The best VPNs for Mac are the ones that allow Mac OS users to secure their online activity while offering a highly reliable and fast service. A VPN can be a great way to ensure peace of mind. This is particularly true when accessing content in a legal grey area.
Table of Contents. A is a great way to take control of your online experience and protect yourself from the hazards of digital life. With a lot of players on the market, though, the choice of which to use can be daunting. We’ve taken a look at some of the options to find the best VPN for Mac.
The Mac has had far less security issues than Windows over the years., though, and it pays to take security seriously. Using a VPN will give you an edge against hackers and snoops. If you’re using your Mac as an entertainment hub you may be frustrated at being unable to access overseas content. Mac users traveling the world may also find themselves in countries that restrict access to news or social media websites.
A VPN can help you get around geoblocks and access the content you want in safety. ExpressVPN, our overall winner, scores well on all these points, but more on that later. The Best VPN for Mac 2019.
What Makes a VPN the Best For Mac Some built-in features on macOS, such as, are nice to have, but can be improved upon, as our article shows. Is another area where you might want to look at an external service. Many of the benefits of a VPN are not dependent on the operating system. Our general article on explains the benefits a quality VPN service can provide, but there are things that will make a service especially suitable for Mac owners.
Mac software tends to be well-designed, simple and offers a clear, intuitive user interface. VPN apps that are a good should integrate well with the platform and follow the appropriate conventions. It should be easy to use and able to run without much fuss.
While options for power users are welcome, being able to get up and running without having to do too much tweaking will score points here. Quality customer service is also a key feature of the Mac experience, so we’ll be checking VPN providers for that, too.
We’re looking for services that provide fast, reliable support, preferably via multiple channels. Thankfully, finding one of those wasn’t too hard. Best VPN for Mac: Much like the Mac, ExpressVPN is slick, easy to use and expensive.
That makes it a great fit for the OS. As discussed in our, it gets almost everything right.
Using the app is simple, with a big round button to click when you want to connect. The button turns green when connected. A smaller button lets you choose from the many server locations. It adds an icon to the Mac menu bar which you can click to quickly access its features. With AES 256-bit encryption and a strict no logging policy, ExpressVPN has you covered for security and privacy. It features split tunneling, which lets you control which of your apps use the VPN. It’s useful if you have specific services that work fine over your regular connection.
We don’t see this feature included on VPNs often enough, so big points to ExpressVPN here. There’s also a killswitch to prevent your VPN traffic from going through your other connection if the VPN fails. That can be important if you’re worried about the privacy of your regular connection. Other Reasons We Like ExpressVPN ExpressVPN offers blistering speeds and was the quickest in our roundup of the.
You can test the server speeds in the app and switch servers easily. Its speeds make it ideal for streaming, gaming or torrenting. Customer service is excellent, offering live chat around the clock and email support. ExpressVPN also has an extensive knowledgebase and clear FAQ. You are limited to three devices, which, price aside, is our only real gripe with the service.
On the plus side, it supports a wide range of devices, including apps for PlayStation, Xbox and Apple TV, along with all major OS and smartphone platforms. It also has browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Safari. ExpressVPN is not cheap, coming in at $99.95 per year.
We think it is worth the price, though, considering the quality of service you get. In addition to being the best for Mac, we consider it the overall provider. There is a for the first 30 days, too. It features auto-connect and a killswitch, so, once you set it up, you don’t need to worry about it much. It does lack split tunneling, though.
Customer service is good, with a large knowledgebase and responsive live chat service available. There is also email support, but we found it slow. Still, should you run into an issue with NordVPN, you are well-served. Other Reasons We Like NordVPN It has an impressive network with over 4,000 servers in 62 countries, meaning it is likely to be fast wherever you are in the world. It also does well at connecting to streaming services.
Our test results included successful connections to Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. We saw the occasional speed drop over long-distance connections, but you have access to many servers and will usually be able to find a faster one. NordVPN also offers “speciality servers” that cater to different needs. They include peer-to-peer servers, obscured servers for those in countries that restrict internet usage and other options focused on security and privacy.
Those wanting to use a VPN for Netflix may want to check out our guide on, too. Much like ExpressVPN, NordVPN offers a, so take it for a spin. Ooh pretty The tile-based start-up UI might give Mac owners the uncomfortable feeling that they’re using Windows, but the app is straightforward and presents its server list and many options clearly. The brightly colored tiles are plainly labeled and allow you to navigate the app in a task-oriented fashion.
The various screens allow you to change settings based on your focus. There are options to help with unblocking streaming services, as well as adjust your privacy and security settings.
The “choose my server” tab, for example, lets you rank the available servers by speed. CyberGhost is fast, especially in Europe, and connected to all the streaming services we tested, but we needed to switch servers a couple of times to get the best out of it. It lacks split tunneling, but has a killswitch and an “app protection” feature that automatically tunes the settings on start-up to the apps you have running. Privacy and security are also strengths. It keeps no logs and doesn’t need any information from you besides your email address, which makes it ideal for privacy-conscious users.
Like most of our favorite services, it uses AES 256-bit encryption for extra security. CyberGhost activates automatically when connecting to wireless networks. Though convenient, WiFi networks can leave you vulnerable to hackers, as mentioned in our article, so that is a useful feature.
Other Reasons We Like CyberGhost CyberGhost provides the quality customer service that Mac owners expect with responsive live chat agents and email inquiries handled in good time. It also has an extensive knowledgebase to search through if you have problems. At $59.88 for its annual plan, CyberGhost is easier on the wallet than the two services above and, like them, offers a. The three-year plan is even better value at $99.99. You can also take advantage of its seven-day free trial if you want to dip your toe in the water before signing up. Overall, CyberGhost is a good service that’s cheaper than our two top picks, but comes with a couple of minor quibbles.
Private Internet Access is famous for its advocacy of and its service prioritizes security and privacy. It is a good choice if those are your concerns. After going through the straightforward sign up and installation process, you have to enter your login details. The UI is minimalist and launched from the menu bar, though it does contain many options if you look for them. Connecting is just a matter of selecting “connect” from the menu. You can accept the default server or pick from a list of countries and, in some cases, cities. You can also send a slow speed complaint from the menu, presumably allowing PIA to get on to fixing the problem.
PIA is very fast and hit impressive speeds throughout the world during our testing. That, combined with its low ping scores, makes it an ideal VPN for. It isn’t as hot on streaming, though. Hulu and iPlayer blocked us. PIA is big on privacy and, in addition to keeping no logs, allows you to sign up without providing much identifying information. It is also strong on security, using the OpenVPN protocol by default and passing all our leak tests, as described in our. Customer service is via a knowledgebase and a support system that uses email and a web form.
There’s no live chat and the response to our test email took a few hours to arrive. Though the knowledgebase is good, we wouldn’t describe customer service as one of PIA’s strengths. Other Reasons We Like PIA In addition to a killswitch, PIA includes automatic malware and ad blocking, but it doesn’t have split tunneling., including five simultaneous connections, PIA is priced well for a quality service. It lacks a few frills, but the core features are excellent. We recommend it for price-conscious and technically confident users who are happy to solve their own problems. Those who need quick, regular support are best served elsewhere. GooseVPN is a new kid on the block, but already boasts many impressive features backed by excellent support.
Setting it up is easy. Once installed, it looks pleasant, but the UI has minor issues, such as the client window not being dragable and the options menu being hidden when first opened. It has a no-logs policy and offers several protocols. We recommend OpenVPN because it’s the most secure, if slower than the others. The AES 256-bit encryption should help keep hackers at bay, too. It has a killswitch, activated by the “VPN always on” setting, which isn’t as clear as it could be. Split tunneling is not yet available, but will be soon, apparently.
Speeds are fast and GooseVPN has several P2P servers, making it a good choice for. Its pings are high for gaming, though, and connecting to streaming services was a mixed bag. We got into Netflix but not BBC iPlayer. Its server network is limited, but that will hopefully improve. It has just over 100 servers, which are mostly in Europe and North America. Africa and South America only have one server each, so take a look at to confirm that it has servers where you need them. Other Reasons We Like GooseVPN GooseVPN claims it will try to add a server in a particular location if you let the company know you need it.
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As customer service goes that is impressive. Support is a strength of GooseVPN’s, with help offered 24/7.
As well as a live chat service, there is email support. During our testing, we got a response in less than an hour. The company says support is in-house, rather than outsourced.
There’s also a FAQ and knowledgebase that includes useful YouTube videos. As detailed in our, the customer service is second to none and a strong point for Mac owners used to comprehensive support. The, which isn’t too bad and allows unlimited connections. Overall, GooseVPN is a nice, fast option with great customer service and one that we hope will improve further over the coming months. Final Thoughts As we’ve seen, Mac users have many strong choices for a VPN that works well on the platform.
Comes out as our best option for the Mac, thanks to its speed, support and all-around quality, but there are other good choices. We found to have the best customer support of the offerings, with also doing well. NordVPN has a fantastic network for streamers, too, while GooseVPN is adding servers all the time. For the budget-conscious, CyberGhost is cheaper than ExpressVPN and easy to use. PIA is even cheaper, with strong core features and low ping scores that make it ideal for gamers.
We’d love to hear your experiences with the VPNs on our list. They all have their strengths and we hope you can find one that matches your needs.
If you know of any other VPNs that work well with the Mac, we’d like to hear about those, too. Please share your experiences in the comments. Thanks for reading.
Advertisement Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are more popular than ever. They are an important weapon in the ongoing fight against cyber-snooping and can even unlock some geo-blocked apps and websites. Different VPN providers specialize in different areas; it can be difficult to choose the right supplier for your needs. But once you’ve selected your provider, you still have decisions to make. Specifically, how do you know But with so many VPNs on the market, how do you decide which one to use? We checked Reddit's best subreddits and threads to get the best VPN recommendations.?
Should you use your VPN provider’s proprietary app, or a flexible solution that can connect to several different services? If you’re not sure where to turn, keep reading for the best free Mac VPN clients you can use right now, and a few other options you might not have considered. Free Open-Source Clients Here are the top free VPN clients you should consider.
TunnelBlick is an Apple-specific VPN client. It works on macOS and iOS. There is no Windows or Linux version.
It works with any VPN provider which offers OpenVPN support. Because the app is completely open source, you can be confident it’s not secretly tracking your internet usage in other ways and thus negating the benefit of using a VPN. It is more transparent than proprietary apps. Interestingly, TunnelBlick logs all your session data by default.
This is not unusual — all OpenVPN clients do the same thing. If you want to turn off session data logging, all you need to do is add verb 0 to the app’s config file. Remember, this is not linked to whether the VPN provider itself is logging your data. Finally, the app has a vibrant support community. If you encounter difficulties, head to the Google Group discussion forum and someone will quickly step in to assist.
The OpenVPN project began back in 2002. It is probably the most well-known of all the free VPN clients. In addition to a Mac version, the app is also available on iOS, Windows, and Android. The app itself supports lots of different VPN configurations, including remote access, site-to-site VPNs, and enterprise-scale deployments. The app isn’t as easy to use as proprietary apps — or even some other OpenVPN clients — but it’s established a name for itself thanks to its feature-rich menus and unflinching reliability.
The main criticism of OpenVPN is its VPN configurations limit. By default, you cannot have more than 50 saved.
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It is possible to recompile the app to remove the limit, but it’s a complicated process and beyond the scope of this article. It’s also important to be aware that the OpenVPN app only supports the OpenVPN protocol. SoftEther VPN is possibly the easiest to use multi-protocol VPN app on this list. It runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux. The open-source app is entirely free, regardless of whether you’re going to use it in a personal or commercial environment.
It supports almost all VPN protocols, including L2TP/IPsec, OpenVPN, MS-SSTP, L2TPv3, EtherIP, and most impressively, VPN-over-HTTPS. Image Credit: SoftEther If you use the developer’s own SoftEther VPN protocol, you can expect faster surfing speeds than OpenVPN. In testing, the SoftEther server was 103 percent faster than Microsoft’s Windows implementation of L2TP/IPsec and up to 117 percent faster than OpenVPN.
Additional features include support for packet filtering, dynamic DNS, and UDP hole punching. Service-Specific Apps Some providers offer their own apps. The apps themselves are free, but they only work with the providers’ services. Here are a couple of the best free provider specific apps. Remember, the quality of any provider’s app has no bearing on the quality of the actual VPN service, but they often offer more pleasing interfaces than the open source options above. NordVPN is widely considered to be one of the We've compiled a list of what we consider to be the best Virtual Private Network (VPN) service providers, grouped by premium, free, and torrent-friendly.
It always scores highly on privacy tests thanks to its lack of logging and Panamanian jurisdiction. The Mac app was recently overhauled. You can choose from hundreds of servers around the world on the app’s interactive map, chat to tech support via live chat, and quickly jump between server locations with a single click. The app also has a kill switch that prevents data being revealed to snoopers if you unexpectedly get disconnected from your VPN. Lastly, it includes shortcuts to servers specifically designed for streaming and P2P downloading. You can download the NordVPN app on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, and even on some smart TVs and gaming consoles.
Is another Why should you choose ExpressVPN? Well, we've given it a try, and quite like what we've seen so far. We think you will, too. That been around since 2009.
It’s headquartered in the British Virgin Islands, thus giving you peace of mind regarding anonymity and data disclosure. It’s also one of the fastest VPN providers and offers unlimited bandwidth. The Mac desktop client supports OpenVPN (UDP and TCP), L2TP, and PPTP protocols. The app lets you bookmark your favorite servers for easy access and chat with the tech support team.
It also provides a way to set up one-click connect and, like, has a kill switch in case you lose your connection. The app is free to download and use, but it will only work with ExpressVPN’s service. TRY OUR #1 RANKED VPN: For a Small Fee There’s one paid app that deserves a mention in this list. ($9) Like the three free solutions I discussed, Viscosity is open source. It costs a one-time fee of $9. It’s also cross-platform — you can run it on Windows as well as macOS.
Viscosity undoubtedly wins the design award. Its user interface is much more polished than the free alternatives, and it’s incredibly easy to use and navigate. If you’re new to the world of third-party VPN clients and The need for a secure internet connection has never been more vital. A VPN is a great way to stop unwanted snooping in your internet traffic.
We're here to cut through the VPN jargon., it’s $9 well spent. From a technical standpoint, the app gives you a complete traffic breakdown of your connections, integrates with Keychain to keep your details safe, and works with macOS’s advanced DNS system. On the downside, the app only works with the OpenVPN protocol.
Which VPN Client Do You Use? Each VPN client has different advantages and disadvantages. Which one you choose to use will depend on which protocols your VPN provider offers and your familiarity with setting up and using VPNs on third-party apps.
Which is the best free VPN client on macOS? Do you use one of the apps I reviewed, or have you found a better app that did not make this list? You can let us know which app you use and why it’s so good in the comments section below. Explore more about:,.