With the internet abuzz with privacy concerns and the potential changes coming to net neutrality, you’ve likely heard about virtual private networks, better known as VPNs. When used correctly, a VPN can greatly strengthen your online privacy, assist in keeping your personal information secure, and even spoof your location in the world—allowing you to access websites or services that would otherwise be off limits due to region-locking.
5 Best VPNs for Mac. Mac users are spoiled for choice when picking a VPN. Pretty much all VPN providers make an app for MacOS, but only a few of them are worth your time and money. Not all that claim to be the best VPN for Mac offer the level of speed, security, and privacy expected by users. The Best VPNs for MAC - November 2018 Honesty and transparency – our two core values – make the internet a friendly place. Our reviews are written by users themselves, and are not influenced by VPN companies.
With the increased popularity of VPNs has come an increased number of VPN providers vying for your business. That makes finding the best one to suit your needs difficult. To help you sort out the right provider for you, we’ve committed to extensive research and testing of VPN services that cater to Mac owners.
If nothing but the best will do, check out our routinely updated list of category leaders.
The best VPN services for Mac 2019
If you prefer to do your own shopping, we’ve got your back there, too: Each of the VPNs we test is thoroughly reviewed, allowing you to make an informed decision on which one to throw your money at. See complete summaries of our picks, and our full list of reviews below.
Update 8/28/19 to include our review of Mullvad, which excels in terms of privacy and anonymity, and earns our pick as the best VPN for privacy/security. Scroll to the bottom of this article for links to all of our VPN reviews.
Best VPN overall for Mac
NordVPN is a compelling option for VPN service due to a well-rounded set of features and mostly competitive pricing.
NordVPN is the best all-around VPN service for most Mac users. While it isn’t the fastest VPN service that we’ve tested, it’s not particularly slow, either. (Read our full review of NordVPN.)
NordVPN offers above-average data encryption to keep their subscribers’ data safe while tunneling. It’s got a large network of servers, too: over 3,000 servers spread across more than 60 countries, allowing you to spoof a wide number of locations and avoid server congestion.
https://oilyellow807.weebly.com/best-mac-for-begginers-guide.html. Moreover, its software interface is easy to use, making even new VPN users feel like online-privacy experts. While it’s not perfect, NordVPN gets more right than any of the other VPN providers we’ve tested so far.
Best VPN for security/privacy on a Mac
Sweden-based Mullvad is an excellent choice for anyone whose top priorities from a VPN are privacy and anonymity. Mullvad makes it a point to not learn anything about you, with no email or password requirement. While it doesn't offer any special features, this no-nonsense VPN is a solid choice.
Mullvad is the ultimate choice for users who want to remain as anonymous as possible online. Mullvad runs its own VPN network and wants to know as little about you as possible. Users don’t supply a name and email address to create an account, and you can even pay in cash if you like. The service’s privacy policy is also top notch. You won’t find any special features such as a promise to work with Netflix. Regardless, anyone who cares about privacy and anonymity should seriously consider Mullvad. (Read our full review of Mullvad.)
Fastest VPN overall for Mac
CyberGhost's connection speeds make it a great VPN option for most people, but users who deal in sensitive information may wish to look elsewhere for greater privacy from government actors.
The latest version of Romania-based CyberGhost maintains its edge in overall average connection speeds, making it superior to any other VPN we’ve tested so far. If you’re interested in connecting to VPN servers located within the continental United States, CyberGhost is the one to beat. (Read our full review of CyberGhost.)
Fastest VPN for other countries
If you are interested in connecting to servers in other countries, we’ve found the following to be fast options:
How we tested VPNs
For each VPN service we review, we conduct tests at three different times of the day: morning, afternoon, and evening, using Ookla Speedtest. We start by measuring the speed of our unprotected internet connection before testing the upload/download speeds of the VPN service. These tests are conducted to servers located in North America, the UK, Europe, Oceana, and Asia over an ethernet connection with a service provision of 100Mbps.
To test upload and download speeds, I closed down all background internet processes on my Mac, using TripMode. The only traffic on my system able to upload or download any data was Ookla. I used this setup to ensure that the numbers that Ookla produced were not stymied by anything else that my computer may have been doing at the time. The speeds Ookla captured were then averaged, providing us with a final numeric score.
I then used those scores to calculate a percentage of difference in speeds, which is what you’ll see in our reviews. Since internet speeds change constantly based on server load, how fast your connection is, and a gazillion other factors, we feel this provides a better picture of what you can expect from a service, on the whole, than merely quoting the exact upload/download speeds we encountered during testing.
Speed isn’t the only quantifiable metric that we look at. The number of countries that a VPN offers servers in, total number of servers worldwide, and how much it’ll cost you to connect to those servers on a monthly or annual basis are also taken into consideration when recommending a VPN service to you.
Additionally, we conduct hours of research into the VPN providers to find out who owns them, where they’re based, what they do with subscriber information, and whether the provider has a track record of questionable business practices.
A virtual private network 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. Threats are on the rise, 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
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What Makes a VPN the Best For Mac
Some built-in features on macOS, such as Time Machine, are nice to have, but can be improved upon, as our best cloud backup for Mac article shows. Cloud storage 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 VPN security 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 match for the OS 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's For ChinaBest VPN for Mac: ExpressVPN
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 ExpressVPN review, 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.
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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 kill switch 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 fastest VPN services. 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 can have up to five connections at the same time and 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 best VPN provider. There is a money-back guarantee for the first 30 days, too.
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30-day guarantee NordVPN
With its highly-usable interface and general all-around quality, NordVPN is a great choice for Mac users. Signing up and installing it is a breeze. The simple UI is a good match for the Mac and the menu bar is supported.
NordVPN has an impressive range of security and privacy features, including AES 256-bit encryption, SOCKS5 and HTTP proxies, double-hop servers and a no-logging policy. You can find more details on those in our NordVPN review.
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It features auto-connect and a kill switch, so, once you set it up, you don’t need to worry about it much. Best blue light filter for mac. 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 5,000 servers in 60 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.
https://oilyellow807.weebly.com/best-version-of-vim-for-mac.html. 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 how to beat the Netflix VPN ban, too. Much like ExpressVPN, NordVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so take it for a spin.
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30-day guarantee CyberGhost
CyberGhost is another good all-around choice. As detailed in our dedicated CyberGhost review it had a few issues in the past that have been resolved, making it one of our favorite VPNs.
Signing up and downloading the app is fiddly, but after that, it is simple to setup.
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 kill switch 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 dangers of public WiFi 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 money-back guarantee. The three-year plan is even better value at $99.99. There’s also a seven-day free trial if you want to dip your toe in the water before signing up, but it’s only available on Android and iOS.
Overall, CyberGhost is a good service that’s cheaper than our two top picks, but comes with a couple of minor quibbles.
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Private Internet Access
Private Internet Access is famous for its advocacy of net neutrality 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 gaming. 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 PIA review.
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 kill switch, PIA includes automatic malware and ad blocking, but it doesn’t have split tunneling. At $39.95 per year, 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.
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GooseVPN
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 kill switch, 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 torrenting. 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 its website 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. 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 GooseVPN review, the customer service is second to none and a strong point for Mac owners used to comprehensive support.
Best Vpn For Mac In China
The standard annual package comes in at $59.88, 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.
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Final Thoughts
As we’ve seen, Mac users have many strong choices for a VPN that works well on the platform. ExpressVPN comes out as our best option for the Mac, thanks to its speed, support and all-around quality, but there are other good choices.
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We found GooseVPN to have the best customer support of the offerings, with NordVPN 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.
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