical location/IP address.
The variety of servers and locations is truly amazing! and they all actually work!
As for billing, it may be a recent feature, but since I’ve been a HMA customer they have been sending me 2 automated emails each month. One just a few days before my subscription is up for monthly renewal and a second one confirming my credit card was charged and my subscription is renewed for another month.
I have to say I was skeptical before joining but I was proven wrong and am a very satisfied customer!
Try HMA, i had the best experience.
The only vpn that works with Netflix.
can anyone help me with a working HMA Pro Vpn account
I live in the UK and HMA vpn does NOT work with Netflix US or any streaming us networks. They detect straight away that you are using a proxy or unblocker. I make the mistake of paying for 12 months, I am stuck as my subscription will end only next december. I purchased HMA to use US streaming and they do not deliver the service they should. I tried to contact them via the chat several times but they do not help at all. They keep sending standard responses and copy-paste them ! Not helpful. I will NOT renew this suscription and I am currently looking for another reliable vpn provider. Jas
Some VPN servers still work with Netflix.
I am stuck too with 12 months. HMA could not help me and also refused to partial refund. I subscribed to HMA to access Hulu. now I am stuck, unable to access Hulu and today discovered I could not access Amazon Video too.
I can confirm this. I live in Germany, and HMA does not work with either Netflix, BBC iPlayer or Amazon Prime, and hasn’t done so for months. When I originally purchased HMA VPN Pro it was because they claimed to be able overcome geolocation blocks for streaming services. They are no longer able to do so and it seems have no intention of adapting their software. As JAS says, they send standard replies saying that customers are asked to respect terms of service of the sites they visit. Not helpful if one wants to stream geoblocked videos.
Some servers of HMA still work for Netflix. Check this out.
As of today, i’ve been having the same issue as Kim. Though i am using HMA and when using whatismyip.com it shows a US ip, Netflix is not recognizing it and doesnt show me all the shows from the US. Any news regarding this?
Same here.. Netflix is blocking HMA.
ill check it out
Netflix is detecting HMA; I can’t watch my shows any more!
Thanks for the article Michael. Why using a VPN when you can use a DNS service like UnoTelly?The DNS option is much faster and easier to use.
There are some major differences between DNS service and VPN. First, VPN encrypts your traffic while DNS service doesn’t; Second, DNS service doesn’t work with all the websites – the website you want to unblock must be supported by the DNS service; Finally, in most cases, DNS redirection services don’t work on 3G/4G, hotel or public wi-fi networks.
I bought HideMyAss and thought it would work on my Amazon Fire TV but I couldn’t find where to set it up on the Fire TV. Please help.
Amazon disabled the VPN support in their Fire TV. You can install the HMA on your home router to make Fire TV traffic go through your VPN connection.
how do you install it on your router?
To install HMA on your router follow the instructions here: https://vpntips.com/vpn-router-install/
It works fine for me in china. Openvpn port 443 https port. TORguard is nice with protocol obfuscation
I like thiz i use it for unblocking in my travels around the world like china singapore and saudi arabia as well as locally at college to bypass block as well to keep snoop staff out and torrrenting and nkt get caught. I also use it a lot at home to keep isp out and when living in military base too. Specially when they tried to block sites back i 2011 during the tsunami earth quake. I get max signal from most servers even international.
Hi Sindy,
I need further info to watch catch up on Sky satellite tv using hidemyass. Can you help. I need subnet, gateway router and DNS . Thanks
I am using their App on iPhone & iPad. The best VPN app I’ve used.I can get rid of all the crappie other Vpn services and use the best. No more messing around with the Open VPN exports and third party apps.
We’ve been using hidemyass for years and absolutely love it. When we were in Spain, we use it to watch TV shows from the U.K. We had it installed on our router so everyone in the house can use it to access blocked websites.
Hi,
my name is Pete from the HMA-Team.
@Dave: We’re sorry to hear that you seem to have had a bad experience with our customer support.
Please let us know via eMail if you’re still experiencing any kind of problems.
You mentioned that we raised our prices – that’s not true. You might refer to the XMAS special
discount we had during December and partially January. This discount ended then, and prices
were reverted back to normal: $11.52 for 1 month, $50.66 for 6 months, $78.66 for 12 months.
But it won’t be long til the next discount is available.
@Schizoider:
Have you contacted our support yet to solve your speed problems?
I can assure you that all our servers have 1 gbit connection, except some in the Asia region which have 100mbit.
Note that speed depends on many factors, not just on the servers available bandwidth.
Also on your network configuration, your ISP’s speed, rush hour, VPN server distance, usage, etc etc etc.
There are many things you can do to improve your speeds.
Please contact our email support for further help.
———–
We are constanly trying to improve our service, support and VPN server quality+quantity.
Also, we are grateful for any feedback we receive. Contact us if you have any problems,
and also feel free to just tell us your opinion, feedback and how you think we could make things better.
Have a nice day,
Pete
HMA-Team
i have used hma for year with pc and been well pleased.
i have gone over to mac for generally better security and hma has been nearly worthless on it
my iphone and mac simply bog down to the point i can’t even open the google home page- that’s sad.
i’d laugh except i keep going to them for customer support like a dummy and get no where-
last month, they had me strip out their newest software, load an old one, that worked for 30 days
now i can do anything i want, anywhere in the world, fast as can be- UNTIL I USE MY HMA-
then i sit in limbo h@ll as i wait for ever, for nothing, HMA says great connection
but my mac and internet say – N.O.!
literally, 3 different countries, many different servers
the same issue, once i connect to HMA, i can’t even open a blank screen-
i have tried customer service, and i type a while, wait a while, get nothing, email the transcript to myself
and never hear anything.
i think the person who wrote this got paid to write it- that’s not a review, that’s a sales pitch.
i’m off to get a refund and find a real service that works with mac
Been using HMA for four years. Generally, it is ok. The service has become very slow to the point of no service in recent months however. Changing servers can sometimes provide a fix, but the service has become slower.
An IP address only shows your approximate location. If you scroll down through a HMA connection log you will also find your MAC address. This is the code that positively identifies your device as the one that was used to make that particular connection. I think HMA should mention this when describing the information they collect.
Sounds like a great deal, 30 days money back guarantee….
The service did’nt function as i expected so, gimmi back my money!!
No problem, i will record thos date so you will get your money back no matter what but just barecwith us and try some more settings, alternative programs….etc.
So i did, sounds great, helpfull, how you would want a company to react.
Tried their service, with help, for a few more weeks.
Didnt work really well still.
Decided to go to another vpn provider(wich works flawlessly in one go)
Mailed sorry, didnt work as it should, could i get my money back please?
No, you went over the limits, no money back for you….WTF…….. No reaction to my mail anymore after this, weird company, beware!!
A quick google search will revel hide my ass employees lawyers, so thry can find loop holes to get out of paying money back guareentees. Also it is not private at all, they record everything you do
a promo code that would get us a price of $6.55 intead of $11 but it is HideMyAss offers, that apply a discount if you subscribe for 1 year.
Hide My Ass isn’t perfect, but it is the best option if you compare it with others. For me, it is the only VPN works in China. Private Internet Access and AirVPN come close, but they don’t have many VPN servers as Hide My Ass does. I think this review of Hide My Ass VPN is fair. I don’t have problems with the fact that Hide My Ass keeps logs but I agree with the author, Hide My Ass could provide better support for their customers.
Very detailed Hide My Ass review. I have been with Hide My Ass for 4 yeas and I never had a single problem with it.
WTF???
Dear XXX,
You have placed an order on Hidemyass on xxx
(reference number: #xxx), order processed by Avangate as the
reseller of Privax LTD, the software / service provider which operates
http://www.hidemyass.com.
Your order is currently under evaluation by Avangate anti-fraud
Specialists. We perform this verification to prevent unauthorized use of
the credit/debit card used in the transaction and unauthorized use of
your personal details.
In order to validate your payment and complete your order, please
provide us with the following documents during the next two business
days:
– a copy of a recent credit card billing statement, confirming the
name, address, and telephone number associated with the credit card
presented for your order.
– a copy of a photo ID (identification card, driver`s license or
passport) of the Credit/Debit Card account holder.
Don’t think this has anything to do with Hidemyass. com, it looks like you order is being blocked by Avangate. Have you had it solved yet?
I had the same experience. I emailed a photo of my driver’s license and they replied it was not “legible”. So I emailed multiple photos of the license making sure that they were clearly legible. They rejected all of them. I then told them to cancel the order and refund my money. I’m waiting on that.
I have been using HideMyAss for six months. I like it a lot. Since I live in Ecuador I use the Miami servers most of the time because of the speed. My only frustration is that some of the Miami servers do not register as in the United States. Today the first one said it was in the Netherlands and the second in Canada. Is this a HideMyAss problem in registering their IP addresses?
I had the same problem with Miami, I usually just pick servers in a different city which solves the issue.
I think the service is excellent to anyone who needs to hide is IP but not so much (as publicized) to watch Streaming TV from any Country.
My experience is that when I tested on Finnish TV by connecting through a Finnish proxy, the quality was pretty good and watchable with few buffering.
However when I tried to watch RAI from Italy through the Italian proxies, they were alwasy jammed and I wasn’t able to see anything. The average speed was between 5 and 15 KB. and so very frustrating.
Only in the middle of the night when I did another tests I was able to watch some streaming TV from RAI (because majority of people were sleeping at that time), but during the daytime was impossible.
In conclusion, if you need to browse and can use ANY proxy available, the service is good to ghide your IP and pretty fast. If you need to use ONLY a certain proxy (like the Italian one to see RAI for instance) save your money because up to now it has been very disappointing.
I hope to write again and tell that the things improved, but as for now, I would not recommend this service to Italians
Well I have been using this for over a month in China and I know China has been actively trying to control internet usage, but still the service is not really that good. They like to tell you to switch from Open VPN to PPTP and then back again when PPTP isn’t working well. They have done remote assistance on my computer also and within an hour there were issues again. I even suggested that they use my spare computer to monitor and do testing on for China. (Oh yes I did want something for it, it wasn’t going to come free, but it is not like I was going to charge them money. I was going to offer them the use of it for free service and keeping my personal computer up to date on the service.) Their reply was that they would need many computers in many locations to do it right. I guess doing it completely wrong is better in their opinion than doing what they could. I guess they don’t have good business managers or IT managers there to realize that a little is always better than nothing! I am tired of their excuses and when they agree to a refund I am out of there and probably switching to Astrill! I really wish my old VPN would have worked out the China issues. One nice thing about them they simply did not give so many excuses, they just kept their servers and settings up to date as best as they could. I miss them, I wish they would have overcome the problems. I have lost more time in productivity because of HMA in the last month than I did in the last 2 1/2 years with my old company! In fact I may have lost more productivity in the last weekend than in the entire time with my old company.
LOVE this program. I use it daily for SEO. Can’t give it enough credit. Thank you thank you!!
lol, HMA doesnt work in china, I have switched to strongvpn since they have better support, its funny how HMA writes their own reviews I have emailed them 3-4 times no response, are you kidding me!, the only way to get even if by explaining to all customers to dump these guys and move to other providers their support is terrible. Witopia also works but strong has better support, and listen I am not working for the companies I posted just being factual here. I have already requested a refund from HMA, waiting for it still thanks
HMA has become unusable. I am in Germany and connect to servers in the US. Google will not accept my searches because they say there are too many automated queries coming from the server (I have tried many).
I can no longer watch a streaming movie without an interruption every 3 minutes because the speed is so slow. Downloading a movie from iTunes will take 10 hours on Apple TV.
One last piece of evidence is that HMA’s own forums will not allow me to register when I cam connected to an HMA server – the reason: it is a known spammer. When a company won’t trust its own product, beware.
By the way, the service used to be good; however, it became noticeably slower 6 weeks ago and has been useless for the past 4 weeks.
eric
Hello Eric,
I have the same problem with HMA, I can’t watch a online Stream in Zattoo without all 10sec buffering problems. HMA has major problem’s and I think they will go down because you can’t take money and serve such a amazing bad “Service”
They not even answer to support requests or to a message. They lie with each word and it look for me like a one man show otherwise they could answer in time and give a standard Customer Support.
I just went now on google and got the message:
About this page
Our systems have detected unusual traffic from your computer network. This page checks to see if it’s really you sending the requests, and not a robot. Why did this happen?
IP address: 141.255.161.112
Time: 2012-11-26T08:44:32Z
it’s just a question of time…
I only can recommend to not use HMA
If you’re making too many search requests in a short period of time, Google will ban your IP address for a brief moment. Google does this to prevent people from sending queries using automate tools. If you’re running any SEO software, stop running it for a while, then the error msg should go away. Changing to a different server may help.
I can’t really agree that HMA has become unusable but as I have only been using it for a week perhaps I need more time to have a real idea about the service. I have been using it intensly during this week to watch shows on hulu and other catch-up tv services (AS, UK). Hardly any buffering problems and very fluid. If this quality continues for the next 3 weeks then I shall probably take the one year offer which is at a very good price.
This is just to say that one can never give a general opinion on a service but simply a personal opinion. What is true for one user is not sure to be true for another. Anyway, I’m very happy with the quality for the moment.
PS: Thanks for the review ;o)
How do you get 2.7.0 HMA version? I am using 2.6.9 version. I didn’t get any notification for latest version. One more thing, I want to mentioned here HMA support is very slow nowadays, I have issue with payment processing and I email them 2 days ago, still does not get answer from them.
Thanks.
For those who are looking for a free VPN service, checkout VPNDirect Lite. “VPNDirect Lite” has all the functionality of paid plans except limited server choices.
The COO from HMA has promised to provide better support.
Hi there, I’m the Chief Operating Officer of HMA. We understand that our support has recently not been up to the standard it should be and that in many cases replies have taken far too long. We have been working behind the scenes to address this and have recently recruited more support staff, who are currently undergoing training. We are also making improvements to our software and our site overall which we believe will reduce the number of unnecessary tickets. I can only apologise for your bad experiences to date, but would like you to be assured that radical improvements are imminent: live chat will be available more often and we will be introducing telephone support as well.
Many thanks
Danvers
I was looking for a valuable VPN review and my search ends here. You have really written a nice piece that explains every angle of VPN. I am really grateful to you and your efforts. Hope to listen back from your side. When you are going to release another update about VPN?
I have been using hidemyass for over 3 years now. I have to say I never had a single problem with it. There were times i found the connections were slow. But I after I switched to a different VPN server, it usually solve the problem. I plan to try other VPN services such as VPN4ALL, but only because of the logging issue. Except that, I am very happy with hidemyass.
I read this post!! I can say that HMA Hidemyass is best VPN service provider as it is easy to use and install. If you want to read more reviews of HMA then visit to http://vpnverge.com/hidemyass-vpn-review/ . I am sure that this page is helpful for you in choosing VPN service.
I was able to successfully log on and pay but since then I can’t log back on and resetting the password doesn’t help. I’ve never seen anything like this, I came here to actually see if HMA! is some kind of a front. For the time being I’m getting a reply every day and a half but I’ve never seen anything so frustrating. Should I ever manage to log on I wonder how easy connecting to server will be…
My internet service provider has blocked us from accessing http://www.hidemyass.com, so we can’t download the application. Would you have other options on how I could purchase the application ?
sounds like your provider has blocked your ip address change your ip using a free vpn then access through that vpn if you are using a wifi router you can change the ip address on the router as well by changing the ddwrt the instructions are on the web on most all VPN VPN fire is a great place to hide while you do some repairs
Do not trust them! They will keep logs and they know who you are and will give information out if asked.
“HideMyAss explains:
It first came to our attention when leaked IRC chat logs were released, in these logs participants discussed about various VPN services they use, and it became apparent that some members were using our service. No action was taken, after all there was no evidence to suggest wrongdoing and nothing to identify which accounts with us they were using.
At a later date it came as no surprise to have received a court order asking for information relating to an account associated with some or all of the above cases. As stated in our terms of service and privacy policy our service is not to be used for illegal activity, and as a legitimate company we will cooperate with law enforcement if we receive a court order (equivalent of a subpoena in the US).
”
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/09/26/hidemyass_lulzsec_controversy/
HMA’s TOS clearly states they do not allow illegal activities and will collaborate with authorities when asked to. The whole point of HMA is to protect you from whoever you are connecting to the Internet through. This is especially important when using wi-fi in a hotel, in an Internet cafe, and especially on the street where you have no guarantee the wi-fi provider will not snoop on your user names and passwords. A secondary benefit is that you can do such things as watch BBC shows outside the UK, and such.
You are missing the point. They state that the only information they log is your connection and disconnection time. Obviously, if they later provide corroborating evidence to help the authorities, then they have stored more than that. I still think it is a great service for protecting anonymity from all but authorities, but HMA should not falsely advertise that they store no other information.
What I would like to know is, EXACTLY what do they store, and for how long, and how is that information destroyed afterwards? It is more than time connecting and time disconnecting. They have to link that to their record of you. So, OK, a pointer to your account. However, they have to know your current IP address. Do they store this too? Then, do they store which server you connected to? And do they store your new ip address? Covering all of these would be an appropriate answer.
Bought HMA 3 days ago – haven’t been able to connect to get a US IP address and the chat doesn’t work. Just sent them my log file and will wait for response.
I am an American expat in France and the only connection i can get with HMA is IN FRANCE! That is no help to me at all. have tried the Hotspot Shield elite and had MUCH BETTER success. HMA may be good for UK expats in Europe but for Americans it seems to be a piece of junk.
Now the only question is – since their software doesn’t deliver as advertised – will HMA give me a refund?
I wanted to try out hidemyass for privacy browsing and beeing able to use Netflix from my country, but then before setting up a subscription plan I stumbled upon this article:
http://www.informationweek.com/security/privacy/lulzsec-suspect-learns-even-hidemyasscom/231602248?nomobile=1
Even though I have no idea what a lulzec is, and that it sounded illegal, It doesn’t seem like they take privacy very seriously.
I am in Asia and its too slow to stream video.
For the benefit of all the users and their hard earned money.
Few months back, HMA was great. But now a days it is a pile of shit. It is better to stay away from their service. First they take your money and after couple of days, your account is disabled and they make you wait for months to refund or enable your account. You could just visit their community at http://forum.hidemyass.com/index.php/forum/21-vpn-questions-and-general-talk/ and check how many users are complaining.
Their chat systems never respond and their emails are not ticket based. You will not know whether your email has even reached their non-existent support or not.
Their community moderating team is hardly online. You could check their last visit on this page http://forum.hidemyass.com/index.php?app=forums&module=extras§ion=stats&do=leaders
So think wise, before you give your money to them. Internet has many crap providers, and HMA is one of them. You never know they might even sniff your personal data and sell it for quick bucks. Stay away.
You’re so RIGHT!!!
Thanks for the info.
Hide My Ass is indeed a great service. I have personally used this VPN and it was ok to use most of the time.
I bought HMA & was not able to make it work,
I made the payment online & HMA had to send me the verification code via SMS, i waited for 15 hours but the SMS never reached me.
I wrote them Emails but there was no reply from HMA
Current status: i have paid and there is no response from HMA.
I have been using HMA for a few months and am really disappointed. They market that they have 20,000+ servers but in my experience I can only connect to one out of every 10-15 servers that I try. I spend more time trying to find servers that work than I do actually using the service. Many countries don’t work at all, it is beyond frustrating. Customer support is virtually non existent, unless you can stay by your email for 2 days with no rest to keep a open dialogue going. This service should be a simple install and connect with no hang ups, instead you have to apparently be a computer scientist to fully utilize it. I give this service a BIG FAIL.
I am in China. Can’t open any of your webpages to purchase. Being blocked by the authorities. Any sites available that I can open and take out a subscription?
I have contacted HMA on your behalf, and let’s see what they say. Meanwhile, can you just access hidemyass.com by its ip address?
Pingback: Is PureVPN the best alternative to HideMyAss?
Hide my ass is a great VPN, but you can try Hotspot Shield as well. It offers both a Free and a paid Elite version. I am using it from past few months and its good.
Hotspot Shield Works on wireless and wired connections alike and Provides Unlimited Bandwidth.
With Hotspot Shield, you can get access to all blocked websites and you can surf anonymously.
You can try it here: http://www.hotspotshield.com
Don’t waste your money on hotspot VPN. I did and it froze my iPhones and iPad. I had to delete it to get any Internet access
I’m sad to post this as HMA seemed so great (and is at times) – but it’s gotten worse (slower, can’t connect FOR A WEEK- trying to fumble and fix settings myself. . .
Anyway, at first Customer Support was good (for initial set -up and trial) & I was able to get help through live chat right away. . . flawless for 30 days.
Still over the last 3 months I’ve learned the online information isn’t clear (i.e. no screenshots of how to set/resolve problems) – and now ‘live chat doesn’t work & no email response for days upon days ~ about an inability to connect, getting very slow at peak times, AND they raised prices!
I get the impression HMA are understaffed for their growth- at first they were helpful when you can finally get them, now they ‘blow you off’ with a bogus answer (again impression is late night person just trying to meet a quota w/ little real help). I’m getting more and more frustrated and am going to try a different VPN.
I would avoid them. I can only go by my experience, but I found that after a while I was unable to connect to PPTP servers completely, leaving me with the option of using their L2TP servers. They seem to work fine at first, but you can be in the middle of streaming a movie and the connection will go dead, forcing you to switch servers. Also, if you do a speed test on these servers from Canada, you’ll see that they only have a 4-5 mb connection on average.
Don’t be fooled by the positive reviews if you’re from Canada. Give them a MONTHLY try, and do not subscribe for an extended period. You could be stuck with an expensive lemon.
I would like to comment in the support that HMA VPN offers. I have ever been helped by a company as quickly until a solution to my problem was found. I had already purchased the product and was trying to get it to work in a different network from the one I usually use it on and emailed them to ask what I needed to do and sure enough I had my problem fixed a few emails later. While this doesn’t seem like a big deal, nowadays you just don’t get this sort of service. I hope that they continue treating their customers like this because I will keep purchasing the service year after year if this is the treatment that I get. I am not an IT guy so sometimes I don’t know the lingo for different networks but they were able to point me in the right direction so that I could provide them with the info to figure out how to get it to work and for that I am very thankful. Thank you for your excellent product and superb support. Keep it up!
I have been using Hide my ass for over a year now – Its great as when I am logged in via my gmail it remembers all my search engine results – I use it to check rankings and to view how my potential customers would view my site. It gets a 8 out of 10 from me …sometimes it crashes and you have to start again.
If I install hma on my Ipad2, do I use it the same way as on my computer?
Ipad has native support for PPTP. So you will need to set up the HMA VPN connection on iPad using your PPTP login (login to your account on hidemyass and click “PPTP server”).
They will see your ass !!! Get a no logs VPNs.
I know what you mean. I read the news as well. Mind sharing a list of VPNs that won’t log you?
The only one I know of is Perfect Privacy VPN, expensive if you pay monthly but fine if you pay yearly.
So far the best log keeping policy I’ve found for a VPN with a reasonable price has been http://proxpn.com/ that states they keep connection logs for only 14 days. I’ve used five different paid VPN services in the last two years and the two best speed and connection wise have been proxpn and hidemyass. Log keeping policies are important, but so are speed and services that are offered.
Note downloading copyrighted material is not allowed through HMA. Here is their note:
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Dear John Doe,
We have received a file sharing complaint and the date, time and IP address provided matches the date, time and IP address your VPN account was in use. Illegal file sharing is against our terms of service and we cannot ignore breach of copyright complaints, as such we kindly ask you to stop sharing said files to comply with this request. Please note repeated offences may result in permanent suspension.
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I have been using HMA since 2009 and all I can say is that I am in love with them! They work flawlessly and they add around 3 to 9 new servers every month!
I’d highly recommend HMA to anyone.
Do I need to update my software or how do I update the HMA! pro to access these new servers?
If you’re using the HMA Pro VPN client software, it will automatically update for you.
Thanks for the review. 🙂
I have that problem. By default, the SMTP port was blocked to prevent people from using the service to spam. Just send a request to the hidemyass support team, they will email you back how to connect to the SMTP. The support team at Hide my ass are excellent.
Just bought the 6 months HMA VPN membership. They have it on sale 27% off ( https://adeepbite.com/vpns/hidemyass-vpn/try/ ) I like it so far, the connection and the speed are super fast. No problems watching movies online. However it seems I can’t send emails using outlook when the hide my ass is turned on. Anyone has the similar problem?
Hi Alan, we will have to whitelist your SMTP mail address so that you can send out emails using SMTP email clients, like outlook or thunderbird. Please email our support for that.
Thanks.