HMA VPN, formerly known as Hide My Ass!, has been a player in the VPN market since 2005. With a network exceeding 1,100 servers in 297 locations, it has evolved significantly from its early days. This review examines HMA VPN’s features, performance, security, and pricing to determine if it’s a worthwhile VPN choice.
Key Features and Services
HMA VPN
HMA VPN stands out with its incredibly user-friendly interface. A prominent on/off switch, a clear location selector, and a minimalist design make it simple to navigate. A “More” button reveals connection details like data traffic and connection preferences for features such as kill switches and auto-connect.
HMA VPN
While the main interface is streamlined, the settings menu reveals a limited feature set for a premium VPN. A robust kill switch is present, offering both system-wide protection and an app-specific kill switch for granular control. However, the availability of advanced features varies across operating systems. For example, split tunneling, which allows users to select which apps use the VPN, is currently only available on Android.
HMA VPN
HMA VPN does offer a unique IP shuffler, periodically randomizing your IP address for enhanced privacy. This feature is customizable, allowing users to set the randomization frequency. However, HMA VPN lacks other important features like multi-hop, ad and tracker blocking, and consistent split tunneling across all platforms. Advanced configuration options and features like Smart DNS and dedicated IPs are also missing.
HMA VPN’s server network, while extensive in terms of location coverage, is not particularly large at just over 1,100 servers. The broad geographical reach, spanning 297 countries and territories, is a definite plus.
HMA VPN’s IP shuffler periodically randomizes your IP address, enhancing your online privacy.
Pricing and Plans
HMA VPN
HMA VPN offers monthly, annual, and three-year subscriptions. The monthly plan is priced at $11.99, which is relatively high compared to competitors offering more features. The annual plan at $59.88 ($4.99/month) is more competitive, while the three-year plan offers the lowest monthly cost at $2.99. All plans allow for five simultaneous connections, with an option to upgrade to ten. Payment options include credit card and PayPal. A 7-day free trial is available for those wanting to test the service.
Performance Analysis
HMA VPN’s speed performance is average. In tests, it retained around 55% of the base download speed and 54% of the base upload speed. Performance varied significantly depending on server location, with closer servers delivering much better speeds. While adequate for general use, HMA VPN is not among the fastest VPNs available.
HMA VPN struggled to unblock popular streaming services like US Netflix. While occasional access to Disney Plus and Amazon Prime was possible, it wasn’t reliable. Other streaming platforms like Hulu and HBO Max remained inaccessible.
Security and Privacy
HMA VPN utilizes AES-256 encryption and offers WireGuard, OpenVPN, and its proprietary Mimic protocol on Windows. The Android app supports only OpenVPN. The Mimic protocol, designed to bypass VPN restrictions, couldn’t be fully tested for this review.
HMA VPN
HMA VPN has significantly improved its privacy practices. Following criticism for its previous data retention policies, the company adopted a no-logs policy, validated by an independent audit in 2020. HMA VPN now only retains account information for billing and support, approximate bandwidth usage, and anonymized error reports. While the no-logs policy and audit are positive steps, more frequent audits and the adoption of RAM-only servers would further enhance user privacy.
Headquartered in London, UK, HMA VPN operates under data retention laws and intelligence-sharing agreements. However, the no-logs policy mitigates the risk of user data being compromised.
Conclusion
HMA VPN provides a user-friendly experience with a wide server network and decent speeds. However, the limited features, inconsistent cross-platform availability, and high monthly price hinder its competitiveness against top-tier VPN services. While the improved privacy practices are commendable, more frequent audits and the adoption of RAM-only servers would further strengthen user trust. HMA VPN has potential, but needs further development to compete with the leading VPN providers.
