Hide My Ass Free Trial in 2026: What Actually Exists
HMA offers a genuine 7-day trial, but it can renew into a paid plan; the 30-day guarantee is a separate refund route.
By Erwin Caniba · Updated July 22, 2026
Hide My Ass (HMA) currently offers a genuine 7-day free trial. You pay $0 at checkout, but you must provide payment details and the subscription can renew into a paid plan unless you cancel in time. HMA does not advertise a permanent free VPN tier.
HMA also has a 30-day money-back guarantee for qualifying purchases. That is not a free trial: you pay the full subscription price first and request a refund under the policy if you decide not to keep it.
HMA’s free options at a glance
| Option | Length | What you pay first | Main condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7-day HMA free trial | 7 days | $0 | Payment details are required; cancel before the trial converts to the paid subscription shown at checkout |
| Permanent free tier | None | — | HMA does not currently advertise an ongoing free VPN plan |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | Full plan price | Available only for qualifying purchases under HMA’s refund policy; store purchases can follow different rules |
The 7-day route is the only true Hide My Ass free trial. The 30-day option gives you longer to evaluate the service, but it temporarily puts the full plan charge on your payment method and requires you to complete a refund request.
The 7-day HMA trial is real, but it has strings attached
HMA’s official downloads page displays a “Try for 7 days” option, while its pricing page describes the trial as $0 at checkout. The trial checkout requests payment details and connects the free period to a paid subscription.
That means you should treat the signup screen as a future purchase, not merely a free download. Before confirming, record the paid plan, billing date, currency, and total that the checkout says will follow the trial. Do not assume the promotional price on another HMA page is the amount attached to your trial.
The trial is useful if you specifically want to evaluate HMA’s app on your own internet connection. It is less attractive if you want a free VPN you can keep indefinitely or if you do not want to provide a payment method. For a broader assessment of the service, read our full Hide My Ass review.
The safest way to test HMA without an unwanted charge
- Open the official HMA offer and choose the 7-day trial rather than a paid long-term plan.
- Read the checkout summary before entering payment details. Note the exact subscription, post-trial charge, renewal date, tax, and currency displayed for you.
- Save the confirmation email and take a screenshot of the billing terms. Those records make it much easier to identify the purchase channel and prove when you signed up.
- Install the official HMA app on the device you actually intend to use. Test your normal connection, required locations, and everyday sites rather than spending the week on generic speed tests.
- Set a reminder at least 48 hours before the trial ends. Google Play’s HMA listing says subscriptions renew unless auto-renewal is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the subscription period, so leaving cancellation until the final hour is unnecessary risk.
- Cancel through the same channel that created the subscription. Direct HMA purchases are managed in the HMA account; Google Play and Apple subscriptions are managed through their respective store settings.
- Keep the cancellation confirmation and check the subscription screen again. A deleted app is not proof that its subscription has been canceled.
If HMA works for you and you intend to keep it, you can leave the subscription active. Still review the renewal setting and future price immediately so the next charge is a deliberate decision.
The 30-day guarantee is a paid refund route
HMA’s cancellation and refund policy covers qualifying subscriptions bought directly through its online store or through Google Play. If the purchase qualifies and the request is made within 30 days, the policy provides for a refund of the current subscription term’s purchase price.
Purchases through Apple or another reseller are different. HMA’s policy says it does not grant refunds for those transactions; you must use the reseller’s cancellation and refund process. This is why the purchase channel matters before you choose the 30-day route.
The guarantee also has restrictions. A request outside the deadline does not qualify, and HMA excludes a new purchase of the same product made within 6 months after a previous cancellation and refund. Read the live policy before paying and do not rely on a refund to fix a forgotten renewal.
What HMA costs after the trial
US pricing checked on July 16, 2026 showed 2 promotional individual plans:
- 12 months at an effective $4.99 per month, billed as $59.88 upfront.
- 36 months at an effective $2.99 per month, billed as $107.64 upfront.
These are prepaid totals, not month-to-month charges. The same page displayed regular totals of $143.88 for 12 months and $431.64 for 36 months.
HMA’s subscription terms say an active subscription extends for another period of the same length at the undiscounted price in effect at renewal, plus applicable tax. Pricing can change, so the regular totals visible today are a warning about the size of the difference—not a guaranteed quote for a future renewal.
The practical rule is simple: compare the exact trial conversion price with the normal pricing page, and judge the upfront total rather than the smaller monthly equivalent. A low advertised monthly figure can still mean a 3-year commitment and a much higher later renewal.
Better alternatives if HMA’s trial terms do not fit
CyberGhost: a no-card desktop trial
CyberGhost is the cleaner option if your priority is testing a paid VPN on a computer without entering payment details. Its official trial page offers 24 hours on Windows and macOS without a credit card. It also advertises a 3-day Android trial and a 7-day iOS trial, although mobile-store billing rules still need checking before activation.
The drawback is time: 24 hours is enough to check setup and ordinary browsing, but not enough to evaluate several networks or a full travel routine. See our full CyberGhost review before deciding whether the shorter no-card test is preferable, or check our Surfshark trial breakdown if you would rather trade a card on file for a longer week-long test.
Proton VPN: an ongoing free plan
Proton VPN is the stronger choice if you need a free service without a trial countdown. Proton says its Free plan has no data or time limit and no ads. You can keep using it rather than planning a cancellation or refund.
The trade-off is that the free plan does not include every paid capability. Treat it as a sustainable basic VPN option, not a complete preview of the paid product. Our full Proton VPN review explains the wider service.
Our pick
Use HMA’s 7-day trial only if HMA is the service you specifically want to evaluate and you are comfortable providing payment details. Record the conversion charge, test immediately, and cancel through the original billing channel well before the deadline if it is not right for you. Choose CyberGhost for a short no-card desktop test or Proton VPN for an ongoing free plan.
FAQ
Is the Hide My Ass free trial really free?
Yes, the official 7-day trial is $0 at checkout. It is tied to a paid subscription, however, so it can produce a charge when the trial ends unless you cancel according to the applicable billing terms.
Does the HMA free trial require a credit card?
The direct trial checkout requires payment details. A mobile trial also uses the payment account connected to the app store. Check the subscription summary before confirming because the post-trial plan and price can vary by channel, location, and offer.
Does HMA have a permanently free version?
No ongoing free VPN tier is currently advertised. HMA’s no-cost route is the time-limited 7-day trial; its 30-day money-back guarantee requires a paid purchase first.
Is HMA’s 30-day money-back guarantee the same as a free trial?
No. A free trial starts at $0, while the guarantee requires you to pay for a qualifying subscription and then request a refund within the policy deadline. Apple and other reseller purchases use the reseller’s refund rules rather than HMA’s direct process.
How do I cancel the HMA trial?
Cancel it through the channel where you started it: the HMA account for a direct subscription, Google Play for an Android store subscription, or Apple subscription settings for an App Store subscription. Save the confirmation and do not assume uninstalling the app cancels billing.
Erwin Caniba