Best VPN for Mac and macOS

We recommend that you use the best VPN for Mac to unlock geographical restrictions, improve online privacy, and security. Using a VPN on Mac can also encrypt your traffic to help keep you safe from data leaks, harmful malware, and cyberattacks. It is the best way to gain privacy, security, and freedom online.

We have finalized a list of the top 5 best VPN for Mac and compatibility with macOS, as well as the features that are most important to look for in a provider.

Best VPN for Mac and macOS (2024 Update)

macOS is one of the more secure operating systems available today as they don’t produce as many viruses or Malware compared to Windows. So, Mac users may think they’re safe online, with the powerful built-in security features available.

In fact, malware attacks on macOS are still persistent and it doesn’t guarantee you 100% protection online. Besides, Mac users also facing geographical restrictions on content, connection throttling, and restrictions on P2P file-sharing.

That’s to say a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is just as important on a Mac as on any other system. But finding the best VPN for Mac isn’t as simple as it sounds especially since not all VPNs work well with macOS. The reason behind this is Apple’s strict developer guidelines make it harder to implement VPNs on macOS.

The most popular OpenVPN protocol is not working on macOS and is required to implement alternative VPN encryption protocols such as IKEv2. So it is no surprise that some VPN providers might don’t have native apps for Mac.

It is important to find good VPN services that work seamlessly on your MacBook, which we will cover in this article.

Best VPN for Mac and macOS at a glance

• ExpressVPN: Best VPN for Mac with IKEv2 and WireGuard for fast speeds and extra security. But it can be a bit expensive.
• NordVPN: Secure macOS VPN with powerful security features. Well-protected connections come with plenty of bandwidth.
• VyprVPN: Great Mac VPN with a balance of privacy features, cost, and performance.
• Surfshark: Cheap VPN for Mac with a low price of just $2.49 a month. Top budget choice.
• IPVanish: Reliable Mac VPN with excellent performance and encryption protocols.

Tips on How to Choose the Best VPN for macOS

Here are all the important things you should look at when choosing the best VPN for Mac:

• Native macOS apps – Looks for the best VPN with native apps that are easy to install and set up to save your setup time.
• Mac Compatible – Choose a VPN that is compatible with all the latest Mac versions and keeps its software up to date with macOS so you won’t be left out with an unprotected VPN app.
• Wide server networks – The best VPN for macOS should offer a large global server network so you can connect more geo-restricted content and unblocking streaming sites.
• Strong security features – The best VPN for Mac should offer 256-bit encryption, leak protection, a strict no-logs policy, and a kill switch.
• Unblock Channels / Sites – The capacity of the VPN for Mac to unblock US Netflix from abroad.
• Speed and Performance – VPNs tend to slow down speeds, so with a fast VPN, speed decline will not be noticeable.
• Simultaneous device connections – It is best to have at least 5 device connections to connect all your Apple devices like iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Best VPN for Mac: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN MacOS compatible: Yes
Compatible with: Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, and Yosemite

Need the best Mac VPN? Look no further, ExpressVPN is our top choice for the best VPN for Mac. It has an excellent reputation on Reddit and Mac communities, providing a solid extra layer of security and privacy to your Mac.

Your mac security is perfectly covered. This premium-priced ExpressVPN offers military-grade 256-bit encryption and is used by default in the ExpressVPN macOS app. It has an OpenVPN Mac app, perfect for privacy and unblocking. The IP and DNS leak protection help to defend against accidental data leakage, and an automatic kill switch that will ensure your Mac is kept secure even if you lose connection to the VPN. Plus its no-logging policy assures your anonymity in any situation.

ExpressVPN has over 3000 servers worldwide that provide you with the fastest VPN connection speeds. It’s really easy to connect to your chosen server on MacBooks and their fast speeds are perfect for online streaming services and unblocking Netflix and other restricted channels/websites.

With ExpressVPN, you can have up to 5 simultaneous connections and it is compatible with macOS, so all of your Mac devices can be protected using your VPN. As a Mac user, you will have a great user experience with ExpressVPN. The service’s customer support department is tip-top, with responsive 24/7 live support chat, email support, and FAQ library session.

Overall, we think ExpressVPN is worth the extra money and perfectly for Mac. The price is slightly on the high side, but it is really worth the money. A 30-day money-back guarantee makes it a no-risk option.

Best VPN for Mac: NordVPN

NordVPN MacOS compatible: Yes
Compatible with: Big Sur, Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, Yosemite, El Capitan, and Catalina.

NordVPN is another best VPN and is popular amongst many Mac users. It is a VPN renowned for macOS capable of unblocking Netflix and defending your privacy against online threats.

You’ll be covered by military-grade encryption and a built-in kill switch that will automatically cut your connection if your WiFi drops. Besides, NordVPN is a no-logs service that is perfectly suited to macOS users in need of advanced VPN features.

One thing to note is NordVPN gives Mac users a choice of protocols, with IKEv2 and OpenVPN both available to choose from. It let you choose if you want extra speed or safety. Plus, you can also manually set up to use OpenVPN without installing either of the clients.

NordVPN’s server coverage is comprehensive and you get over 5,500+ servers spread across 59 countries. It permits P2P connections on all versions of macOS, you can download torrents with many P2P servers without being tracked. The speed performance is good and no problem for streaming, torrenting, and browsing on your Mac device.

You’ll also have a great selection of apps for pretty much any device available across Mac, iOS, Windows, Android, and Linux. Plus, about 40 other operating systems and routers. You can use up to six simultaneous connections at any time on a single account.

In short, NordVPN is one of the best VPN options for your Mac, backed with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.

Best VPN for Mac: VyprVPN

Vypr MacOS compatible: Yes
Compatible with: Big Sur, Catalina, High Sierra, Mojave, and Sierra.

VyprVPN is one of the cheapest VPN for Mac with excellent features and solid speeds. It comes with all the standard security and privacy features you’d expect from a good Mac VPN.

Firstly, for encryption, the VyprVPN uses AES-256 for Mac uses to guard users’ traffic against any outside interference. You can choose from the standard IKEv2, OpenVPN, and WireGuard protocols. Plus, VyprVPN is equipped with a kill switch and chameleon technology makes it easy to access blocked and censored websites without anyone knowing. No log policy means that your privacy is assured.

VyprVPN offers apps for macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android, and even routers. Its macOS app has all the features you need to keep your data secure for Mac. It even features a NAT firewall that protects against hackers by blocking inbound traffic on your device. The VPN service has over 700+ servers spread across 70+ countries. You can connect 5 simultaneous devices at the same time.

With a price starting from as low as $1.66 a month, VyprVPN is quite an affordable VPN for Mac and highly recommended. The price comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. A VPN has what you need!

Best VPN for Mac: Surfshark

SurfShark MacOS compatible: Yes
Compatible with: Big Sur, Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, Yosemite, and Catalina.

Surfshark is another best cheap VPN for Mac at a budget price. But don’t be fooled by the price, Surfshark is loaded with excellent features that Mac users are likely to find appealing, such as unlimited concurrent connections allowance, an extra layer of security, solid speeds, and unblocking capabilities.

Surfshark is a great choice if you need to amp up your privacy on the macOS. Registered in the British Virgin Islands, the provider has a legitimate no-logging policy. The built-in Camo-mode can even hide your VPN usage.

The VPN service provider has over 3200 servers in over 65+ countries that you can connect to and each has private DNS servers. The servers work exceptionally well with Netflix such as Netflix US, Netflix UK, Netflix Japan, and Netflix Canada, allowing you to hop between different regions Netflix libraries at will.

For internet security, AES-256 encryption is in place and offers a number of other protocols for you to choose from including the best OpenVPN and super speedy WireGuard. An automatic Kill Switch to protect your Macbook in case your connection drops while using public Wi-Fi. While the MultiHop feature allows double encryption by rerouting your online traffic through two different countries. Other best features for macOS apps including CleanWeb (adblocker), Whitelister (split tunneling), and DNS/IPv6 leak protection. Such a featured loaded best VPN for Mac.

The easy-to-install app is easy to use for the Mac. In addition, it does a fine job of protecting other devices, with app options for the Android, Android TV, Linux, Windows, macOS, and Fire TV device platforms. Chrome and Firefox browser extensions are available too.

Lastly, the main reason Surfshark has taken the VPN market by storm including Mac users is that pricing. With prices starting from as low as $2.49 a month it’s an incredible value with an all-around package. As such all the advantages listed, Surfshark is the right choice for Mac.

Best VPN for Mac: IPVanish

IPVanish MacOS compatible: Yes
Compatible with: Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, and El Capitan

IPVanish is very popular among Mac users as IPVanish has come reasonably priced and reliable. It is a reliable VPN for Mac as it delivers an extra level of protection and is equipped with amazing features. Besides, the US-based VPN provider is strict in its “no logs” policy, making it the best VPN for privacy-conscious Mac users.

To further customize your Mac’s VPN connection, IPVanish gives you access to OpenVPN, PPTP, and L2TP protocols and its goverment-grade AES-256 encryption. They are also equipped with a SOCKS proxy server that gives you privacy without needing to download an app at all.

IPVanish has a wide choice of servers and just increased its server count to 1,600 in over 75 countries. It should gain you entry to most geo-restricted content caches. Plus, IPVanish is also one of the rare VPNs that permits unlimited simultaneous connections to its servers. You can connect all your mac devices with a single account. No data caps or bandwidth restrictions on its users.

IPVanish has superb apps for all platforms, which means that you can install them on all of your devices. The IPVanish Mac app has an impressive set of security features that you can customize the way you want. Its macOS client is a fully-featured app that comes with a DNS leak protection and kill-switch feature that will protect your traffic in case the VPN connection drops. The “one-click” solution allows you to connect to the fastest server.

The best deal for IPVanish I was able to find was the $2.62 per month for the one-year plan, which is a great deal for Mac.

Is a Free VPN a Good Option for Use With a Mac?

There are many free VPNs for Mac that you can use, but we do not recommend them for various reasons. Most free VPN providers come with limitations and restrictions on how much you can use them each day. Besides, Free VPNs also throttle your speeds and have a few servers that are congested with users, thus offering extremely slow speeds that make the VPN hard to use.

It is recommended to stick back to using the premium best VPN for Mac. You can get the SurfShark as low as $2.46/mo, yet still offering reliable, strong security and featured pack VPN.

If you’ve decided that you like the look at what VPNs can do for your Macbook but just can’t bear to part with your cash, then ProtonVPN is Free. It is by far the best free VPN for Mac, offer servers limited to the US, Japan, and France, and allowing you to have one connection at a time.

How to Setup a VPN on Mac?

Do the following to set up your Mac with VPN:

• Subscribe to your VPN provider of choice. We recommended ExpressVPN, our top#1 best VPN for Mac.
• Download and install the Mac App. The app is available on your VPN’s website once you have subscribed.
• Log into the VPN with your account password.
• Select a region/server to connect to and then click the connect button.
• Enjoy your online activities with your Mac. All your internet traffic is protected by the VPN.

Our Verdict: The Best VPN for Mac

All in all, Mac is a safer option than Windows desktop, however, you still need a Mac VPN to encrypt your data while you are connected to an unsecured connection. This will help to keep your online activities undercover and stop hackers from snooping in. Plus, a VPN can also be unblocking restricted sites and enable access to content and services that may normally be unavailable in your region.

Listed above are some of the best VPN solutions available for macOS and all are indeed an excellent choice for Mac. While ExpressVPN is my #1 choice for protecting all your online connections, and I strongly recommend it.

Quick Comparison Table for Best Mac VPNs: