Nov 06, 2020 Let’s take a look at the best free VPNs for Mac. What to Look For in a Mac VPN. Before we jump into our recommendations for the best free VPN for Mac (and why you should avoid free VPNs in the first place), let’s review what to look for in a Mac VPN: The provider is not based in a 5/9/14 Eyes country; Strict no-logs policy; 256-bit AES. Here is the best free VPN for Mac 2021 that can help you browse the web safely without being tracked. TunnelBear can hide your IP address, location from websites, ads, and hackers. This VPN software for Mac restricts advertisers from tracking your online activities. It is enabled with AES 256-bit encryption to safeguard your confidential data. Free Mac VPN gives connection protocols with different versions in terms of strength and weakness, such as high-security low-speed protocol and lower-encryption high-speed protocols. These have different names and performances like OpenVPN, L2TPP, PPTP, Wire Guard, and the latest patented hydra protocol, the most advanced, secure, and fasted.
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- What Is The Best Free Vpn For Mac
Sep 01, 2021 The Best Free VPNs for Mac – In-Depth Analysis August 2021 Updated After testing 45+ free VPNs, we bring you the 10 best free VPNs for Mac in 2021. These VPNs work with Mac Mojave, High Sierra, Big Sur, and other macOS versions. ExpressVPN — Best Mac VPN with a Free Trial – 30-day money-back guarantee. Free Mac VPN gives connection protocols with different versions in terms of strength and weakness, such as high-security low-speed protocol and lower-encryption high-speed protocols. These have different names and performances like OpenVPN, L2TPP, PPTP, Wire Guard, and the latest patented hydra protocol, the most advanced, secure, and fasted.
MacOS may still be one of the safer operating system choices when it comes to online activity, but it is not infallible. There are no safety guarantees for those choosing to create accounts on newly discovered websites without their data being sold off, or those who wish to do a bit of light shopping without compromising their credit card credentials.
Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs, extend a private network across a public one, which enables users to send and receive data between shared networks as if they were directly connected to it themselves. So, anyone wanting to watch US Netflix from the comfort of their Russian abode can do so through the use of a VPN without geographically-locked constraints.
In recent years, Virtual Private Network (VPN) services have become a very real and integral part of our life. With the right VPN software, Mac users can find the protection they desire no matter where they happen to be geographically.
The 3 Best Free VPN Services For Mac
When it comes to anything being offered for free, you need to be careful and really consider the choice being made. The same holds true for choosing the right VPN.
Some free VPNs, like HotSpot Shield, who in 2017 had a claim made against them for “intercepting and redirecting traffic to partner websites,” and PureVPN who provide a no-logging promise yet still kept enough information on an alleged stalker’s online activities to help the FBI track him down, cannot be trusted and therefore should be avoided.
To understand which ones will need to be dismissed from your list of eligible candidates, you’ll need to figure out what you need the free VPN for.
The Best Free Vpn Software
Are you:
- looking to avoid a data breach and/or remain anonymous while web surfing?
- planning to engage in torrenting or streaming?
- visiting a different country and don’t wish to be geo-blocked from content?
All of these questions can be answered with the right VPN service. What you’ll need to decide is whether you want a completely free VPN service or prefer to utilize a free trial period offered by one of the leading VPN services on the market.
Free Trial vs Free Service
The three best VPN services on the market today, not only for Mac but all platforms, are without a doubt ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and CyberGhost VPN.
All three of these free VPN services offer a trial period to test the product prior to making a purchase. These industry leaders will require a monthly fee to maintain the use of their services.
However, there are some who don’t have the monthly revenue to maintain the upkeep necessary. If you fall into this camp, there are plenty of options out there that will not require a trip to the bank. Just keep in mind that all providers enjoy being paid for their work. Though they may not require monetization from you directly, some providers will opt to make money through the use of annoying ads and pop-ups while you’re using the service.
Some free VPN services may forego the use of ad revenue and instead provide a relatively decent service while hiding the majority of perks behind a paywall. You as the user should have access to all necessities at a baseline tier, but may be offered additional tiers to help sweeten the overall experience.
These perks come primarily in the form of priority servers, premium servers to access things like Netflix and Hulu, and additional, often unlimited, bandwidth.
Top 3 Choices For A Free VPN Service On Mac OS
TunnelBear
TunnelBear allows you to make modifications to your IP address, access censored and restricted sites, and unlock varying streaming services. The free service provides a zero-logging feature which keeps your data from being traded to the highest bidder, so you can feel safe knowing your privacy will not be compromised.
Though TunnelBear has one of the fastest speeds of all of the free VPN services, the very minimal 500MB (1.5GB after a tweet) is hardly enough for consistent streaming purposes.
The VPN service does boast an adequate amount of servers (22 countries as of this write up) to those using TunnelBear for free. What’s even better is that they will never force pop-ups down your throat so you can use the VPN service without interruption.
Like most free VPN services, TunnelBear offers users the opportunity for paid upgrades. The plans come in two tiers; The Giant plan, billed monthly at $9.99, and the Grizzly plan billed annually at $59.99. The Grizzly plan is naturally the best bang for your buck allowing up to five simultaneous connections, all with unlimited bandwidth.
Windscribe
Windscribe boasts the same no-logging policy that TunnelBear offers but also includes 10GB of monthly bandwidth and the availability of P2P servers. The catch is that the free service only offers a very limiting 10 servers for use. This will often lead to larger loads, causing noticeable speed and quality drops.
To boost the number of servers, up to 55 of them, you’ll find yourself paying a $9 monthly premium. Though you’re likely here looking for a free option, this may be more than worth it seeing as the plan also offers unlimited bandwidth.
To set it apart, Windscribe offers a unique feature in the form of a configuration generator which allows you to adjust the settings according to your personal needs. This feature is tied to the premium plan which, if you go the annual route, provides a generous discount saving you 55% off the total price.
BetterNet
With BetterNet, you get free unlimited access to restricted sites, safe browsing, and streaming. You’ll get all the standard bells and whistles as the previous mentions, all except the no-logging policy that is. BetterNet doesn’t provide too much information on security but they do keep some connection logs even if activity logs are still a no-go.
In order to maintain the unlimited bandwidth, the provider makes money using ads but does offer a premium version of its software making the service ad-free. Without the premium, you’ll experience an ad or app offer pretty regularly while using the service.
Unlike either TunnelBear or Windscribe, the number of servers is not disclosed, but with the premium plan at $11.99 a month, you’re given a few server options. The connectivity and download speed of the servers offered is decent but nothing to brag about. Yet they’re still good enough for any streaming needs you may have (aside from Netflix, of course).
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VPNs or virtual private networks have become hugely popular in the last few years, thanks in part to the way that they allow you to mask your locations. This allows you to view streaming video services that are only available in your home country while you’re traveling, or watch services like Netflix that are intended for a different country — so, for example, if you live in Europe you could watch the US version of Netflix. There are a number of VPN services available, both free and paid for, but they vary in lots of ways, including price and the features they offer. So, which is the best VPN for Mac?
What is a VPN?
VPN is an abbreviation of a virtual private network. The easiest way to think of it is as a tunnel between you and whatever online service or website you’re visiting. Instead of connecting to your ISP’s servers and then from there to a website, you bypass your ISP an connect to the VPN server and from there to the online destination. Most VPN services have servers in multiple geographic locations and the one you choose to connect to will determine which country the website or service you’re visiting thinks you’re coming from. Hence, you can pretend to be in a different location — useful if you need to bypass restrictions place on internet access by your own government or by the website you’re connecting to. You connect to a VPN using a Mac VPN client, usually supplied by the company operating the service.
In addition, VPNs encrypt the data that travels on their network. That means it’s a much more secure way to use the internet, particularly if you’re connected via a public wifi network such as those in coffee shops or airports. It also means it’s much more difficult for hackers, or anyone else, to snoop on your online activity. If this is an important feature to you, make sure that the service you choose anonymizes traffic and doesn’t share details of customers with anyone, including law enforcement authorities. There have been occasions when companies have claimed their service is secure and anonymous and then have been found to have been sharing details.
The other reason for using a VPN is if you’re connecting to a local network when you’re working remotely. However, on those occasions, the company you’re working for will have set up its own VPN and configured your Mac to connect to it.
Why do I need a VPN?
The Best Free Vpn For Mac
As we said above, one of the main reasons for using a VPN is to be able to access services that are restricted in the country where you’re currently located, including streaming media services that are intended for customers in a different country.
The other main reason is security. The fact that VPN connections are encrypted makes them much safer when you use public wifi. For example, you shouldn’t connect to your online bank over an open public wifi connection, but with a VPN in place, it’s fine.
Tip: If you care about the security, you should think about managing Wi-Fi networks on your Mac. The point is that your computer stores a list of all networks you've earlier connected to and connects to them automatically. These include insecure open Wi-Fi hotspots. If you want to fix that quickly and easily, we recommend using CleanMyMac X app. It has a special tool that allows you to see the list of all secure and open networks and remove them right away.
Finally, some people use VPNs because they have a fundamental objection to the restrictions placed on online activity by their government. These include obligations placed on websites to verify your identity before they allow you to access the content. By setting up a VPN to mask your location, you can make it appear that you’re in a different country and therefore not have to provide personal data.
Vpn For Mac
Best paid VPN
Here are some of the best of the paid VPNs for Mac only cost a few dollars per month and ensure you get a secure connection and access to any content.
What Is The Best Free Vpn For Mac
1. ClearVPN
ClearVPN is the first effortless VPN for a personalized and secure online experience. ClearVPN features shortcuts for quick content access and lets users browse the web safely and privately without having to pick a server location, thanks to its unique DynamicFlow Technology. ClearVPN automatically analyzes the user's current network status and connects them to the fastest idle server to enable secure, low-ping, and smooth access based on their activity or goal.
2. NordVPN
NordVPN is probably the most widely know VPN service for Mac. It has excellent security features, including a kill switch that ends your connection to the internet if the VPN drops out. On top of that, the company doesn’t keep any records of your online activity. There are 4,400 servers in 62 countries, a huge selection. And it’s Mac app is easy to set up and use. There are also mobile apps and you can connect up to six devices. NordVPN starts at a couple of dollars a month if you sign up for three years.
3. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN has over 2,000 in 148 different locations. But it supports a maximum of three devices. However, its Mac client is excellent and easy to use and It’s lightning fast. Its privacy policy is also rated favourably.
As you can see, when it comes to choosing a VPN for your MacBook or any other VPN Mac client, there’s a great deal to consider. The good news is that when when you’re ready to set up a VPN on Mac, it’s very easy as they all come with their own setup app, and some even have a Safari VPN extension. If you’re thinking about choosing a free VPN, rather than paying for one, be aware that you’re likely to have to put up with ads on your desktop and your data may be passed to third parties. That compromises one of the key benefits of using a VPN — security. You’ll also have a cap on the data you can transfer on a free VPN.
Paying a few dollars a month, especially if you use a VPN regularly, is very worthwhile.
Best free VPN for Mac
Before deciding that you want a free VPN rather than one you have to pay a subscription for every month, you should know that there are consequences. Free VPNs often have a data cap, meaning they limit the amount of data they allow you to transfer every month. That’s fine if you only want to use it when you work from your local coffee shop, not so good if you want to connect to it permanently.
Best Free Vpn For Mac Uk
Also, free VPNs have to make money somehow and for some, that means installing toolbars that show you adverts or have links to products they want to promote. For others, it means passing your data to third parties — including information on the sites you visit. If you’re happy with those conditions, read on. If not, jump to the Best paid-for VPN for Mac.
1. TunnelBear
Of all the free VPNs for Mac, this is one of the best. It has a free tier and a paid-for tier, and the free tier limits you to 500MB per month. On the plus side, it has around 1,000 servers in more than 20 different countries and allows you to connect up to five devices at a time. So you could use it for your Mac, iPhone, and your iPad. It’s Mac client is user friendly and easy to use, though, like all free VPNs, the number of features is limited.
What Is The Best Free Vpn For Mac
2. Windscribe
If TunnelBear’s 500MB restriction doesn’t appeal, Windscribe offers 10GB/month. What’s more, you can “earn” an additional 5GB by tweeting about the service and 1GB for referring a friend. You only need a user name and password to sign up, so it’s one to choose if you’re worried about giving out your email address. And for those concerned about privacy, there’s some very good news: Windscribe doesn’t store connection logs, the sites you’ve visited, or IP stamps; everything is deleted within minutes of you ending a session. And, it has a built-in ad-blocker and firewall — making it a real winner for anyone who needs privacy.
On the downside, it only has servers in eight locations, and you can only connect one device.
3. HotSpot Shield
HotSpot Shield’s data limit is 500MB/day, which is better than either TunnelBear or Windscribe. It also allows you to connect from up to five devices. And it has servers in 25 locations. However, you can’t choose which location you connect to; it’s chosen for you. HotSpot Shield is funded by adverts, which means it places adverts on your Desktop when you’re connected to it. It’s probably not the one to choose if privacy is your main concern.