If there was a word to describe the state of our digital lives in 2020, it would be “privacy.” We’re truly more concerned about exposing our personal information today than ever before. All because services we rely on every day, such as Google and Facebook, are always hungry for more of our behavioral data to feed into their advertising engines. Even our ISPs (internet service providers) are selling information to marketers. So a lot of people said “enough” and turned to VPNs.
A good VPN (virtual private network) is essentially a cluster of servers spread out worldwide and it solves the problem of unsecured connection by encrypting the signal between your Mac and one of its servers of your choosing before it hits your ISP or any other people.
So what exactly are the benefits of using a VPN client for Mac? There are quite a few:
- CyberGhost VPN - An easy to use Mac VPN. You get IKEv2 support, which is fast and secure, and it works just as well on iPhones and iPads as well. Private Internet Access - A secure Mac VPN option. This macOS VPN app has no logs, supports WireGuard & is packed with privacy features. Surfshark - A cheap VPN for Mac. From just $2.49 a month this.
- The macOS actually comes with a built-in VPN client that can support PPTP, L2TP/IPsec, and IKEv2 VPN protocols. Using a VPN app is generally more secure and hassle-free, but using IKEv2 also makes for a good option. Basically, IKEv2, as well as the other options mentioned above, can be.
It offers Mac VPN users a generous simultaneous connection count, with six simultaneous connections through its network, where nearly all other providers offer five or fewer. The VPN provider also.
Protect your private information online from snooping advertisers
Prevent hackers from seeing your data while you’re using unsecured public networks (e.g. in a cafe)
Add an extra layer of online security (in case someone would ever want to get access to your Mac)
See geographically restricted content (e.g. US-based Netflix) by directing your traffic to a server in that country
Seems quite useful, doesn’t it? Let’s then go over all the factors that are important in choosing the best VPN service for your Mac.
How To Choose The Best Mac VPN
Since privacy has become a popular issue, it’s no wonder that the proliferation of Mac VPN clients happened at the same time. There are, however, some aspects by which you can pick the best VPN app for you.
Servers. Simply put, the more servers your setup VPN on Mac has the better. You get more choice of countries to pick and browse from, although a curated selection is sometimes better than the sheer number, since you’ll probably not use most of them, but some of them you’ll use a lot.
Price. Cheap VPNs often provide the same service for less money. So why not? However, beware of the best free VPN for Mac marketing calls — running VPN servers costs money, so if they are not taking it from you, they are more likely to actually be selling your data too.
Speed. The closer the VPN server is to your location the faster your signal can reach it — resulting in faster internet speeds. So reaching a US-based server from Canada would take much less time than from, say, India.
Interface. Some VPN clients are enterprise-grade and complex, some are simple and user-friendly. Some have a lot of features, some don’t. Pick the one that’s right for your goals.
Device support. It’s important to check that your VPN on Mac also works for iOS, Windows, Linux, Android, and anything else you or people you share the VPN with are using.
In addition, before you inquire about how to setup VPN on Mac, make sure that it doesn’t log any of your activity. This should be outlined in its privacy policy, so at least give it a quick scan before you commit.
Ready to see the top picks for the best VPN 2020?
Security: NordVPN for Mac
While NordVPN is a good VPN client for Mac all around, it especially excel in providing an extra layer of security, known as the Double VPN — which encrypts all your data twice by passing it through two of their servers, in addition to other offerings like a secured chat and web proxies.
Ease of use: ExpressVPN
One of the most famous Mac VPN clients, ExpressVPN is also a strong contender across all categories, but its true trump card is how easy it is to use. Just get the ExpressVPN download for Mac, choose the destination country, and simply click to connect.
Affordability: PureVPN
If you were originally looking for the best free VPN for Mac and now realized it’s not such a good idea, but still want to get access to cheap VPNs from time to time, you should try PureVPN.
PureVPN has all the essential features of the best VPN service (servers in more than 140 countries) while still being able to undercut them all on price, so you can get a good VPN for just $3.33 a month.
Speed: Hotspot Shield
For some people, security is desirable, but speed is non-negotiable. How fast the best Mac VPN client is depends on the number of servers, their processing power, and their positioning with relation to your actual location.
Hotspot Shield manages to ace all of those and comes out on top when compared to other Mac VPN clients, mostly due to its proprietary VPN protocol called Catapult Hydra, which solves a lot of latency issues that affect the industry, especially cheap VPNs.
Versatility: Shimo
If you’re not sure which best Mac VPN factor to prioritize, or you want flexibility, there’s no better way to go than Shimo.
Shimo is one of the best VPNs for Mac on the market, simply due to its flexibility. While a full-featured VPN in its own right, it also allows you to add VPN accounts from OpenVPN, Cisco IPSec, PPTP, and lots of other protocols. What’s more, Shimo doesn’t limit your connections and makes it possible to set automatic triggers for types of networks or geographic locations. And it’s so easy to use too — no technical background required!
How to properly test VPN speed
It might be that Hotspot Shield is the fastest VPN client for Mac you can use. But, as was pointed out above, the speed you get might differ based on your location and the proximity of company’s servers. So you could in theory end up with a different client working better for you. The question is how do you test the speed properly? First, you need TripMode.
TripMode is a great app for controlling all incoming and outgoing traffic to your Mac. It’s especially useful for reducing data usage when hotspotting or when you’re in a place that has very minimal WiFi connection.
For our VPN testing purposes though, TripMode allows to block all processes from accessing the internet, except for the best VPN app you’ve chosen. That way you’ll be able to get a real picture of what the real VPN speed is.
How to protect your Mac from malware
What even the best VPNs don’t do is protect your Mac from malware or viruses. Even though Macs are sandboxed from direct intrusion, your best bet here is to get a proper malware scanner, such as CleanMyMac X.
CleanMyMac X is an all-in-one Mac optimization utility that makes it easy to keep your laptop safe, secure, and blazing-fast. It includes dozens of scans to tweak every part of your Mac for optimal performance as well as a thorough and continuously updated Malware Removal capability to spot malicious players in seconds.
Using CleanMyMac X to track down malware couldn’t be more simple:
Navigate to the Malware Removal tab under Protection
Click Scan
Hit Remove if anything was found
In the end, the best Mac VPNs play an important role in keeping your private life, well, private and helping you avoid dubious geographical restrictions when it comes to access to content. Make sure you pick one that suits your needs the most (e.g. Shimo) by testing it with TripMode. And when you feel like your Mac needs some proper security (and you should), pay attention to CleanMyMac X.
Best of all, Shimo, TripMode, and CleanMyMac X are available to you all at once for free during a seven-day trial with Setapp, a platform with more than 170 best apps for your Mac, from recovering data (Disk Drill) to managing projects like a pro (Merlin Project Express). Try them all today at absolutely no cost!
Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.
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VPNs or virtual private networks have become hugely popular in the last few years, thanks in part to the way that they allow you to mask your locations. This allows you to view streaming video services that are only available in your home country while you’re traveling, or watch services like Netflix that are intended for a different country — so, for example, if you live in Europe you could watch the US version of Netflix. There are a number of VPN services available, both free and paid for, but they vary in lots of ways, including price and the features they offer. So, which is the best VPN for Mac?
What is a VPN?
VPN is an abbreviation of virtual private network. The easiest way to think of it is as a tunnel between you and whatever online service or website you’re visiting. Instead of connecting to your ISP’s servers and then from their to a website, you bypass your ISP an connect to the VPN server and from there to the online destination. Most VPN services have servers in multiple geographic locations and the one you choose to connect to will determine which country the website or service you’re visiting thinks you’re coming from. Hence, you can pretend to be in a different location — useful if you need to bypass restrictions place on internet access by your own government or by the website you’re connecting to. You connect to a VPN using a Mac VPN client, usually supplied by the company operating the service.
In addition, VPNs encrypt the data that travels on their network. That means it’s a much more secure way to use the internet, particularly if you’re connected via a public wifi network such as those in coffee shops or airports. It also means it’s much more difficult for hackers, or anyone else, to snoop on your online activity. If this is an important feature to you, make sure that the service you choose anonymizes traffic and doesn’t share details of customers with anyone, including law enforcement authorities. There have been occasions when companies have claimed their service is secure and anonymous and then have been found to have been sharing details.
The other reason for using a VPN is if you’re connecting to a local network when you’re working remotely. However, on those occasions, the company you’re working for will have set up its own VPN and configured your Mac to connect to it.
Why do I need a VPN?
As we said above, one of the main reasons for using a VPN are to be able to access services that are restricted in the country where you’re currently located, including streaming media services that are intended for customers in a different country.
The other main reason is security. The fact that VPN connections are encrypted makes them much safer when you use public wifi. For example, you shouldn’t connect to your online bank over an open public wifi connection, but with a VPN in place, it’s fine.
Tip: If you care about the security, you should think about managing Wi-Fi networks on your Mac. The point is that your computer stores a list of all networks you've earlier connected to and connects to them automatically. These include insecure open Wi-Fi hotspots. If you want fix that quickly and easily, we recommend using CleanMyMac X app. It has a special tool that allows you to see the list of all secure and open networks and remove them right away.
Here's how to use CleanMyMac X:
- Download the app (for free) and launch it.
- Choose Privacy tab on the left.
- Click Wi-Fi networks.
- Click Remove.
Finally, some people use VPNs because they have a fundamental objection to the restrictions placed on online activity by their government. These include obligations placed on websites to verify your identity before they allow you to access content. By setting up a VPN to mask your location, you can make it appear that you’re in a different country and therefore not have to provide personal data.
Best free VPN for Mac
Before deciding that you want a free VPN rather than one you have to pay a subscription for every month, you should know that there are consequences. Free VPNs often have a data cap, meaning they limit the amount of data they allow you to transfer every month. That’s fine if you only want to use it when you work from your local coffee shop, not so good if you want to connect to it permanently.
In addition, free VPNs have to make money somehow and for some that means installing toolbars that show you adverts or have links to products they want to promote. For others, it means passing your data to third parties — including information on the sites you visit. If you’re happy with those conditions, read on. If not, jump to the Best paid-for VPN for Mac.
1. TunnelBear
Of all the free VPNs for Mac, this is one of the best. It has a free tier and a paid-for tier, and the free tier limits you to 500MB per month. On the plus side, it has around 1,000 servers in more than 20 different countries and allows you to connect up to five devices at a time. So you could use it for your Mac, iPhone, and your iPad. It’s Mac client is user friendly and easy to use, though like all free VPNs, the number of features is limited.
2. Windscribe
If TunnelBear’s 500MB restriction doesn’t appeal, Windscribe offers 10GB/month. What’s more, you can “earn” an additional 5GB by tweeting about the service and 1GB for referring a friend. You only need a user name and password to sign up, so it’s one to choose if you’re worried about giving out your email address. And for those concerned about privacy, there’s some very good news: Windscribe doesn’t store connection logs, the sites you’ve visited, or IP stamps; everything is deleted within minutes of you ending a session. And, it has a built-in ad-blocker and firewall — making it a real winner for anyone who needs privacy.
On the downside, it only has servers in eight locations and you can only connect one device.
3. HotSpot Shield
HotSpot Shield’s data limit is 500MB/day, which is better than either TunnelBear or Windscribe. It also allows you to connect from up to five devices. And it has servers in 25 locations. However, you can’t choose which location you connect to, it’s chosen for you. An HotSpot Shield is funded by adverts, which means it place adverts on your Desktop when you’re connected to it. It’s probably not the one to choose if privacy is your main concern.
Expressvpn
Best paid-for VPN
If, after reading about free VPNs for Mac, you’ve decided you don’t want to deal with the restrictions they place on your, or have privacy concerns, the good news is that the best paid-for VPNs for Mac only cost a few dollars per month.
Vpn For The Home
1. NordVPN
NordVPN is probably the most widely know VPN service for Mac. It has excellent security features, including a kill switch that ends your connection to the internet if the VPN drops out. On top of that, the company doesn’t keep any records of your online activity. There are 4,400 servers in 62 countries, a huge selection. And it’s Mac app is easy to set up and use. There are also mobile apps and you can connect up to six devices. NordVPN starts at a couple of dollars a month if you sign up for three years.
2. GooseVPN
Another very popular VPN service, GooseVPN allows you to connect to Netflix in a country other than that in which you’re located. It has fewer servers than NordVPN, just 77 in 27 countries. However, its software is very user friendly and it connects quickly. There is a 30-day trial available, so you can give it a go without any commitment. After that, it’ll cost you around $7/month when you sign up for a year.
3. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN has over 2,000 in 148 different locations. But it supports a maximum of three devices. However, its Mac client is excellent and easy to use and It’s lightning fast. At $6.67/month for one-year deal, it’s about average, but its customer service and performance are better than most. Its privacy policy is also rated favourably.
As you can see, when it comes to choosing a VPN for your MacBook or any other VPN Mac client, there’s a great deal to consider. The good news is that when when you’re ready to setup a VPN on Mac, it’s very easy as they all come with their own setup app, and some even have a Safari VPN extension. If you’re thinking about choosing a free VPN, rather than paying for one, be aware that you’re likely to have to put up with ads on your desktop and your data may be passed to third parties. That compromises one of the key benefits of using a VPN — security. You’ll also have a cap on the data you can transfer on a free VPN.
Paying a few dollars a month, especially if you use a VPN regularly, is very worthwhile.
Vpn For Macbook
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