VPN for Mac: Setup, Settings and the Best Options in Australia
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Setting up a VPN on a Mac takes a couple of minutes: install the provider’s app, sign in, allow the VPN configuration and connect. Macs have a decent record against viruses, but that does nothing for privacy: on café Wi-Fi a MacBook is as visible as any other laptop.
How to set up a VPN on a Mac
- Choose a provider. The table below shows current prices; free options are further down.
- Download the app from the provider’s website or the Mac App Store. The provider’s own version sometimes has more features, because Apple’s store rules limit what apps can do.
- Open it and sign in.
- Click connect. The first time, macOS asks permission to add VPN configurations. Click Allow and enter your Mac password.
A VPN icon appears in the menu bar when it is connected. For everyday privacy, choose the nearest Australian city; to appear overseas, pick a country from the server list.
How to turn a VPN off on a Mac
Click the VPN’s menu-bar icon and choose disconnect, or go to System Settings, then VPN, and switch it off.
If it keeps reconnecting, look for an auto-connect or “connect on launch” option in the app. Also check Connect On Demand under the VPN’s entry in System Settings.
Settings worth knowing
- Kill switch. Blocks traffic if the VPN drops, so nothing slips out unprotected. Check which kind you get: NordVPN’s macOS app (tested 14 October 2026) had only an Apps Kill Switch, off by default, which quits chosen apps rather than cutting the whole connection.
- Protocol. WireGuard, or the provider’s version of it, is usually the fastest and lightest on battery.
- Split tunnelling. Lets chosen apps skip the VPN, handy for banking apps or printers that object to it. Not every provider lists it, or says which platforms it covers, so check the Mac app before you buy.
- Launch at login. Convenient on a laptop you carry around.
NordVPN’s full leak and kill-switch results are below, each with its date. The kill switch drop test says “not run” because we could not add an app to NordVPN’s Apps Kill Switch in that session.
| VPN | DNS | IPv6 | WebRTC | Kill switch | Switching servers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 NordVPN | No leak tested 25 Oct 2026 | Could not test tested 25 Oct 2026 | No leak tested 25 Oct 2026 | Chosen apps only, off by default; drop test not run tested 25 Oct 2026 | Kill switch off: No leak (4 s offline) tested 25 Oct 2026 |
"Could not test" means our line had no IPv6 to leak. "Not recorded" means we tested the VPN but did not record that check; "Not tested" means we have not tested the VPN yet. Neither means it failed.
Tested on an account NordVPN gave us free of charge (14–25 Oct 2026).
This table shows which providers list a kill switch and split tunnelling at all, as read from their own websites.
| VPN | Kill switch | Split tunnelling | macOS | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Surfshark | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
| NordVPN | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | 19 Oct 2026 |
 Proton VPN | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
 PrivadoVPN | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | – |
 PureVPN | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
 Intego VPN | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | – |
 CyberGhost | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
 IPVanish | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
 PrivateVPN | ✓ Listed | Not listed | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
 ExpressVPN | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
 Windscribe | Not listed | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
 hide.me | Not checked | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
 IVPN | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | – |
 Mozilla VPN | Not checked | Not checked | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
 Mullvad VPN | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
 Astrill VPN | ✓ Listed | Not listed | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
 AdGuard VPN | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | – |
 Mysterium VPN | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | – |
 Private Internet Access | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | – |
As each provider lists them on its own website, on the date shown. "Not checked" means we have not read that provider's list yet.
Free VPN for MacBook: what is worth using
Start with Proton VPN’s free plan. Proton lists a macOS app and says the free plan shows no ads; the table sets out what it leaves out.
| VPN | Data | Devices | Countries | Australian server | Streaming | P2P | Account needed | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proton VPN | No data cap | 1 | limited, chosen by the app | Not checked | No | No | Yes | 13 Oct 2026 |
| PrivadoVPN | 10 GB a month | – | 13 free locations (including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom) | Not checked | – | – | Yes | 30 Oct 2026 |
| Windscribe | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | – |
| hide.me | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | – |
Free plans as each provider describes them, on the date shown. – means the provider does not say; "Not checked" means we have not recorded that plan's terms yet.
Avoid free VPN apps from developers you cannot identify: a VPN sees all your traffic. The other free plans, and their catches, are in best free VPN in Australia.
Which VPNs have a Mac app?
These VPNs list a macOS app on their own websites: Surfshark, NordVPN, Proton VPN, PureVPN, CyberGhost, IPVanish, PrivateVPN, ExpressVPN, Windscribe, hide.me, Mozilla VPN, Mullvad VPN and Astrill VPN. The table shows the date we read each list.
| VPN | macOS app | iOS app | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surfshark | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
| NordVPN | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | 19 Oct 2026 |
| Proton VPN | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
| PrivadoVPN | Not checked | Not checked | – |
| PureVPN | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
| Intego VPN | Not checked | Not checked | – |
| CyberGhost | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
| IPVanish | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
| PrivateVPN | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
| ExpressVPN | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
| Windscribe | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
| hide.me | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
| IVPN | Not checked | Not checked | – |
| Mozilla VPN | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
| Mullvad VPN | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
| Astrill VPN | ✓ Listed | ✓ Listed | 2 Nov 2026 |
| AdGuard VPN | Not checked | Not checked | – |
| Mysterium VPN | Not checked | Not checked | – |
| Private Internet Access | Not checked | Not checked | – |
Apps as each provider lists them on its own website. "Not checked" means we have not read that provider's app list yet.
| VPN | Lowest monthly price | Renewal price | Money-back | Countries | Devices | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Surfshark | A$3.49 27 months, A$94.23 upfront | – | 30 days | 100 | Unlimited | Visit Surfshark |
| 2NordVPN | A$4.79 27 months, A$129.33 upfront | A$187.08 per year | 30 days | 150 | 10 | Black Friday deal ends soonVisit NordVPN |
| 3Proton VPN | US$3.49 (about A$4.97) 2 years, US$83.76 upfront | US$83.88 per year | 30 days | 149 | 10 | Partner offerVisit Proton VPN |
| 4PrivadoVPN | US$1.11 (about A$1.58) 2 years | – | 30 days | 49 | 10 | Visit PrivadoVPN |
| 5PureVPN | US$2.15 (about A$3.06) 27 months | – | 31 days | 65+ | 10 | Visit PureVPN |
| 6Intego VPN | US$3.75 (about A$5.34) 2 years, US$89.99 upfront | US$149.99 per 2 years | 30 days | – | 2 | Partner offerVisit Intego VPN |
| 7CyberGhost | A$3.27 26 months, A$85.02 upfront | A$85.02 per year | 45 days | 100 | 7 | CyberGhost review |
| 8IPVanish | US$2.19 (about A$3.12) 2 years, US$52.56 upfront | – | 30 days | – | Unlimited | Visit IPVanish |
| 9PrivateVPN | US$2.00 (about A$2.85) 3 years, US$72.00 upfront | US$72.00 per year | 30 days | 63 | 10 | PrivateVPN review |
| 10ExpressVPN | US$4.99 (about A$7.10) 15 months, US$74.85 upfront | US$99.95 per year | 30 days | 113 | 10–14 | Visit ExpressVPN |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
– means we do not have that detail yet. Prices shown in US$ are published in that currency; the Australian-dollar figure is approximate, converted at the European Central Bank euro reference rates for 30 Oct 2026 (US$1 = A$1.424).
One account usually covers several devices, so the same subscription does your iPhone too. See what is VPN on iPhone?
Is iCloud Private Relay enough?
Not if you want more than Safari covered. Private Relay, included with iCloud+, hides your Safari browsing from your network provider, but not other browsers or apps, and you cannot choose a country. A VPN covers the whole Mac and lets you pick where you appear.
FAQ
Do Macs have a built-in VPN?
macOS can connect to a VPN, but has no VPN service of its own. You need a provider, or connection details from your employer.
Does a VPN slow down a Mac?
The Mac itself, no. Your connection, yes, by an amount that differs between VPNs and test days. NordVPN’s macOS app kept 88% of our download speed on a Melbourne server (retested October 2026). The closer that share is to 100%, the less you notice the VPN.
Our earlier results (2021–22)
Our first round of tests, from August 2021 to March 2022, covered 10 VPNs from Melbourne, and five of them held on to more than nine-tenths of our download speed on an Australian server.
Should I get the App Store version or the provider’s own?
The provider’s own, if it offers one. Apple’s store rules limit what apps can do, so the website version sometimes has more features.
Is using a VPN on a Mac legal in Australia?
Yes. See are VPNs legal in Australia?