To find the best VPNs for Mac in 2024, we rigorously tested 50+ top VPNs. We looked for VPNs that protect your privacy and security, offer high-speed connections, and provide a seamless user experience on macOS.
Our testing revealed that many VPNs aren’t a great fit for Macs — a lot of their features don’t work on Mac, many of them offer slow speeds, and some don’t even have the necessary security and privacy to protect your Mac traffic.
But we found 3 VPNs that are really good for Mac. ExpressVPN stood out in particular due to its lightning-fast speeds, industry-leading security features, and intuitive macOS app. It also comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can test out all of its features risk-free.
ExpressVPN —Best VPN for Mac in 2024
| No. of Countries With Servers | 105 |
| No. of Simultaneous Device Connections | 8 |
| Key Features | Full leak protection Lightway protocol (fastest on the market) Obfuscation (works in restrictive countries) Works with 100+ streaming services Split-tunneling (macOS 10.15 and below) Ad, tracker, & malware blocker Free password manager (ExpressVPN Keys) |
| Starting Price | $6.67 |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days |
ExpressVPN is our favorite VPN for Mac in 2024 — it has blazing-fast speeds, provides top-tier privacy and security features, and has an easy-to-use app for Mac.
This provider is the fastest VPN on the market, making it an excellent choice for all online activities on Mac, including browsing, streaming, torrenting, and gaming. We tested it while connected to local and distant servers, and in both cases, websites loaded instantly, and we were able to stream HD and 4K videos without any buffering.
On top of all the industry-standard security features you’d expect from a top VPN, ExpressVPN uses many advanced security features on Mac. It protects you from DNS, IPv6, and WebRTC leaks, uses perfect forward secrecy, which constantly changes the key used to encrypt your data, as well as RAM-only servers, meaning all user data is wiped every time the server is turned on/off. Additionally, its no-logs policy has also been audited by independent cybersecurity experts, meaning it doesn’t monitor or log any of your Mac traffic.
ExpressVPN’s macOS app has a simple and clean interface that we found very easy to navigate. It also includes several convenience features that enhance user experience. For example, Smart Location finds the fastest servers for you, and its Shortcuts feature lets you create 1-click shortcuts to sites and apps right in the ExpressVPN macOS app.
ExpressVPN’s plans start at $6.67/month. It backs all of its plans with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Private Internet Access (PIA) —Fast & Secure VPN for Mac
| No. of Countries With Servers | 91 |
| No. of Simultaneous Device Connections | Unlimited |
| Full leak protection Obfuscation (via Shadowsocks) Works with 30+ streaming services Split-tunneling (macOS 11 and above) Ad, tracker, & malware blocker (PIA MACE) Port forwarding & SOCKS5 proxy servers Open-source Mac app | |
| Starting Price | $2.11 |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days |
Private Internet Access (PIA) is excellent for safeguarding your online privacy and security on Mac. It offers advanced security features like full leak protection, perfect forward secrecy, and RAM-only servers, and it has an independently audited no-logs policy.
Additionally, its apps are completely open-source, meaning anyone can check its code for vulnerabilities, and it regularly publishes transparency reports, proving that it doesn’t share any of your Mac data with third parties.
PIA offers fast connection speeds on Mac. In our tests, websites and videos loaded immediately, and we never experienced any buffering whether we streamed in HD or 4K. Plus, it maintains these speeds on unlimited devices, so you and your entire family can use it on all of your devices at the same time.
PIA’s macOS app is very intuitive and feature-rich. It shows your ping to each server on the server selection menu, so you can easily find the fastest possible server for you. Furthermore, its macOS app is highly customizable — you can easily switch between 256-AES and 128-AES encryption (the latter is slightly faster but a bit less secure), change your proxy settings, and even modify the look and layout of the app.
Private Internet Access (PIA)’s plans start at a low $2.11/month, making it one of the most affordable VPNs out there. All PIA subscriptions are also backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
CyberGhost VPN —Beginner-Friendly VPN for Mac
| No. of Countries With Servers | 100 |
| No. of Simultaneous Device Connections | 7 |
| Key Features | DNS and IPv6 leak protection Works with 50+ streaming services Gaming-optimized servers (for zero lag) Ad, tracker, & malware blocker (Content Blocker) Automation settings (Smart Rules) NoSpy servers Data breach monitoring (Identity Guard) |
| Starting Price | $2.03 |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 45 days (long-term plans) 14 days (monthly plan) |
CyberGhost VPN is very easy to use, making it a good choice for Mac users who are new to VPNs. It lets you search for any server via its search function and keeps its streaming, torrenting, and gaming-optimized servers in separate tabs, making it super easy to find what you’re looking for.
One of our favorite features of the CyberGhost Mac app is Smart Rules, which lets you set up convenient automation. This allows you to set up CyberGhost to automatically connect to a server when you launch a specific app, auto-connect to any server on launch, or launch any app on your device after you connect to a specific server.
CyberGhost’s speeds on Mac are really good. In our tests, websites and videos loaded in 1–2 seconds on both local and distant servers, and we didn’t experience any buffering when skipping through HD and 4K videos.
This provider comes with strong privacy and security features too, including DNS and IPv6 leak protection, an independently audited no-logs policy, perfect forward secrecy, and RAM-only servers.
CyberGhost VPN’s plans start at just $2.03/month, so it’s a great VPN for security-conscious Mac users on a budget. Its long-term plans are backed by a generous 45-day money-back guarantee, and its monthly plan is backed by a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Quick Comparison of the Best VPNs for Mac in 2024
| ExpressVPN | Private Internet Access | CyberGhost VPN | |
| Starting Price | $6.67/month | $2.11/month | $2.03/month |
| Number of Countries With Servers | 105 | 91 | 100 |
| Streaming Support | Netflix: ✅ Amazon: ✅ Disney+: ✅ Hulu: ✅ BBC: ✅ | Netflix: ✅ Amazon: ✅ Disney+: ✅ Hulu: ✅ BBC: ✅ | Netflix: ✅ Amazon: ✅ Disney+: ✅ Hulu: ✅ BBC: ✅ |
| Number Of Countries With P2P Servers | 105 | 91 | 75+ |
| Split-Tunneling | ✅ (10.15 and below) | ✅ (all versions) | ❌ |
| Number of Connections | 8 | Unlimited | 7 |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days | 30 days | 45 days (long-term plans only) |
How to Choose the Best Mac VPN in 2024
- Look for a VPN that provides good privacy and security. This means the VPN should use bank-grade 256-bit AES encryption, have a no-logs policy, meaning it doesn’t keep track of what you do online, and come with a kill switch, which disconnects you from the internet if your VPN connection drops for whatever reason.
- Prioritize a VPN with high speeds. All VPNs will reduce your connection speeds slightly because of the time it takes to encrypt your data. But the VPNs on our list maintain fast speeds for all online activities.
- Find a VPN with an easy-to-use Mac app. We only recommend VPNs that have user-friendly macOS apps. You can get any of the VPNs on our list up and running in less than 5 minutes and connect to any server in just a couple of clicks.
- Check the VPN’s server network. A provider with servers in many countries gives you more connection options and ensures that you’ll always be able to connect to a nearby server for the fastest possible speeds.
- Evaluate the VPN’s overall value. We recommend searching for a VPN with reasonably-priced plans, that have good streaming and torrenting support, offer extras like split-tunneling and an ad blocker, and let you try them risk-free with a good money-back guarantee.
Mac VPN FAQs
Do Mac users need a VPN?
Yes, Mac users should get a VPN to protect their online connections. Although Macs are generally considered safer than Windows PCs because of their built-in security tools, Apple’s strict controls for what software can be on Macs, and the fact that fewer people use Macs (so hackers are less likely to target them), they’re not immune to cyber threats.
VPNs encrypt your data to make it indecipherable to others and prevent third parties, like advertisers, from seeing what you do online — none of which can be done by Mac’s built-in security tools.
Is there a free VPN for Mac?
Yes, there are free VPNs available for Mac. However, we generally don’t recommend free VPN because they come with too many limitations — they cap bandwidth, so you can only protect your online traffic for a limited time, give you access to only a couple of servers, and don’t support streaming or torrenting.
Some free VPNs even collect and sell your data to third parties, which defeats the purpose of using a VPN. For all of these reasons, it’s simply better to get a premium VPN.
Do Macs have a built-in VPN?
No, Macs don’t have a built-in VPN. While Macs do provide a way for you to manually set up a VPN on your device, you’ll still need to get a third-party VPN service to provide the actual VPN features and protections.
