If you’re looking for a Mac compatible Virtual Private Network (VPN) for Mac but don’t want to pay for it, we’ve looked at the best VPNs that can be used for free on macOS.
Although a free VPN can’t compare with the best VPNs for Macs, there are some services out there that allow you to use a limited version of their VPN for free.
All of the VPNs featured here have a Mac desktop client that work on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs and they also work on Windows so these reviews will be of interest to users on all platforms.
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What’s The Catch With Free VPN Services?
As you might expect, there are some disadvantages of using free VPN apps to be aware of.
The main drawback of free VPNs is that many of the reasons for using a VPN in the first place don’t apply to free VPN services.
That means that essential features such as security, privacy, speed and server location choice are all either compromised or inferior to paid VPN services.
Free VPNs are only suitable for limited internet surfing as they all have different restrictions such as data limits, speed throttling, limited server choice and may not be as secure as paid VPN services.
From a usage standpoint, the main problem you’ll find with most free VPNs is that they limit the amount of data or bandwidth you can use.
This means that after a limited amount of surfing or streaming – typically up to 10GB of data per month – they will stop working.
So if you’re hoping to use these free VPNs to unblock Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime or HBO Now you may be disappointed.
Another common drawback with free VPN services is that they often display invasive ads while you’re surfing or streaming video.
From a security point of view, free VPNs also more likely to sell your data to third parties so for those that want a VPN for privacy purposes, it’s much safer to subscribe and pay for a VPN instead.
In the worst cases, some free VPNs actually install malware on your Mac.
According to one study, 4 out 10 free VPNs installed malware on a computer.
These can do everything from steal your passwords to hijacking your computer.
Finally, if you have any problems using a free VPN such as slow speeds or connection failures then there’s usually no support with free VPN providers.
Free VPNs vs Paid VPNs
It’s important to be aware that there are very few reliable free VPNs for Mac on the market.
There’s a good reason for this too.
Providing secure, reliable VPNs requires a lot of investment from VPN providers as they require servers, development teams and constant maintenance.
In the case of macOS, there is less choice than on Windows as VPN providers have to keep updating the apps for the latest versions of macOS.
If you therefore want a secure, fast VPN that guarantees that you can surf privately and unblock services like Netflix and BBC iPlayer with official apps for Apple Silicon Macs, we strongly recommend checking out our guide to the best VPNs for Mac first before trying an inferior free solution.
There are some very good deals to be had at the moment with the best VPN for Mac NordVPN currently offering 71% off and paid services provide far greater security, reliability and speed compared to free VPN services.
What We Looked For In The Best Free Mac VPN
Although there are many free Mac compatible VPN services out there, these are some of the things we looked for when selecting the best ones.
- Mac App: The most important thing we looked for was that the VPN offered a Mac desktop client showing a clear commitment to macOS and Mac users. Note that although all of these VPNs work on M-series Macs using Rosetta, some of them are not built natively for Apple Silicon Macs meaning they may not be as stable or perform as well.
- Unlimited Data: All free VPNs impose limits on how much data you can use in the free versions. We looked for free VPNs that offer generous data allowances.
- Speed: Another limit of free VPNs is that they throttle the speed that you can surf or stream on them. All of the free Mac VPNs reviewed here provide satisfactory speeds with some faster than other. Some are not suitable for streaming services such as Netflix however and we have made this clear in the reviews.
- Security: Many free VPNs either sell your personal data or log your activity. We looked for VPNs with a strict no logging policy and other factors such as whether they are located in Five Eyes, Nine Eyes or 14 Eyes countries, DNS or WebRTC leaks and strong encryption on connections.
- Safari Support: Although VPNs work with almost any browser, we also looked at the VPNs that work best with Safari which is Apple’s browser that is installed on all Macs.
- Features: Some VPNs offer more tools than others such as split tunneling, kill switches, multi-hop and double-hop for added encryption and protection of your IP address.
- Split Tunneling: Most VPNs do not support split tunneling on Mac in the latest versions of macOS. This is useful if you just want to use the VPN with specific apps but not others. We highlighted those free VPNs that do support split tunneling on macOS.
With this in mind, here is our list of the best free VPNs for macOS of 2024 in order of ranking.
1. Hide.me
Source: Hide.me
What made Hide.me our top pick is that it gives you 10GB of data per month and doesn’t plague you with ads like some free VPN services.
In fact, the free version of Hide.me features almost all the same features as the paid version with a strict no logs policy, no speed throttling and no trackers.
We also like the fact that Hide.me VPN also works natively on Apple Silicon Macs so there’s no difference in performance from Intel Macs.
Hide.me For Mac supports P2P and torrents in 5 different locations and unlike most free VPNs, even includes 24/7 support.
Another bonus is that Hide.me supports a generous 10 simultaneous connections on different devices which is double that of most other free VPNs.
On top of all this, the free version also guarantees the same 99.9% uptime as the paid version.
There are of course advantages to subscribing to the paid version of Hide.me.
These include Split Tunneling (which most Mac VPNs don’t support), Stealth Guard, Advanced IP Leak Protection, IPv6 Support, WireGuard and of course, no limits on data usage or bandwidth.
The paid version also gives you access to over 1900 servers in 75 locations.
There’s no registration or sign-up required to get started with Hide.me Free For Mac now.
Pros:
- 10GB of data per month
- No ads
- No logging
- Supports 10 connections at once
- Native Apple Silicon Mac app
- Free version includes support
- Paid version supports split tunneling
Cons:
- Free version only allows access to 5 servers
- Split tunneling only available in paid version
2. PrivadoVPN Free
Source: PrivadoVPN
One of the big attractions of PrivadoVPN is that it’s based in Switzerland so that it benefits from Switzerland’s extremely strict laws on privacy.
Switzerland has some of the strictest consumer privacy laws in the world and on top of that, PrivadoVPN has a strict no-logging policy for all users.
The free version of PrivadoVPN has a very generous 30 day 10GB data allowance with 12 servers worldwide available.
Most free VPNs only offer a handful of servers to choose from so PrivadoVPN offers more servers than most in the free version.
PrivadoVPN free is also just as secure as the paid version which includes IP masking and point-to-point encryption.
It has an easy to use Mac app which connects to servers quickly and everything can be done in one click if you just want an instant, secure connection.
For fast P2P transfers for sharing sensitive big files such as scientific and corporate data, PrivadoVPN is also very fast and secure although you’ll need to upgrade to the paid version to increase the 10GB data allowance in the free version.
You can sign-up for PrivadoVPN Free now.
Pros:
- Based in Switzerland for privacy protection
- 10GB of data per 30 days free
- 12 servers worldwide in free version
Cons:
- Split tunneling not supported
- No native Apple Silicon Mac app
3. ProtonVPN Free
Source: ProtonVPN
ProtonVPN For Mac is one of the only free VPNs that offers unlimited usage in the free version.
This makes it easily the best free unlimited VPN for Mac in our reviews.
It also has a native Apple Silicon Mac app that works with the Apple Silicon chip.
Proton VPN Free only offers 3 server locations in the US, Japan and Holland but if this isn’t an issue for you, the unlimited surfing is a huge bonus.
The main downside to ProtonVPN Free is the speed which is nowhere near as fast as the paid version and it doesn’t support streaming services like Netflix or YouTube.
You can also only connect one device to ProtonVPN with the free version and support is limited to raising tickets via email.
All you need to starting using ProtonVPN Free For Mac is an email address and create a username.
To remove all limits ProtonVPN is also currently offering up to 55% off paid plans.
Pros:
- No surfing limits
- Swiss based with strict no logs policy
- Native Apple Silicon Mac app
- Supports split tunneling
- DNS leak protection
Cons:
- Slow speeds as premium users take priority
- Only 3 server locations in US, Japan & Netherlands
- Limited email ticket support
- Split tunneling not supported
4. Hotspot Shield Free
Source: Hotspot Shield
Hotspot Shield For Mac is made by Silicon Valley’s AnchorFree which was one of the very first VPNs on the market.
The free version of Hotspot Shield Basic for Mac has many drawbacks the main one being you are limited to 500MB of bandwidth per day or 15GB per month.
This means that you can only do a limited amount of surfing and streaming before it stops working.
The 500MB per day limit does not roll over to the next day either so you can’t “save” the data to use more the next day.
Other drawbacks of the free version include ads, US only servers, a smaller choice of servers, a limitation of five devices connected and no support.
There’s also no native Apple Silicon Mac version of Hotspot Shield although it does work on the latest Silicon Macs via Rosetta.
The full Hotspot Shield Elite network is ad free with over 1800 servers in more than 80 countries, supports up to 5 devices at one time and offers 24/7 support.
The free version of Hotspot Shield is however secure using the same military grade encryption as the paid version.
Although the paid version Hotspot Shield Elite is known for offering some of the fastest VPN connections on the market thanks to its proprietary Hydra VPN protocol, the free version is limited to a maximum transfer rate of 2MB/s.
You can download Hotspot Shield Free for Mac here.
You can also try Hotspot Shield Elite free for 7 days to see how the full version performs.
Hotspot Shield is currently offering 77% off an annual subscription which works out at $2.99 per month.
Pros:
- One of the first VPNs on the market
- Generally fast connection speeds
- Easy to use
- Military grade encryption
- Supports 5 devices per account
Cons:
- No technical support
- Only US based servers in free version
- No native Apple Silicon Mac version
- Serves ads on mobile client
- Free version is limited to 500MB of data
- Split tunneling not supported
5. Windscribe
Source: Windscribe
The free version of Windscribe For Mac offers a generous 10GB per month surfing limit as long as you provide your email address.
If you don’t want to provide your email address, you can still get 2GB a month as standard with Windscribe for completely anonymous surfing.
Windscribe VPN Free offers 11 server locations around the world including several in the US.
This is pretty generous for a free VPN app although nowhere near as good as the paid version which offers 69 servers in 112 cities across the globe.
We like the fact that you can also choose to use Windscribe either via the Mac desktop client or a Chrome extension.
Using the browser extension also includes an ad blocker and malware blocker for added security and privacy.
Windscribe also works for unblocking Netflix and BBC iPlayer although the 10GB a month streaming limit will not allow much for that.
As with most free VPNs, the speed of Windscribe VPN can also be slow but for surfing the net anonymously for free, it’s fine.
Although Windscribe has a strict no-logging policy, it’s also not as secure as the paid version which uses extremely strong AES-256 cipher encryption with SHA512 auth & a 4096-bit RSA key.
It is however one of the few VPNs that supports split tunneling on macOS although only by IP address and hostnames.
You can currently get 61% off Windscribe VPN Pro and get 3 years for just $79.00 which is one of the most competitive deals on the market.
You can use Windscribe VPN For Mac for free to see for yourself.
Pros:
- Up to 10GB free data limit
- 11 different server locations
- Use via desktop app or Chrome extension with ad blocker
- Can also be used with your own VPN servers
Cons:
- Speeds can be slow
- Logs some basic data for 10GB a month
- No native Apple Silicon Mac version
- Split tunneling only supported on IP/hostname basis
6. TunnelBear
Source: TunnelBear
What we like about McAfee owned TunnelBear is its jargon free, user-friendly approach to VPNs.
Canada based TunnelBear is also one of the most secure VPNs out there as it has been independently audited for security.
Although most VPNs are easy to use nowadays, TunnelBear is about the easiest you can use with a simple interface that shows you where in the world you’re connected and other locations available.
TunnelBear uses strong AES 256-bit encryption and blocks any unsecured traffic with a strict no-logging policy so that your activity or data isn’t logged anywhere.
There are 20 servers in different locations available in TunnelBear which is generous compared to many free VPNs with all major regions covered.
The big drawback to the free version of TunnelBear is that it only gives you 500MB of data per month which is the least generous allowance we found in any free VPN for Macs and makes it almost useless for serious surfing or streaming.
If you want to remove this limit, TunnelBear is currently offering 58% off 24 month subscriptions which works out at $4.17 per month.
You can download the free version of TunnelBear for Mac to see for yourself.
Pros:
- Subjected to independent security audits
- Very easy to use
- Strict no logs policy
- Servers in 20 countries
Cons:
- Limited to 500MB of data per month
- Not many server locations
- Not many advanced configuration options
- No native M1/M2/M3 Mac version
- Split tunneling not supported on macOS Sonoma, Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur or Apple Silicon Macs
Comparison Table
If you’re still not sure which free VPN to use, here’s a side-by-side comparison of these services to help.
| Hide.me Free | PrivadoVPN | ProtonVPN Free | Hotspot Shield Free | Windscribe Free | TunnelBear Free | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Servers | 5 | 12 | 3 | N/A | 11 | 20 |
| Countries | 5 | 12 | 3 | USA only | 11 | 20 |
| Data Limit | Unlimited | 10GB/30 days | Unlimited | 500MB/day | 10GB/month | 500MB/month |
| Mobile App | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Displays Ads | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | |||
| Simultaneous Connections | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| Speed Limit | No | No | No but prioritizes premium users | 2MB/s | No | No |
| No Logs | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Kill Switch | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Mac Desktop App | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Works With Safari | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Native M1 Mac App | ✔️ | ✔️ | ||||
Sign-Up | Sign-Up | Sign-Up | Sign-Up | Sign-Up | Sign-Up |
Does Google Offer A Free VPN For Mac?
Google no longers offer a free VPN but it did launch Google One VPN For Mac back in November 2022.
However, it was discontinued in 2024.
Google One was very basic anyway as it was only for encrypting connections. It also did not allow you to unblock content in other countries.
Google One VPN For Mac also cost $9.99 per month which is considerably more than most paid VPN apps that usually work out at just over $2.00 per month with some deals.
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