VPNs can be an important tool in a layered approach to online security and privacy on your Mac. That said, not all VPNs are created equal, and there are significant performance differences between services. Thankfully, we've tested 20 of the best and most popular VPNs on the market and ensured they're compatible and work well on macOS.
If you want to learn more about the limitations of VPNs and how they work, or if you need one at all, check out our article on VPN privacy. Or, if you want to learn about kill switches and the technical side of things, read our Research and Development article. For more recommendations, check out our other articles for the best VPNs, the best free VPNs, and the best VPNs for Windows PCs.
In 2025, we published reviews for 20 different VPN services. These reviews came after months of research, test development, and collaboration between our engineers, testers, writers, photographers, and editors. Our process for each review involves a lot of work behind the scenes, including rigorous checks and balances along the way, all to provide the most accurate and useful test results to allow you to make the right purchasing decisions for your needs.
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Best VPN For Mac
Torrent9.1Private Browsing9.1Policies & Practices9.2Security8.6Speed8.6Tested Simultaneous Connections:5See all our test resultsCountries:49Mullvad is the best VPN for Mac we've tested. Its app works on macOS 13 (Ventura) or newer, and it has an intuitive user interface that visually integrates with macOS well. The beauty isn't only skin deep; the software delivers excellent performance and security. First of all, it's quick. It consistently provides impressive download speeds, upload speeds, and latency. It also keeps your IP address and DNS queries hidden from malicious actors and features a fully functional kill switch that can block your computer from connecting to the internet if the VPN isn't running, such as after a software crash or system restart.
In addition to its functionality, Mullvad stands out for its robust privacy policies and business practices. Its communication is transparent, and its policies are clear, stating that it collects only a bare minimum of your information. It frequently publishes independent audits verifying its claims and security infrastructure. Instead of signing up with your email address and password, you get a randomly generated account number you use as your only login credential. This way, no personal information is stored on Mullvad's servers. You can also pay with cash or crypto for even better anonymity.
Mullvad has a unique flat-rate pricing model that's quite different from the norm of VPN services, which offer discounts the longer you sign up. This makes it a great deal if you pay month-to-month, but if you plan to be a long-term subscriber, you're better off going with Proton VPN, our next pick.
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Best VPN For Mac With More Features
Torrent8.9Private Browsing7.5Policies & Practices6.3Security8.6Speed8.4Tested Simultaneous Connections:10See all our test resultsCountries:117We recommend Proton VPN as the best VPN for macOS if you need more features than our top pick. Like Mullvad, Proton delivers great performance and has a functional user interface that's generally easy to use but has a few more handy features. For starters, there are servers in over 100 countries, which is beneficial since it allows you to connect to a server closer to your location for a better connection. You can also connect up to 10 devices simultaneously without needing to log any of them out. Proton additionally supports port forwarding, a feature that's becoming less common for VPNs and is essential if you need it for specific programs, such as P2P clients. Like Mullvad, it has obfuscation to make it look like you're not using a VPN, an ad blocker, and 'secure-core,' a feature that ensures your connection goes through Proton's own servers before reaching the server in the country you choose.
Proton isn't without its flaws. It has a fairly disappointing latency performance, with spikes and inconsistencies that can be annoying for latency-sensitive tasks such as gaming, video calls, and general web browsing. Its privacy policies and business practices aren't as good as Mullvad's either. The privacy policy indicates that Proton may record your IP address in certain instances, but it does not specify the reasons. The rest of the policies and terms of service are equally vague and jargon-filled, making it difficult to understand exactly what's happening with your data. It's also more expensive than Mullvad if you pay monthly, but it's slightly cheaper if you opt for a longer subscription contract. If you need the extra features, it's a good choice overall; otherwise, you're better off going with Mullvad.
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Best Free VPN For Mac
Torrent7.3Private Browsing8.2Policies & Practices7.9Security8.6Speed6.7Tested Simultaneous Connections:11See all our test resultsCountries:10Windscribe Free is the best free VPN for Mac we've tested. Its privacy and no logging policies are clearly written and state that the service doesn't log your traffic, while collecting only the minimum data required for billing and enforcing device limits. You can sign up using just a username to get 2 GB of data per month, or add an email address to increase the allowance to 10 GB. According to Windscribe, email addresses are just used for marketing messages. The company is independently owned, communicates regularly with users, offers open source apps, and publishes independent third party security audits. However, it hasn't released audits that specifically verify its privacy and no logs claims.
In everyday use, the VPN works as expected. It keeps your IP address and DNS requests inside an encrypted tunnel and includes a reliable kill switch to protect you if the connection drops. Windscribe Free offers servers in 10 countries and supports many platforms beyond macOS, making it easy to use across multiple devices. If you want a free VPN with no monthly data cap, check out our pick below.
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Best Free Unlimited VPN For Mac
Torrent6.4Private Browsing7.5Policies & Practices6.3Security8.6Speed7.1Tested Simultaneous Connections:1See all our test resultsCountries:1Proton VPN Free is the best free VPN for Mac if you want unlimited data, but it comes with several caveats. Although Proton VPN publishes third-party audits to support its no-logging claims, the most recent audit had a limited scope. It excluded Proton's broader privacy policies, which you must accept to create an account, and the auditors did not have access to the VPN's full source code. Additionally, Proton's privacy policy and terms of service are written in a way that leaves open questions about data collection and retention. Still, Proton's privacy and practices are considerably better than those of the numerous unproven free VPNs on the market.
From a feature and security standpoint, the VPN performs well. It encrypts your IP address and DNS requests and includes a functional kill switch. Unlike Windscribe Free, our other free VPN recommendation, Proton VPN Free doesn't let you choose a server location. Instead, you are automatically connected to one of five servers in Poland, the Netherlands, Japan, Romania, or the USA. You also can't download torrents, as the feature is limited to Proton VPN's paid plans. Overall, if you're comfortable with these restrictions and the less transparent data handling practices, Proton VPN Free is a reasonable option if your main goal is a free VPN with no data cap for basic browsing privacy.
Notable Mentions
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IVPN IVPN:
IVPN performs very similarly to Mullvad, has a similar feature set, and even has the same approach to creating an account with a randomly generated number for better privacy. That said, it has servers in fewer countries, costs more, and has slightly worse latency
See our review -
NordVPN NordVPN:
NordVPN is one of the biggest players in the VPN world. Similar to Proton VPN, it offers numerous additional features, including a password manager, cloud storage, file sharing between devices, and more. We don't recommend it because their policies indicate that they can collect a lot of your personal information.
See our review
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are currently the best VPNs for Mac users. We only recommend VPNs with a clear and digestible privacy policy, a proven track record of protecting their customers' privacy, transparency about their ownership, and acceptable security and speeds. We also factor in price (a cheaper VPN wins over a more expensive one if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our users, and reputation within the community.
When choosing a VPN, consider what you need it for and understand its limitations. Depending on your risk profile, using one at all times is probably unnecessary. Modern websites, browsers, and devices have ample built-in security measures to protect you from the most common threats. With that in mind, here's the list of all our VPN reviews.