Best VPN for Mac
Stay anonymous online and access blocked content with these VPNs for Mac. Ashleigh Macro reveals your different options
If you’re worried about online privacy or looking to access sites that are ordinarily blocked in your country, a VPN (virtual private network) will help. You’ll be able to hide your location online and access blocked content using the services in our round-up of the best VPNs for Mac.
Many people, for example, use a VPN in order to access US Netflix while inside the UK or to enjoy the BBC iPlayer’s streaming services while outside
of the UK. They are also a great tool to help you keep prying eyes at bay, giving an element of anonymity while browsing the web.
There are free networks available, but be aware that some may install unwanted toolbars or third-party applications, and others simply offer much less advanced features. It’s important to first read the terms and conditions before using a free VPN, and to make sure you know the free VPN’s limits. Generally, though, even paid-for services are cheap. You can subscribe to many for under £6 per month.
1. NordVPN
Price: $2.75 (around £2) from fave.co/2CSqdrT
A great VPN option for security, ease-of-use and a variety of useful features is NordVPN. The company tells us that it does not keep any logs of user activity at all, and there are more than 3,200 servers across 60 countries to choose from which is more than most other VPN services available.
NordVPN offers lots of privacy and security features to help it become one of the most attractive VPN services for Internet users looking for privacy online. One handy is Kill Switch, ends the connection if the VPN drops for any reason. It’s easy to set up and it’s quick, too, and there are mobile apps included should you need them, plus you can connect to up to six devices at once.
You can get NordVPN for as little as $2.75 (around £2) per month if you take advantage of the
three-year deal. Alternative options include a twoyear plan, a one-year plan or a one-month plan.
2. ExpressVPN
Price: £5 per month from fave.co/2CSIwNF
Among the speediest VPN services out there is ExpressVPN. It’s not the cheapest option at £5 per month, but it does offer 24/7 live chat customer support and a 30-day money back guarantee, as well as a zero log policy and kill switch.
There are more than 1,000 servers available in 95 countries, and a range of
apps for mobile devices as well as your Mac or PC, in addition to router apps too. ExpressVPN also works with Netflix to allow you to virtually reside in the country of your choice to access additional TV shows and movies. It’s a solid option.
3. PureVPN
Price: £1.40 per month from tinyurl.com/yclbhdtg
PureVPN is fast and reliable, packed with features at a great price. It is among the biggest services when it comes to the number of countries it offers. There are more than 750 servers available in 141 countries. It also boasts that there are no third parties involved and no logs of your activities, as it’s a self-managed network owned by the company itself. It does, however, keep a record of connections and bandwidth in order to optimally manage its servers.
Like NordVPN it has a Kill Switch feature, and also offers split tunnelling if you only want to use the VPN connection for specific apps.
PureVPN is compatible with more than 20 devices, including your Mac, and you can log in to five devices at once with your account. Prices start at £1.40 per month for a three-year plan thanks to a special offer, but there are also sixand one month options.
We did have trouble running PureVPN on older Mac operating systems, so bear this in mind before you subscribe. It does have a seven-day money back guarantee though, so you can always try it.
Plus, the support is fantastic thanks to a live chat feature available 24/7.
4. Goose VPN
Price: £2.99 per month from fave.co/2F6D4wo
This fast and easy-to-use VPN is aimed at home users who want to access media that’s restricted in their region. It offers few options to maintain a very simple interface, putting it among our favourite VPNs of 2018.
There’s a 30-day free trial available, otherwise you can sign up for the one-year plan for £4.99 per month, or a more expensive one month plan. There’s also a limited one month plan that gets you 50GB
for £2.99, but that won’t be enough for most. You’ll be able to access US Netflix from within the UK, as well as other region-blocked content like BBC iPlayer from outside of the UK. There are less server locations available with Goose VPN, just 77 across 27 countries, and there is no kill switch. However, we found that short connection time and connection quality, as well as the ease of connecting to foreign media, makes up for it.
5. CyberGhost
Price: £2.50 per month from fave.co/2Hiwz6t
Another of our favourites is CyberGhost offers one of the safest ways to browse the web, and has
managed to build a solid reputation when it comes to security and transparency.
There are more than 1,150 servers available across 49 countries, and the list is growing fast.
In addition to helping to keep you anonymous online, CyberGhost also boasts military-grade encryption to protect you against hackers trying to steal your data on public Wi-Fi hotspots.
It works with most devices including phones and tablets, and there’s also an ad-blocker included in the application to speed up surfing. Of course, that does deprive impoverished writers of their hard earned money, so that’s something worth bearing in mind if you want to switch the ad-blocker on.
It can cost as little as £2.50 per month if you sign up for two years, but there’s also a one year or one month option.
6. VyprVPN
Price: £4.08 per month from fave.co/2CUwd33
This family VPN offers great value for money. You can connect to five devices simultaneously for £5.83 per month if you sign up for a year’s subscription. For three devices the price decreases to £4.08 per month.
The downside is that we had trouble connecting to Netflix US the first time, although we have since been more successful and found an easy and fast connection to the service. This is common among VPNs as Netflix is constantly blocking VPN servers while VPNs are creating new ones to get around it.
There are more than 700 servers available worldwide, and you’ll find that you can connect to
them quickly and easily. There’s also a kill switch and great mobile apps to boot.
7. Private Internet Access
Price: £2.10 per month from fave.co/2CTqevm
For an even wider choice of servers, Private Internet Access offers a whopping 3,340. It’s also cheap at £2.10 per month, and you’ll get five licences for that small fee that can be used simultaneously on any device, including iOS and macOS.
It doesn’t track your IP address or timestamps, offers a Kill Switch feature and lets you pay anonymously. It’s also among the fastest VPNs available. There is one big downside, though, and that’s that it is based in the US, which is the very centre of the 5-eyes data swapping collective. For some, that will ring alarm bells, but if you’re not concerned this is a definite contender.
8. IPVanish
Price: £5 per month from fave.co/2oTjJ7Y
IPVanish is good-looking and easy to use, so is one of the best VPN options for beginners. It won’t help
you watch US Netflix, but it is a popular option that is well-worth considering if you have a different priority such as torrents or security/privacy.
It’ll appeal to home users thanks to access to Netflix US. However, it’s also based in the US, which is a distinct turn-off for those worried about online privacy, but it doesn’t keep any traffic logs at all so it’s unlikely any data will be available to share with the government anyway. The good news is that it has a whopping 700 servers across 60 countries, and you’ll be able to connect via five different devices at once with the same account.
If you do want to use the service for torrents you can reduce the encryption to hide your IP address without sacrificing download and upload speeds.
Better yet, IPVanish owns and operates the entire internal infrastructure (its private network,
physical points of presence and servers), which is unlike most other VPN services available today.
IPVanish offers a Kill Switch, and offers apps for iOS, Android and Windows in addition to Mac. You’ll get a seven-day money back guarantee, and prices start at around £5 per month.
9. Hidden24
Price: £3.33 per month from fave.co/2F7IbwA
Hidden24 focuses completely on privacy and anonymity, after starting life in 2005 as a reaction to Sweden’s snooping laws. It now has a UK-based server farm that means you can protect yourself online by connecting to another UK server. It uses the operating system’s own VPN capability, so there’s no app to download, and setup is simple thanks to complete, detailed guides.
We found the service to be speedy and stable, but there’s no kill switch option and you can only connect to UK servers for now, so no US Netflix.
It is useful for ex-pats or those travelling outside of the UK though, as it means you can access UK content including BBC iPlayer even when you’re not in the country.
10. SpyOFF VPN
Price: £6.99 per month from fave.co/2oSHIE5
SpyOFF is fast and easy-to-use, with unlimited connections available for £6.99 per month. That’s a little on the pricey side, but it is good for families that need to connect via multiple devices at once. The number of servers is quite low, at 395 across 25 countries, but you will get a kill switch and there are mobile apps available.
If you’re worried about committing right away, you can sign up to the 15-day trial.