Fans of BBC series or keen to explore Netflix US? Teleworkers at home? Users of peer-to-peer networks? You have one thing in common: the need for a VPN service. It's the only way to protect your Internet connection and data. The UNIX architecture of macOS is already an excellent shield, but it has flaws and cannot get around geographic restrictions. Also, a friend's recommendation for "a great VPN" (for Windows, actually) can be disastrous on the Mac, as you don't get the same features. Read this article, we tell you everything.
Through our selection of the best VPN pros, finding the right app for Mac is no easy task. True, the App Store already filters out a good number of dubious services, but one can only question the dangers of free VPNs on the Mac. If it's free, you're the product, right (or at least your data)? IT experts will argue that you can "easily install your own VPN on your Mac", which is not so simple for everyone. There are also VPNs that require multiple administrator permissions, with many lines of code entered to be installed. We have not selected these any further.
1. CyberGhost VPN
A feature-rich VPN
CyberGhost is a safe bet for VPN security on Mac. Its strengths on Windows (split tunneling, real-time latency indication) disappear on the macOS version, however. Only the server load indication and the kill switch persist on Apple devices. On the other hand, blockers (of ads, malicious sites, online tracking), data compression, automatic redirection to HTTPS (secure pages) versions of sites make their appearance on the Mac.
One of the most robust infrastructures on the market
In addition, the infrastructure remains solid. The huge choice of servers (8974 covering 91 countries, including 813 in France) ensures very good speeds and latencies, in France, Europe and the world. By paying a few extra euros, you can obtain a static IP address. CyberGhost has servers optimized for torrenting, gaming (on Mac, the interest is less) and streaming.
CyberGhost offers a "money back" guarantee, valid for 14 days for monthly subscriptions and 45 days for annual subscriptions, which allows users to get a refund if the VPN doesn't suit them. The app can also be downloaded and tested for 24 hours, without having to enter any payment method.
2. ExpressVPN
Excellent latency and download speed performance
The ExpressVPN application is without doubt one of the best VPN solutions on the Mac. With its colossal army of servers around the world (3000 in 94 countries), including several in France (Alsace, Marseille, Paris, Strasbourg), we noted excellent speed performance. The latency (reactivity in milliseconds) is the second best in our panel of European countries and even the best for France. The Mac client is very uncluttered and therefore very simple. Users only select a country (or the server of a location within a country), with no indication of latency or server load. However, if you have other criteria than pure speed, you can run a speed test (before connection). This will rank countries by performance score (combining latency, upload and download) or by latency, download rate and upload rate.
kill switch available
On Mac, ExpressVPN sports the kill switch feature called Network Lock. The split tunneling is now no longer available on Mac from macOS 11 and above. It also has more sophisticated options such as IPv6 leak protection. The use of the proprietary Lightway encryption protocol (more stable, more secure, faster than OpenVPN) is another plus. Obviously, we did not detect any IP address leakage. There are no specialised servers (streaming, gaming, peer to peer), but who cares.
In order to test the possibilities of the application on their devices, users can take advantage of a "satisfied or refunded" guarantee for 30 days, by taking out a subscription and contacting customer service for a refund if they are not satisfied.
3. NordVPN
No split tunnelling
NordVPN persists on the podium of the best VPNs for Mac even though this version is disappointing and falls behind. The split tunneling feature is absent, as on most Mac versions of VPNs. Furthermore, there are no servers optimised for streaming or gaming. There is, however, a VPN with specialised torrent or Tor servers as well as the Threat Protection feature, which neutralises online threats (ads, malicious sites) before they can cause damage to your Mac. The new NordLynx protocol (derived from WireGuard), optimising speed and security, is also present.
A widely customizable VPN
Better still, NordVPN innovates on macOS by offering presets for downloading, web browsing or speed (rather gaming), but also letting the user create some, according to their needs. The network of 5,500 servers installed in some sixty countries (including more than 230 in France) is an incomparable advantage over other VPNs. It delivers excellent responsiveness in Europe and particularly in France. The downstream and upstream speeds are also of high quality.
NordVPN is one of the VPNs that offers the most choice in subscriptions. The difference between the different plans is in the extra features offered, which are nice for whoever needs them, but by no means essential for the VPN. Like its competitors, NordVPN offers a refund within 30 days of first subscribing to a subscription, to allow users to try out the capabilities of its software.
4. Surfshark VPN
The lack of real-time latency indication is regretted
Surfshark is often present in the comparisons of the best VPNs and it is also present here, in the one reserved for devices under macOS. Its quality infrastructure (over 3200 servers) in 95 countries including 3 locations in France (Bordeaux, Marseille, Paris) provides excellent speeds, especially in Europe (according to our panel of 6 countries). Unlike the Windows version, there is no indication of real-time latency and no speed test on the macOS client. This is unfortunate.
A version for Mac that erases the shortcomings of the Windows port
Thankfully, there's still real-time server load indication (as a gauge), multi-hop (VPN connection via two servers), servers with static IP address, unwanted content blocker (CleanWeb), Alert (indicating if your emails or passwords have been compromised), Search (incognito search engine), Camouflage mode (hides your VPN use from your ISP) and even kill switch. This macOS version of Surfshark no longer contains the flaws (inability to exit the app, hidden processes) of the Windows port. This VPN operator does not use specialized servers (gaming, peer to peer or streaming), but "osef" as we say in the current term.
And here too, in order to be able to test the application on your Mac with complete peace of mind and without limitations, you can request a refund for 30 days after purchase. On macOS, a 7-day trial version is also available, which can be combined with the "money back guarantee".
5. ProtonVPN
A very ergonomic app
Proton VPN deserves your trust on macOS. Its app is particularly pleasant to use, with the creation of connection profiles in particular. The Swiss provider shows very good overall performance. Despite the relative smallness of its network (only 1728 servers in 63 countries), the responsiveness and throughput are visible. This VPN has one of the best pings and best downstream speeds in Europe (especially in France and Switzerland, naturally). Since the redesign of Proton's services, the Basic subscription is no longer offered. While the free version allows you to take advantage of all the security features, such as protection of your data on the Internet, the kill switch and protection against DNS and IPv6 leaks, it cannot be used for streaming.
The essential Plus subscription for optimum comfort
Then it is necessary to take the Plus subscription to unlock some formidable features. In addition to high throughput (10Gbps), this higher subscription allows access to Secure Core servers (offering better privacy), specialised Tor servers and geo-blocked content (Netflix and co). ProtonVPN is, undeniably, a champion in privacy with its Swiss domicile or its internal policy of no log and open source software.
ProtonVPN now only offers one subscription for its VPN in addition to its free version. This is quite expensive compared to what its competitors can offer. If you're interested in all of the company's products, you'll have to look into the Proton Unlimited subscription, which we won't cover here. If you only want to test the interface and security features of ProtonVPN, the free version will be enough to satisfy your needs. However, if you need to test the VPN's speed and its use in different scenarios, such as for torrenting or streaming, you can subscribe and enjoy a refund within 30 days after purchase if you are not convinced by the proposition.
FAQ
Why use a VPN on a Mac?
Even though your Mac will be less susceptible to the threats that tend to target the more numerous Windows users, that doesn't mean your data is protected. So a VPN can still be very useful for your devices. For example, it will allow you to bypass geographical restrictions to access information blocked in your country or streaming applications from other countries.
Also, if you use your Mac in a public place while connecting to free Wi-Fi, it's important to use a VPN to protect your connection, so that your web browsing remains private and away from the eyes of bad people. Finally, you may simply want more anonymity, including hide your IP address, in your everyday life: whether you're on a Mac or not, using a VPN is one of the ways you can achieve this goal.
How to get a free VPN on Mac?
For free VPNs on Mac, the best solution is still the solutions offered by companies that have adopted a "freemium" model. They offer a time-limited free version of their product, and this, without ads or data resale since the VPN is already financed by the subscriptions of premium users. Of course, there are still some limitations, whether it's on the use of the VPN (no streaming/torrent, limited use per day or per month), the number of locations available or even the speed, with reduced or no access to the fastest servers.
You can also take advantage of trial versions of premium VPNs, like those tested in this comparison, generally valid for 30 or 45 days. They come in the form of a "money back guarantee" which allows you to request a refund of your subscription from customer service before the end of the period covered. Note that you can usually only take advantage of these once, but with the plethora of VPNs on offer, you can go several months without having to pay a single cent.
100% free VPNs are usually not recommended, because of their advertising or data reselling policies.
How to choose a VPN for Mac?
Beyond considerations of subscription prices, it is necessary to determine the use that will be made of the VPN. Will it only be used occasionally when travelling? Is it to be used to bypass geographical restrictions on game servers or streaming services? Do you have a particular need for advanced features, such as a kill switch?
To help you make your choice, we used a rigorous method. To determine the speed of'a VPN for example, we conducted a series of performance tests (upload and download speeds, latency) at different times of the day, over several days, on different servers (French, European and outside Europe) to get as accurate and global an overview of VPN services as possible. We conducted our tests on an ADSL line, as this is still the standard in France. Rest assured, the selection is also valid for lucky FttH owners as raw performance is only part of the score.
Everyone is different. Some people want to download anime from a Japanese server, while others swear by streaming Quebec series. To cover as much as possible these different uses, we tested several connections to American (Prime Video, Crackle, ESPN, Netflix US, Popcornflix), English (BBC iPlayer), Belgian (RTBF Auvio) and Swiss (RTS Play) VOD services. We also played on American and Korean servers. Furthermore, we carefully analysed the macOS software of each VPN platform. Some have plenty of options. Others are much more stripped down. Some have all the features of the Windows version. Others remove very useful functions.
Bref, the offer is varied and we have tried to guide you as much as possible in your choice.