HMA vs VyprVPN: Which Wins?

In the ever-evolving world of cybersecurity, a reliable VPN is essential for safeguarding your online privacy and unlocking the full potential of the internet. With countless VPN providers to choose from, finding the right one to meet your needs can be a daunting task. In this article, we’ll delve into an in-depth comparison between two popular VPN providers: Hide My Ass and VyprVPN.

Our comprehensive comparison will cover a wide array of categories, such as pricing, features, streaming and unblocking capabilities, servers and performance, usability, security, privacy, configuration, and customer service. We’ll also discuss each VPN’s ability to work in China, which is particularly relevant for users who need a VPN solution to bypass the country’s strict internet censorship. By the end of this article, you’ll have a clear understanding of which VPN provider best aligns with your specific requirements and preferences, enabling you to make a well-informed decision.

Highlights

HMA vs VyprVPN pricing

When it comes to choosing a VPN, pricing is a key factor, as it often gives you an idea of the quality of service and the range of features you can expect. Both Hide My Ass and VyprVPN offer competitive pricing structures with different plans to suit your needs and budget.

VyprVPN

VyprVPN’s monthly plan will set you back $10 per month but don’t worry. It has you covered with discounted rates for longer subscription periods. For example, if you commit to a year, the price drops to a much more wallet-friendly $60 per year.

Hide My Ass

On the other hand, Hide My Ass charges $11.99 for a month’s coverage, which is pretty much on par with industry standards. Keep in mind, though, that we’re talking about the five-connection HMA plan here – if you need to secure 10 devices at a time, be prepared to pay a few extra bucks per month.

Just like VyprVPN, Hide My Ass offers sweet deals for users who are ready to commit for a longer period:

• Monthly Plan: At $11.99 per month, this plan is perfect for those who need a short-term VPN fix or aren’t quite ready to lock into a long-term commitment. Ideal for travelers or folks who need a VPN for a specific task.
• Annual Plan: If you’re in it for the long haul, the annual plan costs $59.88, which works out to a more affordable $4.99 per month. That’s a pretty significant saving compared to the monthly plan, and an excellent choice for users who want a long-term VPN solution.
• Three-Year Plan: For true VPN enthusiasts, the three-year plan offers the best bang for your buck. At $107.64 in total or just $2.99 per month, this plan is perfect for those who know they’ve found the right VPN and want to enjoy its benefits for years to come.

Money-Back Guarantees

A money-back guarantee is a critical aspect of any VPN service, as it allows users to test the service without fully committing to it. Both Hide My Ass and VyprVPN offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, providing you with ample time to assess their features, performance, and overall experience. This risk-free trial period ensures that you can explore the services thoroughly and decide if they meet your needs and expectations.

Payment Methods 

Various payment methods are essential for VPN users, as it provides flexibility and can enhance privacy.

Hide My Ass supports several payment methods, including:

• Credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover
• PayPal
• Bitcoin: A decentralized cryptocurrency that offers increased privacy and anonymity

VyprVPN accepts the following payment methods:

• Credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover
• PayPal

HMA vs VyprVPN features

Apps

Hide My Ass and VyprVPN offer native apps for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS platforms. Hide My Ass goes a step further by providing browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox, which protect browser traffic but don’t cover the entire device. While VyprVPN doesn’t have a dedicated GUI Linux client like HMA, it offers a guide for manual setup using the OpenVPN protocol.

Simultaneous Connections

Hide My Ass and VyprVPN allow up to 5 simultaneous connections, enabling users to secure multiple devices using a single account. You can extend this to 10 devices with HMA, but it’ll cost you extra.

Router Compatibility

Hide My Ass is compatible with a wide selection of routers, making it easy to secure your entire home network. In addition, VyprVPN offers installation guides for various VPN-compatible routers, including DD-WRT, Tomato, Synology, OpenWRT, and AsusWRT firmware, providing robust support for different routers and ensuring comprehensive home network protection.

Free Extras

With Hide My Ass, users can enjoy browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox, providing a lightweight solution for browsing privacy. Unfortunately, VyprVPN doesn’t offer browser extensions. Both providers allow users to set up a VPN-protected virtual wifi hotspot using a Windows computer to use the VPN with smart TVs, set-top boxes, and game consoles.

Additional Features

Users of both Hide My Ass and VyprVPN get access to a kill switch, DNS leak protection, and split tunneling, ensuring a secure and versatile online experience. VyprVPN also includes a proprietary obfuscation feature called Chameleon and automatic wifi protection.

Another advantage of VyprVPN is its malware filtering feature. This blocks malicious websites automatically, preventing users from falling victim to drive-by attacks, offering an additional layer of security while browsing the internet.

Streaming and Unblocking

Hide My Ass is known for its reliable streaming capabilities, effectively working with popular platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer. However, it has struggled to bypass geo-restrictions on specific services such as 5ABC and Prime Video. This could be a drawback for users who specifically want access to these platforms, but overall, Hide My Ass still performs well when it comes to streaming popular content.

On the other hand, VyprVPN truly excels in the streaming department. In addition to Netflix, it successfully worked with almost every platform we tested, including Disney Plus, and Amazon Prime Video.BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max, ABC, NBC, CBS (Paramount Plus), Sky Go, ITV Hub, and Channel 4. This impressive unblocking capability makes VyprVPN an excellent choice for those who want unrestricted access to a wide range of streaming services from around the globe.

Working in China

Hide My Ass does not work in China. Users who require a VPN for use within the country will need to look for alternative VPNs that work in China, as the Chinese government’s strict internet censorship measures block access to Hide My Ass.

VyprVPN, on the other hand, is capable of working in China. To bypass the Chinese internet blocking, users simply need to change their connection protocol within the VyprVPN app. To do this, click on the Customize button in the bottom-left corner of the app and locate the Protocol option. If it says “Chameleon 256-bit encryption,” you’re all set. If not, click the button and select the appropriate option from the list that appears.

Keep in mind that if you need a VPN for use in China, it’s essential to install the app before arriving in the country. The Chinese government currently blocks VPN websites, making it challenging to download and install the apps inside China. While VyprVPN has a couple of mirror sites currently accessible in China, they could be blocked at any time and should not be relied upon.

With its ability to bypass China’s internet restrictions, VyprVPN stands out as a more suitable option for users needing a reliable VPN solution.

Servers and Performance

Regarding server distribution and performance, both Hide My Ass and VyprVPN have unique advantages. According to our tests, Hide My Ass takes the lead in speed, with an average download rate of 238.1 Mbps, while VyprVPN follows closely behind at 214.6 Mbps. These impressive speeds allow users to stream 4K video content, engage in online gaming, and easily participate in other bandwidth-intensive activities.

VyprVPN’s server network, as stated on its website, consists of around 700 servers in total. Though not as extensive as Hide My Ass, these servers are strategically located in 70+ countries and approximately 100 locations worldwide. In the United States, VyprVPN offers servers in 8 cities, ensuring ample choices for the average user and covering both the West and East coasts.

On the other hand, Hide My Ass boasts an extensive server network of over 1,100 servers spread across more than 210 countries. This wide distribution allows users to find a server close to their location, potentially improving connection speeds and reducing latency. However, it’s important to note that many of Hide My Ass’s servers are virtual, as indicated by a “v” on their website. Virtual servers, which mimic a physical server’s presence in a specific location, can help expand the provider’s coverage. However, the hardware is often shared with other providers, which could cause congestion during peak times.

Setup and interface

Setting up both Hide My Ass and VyprVPN is a breeze. All you need is an email address and a payment method to get started. After that, you can grab the apps from their websites or well-known mobile app stores like Google Play and the Apple App Store.

Both VPNs use an installation wizard that takes care of the entire process for you, so there’s no need to manually install components or drivers to create a secure VPN tunnel. Plus, both VPNs are lightweight, making for speedy installations and taking up minimal space on your hard drive.

Hide My Ass’s apps let you connect with just one click and provide designated servers for activities like streaming and torrenting, which you can favorite for easy access. Although the apps are pretty user-friendly, some settings appear in both the advanced tab and the settings menu, causing a bit of clutter. But hey, at least each option clearly explains what it does!

VyprVPN’s ease of use is just as good. You won’t have any trouble finding or using its features, and the well-organized menus make it a cinch to access everything and switch protocols as needed.

All in all, we didn’t think VyprVPN was any harder to use than Hide My Ass. Actually, the option to sort servers by country, region, or speed might make it even easier to find the perfect server for your needs.

Of course, it’s worth mentioning that VyprVPN packs in a few extra bells and whistles, which could make the learning curve a tad steeper for some. But despite that, both VPNs deliver a pleasant and user-friendly experience, ensuring seamless navigation and hassle-free access to their features.

Security

Having a dependable VPN is crucial for maintaining online privacy and security, whether you’re at home or using public wifi. A strong VPN tunnel for your data is essential for robust protection, and both Hide My Ass and VyprVPN deliver various options to keep your data safe.

VyprVPN offers a comprehensive suite of VPN protocols, including OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP/IPsec, WireGuard, and their exclusive Chameleon stealth protocol. The inclusion of Chameleon is especially notable as it is designed to defeat VPN blocking and deep packet inspection.

In addition, all of VyprVPN’s protocols come with 256-bit AES encryption, RSA 2048 handshake, and SHA 256 for authentication, ensuring that your data is shielded from surveillance, eavesdropping, and hackers.

If you’re using VyprVPN, we recommend opting for OpenVPN or WireGuard. PPTP is no longer recommended as it is now considered insecure and has been officially deprecated for online security purposes. However, it can be used for instances where you’re engaging in geo-spoofing without a need for privacy, such as streaming a foreign TV channel.

HMA offers a variety of VPN protocols to ensure the security and privacy of your data. These protocols include OpenVPN, IKEv2, and L2TP/IPsec. Each protocol has its unique strengths, allowing users to choose the one that best suits their needs.

OpenVPN is one of the most popular and widely recommended protocols, providing a strong balance of speed and security. HMA utilizes AES-256 encryption, RSA-4096 handshake, and SHA-256 for authentication with OpenVPN, providing robust protection against surveillance, eavesdropping, and hackers.

For those looking for fast connections, especially on mobile devices, IKEv2 is a great choice. It offers strong security and maintains fast connections, even when switching between networks. Lastly, L2TP/IPsec, while not as secure as OpenVPN or IKEv2, is still considered a safe choice for most use cases. HMA secures this protocol with AES-256 encryption and an RSA-4096 handshake.

Both VyprVPN and HMA are dedicated to providing high-quality VPN services with reliable security features to ensure your online privacy and security. Choose the protocol that best suits your needs and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with secure and private online browsing.

Alongside protocol options, both VyprVPN and Hide My Ass provide additional security features:

1. Kill-switch: Each VPN includes a kill-switch, ensuring you never have to worry about data leaks outside of the VPN tunnel.
2. DNS leak protection: During our tests, we encountered no IP, DNS, or WebRTC leaks while using either VPN.

By creating a secure tunnel for your data, both VPNs prevent local networks and ISPs from monitoring your online activities. They stop websites you visit from detecting your real IP address. In summary, both Hide My Ass and VyprVPN offer reliable security features, allowing you to browse the internet confidently.

Privacy

Knowing the base location of your VPN is important, as it determines which laws the service must comply with. For example, a provider based in Russia would have to give the government access to its servers – not exactly ideal for privacy.

VyprVPN is based in Switzerland, known for its strong emphasis on privacy. Vypr has an excellent no-logs policy, meaning it doesn’t store any data on what you do online. There are no persistent logs that could reveal details of your activities. There’s no risk of a time-correlation attack while connected to its network, ensuring strong online privacy both at home and when using public wifi.

Plus, VyprVPN underwent a full third-party audit that confirmed it adheres to its no-logs statement, so you know you can trust it with your data.

HMA is located in the UK, which is part of the Five Eyes security alliance and not known for supporting online privacy. Nevertheless, it has since updated its privacy policy and doesn’t keep any activity logs. The only information it records is purely for analytics and cannot be linked to any individual user. On top of that, this data is automatically deleted after 35 days, so you can rest assured knowing your privacy is safe with HMA.

Configuration

Both VPNs give you access to shared IPs used by many users connected to the same server. This makes it difficult to trace any individual user’s activities. They also proxy all DNS requests within the VPN tunnel and use their own servers to resolve them – a great way to keep your privacy intact.

Additionally, these VPNs give you rudimentary DDoS protection by obscuring your real IP address from the websites you visit. So if you enjoy online gaming or poker tournaments, then this is good news!

VyprVPN includes website scanning to ensure you don’t visit any malicious sites, while HMA doesn’t provide this extra layer of security.

Both providers have a NAT firewall on their servers, blocking incoming traffic without prior request. This helps protect you against hackers and other attacks. The catch here is that port forwarding isn’t available with either provider – so if this is something you need (for example, to host game servers or seed torrents), then neither of these would suit your needs.

Lastly, neither offers dedicated IPs, so you’re stuck with the shared ones.

Customer Service

VyprVPN is the clear winner for support – offering a 24/7 live chat window on its website that can provide dedicated help with any installation or usage issues. Unlike HMA, it has trained agents ready to assist you.

HMA’s offerings don’t quite stack up, unfortunately. For example, it claims to have round-the-clock live chat available, but this seems to have been removed years ago – and the forum is full of confused users asking questions without any replies provided in public. However, tickets submitted usually receive a response within 24 hours. HMA has video guides on its YouTube channel, and an outdated searchable knowledge base. In all, not ideal, but still better than nothing!

Winner: VyprVPN

After thoroughly comparing Hide My Ass and VyprVPN, VyprVPN emerges as the superior choice for users seeking a reliable, high-quality VPN service. While Hide My Ass has its merits, such as browser extensions and an extensive server network, VyprVPN shines in crucial areas like customer support, streaming capabilities, and additional security features.

With a dedicated 24/7 live chat and trained agents available to assist users, VyprVPN provides an unmatched level of support. Furthermore, its ability to work in China, unblock a vast array of streaming platforms, and its proprietary Chameleon technology gives it a significant edge over its competitor.

Both VPN services offer competitive pricing structures, native apps for various platforms, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. But, ultimately, when weighing the pros and cons of Hide My Ass and VyprVPN, VyprVPN stands out as the winner. Its impressive performance, remarkable streaming capabilities, and unwavering commitment to customer support make it an excellent choice for users seeking a powerful, versatile, and reliable VPN solution.

See also:

• Hide My Ass vs PrivateVPN
• HMA vs Hotspot Shield
• PureVPN vs VyprVPN
• TunnelBear vs VyprVPN