HMA, formerly HideMyAss, is a virtual private network (VPN) with a lot of sass and a dashboard optimized for easy use. The amount of transparency across the HMA website regarding logging and its privacy policy is comforting, especially since it’s written in plain language you don’t need a law degree to decipher. With features like lightning connect and a free web proxy tool, HMA is a solid VPN provider.

HMA VPN overview

Who is HMA VPN best for?

• Recommended for someone looking for a VPN with lots of options and a sense of humor

HMA’s website is fun to read. This virtual private server works the same as the competition, but with sass. There’s a lot of cheeky language to describe the VPN itself and its company policies. Overall, the product appears to work well. We had a lot of initial installation and connection issues. Once it’s running, though, HMA does its job.

If you appreciate a sense of humor in your tech products, this may be for you, but please don’t choose a security product on wit alone. HMA seems to match that energy with a product that delivers on its promises.

HMA VPN pros and cons

HMA VPN features

HMA has a unique feature that allows you to install its VPN app on unlimited devices. The caveat is that you can only be running five simultaneous connections at a time, but that seems like a manageable compromise. This is just one of the interesting features offered by the VPN service. Others include IP shuffle and P2P optimized servers.

This VPN hired a very fun marketing person to create its copy but that doesn’t mean HMA can’t deliver on its promises. The “smart” kill switch and IP shuffle features may not be unique to HMA, but their explanations are appreciated, as are the cheeky descriptions all over the site.

Server count and countries

• 1,080+ servers in 210+ countries

HMA lists 1,080-plus VPN servers in over 210 countries along with the claim “With us, the internet is truly borderless.” This is a decent server count in a lot of locations, so it isn’t wrong about having a lot of options. Another bonus for the VPN is the fact that it has both physical and virtual servers. A lot of VPN companies operate on just virtual servers, but physical ones provide a stronger internet connection. You can even check which HMA servers are virtual or not.

This is a lot of transparency for a technology company. In fact, the entire time we were digging through HMA’s website there was transparency at every turn. This is refreshing since many companies try to bury their third-party data sales and shady logging policies under a mountain of legalese.

No-logs policy and headquarters

• HMA VPN logs policy: No logs
• HMA VPN headquarters: London, U.K.

HMA is aggressive in its no-logs policy but in a good way. Not only does HMA put its no-logs policy language in conversational language, it also dedicates an entire page to explaining the policy. When we double-checked this against what’s written in the privacy policy, it all held up.

It’s important for a VPN not to keep logs. This service is following you all around the web, so logging means it’s keeping track of everything you do. This gets especially dicey if the company then sells user data. You have no idea who is getting your data and what will be done with it. Your best bet is to use products that don’t log your online activity in order to avoid all that uncertainty.

Kill switch

A kill switch is a feature that should come standard on a reliable VPN. This allows coordinates with your computer to kill the connection (hence the name) to the internet in the event your VPN disconnects. It provides you with the safety of protecting your IP address.

HMA calls its kill switch a “smart kill switch.” It’s a regular kill switch, but it definitely works (but only on Windows, macOS, and Android). Our internet was wonky during testing and HMA shut it down. It shut it all down. Fortunately, we didn’t have issues getting it all back and running.

Split tunneling

Split tunneling allows you to split up how your internet traffic is routed. This is useful if one app won’t work with a VPN but you don’t want to compromise the rest of your security. In this case, you could route access to that app through an unsecured channel while the rest of your traffic goes through a secured channel. Unfortunately, HMA only allows this feature on Android.

Encryption

HMA uses several different types of encryption depending on the device you’re using. Windows and Android get the OpenVPN protocol in Galois Counter Mode (AES 256-GCM).

For any other device, you’ll be reliant on HMA’s AES 256-bit encryption located on its servers. Don’t worry though, this is military grade and would take literally millions of years to crack with our current computing power.

VPN protocol

HMA uses OpenVPN protocol. This is an open-source encryption protocol that’s “owned” by, well, everyone. Open-source materials are used globally. The strength of the protocol lies in its ability to be developed and modified nearly instantaneously by a global network. If something happens that causes OpenVPN to go down, the network comes to a stop to avoid lost or stolen data. So all this fancy jargon means HMA provides you with a highly secure, extremely relevant piece of software.

Free Web Proxy

A proxy server allows you to access certain places on the internet that may be blocked by your region or local government ordinances. HMA provides a free proxy tool but also gives enhanced options when you purchase its VPN. The free tool gives you one private tab. The paid version (which you can try for a week free with HMA’s seven-day trial) offers so much more like stopping all internet service provider tracking and working on any device.

HMA VPN test results

When testing VPNs we look for four key points:

• Does it cause our internet speeds to lag?
• Can we watch regional Netflix content?
• Does it leak our domain name?
• Is there a WebRTC leak?

We go more in-depth into each of these points below. We want to make sure we give you real-world examples of these four points so you can make a decision on what VPN is best for you.

Speed tests

• HMA VPN speed test results: HMA VPN passed its speed test results.

We decided to really put HMA’s speed to the test by going to an outdoor mall and using the free public Wi-Fi. Surprisingly, HMA worked really well. The speeds were consistent across each of the different servers we encountered.

Even though public-mall Wi-Fi is typically abysmal, we were able to navigate around the web easily. The only real problem we encountered was that HMA kept turning off. We’re not sure if the Wi-Fi was glitching or if HMA just disconnected. There’s a chance HMA was having issues because we encountered this again on another network.

HMA VPN speed test results

HMA VPN Netflix tests

• HMA VPN Netflix test results: HMA failed its Netflix tests.

Netflix releases some content exclusively in certain regions. If you want to watch Netflix content in these regions, you’ll need a VPN to trick it into thinking you’re there. Additionally, if you’re traveling outside of your country, you could use a VPN to access your regional programming. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to test this with HMA. Netflix immediately detected the VPN no matter how many server locations we tried in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia. HMA provided a workaround on its Netflix help page, but we were unable to get it to work.

As far as other streaming services go, people have reported having success with HMA unblocking BBC iPlayer. Others have found that Disney+ and Hulu do not work with HMA. Also, Amazon Prime Video works but is better if you have an Amazon.UK or Amazon.DE account.

HMA VPN Netflix test results

DNS leak tests

• HMA VPN DNS leak test results: HMA passed its DNS leak tests.

Domain name system (DNS) is how a computer translates a language humans read into a language that computers can read. If there’s a DNS leak with your VPN, anyone can see the name of your computer (IP address) and possibly find ways to hack your device. We’re happy to report HMA did not leak the name of our machine when undergoing a DNS leak test.

WebRTC leak tests

• HMA VPN WebRTC leak test results: HMA VPN passed its WebRTC leak test results.

WebRTC is how you can use your computer to make video calls. Because your computer is opening itself up to a connection, there’s a chance you can be hacked if there’s a WebRTC leak. In our testing, HMA did not experience any WebRTC leaks.

HMA VPN compatibility

Since HMA boasts unlimited devices, it’s helpful if it works on all of the devices you’d like to protect. Luckily, HMA has an impressive list. You’ll find you can install it on a host of operating systems, gaming systems, and even routers.

Here’s a full list of HMA’s compatibility:

• Windows
• macOS
• Linux
• Android
• iOS
• Apple TV
• Android TV
• PlayStation
• Xbox
• Routers

HMA VPN customer support

We kept having login issues with HMA. The VPN generated a support code and a link to support, but when we clicked it, we got an SSL error. The SSL error was frustrating because we weren’t getting it with other websites. There’s a chance HMA’s website was throwing error codes, but since we weren’t able to submit a ticket to support, we were left to diagnose and fix issues on our own.

There is chat support available as a small box on the lower right side of some, but not all, pages of the website. However, it sometimes gives you an "offline" message, and it does not connect you with a live representative. If you have a question the chatbox can’t answer, it will still email a ticket to the support team. At least there is a knowledge base available with troubleshooting walkthroughs and other FAQs.

HMA VPN prices and subscriptions

HMA has a variety of options when it comes to your VPN needs. It claims unlimited installation on as many devices as you want, although with only five or 10 devices being connected at once, depending on the plan you choose. Additionally, there are pricing options to fit everyone’s needs. Whether you want to pay month-to-month or buy a yearly or multi-year subscription, HMA has a plan for that.

The price points are on par with competitors like NordVPN and Surfshark, but HMA does seem to have a variety of pricing options. This is helpful if you’re looking for a short-term subscription or want to save money on a VPN by buying a longer subscription. HMA accepts over 25 forms of payment including major credit cards like Visa, Amex, Discover, and Mastercard, as well as PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Unfortunately, cryptocurrency like bitcoin is not accepted.

HMA VPN cost

HMA VPN FAQs

Bottom line: Is HMA VPN good?

Answering this question is tough. We experienced A LOT of issues when downloading, logging in, and testing HMA. There were many times the HMA website refused to load due to an SSL error. (This only happened on HMA’s site and not with any other sites we tried at the same time.) Additionally, HMA would randomly turn off and give us an error message or only load the website in Polish even though the VPN was set to an English language server. This only happened with HMA; when we disabled it and tried another VPN, we had no problems.

We did test HMA on a new Macbook with an M2 chip running the most recent version of Ventura, which could have been part of the problem. Not every piece of software is optimized for M2 chips and Ventura just yet. HMA’s website mentions that the most recent compatible version for macOS is Monterey, which is older than what we have.

Since HMA is headquartered in a Five Eyes country there may be issues with user privacy. As far as leaks go, however, HMA was locked tight and that’s a good thing. HMA has a user-friendly interface and dashboard and is extremely transparent in its policies. The product has great functionality as long as it’s compatible with the device on which it’s being used. If all of the specs here look good, give that free trial a spin.

If you’re looking for a different product that’s less complicated, check out some of our recommended best VPNs like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark.

4.3

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On Hide My Ass's website

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Hide My Ass

• No logs
• 1,080+ servers
• May be buggy on your device

Author Details

Mary James

About the Author

Mary lives in Los Angeles and has been a cybersecurity writer for over five years. With a B.S. in Liberal Arts from Clarion University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, her career in online security began in sales and content creation for a private cybersecurity firm.