HMA VPN Review 2022

Last updated: January 19, 2023
William Sams
William Sams
HMA VPN is quite the "popular" service. Oddly, it fails at unblocking Netflix, does not work in China, is based in an internet enemy jurisdiction, and torrenting with it even gets you a DMCA notice.

HMA VPN Review 2022” explains how HMA has been providing VPN services for over 15 years, making it one of the longest-running and most reputable brands in the industry. The organization has servers in over 1,030 different locations in 290+ different countries.

That’s less than what some of the best VPN services provide, but they cover a lot more ground geographically and in terms of the number of servers they offer (NordVPN has 5,200+ servers in 60 countries, while ExpressVPN has 3,000+ servers in 160+ locations and 94+ countries).

HMa-key-features

We ran a series of tests to determine its capabilities, including speed, security, ability to bypass blocks, and more. To further assess its reliability, we looked at both its no-logs policy and its money-back assurance.

HMA offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 7-day free trial, so you can try it out and see whether it works for you with no risk. If you want to take advantage of this special discount, you must buy HMA through its official website.

Unblocking geo-restricted content on Netflix, Hulu, and other services is a breeze with HideMyAss, a dependable VPN service. Among the best VPNs available today, In the absence of ExpressVPN or NordVPN, we suggest it because of its extensive server network and cutting-edge features. You have 30 days to request a refund if you are unhappy with the service.

HMA VPN Review – Pros and Cons

Pros
  • Compatible with streaming platforms.
  • Apps that are intuitive and well-designed
  • Rapid speeds.
  • Latest protocols utilization.
  • The provider with the most VPN server locations.
  • Seven-day free trial with a thirty-day refund policy

Cons
  • Located in Britain (Five Eyes jurisdiction)
  • The kill switch occasionally fails.
  • Leaked information to the FBI.
  • No Firestick application.
  • No Smart DNS client.
  • Limited security and protocols for iPhone & macOS.

HMA VPN Review – Rating Parameters & Key Findings

  • Jurisdiction – HideMyAss now has a private logging policy, having finally eliminated the intrusive data retention that was formerly the service’s greatest weakness. HMA doesn’t”log” information from the internet that may be used to identify you. Your browsing behavior will be kept private and concealed from HideMyAss. See More on Jurisdiction.
  • Security – Using HideMyAss is secure. Using AES-256 encryption and DNS servers, it conceals your IP address and DNS requests. HMA failed the iOS and macOS security tests, and it is one of the few big VPNs that does not support WireGuard. See More on Security
  • Server Location – With servers in 210 countries, HideMyAss is the best VPN for server location options. Essentially, HMA has servers in every region. However, its overall number of servers is modest, which may result in future server congestion. See More on Server Location
  • Streaming – The VPN has six server locations ideal for streaming. There are four in the United States, one in the United Kingdom , and one in Germany . These servers are designed to efficiently circumvent VPN bans on streaming sites. See More on Streaming
  • Speed –  HideMyAss offered extremely fast speeds during our tests, placing it among the top VPN services. When connecting to a neighboring server, the download speed decreased by just 3%, from 99Mbps to 96Mbps. See More on Speed.
  • Compatibility – HideMyAss is compatible with all major operating systems, such as Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. It lacks both Firestick TV applications and Smart DNS capability for other devices. HMA single subscription allows you to connect up to 10 devices concurrently. See More on Compatibility.
  • Pricing –  HideMyAss has nearly too many price choices to accommodate all budgets. The program offers a 7-day free trial. Its monthly and short-term plans are, however, pricey for what they provide. See More on Price.
  • Torrenting – We do not advocate using HideMyAss to download torrents. The VPN provider has a history of violating the privacy of its users and working with government police. We cannot currently rely on HMA to keep your P2P activities confidential. See More on Torrenting
  • Trustworthiness – It appeared that HMA’s customer service was available through live chat, but it was not. The response we received was quite late, yet the employee sincerely attempted to assist. See More on Trustworthiness.
  • Unreliable Operation In China – HMA does not function properly and consistently in China, although it does in other highly blocked countries like Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Russia. See More on Operations in China
  • User Interface and Setup –  The VPN applications from HideMyAss are among the most user-friendly and straightforward on the market. All of its complex options are well labeled, and connecting to a VPN server was simple in our tests. Within 5 minutes, you will be able to subscribe, download, and utilize HideMyAss. See More on Interface and Setup.

HMA VPN Review – Rating Parameters Explained

Jurisdiction – Where is HMA VPN Based?

In 2009, HideMyAss released its first subscriber VPN service under the control of Privax Ltd. AVG, a Czech antivirus business, acquired the VPN in 2015 for up to $60 million due to its prominence. In 2016, Avast, the other Czech antivirus company, acquired AVG.

Even though Avast’s parent business is headquartered in the Czech Republic, Privax Ltd is still based in the United Kingdom. Due to its invasive data retention rules recently formalized by the UK Investigatory Powers Act, sometimes known as the ‘Snooper’s Charter,’ the United Kingdom is a terrible location for a VPN service.

HideMyAss is bound by all Snoopers Charter intelligence-sharing agreements. The corporation concedes that, if required, it will provide data to the government and agencies.

The United Kingdom is also a participant of the Five Eyes Alliance (FVEY), an intergovernmental alliance meant to gather and exchange intelligence information among some of the world’s most influential states.

Security – Does HMA VPN Keep Me Safe Online?

Encryption – Strong Protocols Keeping Hackers Away

Although HMA provides top-tier security thanks to its use of RSA-4096 handshakes, 256-bit AES encryption, and the SHA-384 hash algorithm. The world’s militaries and governments all employ this encryption. Security is certainly enough for web surfing, video watching, and torrenting if it can keep them secure.

Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) is a mechanism that replaces encryption keys every time you connect to a VPN, making it so that your data is always secure. This works across all of your devices and all of the websites you visit.

Each session ends with your key being completely erased, making it so that any hacker who gains access to your connection will only be able to do it once. When you reconnect to a server, you will receive a new encryption key, making it impossible for hackers to reuse old ones.

VPN Protocols – Featuring OpenVPN

Is HMAVPN safe ?? Unfortunately, HMA only supports the OpenVPN protocol, which only works with TCP and UDP, which is a major letdown. Compared to market leaders like ExpressVPN and NordVPN, this is a very low number.

OpenVPN provides excellent security and quick speeds, so your connection will seem virtually as fast as ordinary traffic. It’s not easy to set up, and more and more firewalls are blocking OpenVPN. OpenVPN for macOS likewise requires several configuration steps before it will function.

Thankfully, an in-depth manual setup tutorial is available for OpenVPN installation on all systems from HMA. When we set it up, we didn’t have any problems, but if you do, there are instructions for fixing the issue included. Therefore, if you want to install HMA on your macOS device, we suggest using the OpenVPN setup method.

Smart Kill – Protecting Data At Every Step

When we switched server locations or shut off the VPN, Windows and Android devices both experienced a complete loss of internet connectivity due to the Smart Kill Switch feature. In the limited time that we were not connected to a VPN server, this method ensured that no DNS leaks occurred.

On Windows, we could also utilize HMA’s kill switch to prohibit data transmission from particular programs in the case of a connection loss. By adding them to a list under the App Kill Switch feature, you can quickly pick which programs should be stopped if your connection stops.

Kill switches don’t seem to operate on macOS, and neither do they appear to be available on iOS or Android. Choose a VPN with a kill switch and other security options if you need to secure your iPhone or Android device.

Split-Tunneling

HMA should provide the split tunneling option on more than only Android. That’s a bummer since it would be useful if you wanted to avoid encrypting your whole WiFi connection or wanted to operate LAN items across your network. Using split tunneling, you may direct just specified programs or websites to bypass the VPN connection and view content locally.

We suggest ExpressVPN’s split tunneling function to use as that is available on Windows, Android, macOS, and even routers, and it’s everything you need for truly unrestricted multitasking. There is zero danger in signing up with ExpressVPN because of their 30-day money-back promise.

HMA VPN Logging Policy Review

As mentioned earlier, HideMyAss VPN does indulge in the logging of session/connection data. Unlike providers like Surfshark and ExpressVPN, it has not undergone a security audit of its “no logs” claims.

If you take a look at their privacy policy, you will notice HMA VPN saying they do not store any personally identifiable information. However, as you go on reading, you learn that they do maintain certain logs like:

  1. Username
  2. Connection timestamps
  3. Bandwidth logs
  4. The IP address of the user
  5. The IP address of the VPN server a user connects to

HMA VPN stores all of these logs for 30 days. Combined with the fact that the location of the service is within the UK, there is no room left for you to put your trust in HideMyAss at all.

The provider has also been involved in cases in the recent past where it divulged sensitive user data to authorities that led to jail time for some of its users. One thing’s a given, you should never do anything illegal while using HMA!

HMA VPN VirusTotal Test

To be extra sure that your system does not get compromised, we conducted an “app check” on HMA VPN. Luckily, all apps from the provider were secure and did not contain any viruses or malware.

HMA-virus-test-virustotal

Servers – How Many Servers Does HMA VPN Have?

  • Number of Servers – 1080 VPN servers
  • Server Locations – 210+ countries
  • Server Speeds –  20 Gbps
  • Server Locations – 290+
  • Most Servers  – US (253), Canada(57), Australia(17), Germany(17)

With more than 1080 VPN servers in more than 210 countries and territories, HideMyAss is the best VPN for server diversity. In other words, this encompasses ninety percent of the world’s countries. If you don’t happen to be in a place with easy access to servers in standard VPN hotspots like the United States or European Countries, HMA is a great VPN to consider.

HideMyAss’s superior coverage of African and Middle Eastern countries was particularly impressive to us. If you happen to be in one of these areas, you’ll benefit from HMA’s local servers, which prevent your connection from having to go via slow long-distance servers.

When compared to other VPN services, our server distribution is more focused on Europe and North America, rather than the rest of the world. We appreciate HMA’s decision to locate servers in less populated areas.

There is less traffic and quicker performance on city-level servers. With its 65 US sites, HMA makes it easier than ever to avoid regional blocks and watch your favorite US sports events wherever you are.

HMA, like the majority of VPN providers, has placed city-level servers in typical regions. More city-level servers in Asia, Africa, and South America would be much appreciated.

Streaming – Can I Unblock Netflix US and Other VoDs?

HMA works with Netflix US, UK, Canada, Germany, Italy, and more. HMA has 6 streaming-optimized servers, although it unblocks Netflix on ordinary lines with no noticeable quality change. Enjoy HD video streaming with no buffering across all libraries. Many VPNs have trouble with Netflix libraries.

HMA works with NHL TV, Pluto tv, and PBS Kids, but not Popcornflix. Food Network Canada may well have conflicting findings. Depending on the add-ons you install, you may encounter some troubles.

HMA promises to be “streaming central,” yet it doesn’t operate with Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max. Every server we connected to had a streaming problem.

Netflix proxy error

HMA doesn’t operate with BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub. You can browse stuff on both platforms, but when you try to watch anything, on streaming servers or conventional UK connections, you get an error notice.

We recommend ExpressVPN if you want to see local TV while traveling. Its geoblock-bypassing technique works on all major streaming sites. Access your favorite content risk-free for 30 days with ExpressVPN. If you cancel your membership, you can request a refund.

Speed – How Fast Are HMA VPN Servers?

HMA delivered fast speeds on local servers but slowed while connecting to remote servers. Our speed plummeted when connecting to 8,000 km-away servers. It was quick and sufficient to require minimum latency, but your results may differ.

Ping increased while We did speed tests on distant servers. High latency doesn’t affect normal surfing, but it’s irritating when gaming online. Chats might be slow and sluggish.

HMA’s local speeds surprised me. European servers slowed me down by 15%.  Belgium, London, France, Greece, Germany, Australia,  the US, Japan, and Canada were also sluggish.

London’s fastest server location reduced my speeds by 9% and generated a low ping, suitable for online gaming. Canadian and US servers slowed down by 70%.

HMA’s network offered me fast performance nearby.  HMA’s Lightning Connect function finds the quickest server. It wasn’t always reliable. The automatically chosen Spanish server wasn’t quicker than Uk or French servers.

HMA’s speed test is handy. Our external speed testing didn’t match its findings. We would still not rely on it because it regularly overestimated traffic.

Server Download Upload Ping
US 67.95Mbps 77.36Mbps 111ms
Brazil 79.88Mbps 62.47Mbps 219ms
Australia 63.81Mbps 73.28Mbps 172ms
Germany 71.03Mbps 64.79Mbps 129ms
India 78.50Mbps 77.31Mbps 181ms
Average 70.27Mbps 71.64Mbps 159ms

Compatibility – Can I Use HMA VPN on All My Devices?

We found HMA’s device compatibility to be fairly limited in comparison to the market’s leading VPNs. HMA permits the usage of a VPN on:

  • Personal Computers: Windows (10 and 11), macOS (Mojave, El Capitan, Yosemite, High Sierra, and Sierra), and Linux ( Debian, CentOS, Ubuntu, and Fedora).
  • Smart TVs: Android TV.
  • Routers: Linksys., Netgear, and AsusWRT
  • Mobile devices: Android and iOS

HMA provides a dedicated app for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android that can be downloaded from the Google Play Store or the Apple Store. If you want to install HMA on Linux, you’ll need to manually configure it on your device using the online Knowledge Base videos and guidelines.

hma-devices-compatibility

After evaluating the service, we observed that all of HMA’s apps are user-friendly and straightforward. The application is nearly the same, therefore switching from one platform to another was effortless. we loved the fact that HMA’s applications provide helpful pop-up recommendations for navigating the user interface if you’re unfamiliar with the software.

When we entered VPN settings on any device, we saw that HMA provides a brief explanation of each option to help you understand what it does. we appreciate it when VPNs do this, as it makes the settings a lot simpler to comprehend, even for VPN novices. To modify the settings, we simply checked or toggled the items we desired to activate.

While the HMA applications we evaluated shared a similar appearance and feel, their feature sets differed greatly. Here’s a table to help you compare the features of these systems:

HMA-protocol-table

Since HMA’s iOS and macOS apps lack fundamental security features, We cannot recommend HMA to Apple customers who prioritize security. The VPN facilitates access to geo-restricted content and encrypts your connection using military-grade encryption.

However, you may discover VPNs for your Mac, iPhone, and iPad that are of superior quality and safeguard your device with all the typical security features.

HMA lacks a native app for most Smart TVs, the Fire TV Stick, Chromecast, and gaming consoles, much like most other mid-tier VPNs. However, you can still secure all of your devices with a VPN if you install HMA on your router.

HMA smart tv

Even though the installation process needs a little work in the router’s settings, the return may be worth the effort, as all your devices will be protected. When installing a router, HMA’s online Knowledge Base is an excellent resource if you need assistance.

HMA provides free browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox that provide unrestricted bandwidth and unblock Netflix. They include servers in the Netherlands, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Due to the amount of data they gather, we are not sure that the browser extensions are worthwhile despite their benefits. In addition to logging your IP address and the websites you visit, HMA’s browser extensions do not encrypt your connection. This implies that your ISP and hackers can monitor your activity and use it against you.

We propose you safeguard your devices using HMA’s VPN software instead of the free proxy for your safety. Although the app is not free, a 7-day free trial is available.

After the trial period concludes, you can continue to take HMA risk-free for an additional 30 days. This allows you a lot more time to determine whether the VPN is worth maintaining and cancel your subscription if necessary.

Pricing – How Much Does HMA VPN Cost Exactly?

Pricing

Each of HideMyAss’s three primary subscription levels includes the same features. As with the majority of VPN services, the longer subscription options provide substantially better value. However, you must pay the entire subscription amount ahead.

The annual HMA VPN price is $4.99 each month, which is a reasonable price for what you receive. The greatest pricing for HideMyAss is its three-year plan, which reduces the monthly HMA VPN price by 75% to $2.99.

While its long-term memberships are reasonably priced, HMA’s short-term plans are prohibitively pricey. In addition, they are separated from the main pricing page and are difficult to locate.

You may access the 1-month and 6-month plans via the website’s “extended price” section. You can increase the number of concurrently connected devices from five to ten on the website’s price page. The 12-month HMA VPN price for 10 concurrent connections costs $7.99 per month, while the 3-year plan costs $5.99 per month.

HMA prices

Payment & Refund Methods

HMA encrypts debit, credit, and PayPal purchases. HMA’s provider uses 2Checkout, a secure third-party solution. HMA doesn’t have access to your payment details, therefore any data breach won’t expose them.

Multiple payment options are available from HMA:

  • Online Payment –  Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal.
  • Bank Card – American Express, MasterCard, Visa, Hipercard.  UnionPay, and Discover,
  • Miscellaneous – Alipay, WebMoney,  iDEAL, Sofort Banking, Konbini, GiroPay, PayNearMe, Poli, Pohjola, Nordea.
    HMA Payment methods

To get a refund a user must go through these steps:

  • Sign in with your credentials. Open the HMA website and log in with the credentials you generated when you originally registered with the company.
  • Cancel your subscription. You will be routed to the “Manage Your Account” page after logging in. Click “Cancel Subscription” under the “Your HMA! Licenses” section at the bottom of the page.
  • Confirm the cancellation request. A confirmation popup should now appear requesting confirmation that you intend to cancel. Click the “Yes” button to confirm.
  • Request your refund. In the search field, enter “refund” after clicking the “Help” option at the top of the page. Click “How to Request a Refund.” This link will open the refund page. To request a refund, click the “I want a refund” option.
  • Fill out the form. Fill in the required information on the contact form and include a note asking for a refund. Click “Submit”. You should receive an immediate automatic response confirming receipt of your request.
  • Reply to the email from HMA. Within 24 hours, you will get an email seeking an explanation for your departure, along with your initial order number. The email message you received when you joined up is one location to locate this number.

HMA VPN Cancel Subscription

Although subscriptions are automatically renewed, they can be canceled at any moment should you decide to discontinue the use of HMA. A link to HMA’s login page is provided in the app’s settings where you may manage your membership.

If you don’t cancel before your free trial ends, you’ll be charged $83.88 for a full year of service.

Good For Torrenting?

Due to its history of customer privacy abuse and cooperation with law authorities, we cannot endorse HideMyAss as a torrenting service you can trust. Those that utilize HMA have previously experienced account suspensions for alleged DMCA violations.

In response to a DMCA allegation, HMA “has no way of identifying specific users,” a spokesman said. In contrast, HMA’s position on torrenting is unclear and convoluted. A separate HideMyAss representative warned that the VPN subscription will be terminated if it was discovered that the user was downloading pirated content.

HideMyAss needs to elaborate on this point. Given the current state of affairs and the company’s history of logging problems, we recommend staying away from HMA when torrenting. HMA’s high torrent speed and specialized P2P servers would have rendered it an excellent torrenting VPN, thus this is a real tragedy.

Trustworthiness – Trustpilot Ratings & Customer Support

To give you a better idea about HideMyAss VPN, we decided to assess the provider from the perspective of “users” on Trustpilot. Here is what the customers have experienced with the VPN:

HMA VPN has a 2.7-star rating on Trustpilot, among which 58% of users have rated the service as excellent, 16% as great, 8% as average, 5% as poor, and 12% as bad. Most negative reviews showed concern about their logging practices and tricky unsubscription process. 

hma-trustpilot-rating

Is HMA Ineffective In China

HideMyAss is put through its paces weekly over a VPN connection into Shanghai. The VPN connection has always failed. In reality, we’ve never been able to complete the sign-up process.

To get beyond China’s VPN prohibition, the top alternative VPNs utilize obfuscation techniques like ExpressVPN and NordVPN. HMA, sadly, does not have any methods of obscuring data like other alternative VPNs that work in China.

Despite such restrictions, we discovered that ExpressVPN works in china better than HMA.

User Interface and Setup – Is HMA VPN User-Friendly?

The virtual private network (VPN) apps that HideMyAss offers are among the easiest to use and most user-friendly available. During our evaluations, we discovered that all of its advanced options had descriptive names and that it is simple to establish a connection to a VPN server.

Within the next 5 minutes, you will be able to subscribe to HideMyAss, download it, and begin using it.

Configuring up the HMA VPN app for Android needs these steps to follow:

  • Choose an HMA package with confidence thanks to our 30-day refund policy.
  • The second step is to install our VPN app from the Google Play Store on your Android-powered smartphone or tablet.
  • Launch the HMA VPN software, sign in, and begin unrestricted web surfing.

hma for android

Configuring up the HMA VPN app for iOS needs these steps to follow:

  • Choose an HMA package with confidence thanks to our 30-day refund policy.
  • The second step is to have the VPN app for iOS installed on your iPhone or iPad.
  • Launch the HMA VPN software, sign in, and begin unrestricted web surfing.

hma ios application

Are HMA Version 5 Apps Effective?

HideMyAss’ latest version cleans up the interface and makes the program easier to use. At first glance, the updated design breathes fresh life into what was a tired VPN client. By itself, this is already a significant step forward, but the greatest change comes from HMA’s work to streamline the app’s interface.

HMA has taken away the confusing and deceptive ‘Instant Mode,’ ‘Location Mode,’ and ‘Freedom Mode‘ choices. With only one button to press, accessing a VPN server has never been easier.

Our Verdict – Is HMA VPN Worth It?

HMA VPN Review 2022” talks about accessing geo-restricted content with HMA, which is also lightning fast and easy to use. To further reassure new VPN users, HMA offers a risk-free 7-day trial and a full 30-day refund policy.

The fact that HideMyAss has been known to log user data, has a broken kill switch, and has previously worked with law enforcement to access that data raise serious privacy concerns.

Overall, HMA VPN is a reliable service for unblocking regionally restricted content when streaming, but it falls short when it comes to privacy and security.

In comparison to HMA VPN, ExpressVPN offers far more anonymity and security online. ExpressVPN allows access to all 10 Netflix regions and other streaming networks, It also offers a no-risk trial period of 30 days.

HMA VPN Review – Quora and Reddit Reviews

We searched “HMA VPN Reddit” on Google and instantly got a list of “negative” results. A user got a threatening notice from the provider. In another instance, a Redditor raised complaints about their logging policy and plenty of others about their poor performance.

HMA Quora

HMA VPN Alternatives

There are the recommended VPNs instead of using HMA:

HMA VPN Review – FAQs

Does Netflix support HMA VPN?

HMA hides your IP address, making it appear as though you are accessing the web from another country. This will allow you to access any of Netflix’s libraries. It supports unblocking Netflix from any location in the world.

Why don’t my HMA VPN connect?

You might try reconnecting after briefly turning off any firewall or antivirus software you may have installed. It’s usual for firewalls and antivirus software to prevent VPN connections from operating, but after the connection is established, you may turn those features back on.

Is HMA VPN free?

Although it is not free, it offers a 7-day free trial offered by HMA is a great way to put the VPN’s content-unblocking skills to the test.

Compatible with device: Windows, Android, Apple, Desktop, ,

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