Intro Hidemyass Alternative Website
Hide My Ass! (HMA!) Is a company, with Its claim to fame being its number of readers — it’s over 400 million today. This supplier has witnessed its fair share of controversy with regards. It made updates in the hopes of redeeming itself and winning back the loyalty of its readers support to it. Hidemyass Alternative Website
We took it For a test run to find out how much it has improved and if it is well worth the cost.
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What’s a VPN?
When you activate a VPN, it creates an encrypted tunnel to Protect your data as it moves from your computer to a host controlled by the VPN. From that point, your data releases onto the open internet. It is a very simple concept, but one with tremendous impacts for security and your privacy.
It prevents anybody lurking in your local Community from observation or intercepting your activity. Though the airport or coffee shop Wi-Fi system looks safe (it might even be password-protected) it’s not reallysafe unless you’re using a VPN. For another thing, a VPN may prevent your Internet Service Provider (ISP) from gathering information about your online activities so that it can sell anonymized user data to the maximum bidder.
A VPN makes it more Challenging to correlate your Online activities together with your own identity. Because your visitors is exiting in the VPN firm’s server, you appear to have its own IP address, effectively hiding your true site. It also forces even the most determined attacker to try to sort through all of the visitors from other users on the same VPN server to find what they are after. For all these reasons, and more, you want a VPN in your life.
Be aware that your traffic is only encrypted by a VPN till it exits through the VPN server. Provided that the site your data must be protected all the way. Also, while VPNs can offer a modicum of anonymity, a tool like the Tor system is much better at concealing your identity.
Journalists and political activists have long used vPNs To circumvent censorship in countries with repressive internet policies. They’re also handy if you’re searching to circumvent geographical constraints on streaming content. A VPN can spoof your current location, giving you access to geographically restricted content such as BBC streaming or MLB TV. Some VPNs don’t enjoy these actions (which may be in violation of terms of support or even local legislation ) and content providers like Netflix are also cracking down on users that snore their place and the VPN providers they use to do it.
There’s a Fantastic opportunity Which you may have never laid hands on a VPN before. Do not worry if that is the case! We have got a whole feature on the best way to set up and use a VPN. Hidemyass Alternative Website
VPN Protocols
There are several techniques. My Preferred method uses the OpenVPN protocol, which is famous for its speed and reliability. Additionally, it is open minded, and consequently has been picked over for potential vulnerabilities by anyone with the interest to do so.
Hide My Ass uses OpenVPN on Windows, using an older variant Of the program that supports L2TP, and PPTP, also. Additionally, there are two distinct versions of this macOS app that, taken together, support IPSec (IKEv1 and v2), L2TP, and PPTP. Note that these older versions of this program have been phased out by the programmer. The iOS variant uses just IPSec, and the Android program uses only OpenVPN.
That’s a Small hodgepodge, and I am frustrated that Hide My Ass doesn’t provide OpenVPN on all platforms. Nevertheless, some of this matter is using the programs. Apple requires programmers to jump through extra hoops if they want to include OpenVPN within a program, but many are beginning to move in that direction. I would love to see Hide My Ass do exactly the same, across the board.
Your Privacy With Hide My Ass
With any security item, you want to Be Certain that the Company behind it’s going to be operating in your best interests. This is particularly 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 examine VPNs, ” I browse the Organization’s privacy policy And talk 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 clear privacy policy. It states that 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 server you linked to. This isn’t radically different from what’s provided by other services. In fact, it’s very like Golden Frog VyprVPN’s policy.
What is noteworthy is that Hide My Ass Will store this data for two to three weeks, while VyprVPN shops it for only 30 days. Other providers hold even less info, or they dispose of it immediately. Hide My Ass says it retains this data for this time period so as to enhance performance, prevent fraud, and stop bad guys from using the VPN to send spam. The company, especially, also lists file sharing as one of the illicit activities it requires this information to stop, regardless of the company being fine with the use of BitTorrent on some servers.
It might be possible that this information could be used To correlate a user’s identity to specific activity on the internet, but it would likely be very difficult. In spite of this information, an observer would need to know which VPN server to watch and then compare that activity from Hide My Ass’s logs, and be able to parse out the target’s traffic from everyone else using the same server.
The Hide My Ass privacy policy also clearly states that it Does not monitor or store the real content of your internet activity. So, the support isn’t looking at your websites or the documents that you are downloading. That’s great, and just what you wish to hear by a VPN company.
In the past, some VPN companies monetized consumers by Injecting ads in their web traffic. Hide My Ass states that it doesn’t do that, and goes much farther. A company representative explained to me the firm does not profit from user data in any way.
The actual location of a VPN company also matters, as it Can inform what protections are afforded to clients. Hide My Ass operates under the legal jurisdiction of England and Wales, also gets its business headquarters in London. Notably, the UK at large does have compulsory data retention laws. That’s not perfect. Many other VPN services operate in countries without data retention laws, or in ones which have positive privacy protections for consumers. Hidemyass Alternative Website
I don’t think it is likely to make a determination About a company’s benefits based solely on its own place. But, it is very important to understand that the policies and laws at work in a business with intimate access to some own information. I encourage visitors pick a VPN service, and to consider this advice.
Programs and Server Locations
A key differentiator between VPN providers is the number of Servers that are Available and their distribution. Lots of servers means you’re more likely to find. For its own part, Hide My Ass has a very respectable servers at its disposal. That said, NordVPN, Private Internet Access, and TorGuard VPN have over 3,000 servers apiece. These are my benchmarks for robustness from the VPN server category.
Geographic distribution of those servers can be quite important. A great deal of locations means more to pick from for purposes that are spoofing, but also ensures that no matter will likely be a nearby server for the performance. Hide My Ass has a very impressive 286 server places across some 220 countries. It is easily.
The list of server locations Provided by Hide My Ass is particularly noteworthy because places often ignored by VPN businesses are covered by it. It has, for instance, numerous server locations across the continent of Africa–a rarity among VPN companies. Additionally, it maintains servers in China, Russia, and Turkey, that have net policies that are repressive.
Some consumers might be concerned about a VPN company’s Use of virtual servers. These are software-defined servers that make servers that are several are efficiently operated as by a single server. Virtual servers can also be configured to act as though they are in 1 country when they’re in a different, which is a problem if you’re concerned about where your information is traveling.
A company representative told me this a 225 of the 286 server places provided by Hide My Ass are virtual servers. Only 61 of the server places are hardware, and 450 of Hide My Ass’s 876 servers are all virtual. That is far beyond services. NordVPN TunnelBear, IPVanish, and TorGuard utilize infrastructure.
A company representative explained to me that bulk of the Firm’s physical server infrastructure is located in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Miami, New York, Prague, Seattle, and Singapore. This doesn’t quite jibe with what Hide My Ass lists on its site. I’d like to see future versions of Hide My Ass be clearer about when you are connected to a virtual host.
Installation and interface
Obtaining Started with Hide My Ass! Is super simple and the upgraded apps are extremely user-friendly. As soon as you sign up for your own account, you’ll be given a license key. It is possible to use your own credentials (password and username ) to log into any app. For the purpose of this review, we’ve tested out the Windows client as well as the iOS program. Hidemyass Alternative Website
Desktop
Once you’ve Established the desktop and logged in, you will be greeted with the Success! screen. Click Got It! To get the main screen of this program. Here you have Freedom Mode: Location Mode, Immediate Mode, and three choices for modes.
In Immediate Mode, you can click on the arrow And you’ll be connected to the server for your existing site.
In Location mode, which can be chosen by you You link to. Click Change Location to view your alternatives. There is. We all will show you an country listing. Clicking the arrow will show you special locations within this nation.
Quick Access shows you a list Recently connected to, as well as some choices. Streaming will provide you a choice of two servers suitable for unblocking popular streaming services like Netflix, one at the US and one in the UK.
Peer to Peer shows You allow filesharing. Finally, there’s the Favorites choice; to mark a server the heart can click .
Going back To the main screen, the one alternative here’s Freedom Mode, which is aimed at users that wish to bypass censorship. This mode will connect you to a server in the closest state that is deemed to be free of censorship.
You can Get into the Settings by clicking on the menu icon at the top left-hand corner of the main screen and choosing Preferences. Here, you’ll see three tabs: General, Network Security, and Kill Switch. From the Generalscreen, you may change your startup options, like beginning when you turn on your computer or when the program starts.
Additionally you Have a Private Privacy department home one option that relates to Quick Access in Location Mode. Then you can uncheck the box if you want to conceal your recent history.
Next, We have the Network Security screen in which you can choose settings for automatic wifi protection. You can also turn on the IP shuffle feature which makes it more difficult for somebody to find where you are by periodically changing your IP address. An additional option in this screen lets you utilize TCP using OpenVPN. This is only recommended if UDP is blocked or throttled. TCP is more secure, but UDP is generally faster.
The Last tab will be the Switch tab, so that it works for many programs, where you are able to toggle on this feature. You choose whether or not to apply it and can also add single applications.
This Is a app that is fairly robust and it both visually.
Mobile
Many Providers will have a mobile app that is unrecognizable compared to the desktop version. However, HMA! Has streamlined its product, and also the iOS app looks nearly identical to the Windows version.
As Soon as You’re You’ll get to the screen, which is basically exactly like the primary display in the app. Here you can Pick from Immediate Mode, Location Mode, or Freedom Mode.
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The Only real difference is that when you pick Location Mode, your options are presented in another method. You’ve got three tabs: Countries, Cities, and Favorites, but lacking are speedy Access, and the options found in the desktop such as Streaming, Peer to Peer.
To Access the streaming servers from the app, you will need to visit the Cities listing and find the Liberty Island server beneath US, New York. The UK, Donkey Town server may be located to BBC iPlayer and UK Netflix.
Moving on, The settings for the program can be accessed by clicking the menu icon at the upper left-hand corner of this screen and select Settings. There you’ve got two choices: Connection Rules and solitude.
In The Connection Rules section, you can correct wifi security preferences and decide whether to auto reconnect when wifi or mobile connections are disrupted.
The solitude section has One alternative: Share utilization data with third parties for analytics, which is your permission to”enable app and device use information to be shared with third parties for analytics.” Keep in mind that this is enabled by default so it might be among the first things that you want to turn off.
Overall, This is a slick and intuitive program, but some users may be missing additional features such as a kill button and the choice to switch protocols.
Servers and functionality
The Hide My Ass! Network comprises more than 850 servers covering over 190 nations. A number of these are virtual servers, but a consumer support representative was not able to tell us how many. Hidemyass Alternative Website
As we Discussed earlier, HMA offers several choices for selecting the right server, such as distinct styles and the ability to indicate servers as favorites. Servers that allow P2P are marked using a symbol.
We analyzed Numerous servers in the UK and the US for performance of downloading, surfing, and browsing. Besides there being an obvious lag in page loading times when attached with a UK server, when browsing, there were no issues. This isn’t unusual for distant remote servers (the tests were carried out in Toronto, Canada), but might be frustrating, especially for users with already slow net rates.
We did not See any lag or streaming while streaming 1080p with any of the test servers and were able to play online games with no issues.
HideMyAss! and Netflix
Hide My Ass! unblocks Netflix! But don’t expect to connect to any Server and go. We had no chance at all, when we analyzed random servers with US Netflix with the desktop client. However, if you choose the Streaming choice from the dropdown inside Location Mode, then you will see two choices: a US server (USA, New York, Liberty Island) along with a UK server (UK, Donkey Town). Be aware that in the program that is cell, you will need to find these within the Cities list in Location Mode.
Connecting Server gave us access with no difficulty. Connecting to the UK one allowed access to BBC iPlayer as well as UK Netflix. Many suppliers just concentrate on providing US Netflix access, so it is refreshing to see one that strives to provide access to the UK library also. What’s more, BBC iPlayer is breaking down on VPN use, so the ability to unblock this service is a wonderful perk.
If you are You may have to go everywhere. HMA! Is having difficulty unblocking this service at a customer support representative and this time advised us that there is no estimated time for when it might be functioning.
HideMyAss! in China?
Hide My Ass! Does not operate in China. It used to, but HMA! Responses in support forums have indicated that the support will no longer function for some users. If you want a China VPN, you’d best look elsewhere, although you can try your luck.
HideMyAss! Speed test performance
For any VPN That can be used with our evaluation procedures, speed tests which have been designed to be as empirical as possible are run by us. We use a evaluation server to connect to VPN servers in the UK, the US, Australia, Hong Kong, and Germany. For each and every place, we download a test file (50MB in size) in the US server. This is done four times per day at intervals. The average rate for every test is recorded along with the aggregate information is displayed.
You can view From the easy chart below how HMA! Compares to another VPN services we have been testing. In regards to median speeds, while it does not have the fastest speeds, it is close to the front of the package.
You can see that the spread in results is not as tight as some of the evaluation VPNs, by clicking the Detailed tab. This means in regards to speeds that you might see some inconsistency.
It’s Important to note that these tests aren’t definitive and may only serve as a general indication of the functionality you may see. The volatility of the internet adds a substantial variable of randomness. What is more, you will probably see possibly smaller or disagreements, and longer wait times with a slow connection. Hidemyass Alternative Website
Customer Services
For those who need Any help while establishing or using the service, HMA! Has a few alternatives for you. Clicking the Help tab you’ll find a Getting Started section along with a Knowledge Base. These each home posts associated with setting up questions. So before seeking other alternatives that you might choose to research both there is some crossover.
In addition, You’ll locate. This is segregated into different topics; while others are recently active some appear to be out of date. There are some general FAQs.
If you don’t Find what you’re searching for, or you just need a quick reply, you can click the live chat button at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. The service is educated and prompt, and agents were able to resolve most 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 under 2 weeks that’s very fast for an email response.
Security and privacy
Hide My Ass! Is based. The UK is also a Five Eyes (and Fourteen Eyes) country, which means it is part of an alliance that allows monitoring by external authorities. Plus, it’s home to the Snooper’s Charter which imposes regulations British ISPs that affect user privacy.
For many Data retention laws in their home country aren’t really an issue. That is because they function with a real policy that is no-logs where no traffic or link logs are kept by them. Even when they do keep link logs, they can’t be tied to an individual user.
Regrettably, HMA! Is not one of these VPNs and has a privacy policy that many users will discover off-putting. For one, when you can expect that your IP address will be logged, together with timestamps and the amount of information used. This is a for VPNs in general. The fact is that information can and has been used to track the action of individuals, although an IP address is considered to be information. IP addresses have been used in cases to help find and convict offenders. While we don’t condone activities that are criminal, we’re pro-privacy, and this policy doesn’t cut it. Hidemyass Alternative Website
Moreover, Hide My Ass! Telephones the VPN IP address Connected into a session. This is the IP address when you see it that a site operator can view and record. It would technically be possible to piece together each of a user’s internet activity since both the actual and VPN IP addresses are logged, between the end and VPN website logs. You might have seen news of a 2011 FBI case involving HMA! In which it passed over logs that were utilized to track a hacker down. This is a black mark for privacy.
1 way to Make this less of an issue and to possibly confuse things a little is to make the most of the IP address shuffle feature. When enabled in the Network Security screen of the desktop program, this transforms outside your IP address to get another one. It wouldn’t cause you to squint but may put in a layer of obfuscation.
Privacy Issues aside, on the safety front, Hide My Ass! Fares well. It uses 256-bit AES encryption, which is deemed military-grade. This is in combination with RSA keys and perfect forward secrecy. It employs the OpenVPN protocol over UDP by default, but you can switch to TCP within the client. PPTP, L2TP, IPSec are also available, depending on which app you are using.
The versions boast a built-in kill button which can be tailored To work for apps that are particular. The connection will be killed by A kill switch if the VPN link drop for a certain reason. This feature isn’t available in the mobile apps
A live chat Customer service representative advised us that there is no DNS leak security. However, a different firm representative promised us that there is in fact DNS and IPv6 leak security, but no WebRTC escape protection. When we analyzed the support for leaks, we didn’t observe any DNS leak issues aside from leaks. HMA! Whereas personal ones would be preferable from a privacy standpoint, does use DNS servers.
1 handy Attribute that Hide My Ass! Provides is automatic wifi security, which can be customized at the from the Network Security section of the or the Connection Rules tab of the app that is mobile settings.
Characteristics and pricing
Hide My Ass! Offers one product with prices you sign up for. It is definitely not one of the providers which might be an immediate turnoff for some users. A 12-month planwill set you back $6.99 per month, which can be higher than the normal price for a similar term. What’s more, a great deal of VPN providers will supply an plan; for example, a two- or – term with steeper discounts. Hidemyass Alternative Website
If You’re not prepared to sign up to get a one-year term just yet, HMA! Does provide a six-month plan for $7.99 per month or you could cover a monthly basis for $11.99 a month. These rates are a bit above average when you compare to competitors.
Payment Options include PayPal, major credit cards, and UnionPay. Regrettably, for more users, other along with bitcoin cryptocurrencies are payment procedures. There’s a generous 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can have your payment deducted if you’re not fully satisfied with the service.
So what do You get for your money? Hide My Ass! Has a community of more than 850 servers in over 180 countries. Some are devoted to accessing streaming sites and specific servers allow P2P filesharing (read: torrenting). All plans have unlimited bandwidth and you may join up to five devices. Programs are available for Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android. The VPN can be configured using some routers and Linux. Pre-configured routers are available as an alternative.
From a Security standpoint, HMA! Provides strong encryption, perfect forward secrecy, automatic wifi security, along with the apps come with a kill switch. On the other hand, the logging policy issues which plagued the ceremony stay, so privacy is still a problem.
Conclusion
For the most part, HMA! Offers a service. It’s a decent network of servers, infinite bandwidth, and fast speeds. It’s in a position to unblock popular streaming services such as Netflix US, Netflix UK, and BBC iPlayer. Plus, it offers strong security, intuitive programs, and customer care.
On the Surface, it seems like HMA! Would be a fantastic alternative for torrenters, without a data Caps and a few servers. However, the problems with the solitude Coverage are a concern for those looking to torrent, in addition to any other privacy-conscious users. This is the only for this Provider, but it’s a big one. Other issues include the inability to work Reliably in China along with the hefty price tag. Hidemyass Alternative Website
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