It’s many years since I used Hide My Ass proxy service for my online security. It was one of the first VPN/proxy services available but unfortunately it became very popular and got overloaded years ago. There’s no doubt that they were one of the first VPN provider companies to bring a decent VPN service to the ordinary internet surfer, however now there are so many other options. It’s just a matter of choosing the best hidemyass alternatives that are simply better value all round. The interface has improved but I still find it rather hard to navigate, yet the real issue for many of us is that they are automatically blocked by many of the biggest websites which use geo restrictions. They also no longer allow access to a free VPN but do have an unsecured free proxy, it’s easy to use but very slow though, particular when using the popular endpoints in the UK and USA.
So what are the options ? What’s the best hidemyass alternative out there? Well as mentioned there’s no shortage of other VPN providers in todays market. What used to be something of a niche requirement is now commonplace. In fact millions of internet users, will depend on their VPN service for all sorts of reasons. Whether it’s the security of bit encryption or simply a way of hiding their IP addresses there’s no doubt it’s one of the most useful internet tools available today.
Yet which of these products you should choose, depends largely on what’s your main focus. For example a large proportion of VPN users have little concern for the virtual private network component, instead they just use it to unlock sites and content normally blocked by geo restrictions. This means that the number of servers, their location and speed is arguably more important than the encryption level and the log management policies. After all if you’re using your VPN to mainly watch the BBC or stream movies from Hulu then speed is vital.
Obviously cost is an issue too for most us, which can be an issue as the cheaper prices are normally associated with slower connections. This is because most VPN services will lower their prices by loading more users on their VPN servers. This enables them to lower their costs (and prices) but the speeds will plummet too as there is more internet traffic being routed through each VPN server. There’s not much you can do about this, as the more simultaneous connections you route through each server the slower it will become.
The trick is to get the balance right, and unless you’re willing to pay more for a premium product then maximizing speed usually involves an efficient, large scale proxy network like NordVPN.
Which VPN Can Hide My Ass ?
Hide My Ass proxy was originally a FREE proxy server for surfing anonymously, it could hide your IP Address and country with a simple web Page. You can still access this free proxy setup on their site, although truth be told it’s of very limited use. Most of the more popular connections through US and UK servers tend to be rather slow in my experience. Also so many sites can now detect and block internet traffic routed though basic proxies. Without the encryption protocol and DNS leak protection it’s fairly simple to spot this traffic. For a few sites it may still work and you can route through some other countries though, if hiding your location is not important.
It’s definitely a slicker product now, and millions use to protect their connections on the Internet. As it’s a mature product that’s been around many years then you should have limited problems using it in diverse network environments. You’ll have issues though with locked down environments as with the majority of these products. It does have some specialist settings to route though routers and Firewalls, although there are better alternatives to Hidemyass in this situation (e.g. Identity Cloaker). There are of course lots of reasons why you would use a Proxy Server so it’s still a worthwhile application to invest in.
Unfortunately this isn’t free anymore and to be frank it’s a long time since HMA was anything like a leader in this industry. For those looking for privacy and a way to bypass the geoblocks on the internet’s best sites may I make a suggestion?
Click to Check Out NordVPNs’ Latest Discounts
For the geo-blocks on popular specific sites like the BBC iPlayer they constantly monitor specific servers. This involves rotating IP addresses and checking data transfer rates against specific sites which obviously requires large customer support teams. There’s no doubt that they’ve become s more focused on bypassing filters and watching TV stations although they still take security very seriously. So it probably depends on what your main concern is.
Hide My Ass Proxy for example is probably more concerned with genuine privacy but unfortunately is often rather slow which makes streaming video across the connection a tedious experience.
There is a Better HideMyAss Alternative
If security is your primary concern, then there are certainly more serious VPN programs available than HMA proxy. One such example is a program which is nearly as old as HMA – it’s called Identity Cloaker. Not only does the VPN have adjustable security levels so that you can upgrade or downgrade the encryption depending on what you’re doing. Hint – you don’t need high encryption if you’re just streaming Match of the Day on BBC iPlayer.
It also allows you switch ports and piggy back other proxies. These functions are probably of no use to the ordinary user, but are essential if you want to encrypt from a corporate network or bypassing some firewall restrictions.
The market for these services are split to some extent, the simple hide my IP programs are becoming fairly pointless as they are easily detected. Many of the larger websites will actively block or filter traffic directly from proxy servers if detected. Indeed the best proxy server is probably more likely to be one of the VPN services which perform the same function but add a layer of encryption and are difficult to detect too.
One thing that is for sure, the usefulness of those free proxy servers has long gone Many of them are used by cyber criminals to steal personal data and accounts. The legitimate commercial ones finance their free service by turning you into the product, mainly by using your bandwidth and cpu while you’re connected. If you don’t want some complete stranger routing their web traffic through your internet connection, then stay away from the free VPNs like Hola.
The right service might depend on your primary objective, if you just want to watch American TV online then you’re going to need something with a fast US proxy to use. I am still using Identity Cloaker almost 12 years from my first subscription primarily because it’s has the most UK servers for the BBC and UK TV. It also is one of the best proxy sites for YouTube as there’s very limited contention.