HideMyAss is a VPN provider based in the United Kingdom. The company started in 2005 and now operates 880 servers in 190 countries. It claims to offer strong security and privacy at affordable prices.
We tested HideMyAss’ service and found the connection speeds decent. We also like the app’s user-friendliness. On the other hand, we found the provider’s security policies contentious, especially in the use of log files and storage of user information.
Customer support also turned out unreliable, with them not responding to our questions in a thorough manner. Because of these issues, we would suggest you either use HideMyAss at your own risk, or find a better alternative by click the button below.
Speed wise, Hide My Ass was found to feel the same when you’re using it as any other top 5 VPNs tested. Streaming video speed is normal, and everything else loads as quickly as you’d expect.
Here is how the connection was performing on the day of testing without a VPN connected:
Our Speeds Without HideMyAss
When using HMA, you find that they have virtual servers for clients who want a connection in the USA, but who are far outside of the USA. When tested, the closest virtual USA server was in France:
Our Speeds On a HideMyAss Server Located In France:
To compare, here are the results with a server in Manhattan, NYC:
You get a quicker ping rate with the physically closer virtual server, and roughly the same download speed with either one. When using the connection to surf around the web, the virtual server feels quicker.
A UK connection had similar results, showing that all connections would operate at nearly exactly the same speed:
Our Speeds On a HideMyAss Server Located In the United Kingdom
After three entire days of testing, HMA did not once drop a connection. Every connection felt exactly the same as the next, regardless of whether the VPN server was 100 miles away, or 10,000 miles away.
Of particular note is HMA’s dedication to monitoring their servers. Out of the 900+ servers that were online when we tested, only 5 were found to be offline, and those servers were in remote locations. Best of all, HMA has been found to work perfectly fine with all geo-blocked content providers – including Hulu. Some IP addresses are blocked by Hulu, simply switching to another US based or virtual server can unlock it for you.
HideMyAss offers three different plans for its VPN service:
One of HideMyAss’ main draws is its easy-to-use client app. The app has the Instant Connection button displayed prominently on the home screen. There is also a Location Mode tab where you can select the country and server to connect to. This tab also displays the servers available for streaming and torrenting.
Another notable feature of the app is the Freedom Mode, which HideMyAss claims will help people go around a country’s censorship. The provider explains that when you use this mode your traffic is directed to the closest country that doesn’t have strict censorship.
The app also has a simplified Preferences section, where you can make adjustments like:
Start the VPN client when your computer starts
Show your recent connections
Shuffle your IP addresses
Toggle the kill switch on and off
The section’s layout makes it intuitive to use, but it noticeably lacks some of the finer control options, like Load Balancing and Secure IP Bind, that were previously present.
User experience
With such a complex network, you’d expect Hide My Ass to have VPN software that’s just as complex to use. This isn’t the case. They’ve taken the essentials that the average user needs and placed them right in the easiest place to find them – the ‘Dashboard’ tab.
From the Dashboard you can quickly change which country your server is in from the ‘Quick VPN Country Change” menu:
This really plays to Hide My Ass’ strength as a tool for defeating geoblocking. You can enjoy their software entirely from the Dashboard tab and never have to stray. This is what the average user will do.
For users with more advanced needs, you’ll find it’s simple to customize your experience. The country selection tab easily lets you navigate their worldwide network via a text based listing of all their servers grouped by country, or the world map we prefer:
Advanced users can simply keep on looking down through the tabs to find their:
HideMyAss operates 880 servers spread across 190 countries and territories, including:
HideMyAss provides several means of getting customer support, namely:
While HideMyAss states that it does not monitor or store the details of the sites you visit, it still collects a variety of log information during your session, including:
We initially found HideMyAss to be a serviceable VPN provider. The app is easy to set up and use, letting you connect quickly. The speeds are also fairly consistent and are sufficient for most online users. We did find the company’s more specialized services (like streaming and P2P) less reliable than that of other providers.
However, upon closer inspection of HideMyAss’ policies, we found some concerning issues. The most notable of them is that HideMyAss does collect a significant amount of user information. We are also concerned by the company’s track record of giving authorities access to this information too easily, wondering who else may be able to get hold of it (like the bad guys).
Customer support is another point of contention. While HideMyAss provides plenty of contact channels, the response rate is not that impressive. Because of these issues, we suggest that you be cautious about using HideMyAss. You can also check out better alternatives in our top VPN list.
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I tried to sign up for a trial and wasn't able to create an account due to a bug in their system. I tried again without success. However, I received two emails from them saying that I had signed up for two subscriptions. I emailed them about it and received no response. I then contacted via Live Chat and spoke to some incompetent guy named Jorah who started to lecture me on how I should not sign up for several trials. He refused to listen to me and just kept lecturing me. I won't be using this company again and will leave as many negative reviews as I can.
The new app is simply great. It works at great speed and you get the biggest number of places on earth than any other VPN provider offers. Form it's number one for few years already.
I got hidemyass after a friend who had been using at the same station i was going to at that time recommended it.I was aware a lot of content i was accessing back home was not available due to geoblocking. Hidemyass works for me and am now able to watch and access everything just like i did at home.
I got hidemyass after a friend who had been using at the same station i was going to at that time recommended it.I was aware a lot of content i was accessing back home was not available due to geoblocking. Hidemyass works for me and am now able to watch and access everything just like i did at home.
The first thing that caught my attention is the fact that Hidemyass is very simple to use despite being capable of doing complex stuff. I am now able to watch content that is blocked from viewing in the country am deployed.
I work for an international NGO and often have had to travel in Africa and Asia. Every country i have been to i have been able to get a server when using hidemyass. The speeds are very good as well.
The customer support at hidemyass are great. They were helpful and answered my questions since i was a first time user. I recently moved to south Sudan on a 6 month assignment and needed a service that would allow me to watch my favourite show on netflix.
Hidemyass has done the job for me perfectly over the last 12 months. I mainly use it for streaming purposes as most netflix is inaccessible at my current location. It has good speeds as well.
I got a new job overseas and a colleague who was previously stationed there recommended hidemyass after he heard me complain about missing out on my favourite shows on netflix. I use this service primarily to watch shows i would have missed for the duration am away from home.
I use hide my ass at my university where they have blocked lot of cool websites.The simple user interface it has is one of the reasons i settled for it. I am not a very technical person and only needed a VPN service that would allow me access sites i would otherwise not access.
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