HMA VPN is a company from the UK that helps you stay safe and private online. They’ve been doing this for more than 15 years. What’s cool about HMA VPN is that it makes your internet connection fast, has lots of places where you can connect, and keeps your stuff safe with really strong security. This HMA VPN review delves deeper into its features and performance.
Their apps are easy to understand and use, and you can choose how much you want to pay. You can even try it out for a whole week for free, and if you don’t like it, you can get your money back within a month. But there are a few things HMA VPN isn’t so good at. For example, sometimes it can’t help you watch certain popular shows on the internet, and it doesn’t always work well in China. Also, if you need help right away, they might not be available to chat with you all the time.
Overall, using HMA VPN is a pretty good experience. They have a special feature that changes your internet address, and they have servers in lots of different places around the world. In fact, they have more servers in more countries than even Surfshark VPN, which a lot of people think is really good. When you want to watch shows on Netflix or BBC iPlayer, HMA VPN usually works well, but sometimes it might not work in some countries.
They’ve also changed how they keep track of what you do online. Now they don’t keep any records that could be used to find out who you are, so it’s safer to use. And if you ever need help, their customer service is really quick to respond and they’re really nice.
In this HMA VPN review, we’ll talk about these things:
- Speed and Servers
- Security and Privacy
- Streaming and Torrenting
- Pricing
- Pros and Cons
- Alternatives
Does HMA VPN Provide High Speeds?
How fast things load on the internet is called speed. If you’re watching videos or downloading stuff like torrents, you want it to be as fast as your regular internet.
When you use a VPN, your data gets scrambled, which can make it take longer to send and receive. This might make your internet slower. But sometimes, your internet company slows down your connection on purpose, which is called throttling. Using a VPN can sometimes make your internet faster in these situations. Where you are in the world can also make a difference in how fast your internet is.
I tested HMA VPN, and most of the time it was fast. But when I connected to faraway servers, my speed slowed down a lot. For example, if I connected to a server that was over 10,000 kilometers away (that’s about 16,000 miles), my speed dropped a ton.
HMA VPN Review: Servers and Server Locations
HMA VPN has lots of servers – over 1,000 – spread across more than 220 countries and 290 locations. That’s more countries than any other VPN! Even though it doesn’t have as many servers as some other VPNs (like Surfshark VPN with 3,000+ servers and CyberGhost VPN with 7,400+), HMA VPN’s big global network means it’s easy for people all over the world to find a server nearby for fast internet.
But there’s a catch – HMA VPN doesn’t show how busy its servers are or how fast they are. This can make it tricky to figure out which servers are the fastest.
If you want to share files with others using peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, HMA VPN only lets you do that on servers in six countries – the US, the UK, the Netherlands, France, Germany, and the Czech Republic. So if you’re in a different country, you might not be able to connect to a nearby server for faster downloads.
HMA VPN does have special servers just for watching videos in the US, UK, and Germany. But it doesn’t work with popular streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Disney+. If you’re looking for a VPN that reliably unblocks streaming sites, Surfshark VPN might be a better choice.
Overall, HMA VPN has servers in lots of different countries, so most people can find one nearby for fast internet. But because it doesn’t show how busy its servers are, doesn’t support P2P in many countries, and can’t unblock popular streaming sites, some people might prefer other VPNs like Surfshark VPN instead.
HMA VPN Review: Security & Privacy
Encryption: HMA uses AES 256-bit encryption to keep your data safe. It works on Windows and Android with OpenVPN, and on Mac OS and iOS with IPSec/IKEv2.
IP Shuffle: This feature lets you change your IP address randomly, adding more privacy and security to your online activities. It makes it hard for anyone to track you online and can help you access content blocked in certain areas.
Kill switch: If your VPN connection suddenly drops, the kill switch stops your internet connection to keep your IP address and online activity private. It’s like a safety net for your privacy online!
Can HMA VPN help you stream?
Some VPNs can get around the rules that stop you from watching Netflix in certain places. But HMA VPN can’t do that. Even though it has special servers just for streaming in Germany, the UK, and the USA, none of them could let me watch Netflix US or Amazon Prime Video.
It also couldn’t let me watch BBC iPlayer. The only thing I could watch was YouTube videos that were blocked in certain places, but most VPNs can do that.
So, if you want to use a VPN to watch shows from different countries, HMA VPN might not be the best choice for you.
HMA VPN Review: Ease of Use?
HMA VPN works on Windows, Android, iOS, macOS, Linux, and routers. Their website looks nice and is easy to use, so you can find what you need quickly.
The Windows app is simple and looks good, with a blue and white design.
It’s easy to use too. There’s a big button to turn the VPN on or off, a shortcut to server locations, and a “more” button for extra stuff like a speed test and a summary of your data.
If you want to change settings, just click the “settings” button. There, you can customize things like the smart kill switch, IP Shuffle, auto-connect, and more.
The Android app is also nice and easy to use.
But it doesn’t have some features like automatic troubleshooting or adjusting the kill switch. Overall, though, HMA VPN is easy to use and looks good.
HideMyAss VPN Review: the Devices Compatibility
HMA VPN works on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Apple TV, and Android TV. They also have browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox, but they’re not part of the paid HMA VPN service. The free proxy browser extensions log your IP address, so it’s best not to use them.
Installing the VPN app on your phone takes over 2 minutes, and on a computer, it takes up to 4 minutes.
HMA VPN Customer Services
HMA VPN has a bunch of questions and answers in their knowledge base. It’s sorted by what kind of device you have, so you can find what you need pretty easily. They even have pictures to help you understand. But it would be even better if they added videos.
If you need more help, you can talk to someone from customer support using a ticket system. But you have to fill out a lot of stuff before you can ask your question, which can be annoying.
You can also check out HMA’s forum for more info. It’s not very busy, but you might find what you’re looking for. You can ask questions there too, but it might take a while to get an answer.
But, their live chat doesn’t work, so you’ll have to leave a message instead.
HMA VPN Review: Pricing
HMA has different plans depending on how many devices you want to use the VPN on at once.
For up to five devices:
- You can try it free for a week.
- The 12-month plan costs $4.99 per month, paid all at once.
- Or you can go for the 36-month plan for $2.99 per month, also paid all at once.
For up to ten devices:
- The 12-month plan is $7.99 per month, paid all at once.
- The 24-month plan costs $6.99 per month, also paid all at once.
- There’s a 36-month plan for $5.99 per month, paid all at once too.
HMA VPN Review: Pros and Cons
HMA VPN Pros
- No-logs policy.
- Many countries.
- Easy apps.
- IP shuffler.
- Free trial.
- Money-back guarantee.
- Torrenting support.
- Cheap long-term plan.
HMA VPN Cons
- No monthly plans.
- Weak Linux version.
- Can’t unblock Netflix.
- Average speeds.
- Kill switch can fail.
HMA VPN Review: Alternatives
In this HMA VPN review, we checked out two other VPN options.
Surfshark VPN
Surfshark is a strong VPN choice. It has lots of privacy features and lets many devices connect at once, which is great for families or small businesses.
Surfshark uses fancy security tricks like multi-hop routing and split tunneling. It also stops ads and trackers for smoother browsing. And to keep your info safe, it uses special servers that don’t store data.
Surfshark supports different VPN types for fast, secure connections. Plus, it changes your IP address often, making it hard for bad guys to track you online.
You can use Surfshark to download and watch shows on Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+, even if you’re in another country.
Although Surfshark costs a bit more, its top-notch privacy features, great support, and easy-to-use setup make it worth it. Plus, you can try it out risk-free for 30 days, and they’re available to help you all day, every day.
Overall, Surfshark VPN is a solid pick for anyone who wants a reliable VPN that keeps their info safe and won’t slow them down.
Price:
- Surfshark Starter: $2.29 per month (2-year plan), $3.99 per month (1-year plan), and $10.99 per month (1-month plan)
- Surfshark One: $2.89 per month (2-year plan), $4.09 per month (1-year plan), and $14.99 per month (1-month plan)
- Surfshark One+: $4.29 per month (2-year plan), $6.49 per month (1-year plan), and $21.99 per month (1-month plan)
NordVPN
NordVPN is a top VPN provider based in Panama. It focuses on security, privacy, and ease of use. NordVPN offers features like blocking ads, protecting against DNS leaks, and using strong encryption. It also has a VPN kill switch to keep your data safe.
To protect your privacy, NordVPN doesn’t keep any records of what you do online. It also lets you pay anonymously for extra privacy. NordVPN works on many devices, and you can use it on up to six devices at once.
But NordVPN is more expensive than some other VPN services. Despite this, if you want a VPN that’s secure and easy to use, NordVPN is a good choice.
I also suggest checking out our NordVPN article for additional insights.
Price:
- The Complete plan costs $5.99 per month with 3 EXTRA months, totaling $161.73 for the first two years.
- The Plus plan costs $4.99 per month with 3 EXTRA months, totaling $121.23 for the first two years.
And the Standard plan costs $3.99 per month with 3 EXTRA months, totaling $88.83 for the first two years.
HMA VPN review conclusion
In summary, HMA VPN is an okay choice for a VPN service. But there are many other well-known VPNs that do better than HMA in most areas. While HMA has improved in some areas, like the no-logs audit, it still needs to get better in other areas, like speed and security (leak protection).
If you want a simple VPN and you’re okay with paying more, dealing with a not-so-great jurisdiction, and the other issues we talked about, then you can try it out. They do give you a full 30-day money-back guarantee on all plans, so you can test it without risk.
