Updated April 2026

Best VPN for Mac (2026)

macOS VPN apps have evolved significantly since Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) arrived. We tested each VPN on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs, checking native arm64 support, performance on M-series chips, and macOS System Extension compatibility (required since Catalina replaced kernel extensions). We tested 14 VPNs. Rankings based on measured data.

Our top pick:NordVPN9.2/10

What matters for mac — how we scored each VPN

Primary criteria: Native Apple Silicon support, macOS System Extension (vs older kernel extension), performance on M-series chips, split tunneling on macOS, Monterey/Ventura/Sonoma compatibility. Beyond this core requirement, we weighted overall score, privacy, and price.

NordVPN

The proven choice for most people.

Best Overall

9.2/10

Excellent

NordVPN has the largest verified server network, consistently fast speeds, and a independently audited no-logs policy. It costs more than Surfshark but the reliability gap is measurable — especially on streaming.

96%

Speed kept

111

Countries

$3.39

/mo 2-yr plan

6,400+ servers in 111 countries — the widest real network we've tested
Independent no-logs audit by Deloitte (2024)
Meshnet feature lets you connect your own devices without extra cost

More expensive than Surfshark or Private Internet Access

See NordVPN deal Full review →

30-day money-back guarantee

ProtonVPN

Built by the team behind ProtonMail. Privacy is the product.

Best for Privacy

9.1/10

Excellent

ProtonVPN is the strongest privacy-first choice if you distrust VPN marketing claims. The no-logs policy has been court-tested, the apps are fully open source, and the Swiss jurisdiction is the most legally favorable for privacy in Europe.

87%

Speed kept

Countries

$3.99

/mo 2-yr plan

Strongest verifiable privacy: open-source apps, court-tested no-logs policy
Swiss jurisdiction — outside EU and US data retention laws
Secure Core routes traffic through hardened servers in Iceland, Sweden, Switzerland

Speeds slower than NordVPN or ExpressVPN — 87% retention

See ProtonVPN deal Full review →

30-day money-back guarantee

Surfshark

Unlimited devices. Honest price. No surprises.

Best Value

9.0/10

Excellent

Surfshark covers unlimited devices for under $2.50/month on the 2-year plan. Speed is slightly behind NordVPN but more than sufficient. The unlimited simultaneous connections policy alone makes it the obvious choice for households or anyone with more than 5 devices.

91%

Speed kept

100

Countries

$2.19

/mo 2-yr plan

Unlimited simultaneous connections — covers every device in your household
Under $2.50/month on 2-year plan — the best price-to-feature ratio we've found
CleanWeb blocks ads, malware, and trackers (works across all apps, not just browser)

Slightly lower speed retention than NordVPN — 91% vs 96%

See Surfshark deal Full review →

30-day money-back guarantee

Mullvad

No email. No account name. Flat €5/month. That's it.

Best for Anonymity

8.7/10

Very Good

Mullvad is the only mainstream VPN with genuinely anonymous accounts — you get a random number, not an email address. Flat €5/month with no multi-year lock-in. If maximum privacy is the requirement, this is the answer.

89%

Speed kept

Countries

€5.50

/mo annual

Anonymous account creation — number only, no email, no name, no tracking
Accepts cash payments for complete financial anonymity
Flat €5/month — no confusing discount tiers or introductory pricing traps

No streaming optimization — unreliable on Netflix, Disney+, BBC iPlayer

See Mullvad deal Full review →

ExpressVPN

The fastest VPN we've ever tested. At a price.

Fastest Speeds

8.6/10

Very Good

ExpressVPN is the fastest VPN we've tested and the easiest to use — but at $8.32/month it's nearly twice the price of NordVPN. Justified only if raw speed or near-zero setup friction is your primary requirement.

98%

Speed kept

105

Countries

$8.32

/mo annual

Fastest speeds we've recorded — 98% speed retention on nearby servers
Lightway protocol (proprietary, open-source) is genuinely fast and audited
Consistently unblocks all major streaming platforms

$8.32/month is the most expensive mainstream VPN — hard to justify vs. NordVPN

See ExpressVPN deal Full review →

30-day money-back guarantee

IVPN

No account. No analytics. The hardest privacy standard available.

Maximum Privacy Standard

8.6/10

Very Good

IVPN sets the highest privacy standard of any VPN we've tested alongside Mullvad — no account system, multi-hop routing, WireGuard with Multihop, and annual audits. Not for streaming. Built for people who actually need privacy.

81%

Speed kept

Countries

$5.00

/mo annual

Independently audited — one of the only VPNs with no account system, no email, no logs, and open-source apps
No email, no account name — sign up with a random account ID only
Multi-hop (WireGuard Multihop) routes traffic through two servers by default on Pro tier

Standard plan limits you to 2 devices — 7 devices requires the Pro plan at $10/month

See IVPN deal Full review →

30-day money-back guarantee

Private Internet Access

Proven in court. Cheapest verified no-logs VPN.

Most Servers

8.4/10

Very Good

PIA runs the world's largest verified server network at ~$2/month. The no-logs policy has been confirmed in two separate US court cases. It's not the fastest, but for price-conscious users who need proven privacy, it's hard to beat.

83%

Speed kept

Countries

$2.03

/mo 2-yr plan

Largest server count of any VPN — 35,000+ servers in 91 countries
No-logs policy proven in two US federal court cases (not just audited — court tested)
Under $2/month on 3-year plan

US jurisdiction — subject to US legal processes

See Private Internet Access deal Full review →

30-day money-back guarantee

Astrill

The VPN that actually works in China.

Best for China & Censorship Bypass

8.3/10

Very Good

Astrill is the only VPN we've tested that works consistently in China, Russia, and the UAE. The proprietary StealthVPN and OpenWeb protocols bypass deep packet inspection that defeats standard WireGuard/OpenVPN connections. The price — $20/month, or $130/year — reflects this specialized capability.

90%

Speed kept

Countries

$10.83

/mo annual

StealthVPN protocol works reliably in China — tested from Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen
OpenWeb protocol is the fastest obfuscated protocol we've tested — negligible overhead
App-Specific VPN lets you route individual apps, not just system-wide

$20/month is the most expensive mainstream VPN — annual plan ($130/year) is still steep

See Astrill deal Full review →

IPVanish

Unlimited connections. WireGuard speeds. US jurisdiction.

Best for Unlimited Connections

8.2/10

Very Good

IPVanish delivers fast WireGuard speeds with unlimited simultaneous connections. The US jurisdiction and a 2016 incident where they logged user data (under previous ownership) are real concerns — disqualifying for high-stakes privacy, acceptable for everyday use.

88%

Speed kept

Countries

$3.99

/mo annual

Unlimited simultaneous connections — covers every device in your home
Fast WireGuard speeds — 88% retention in testing
2,400+ servers in 90+ countries

US jurisdiction (5 Eyes member) — highest legal exposure of any VPN

See IPVanish deal Full review →

30-day money-back guarantee

CyberGhost

Streaming-optimized servers. Easy enough for first-timers.

Easiest for Beginners

8.1/10

Very Good

CyberGhost's streaming-optimized servers are labeled by platform (e.g., 'Netflix UK', 'BBC iPlayer') — the most accessible approach we've seen for non-technical users. Privacy is weaker than NordVPN or ProtonVPN.

80%

Speed kept

100

Countries

$2.19

/mo 2-yr plan

Platform-specific streaming servers labeled by service and country
9,700+ servers in 100 countries — second largest network after PIA
Easiest interface for VPN beginners — one-click connect to streaming platforms

Romanian jurisdiction — recently amended data retention laws raise concerns

See CyberGhost deal Full review →

45-day money-back guarantee

Hide.me

Malaysian jurisdiction. 10 GB free. No-logs since 2012.

Best Free Tier + Privacy Jurisdiction

8.1/10

Very Good

Hide.me is the best combination of free tier and privacy jurisdiction we've tested. Malaysian incorporation keeps it outside US, UK, and EU legal frameworks. The 10 GB/month free tier with 5 server locations is the most generous free offering among privacy-focused VPNs.

82%

Speed kept

Countries

$4.99

/mo annual

Malaysia jurisdiction — outside 5/9/14 Eyes and EU data retention directives
10 GB/month free tier with access to 5 server locations — no payment info required
No-logs policy since 2012 — one of the longest uninterrupted records in the category

Smaller server network (2,300+) compared to NordVPN or CyberGhost

See Hide.me deal Full review →

30-day money-back guarantee

Windscribe

The only free VPN worth recommending.

Best Free Option

8.0/10

Very Good

Windscribe's free tier gives you 10 servers, 10 GB/month, and a firewall — more than any free VPN competitor. The paid tier is under $3/month. Build-Your-Own-Plan pricing is unique in the category.

77%

Speed kept

Countries

$2.70

/mo annual

Best free tier in the category: 10 GB/month, 10 server locations, no device limit
Under $3/month on annual plan
ROBERT (custom blocklist) is the most configurable ad/tracker blocker we've tested

Free tier speed is throttled and server options are limited

See Windscribe deal Full review →

3-day money-back guarantee

TunnelBear

Annual security audits since 2016. The most consistently transparent VPN.

Most Transparent Audit Record

7.9/10

Good

TunnelBear has published the results of its annual third-party security audit every year since 2016 — a transparency record unmatched in the industry. Speeds are modest, server count is limited, but the auditing commitment is genuinely differentiated.

76%

Speed kept

Countries

$4.99

/mo annual

Annual full security audit by Cure53 since 2016 — longest audit history in the category
Published audit results publicly including vulnerability disclosures — nothing hidden
Free tier: 2 GB/month with access to all 47 server locations

Canadian jurisdiction (5 Eyes member) — acquired by McAfee (now Gen Digital) in 2018

See TunnelBear deal Full review →

PureVPN

6,500 servers. Cheap long-term plans. A complicated history.

Budget Long-Term Plans

7.7/10

Good

PureVPN has the cheapest long-term pricing in the category and a large server network — but a 2017 incident where they logged and shared user data with the FBI despite claiming no-logs is a credibility problem that can't be dismissed. Acceptable for casual use. Not acceptable for privacy-sensitive use.

79%

Speed kept

Countries

$2.14

/mo 2-yr plan

One of the cheapest VPNs at extended plans — around $2/month on longer terms
6,500+ servers in 78 countries — large, well-distributed network
10 simultaneous connections

2017 incident: provided user activity logs to FBI despite no-logs marketing claim — the most serious privacy breach in VPN history

See PureVPN deal Full review →

31-day money-back guarantee

Mac VPN comparison table

Feature	NordVPN9.2/10	ProtonVPN9.1/10	Surfshark9/10	Mullvad8.7/10	ExpressVPN8.6/10
Our Score	9.2	9.1	9	8.7	8.6
Monthly Price	$3.39/mo	$3.99/mo	$2.19/mo	€5.50/mo	$8.32/mo
Servers	6,400+	2,900+	3,200+	800+	3,000+
Countries	111	91	100	46	105
Simultaneous Devices	10	10	Unlimited	5	8
Speed (tested)	730 Mbps (96%)	665 Mbps (87%)	695 Mbps (91%)	680 Mbps (89%)	755 Mbps (98%)
No-Logs Policy
Independently Audited
Kill Switch
Ad Blocker
Streaming
Torrenting / P2P
Port Forwarding
Obfuscation
Double VPN
RAM-Only Servers
Jurisdiction	Panama (outside 5/9/14 Eyes)	Switzerland (outside EU/US jurisdiction)	Netherlands (EU jurisdiction)	Sweden (EU jurisdiction, but no-logs is verified)	British Virgin Islands
Money-Back Guarantee	30 days	30 days	30 days	None	30 days

Data verified April 2026. Prices reflect lowest available plan per month (billed upfront).

Frequently asked questions

Do VPNs work on Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) Macs?

Yes, but quality varies. NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, and Mullvad have fully native arm64 apps for Apple Silicon. Some VPNs still run via Rosetta 2 translation, which works but uses more CPU and battery. Check the VPN's system requirements to confirm native Apple Silicon support.

Will a VPN slow down my Mac?

Modern VPNs using WireGuard on Apple Silicon show minimal performance impact — typically under 5% CPU overhead in our tests. OpenVPN on Intel Macs is more CPU-intensive. NordVPN's NordLynx (WireGuard-based) showed the least performance impact across our Mac test devices.

Does a VPN affect Mac Time Machine or iCloud backups?

VPNs typically don't interfere with Time Machine (local backups) or iCloud syncing. Split tunneling can be configured to exclude backup traffic from the VPN tunnel if needed. If iCloud syncing is slow with a VPN active, add it to the split tunnel exclusion list.

Do you earn commissions on these recommendations?

Yes. We earn affiliate commissions on some links. Our rankings are set by test data collected independently. Commission rates do not affect ranking position. Commission rates for each recommendation are published in individual reviews.

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How to Set Up a VPN on Mac (macOS) — 2026 Guide →What Is VPN Split Tunneling? How to Use It →

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Best VPN for Streaming →Best VPN for Privacy →Best VPN for Gaming →Best VPN for Travel →Best VPN for Torrenting →Best VPN for Budget →Best VPN for Netflix →Best VPN for BBC iPlayer →