As the world begins to reopen and international travel returns, more and more professionals will be looking for a VPN to use on their MacBooks. NordVPN is one of the biggest players in the game and is trusted by millions of users around the world to protect their personal data and serve the web anonymously. Available from as little as $3.71 per month when you take out a 24-month subscription, the service offers a whole host of smart features designed to keep you safe and anonymous when you’re online, either working from home or on the go.
When compared with other VPNs we’ve reviewed and tested, VordVPN really packs its punch and offers fantastic speeds in the United States, United Kingdom, and around the world. For users who are simply looking for a VPN to unblock content, such as websites that have been cut off due to Europe’s GDPR regulations, or to access content on other versions of Netflix and Amazon Prime, VordVPN will do you well, especially via a browser extension.
User-friendly on iOS and macOS
One of our favorite things about VordVPN is that it has a user-friendly mobile app on iOS and iPadOS, and that’s backed up with an intuitive user interface on macOS, too. For those who run across multiple machines, it’s good to know that there’s a version for Windows, too, and with dozens of quality tutorials and help guides, it’s easy to work out what you need to do, and you can depend on their first-class customer support department should you need any assistance getting started. It’s available online, via email, and through live chat options.
We like to consider NordVPN as a jack-of-all-trades – sure, there are other VPNs on the market that specialize in particular services or features, but NordVPN is a quality piece of software that offers something for everyone. Indeed, performance is strong, it hits its objectives in virtually every category, and though rivals may offer better levels of customization and performance in rare instances, NordVPN should serve your needs just well, whether you’re browsing at work, researching, watching content, or catching up with friends in restricted areas where your preferred websites are blocked.
What’s more, a no-strings-attached 30-day money-back guarantee should give you some peace of mind – for those who really can’t get behind the service and want to try another VPN provider, you can try the service risk-free.
An “outstanding” VPN for the Mac
In its recent review, PCMag rated NordVPN as “outstanding”, and it’s clear to see why, whilst VPNMentor has chosen NordVPN as the Best VPN Overall, Best VPN for iOS, and Best VPN for the USA. One of the reasons why this software receives such high praise around the world is because it’s located in Panama, which does not have data retention laws, meaning that the service can legally follow a no-logs policy to ensure users’ privacy and security. What’s more, there are no bandwidth or data limits for VPN traffic, meaning that you don’t need to worry when you’re downloading large files to your Mac, streaming videos on YouTube and Netflix, or hosting Zoom meetings with colleagues when on a business trip.
An added advantage is that you can connect up to six devices to one NordVPN account at the same time, so you can run NordVPN on your MacBook, your iMac, your iPhone, your iPad, and your work PC, and still have one device leftover should you decide to add to your fleet. What’s more, considering that NordVPN has more than 5,000 servers in more than sixty countries, with numbers growing every year, the company has the biggest server network for VPNs on the planet, and it’s this large number of servers that helps to cleverly distribute traffic and guarantees fast and smooth VPN connections. It’s also good to note that the service works in restrictive countries such as China and the Middle East, so you can continue to catch up with friends on WhatsApp and Facebook when you’re on business trips.
The technical details
Before we wrap up this brief look at NordVPN on the Mac, it’s worth delving deeper into the technical details. One of the biggest benefits of NordVPN over alternative VPN providers is that the service offers military-grade AES-256-GCM encryption using only the most secure protocols: OpenVPN (UDP and TCP), IKEv2/IPSec, and NordLynx (based on WireGuard©).
The service also comes with CyberSec as standard, which blocks dangerous websites and annoying ads, though we’d still recommend using your own ad-blocking tool or a service such as WARP by Cloudflare on top. What’s more, you can customize your own kill switch, which can shut down individual processes or the internet connection, and with dedicated P2P servers for Double Encryption, you can enjoy extra privacy and security when browsing.
Right now, NordVPN runs on Windows, Android, macOS, iOS, Linux, Blackberry, Windows Phone Raspberry Pi, many routers, smart TVs, and more Secure proxy extensions are also available for Chrome and Firefox browsers. Click here and subscribe now for a 2-year plan 68% off.