Intro Best Free Hidemyass Alternative
Hide My Ass! (HMA!) Is a company, with Its claim to fame being its massive number of readers — now it has over 400 million. This supplier has seen its share of controversy with regards to consumer privacy. It recently made upgrades to it service in the hopes of winning back the loyalty of its readers and redeeming itself. Best Free Hidemyass Alternative
We took it To get a test run to find out how much it has improved and whether it’s worth the cost.
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What’s a VPN?
It creates an encrypted tunnel to when you activate a VPN Protect your data as it moves from the computer to a host. From there, your data releases onto the internet. It’s a simple idea, but one with enormous consequences for your privacy and safety.
It prevents anyone in your local Community from intercepting or monitoring your action. Though the airport or coffee shop Wi-Fi system looks safe (it may even be password-protected) it’s not reallysecure unless you’re using a VPN. For another thing, a VPN can stop your Internet Service Provider (ISP) from gathering information about your online activities so that it can sell anonymized user information to the highest bidder.
A VPN makes it more difficult to correlate your Online activities together with your identity. Since your visitors is exiting in the VPN company’s server, you appear to have its IP address, effectively concealing your true site. It also forces even the most determined attacker to try and sort through all the traffic from other users on the exact same VPN server to obtain what they are after. For all these reasons, and more, you want a VPN in your lifetime.
Note that a VPN encrypts your visitors till it exits through the VPN server. Provided that the site your data must be secure all the way. Also, while VPNs can offer a modicum of anonymity, a tool such as the Tor system is much better at concealing your identity.
Journalists and activists have long used vPNs To bypass censorship in countries with repressive internet policies. They’re also handy if you are searching to circumvent geographical constraints on streaming content. A VPN can spoof your current location, giving you access to restricted content such as BBC streaming or MLB TV. Some VPNs don’t enjoy these actions (which might be in violation of terms of support or even local legislation ) and content providers like Netflix are breaking down on users that spoof their place and the VPN providers they utilize to perform it.
There’s a Fantastic chance That you may have never laid hands on a VPN before. If that’s the case, do not worry! We have got an entire feature about the best way to set up and use a VPN. Best Free Hidemyass Alternative
VPN Protocols
There are several ways to create a VPN connection. My Preferred method employs the OpenVPN protocol, which is known for its speed and reliability. It’s also open-source, and therefore has been chosen over for potential vulnerabilities by anyone with the interest to do so.
Hide My Ass uses OpenVPN on Windows, using an older version That supports PPTP, and L2TP, also. Additionally, there are two different versions of this macOS app that, taken collectively, support IPSec (IKEv1 and v2), L2TP, and PPTP. Be aware that these old versions of this app have been phased out from the developer. The iOS version uses only IPSec, along with the Android program uses only OpenVPN.
That is a bit of a hodgepodge, and I am frustrated that Hide My Ass does not offer OpenVPN on all platforms. Nevertheless, a number of the issue is using the programs. Apple requires programmers to jump through extra hoops if they want to include OpenVPN within an app, but many are starting to move in this direction. I’d like to view Hide My Ass do exactly the same, across the board.
Your Privacy With Hide My Ass
With any security item, you want to be sure that the Company behind it’s going to be working on your best interests. This is especially true for VPNs, which are intended to improve privacy and security. If a VPN business is just as nosey as your ISP, there’s not much point in using it.
While I review VPNs, ” I read the Organization’s privacy policy And speak with agents to be able to better understand how your data is used and stored. In the instance of Hide My Ass, the company should be commended on its privacy policy. It states Hide My personal logs your own username, the timestamp of connection and disconnection, the number of information transmitted, your actual IP address, and the IP address of the host you connected to. This is not radically different from what is provided by other providers. In reality, it’s quite similar to Golden Frog VyprVPN’s policy.
What is noteworthy is that Hide My Ass Will store this information for two to three weeks, while VyprVPN shops it for just 30 days. Other providers hold even less information, or else they dispose of it immediately. Hide My Ass states it retains this data for this time period in order to enhance performance, prevent fraud, and stop bad guys from using the VPN to send spam. The organization, especially, also lists document sharing as one of the illicit activities it takes this information to prevent, regardless of the firm being fine by means of BitTorrent on some servers.
It May be possible that this information could be used To correlate a user’s identity to specific activity online, but it would likely be very hard. Even with this information, an audience would need to know which VPN host to watch then compare this activity from Hide My Ass’s logs, and have the ability to parse out the target’s traffic from everybody else using the same server.
The Hide My privacy policy also clearly states that it Does not monitor or store the actual content of your online activity. So, the support isn’t looking at your websites or the documents that you’re downloading. That is great, and exactly what you want to hear from a VPN company.
In the past, some VPN companies monetized users by Injecting ads into their internet traffic. Hide My Ass says it doesn’t do that, and goes even farther. A company representative explained to me the firm doesn’t gain from user data at all.
The actual location of a VPN company also issues, as it Can notify what protections are given to customers. Hide My Ass operates under the jurisdiction of England and Wales, also gets its own company headquarters in London. The UK at large does have compulsory data retention legislation. That is not ideal. Many other VPN services function in countries without mandatory data retention legislation, or in ones that have privacy protections for consumers. Best Free Hidemyass Alternative
I do not believe It’s likely to make a determination Concerning the benefits of a company based solely on its place. It is important to understand that the laws and policies on the job in a business with intimate access. I encourage visitors to think about this advice, and choose a VPN service.
Servers and Server Places
A Vital differentiator between VPN providers is the amount of Servers and their geographical distribution. A great deal of servers means you’re more likely to find a server that is not bogged down with other users. For its part, Hide My Ass has a respectable servers in its disposal. That said, Private online Access NordVPN, and TorGuard VPN have over 3,000 servers apiece. Those are my benchmarks for robustness from the VPN server class.
Geographic distribution of those servers is very important. Lots of places means more to choose from for functions, but also ensures that no matter where you travel there will likely always be a server for the performance. Hide My Ass has an extremely impressive server locations across some 220 nations. It is easily the broadest list one of the VPN services I’ve reviewed.
The list of server locations Provided by Hide My Ass is noteworthy since places ignored by other VPN businesses are covered by it. It has, as an example, numerous server locations . It also maintains servers in China, Russia, and Turkey, which have net policies.
Some customers May Be concerned about a VPN company’s Usage of virtual servers. These are servers which make servers are effectively operated as by a single physical server. Virtual servers may also be configured to behave as if they are in one country when they are in another, which is a problem if you are concerned about where your data is traveling.
A company representative told me that a full 225 of the 286 server places are servers. Only 61 of the server locations are hardware, and 450 of Hide My Ass’s 876 servers are all virtual. That is far beyond other providers. NordVPN, Private Internet accessibility, TunnelBear, IPVanish, and TorGuard use physical infrastructure for their server locations.
A business representative explained that majority of the Company’s physical server infrastructure is located in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Miami, New York, Prague, Seattle, and Singapore. This doesn’t really jibe with what Hide My Ass lists on its own site. I’d love to see future versions of Hide My Ass be clearer about when you’re linked to a virtual server.
Setup and interface
Getting Started with Hide My Ass! Is super simple and the updated apps are very user-friendly. You’ll be given a license key once you sign up for your account. You can use this or your credentials (password and username ) to log into almost any program. For the purpose of this inspection, we’ve tested out the Windows client as well as the iOS program. Best Free Hidemyass Alternative
Desktop
Once you’ve Logged in and launched the desktop , you’ll be greeted with the Success! screen. Simply click Got It! To get the main screen of the app. Here you have three choices for modes: Immediate Mode and Freedom Mode.
In Instant Mode, you can click the arrow And you’re going to be linked to the server for your existing site.
In Location mode, that can be chosen by you Server you connect to. Click on Change Location to view your alternatives. There is. We all will show you an country listing. Clicking the arrow to the left of each country name will show you locations within that country.
Quick Access shows you a list Recently connected to, in addition to some recommended options. Streaming will give you a choice of two servers suitable for unblocking popular streaming services like Netflix, one at the united states and one in the UK.
Peer to Peer shows You allow filesharing. There’s the Favorites choice; to indicate a server you can click on the heart to the right of this server name.
Going back To the main screen, the one alternative here is Freedom Mode, that is targeted at users that want to bypass censorship. This mode will connect you to a server in the closest country that is deemed to be free of censorship.
You can Access the Settings by clicking on the menu icon in the upper left-hand corner of the main screen and choosing Preferences. Here, you’ll see three tabs: General, Network Security, and Kill Change. In the Generalscreen, you may change your startup options, such as beginning when you turn your computer on or when the program starts.
Additionally you Possess. You can uncheck the box, if you want to hide your recent history.
Next, We’ve got the Network Security screen in which you may choose settings for automatic wifi protection. It is also possible to turn on the IP shuffle feature which makes it harder for someone to find where you are by periodically changing your IP address. One more option in this screen allows you to use TCP with OpenVPN. This is only recommended if UDP is blocked or throttled. TCP is more stable, but UDP is generally faster.
The Tab is the Kill Switch tab, so that it works for many programs where you are able to toggle on this feature. You could add software and choose whether to use it.
This Is a app and it both aesthetically.
Mobile
Many Suppliers will have a mobile app that’s unrecognizable compared to the desktop version. However, HMA! Has streamlined its product, and the iOS app looks nearly identical to the Windows version.
As Soon as You’re You’ll get to the display, which is basically exactly like the main display in the app. Here you can choose from Instant Mode, Location Mode, or Freedom Mode.
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The Only real difference is that if you pick Location Mode, your choices are presented in a different manner. You’ve got three tabs: Countries, Cities, and Favorites, but missing are the additional options found in the desktop such as Streaming, Peer to Peer, and speedy Access.
To Access the streaming servers in the program, you will have to visit the Cities list and find the Liberty Island server beneath US, New York. The UK, Donkey Town server may also be found to UK Netflix and BBC iPlayer.
Moving on, The settings to the program can be retrieved by clicking the menu icon and select Settings. There you’ve got two options: Link Rules and Private privacy.
In The Link Rules segment, it is possible to adjust wifi security preferences and decide whether to auto reconnect when wifi or mobile connections are interrupted.
The solitude section has 1 option: Share usage data with third parties for analytics, which will be your permission to”allow app and device usage data to be shared with third parties for analytics.” Bear in mind that this is enabled by default so it might be one of the things that you want to turn off.
Overall, This is a slick and intuitive program, but many users may be missing extra features such as a kill button and also the choice to switch protocols.
Servers and performance
The Hide My Ass! Network comprises more than 850 servers. Some of these are virtual servers, but a consumer support representative was not able to inform us just how many. Best Free Hidemyass Alternative
As we Discussed previously, HMA presents many options for selecting the ideal server, including distinct modes and the ability to mark servers as favorites. Are indicated using a P2P emblem.
We analyzed Various servers for performance in also the UK and the usa in terms of streaming browsing, and downloading. Aside from there being an obvious slowdown in page loading times when connected with a UK server when browsing, there were no substantial problems. This isn’t unusual for geographically distant servers (the tests were carried out in Toronto, Canada), but could be frustrating, especially for users with already slow net rates.
We didn’t See any lag or streaming whilst streaming 1080p with any of the test servers and could play online games without any difficulties.
HideMyAss! and Netflix
Hide My Ass! unblocks Netflix! But don’t expect to connect to some Server and go. When we analyzed servers that are random with US Netflix with the client, we had no chance. However, if you choose the Streaming choice from the dropdown inside Location Mode, you will see two options: a US server (USA, New York, Liberty Island) along with a UK server (UK, Donkey Town). Note that in the cell program, you will have to obtain these.
Connecting Without difficulty server gave us access to Netflix Into the US. Linking to the UK one enabled access to UK Netflix as well as BBC iPlayer. Many providers only focus on providing US Netflix accessibility, so it’s refreshing to see one that strives to provide entry to the UK library also. What is more, BBC iPlayer is breaking down on VPN usage, so the ability to unblock this support is a nice perk.
If you’re You might need to go elsewhere. HMA! Is having trouble unblocking this service at this time and a customer care representative advised us that there isn’t any estimated time for when it might be working again.
HideMyAss! in China?
Hide My Ass! Does not work reliably in China. It used to, but recent HMA! Answers in support forums have indicated that the support will no more function for a few users. You could try your fortune, but you’d best look elsewhere, if you want a China VPN.
HideMyAss! Speed test functionality
For any VPN That can be used with our test methods, we run. We utilize a Canadian evaluation server to connect to VPN servers in Germany, the UK, Australia, Hong Kong, and the US. For each and every place, we download a test file (50MB in size) from a US server. This can be done four times per day. The typical rate for every test is listed and the aggregate data is displayed.
You can see From the easy graph below how HMA! Compares to the other VPN services we’ve been testing. While it doesn’t have the fastest rates, it’s near the front of the pack in regards to median rates.
You can see that the spread in outcomes is not as tight as some of the additional test VPNs by clicking on the comprehensive tab. This usually means that you might observe some inconsistency in regards to speeds.
It’s Important to be aware that these tests are not definitive and can only function as a general indication of the performance you may see. The inherent volatility of the internet adds a significant factor of randomness. What’s more, you will probably see smaller or disagreements, and wait times using a slow link. Best Free Hidemyass Alternative
Customer Services
If you need Any help whilst establishing or using the support, HMA! Has a couple of alternatives for you. Clicking the Help tab on the Site, you’ll find a Getting Started section and also a Knowledge Base. These each home posts related to setting up questions. So before searching for other options you might want to research both there’s some crossover.
Additionally, You’ll locate a Community button which contributes to a discussion section. This is segregated into various subjects; some appear to be out of date, while others are active. Below that, there are some general FAQs.
If you don’t Discover what you’re searching for, or you just need a response, you can click on the live chat button. The service is prompt and knowledgeable, and agents were able to resolve issues we encountered. At one stage, a representative was not able to answer some security questions and advised he’d escalate the issue as an email request. This was responded to in.
Safety and privacy
Hide My Ass! Is based. The UK can be a Five Eyes (and Fourteen Eyes) country, which means it is part of an alliance which enables monitoring by outside authorities. Plus, it’s home to the Snooper’s Charter which imposes regulations.
For many VPNs, data retention legislation in their home country are not really an issue. This is because they function using a real policy that is no-logs whereby they do not keep any visitors or connection logs. If they do maintain link logs, they can not be tied to an individual user.
Unfortunately, HMA! Isn’t one of those VPNs and contains a privacy policy which most users will find off-putting. For one, while using the service, you can anticipate your IP address will be logged, together with timestamps and the number of data used. This is a for VPNs generally. Though an IP address is regarded as information that is personally identifiable, the truth is that information can and has been used to trace the activity of individuals. IP addresses are used to help find and convict criminals. We are pro-privacy while we don’t condone actions that are criminal, and this coverage does not cut it. Best Free Hidemyass Alternative
Moreover, Hide My Ass! Telephones the VPN IP address Connected into a session. Here is the IP address when you see it that a website operator can see and document. It might be possible to piece together all of an individual’s online activity Considering both the actual and VPN IP addresses are logged, involving the end and VPN website logs. You may have seen news of a 2011 FBI case involving HMA! Where it passed over logs that were utilized to track a hacker that is LulzSec down. This can be a black marker for privacy.
1 way to Make this less of a problem and to possibly confuse matters a little would be to make the most of the IP address shuffle attribute. When enabled in the Network Security screen of the desktop app, this occasionally transforms out your IP address for another one. It would not make you untraceable but could put in a layer of obfuscation.
Privacy Issues on the safety front, Hide My Ass! Fares fairly well. It uses. This perfect forward secrecy and is in combination with 4096-bit RSA keys. It uses exactly the protocol over UDP by default, however you can switch to TCP within the desktop client. PPTP, L2TP, IPSec are available, depending on what program you are using.
The background versions boast To work for apps that are specific. The online connection will be killed by A kill button should the VPN connection drop for a certain reason. This attribute isn’t available from the mobile apps
A live chat Customer service representative informed us that there’s no DNS leak security. But a different firm representative assured us that there is in fact DNS and IPv6 leak protection, but no WebRTC leak security. Really, when we tested the service for escapes, we didn’t see any DNS leak problems other than WebRTC leaks. HMA! Whereas personal ones would be preferable from a privacy standpoint does use public DNS servers.
One handy Feature that Hide My Ass! Offers is wifi protection, which can be customized in the from the Network Security section of the desktop or the Connection Rules tab of the app configurations.
Characteristics and pricing
Hide My Ass! Provides one merchandise with prices you register for. It’s definitely not one of the least expensive providers available. A 12-month planwill set you back $6.99 a month, which is higher than the normal price for a similar duration. What’s more, a great deal of VPN providers that are top will offer an extended plan; for instance, a two- or – term with steeper discounts. Best Free Hidemyass Alternative
If You are not prepared to sign up yet, HMA! Does provide a six-month plan for $7.99 a month or you could cover a monthly basis for $11.99 per month. These rates are a little above average when you compare to competitors.
Payment Options include PayPal, credit cards, and UnionPay. Unfortunately bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are not viable payment methods. There’s a money-back guarantee, so you’ll have your payment refunded if you’re not entirely satisfied with the support.
So what do You get for the money? Hide My Ass! Has a community of over 850 servers in over 180 nations. Some are dedicated to accessing streaming sites and certain servers allow P2P filesharing (read: torrenting). All plans come with unlimited bandwidth and you can connect up to five devices. Programs are available for Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android. The VPN may be configured using Linux and some routers. Routers can be found as an alternative.
From a Security perspective, HMA! Offers automatic wifi security, perfect forward secrecy, strong encryption, along with the desktop apps come with a kill button. On the other hand, the coverage issues which plagued the ceremony from the past stay, so privacy is a problem.
Summary
For the most part, HMA! Provides a fantastic support. It has unlimited bandwidth, fast speeds, and a decent network of servers. It’s in a position to unblock popular streaming services like Netflix US, Netflix UK, and BBC iPlayer. Additionally, it gives strong protection, intuitive apps, and customer care.
On the Surface, it seems like HMA! Would be a good option for torrenters, with no information Caps and a few servers acceptable for P2P. However, the problems with the privacy Policy are a concern in addition to any other privacy-conscious users. This is the only major turn-off for this Provider, but it’s a big one. Other concerns include the inability to operate Reliably in the price tag along with China. Best Free Hidemyass Alternative
Click here to sign up for Hide My Ass! Today!