Greatest Mac VPN 2025: Evaluations and shopping for recommendation

• 5,300 servers
• 10 simultaneous connections

NordVPN is likely one of the greatest and best-known VPN companies. It’s a totally featured VPN choice that’s safe, straightforward to make use of, and unbelievably quick in comparison with its opponents. There are cheaper choices, with limitless connections and extra in-depth VPN options, however NordVPN is our best choice proper now as a result of it stands out in so many areas, from pace and privateness to unblocking and ease of use.

Nord has an up-to-date impartial audit. It additionally has specialty servers for particular functions.

There are greater than 5,300 servers (none of that are digital) accessible throughout 60 nations, which sounds nice. You most likely solely care in regards to the servers the place you need to unblock content material, however the extra servers the higher because it means you’ve a greater probability of discovering one which’s not overloaded. You received’t have to determine which one to decide on because of the useful ‘Fast join’ characteristic that picks the server finest suited to your wants.

Connections are quick and dependable, and NordVPN unblocks widespread streaming companies world wide together with Netflix and BBC iPlayer. You may join as much as six gadgets concurrently together with your Apple TV.

Nord has added assist for the quicker WireGuard protocol in NordLynx, making it one of many quickest VPN companies on the market. Nevertheless, it’s solely accessible on the ‘IKE’ model of the app, which solely provides a completely enabled kill swap. To have extra management, you’ll must obtain the ‘OpenVPN’ model, albeit with barely slower speeds.

Nord continuously has offers on supply that lower your expenses on the standard month-to-month worth in the event you reap the benefits of the two-year plan. NordVPN provides three tiers: Commonplace, Plus and Final. You may get Plus options (knowledge breach scanner and password supervisor) or the Final tier provides cloud storage and insurance coverage choices. Costs change on a regular basis, so check out the costs and plans at NordVPN.com.

• 2,000 servers
• 8 simultaneous connections

If you wish to circumnavigate geoblocking to get entry to content material not accessible the place you reside, defend your knowledge whereas looking the net from a public community, and hold your net looking habits non-public, ExpressVPN, with its server places throughout 105 nations, can do nearly all of this with two or three clicks.

ExpressVPN is remarkably straightforward to make use of, however in case you have any difficulties the 24-hour stay chat means you may be related to an actual human to debate points inside minutes.

There are native apps on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, Android and Home windows. Plus you should utilize it on eight gadgets without delay (the restrict was 5 beforehand).

Like all VPNs there may be some pace loss since you are routing through a server in a foreign country, however ExpressVPN does nicely to mitigate this, dropping lower than 13% of obtain pace in our testing. NordVPN stays quicker with a 12% loss in our checks, however ExpressVPN’s 13% continues to be higher than most.

ExpressVPN provides no fewer than six completely different decisions for protocol. Lightway, the corporate’s personal choice, is speedy. For improved compatibility you possibly can swap to a different model of Lightway or OpenVPN – issues slowed down with  24% of pace loss with the latter.

There’s no Malware safety with ExpressVPN, however you possibly can set up a password supervisor known as ExpressVPN Keys.

The corporate is headquartered within the British Virgin Islands, so it’s free from the vast majority of intelligence-sharing businesses’ jurisdiction. Whereas it additionally operates a no-log coverage, it doesn’t have PureVPN’s “always-on” audit course of, however it undergoes audits every year.

ExpressVPN’s costlier than lots of its contemporaries and doesn’t enable entry from limitless gadgets (simply eight). However you get a strong, speedy reference to minimal fuss, and also you don’t must tie-in for a two-year deal to get the most effective worth. That latter level is vital as a result of VPN laws can change frequently.

See ExpressVPN subscription plans right here.

• 6,500+ servers in 100+ nations (entry servers in 5 nations on free plan, on one system)
• 10 simultaneous connections

ProtonVPN‘s free tier of membership helps to set Proton VPN aside from a few of its rivals. It’s naturally restricted, with US, Japan, and Netherlands because the server places and a few pace drop – however it’s nonetheless fairly usable

In case you pay for the service it provides a glossy interface, spectacular connection speeds and nearly sufficient options to enhance your day-to-day net expertise with out throwing too many advanced ideas at new customers. 

Proton VPN Plus provides a bunch of options, together with an advert and tracker blocker and pace of as much as 10 Gbps, in addition to a 10-device restrict. There’s Port Forwarding for downloads and gaming, too, in addition to a Kill Swap for disconnecting ought to the VPN drop out.

Some VPN companies supply options like darkish net knowledge notifications. Proton VPN sticks to the fundamentals – and does so very nicely. The firm’s “no-logs” coverage confirms it doesn’t monitor websites, IP addresses, communications, or session lengths, nor does it monitor location-based data. Proton is Swiss-based, and solely Swiss court docket orders can request knowledge from the corporate, however because it doesn’t log knowledge there’s little or no it may possibly supply to legislation enforcement.

For the privacy-minded, Safe Core, routes site visitors by way of one of many firm’s ‘Safe’ servers, minimizing the potential of an information leak. These safe servers are owned by Proton and are positioned in additional than 90 nations.

Proton VPN does improve latency, however solely by about 29% in our testing on a modest 60 Mbps broadband. The truth is, it’s solely about 7% slower when downloading and 5.5% slower when importing, making it one of many slicker VPNs we’ve examined.

When it comes to included VPN protocols, Good will probably be supreme for many customers, robotically setting the correct protocol on your present utilization, however WireGuard, WireGuard (TCP), IKEv2 and Stealth are additionally provided.

Proton VPN is a simple advice each for brand spanking new and skilled customers.

• 800+ servers in 49+ nations
• 10 simultaneous connections

FastestVPN packs spectacular VPN efficiency, however that’s just one aspect of what makes it value a glance. It’s additionally comparatively low cost in comparison with many rivals, and has seen a bunch of enhancements since we took a glance in 2021.

The app is glossy and simple to make use of and provides 10 simultaneous connections.

FastestVPN is headquartered within the Cayman islands and has undergone a third-party audit from Altius to substantiate its no-logs coverage.

Because the final time we checked out it it’s gained a quantity energy person options like multi-hop connections. It additionally now options an Web Kill Swap to close down all site visitors in case your VPN drops for any cause. You may also use Good Tunneling to make sure sure apps go through a VPN whereas others don’t.

Will FastestVPN show you how to get round geoblocks? Sure, in actual fact, FastestVPN highlights sure streaming-focused servers to assist get round geoblocking.

You’ll discover quite a lot of VPN protocols to select from, with Wireguard, OpenVPN (TCP and UDP choices) and IKEv2 accessible, and Servers have just lately been up to date to 10 Gbps choices, however regardless of the title, it’s not the quickest round. Nevertheless, it’s so inexpensive that it’s arduous to not suggest, with a lifetime worth of $40 (usually $600), which we’ve even seen lowered to only $30!

FastestVPN does a fantastic job and for lots lower than others. FastestVPN has greater than 800 servers, which is loads – however in context, that’s dramatically lower than NordVPN or ExpressVPN. Rivals do supply a bigger server rely, however the ease of use, and low barrier of entry, make FastestVPN considered one of our greatest VPN picks in 2025.

FastestVPN is offered on Mac in addition to Home windows, iOS, iPadOS, Android, and many extra apps.

• 35,000+ servers, 91 nations
• Limitless connections

Non-public Web Entry (PIA) is a robust VPN designed for savvy customers, providing “energy person” instruments and options corresponding to customized DNS, connection guidelines, cut up tunnelling, and extra at a decrease value than many opponents. The PIA Mac app provides just about every little thing its Microsoft counterpart does. 

The app can be utilized on any system and provides servers in 91 nations. In my testing, the “auto” setting did an excellent job of selecting servers that balanced pace and privateness.

The primary window gives data on efficiency graphs, obtain and add speeds, and fast settings for instruments like Gentle Mode, Port Forwarding, and LAN connections.

Whereas you should utilize PIA for getting round geoblocked content material in your streaming companies, PIA is extra privacy-focused than different VPNs, with options just like the Superior Kill Swap, Cut up Tunnelling, port forwarding, and Multi-Hop server obfuscation. PIA additionally provides customizable options like automation setup and DNS choices. 

Non-public Web Entry can’t beat the speeds of NordVPN and Surfshark, and its stablemate CyberGhost VPN provides extra spectacular speeds, however at the price of some energy options. In our testing, we noticed an inexpensive drop of round 8% on Mac whereas utilizing the PIA VPN. Add speeds dropped significantly– by round 25%, which can be a difficulty in the event you do numerous importing. 

Its zero-log coverage has been verified by Deloitte Audit Romania.

Regardless of inconsistent speeds, Non-public Web Entry is a good VPN for all budgets with a wealth of options for privacy-inclined customers.

• 3,200 servers in 100 nations
• Limitless simultaneous connections

Surfshark is a great-value VPN that gives rather a lot options past the core VPN service for a low month-to-month worth. SurfShark has greater than 3,000 servers unfold throughout 100 nations, making its community one of many widest and most diverse of any VPN,

Its apps are straightforward to make use of and it reliably unblocks streaming companies corresponding to Netflix and BBC iPlayer. It’s lacking the specialty servers provided by rivals corresponding to NordVPN, who shares the identical dad or mum firm, although.

Connection speeds are very spectacular, and that’s because of the usage of the WireGuard protocol. You actually received’t discover any slowdown in your web pace when Surfshark is working, as long as you’ve WireGuard chosen and aren’t utilizing servers the opposite aspect of the globe.

The corporate has upgraded all its servers in order that they run solely in RAM, identical to NordVPN and ExpressVPN. Operating servers on RAM is best for privateness as knowledge isn’t written to a tough drive. It’s additionally a member of the VPN Belief Initiative, whereas two-factor authentication (2FA) is a characteristic few VPN companies supply. Being run from the Netherlands additionally means it is a privacy-friendly choice.

The opposite cause to contemplate Surfshark is as a result of it undercuts virtually all of its rivals on worth, but doesn’t place any restrict on the variety of gadgets you should utilize concurrently. Sadly, it may be pricy to resume as soon as your preliminary contract runs out.

You may set up and use it throughout many gadgets together with your Mac, PC, Android and iOS gadgets, in addition to browsers. It additionally helps a number of protocols (though OpenVPN is a bit of slower than we’d like) and glorious encryption, in addition to a privacy-minded no-logs coverage that’s frequently audited

There’s a kill swap and a Multi-Hop characteristic that routes your connection through two VPN servers for an additional layer of safety. Nevertheless, there’s no GPS spoofing or cut up tunneling on the Mac (the latter being very unusual on Macs anyway). 

SurfShark provides three tiers of options at various worth factors. Essentially the most primary choice, aptly named SurfShark Starter, provides VPN performance in addition to an advert blocker and the choice to generate a proxy e mail handle and private particulars for websites you don’t really feel snug about giving your data to. SurfShark One provides e mail and cost element breach alerts, in addition to private knowledge safety experiences, antivirus and different malware safety, whereas the One+ plan provides knowledge elimination from firm databases and folks search websites. Along with the VPN there are Alert, Search or Antivirus packages, which can be accessible for an additional value.

Similar to most VPNs SurfShark provides discounted pricing in the event you join two years, with the costs altering on a regular basis. Simply beware that on the finish of the interval the worth will improve except you cancel.

Signal as much as Surfshark right here.

• Greater than 50 servers
• Six system restrict

MacPaw’s ClearVPN service is a VPN that lacks many extra superior options provided by its rivals, however alternatively, it’s one of many best to make use of. With a pleasant UI and easy-to-use options it’s thoughtfully designed for VPN newcomers. It actually is so simple as hitting a button to attach.

Within the settings are choices to dam advertisements, hold ClearVPN within the dock, and a Kill Swap as a way to lower site visitors out of your system if the connection to the VPN is damaged.

It’s all fairly primary stuff, however it’s provided in such an easy-to-use means that it’s arduous to not recognize the simplicity. There are additionally useful keyboard shortcuts to maneuver across the app.

There are greater than 50 servers, which seems like loads, however it’s dwarfed by many rivals to the tune of hundreds of servers. Which means your decisions are restricted, however not less than ClearVPN permits you to filter between Optimum Location or leaping straight to one thing like Disney Plus US or UK.

One of many extra frequent energy person options for VPNs is cut up tunneling, which lets some site visitors undergo the VPN whereas some goes round it. That’s not supported right here.

Sadly, MacPaw’s VPN speeds additionally want some work. We noticed appreciable pace drops throughout a number of servers – even nearer ones. We noticed drops of round 20 to 30 % in obtain pace, and round 50 % for add pace. It’s nonetheless quick sufficient to make use of Netflix, however it’s slower than the vast majority of options on the market.

Most VPN corporations use exterior auditors to confirm that they’re not recording person or session knowledge, however ClearVPN hasn’t undergone one on the time of writing. This shouldn’t imply something untoward as the corporate is headquartered in Ukraine, which falls outdoors of varied surveillance alliances, so it may possibly’t be requested to share your knowledge.

ClearVPN is priced affordably, however costs and the offers on supply change on a regular basis with VPNs. Look out for low month-to-month costs that don’t lock you in for too lengthy. There’s a six-device restrict.

In case you’re new to utilizing a VPN service, ClearVPN makes a compelling case to be your first alternative, and stress-free entry to Netflix across the globe, it’s a fantastic starter choice. Nonetheless, the pace drop and lack of frequent options like cut up tunneling possible imply energy customers ought to look elsewhere. It can save you cash by paying for the primary 12 months up entrance, however it’s also possible to pay month-to-month.

See full ClearVPN pricing right here.

• 6,500 servers, 78 nations
• 10 simultaneous connections

In case you’re in search of a versatile VPN service that may get round geoblocking and is simple to make use of, PureVPN is nicely value a glance.

The fundamental plan consists of the VPN service and nothing extra, however you possibly can add a Password Supervisor and File Encryption instruments within the Plus plan. The Max plan provides a Digital Privateness Supervisor that requests your data be scrubbed by knowledge brokers, blocks net trackers, and recommends methods to maximise your privateness.

Whichever plan you go for you’ll be capable to join 10 gadgets without delay. PureVPN will run in your iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV, and is simple to make use of on every to allow you to hook up with over six thousand servers.

So far as getting round geo-blocks, we discovered PureVPN to be as straightforward as every other service to make use of. Choose a location, load your streaming service or app of alternative, and also you’re off.

PureVPN is registered within the British Virgin Islands, which is extra privacy-friendly than Hong Kong the place it operated beforehand. PureVPN provides one of many extra spectacular no-logging insurance policies, with an ongoing “always-on” audit course of whereby an auditor can request affirmation of that coverage at any time.

PureVPN has been winding down its digital servers, of which it has much less management. There are nonetheless 23 such servers, however PureVPN is clear about which servers are digital and that are bodily – you possibly can see a small ‘v’ subsequent to every digital server on the PureVPN web site.

On the time of writing PureVPN is providing greater than a whopping 80% off its plans in the event you join 24 months. Two years is a very long time on the planet of VPNs, however not less than means the complete month-to-month pricing received’t kick in twelve months time. See PureVPN provides right here.

Nevertheless, it provides a reasonably compelling package deal of options and Malwarebytes VPN is offered nearly wherever, Home windows, Mac, iPad, iPhone, with Home windows, iOS, iPadOS, Android, and many extra apps.

• Greater than 245 servers
• 32 nations

Malwarebytes might be finest recognized for antivirus software program and recommendation (see our overview of Malwarebytes Premium for Mac), however it additionally provides a standalone VPN service known as Malwarebytes Privateness VPN. It’s a simple to make use of app with the correct of privateness guarantees – as you’d count on.

Malwarebytes Privateness VPN is simple to make use of and provides speeds which can be higher than lots of its rivals for each downloads and uploads. It additionally has split-tunnelling through its ‘Connection guidelines’, and a Kill Swap to chop all site visitors if the VPN drops out.

There are some caveats — particularly that it options fewer server places than its rivals, and getting round geoblocks for various variations of streaming companies is usually a tad inconsistent.

There’s no multi-hop server leaping, however the firm does have a verified no-logs coverage in place which suggests data isn’t held a few person’s exercise.

See full Maywarebytes pricing right here

• 11,000+ servers in 100 nations
• 7 simultaneous connections

CyberGhost is a user-friendly app that connects to quite a few servers worldwide, making it supreme for streaming Netflix from completely different nations and routing site visitors away from untrustworthy open Wi-Fi networks. 

It provides core options like kill swap assist, cut up tunnelling, and no bandwidth restrictions. CyberGhost’s no-logging audit historical past is thorough, and there’s a 45-day free trial accessible.

CyberGhost apps may be downloaded for numerous platforms, together with Chrome extension and recreation consoles (we examined on Mac and iPhone). The app provides a easy “click on and go” connection course of, with an inventory of server nations and a number of places. Encryption is commonplace throughout servers, and cut up tunnelling prioritizes site visitors the place wanted. An automatic kill swap can lower connections if the VPN drops out, whereas ‘Block content material’ blocks DNS domains for advertisements, trackers, and malware.

The app doesn’t supply something like Proton VPN’s Safe Core or extra options like a Password Supervisor, however subscription tiers are based mostly on including a devoted IP handle. The VPN has over 9,000 servers positioned in over 100 nations, with plans to develop in South America and Asia in late 2023.

CyberGhost VPN has a formidable no-logs coverage, that means nobody can entry data of your exercise whereas related to the VPN. The app doesn’t supply the Darkish Net monitor provided by NordVPN, however it does have an automatic kill swap to chop connections if the VPN drops out. The DNS blocking characteristic is simple to make use of however doesn’t will let you select what to dam.

CyberGhost provides a compelling package deal with only one most important plan and a 45-day money-back assure. It’s a superb VPN for newcomers, with spectacular audits, an array of servers, respectable speeds, and easy-to-use apps.

Norton has many years of expertise defending gadgets from cyber threats (learn our overview of Norton 360), however what or its VPN?

Norton’s VPN plans are, outdoors of the fundamental tier, tied into its safety software program to assist supply real-time safety from dangerous actors. It comes with a password supervisor, darkish net monitor, and cloud storage, however the VPN aspect of issues is a bit of missing.

Maybe it’s from testing so most of the finest VPN companies that we’ve grown used to a sure set of non-negotiables. Chief amongst them is browser extension choices to permit for fast switching, however on the time of writing, there’s no such providing from Norton.

Nonetheless, in the event you’re in search of real-time safety it stays an excellent security-focused choice, however with geoblocking being inconsistent in our testing, you would possibly need to look elsewhere on your worldwide Netflix repair.

Norton’s VPN does embrace loads of accoutrements that different VPNs both don’t have or cost further for. You may set up the app in your iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and all three platforms have apps that work nicely and run properly within the background.

Norton provides Browser Safety, which scans websites as you browse. Norton additionally scans information earlier than they land in your system. This labored nicely in testing, with barely added any extra time to the size of downloads. There’s a password supervisor, however it’s tied to the center subscription tier and above.

One factor that was fascinating was the way it screens trackers on emails. As a journalist, I obtain numerous press releases and pitches, and whereas I’ve all the time assumed lots of them use some type of monitoring to see once they’re opened, Norton provided to quarantine so many who I used to be fairly bowled over.

VPNs naturally lower your web speeds as your sign is fired throughout the globe, and Norton has servers in 32 nations – a steep drop from the 111 in NordVPN’s portfolio – however it does supply 4 protocols to select from. IKEv2, OpenVPN and WireGuard are fairly generally discovered throughout the board of rivals, however Norton has its personal Mimic protocol which is meant to be supreme for unblocking worldwide streaming companies. Sadly, testing on a 70 Mbps connection noticed a constant pace drop-off. As for Mimic, Norton’s personal VPN protocol, I used to be disillusioned to seek out some worldwide streaming companies merely weren’t capable of be unblocked with it. Norton clarified that Mimic is particularly designed for patrons with particular use circumstances who’re unable to make use of WireGuard. We did have extra luck with the extra standardized protocols.

VPNs value their salt ought to all the time concentrate on privateness as their main concern, and Norton does an excellent job, having undergone an audit from VerSprite, a safety agency.

It’s not a nasty VPN, and in the event you’re in search of an choice that packs an entire host of cyber-security instruments into one easy-to-use package deal, it’s a fantastic choice. It’s disappointing that there’s solely a pay yearly choice, the place different VPNs have the choice to pay month-to-month. Added to that could be a steep soar in worth for the second 12 months. 

See full Norton Extremely VPN pricing right here

• 2,600+ servers in 90 nations
• 10 simultaneous connections

Conceal.me is one other VPN service that has improved significantly lately.

In addition to providing a very free model (which none of its rivals right here do), it has additionally added WireGuard, which is significantly quicker than different encryption protocols.

Different key options embrace a customizable kill swap and cut up tunneling. Conceal.me is the one VPN to supply Cut up Tunnelling in macOS. They state on their web site: “conceal.me VPN for macOS helps cut up tunneling. You may configure it within the shopper’s settings.”

Conceal.me additionally provides Stealth Guard, which stops chosen apps from working with out the safety of a VPN connection.

It could possibly unblock Netflix and permits you to entry BBC iPlayer from outdoors the UK. There’s additionally strong system assist, with as much as 10 simultaneous connections permitted.

Malaysia-based, lately it has expanded the variety of servers and doubled the variety of nations it covers. Sadly, the third-party audit hasn’t been up to date since 2015

Nevertheless, the person interface on Mac is a bit clunky, and we’re nonetheless ready for an replace to the 2015 no-logs coverage certification.

• 70 servers
• 5 simultaneous connection

VyprVPN provides every little thing most individuals are in search of in a VPN, without having to spend a lot cash.

You get quick WireGuard speeds, alongside separate protocols targeted on reliability, anti-censorship and ease of use. It’s additionally glorious at unblocking geo-restricted content material, whether or not that’s native variations of Netflix or BBC iPlayer & ITV Hub from outdoors the UK. Premium options corresponding to cut up tunneling and a kill swap are right here too, even when the latter can’t be customised. 

VyprVPN’s no-logs coverage has been independently audited, and the service adheres to a strict Privateness Coverage from dad or mum firm Golden Frog. Greater than 700 servers in over 70 nations ought to be a lot for most individuals, though there’s usually just one per nation. It’s additionally not clear which of those are bodily and digital.

Nonetheless, it’s nonetheless speedy, dependable and inexpensive.

See full VyprVPN pricing right here