Over the years, there has been a notion that Mac is impregnable to different cyber threats. However, this is no longer the case. With the on-going security vulnerabilities targeting Mac users, it’s imperative to beef-up defense mechanisms. And, one of the best tools to do so is by using a Mac VPN.
There are a number reasons why people resort to a Mac VPN service. Whether it’s about securing their privacy or accessing a blocked websites, a VPN comes in handy in all situations. You can enjoy unlimited internet accessibility along with complete anonymity by using a VPN service.
Therefore, we have put together this post, detailing the 5 best VPN for Mac, the benefits they provide and how you can configure them on your device.
5 Best Mac VPNs for Online Security & Internet Accessibility
After careful testing by our experts and user feedback about different VPN services, we have come up with the 5 best VPNs for Mac. Each of these services offer exclusive software for Mac, provide top notch performance, support torrents, and offer leading edge protocols to safe guard your privacy and sensitive data.
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Features of 5 Best Mac VPNs
There are hundreds of service providers in the VPN industry’s most of them offer VPN for Mac. This can sometimes be quite confusing because most of these service providers offer resembling package plans. Nonetheless, some of the service providers try to lure you with their cheap price and tempting features. Our advice is to not to fall for their tricks.
Let us present top 5 Mac VPN of July 2016 that can serve optimal alternatives to consider. These service providers offer feature-rich package plans in exchange of competitive price. Further classification of 5 best Mac VPN service providers is discussed below.
PureVPN for Mac OS X El Capitan
PureVPN is compatible with different devices including Mac. PureVPN supports diverse operating systems and platforms including Mac OSX. With its unique features such as Split-Tunneling, PureVPN is the most compatible among all Mac VPN choices.
PureVPN has 500+ servers geographically scattered in 140+ countries that will facilitate you bypass all the geo-restrictions and censorship concerns. Furthermore, PureVPN has 3 divergent package plans to choose from (monthly, semi-annually and yearly) with price as low as $2.91/month.
Unlike many VPN service providers, PureVPN offer gaming, streaming and torrent support all with one tool. Dedicated IP and Dedicated Streaming are value added benefits offered by PureVPN in exchange of very reasonable price
PureVPN is compatible on Mac OS X 10.8 – Mac OS X 10.9.5, Mac OS X 10.5 – Mac OS X 10.7, Mac OS X 10.6.8, Mac OS X 10.10.0 and above. You can download the Mac VPN client from PureVPN’s website or configure the service manually.
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IPVanish Mac VPN
IPVanish enjoys considerable market share comprising satisfied customers since 15 years. With price as low as $4.87 per month, IPVanish promises compatibility with different devices including Mac. There are many benefits associated with IPVanish which you can avail by purchasing it for Mac.
IPVanish has 180+ servers in 60+ countries offering broader access to diversified content. IPVanish VPN offers 25,000+ IPs for your Mac that will make you anonymous and untraceable online. IPVanish supports PPTP, L2TP/IPSec and OpenVPN to offer unbeatable encryption that promotes data security. With unlimited bandwidth offered, you can use IPVanish’s Mac VPN as much as you want.
You can download IPVanish Mac VPN client on the following operating systems: Mac OS X 10.6.8 – Mac OS X 10.9, Mac OS X 10.10.0, and above. The VPN software is very easy to use and you can navigate to server locations with a click of a button. Alternatively, IPVanish also provides detailed guides for configuring the service manually.
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Express VPN for Mac
Express VPN is one of the leading VPN service providers in the industry. With its wide range of package plans offered, Express VPN has earned quite a reputation in eyes of its customers. Express VPN with its strong server network in 75+ countries takes your security to a whole new level.
Not only this, Express VPN is compatible with different devices including Mac. Thus, it is a reliable option for those who use multiple devices. Express VPN has easy to use free VPN software with one-touch-connection feature. Express VPN supports PPTP, L2TP/IPSec, SSTP and OpenVPN tunneling protocols to maximize your data security.
ExpressVPN currently supports the following Mac devices: MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac Pro, and Mac Mini. And, you can download its software on Mac OS X El Capitan, Mac OS X Mavericks, Mac OS X Yosemite, Mac OS X Mountain Lion, Mac OS X Lion, and Mac OS X Snow Leopard.
Express VPN resolves all your concerns with the help of their 24/7/365 customer support. Their support personnel are responsible for all your queries and concerns with respect to the service. Express VPN accepts payments through PayPal, Bitcoin and all leading Debit/Credit Cards so that you may choose a transaction mode as per your convenience.
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NordVPN for Mac VPN Service
Device compatibility will never be an issue for a VPN service provider like NordVPN. It works as smooth as a knife on butter. Known for its easy-to-use software, it is one of the best VPN software to install and run on your Mac devices.
NordVPN offers 650+ VPN servers in 50+ locations all across the globe. Its network is big enough to unblock all the websites that are restricted and blocked in your region. It costs as low as $4.00/month. It comes with a 30-day money back guarantee and offers OpenVPN, PPTP, SSTP and L2TP/IPSec as protocol options.
You can download VPN client for the following versions: Mac OS X 10.7, Mac OS X 10.8, Mac OS X 10.9, Mac OS X 10.10, and Mac OS X 10.11. Nord offers exclusive apps for each of these versions, allowing users to enjoy the service without any hassle.
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Ivacy VPN for Mac
Ivacy is our next recommendation to take your Mac security to a whole new level. With its wide range of package plans, Ivacy climbs its way up to the top 5 VPNs for Mac. It is a cost effective alternative as it offers VPN services at price as low as $11.95 per month.
Ivacy is also your ultimate tool to bypass geographic restrictions. It gives you unrestricted access to 250+ servers in 44+ countries, smartly installed across the globe.
Ivacy enhances your Mac security with its sophisticated tunneling protocols: OpenVPN, L2TP and PPTP. Ivacy is compatible with many other devices including Mac. With its 7 days money back guarantee, Ivacy is a highly recommended VPN for your Mac devices.
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How to Setup VPN on Mac OS X El Capitan
In this section, we will guide you as to how to set up VPN on Mac OS X El Capitan. Usually VPN service providers offer FREE software that gets the job done. With FREE software, you can get the best VPN for Mac running without any hassle. However, not every VPN service provider offers all the protocols you may prefer with their free software.
In this scenario, you may have to manually configure your Mac VPN and select your desired protocol to create a secure tunnel for you. Manual configuration sure sounds hectic; but, we are here to help you with that. Just follow some easy steps prescribed below in order to configure L2TP VPN on your Mac. We have selected PureVPN among the list of VPN service providers prescribed to take this further.
To setup VPN on your Mac, you will use the built-in VPN settings. Begin the setup process by accessing “System Preferences” from the drop-down menu.
In the “System Preferences” casement, select ‘Network’. In some cases users will find it under the “Internet & Network” System Preferences category.
A ‘Network’ casement will pop open. Formerly configured VPN will be visible on the left side. Look for the “+” bottom on the lower left corner of the casement and click on the icon.
In some cases, users will see “Ethernet” selected by default in the ‘Interface’ field. Click on drop down menu to change the preference. Select “VPN” from the list of options in drop-down box.
Selecting “VPN” will introduce a new field under ‘Interface’. This field will be titled ‘VPN Type’. Click on the drop-down box for this field and select “L2TP over IPSec”.
Write “PureVPN (L2TP)” in the ‘Service Name’ box and click on ‘Create’. This will be the name of your VPN connection so you can enter “PureVPN (L2TP)” or anything else that you prefer.
Enter “Server Address” & “Account/User Name” received in configuration email. Enter “Authentication Settings”. (Set “Encryption” to “None”)
In “Authentication Settings”, enter your “Password” in the box as received in the configuration email, and enter the “Shared Secret” code before clicking on “OK” to close the box.
Your Mac VPN setup process is almost complete now. Click on “Apply” to save the configurations and settings you have entered and click on “Advanced” to proceed.
You are now in your new VPN connection’s advanced settings. Make sure that all three options under ‘Session Options’ are checked/enabled and click on “OK”.
The configuration process to manually setup VPN on your Mac is now complete. Click on “Apply” for the recently configured Advanced Settings to take effect.
Congratulations! PureVPN is now configured on your Mac with L2TP/IPSec Tunneling Protocol. Just click “Connect” to secure your Mac with a VPN.
What Benefits are Associated with Mac VPN
There are many benefits associated with Mac VPN. These benefits cannot be described in a few lines or paragraphs. However, I would try my best to prescribe the considerable benefits that you can avail by having a VPN installed in your devices.
Protection of Confidential Data
Mac VPN offers unbeatable security backed by diverse encryption protocols. These protocols encrypt the data you send or receive while it is connected. Due to this feature, you don’t need to worry about cyber-goons anymore. If any cyber-goon tries to access your data, he will get encrypted trash nothing else.
Accessiblity to Blocked Websites
With a Mac VPN, you can connect to any server you want. Most service providers have geographically dispersed servers in different regions. This helps you bypass all geo-restrictions and any censorship barrier. You can access, read and even watch content restricted by any region without any hassle.
Anonymity
Through a Mac VPN, you can mask your real IP. When you connect to any server, your real IP is masked with a random IP representing that particular location where connected server is installed. This ensures absolute privacy and anonymity. Once your real IP is masked, no one will be able to trace your online activities. This means complete and autonomous freedom – you don’t need to worry about the NSA or GCHQ anymore.
With your masked IP, you can access public Wi-Fi hotspots without giving it a single thought. No hacker or identity thief will be able to bother you if your Mac VPN is connected. In fact, even your Internet Service Provider won’t be able to monitor your online traffic as you will be completely anonymous for the digital universe.
Enjoy Safe Travels
If you plan to go on a vacation or your business trip is scheduled, Mac VPN is a must-be-there component of your bag pack. With Mac VPN, you can stay connected to your favorite shows on your favorite channels even if you are in a country severely victimized by censorship regulations. There are many countries where you can’t even access your Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube and Tumblr etc. As a matter of fact, you can’t even check your Gmail in countries like China, Iran and now Turkey.
Related Article: How to Setup VPN on iPad Read Now!
Why Mac VPN is Necessary
In this digital era, we are readily victimized by vigilant agencies and their allies. As per Snowden’s revelations, we can’t even trust multinationals and tech giants now. The companies and brands that we preferred have been allegedly working with the NSA and GCHQ to spy on us.
RSA as per a whistle blown by Snowden received $10 Million from the NSA to make faulty security products that can serve as backdoors to the NSA. Moreover, cyber-goons at every corner of this digital universe are waiting for an opportunity to strike. Some of them wish to get their hands on our data whereas others want to infiltrate our security by robbing us of our identity.
We readily access Wi-Fi hotspots available in public places such as coffee shops, restaurants, transportation places and even in shopping malls. We don’t even think for a single minute that by accessing these public Wi-Fi networks, we are actually presenting our security in a silver plate to hackers.
Anyone can host a public Wi-Fi hotspot; in fact, it can be a hacker monitoring all our data/activities via network tunnel. In addition, the monetary transactions we do aren’t secure at all. This means that the hackers with their complex tools and sophisticated methods can also harm us financially.
For all these problems, there is just one solution: a Mac VPN. It can make all your problems disappear. It tunnels your data securely from your device to the server you wish to connect. Due to sophisticated security protocols adopted, no one can infiltrate this tunnel and access your data.
Although, even if a pro hacker manages to get his hands on your data, he is slapped with nothing but encrypted information. Mac VPN uses different security protocols such as PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol), L2TP/IPSec (Layer-to-Tunneling Protocol), SSTP (Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol) and OpenVPN etc. to tunnel your data safely.
With 128bit and 256bit encryption, data security is taken to a whole new level. Many VPN service providers offer VPN for Mac. In order to ensure your privacy and security, most of the Mac VPN service providers prescribe a clear no-logs maintained policy. With a Mac VPN, not only you secure your device but also share files freely. There are many benefits to avail, be it the absolute security or the anonymity.
How To Use a VPN on Mac?
Now that you know how easy it was to setup a Mac VPN, using one is just as simple. A VPN or Virtual Private Network, creates secure tunnels between your device and the website or service you are trying to access over the internet. All your data travels through these tunnels, making them secure from hackers, spammers, phishes, and others alike.
And, to add an extra layer of security, a Mac VPN encrypts all your internet traffic using military grade encryption. This way, if anyone breaches the secure tunnels and retrieves your internet traffic, all they will see are alphanumeric characters. By using a VPN on your Mac also provides you access to unlimited content over the web. you can access popular streaming services, bypass internet censorships and geo-restrictions, and watch all your favorite TV shows and movies from any continent.
Conclusion
Hence, our decision of preferring a more secure device doesn’t actually ensure our security or privacy. We will have to do more about it. My recommendation in this regard: go for a best VPN. VPN is the only tool we are left with that can ensure our privacy and security. With a VPN, you don’t have to worry about the cyber-goons, identity thieves, hackers, online stalkers or vigilant agencies like the NSA and GCHQ for that matter.