HideMyAss Review + Customer Reviews and Speed Test
HideMyAss VPN
Website: www.hidemyass.com/vpn/
Company: Privax LTD (UK)
Protocols: OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP/IPSec
Servers: 343 VPN Servers in 53 Countries
Regular Price: $11.52 / Monthly
Special Promo: $6.55 / Monthly (Grab This Deal)
(4.7/5)
(4.5/5)
The most popular VPN, with the most extensive global network in the industry.
Best VPN Provider’s Review of HideMyAss
HideMyAss VPN – Review Summary
The Good: HideMyAss offers the most extensive network in the industry, with the most servers, countries of any VPN provider. They provide customers with their custom VPN software, that has all the features the pros love, but easy-to-use that beginners will have no trouble setting it up. Their VPN is fast, reliable and priced very reasonably – they even include a 30 day Money-Back Guarantee.
The Bad: Customer Support is lacking Phone support, so you’ll usually have to wait a few hours behind a support ticket if you have a question or issue. HideMyAss logs certain information from it’s users as well; something that has caused some concern with some users.
The Bottom Line: HideMyAss has the biggest network, fast and reliable servers, and one of the most advance softwares around. While their support can use some improvement, they have secured their spot as the top dog in the VPN world.
Servers and Countries
One of the most notable qualities of HideMyAss, is their extensive network. They currently have 358 Servers in 53 Countries, with over 42’000+ IP Addresses available (Updated March 16th, 2013), with more servers and IP addresses added regularly (See the Entire List). This extensive is essential and one of the reasons HideMyAss is considered one of the top VPN Providers.
Why is this important?
Speed (Ping) – The closer a VPN Server is to you, the faster your connection speed will be. Since HideMyAss has such an extensive network, there is bound to be a server near you (Locate Servers Near You)
Higher Reliability – While having more servers doesn’t necessarily mean every server is going to be super fast and reliable, it does mean you have options. If you find yourself connected to a server that’s slow or unreliable, you can easily switch over to a faster and more reliable server. HideMyAss has no limits when switching from server to server.
Access Localized Content – There are tons of websites that have geo-restrictions; Netflix, Hulu Plus, Olympics, and some Facebook Fan Pages just to name a few. Having such an extensive network of VPNs at your disposal means you’ll be able to easily connect to a VPN in a supported country for websites/services, and gain access to them. Whether you travel aboard often, or simply live in a country that doesn’t get too much attention online – it’s always helpful!
Business - There are tons of business uses; from monitor international marketing and SEO campaigns, to gaining access to a country-specific business web application.
Customer Support
We found the HideMyAss customer support surprisingly helpful, and our overall experience was above-average. We contacted them for a number of pre-sale questions (Live Chat), and later on some more technically-challenging questions (through Email) and received a responses quickly, which thoroughly address our questions and problems.
HideMyAss currently offers Three Types of Support:
Email Support (Recommended) – We found email support to best method to contact either their sales or technical team for support, because it’s much more organized, you can keep everything on record and their response time is usually within an hour or two. They can also address more complicated issues or questions in detail through email.
Live Chat – This is great if you have a quick question or concern about their service. However, their Live Chat is only available 12 hours a day (UK-time) so they may not always be there when you need them.
Community (Forum) – This is pretty straightforward, but also very convenient. The Community Support Forum is perfect if you have a general problem or question, since answers are most likely already there from someone who has the same or similar issue or question in the past. You can ask a question here, and can usually get an answer rather quickly but don’t even think about posting any personal information here, since the forum is public and accessible to anyone.
Phone Support – Phone support isn’t available with HideMyAss, which is very disappointing since this would normally be the quickest way of getting an answer or fixing an issue. However, we have been told by HideMyAss management, that they will soon offer Phone support. We’re definitely looking forward to it.
Protocols and Compatibility
HideMyAss supports the most common VPN protocols, including OpenVPN, PPTP, and L2TP/IPSec. Each protocol undergoes a different method of tunneling and encrypting your data, some are faster but less secure, while others are slower but more secure. Here’s the gist of it:
OpenVPN (Highly Recommended) - OpenVPN is the preferred protocol to use. It provides maximum security (256 Bit Encryption), it’s compatible with all types internet connections, and it usually offers the fastest speeds. The only drawback is that most devices don’t naively support OpenVPN. You can use the HideMyAss VPN Software to connect on a computer, but you won’t be able to use OpenVPN on most Smart Phones, Tablets or Routers.
PPTP (Fast/Less Secure) - This protocol is as fast as OpenVPN, but less secure. While the encryption (128 bit) is perfectly fine for typical users, it shouldn’t be used when handling very sensitive data. PPTP is naively supported by most Smart Phones and Tablets (iOS, Androids, Windows Phone, etc.), as well as most VPN routers.
L2TP/IPSec (More Secure/Slower) – This protocol is the most secure of the three, with the highest-grade 256-Bit encryption (Approved by the NSA for top secret information). However, the heighten-level of security means that it’s less efficient than both PPTP and OpenVPN, so speeds are usually slower. Similarly to PPTP, L2TP is naively supported on most mobile devices and routers.
The HideMyAss Pro VPN Software
The HideMyAss Pro VPN Software (Windows/Mac) is very easy to use, and essentially makes connecting to a VPN as simple as clicking a button. Even so, the HMA VPN software is loaded with features that Advance users will absolutely love, and even some features that most other providers don’t offer. Here are some of the key features we loved:
Easy Connect - Connecting to a VPN is simple with the Easy Connect feature. Simply enter your Username and Password (these are automatically saved after your first login), select a VPN Server and click connect. Voila! You’re connected.
VPN Recommendations - Don’t know which server to select? No worries! HMA’s software will automatically give you recommendations on which servers are fastest and have the most resources available for you. Helps avoid the entire trial-and-error step.
Random Server Selection – For those who want to take their anonymity to the next level, you can automatically switch between different VPN servers every few minutes with the HMA software. Perfect to make you untrackable while online.
Secure IP Bind – This is really the Golden Egg that HideMyAss’ software offers. When enabled, Secure IP Bind will force ALL applications on your computer to establish internet connection only when you’re connected through the secure VPN. If you’re VPN disconnects suddenly (which can happen), or your as forgetful as us and sometimes forget to connect to a VPN when you start your computer, the Secure IP Bind feature will prevent any application from connecting to the internet until you connect to the VPN.
This handy feature ensures you’re always connected behind the security and anonymity of the HideMyAss VPN. Now those slip ups won’t be able to get the best of you anymore.
Software Conclusion
All in all, we feel that the HideMyAss Pro VPN Software tops the competition without a doubt. It’s easy to use and beginners won’t have any issues setting it up. It also have tons of cool and useful features that experts will love; many of which can’t be found with any other VPN software, which as the Random Server Selection and Secure IP Bind.
Checkout all of the features included in the software here.
Speed Test / Comparison
How fast is HideMyAss VPN? HideMyAss is faster than most VPN providers we tested. Our average internet download speed is about 11mbsp without a VPN. With HideMyAss, our internet speed was about 10.50mbps, which is not bad at all!
However, your speed may vary depending on your normal Internet Speed, the server you connect to, and the VPN Protocol you select. We highly suggest you use OpenVPN (UDP) for the fastest and most secure connection speed.
Privacy and Anonymity
HideMyAss keeps you anonymous and secure whenever you’re online, but that doesn’t mean you’re completely off the radar. HMA does keep logs for 30 days to track abuses such as spam and have a history of cooperating with Law Enforcement to to track down hackers and fraudsters using their service. Logs are not stored in any VPN Server, but instead in a secure offshore location. According to HideMyAss:
We only log the times you connect and disconnect from our service. We do not log what activity you get up to behind our VPN service, such as what websites you visit and who you talk to.
Feel free to read HMA’s full Privacy Policy for more info.
Packages and Prices
We love how simple HideMyAss makes their packages and pricing. They offer 1 Unlimited VPN package (it includes it all) and you can select between three different terms for the package; 1, 6 or 12 months.
Current Pricing
One Month Term – $11.52
Six Month Term – $49.99
One Year Term – $77.66
Available Payment Methods
HideMyAss allows you to pay using a number of payment methods, including all major credit cards, PayPal, Google Checkout, Dalpay, AlertPay, and Liberty Reserve.
Features Included:
343 Servers in 53 Countries
Unlimited Bandwidth, Uncapped Speed
OpenVPN, PPTP & L2TP Protocals
30 Day Money Back Guarantee
Advance, yet Easy-to-Use Software
Hide Behind 42,000+ IP Addresses
New IP every time you connect
Limited-Time Specials and Deals
HideMyAss is running a limited-time promotion where their VPN is only $6.55 a month. That’s over 40% off their normal price! You can click below to see if the deal is still available.
Money Back Guarantee
Unlike most VPN providers who either don’t provide a Money-Back Guarantee, or have a shorter 3 to 7 Day Money-Back Guarantees, HideMyAss is the only provider that offers a full 30-day Money-Back Guarantee if you’re not completely satisfied.
This gives you an entire month to test out their service. If you’re unhappy with their VPN or it doesn’t live up to their expectations within the first 30 days, you can simply cancel and ask for a full refund.
Try HideMyAss Risk-Free for 30 Days
HideMyAss Customer Reviews
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Hidemyass's VPN is fantastic! This is just what I needed for my trips overseas. I'm able to still watch Netflix and browse the internet as if I never left the US. A true Five-Star VPN provider!
The VPN is great, but the signup proccess (at least for me) was gruesome. I had to verify my identity with Customer Support (apparently my IP didn't match my billing info). That took about a day until my account was finally activated.
Other than that, this is an amazing VPN. I love the software and the large selection of servers.
This is just a very good vpn. I've used them for 2 years now, and they just keep adding more servers to their VPN. It's great!
I've used HMA for about 6 months and have just renewed. What I like about it compared to other VPNs I have tried is that it has very many servers in a whole host of different countries. When logging on, I do need to guess which server is least busy, the system does it for me.
Speed is an issue as it is with any VPN, but this is part due to my ISP. Overall, I'm very pleased and would recommend.
Living in the Caribbean, HMA is extremely valuable in enabling access to services such as Amazon videos, which are otherwise blocked for royalty reasons. To install and set up the software in Windows is very simple. But I work with Linux and haven't been able yet to figure the installation and additional settings out. This is also a time issue on my end, but obviously I'm not keen to spend hours to read up on solutions in Linux, while it works flawless after a few minutes of download and installation in Windows.
Otherwise, I recommend HMA to all my friends as THE solution for expatriates (from any country) who desire media access to their home stations.
So far so good. The software works great. Even better at a affordable price.
My overall experience so far is extremely good. The software installs and works seemlessly, and has all the features I need.
Absolutely love it!
After reading the review here, I decided to try them out (with a 30 day money-back guarantee, I figured I had nothing to loss). It's been about 4 days now and I have to say I'm in absolute love with HideMyAss! Awesome and easy software and very fast connections.
Highly recommended!!
Found the software/program intuitive and easy to use. The price for what you get is very good. This type of program when it does not have the attributes I have mentioned can quickly become a liability rather than an asset.
Have used HMA for 6 mths approx both in Mexico for 2 mths Florida 1 mth and Canada 3 mths , have not had one problem over the time period. The VPN hooks up instantly on both laptop and ipad2. Installation was easy with no glitches. We will use HMA again later this year iris a great product.