So you’re deciding on which VPN service to use, and it isn’t surprising that you’ve narrowed it down to two of the most reliable and popular services: HideMyAss and PureVPN. There are plusses and minuses to both; let’s review each provider individually to weigh the options.
HideMyAss vs PureVPN Comparison
[superchart id=0 posts=85,4 width=530px]Hey, Nice A – Oh, Where'd It Go?
HideMyAss offers one simple subscription option; they have a single VPN service that contains 284 VPN servers in 51 different countries. HMA’s protocols include OpenVPN, L2TP, and PPTP, which all ensure rigorous security while you connect to the Internet. The HMA website boasts about their over 33,000 IP addresses to disappear in, which is more than any other provider. Additionally, HMA offers unlimited data transfer while connected–a huge bonus. With HMA, your online security is even more inconspicuous to onlookers since each time you connect to their server you get a new IP address.
The price rates for HideMyAss are $11.52 per month for one month all the way down to $6.55 per month for a full year’s subscription. Although HMA does not log which websites a user visits or the IP addresses assigned, a recent legal dispute revealed that the company does sustain records of when users connect or disconnect from the network. This has come up as a privacy issue and deal breaker for some users who want total anonymity, but other customers do not seem to mind.
Pure Thoughts, Hidden Intentions
PureVPN offers three different subscription packages for private users that contain 50 servers in 17 different countries. They use PPTP, L2TP/IPSec, and SSTP protocols, so rigid safety while surfing the internet is certain. Unlimited server switches, 128-bit SSL data encryption, and 12/7 live support are also included to aid your VPN experience. IP addresses are shared between all users; however, if you choose the Pure Gold Plan you have the option of switching to a dedicated IP address unique to you. In addition, PureVPN limits your downloads per month to 30GB unless you choose the Unlimited Plan, which offers—you guessed it—unlimited downloads.
If you download a lot of HD movies, which can be four or five gigabytes each, you may either want to choose this plan or go with HideMyAss. PureVPN does not claim to log any user activity, and it is unknown whether they log when you’re connecting or disconnecting. PureVPN’s Standard Plan (Shared IP and 30 GB limit) is $9.95 per month for one month to $6.24 per month for a year. The Unlimited Plan is $18.00 for one month to 13.33 for a year, and the Pure Gold Plan is $15.00 to $12.08, respectively.
An additional feature offered by PureVPN is Split Tunneling, where you have the option to use only certain applications through the VPN, while sending other information through your local LAN or WAN. This gets rid of the cumbersome need to disconnect and reconnect to the server if you want to access a corporate network or have some programs that do not work well with a VPN.
Be an Ass or Remain Pure
Which one do you choose? The simple and elegant HideMyAss offers more servers, more IP addresses, and fewer options for control of your experience. PureVPN, with its customized packages, split tunneling options, and fewer servers and IP addresses, is more user-friendly but less prominent around the globe. Nevertheless, both are top-rated VPN providers that will ensure you connectivity, safety, and happiness.
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James says
PureVPN is one of the worst services possible! TONS of connection issues, unreliable, customer service has problems communicating in English, trick you into a 2 year contract to only hold you hostage, ignore your technical problems, and refuse to give you your money back even TONS of problems and them promising they will give it back, and then they make up excuses and stop communicating with you. BEWARE OF THIS SERVICE! WORST OF ALL THE ONES I TRIED! Still without my money and service now. RIP OFF COMPANY!!!!
gavin says
I tried to cancel my service under their “Hassle free 7-days refund policy”, after 3 days and well within the download limit, but was given the runaround for days. I have now raised a dispute with PayPal. Purevpn’s response was: “you are requested to please wait now, since you have opened the dispute and we
have to wait for the decision that is made by the paypal”.
AVOID AVOID AVOID!!!!
Dave says
PureVPN
DO NOT USE: 7 Day Money Back Guarantee – what a load of rubbish, only if you don’t use their service.
I signed up for a 2 year deal wit the understanding of a 7 day money back but U kept getting disconnected and it would then not reconnect either. I tried various protocols as they recommended bit still no joy.
I asked for my money back after 24 hours and said i had used more than 500MB of band width and more than 30 sessions.
Jackson says
Don’t buy PureVPN, their VPNs are unstable and their 24/7 online customer service is a joke. They hardly respond you with few words but offering you a bunch of links .Oh yeah, the answers are all on your website, so why don’t you just shut the customer service and put a DIY (do yourself) sign instead? Their 7 days guaranteed refund is another joke. Their refund policy limits your data to 500MB which is easy to exceed, and once you overused you got $0 back.
For those old customers, maybe your are currently satisfied with their services but beware that your one-year or two-year contract will be automatically renewal. If you forgot to cancel them and exceed 2GB in the next period of contract, and you want your refund back, here $0 for you again.
MeghaDuta says
Beware! HMA have a bizarre payment processor called Avangate. My AMEX Goldcard details were filled in (as usual) by my password manager, Dashlane, for the enormous sum of US$11.52
Can’t connect to VPN. Avangate sends me an email that is virtually “phishing” seeking info that, in my country, would be
interpreted as an attempt to breach Privacy Act and commit ID theft.
HMA may be the biggest VPN, but this is the road to commercial suicide.
Jay says
I agree with lots of the previous comments, PURE VPN sucks. I subscribed to it on 19th Oct 2014, paid by credit card.
The services mostly don’t work when you need it to, for examples, in China, lots of countries where you want VPN and in lots of hotels !!
2 days ago, I get a email that INSISTED that I scan and email them my credit card within 1 day and if I don’t , my account would be suspended. Nowhere in my contract or agreement is that anything that said I have to scan and email them a copy of my Credit card. Why not have their CEO email me a copy of his ? Coming from a company that is providing “Security Services”, that is dumb. Of course what happen next was they deactivated my account.
When I ask for a refund, they didn’t even bother to response. Their Online chat make me go through the usual submit a request, and the response was that I’ve exceeded 3 days , blah , blah, blah, and ” if I don’t need the VPN service they offer to deactivate it for me but cannot offer me a refund.” Hang on, the reason I’m asking for a refund is because they deactivate my services, and their solution is to deactivate my services ?
Please search on the internet and you will find LOTS of bad feedback about PureVPN, I think they should rename it PureSCAM. Oh yeah, they don’t response to emails !! So it’s a big SCAM !!
Kenneth says
PureVPN sucks. Their smartdns does not work for me. after several troubleshooting with customer support, they cannot fix the issue. I am trying to request for a refund but they keep telling me that I can’t refund because of the refund policy. But the service is not running for me. Why can’t they fix it, or if they can’t fix it they should give a refund.
Do not subscribe for pure vpn.
Ed blackie says
I purchased one month of pure VPN, and cancelled at the end of the month to see how they would handle an exiting customer. I was on the fence on purchasing a full year so i used this experiment to see where i would go. After i had cancelled my subscription Purevpn attempted to charge me for another month. I opened a case with paypal and obviously got my money back as its illegal to charge for a service without providing it. Purevpn may be a good service but a morally corrupt decision cost a permanent subscription from me.
Hannes says
Biggest crap VPN ever! Speeds are horrible – not usable inside Mainland China, service only send you automated answers to the website – demanded my money back but no refund, as I opened a file at Paypal they suspended and terminated my account. As I am also based in HK I will involve a lawyer to get my money back – stay tuned.
Good alternative if you are in China : witopia – much better speed and very good service – they will provide “secret” IP addresses to you if you have speed problems at your location.
virgil says
> On Thu, Dec 11, 2014 at 2:37 AM, My Email wrote:
Ok read this from down upstairs, at Hide My Ass you won´t getting robbed and they have stable trustful servers with lower speed but purevpn speed is due tu their ip routing without trustful geo location changes. this means you can step into the internet trap pure like the name says, no money back only if you get mad JUST LIKE ME NOW!!
you should really start reading customer mails and reviews, I do not accept any cent to stay with you, I will move in 10 minutes to the next important page and start to post there but I have now that much of unique reviews I guess I will be very fast and I guess I setup also some macros to do it automated do not think you are offshore and god I am out of mind and secure 😉
On 10.12.2014 22:49, PureVPN Support wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Please check the points and suggestions below:-
> 1. You purchased 4 annual accounts then ask them to merge to a single account having 20 multi logins
> 2. I confirmed you that 20 multi logins are allowed on your sigle account on 29th Nov 2014
> 3. Regarding Germany location you will be assisted and shown wit proof that there is no such issue, if you need
>
> Anyhow, keeping in view that you never used 3 accounts we may refund you in full for 3 annual accounts and 50% refund of the 4th account. You do not qualify for refund though having 39 GB usage as listed below but in order to get it you need to remove the reviews you just did. We may also paste these as a comment but we will not. We broken our policy to allow you on exceptional basis and to make it work for you i.e. 20 multi logins
> If you need the 100% refund of the 4th account too then you need to have a remote session with us after which your case will be reviewed.
>
> PROTOCOLS NUMBER OF TIMES USED BANDWIDTH
> PPTP 105 28,717,444,507 bytes (27,387.09 MB)
> OPENVPN-UDP 1 43,741 bytes (0.04 MB)
> L2TP 34 12,286,450,336 bytes (11,717.27 MB)
> Total Bandwidth
> 41,003,938,584 bytes (39,104.40 MB)
>
> Best Regards,
> Q. Nauman M.
> Manager Customer Service & Support
> PureVPN
>
> ***** We apologize for the delay, might caused in replying your email. We are experiencing an excessive load, unexpectedly, due to customer interest in the services. Our 24/7 live chat is available to assist you on immediate basis.*****
>
> On Thu, Dec 11, 2014 at 2:37 AM, My Email wrote:
>
> I told you I won´t invest any minute in comunication with you because you are too lazy to read my issued mails to the support and their answers and that I got ignored totaly you fucked me arround enough I won´t stop until I get my money back because I am a real person and can proce it you know what I´ll start to post now also screenshots online screenshots to prove it even more. just save my time and yours and the time your webmasters and supports investet in advertising your crapy semi vpn and return my money I will not stop it and this is my last mail bye bye
>
>
> On 10.12.2014 22:33, PureVPN Support wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> Please contact us via live chat and ask for the Manager, I will assist you and clear the confusion / misunderstanding we have.
>>
>> Best Regards,
>> Q. Nauman M.
>> Manager Customer Service & Support
>> PureVPN
>>
>> ***** We apologize for the delay, might caused in replying your email. We are experiencing an excessive load, unexpectedly, due to customer interest in the services. Our 24/7 live chat is available to assist you on immediate basis.*****
>>
>> On Thu, Dec 11, 2014 at 1:45 AM, My Email wrote:
>>
>> I need no assistance from you give me back my money or I distroy your business by reviews and I can prove it just get your ass in front of my whole emails and read them I was in time and I had really troble not that lousy multi login but I got ignored I swear I will invest every day 4 hours of searching pages where you advertise and write down reviews until your income decreases to a little student
>>
>>
>> On 10.12.2014 21:36, PureVPN Support wrote:
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> Sorry for the inconvenience. It seems you did not notice what I wrote in the end “Still we are keen to assist you for which you may contact us any time.”
>>>
>>> Best Regards,
>>> Q. Nauman M.
>>> Manager Customer Service & Support
>>> PureVPN
virgil says
hi there community take care they are stealing your money, I bought 4 times 12 months licenses from PUREVPN to use them for the whole family but their servers are not secure at all german webpages find out your geo location with ease as I requested back my money as purevpn is advertising with their 3 days money back guarantee I was left aside for 3 weeks after I started a conflict through paypal who also did not support me with this as it is no phisikal thing a license so purevpn manager had a nice lunch on my costs and I also got no access to my new licenses anyway because I involved paypal. think twice befor you get there any license.
HMA is the best you can get greetings a friend
Finger weg von PureVpn hatte mir 4 mal 12-Monats Lizenzen gekauft und festgestellt innerhalb der 3-Tages Geld zurück Garantie Frist, dass der GEO-Standort an Webseiten weitergeleitet wird und deren VPN Dienst ganz und gar nicht sicher ist, wurde 3 Wochen hingehalten mit Mails bis ich zuletzt Paypal einschalten musste, die mich leider auch im Stich gelassen haben weil eine Lizenz keinen physischen Gegenstand repräsentiert, somit hat der liebe Purevpn Manager ein nettes Steak auf meinen kosten genossen, HMA ist perfekt MFG ein Freund der Unwissenden
Pivert says
There is no Trial.
While I took some time to set it up, I’m very satisfied of PureVPN. I used it on Linux (OpenVPN), IPad (L2TP), Android (L2TP then OpenVPN) I needed the support service twice, and they provided me valuable support. Here are the small annoyances I found with PureVPN:
Web site FAQ still incomplete or missing information. For instance the L2TP tutorial for Android still shows PPTP in the screenshots, or the L2TP tutorial for IPad does not mention what should go in the secret field (you must put 12345678 as per the Adroid tutorial). OpenVPN is still Beta, and they do not (yet?) provide the config files on the web site. They sent them to me when I opened a ticket.
There is an android app on Play, but I had some few issues with it, especially if you use the VPN for a long time, that’s why I tried L2TP, and finally use OpenVPN because I was not satisfied with the logs from L2TP. OpenVPN is very easy to configure with the provided openvpn config files. Just copy keys and certs in the same folder (I use UDP/ files), then import the config file of the VPN you want to use.
I made a benchmark with speedtest.net using US server (us4.purevpn.net AFAIR), and I reached 20Mbits that is good in my opinion (never used an other VPN service before).
From my Android Device, I ran an SSH server, and I was able to connect to it from the outside world, on the remote VPN ip address, so this means that it’s a full VPN, with a public IP address directly on your device. For some newbies this might be a security concern, but in the PureVPN options we can check a “NAT” checkbox that prevent direct connections from outside, I didn’t try.
Unlimited VPNs volume in 46 countries for less than 3€/Month (46$/year) is just unbeatable.
Even better, as they allow for 5 VPN connections at the same time, I share my account with a friend.
I just needed a VPN to access some content on CBS, and my friend it’s similar but for some French & Belgian stuff. So I just use it occasionally, and I wouldn’t be ready to pay more to see free content.
denc says
Pure con. They advertise ” get connected in5 minutes” , they take your money for a trial , they then tell you ypu will receive an e mail ” within 24 hours” You receive nothing. They never mention any limits before they take your money
Absolutely avoid .. a con pure and simple.
Paul says
On PureVpn I was asked to provide a photograph of my credit card to continue my service past one day. As one could understand, I refused and am reporting the one month charge as fraud on my credit card. This will be an open and shut charge back when I explain that a photocopy of the card was requested. There are plenty of VPN services out there to warrant putting up with queer and risky identity demands and more than a few snarky replies to consumer complaints.
Paul
International Airline Pilot
carl says
there is no free trial. I wanted to test streaming speeds first so they offered me a NO RISK 3 DAY TRIAL. I paid for it and got lousy speeds between uk and thailand, could not stream.!! So i asked for a refund as they could not make it fast enough to work.
THEN they said it was non -refunable.!! HOW IS THIS NO RISK.??? And i bet you cannot find where it says this on their web site. They are just out for your money and DONT CARE when they cannot offer the service they say they can in your region. This is the action of CONMEN AND LIARS when it comes to playing fair. If you are in the Thailand area and need uk streaming stay well clear of this company.!!!!