The Best VPNs for Mac

Despite a major redesign, I still find ExpressVPN’s macOS app the most intuitive and user-friendly on the market.

The latest app version has moved to a larger home screen that’s designed to connect you to a VPN server as quickly as possible.

There are fewer distractions compared to NordVPN and Surfshark, with a big connect button at the top of the screen that you simply can’t miss.

You can quickly find your desired server location by clicking the chevron on the ‘Selected Location’ button, which opens up the server list.

Like Proton VPN, ExpressVPN allows you to switch back to its previous compact app view, which I actually prefer.

What’s remarkable is how quickly the app connects to a server. It takes literally one or two seconds, even when connecting to faraway locations.

The big difference with NordVPN is that ExpressVPN’s Mac app is essentially the same as the Windows version, with previously missing features like split tunneling now included.

The only major absence from the Mac app is Lightway Turbo, the newest and fastest ExpressVPN protocol, which is Windows-only for now.

ExpressVPN has also launched a separate client for the Mac App Store, but it lacks important settings such as an advanced kill switch, split tunneling, and auto-connect on unsecured WiFi networks.

Want my advice? Stick with the standalone .dmg application from the website.

When it comes to VPNs for streaming, ExpressVPN is unrivaled, even on Mac.

Its ability to stream geo-restricted content is exceptional, especially on major platforms like Netflix (18 regions), Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer.

Almost every server worked instantly, saving me from having to cycle through many that don’t, which is what happens with a lot of other VPNs.

I loved using its 56 US VPN locations, which cover all 50 states and bypassed NFL blackouts as well as MLB and NBA local restrictions, too.

This superior level of geo-unblocking is paired with fast and consistent streaming speeds.

With a slowdown of just 2% on nearby connections, and only 15% around the globe, ExpressVPN streamed at maximum resolution and without annoying buffering or interruptions.

Despite its simplicity, ExpressVPN’s software is one of the most reliable to keep your internet activity private and secure.

By default, ExpressVPN encrypts internet traffic using AES-256 or ChaCha20 keys, and its Lightway protocol, which barely affected my MacBook’s battery life.

All traffic runs through diskless (RAM-only) servers that never write data to disk, although ExpressVPN doesn’t log internet activity anyway.

I also love the VPN’s built-in ShuffleIP technology, which alters your IP address every time you visit a website or open an app, without changing your location.

And its kill switch, called Network Lock, will stop your IP address from being exposed during VPN connection failures (which almost never happen with ExpressVPN).

The latest software upgrade also includes post-quantum protection, which uses new algorithms to prevent your data from being collected and decrypted in the future.

ExpressVPN could go one step further and add multi-hop servers to its arsenal of features, like NordVPN and Surfshark, but truthfully most VPN users don’t need them.

Let’s start with some positives: security-wise, NordVPN narrowly beats ExpressVPN.

The app’s highlights include ChaCha20 encryption, diskless servers, a fully working kill switch, and multi-hop servers that encrypt traffic twice by routing it via two VPN servers rather than one.

Like with ExpressVPN, there are two types of kill switch available: an ‘internet’ kill switch that cuts all system connectivity, and an ‘app’ version for specific apps only.

I recommend enabling the system-wide internet kill switch for more complete protection, especially if you’re using the VPN to torrent files.

NordVPN also offers post-quantum protection, but it doesn’t offer an in-session rotating IP solution like ExpressVPN, yet.

NordVPN’s ad and tracker blocker (Threat Protection) is also worth mentioning: it blocked over 90% of ads and analytic trackers in my tests.

However, the Mac version lacks the app-vulnerability scanning you get on Windows.

The onboarding flow of NordVPN’s Mac app is certainly more informative than ExpressVPN’s.

During installation, various screens will show you where to find the multiple settings available in the app.

In the latest app version, the home screen finally prioritizes the core VPN controls, pushing features like Threat Protection Pro and Dark Web Monitor further below.

While these features may be useful to some people, I always found them too prominent and distracting.

NordVPN’s Pause feature is still there, though, and it continues to make a basic task clunky.

Burying the full disconnect option at the bottom of a “suspension” time drop-down means you have to click twice to switch off the VPN. That’s just annoying.

Presenting both options side by side, like Surfshark does, is much more user-friendly.

What Surfshark’s app also has that NordVPN doesn’t is split tunneling. This is where NordVPN has dropped the ball and hasn’t matched its Windows offering on macOS.

As always, there are also significant differences between the app in the App Store and the one available from the NordVPN website.

Without warning, the App Store version lacks several key settings, such as the app-specific kill switch, full protocol selection, custom DNS servers, obfuscated servers, and Threat Protection Pro.

Some of the Mac App Store software requirements may be at the heart of these inconsistencies, however this is still not good.

If it was down to me, I’d remove the Mac App Store app and make the full website version the only one available.

If you want to use your VPN to stream geo-restricted content, NordVPN is a worthy challenger to ExpressVPN.

While ExpressVPN works with several more content platforms overall (115 compared to 102), NordVPN actually delivers better results in specific countries.

For example, NordVPN is a stronger VPN for Canada, bypassing some of the country’s geo-blocks more consistently.

On the flip side, NordVPN couldn’t access other popular streaming services, like JioHotstar in India, NFL+ in the US, and several DAZN regions.

Proton VPN is renowned for its security and I can confirm that it lives up to the hype.

The free service encrypts traffic via secure ChaCha20 or AES-256 ciphers (depending on the protocol you use), authenticates data with SHA-384 hashes, and establishes connections via RSA-4096 handshakes.

This means that the data you send over the internet is fully encrypted and significantly harder to intercept and decipher. I verified this using Wireshark.

The Mac app includes several free settings such as a kill switch, which I’m glad is enabled by default, to prevent IP leaks if the VPN connection suddenly disconnects.

These settings are supported by the company’s privacy-first logging policy and the company’s Swiss jurisdiction, which doesn’t mandate any data-gathering for VPN providers.

All this adds up to make Proton VPN one of the most trusted VPNs for keeping your data both private and secure.

Arguably Proton VPN’s key advantage is that it’s the only safe free VPN that offers unlimited bandwidth. You can leave it running for as long as you want.

That said, you won’t be able to benefit from most high-bandwidth activities while connected to a free server.

Firstly, the free VPN has never got round most streaming geo-restrictions around the world. Secondly, all free servers actively block torrenting and P2P traffic.

If you do need a safe and free VPN for torrenting, then PrivadoVPN is the only one I’m comfortable recommending.

This was a great source of frustration for me, and it undoubtedly makes Proton VPN’s unlimited free data allowance less useful.

Proton VPN’s Mac app is straightforward to use and, unlike many of the free VPNs I tested, it’s ad-free and even felt premium while using it.

The free app’s design mirrors the paid version, which can be frustrating at times, since you can’t access many features available only to paid users.

And despite a large app window, there is limited functionality with only the ‘Disconnect’ button and the kill switch icon available.

The free app’s interface is also dominated by features like ‘Change Server’, ‘Plus Locations’, ‘Secure Core’, and ‘NetShield,’ which require a paid account.

Moreover, to use the WireGuard protocol, Proton VPN’s app needs permission to add a Mac system extension, granting it higher privileges. Other VPNs, including Windscribe, didn’t require this extra step.

But, arguably the biggest limitation is that you can’t choose a server location to connect to. The app automatically connects you to the fastest (nearest) free server available.

By contrast, Windscribe lets you choose between free servers in 10 countries.

Windscribe’s free service works with many content platforms, including UK Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Hulu, Prime Video, and HBO Max.

During my tests, I streamed geo-blocked movies and TV shows from all 10 free server locations.

Speeds were good enough for me to stream TV shows and movies in HD, although I did experience sudden speed slowdowns that resulted in fuzzy video quality on occasion.

The only real drawback to using Windscribe’s free plan is its 10GB monthly data cap. For context, this is roughly four hours of HD streaming.

Unlike most trustworthy VPNs, Windscribe can still circumvent internet restrictions in highly censored countries like China and Russia. This includes its free service.

I tested the VPN for access in China via my remote server in Shanghai, and it unbelievably worked 82% of the time.

To bypass national firewalls, you’ll have to go into the app’s ‘Preferences’ menu and toggle on the ‘Circumvent Censorship’ setting.

The toggle activates AmneziaWG, an effective obfuscation protocol that allows the VPN to unblock sites and apps in places with high levels of censorship.

Windscribe’s macOS app is very easy to use, with a simple layout and large button for easy connections. There are also way more extra settings available compared to Proton VPN.

But, if you experience issues, there is no human live chat support to help unfortunately. You can speak to Garry, an automated chatbot, but I’ve never found it helpful.

The only other downside to Windscribe is that the Mac app is a basic menu bar app. Menu bar apps are small, limited in functionality, and hard to configure.

Plus, the app doesn’t even behave like a typical menu bar app. When you interact with it, it forces you out of the foremost app and jumps to the desktop.

In the latest version, you can detach the app from the menu bar. But, this simply turns the app into a floating window, which doesn’t really improve user experience.