If you ever looked for a VPN to secure your Internet activities, you probably came across NordVPN and Hidemyass many times. Both are well-established services with millions of loyal clients. However, if you intend to buy one of them, you need to know which one out of these two is the best. We carried out this comprehensive NordVPN vs Hidemyass comparison using ten critical criteria to find out the winner. See the results of our tests below.
Table of Contents
Server Network
NordVPN is rightfully considered to be one of the largest VPNs. It currently has more than 5400 servers in 59 countries and it is not going to stop growing.
Hidemyass has significantly fewer servers – around 1000. However, it boasts sweeping coverage. Its website says it provides servers in more than 190 countries. Well, it’s a bold claim given the fact that there are 193 states in the world totally. Too good to be true? Well, the service must rely on virtual servers a lot to ensure this coverage.
Winner: Draw
Connection Speed
NordVPN supplies outstanding connectivity especially when you choose nearby servers. We tested a few server locations in Europe (close to our office) and speeds were just great. When we connected to some American servers, speed drops were more noticeable. Nevertheless, we could use them for movie streaming and major online activities. All in all, NordVPN is one of the fastest providers.
Hidemyass advertises ‘a fast, stable connection’. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always live up to its promises. Whereas we didn’t have any issues with stability, speeds could have been better. Even nearby servers were significantly slower than our original speeds. In general, Hidemyass is pretty much hit-or-miss – with some servers, the connection was really good, while others were too slow.
Winner: NordVPN
Security Features
NordVPN uses military-grade AES 256-bit encryption and OpenVPN or IKEv2/IPsec connection protocols. If industry-standard encryption is not enough, NordVPN supplies Double VPN and Onion over VPN servers for additional protection. You will sacrifice the connection speed with either of these 2 options but what you get instead are two VPN servers to route your traffic through or the Tor network security combined with a VPN.
NordVPN has many more useful features – obfuscation technology that masks VPN traffic and its useful if you live in countries that prohibit VPNs, CyberSec that protects against malicious websites and ads, and an automated disconnection tool Kill Switch. DNS leak protection is also in place.
Hidemyass works with the same encryption and protocols (IKEv2 for iOS and macOS devices and OpenVPN for everything else). The service uses its own DNS to ensure you encounter no DNS, IPv4 or IPv6 leaks. Kill Switch will protect in the event of losing connection with Hidemyass servers. Besides that, the service has some other useful features. Thanks to Split tunneling, you can enjoy a VPN-protected connection for anonymous activities while using a regular Internet connection for everything else. The IP Shuffle feature will automatically change your IP address with the chosen frequency to irradiate tracking.
Winner: NordVPN
Privacy Policy
NordVPN has the best privacy policy without exaggeration. It was one of the first services to carry out a genuine zero-logging policy. An audit executed by an independent security agency confirmed that NordVPN registers no data about the way its clients use the service. This puts NordVPN among the safest VPNs.
Hidemyass claims it implements no-logging, too. Well, its privacy policy proves otherwise. The service retains data about the time of connection and disconnection to its servers, the amount of bandwidth used, your original IP address, and IP addresses of servers you connected to. If you think that this is harmless, you couldn’t be more wrong. In 2011, one of Hidemyass’ clients went to jail for hacking Sony Pictures because the service turned it in to the authorities.
Winner: NordVPN
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is as important as logging. Even if a VPN provider carries out some logging, a favorable jurisdiction will guarantee that the government can’t demand to submit those logs. Unfortunately, Hidemyass is not under safe jurisdiction. The company is registered in the UK, the founding member of the Five Eyes Intelligence Treaty, which goal is spying on people. Therefore, you can be sure that if the government wants to get some data about you and what you do online, Hidemyass will provide it.
This will never happen if you use NordVPN. Thanks to its offshore registration in Panama, governments of other countries have no power there. Panama authorities don’t interfere in businesses operating under their banners either. Clearly, the country is not affiliated with any spy organizations.
Winner: NordVPN
VPN Software and Ease of Use
You can install NordVPN on macOS, Windows, and Linux computers, iOS and Android devices, also if you configure it on a router you can share the connection to game consoles, and smart TVs. On top of that, the service has browser extensions for Google Chrome and Mozzila Firefox. With one NordVPN account you can connect up to 6 devices at once.
As for applications themselves, they are nicely designed and easy to use. After starting the app, you will see quick-connect switch that automatically connects to the suggested server. Alternatively, you can choose a server from the map. Clicking on settings will provide you with more options for connection configuration such as auto launch (turning on a VPN when a computer starts), auto connection, and some others. The main screen, besides a list of standard servers, gives information about specialized ones grouped in four categories (Double VPN, Onion over VPN, Obfuscated, and P2P) that you can use depending on your needs. Even novice users won’t find it hard to figure out what’s what.
Hidemyass supports the same platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. You can also use a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox. The service permits 5 simultaneous connections, but if you configure it on the router you can protect all your home devices.
Hidemyass has straightforward and user-friendly apps. There are three options to get started with a VPN connection once you installed a client. The Instant mode is an automated one-click connection to the nearest server. The Location mode provides a list of servers you can pick at your own discretion. The Freedom mode comes in handy if you live in China, UAE, or other countries where the Internet is heavily censored. The server lists are broken by countries, as well as streaming, P2P, and favorite locations. Unlike NordVPN, there are no cues on the fastest servers or, at least, load at the moment. In other aspects, the apps are pretty easy to use but they don’t support many settings to tweak your connections.
Winner: NordVPN
Torrenting Support
NordVPN offers specialized P2P servers in 40 countries for torrent enthusiasts. These servers are placed in a separate tab enabling you to quickly choose suitable options. In addition, the service supplies unlimited SOCKS5 proxy.
Hidemyass allows torrenting, too, but its network is not P2P-friendly in full measure. There are only a few options in a handful of countries where torrenting is not blocked. Luckily, you can easily find these servers on the apps.
Winner: NordVPN
Unblocking Capabilities
If you’re looking for a service that unblocks Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime Video, HULU, BBC iPlayer, and a bunch of other VoD platforms, NordVPN is exactly what you need. Thanks to constantly expanding network and helpful SmartPlay feature, you can easily find servers to bypass geo-restrictions. On top of that, you can purchase a dedicated IP address in a country of your choice and minimize the risk of getting a ban from the streaming platform.
Hidemyass occasionally works with Netflix when it adds new servers but most of the time it is blocked completely. Many other streaming services also blacklist Hidemyass IP addresses. However, you can still watch some geo-restricted local TV channels that don’t crack down on VPNs but that’s it. Hidemyass don’t offer dedicated IPs that could help you with streaming.
Winner: NordVPN
Tech Support – Knowledgebase and Contact Options
NordVPN runs smoothly and consistently meaning you are not likely to run into many problems. But if you do, its website supplies a multitude of articles, tutorials, FAQs, and other useful information. The support team will come to rescue whenever you contact them through email, tickets, and live chat. It works around the clock and always comes up with friendly and comprehensive replies.
Hidemyass, too, has a searchable knowledgebase (including guides, FAQ, and a user forum) but it is considerably smaller and worse organized. To solve your urgent issues, you can contact the 24/7 support, create a ticket, or ask the community. It may take a few hours before the support gets back to you but their replies tend to be on point.
Winner: NordVPN
Pricing Plans and Payment Methods
Unlike many other VPNs, Hidemyass doesn’t provide a one-month plan. However, it offers a free 7-day trial that should be enough to understand whether you like it or not. If you are ready to subscribe, you can choose between the following plans:
- 1 year – $5.99 per month ($71.88 in total);
- 3 years – $3.99 per month ($143.64 in total).
The service also offers so-called business plans with an increased number of simultaneous connections (from 10 to 30 from the single account). These plans start from $13 per month if you purchase an annual subscription. All the plans are covered with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Unfortunately, Hidemyass doesn’t support any secure payment methods. Your only options are credit cards, PayPal, and UnionPay.
Nord, on the other hand, provides a one-month subscription along with three long-duration plans:
- One month – $11.95 per month;
- 1 year – $6.99 per month ($83.88 totally);
- 2 years – $4.99 per month ($119.76 totally);
- 3 years – $3.49 per month ($125.64 totally).
If you are not sure whether NordVPN is the right option, the 30-day money-back guarantee is in place to take the worry out of your experience. In addition to standard payment options, NordVPN supports cryptocurrencies and gift cards known for their anonymity.
Winner: NordVPN
Conclusion
NordVPN beats Hidemyass in every single aspect except the server coverage. If you require a VPN that cares about your security, you want torrenting freedom, and the ability to unblock geo-restricted websites, you won’t find a better option than NordVPN.
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2 Comments
It’s not even a competition .. really. According to this NordVPN is practically better in any way. But I would argue that having more variety of servers (more locations) is better than having a lot of servers. Yet, in every other way, NordVPN is imo better so I would agree with this
Having more server locations (virtual ones) is not a major advantage; but we called it draw on the server network aspect anyway. However, Nord is just better service in every other category we compared.