10 Best VPNs for Mac in 2023: Reviews & Buying Guide

If you’re a fan of Apple products, then you know that Apple takes its security seriously. 

By using macOS with a VPN, you get the added benefit of secure, anonymous browsing online.

Many VPN services now offer clients for macOS, and so it’s important to research VPNs to find the one that meets your needs. This article gives you all the insider knowledge on choosing the right VPN and walking you through the setup process.

It’s important to remember that a VPN will provide you with the ability to obfuscate your traffic and provide a secure connection. It can also give you access to content from around the world as you can seem to be connecting from a different country. 

So, if you’ve been longing to catch up on the latest foreign shows, a VPN service can help you do just that!

So, hop in and let’s get started exploring the best VPNs for macOS!

Let’s get started!

Here is a quick summary.

1. ExpressVPN

Top of my list of the best vpn for MacOS is ExpressVPN.

ExpressVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands and is a VPN company that enables you secure access to the internet using your Mac desktop.

Here is a detailed ExpressVPN review.

It has a huge collection of more than 3,000 vpn servers that are based in 94 countries in different continents.

If you are looking for a VPN that will guarantee you the best speeds for your Mac then ExpressVPN is definitely an option you want to consider.

ExpressVPN is also a great VPN if you want to be able to use your Mac laptop for watching tv series on streaming platforms like Netflix because it is one of the best VPNs for streaming Netflix.

However, ExpressVPN is a rather expensive vpn service compared to other popular options that we will also look at in this article.

Since their 1 year plan will cost you $ 8.32/month, it is clearly not a cheap vpn for a Mac desktop or laptop.

If you want to be able to try ExpressVPN on your Mac computer for free the you are out of luck because they do not have any free trials.

But you’ll get a 30 days money back guarantee with your purchase to provide a risk free trial of ExpressVPN.

Another drawback is that you can only connect upto 5 devices using your ExpressVPN subscription.

2. NordVPN

If you are on a tight budget and want a cheap vpn for Mac OS then NordVPN might be what you are looking for.

NordVPN is a Panama based VPN service provider that provides you one of the best VPN apps for Mac for secure internet access on the Mac computer.

Here is a detailed review of NordVPN.

It currently has 5,200 servers that are located in 59 different countries across the globe.

I have added it to this list of the best VPNs for Mac because their Mac VPN app has an automatic internet kill switch that will ensure that you only access the internet through a VPN to hide your identity.

In addition to that, NordVPN is also one of the fastest vpns if you want the best speeds.

In terms of the cost of using NordVPN, it is a budget friendly vpn for Mac OS.

NordVPN will only cost you $ 3.49/month if you purchase their 3 years subscription plan that also has a 30 days money back guarantee.

If you want to try their Mac OS vpn app before purchasing, then you can sign up for a free trial either on App Store or Play Store and then using those credentials to setup your Mac desktop.

It will only let you connect 6 devices maximum using the same pair of logins.

3. CyberGhost

Third on this review of the best vpn services for MacOS is CyberGhost.

CyberGhost is a VPN company located in Romania that also has one of the best VPN apps for the Mac OS X operating system.

Here is a complete CyberGhost review.

Currently, they have 8,000 servers that are based in 89 different countries.

This means that you have a lot of options to choose from when selecting a server and country to connect from using your Mac computer.

In case you want to use your Mac for streaming then you will be happy to know that CyberGhost is also the best VPN for Amazon Prime Video.

As if that is not enough, if you need a dedicated IP that you can use with your Mac computer to work remotely, then CyberGhost will provide you a unique dedicated IP that is only available to you.

When it comes to their price, it is one of the cheapest vpn services for Mac OS.

CyberGhost will cost you $ 2.75/month if you choose to purchase their 3 years plan which also has a 45 days refund policy.

In addition to that, if you want to try their Mac OS VPN app for free, then you can sign up for their 24 hours free trial that gives you access to their premium features.

However, all CyberGhost servers are blocked in China.

So if you want a VPN app for macOS that can bypass China’s firewall, then you should check this list of the best VPNs for China.

4. Surfshark

If you are looking for one of the fastest vpns for Mac then Surfshark could be what you are looking for.

Surfshark is a VPN company based in the BVI that enables you to access the internet anonymously from your macOS device.

Check out my detailed Surfshark review.

Since it also has very powerful server obfuscation technologies, Surfshark is able to bypass China’s firewall and enable you to access censored content like YouTube.

It has 1,040 vpn servers in 61 countries at the time of writing this review of the top vpn services for Mac OS X.

Thanks to the military grade 256-bit encryption that Surshark uses, your personal information is completely secure online and cannot be hacked.

In addition to that, Surfshark is actually the cheapest vpn for MacOS.

It will only cost you $ 1.99/month on their 2 years plan, which comes along with a 30 days refund period.

Besides, if you want to try Surfshark Mac OS app before purchasing, then you can use their free 7 days trial that gives you access to all the premium features.

One of the main pros of Surfshark is that it allows unlimited connected devices.

If you want to be able to share your vpn subscription with other devices, besides your Mac, then Surfshark is definitely the best vpn for you.

5. IPVanish

IPVanish is a vpn service provider that has one of the best vpn apps for MacOS.

It currently has its headquarters in the United States and has more than 1,300 VPN servers spread out in 75 different countries.

Here is a detailed IPVanish review.

This means that you will find a server in most countries that you would like to connect to.

In fact, if you are a digital nomad, constantly on the road, then IPVanish is one of the best VPNs for digital nomads that will avail a server in most countries that you travel to.

Also as my speeds test revealed, IPVanish is actually a very fast vpn if you need speedy internet access.

That being said, IPVanish is an expensive vpn… just like ExpressVPN.

Their best price is the 1 year plan that will cost you $ 6.49/month.

You also only get a 7 days refund period when you purchase any IPVanish plan. Unfortunately, you also can’t get to try IPVanish on your Mac laptop for free because they do not have any free trials.

On the flip side, it allows you to connect more devices than either ExpressVPN or NordVPN.

It allows upto 10 connected devices using the same account.

6. PrivateVPN

PrivateVPN is a VPN that will also provide you with secure internet access on your Mac, including access to all the popular streaming platforms like Hulu and Netflix.

It currently has 150 servers that are spread out in 60 countries, which means it’s a very small vpn company.

Click here for a detailed PrivateVPN review.

That being said it has one of the best vpn apps for the Mac OS X.

PrivateVPN makes it very easy to download torrent files securely and anonymously using their dedicated torrenting servers.

Also since all their streaming servers are labelled, streaming with PrivateVPN on their Mac OS X app is just a few clicks away.

When it comes to the cost of using PrivateVPN, it is one of the cheapest vpns services for the Mac OS.

PrivateVPN sets you back $ 2.55/month if you purchase their 2 years plan.

Since their plans also have a 30 days money back guarantee, you have 30 days to try their Mac OS app and if you are not impressed, email support and ask for your money back.

But if you don’t want to risk any money upfront to test PrivateVPN with your Mac OSX, then you can make use of their free 7 days trial that does not require a credit card.

With a PrivateVPN subscription, you’ll also be able to connect upto 6 devices simultaneously.

7. PureVPN

PureVPN is a vpn service provider located in Hong Kong and is one of the best for Mac OSX in 2021.

It has more than 2,000 servers in 140 countries which means that you will get a lot of options when choosing a server to connect to from your Mac desktop or laptop.

Here is a detailed review of PureVPN.

In addition that, if you are looking for a VPN that will provide you with a dedicated IP for accessing sensitive applications, then you can go for the PureVPN dedicated IPs.

It is for this reason that it is even one of the best VPNs for remote workers.

PureVPN also has a lot of other amazing features in the Mac app, like ad blocking and malware blocking.

When it comes to their prices, PureVPN is actually a vpn that you will like if you are on a tight budget.

In order to use PureVPN on your Mac, you’ll only pay $ 3.33/month on their 2 years plan.

But if you want to try their Mac OS app for free then you can sign up for their 3 days trial that only costs $ 2.50 because PureVPN doesn’t have a free trial.

With a PureVPN plan, you can connect up to 5 devices which is great if you only have a couple of devices to share your connection with.

8. VyprVPN

If you are looking for a vpn for MacOS that is also great for streaming then VyprVPN might be what you are looking for.

VyprVPN is a VPN service provider with their headquarters in Switzerland that enables you to access the internet privately and anonymously from your Mac device.

Here is the link to an in depth review of VyprVPN.

In fact, if you also need a vpn with great obfuscation technologies that can bypass the great firewall of China then again… VyprVPN is probably your vpn.

I have said probably because, even though VyprVPN has all these streaming, torrenting and unblocking capabilities, my speeds tests proved that it is not a very fast vpn.

Though their speeds are great and acceptable, you can still get similar services at better speeds with NordVPN or CyberGhost.

When it comes to what it will cost you to use this vpn, it is a truly cheap vpn for the Mac operating system.

VyprVPN has a 2 years plan that will cost you $ 2.71/month, with a 30 days money back guarantee.

You are out of luck if you want to try VyprVPN for free on your Mac OS because they don’t have any free trials at the time of writing this review of the top vpn services that work with Mac OS X.

Also their support for multiple devices is limiting as VyprVPN only lets you connect as much as 5 devices at the same time.

9. Private Internet Access

PIA is a VPN service provider based in the US that provides you secure and private internet access through your Mac desktop or Macbook.

It has more than 3,340 servers located in 32 countries across the globe.

Find a detailed Private Internet Access review here.

So you will also get a ton of options to choose from when selecting a server to connect to in your PIA Mac OS vpn app.

I have added it to this list of the best VPNs for macOS it has very fast speeds.

In addition to that it will unblock Netflix in various countries which means that you can use your Mac to enjoy your favorite Netflix shows from any location.

Some other additional features that I love about this vpn that are also available in the Mac OSX app is the ad and malware blocker by PIA MACE.

When it comes to their pricing, PIA will cost you $ 3.33/month on the 1 year plan.

So it is a budget friendly vpn if you are looking for a cheap vpn service for a Mac desktop.

Even though there is no free trial of PIA, you get a 30 days money-back guarantee to ensure you have time to evaluate their services or ask for your money back if you are not impressed.

On the flip side, you can connect upto 10 devices using a single PIA subscription.

10. Hidemyass

Hidemyass is a VPN service provider based in the United Kingdom that enables you to access the internet securely using bulletproof encryption technologies, like the military-grade AES 256-bit encryption.

It currently has 1,000 servers based in 190 different countries.

Here is a more detailed HMA review.

This means that HMA is the VPN with the largest geographical coverage among all the other VPNs in this list… and even outside this list.

HMA is also able to unblock Netflix using their servers based in the US as well as BBC iPlayer using their UK based servers.

It is not a VPN that I would often recommend because they just take your privacy online for a joke… they still keep your real IP subnet mask.

That being said, HMA really has a great looking vpn app for MacOS.

Their Mac OS vpn app has a powerful automatic internet kill switch together with a split tunnel if you want route some traffic through the vpn and some through your ISP.

What I particularly like about HMA is that their servers are available literally everywhere on this planet.

Talking of their pricing, HMA is not clearly a cheap VPN for Mac users either as their 1 year costs $ 3.99/month which in between being cheap and expensive.

But if you want to be able to try Hidemyass on your Mac OS device for free then you can make use of the free 7 days trial to evaluate their services before you purchase.

It will let you connect upto 5 devices at the same time.

Conclusion

All in all, the best VPNs for macOS provide you with the latest features and industry-leading security protocols. 

You’ll appreciate the added layer of security they provide when using Apple’s macOS system. And you’ll also enjoy increased privacy, the ability to access geo-restricted content, and save money on streaming services.

One of the top picks when it comes to macOS VPNs is ExpressVPN. They are reliable, fast, secure, and come with great features like split tunneling and channel bonding. 

Plus, their apps are easy to use, offer plenty of advanced settings, and even have features like a kill switch for enhanced security. 

So, if you need a reliable VPN, you can’t go wrong with ExpressVPN. 

Not only will they keep your data safe from hackers, they’ll also help you unlock a wealth of content from all over the world. 

And you’ll enjoy all of this without having to worry about sacrificing your internet speed.