HMA (HideMyAss) vs Proton VPN
Side-by-side comparison based on Reddit & Twitter discussions
Community Pick
Proton VPN
Based on community sentiment and discussions
Approval Rate
80%
4 recommend · 1 warn
Data Quality
Medium
Reviews
13
Reviewers
12
Promotional Content
38% may be promotional
Best for:
People who want a familiar VPN for everyday browsing
Users who mainly need a different IP for general apps and websites
Anyone who wants something mainstream rather than niche
HMA (HideMyAss) gets talked about as a familiar, easy-to-grab VPN option when people just want to “disappear” online and browse with a different IP. It comes up in the same breath as other mainstream...
Proton VPN
Winner
Approval Rate
71%
493 recommend · 203 warn
Data Quality
High
Reviews
1,012
Reviewers
836
Best for:
People who want a good free VPN that doesn’t feel sketchy
Privacy-focused users who like the Proton ecosystem
Folks who want optional anonymous payments
Everyday users who want a reliable VPN for general browsing
Proton VPN has a solid reputation as a privacy-focused VPN, and a lot of people like it because it feels trustworthy and reliable day to day. The free plan gets praised a lot as one of the better “act...
Performance by Use Case
| Use Case | HMA (HideMyAss) | Winner | Proton VPN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Streaming | -- (1) | → | 74% (64) |
| Torrenting | - | → | 74% (37) |
| Privacy | 67% (3) | → | 67% (397) |
| Censorship | 100% (2) | → | 60% (73) |
| Gaming | - | → | 44% (9) |
| Travel | 100% (1) | → | 83% (7) |
| Work | -- (1) | → | 100% (3) |
| Router | - | → | 67% (4) |
| Mobile | - | - | 100% (2) |
| Price | -- (1) | → | 73% (52) |
HMA (HideMyAss)
Strengths
- Well-known brand
- Good for basic location changing
- Fits everyday browsing needs
Weaknesses
- Mixed trust when it comes to privacy
- Not a magic fix for TikTok/Instagram account creation
- Can get tricky with router or hotspot sharing setups
Proton VPN
Strengths
- Strong privacy reputation
- Best-in-class free tier
- No-logs and audit-focused image
- Anonymous payment options
- Good reliability overall
Weaknesses
- Can be slower than competitors
- Port forwarding can be annoying for torrenting setups
- Auto-connect behavior can be frustrating
- Not everyone trusts it as much as top privacy rivals