Best VPNs for Mac for 2025: Tested and Reviewed

Somewhat confusingly, Surfshark has two different MacOS apps: One that you download from the Surfshark website and another that you download from the Apple App Store on your Mac. The difference between the two is hardly noticeable at first glance, but if you want to connect via OpenVPN, you’ll need to download the App Store version. If you need access to Surfshark’s Antivirus, you’ll need to download the version from the website. If you need both, then you’ll need to download both -- which is admittedly not ideal. Even so, Surfshark is excellent on MacOS and both apps are otherwise pretty much identical.  

Though it's not the fastest VPN in the world, Surfshark is still relatively speedy and fast enough for just about anything you’d want to do online, from general online browsing to more data-heavy activities like streaming and gaming. We calculated a total average speed loss of 21% in our latest speed tests, with an 18.5% speed loss on MacOS between OpenVPN and WireGuard.

When streaming on MacOS, Surfshark performed well during our tests and was able to unblock content on Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, Max and Amazon Prime Video. The only hiccup we encountered was that Netflix titles sometimes took a little longer than normal to load on MacOS. However, once the thumbnails loaded, streaming on Netflix went smoothly.

Although Surfshark recently bumped up its annual renewal pricing by $20, it’s still a significantly cheaper option than ExpressVPN or NordVPN. On the other hand, Surfshark’s monthly subscription costs $15.45 per month, which is more expensive than just about any other VPN’s monthly rate, and as a result is effectively without value. The annual plan costs $48 for the first year, but jumps to $79 per year after. If you opt for the two-year plan, you’ll pay $60 total for the first two years combined, then $79 annually after the initial two-year term. Surfshark offers a 30-day money-back guarantee in case you’re not satisfied with the service.

• Also nominated in: Best VPN for Apple TV, Best VPN for Streaming

On top of delivering blazing fast speeds, Lightway includes post-quantum protections, which can help protect your data from potential future threats from quantum computers. This feature works in the background and is built into Lightway, so you don’t need to do anything other than set Lightway as your protocol to activate ExpressVPN’s post-quantum protections. ExpressVPN’s Shuffle IP is another helpful privacy feature that works in the background and changes your IP address for every website you visit, which makes it even more difficult to track you online when using the service. The kill switch worked flawlessly on Mac during our latest tests, and we detected no DNS leaks.

ExpressVPN is also an excellent choice if you like to stream lots of international content on your Mac from a variety of streaming services. In our testing, ExpressVPN worked exceptionally well when streaming on Mac -- expertly unblocking content on streaming services like Netflix, Disney Plus, Max, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video.

ExpressVPN is a premium VPN service that does just about everything well. But it comes with a premium price tag that eclipses the price of just about every other VPN on the market. The monthly plan costs $13 per month, which is in line with the monthly price of many other VPNs. But ExpressVPN’s longer-term plans are far more expensive than most of the competition. The yearly plan costs $100 for the first year (then $117 annually) and the two-year plan costs $140 for the first two years combined (then $150 annually). The yearly and two-year plans offer additional identity protection features, which you’re essentially forced to pay extra for even if you don’t want or need the features. As it stands, it’s a funky pricing structure that’s not exactly consumer-friendly, but company representatives tell me that they’re working on revamping the pricing -- which will hopefully make the service more attractive to the average VPN user.

• Also nominated in: Best VPN Service, Best VPN for iPhone

In our testing, NordVPN delivered faster speeds than our base internet connection on MacOS over both the NordLynx and OpenVPN protocols. You shouldn’t expect Nord to increase your network performance, this is an atypical experience that could be because of ISP throttling or more efficient communication with ISP DNS servers. However, you can count on Nord to retain the bulk of your usual internet connection. 

NordVPN is excellent for streaming thanks to its massive server network and blisteringly fast speeds. On MacOS, we effortlessly unblocked nearly every streaming service we threw at it, including Netflix, Disney Plus, BBC iPlayer, Max and Amazon Prime Video. We had to try a second UK server for Prime on MacOS. The first time, a VPN was detected, but a quick server change straightened out any issues.

Unfortunately, NordVPN’s initial value takes a nosedive after your subscription term runs out. At $13 a month, $60 for the first year or $83 total for the first two years, Nord is about in line with (or even cheaper than) the competition. But its extortionate renewal pricing of $140 a year on the one- and two-year plans is highway robbery. Thankfully, you can avoid a pricey autorenewal by stacking subscriptions, but we don’t like that you have to babysit your VPN subscription. By comparison, Proton VPN renews at $20 more per year on the one-year plan, while ExpressVPN re-ups for $17 more per year -- neither of which is close to the $80 renewal price hike that Nord saddles you with. Still, if you’re willing to monitor your VPN subscriptions, NordVPN boasts blazing-fast speeds that are excellent for streaming movies and shows in 4K, a massive global server network and advanced privacy amenities.

• Also nominated in: Best VPN for Netflix, Best VPN for Fire TV Stick

Proton VPN was the second-fastest VPN we benchmarked, coming in behind NordVPN, with a superb 16% average internet download speed loss. We measured an impressive 6% speed loss on WireGuard and 10% on IKEv2 with MacOS, which should provide buffer-free streaming video and low-lag gaming.

For streaming, Proton VPN unblocked even tough-to-access international Netflix libraries, like Netflix Egypt. We experienced no issues streaming from services including Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video, CBC Gem, Max and BBC iPlayer. Hulu even worked on MacOS while it didn’t on Android TV, where a VPN was detected. 

Proton’s free plan isn’t without its limitations. You’re restricted to using one device at a time, and you can’t manually select a server. But if you need more servers, a greater simultaneous device allowance or additional manual control over your server connections, its premium plan is a fantastic choice. You’ll pay $10 a month, $60 for the first year or $108 total for the first two years (the one- and two-year plans renew at $80 annually), while getting a 10 simultaneous device allowance and access to 12,000 plus servers in 117 countries.

• Also nominated in: Best Free VPN, Best VPN for Netflix

PIA’s 58% average speed loss on WireGuard and 47% average speed reduction with OpenVPN on MacOS is significantly higher than we recommend. Additionally, we normally expect faster speeds with WireGuard than OpenVPN, but PIA surprised, and not pleasantly so. Anecdotally, we never noticed any moments where videos stopped playing to buffer, but quality usually started out pretty choppy before smoothing out.

While its high speed loss is detrimental to streaming performance, PIA does a decent job with region-restricted content unblocking. Its servers in all 50 US states mean it could be a good choice for streaming regional sports, like NFL games. Some streaming services, like Hulu and Amazon Prime Video US, worked better on MacOS than Windows or Android TV -- a VPN wasn’t detected on Mac while it was on Android or Windows in some cases.

The PIA app is great for power users who want to tinker with advanced settings for VPN protocols or utilize split tunneling on MacBooks. While it’s reasonably intuitive on most platforms, including Mac and iPhone, on some devices like Android, we found the experience a little rough around the edges. PIA’s advanced settings are a double-edged sword for casual users, as they may be overwhelming. And PIA’s apps on Mac, Windows and Linux feel a little outdated compared to the slick apps you’ll find with many competitors, including ExpressVPN, NordVPN and Proton VPN. But if you want a budget-friendly VPN that provides helpful, unique privacy settings on MacOS, PIA is a great option in spite of some issues.

• Also nominated in: Best Cheap VPN, Best VPN for Travel