Though Mac computers are generally considered the most protected in the world, they are not 100% invulnerable. You can never be sure that you are not tracked by someone – hackers, scammers, intelligent services, or your own ISP. If this seems a bit annoying to you and you experience quite a natural desire to disappear for a while, a good free VPN is exactly what you need.
Moreover, a vpn service can help you resolve some other issues, for example, get access to geo-restricted web content or securely connect to a public Wi-Fi. In our review, we are going to present you a list of best free VPN solutions for Mac of the year 2019.
Before we move on to reviewing best free VPNs for Mac available in the market, let us say that all of them are limited in capabilities in one way or another. Chances are that after using a free VPN for a while, you may start to get annoyed with these limitations. This is why we cannot but talk about the alternative approach.
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You can actually use premium VPN software without spending a single dollar on it. Keep on reading to know how to use the best VPNs for free and enjoy unlimited opportunities.
All of the VPNs listed above are top providers that ensure 100% safe web-browsing and suit for streaming and torrenting thanks to high speed. The good news is there is a smart way to use high-quality paid services as free products. The point is that most providers offer a free trial period and/or guaranteed money back period.
What is the best free VPN for Mac?
Naturally, free trials and MBG cannot last forever. While most VPN offer significant discounts for 1-year or 2-year packages, you may still have your reasons to look for an absolutely free service.
It’s hard to believe, but there are some totally free VPN services that work really well for Mac and can be used for various purposes just as popular paid VPNs.
However, let us once again remind you that all of them have certain limitations. It’s for you to decide whether you can do with these restrictions or not, as it largely depends on the goals you pursue. Read all the reviews carefully to find your best VPN for Mac.
TunnelBear
5
1000
Free /mth
$9.99 /mth
$4.99/month /mth
$4.17/month /mth
TunnelBear is one of the best VPN services for Mac that has both a free and a paid version. But its free iteration is even more popular, as it has few true competitors. Its performance is pretty good: TunnelBear will let you modify your IP address, access censored and restricted sites, and even unlock streaming services (except for, maybe, Netflix).
TunnelBear is a service that won’t make you compromise your privacy. It boasts a 100% zero-logging approach, so you may stop worrying about the probability of your data being traded or stolen. When it comes to security, advanced AES 256-bit encryption and OpenVPN protocol are used by default.
TunnelBear doesn’t cut down speed in its free version but you’ll hardly be able to stream something with it, as the monthly free traffic is just 500 Mb. Twitting about them will give you extra 1GB monthly, but 1,5 GB is still not quite impressive. This is the biggest disappointment about TunnelBear free package.
A great thing about TunnelBear is that all its servers are available to the users of the free edition. As of now, the provider has servers in 22 countries, which is not bad. Add the fact that the provider doesn’t force you to watch pop-up ads, and you’ll fall in love with it.
TunnelBear gives its users an opportunity to upgrade to the paid tier at any moment. It offers a single all-in-one pricing plan that allows up to five simultaneous connections and unlimited bandwidth. As for the paid version, the plans are as follows:
Windscribe
Unlimited
530+
$9 /mth
$4.08 /mth
$0 /mth
Windscribe is another honest free VPN provider that has a client for Mac computers. Its strong points are a no-logging policy, hefty 10 Gb per month for free, and availability of P2P servers for hassle-free torrenting. The provider’s unique feature is a configuration generator that allows adjusting the settings according to your personal needs.
Windscribe adheres to high security standards in its work. For data encryption, it uses AES-256 cipher with SHA512 auth and a 4096-bit RSA key. As for security protocols, the default option is OpenVPN but SOCKS, and IKEv2 are also available.
A strong advantage of Windscribe over TunnelBear is 10 Gb of free bandwidth per month. However, the number of server locations available to the users of the free version is limited to 10. For this reason, the load on these servers is pretty large, which causes noticeable speed drops. Image editing software for mac free. Thanks to the availability of P2P servers, torrenting is possible: with Windscribe one can download up to 10 Gb of free content every month.
Like other free VPNs, Windscribe offers its premium version with expanded possibilities. Apart from unlimited bandwidth, after upgrading you will get an access to 55 server locations instead of 10, ad- and malware blockers, and a config generator. The monthly fee for this option set is $9 but you can buy an annual pack and get a generous discount.
ProtonVPN
1-10
400+
$4 /mth
$8 /mth
$24 /mth
$0
ProtonVPN is a Switzerland-based provider of VPN services with a free version available. It has a client for Mac that offers some nice features and possibilities. Though the free edition looks rather restricted, it is quite usable.
In terms of security, ProtonVPN has nothing to complain about. It uses an AES-256-CBC cipher with HMAC SHA-512 hash authentication and OpenVPN protocol as a default option. The provider collects minimal logs, such as the time of connection and the duration of a session, nothing more.
As we had mentioned, the free version of ProtonVPN is rather restricted. Users get access to 3 server locations and can connect only one device under one free license. P2P servers are unavailable for free, which means you won’t be able to use the VPN for torrenting. Moreover, the connection speed is quite low, partly, because of the load on the free servers.
Unlike the previously described providers, ProtonVPN offers three different premium plans – Basic, Plus, and Visionary. Their monthly price is $4, $8, and $24 respectively. All of them open access to all server location, support P2P and can be used for torrenting and streaming, as there is no speed limit. More expensive plans come with a range of useful extras and allow more simultaneous connections.
Hotspot Shield
5
2500
$12.99 /mth
$8.99 /mth
$5.99 /mth
$3.49 /mth
The free Hotspot Shield version is quite usable, but only if don’t need a VPN for streaming and torrenting. Needless to say, it can’t unblock Netflix. Hotspot Shield supports P2P, but an access to dedicated P2P servers is provided only to those users who upgrade to the premium version. A pleasant bonus is the availability of free browser extensions and free malware protection.
Like other top-rated free VPN providers, Hotspot Shield uses top-notch AES-256 encryption and supports OpenVPN protocol. The company claims to collect zero user logs, which is a strong advantage, as well as the availability of the kill-switch feature. That said, it forces users to watch pop-up ads, which is rather annoying.
Those looking for high download speed will like the Hotspot Shield VPN. It is one of the fastest free VPNs compatible with several platforms, including Mac. That said, its speed is a sort of unstable and largely depends on the server location. In the free version, users are granted 500 Mb of traffic daily, which is not bad for hassle-free and secure browsing.
If you decide to upgrade to the premium version of Hotspot Shield, you’ll get numerous perks, such as unlimited bandwidth, access to 2500 servers in 25 locations, including P2P servers, and will get rid of the annoying advertisements. While a basic monthly plan is quite expensive – $12.99, you can save up to 76% and get a bi-annual plan at the price of $3.49 per month. All the packages available are as follows:
Betternet
Can a free VPN offer unlimited bandwidth? Yes, it can, if it is Betternet. With this VPN you get unlimited access to restricted sites, safe browsing, and streaming. The provider offers a standard feature set. It allows unlocking geo-restricted content by changing the IP-address, stream content from some popular platforms (except for Netflix), prevent tracking of your online activities, and so on.
Betternet doesn’t provide much information about its security protocols and encryption methods used. According to the claims found in its blog, this is OpenVPN with AES 256-bit encryption and 128-bit AES-CBC for IPSec but there are no official specs on their site. It is known that Betternet keeps some connection logs but no activity logs.
Betternet makes money on advertisement, which is officially stated on its website. You’ll be regularly offered to watch an ad or install an app. In exchange for this, it provides unlimited bandwidth to all its users. Connection and download speed is not bad too, so torrenting and streaming via Betternet is possible.
Like most free VPNs, Betternet offers a premium version of its software. As it is stated on their site, the biggest advantages of the paid edition are the absence of advertisement and a possibility to choose which server you want to connect to. At the same time, the number of servers is not specified. The basic price of its paid version is $11.99, which is a sort of pricey. But you can save up to 66% going long-term.
Free Vpn For Mac 2019Things You Should Know Before Getting a Free VPN
The above-mentioned products are absolutely free, and all of them are available for Mac users. Just visit the site of the chosen free VPN, download Mac version and enjoy complete online privacy for no money.
As a rule, a genuine purpose of any free program is to make its users purchase the full premium version. Free VPN for Mac is not an exception. You can use it, but you will constantly think of upgrading. They will provide you the bare minimum of features, suitable just for basic tasks resolving.
Free VPN providers want to make money like any other commercial organizations. They can do it in several ways. Most frequently, one of the following methods are used:
Ads and various limitations that would not allow you to enjoy streaming and torrenting are quite annoying, but the truly worrisome fact is that some free VPNs would sell your personal data to third parties to make money. Therefore, we highly recommend you to stick to one of the free VPNs listed above to be on the safe side.
When Does It Maker Sense to Use a Premium VPN?
It’s logical enough that all the top VPN providers want some money for their services. However, as a rule, the fee is not large – in some cases, it is possible to acquire full-featured software at a price of $2 monthly. Consider getting a premium VPN if you need one to access Netflix – free VPNs won’t help you with this one. Streaming and torrenting fans should also consider getting a paid plan to have decent speeds and truly enjoy watching their favorite shows instead of dealing with annoying buffering. In the following cases a free trial or MBG will let you solve your problem using a top VPN without spending a dollar:
The Bottom Line
VPN services have become an integral part of our life. With a good VPN software, Mac users can feel protected wherever they are, e.g use a public wi-fi with no worries that someone will snoop their private information. If this is your reason for getting a VPN, one of the reliable free providers listed above will probably work for you. Just be careful and remember that some free VPNs cannot be trusted.
Would you like to use your VPN for torrenting or streaming? If so, and in addition, annoying ads are not something you are ready to tolerate, you would better take a closer look at the top VPN providers. Get use of the trial period and money back guarantee they offer to test the services and choose the one that will fully satisfy your needs. Once you are ready to commit, a premium VPN service can cost you just a couple of dollars per month.
The Mac is a computer for creative minds out there. Everything about the Mac reflects an aesthetic sophistication that is certain to appeal to the designer and artist community.
Though, whether you are an artist or a corporate executive, we all love free stuff. And why wouldn’t anyone take the opportunity to bypass geo-restrictions and attain online privacy for free?
You can achieve all that if you are using the best free VPN for Mac. Although there are dozens of providers that can unblock websites, only a few of these are reliable enough to trust our privacy with.
In this blog, I will mention only the most trustworthy VPN services you can rely on the next time you surf the web on your Mac.
Note: If you are really serious about your privacy, I’d advise you to check spend a few bucks. Visit our page on best premium VPN services for Mac to discover services that provide the full range of VPN benefits at highly affordable rates.
Top 5 Free, Fast, and Trusted VPNs for Mac
Every provider has a privacy policy page where they describe the type of data they retain and whether any sensitive information such as browsing sessions are logged. Below are some of the most trusted providers that you can trust to use on the Mac.
See also: Installation of VPN on Mac with Step by Step Guide
1. ProtonVPN
ProtonVPN was developed by the creators of ProtonMail, which is one of the most widely used encrypted email service. As such, the providers already have developed a strong reputation in the world of online security.
It has a dedicated app for Mac users that uses the strong and fast IKEv2 protocol. In addition, the privacy policy of the ProtonVPN is not exactly ideal. The company does retain data such as user account information and can share it with other companies being operated by the Proton Group.
Nonetheless, in spite of this, the logging is still quite minimal and not something that should be considered invasive if you are surfing the web. Coupled with remarkably fast speeds, ProtonVPN has highly efficient servers. It supports almost all versions of Mac including 10.7.5, 10.6.8 and 10.9.5.
2. Windscribe
Windscribe offers a dedicate app for macOS that has a very usable interface. Users can enjoy up to 10GB of bandwidth for free very month with this VPN. The privacy policy has to be the simplest and most readable privacy policy out of any provider I have seen.
Strictly speaking, Windscribe is not exactly a no-log VPN. It stores information such as time of connection and the server a user is connected to. However, these logs are not associated to any identifiable information such as username, so the company cannot track exactly what each individual is doing on the web using its services.
With such high transparency in the policy, I personally find Windscribe highly trustworthy one. In addition, it offers 11 servers in the free version, and works nicely with Mac 10.6.8, 10.9.5 and many others. Not a bad deal at all if you ask me.
3. TunnelBear
TunnelBear is another free service that has recently improved its privacy policy and overall performance. It has a dedicated app for Mac which has a nice GUI with a bear roaming around. The free version offers 500MB per month limit which can be increased to 1.5GB/month if you tweet about (the provider explains exactly how through the confirmation email).
TunnelBear used to demand the full name of users before the service could be downloaded on your Mac. This requirement has been retracted now in the interests of promoting user privacy. The initiative puts the provider in good light and shows they are committed to protecting user privacy, so you can keep your data protected and safe on the Mac.
4. Speedify
Speedify offers free VPN for mobile as well as desktop platforms including Mac OS. The app is a lightweight, visually appealing software that is surprisingly quick in forming connection with you chosen VPN servers.
The privacy policy states that the company does not log user activity while they are connected to the service. Unfortunately, the service does keep logs of device information, IP address and other identifiers. This is a let-down from an otherwise great service for Mac users looking for fast speed VPN.
Best Free Vpn For Mac
Free Vpn For Macbook Air
5. Hide.Me
Hide.Me could easily be considered as the one of best free services available for Mac. It offers amazing features even on the free version such as Kill Switch, IP leak protection, and DNS leak protection. Many providers offer a reduced set of features for Mac, but not Hide.Me.
Unfortunately, the free Hide.Me app only has 3 servers users can choose from and comes with a 2GB per month data limit. These limitations keep Hide.Me from getting top rank on this list. On the privacy front, it is fairly reliable, keeping only minimal logs for users. All in all, it a fairly a good VPN to have if you are not interested in spending cash.
Free Vpn For Mac Os X
Free Services for Other Purposes
Users of other operating systems should not worry as several freebies exist to safeguard them too.
Wrapping Up
The Mac is much more popular today than in previous years. As such, almost every provider offers a dedicated app so no users are left out from securing their privacy on the web. This is why you should use a free trusted VPN in order to maximize your privacy.
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