Best Free Vpn Software For Mac
Best VPN Software For Windows. Total VPN is the surety of fast speed, data security and unlimited bandwidth over the public internet. The Best Mac VPNs of 2018 A virtual private network, or VPN, is one of the best and simplest ways to take control of your privacy online. We did the tests, and these are the best VPNs for your Mac.
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.
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
- NordVPN: Best overall [nordvpn.com]
- Mullvad: Best for security/privacy [mullvad.net]
- CyberGhost: Fastest VPN [cyberghost.com]
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.
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:
- UK: TorGuard welcomes P2P file sharing on its VPN servers with open arms and offers the best connection speeds to servers in the United Kingdom that we’ve seen so far.
- Europe: While TunnelBear gave us pause in the areas of user privacy and its ambiguous server numbers, the Canadian VPN provider takes first place when it comes to European connection speeds.
- Asia: While we weren’t thrilled with its logging policies and the fact that it only allows P2P file sharing on a single server, Israel’s SaferVPN gets top marks when it comes to connecting to servers in Asia.
- Oceania: If you want to connect with VPN servers down under, CyberGhost is the way to go.
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.
Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links.
The Rundown
- Best Overall: Windscribe, 'Has a generous data cap, excellent speeds, decent server choice, and a strict no-logging policy.'
- Best for Ease of Use:TunnelBear, 'You can get up and running almost instantly even if you have absolutely no prior experience.'
- Best for Fast Servers:Speedify, 'Their turbocharging technology can actually increase your connection speed in some cases.'
- Best for Unblocking Streaming Services: ZenMate, 'It was actually able to unblock the BBC iPlayer and US version of Netflix in testing.'
- Best for Unlimited Data: ProtonVPN, 'There are absolutely no caps on the amount of data you can use.'
- Best for Free Data on Multiple Devices: Hotspot Shield, 'You can use the service on up to five devices.'
- Best for Privacy: Hide.me, 'They feature a strict no-logging policy.'
- Best for Bittorrent: SurfEasy, 'An alternative that allows P2P connections without upgrading to a premium plan.'
Our Top Picks
Best Overall: Windscribe
Windscribe is our top pick for the best overall free VPN. With a generous data cap, excellent speeds, decent server choice, and a strict no-logging policy, this is the best all-around free VPN that you’ll find.
Most free VPNs place a limit on how much data you can transfer per month, and some also cap how much you can transfer per day. Windscribe has a fairly generous cap that allows 10GB of transfer each month, with no daily limit.
Windscribe also allows you to connect to servers in 10 different countries, with no limits on the number of connections you can establish. Device connections are also unlimited, so you can use this VPN on all the Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS devices you like. It’s also available for Fire TV and Nvidia Shield, and you can even use it with your VPN router.
If you feel like a 10GB data cap isn’t enough, we have other options with more data. Other than that, Windscribe ticks all of the right boxes.
Best for Ease of Use: TunnelBear
If you’re brand new to the world of virtual private networks, TunnelBear is the VPN that you’re looking for. VPNs don’t get any easier to use than this, and you can get up and running almost instantly even if you have absolutely no prior experience.
The best thing about TunnelBear is how easy they make it to use their apps and browser plugins. Each app and plugin is designed with a simple map-based interface and features a friendly cartoon bear. Simply click or tap to enable the VPN, tap your desired connection location, and you’re in business.
The app is available for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS, and the browser plugin works in Chrome, Firefox and Opera.
TunnelBear does feature a very restrictive data cap on the free version, so this service is best for light or occasional usage. Free accounts receive only 500MB of data each month, with occasional promotions that provide additional data.
Best for Fast Servers: Speedify
Virtual private networks usually slow your connection down, and free VPNs sometimes place artificial limits on your connection speed. Speedify bucks that trend, as their turbocharging technology can actually increase your connection speed in some cases. This feature is available in the free version of the service, which is why it’s our top pick for speediest free VPN.
Speedify has native apps for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS, and each app has their turbocharging technology built right in. The main purpose of the app is to connect you to the Speedify VPN, but it’s also capable of pooling all available internet connections, like ethernet, Wi-Fi, and cellular, and combining them to achieve the highest download and upload speeds possible.
Coupled with some of the fastest VPN servers in the business, Speedify’s turbocharging technology guarantees that this free VPN won’t leave you trapped in the slow lane.
While free users have the same access to Speedify’s fast servers that paid users enjoy, free accounts are limited to just 5GB of data per month.
Best for Unblocking Streaming Services: ZenMate
Streaming services that region-lock content don’t like VPNs as a rule, so finding a free VPN that can reliably unblock sites can be a chore. We found that the free version of ZenMate has the best track record and that it was actually able to unblock the BBC iPlayer and US version of Netflix in testing.
The free version of ZenMate places limitations on your speed, prioritizing paid users for fast data, the number of platforms you can use, and the server locations that you can connect to. You also don’t get access to their streaming guarantee, which promises uptime for working streaming services and is only available with their Ultimate plan.
Unblocking sites with a free VPN will always be a game of cat and mouse, with streaming services identifying and blocking them at a higher rate than paid VPNs. Since you can use ZenMate for free, there’s no cost associated with checking to see if it’s working at any given time.
Best Free Vpns For Mac
Need some more help finding what you're looking for? Read through our best VPNs for Netflix article.
Best for Unlimited Data: ProtonVPN
Heavy data users will want to take a look at ProtonVPN, which takes our pick for best free VPN with unlimited data. Unlike free versions of premium VPNs that severely limit the amount of data you can transfer each month, ProtonVPN places no such limitations. Best games available on mac for beginner gamers. It also has a fantastic privacy policy, which is what the service is best known for.
Most free VPNs cap the amount of data you can use per month, or even per day, and the VPN is no longer available once you reach that cap. ProtonVPN won’t leave you scrambling for a replacement part of the way through a month, as there are absolutely no caps on the amount of data you can use.
With its great record on privacy, and unlimited data, ProtonVPN would be a contender for best free VPN if it didn’t limit you to one device, only allow connections to a limited number of servers, and give paid users priority in terms of data speed.
Best for Free Data on Multiple Devices: Hotspot Shield
If you use a lot of data on a lot of different devices, Hotspot Shield is a great free VPN with a generous data allowance. Free users are provided with about 15GB of data per month, which beats out most of the competition, and you can use the service on up to five devices.
The catch with Hotspot Shield is that you can’t use your full data allowance however you see fit. Instead of providing you with 15GB of data per month, they actually provide you with 500MB of data per day. The cap resets daily, and there is no carryover. If you need to use more than 500MB one day, you’re out of luck.
If you use about the same amount of data every day, then HotSpot Shield’s data allowance is fairly generous. You can also use it on up to five devices at once, including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and the Chrome browser.
Aside from the data cap structure, the only other drawback of HotSpot shield is that the free version includes ads.
Best for Privacy: Hide.me
Hide.me is the free VPN that takes our pick for the best privacy and security. They feature a strict no-logging policy, and they’re located in a jurisdiction that can’t legally force them to record your data. They also feature a high level of encryption for a free VPN.
If you’re concerned about privacy, and most VPN users are, Hide.me publishes a yearly transparency report that details all the data requests that they have received. Since they’re located in Malaysia, they can’t be compelled to record or release your data, so they don’t.
Data transferred through Hide.me is protected by AES-256 encryption, and the service uses highly secure protocols like OpenVPN and L2TP/IPsec.
Despite the high level of security, the free version of Hide.me is also surprisingly fast, includes unlimited bandwidth, and doesn’t force you to view ads.
Top 10 Free Vpn Software For Mac
Hide.me is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Amazon Fire devices, browsers, and you can even use it with VPN routers. Up to five devices can be connected at once.
Best for Bittorrent: SurfEasy
Most free VPNs, and even some paid VPNs, block BitTorrent. Others only allow P2P connections on a limited number of servers. SurfEasy is an alternative that allows P2P connections without upgrading to a premium plan.
SurfEasy free accounts are fairly limited. Free users are limited to 500MB of data, can only connect to servers in four countries, and don’t get access to any of SurfEasy’s advanced protections and features.
Paid users gain access to additional torrent protection, which further hides your identity when using P2P connections, but free users aren’t blocked from torrenting. Free users can also gain access to additional data, from time to time, through promotions that SurfEasy runs.
In addition to working with BitTorrent, the free version of SurfEasy is sometimes also capable of unblocking Netflix, which is rare for a free VPN.
SurfEasy is available on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and they also have plugins for Chrome and Opera.
Our writers spent 2 hours researching the most popular free VPN services on the market. Before making their final recommendations, they considered 30 different services overall, screened options from 30 different brands and manufacturers, and tested 6 of the VPN services themselves. All of this research adds up to recommendations you can trust.