Best free Mac VPNs – Find a secure and reliable VPN for Mac

Looking for the best free VPN for Mac? Find out which free VPNs offer the best features and performance for Mac users, so you don't have to spend a single dollar.

Want a free VPN for Mac? Using a VPN for Mac can greatly enhance your online privacy and security. However, finding a reliable free VPN for Mac can be challenging because there are many inferior, and even dangerous, services currently circulating on official app stores, including Apple Apps. The good news is that we can help you pick a secure free VPN for Mac.

A VPN prevents local networks, ISPs, and government agencies from tracking your web visits, which removes a significant layer of tracking. A VPN also hides your IP address from the websites you visit, which prevents them from knowing exactly where you are. While the benefit of VPNs for bypassing internet blocks is well-known nowadays – not everybody can afford a premium VPN. That guide is designed to help by pinpointing VPNs that don't put you at risk.

The important thing to remember is that many free VPNs put your data at risk. They track your activities and even sell data to third parties. This makes it crucial to choose a VPN carefully. 

In this guide, we have pinpointed reliable free VPNs that protect your privacy effectively. Although a trustworthy free VPN will always have certain limitations compared to paid Mac VPN services, there are still some options worth knowing about. Scroll down to see the best free VPNs for Mac and learn why a paid VPN might be a better option.

What makes a free VPN safe for a Mac?

There are dozens of free VPNs on the market and many of those are designed to spy on their users and harvest user data. These types of free VPNs are often based in countries like China and constantly profile users to sell their information to advertising companies, data brokers, and any other third party willing to pay. This means that most free VPNs are honeypots that completely fail to provide privacy, which is what a VPN is supposed to do. 

For a free VPN to be safe for Mac it must take user privacy seriously. Unfortunately, this is going to severely restrict the number of free VPNs that you can use safely. It also means that the small number of secure free VPNs available will have limitations designed to encourage you to upgrade to a paid plan (fewer servers, download limits, slower speeds, fewer features, etc.). 

All things considered, we think it is lucky that any reliable VPNs offer a free plan. Running a VPN is time-consuming and expensive. The costs of running a server can be high, so it is commendable that a few premium VPNs offer a basic free plan, even if they do limit some of their features to force users to upgrade. 

The important thing to remember is that the free VPNs recommended for Mac users in this guide all prioritize data privacy and security. They offer reliable encryption and privacy policies that do not compromise user data. This means they will work to prevent tracking by local networks, ISPs, and government agencies even when using the free plan.

The best free VPNs for Mac:

1. Proton VPN: Best overall free VPN for Mac. This Switzerland-based provider ensures robust privacy even for free. It allows unlimited use of the free plan. Slow speeds compared to the paid plans. Mac users can access free servers in the USA, Japan, and the Netherlands. Torrenting and streaming Netflix are unavailable for free.
2. Hide.me: A reliable unlimited free VPN for Mac users. Servers in eight countries. Offers robust encryption, a no-logs policy, and it is ad-free. The free version restricts access to popular streaming services like Netflix US. It is also pretty slow compared to premium VPN options.
3. Windscribe: A Canadian VPN that offers 10 GB monthly data on its free plan. It has a no-logs policy and strong encryption. Includes ad and tracker blocking. The free version limits some web activities, including access to popular streaming platforms and torrenting. 
4. Hotspot Shield: Provides a basic free VPN service suitable for Mac users. US servers only. It comes with a daily cap of 500 MB and includes ads. Although it does not sell user data, it does collect some for internal purposes which may put privacy advocates off.
5. TunnelBear: Offers a free plan that includes servers in the US, UK, and Canada. It allows up to 2 GB of data usage each month. The main caveat is that the service is slow. It also blocks access to major streaming platforms. On the plus side, it has a no-logs policy and offers strong encryption to prevent tracking – free of charge.

Summary Table

You can use any of the VPNs above for free without jeopardizing your privacy or the security of your MacBook or Power Mac. However, it's important to understand that free VPNs come with certain limitations and slower speeds compared to paid options.

To enjoy an elevated experience, we recommend trying one of the best VPNs with fast speeds, unlimited data, and access to popular streaming services. NordVPN offers a risk-free 30-day trial with a straightforward money-back guarantee, this will let you see the difference between a free VPN and a paid VPN firsthand (the difference is like night and day).

Premium services like NordVPN deliver enhanced performance, including higher speeds, unlimited data, servers optimized for torrenting, and access to popular streaming platforms such as Netflix US, Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, and BBC iPlayer.

If you've never used a VPN before, or have only used free versions, we highly recommend taking advantage of NordVPN's risk-free trial. You'll experience significant improvements in performance, reliability, and accessibility!

How did we pick the best free VPNs for Mac?

To provide the best recommendations for free VPNs for Mac, we thoroughly reviewed the privacy policies of numerous free VPN services. 

Our VPN experts were careful to only recommend VPNs that maintain no permanent records of your activities or the VPN server locations you connect to. Besides this, we also prioritized free VPN apps for Mac that offer strong protocols like OpenVPN or WireGuard – with robust AES-256 or ChaCha20 encryption.

Later in this guide, we will explain our testing methods in more detail. For now, here are the main factors we considered when picking the best free VPNs for Mac:

• Offers a free VPN plan without requiring payment details.
• Does not keep usage logs or sell user browsing data to third parties.
• Provides reliable apps available for free on Mac.
• Has at least one free server location, preferably with multiple free servers in various countries.
• Apps include trusted VPN protocols with securely implemented encryption.

Best free Mac VPNs: Detailed reviews

All the free Mac VPNs recommended in this guide provide robust online privacy and security for Macbooks, iMacs, and Power Mac computers. They can prevent local networks, such as workplaces, from monitoring your activities and protect you from being tracked by public WiFi providers. They also secure you against hackers when connected to free WiFi in cafes, hotels, etc.

Using these free VPNs will protect your Mac against ISP-based mandatory data retention and prevent your web traffic from being intercepted by government spies. You can also prevent websites from detecting your location, which allows you to torrent without revealing your IP address to hackers.

With these advantages in mind, we urge you to remember that reputable free VPNs always have strict limitations. We have detailed these limitations in the summaries below, so you understand what you will be missing when compared to a fully featured Mac VPN like NordVPN, Surfshark, or IPVanish.

Proton VPN is a highly reputable VPN provider based in Switzerland. It was developed by the team behind Proton Mail, which gives it an extremely solid reputation. Besides being one of the most advanced premium VPNs that money can buy, it is also an extremely solid free VPN that you can use‌ on any Mac.

Somewhat surprisingly, Proton VPN allows people to connect to its free servers on an unlimited basis. That means you can use the free VPN to get privacy for your internet connection all day every day. However, it is important to note that the free servers are pretty congested and offer much slower speeds than the paid version.

It is also important to note that the free version of Proton VPN lacks some of the advanced features available in the paid plans. For example, you will not get split tunneling, port forwarding, MultiHop, obfuscation, secure core servers, or ad blocking. If you want any of these features for your Mac, we recommend upgrading to a paid service.

The free servers are available in the US, Netherlands, and Japan. That is pretty good coverage for a free plan. However, you should remember that these free Proton servers will not allow torrenting or access to streaming services like Netflix US, Hulu, HBO Max, etc. Streaming is reserved for paying subscribers only.

UNLIMITED FREE MAC VPN: Proton VPN’s free plan offers robust OpenVPN with AES-256 encryption, DNS leak protection, and a kill switch. Works to access restricted news content, messenger apps, social media, and many other regional services. However, streaming is reserved for paying subscribers, so for Netflix, you’ll need a premium VPN. A highly reputable and fully audited VPN.

Read our full review of Proton VPN.

Hide.me is a reputable VPN provider based in Malaysia, known for its strong commitment to online privacy. It offers a free plan that provides the same robust security features as its paid plan. This includes a kill switch, DNS leak protection, and robust AES encryption using the OpenVPN protocol.

We are impressed that Hide.me’s free VPN can be used on an unlimited basis and does not serve any ads, making it less data-hungry than many other free VPNs (better for gaining privacy while also conserving your mobile data allowance). Plus, you don’t need to provide any payment details to access the free plan, which is both convenient and more appealing.

The main limitation of Hide.me is that the free VPN can only be used on a single device. It also blocks torrenting and streaming services like Netflix, meaning you need to upgrade to use the VPN for downloading files or watching VoD services.

However, if you just want to protect your data against ISP snooping and hackers on public WiFi, or bypass restrictions to access news, social media, or messaging apps, this free Mac VPN is well worth trying out.

NO LOGS: Hide.me is a user-friendly and reliable VPN that will provide robust data privacy for your Mac, free of charge. It is easy to use and provides access to servers in Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK, and the US. Just bear in mind that it won't work to watch Netflix or other popular streams.

Windscribe provides Mac users with a reliable free VPN service that includes 10 GB of data each month and access to servers in 10+ locations. That is a decent amount of choice for a free VPN, and you can use it without needing to provide any payment details.

Windscribe’s "ROBERT" technology enhances your security and saves on data by blocking malware, ads, and trackers. The service is also ad-free, making it less annoying and data-hungry than other free VPNs. 

Although it is reliable to gain privacy, Windscribe’s free plan has limitations designed to encourage upgrades. This includes no access to streaming services like Netflix and no torrenting. If you want a VPN for streaming or file sharing, we recommend opting for one of the best premium VPNs for Mac. 

Windscribe supports strong encryption protocols like OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard, ensuring solid security. Despite being based in Canada, which has mandatory data retention laws and is part of the FIVE EYES alliance, Windscribe maintains a strict no-logs policy. 

Another advantage of the Windscribe free tier is that it allows unlimited simultaneous connections, though sharing accounts with family members can quickly deplete your data allowance, so keep that in mind if you suddenly run out. Finally, live chat support is not available for free users, but email support is.

FULLY FEATURED: A trustworthy and well-regarded provider that offers a basic free plan and includes a strong no-logging policy and an integrated ad-blocking feature. You can connect to servers in 10+ different locations for free and receive 10 GB of data each month. If you use up the data allowance, you'll need to either subscribe for more data or wait until the next month for it to reset.

Read our full review of Windscribe.

Hotspot Shield is available for free on Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS. The service is popular globally thanks to its free US server, which has been widely used to escape surveillance and internet blocks during events like the Turkey coup and the Arab Spring. 

The provider is easily accessible on its website and through app stores, with a convenient Chrome extension also available. The service provides fairly good speeds thanks to its proprietary Hydra protocol, though the free server is much slower than those on the paid plan due to congestion, so don't expect too much.

Hotspot Shield free is limited by a daily data cap of 500 MB. This makes it unsuitable for streaming or other data-intensive activities. The server also fails to provide access to popular services like Netflix US and Hulu. The free plan only has IPs in America, so if you need a free VPN to access IPs elsewhere, stick to one of the recommendations above.

While both the free and premium versions share the same privacy policy, the free plan includes ads that are generic and not personalized. Hotspot Shield collects some user information, such as wireless network details and approximate location, for internal use, but this does not include usage logs or specifics of the VPN servers accessed.

Overall, this is a pretty decent free VPN plan that is worth knowing about. However, the low daily allowance means that you'll probably only use it for accessing restricted news rather than streaming and gaming. Finally, the 24/7 live chat customer support is for paying subscribers only, so free users will have to do without help.

FREE US SERVER: Hotspot Shield lets you connect to a US IP address for free, making it useful for accessing American social media services and apps from abroad. It works with YouTube and other popular services, but premium streaming platforms like Netflix require a paid account. The free plan is limited to 500 MB of data per day, which while small, means you can use the VPN a little every day.

Read our full review of Hotspot Shield.

TunnelBear is a Canadian VPN service that offers a basic free plan you can use on any Mac. This plan allows you to connect to servers in 20+ different countries, which is pretty cool. However, it is limited to 500 MB of data per month, which is significantly lower than our other recommendations.

If you tweet about the service, you can earn an additional 1 GB of data, but this is a one-time bonus. With this in mind, Tunnelbear's free VPN option is not going to be a good option for data-intensive tasks such as downloading, streaming, or gaming on your Mac.

The good news is that both free and paid users get the same level of protection from TunnelBear. The app gives you strong 256-bit AES encryption, and its privacy policy clearly states that it does not log user activity. You also get a kill switch to prevent data from leaking outside of the protected tunnel.

Independent security audits have verified TunnelBear's privacy claims, which means you can trust it not to hand over your data to authorities or any other third parties. Just bear in mind that the free plan doesn't work to access popular streaming services like Netflix. You also don't get live chat support with a free account.

GLOBAL NETWORK: TunnelBear lets free users connect to servers in 20+ countries. Robust encryption protects your browsing against tracking by ISPs and government agencies. Can keep your Mac safe on public WiFi. Easy to use. No support for free users.

Free Mac VPN – testing methodology

Our experts conducted tests to identify the most secure free VPNs for Mac. We focused on free VPN plans from trusted VPN brands that have robust privacy policies and strong encryption. Our goal was to find free Mac VPNs that safeguard your online activities from online tracking, government surveillance, and monitoring by ISPs and local networks.

Our precise VPN testing methodology involves leak tests, encryption checks, and a detailed analysis of VPN privacy policies to ensure that the providers do not log user activities, even when using their free plans.

While free VPNs typically come with limitations, such as data caps, restricted server locations, and fewer advanced features compared to their premium versions, they can still provide significant privacy and security benefits. That is why we created this guide to the best free VPNs for Mac users.

The important thing to remember is that features like MultiHop, Tor over VPN, or advanced obfuscation are usually absent in free versions. If you want advanced features you should consider upgrading to an unlimited VPN.

Below we’ve included a list of criteria that each free Mac VPN for Mac needs to meet to feature on our list:

• Strict no-logs policy: Guarantees that user activities are neither tracked nor recorded.
• Robust encryption: Utilizes strong encryption to secure data.
• Essential VPN security features: Includes a kill switch and DNS leak protection.
• Reasonable speed and performance: Provides adequate speeds for general usage.
• User-friendly apps: Accessible on multiple devices for convenience, including Mac.
• Free plan: Usable without the need for payment details.

Best free Mac VPNs - FAQs

Is a free VPN for Mac private and secure?

Although we have managed to find a few reliable free VPN options for Mac, you should remember that these are rare. 

Many free VPNs have questionable privacy policies that allow them to track your online activities for profiling purposes. They sell this data to third parties, which compromises your privacy. 

Studies have also revealed that most free VPNs found on app stores and in Google searches lie about the level of protection they provide, lack encryption, suffer from leaks, have app and server vulnerabilities, and often hide spyware in their apps. Needless to say, this makes using those free VPNs incredibly risky.

The good news is that not all free VPNs are risky. We have carefully selected reputable and secure free VPNs that adhere to stringent privacy standards.

These VPNs offer robust encryption, comprehensive security features, and a strict no-logs policy, ensuring your online activities remain private. Despite their limitations compared to paid plans, these vetted free VPNs can protect your Mac on a limited basis.

Can I watch Netflix using a free Mac VPN?

No. Premium VPNs that offer a reliable free plan deliberately block streaming platforms like Netflix. They do this to save on bandwidth and to force users to upgrade to a paid plan.

Keeping streaming servers exclusively on their paid plans ensures that the free servers don’t become overly congested and slow. It also means that the VPN doesn’t have to worry about unblocking Netflix with its free servers. 

Anybody who wants a Mac VPN to watch streaming accounts on vacation or at work, will need to get a paid VPN subscription.

Can I use a free VPN for torrenting on Mac?

Most free VPN plans block P2P connections, so you will need to check with each individual provider if you want a free VPN for torrenting. Some free VPNs may permit P2P connections, but their data limits make them inefficient for torrenting, as you are likely to use up your data allowance quickly.

For safe and regular torrenting, we strongly recommend choosing from one of the best VPNs for torrenting. Premium VPNs offer torrenting-optimized servers and unlimited data, allowing for unrestricted P2P file sharing. They also provide split tunneling and port forwarding, which helps to improve your torrenting experience.

Can a free VPN keep my Mac safe on public WiFi?

Yes. All the VPNs we have recommended in this guide provide robust encryption for your Mac’s internet connection. This ensures you can use public WiFi networks without being tracked by the hotspot provider. It also means you can join any WiFi network without concerns over whether it has been implemented securely by the administrator.

The encryption provided by a VPN will keep your data private as it crosses the network and will prevent your information from being intercepted by any hackers lurking on the WiFi. This makes it safe to work remotely on public WiFi, regardless of your location.

Are free VPNs for Mac dangerous?

Studies have revealed that many free VPNs are a threat to the safety of your devices. Free VPNs lack encryption and often lie about the level of protection they provide. They collect user data and sell it to third parties to create a revenue stream. They also suffer from IP and DNS leaks, which means that even when you use them, local networks, ISPs, and government agencies know what you are doing online. 

Some free VPNs have even been found to contain spyware. These severe security risks make it essential for Mac users to avoid most free VPNs. We urge you to do careful research before installing a free VPN. To ensure your device is safe we recommend sticking to one of the fully tested services in this guide.

You can use a combination of the free VPNs in this article, which should give you plenty of free VPN access without the nee