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• Nordvpn Openvpn Mac
• Nordvpn Mac Manual Free
• Nordvpn For Mac
• Mac Manual Download
• Apple Mac Manual
• Nordvpn Mac Manual Software

• Pros

  Largest collection of servers. Specialized servers. Six simultaneous connections. Well designed, consistent user interface. Ad blocking and web protection.

• Cons

  Expensive. Lackluster speed test scores.

• Bottom Line

  NordVPN provides Mac users excellent network security, impressive features, specialized servers, and the largest network of VPN servers on the market, making it one of the best VPNs for macOS.

Traditional wisdom holds that Apple users think they don't need to take security seriously, because so many of the worst threats target PCs. But network security is critical for everyone—regardless of their platform affiliation—and a VPN service like NordVPN is an excellent way to make sure your data is secure online. NordVPN has a strong array of features, a slick interface design, and the largest VPN network we've yet seen, placing it among the best VPNs on the market. The macOS client also proves its worth, making it an Editors' Choice winner for Apple computer VPNs.

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What Is a VPN and Who Needs One?

The internet has its roots in connecting academics within far-flung universities, so security and privacy weren't the foremost concerns when it was created. As a result, your web traffic might not be as secure as you think. When you use a VPN, it creates an encrypted tunnel between your computer and a server operated by the VPN company. Your data travels through this tunnel and exits out to the public internet through the server. If the website you're communicating with uses HTTPS, then your data is still protected even outside the VPN tunnel.

All major platforms are supported with custom-developed apps: Windows, Mac OS X, iOS as well as Android. And for the rest of the platforms, as it was mentioned already, detailed walkthroughs are prepared to help out the users. NordVPN also gets points for extensive Linux support as well as some exotic platforms like RaspberryPi. We offer two versions of the NordVPN app for macOS users: an OpenVPN version available for download from our website and an IKEv2 version available on the Mac App Store. OpenVPN is a versatile protocol that supports a great number of strong encryption algorithms and ciphers. Manual IKEv2/IPSec for macOS The IKEv2 /IPsec connection method is one of the alternative options for connecting to NordVPN servers on your MacOS. This connection method is preferred by privacy enthusiasts, as well as Apple itself, as IKEv2/IPsec security protocol is currently one of the most advanced in the market.

The upshot is that your internet traffic is safe from prying eyes as it travels to that VPN server. Not even someone on the same network as you would be able to see it. This is particularly important for when you're on the go, as public Wi-Fi networks (like those at airports or coffee shops) aren't necessarily secure. Regardless of whether your OS comes from Cupertino or Redmond, once you've connected to an insecure network, your traffic may very be intercepted, and your data—and possibly your identity and the money in your bank accounts—may be stolen. VPNs solve this problem, and that's why even Mac users need a VPN.

Because your web traffic appears to be coming from the VPN server and not your computer, your IP address also remains hidden. Your IP address certainly isn't the only way to track you online—advertisers have practically made an art of it—but hiding it does help to mask your identity.

Connecting to a VPN server far away from your actual location effectively spoofs your location, which can let you access region-locked content. Keep in mind that more and more organizations are getting wise to this practice; streaming video services such as Netflix often block VPN users.

Changes to US law mean that an ISP can now sell the anonymized metadata of its customers, which means you. Thankfully, a VPN will keep your information from being swept up along with everyone else's. Similarly, VPNs are often used by journalists and activists to access restricted websites in countries with particularly oppressive internet policies.

Features and Pricing

A NordVPN subscription costs $11.95 per month. The company also offers prorated plans that cost $83.88 per year, $95.75 every two years, $107.55 every three years. Typically, there are other discounts available, as well. The company accepts all major credit cards, PayPal, and anonymous payments via cryptocurrency. It's a reasonable price tag among the best VPNs, though KeepSolid VPN Unlimited offers an impressive lifetime membership in addition to the usual subscription options.

Note that NordVPN does offer a three-day trial version, but it is hard to find. If you're strapped for cash, consider one of the many excellent free VPN services available. TunnelBear and AnchorFree Hotspot Shield both have free offerings, each with their own unique restrictions. Our top choice for a free VPN is ProtonVPN, which does not restrict your data usage as a free user.

I cover the full range of NordVPN's generic features in my review of the NordVPN Windows client, but I will run through the high points here. There are a few unique twists to the macOS client, which I highlight below.

NordVPN still supports the older, less secure, legacy protocols, PPTP and L2TP. The company's apps can be manually configured to use the IKEv2 protocol, though the macOS and NordVPN iPhone clients already use it. The Windows client uses OpenVPN, the fast and open-source protocol that I prefer, but OpenVPN is only available on NordVPN for macOS through certain channels (more on this later). You can, however, manually configure third-party clients to use your NordVPN subscription and secure your data with OpenVPN.

Nordvpn Openvpn Mac

Each NordVPN subscription allows you to use six devices simultaneously, which is one more than the five devices provided by most VPN services. NordVPN offers 5,133 VPN servers spread across 62 locations. That's the largest server network I've yet seen, recently surpassing even long-time server leader Private Internet Access. The number of servers and the number of server locations is important. The more servers available, the less likely it is you'll be crammed into a crowded server. That means a bigger slice of the bandwidth pie. The more available server locations, the more likely you are to find nearby servers, which are likely to perform better than those that are far away.

Some of the best features of NordVPN are found in the specialized servers the company offers. These are for specific activities, such as servers for connecting to the Tor anonymization network via VPN and servers that encrypt traffic twice.

NordVPN has a Domain Name System (DNS) leak feature, which adds an extra layer of security. BitTorrent users will be pleased to know that they can torrent or use P2P file-sharing services on specific NordVPN servers. The company also offers static IP addresses from several countries for $70, but only by request.

NordVPN also offers ad blocking, DDoS protection, and malicious URL protection in its CyberSec suite of features. I explore these in-depth in the Windows review, but the features do more or less what they say on the tin. The DDoS protection is interesting, in that NordVPN says it will prevent infected devices from joining in DDoS attacks. Note, however, that malicious URL protection uses blacklists and will never be a substitute for good antivirus protection.

Finally, the company operates out of the jurisdiction of Panama, and is not subject to any mandatory data retention laws. Additionally, the company does not log user activity, meaning they aren't watching over your shoulder. Users in China concerned about the government crackdown on VPNs will appreciate that the company offers a VPN client for their use. The company recommends that if you are using the service to avoid government censorship you make use of its obfuscated servers, found in the app's settings.

NordVPN completed an audit of its no-log policy by one of the 'big four auditing firms' in November, 2018. In doing so, it joins a handful of other VPN services that validate their efforts to protect customer security and privacy. This is a good thing for the VPN industry, and I hope more companies will do the same.

Nordvpn Mac Manual Free

Hands On With NordVPN

Nordvpn For Mac

I tested the NordVPN app on a 15-inch MacBook Pro, running the latest version of macOS Sierra. I downloaded the NordVPN client from the company's website, though you can also obtain the client through the macOS app store. The client available from the NordVPN website uses the OpenVPN protocol, which I prefer, while the app store version uses the IKEv2 protocol, which is also quite secure.

Mac Manual Download

NordVPN has done a great job of establishing a consistent experience across all of its supported devices. Regardless of whether you're connecting via the Nord VPN Android app, iOS app, or Windows client, you're greeted with a similar blue interface, built around a map displaying all of the company's VPN server locations. There are a few unique flourishes with the macOS version. A hidden left tray slides over the map to reveal a complete list of servers. It also feels much snappier and more responsive than the Windows client. Thankfully, the cartoon submarines and ships are still in this version—I would feel lost without them.

A large button at the top quickly connects you to nearest server, based on your current location. You can click a location on the map to connect to a different server, or click the magnifying glass in the upper-right corner to search by country. You can find the same information in list form by clicking the globe in the upper left, which slides a complete server list over the map. It's very simple and approachable, and feels quite at home in macOS.

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That said, I am disappointed that some of NordVPN's best features aren't front and center here. The company's specialized servers for streaming, double encryption, and connecting to Tor via VPN can only be found by applying specific filters to the list view, or by clicking options at the bottom of the search screen. Information about server load is also buried in the macOS client. This is odd, because the Windows client places this information at the forefront. NordVPN would do well to tweak the macOS app to be a little more informative.

Additional features can be found in the app's hidden menu tray. Like the Windows app, NordVPN for Mac prevents apps from communicating with the internet if you should lose your VPN connection, but unlike the Windows version, the Mac version requires you to manually select which apps receive this treatment. The NordVPN app can be configured to connect when your computer starts up, ensuring continuous protection. You can also configure NordVPN to deactivate VPN protection on networks you trust, by adding them to a whitelist.

You can also choose between TCP or UDP connections, and point the app toward a custom DNS server. These are both advanced features, and I wouldn't recommend fiddling with them unless you know exactly what you're doing. Unfortunately, the macOS client doesn't include options for selecting a different VPN protocol.

Speed Test Results

When you use a VPN, your internet traffic is going further and through more machines, which tends to be detrimental to your browsing speeds. The macOS NordVPN client didn't deliver outstanding performance in testing, though the Windows app is one of the fastest VPNs.

In order to get a sense of a VPN's performance, I run a series of tests using the online Ookla speed test tool. (Note that Ookla is owned by Ziff Davis, which also owns PCMag.) For the first set of tests, I connect to whatever VPN server and Ookla test server the respective software automatically chooses. I record the results of several tests, discard the highest and lowest values, and average the result. I then find the percent change between tests run with the VPN and tests run without the VPN. Because this test uses a nearby VPN server, it prioritizes speed and performance. To get a sense of how the VPN service performs over great distances, I test it again, but this time using a VPN server in Australia and an Ookla test server in Anchorage, Alaska.

See How We Test VPNs

Keep in mind that this testing represents a snapshot in time for VPN performance. Networks are notoriously finicky and conditions can change at the drop of hat. Your mileage may vary.

In my local VPN tests, I found that NordVPN had an average impact on latency, increasing the time it takes to make a request and receive a response by 19.2 percent. Private Internet Access had the best score in this test among Mac clients, increasing latency by 8.1 percent. NordVPN performed less well in the download test, where it reduced download speeds by 10.4 percent. TunnelBear performed remarkably well in this test, actually improving download speeds by 22.1 percent. NordVPN returned to its decidedly average performance in the upload test, where it reduced upload speeds by 10.1 percent. Private Internet Access again took the best score in this test, reducing upload speeds by 6.1 percent.

Unfortunately for NordVPN, it did not perform well in the international VPN testing. I found that it increased latency by 300.3 percent. That seems like a lot, but the best score I've recorded for this test was from TunnelBear VPN (for Mac), which still increased latency by 244.4 percent. More importantly, NordVPN has the dubious honor of taking the worst download speed result for Mac VPNs that I've yet recorded, reducing download speeds by 54.2 percent. TunnelBear again had the best result, reducing download speeds by just 13.6 percent. NordVPN didn't rally in the final test, where it again had the worst score, reducing upload speeds by 71.5 percent. Here, PureVPN had the best score, reducing upload speeds by 23.5 percent.

Personally, I do not believe that speed should be the only (or even, the most important differentiator) for a VPN. A VPN's performance depends on so many variables that sorting out which is really the fastest VPN is very difficult. Based off the results from testing Windows VPN clients, I believe that TorGuard is the overal best performing VPN.

An Excellent Mac VPN

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According to our survey on VPN usage, there's a good chance your Mac isn't protected by a virtual private network. That's a shame as there are many good choices available, NordVPN among them.

The excellent, polished interface that the company offers across all devices has been tweaked to feel right at home on macOS. The service now has the largest collection of servers we've yet tested and uses robust technology, and it offers specialized servers that make streaming or using the Tor anonymization network a snap. The company also takes efforts to ensure users' privacy, which is simply invaluable. NordVPN didn't turn in stunning speed test scores on macOS, but speed should always be a secondary concern to the quality and depth of service a VPN provides. NordVPN already has Editors' Choice awards for its Windows, Android, and iOS clients, and happily that excellence extends to macOS as well.

Bottom Line: NordVPN provides Mac users excellent network security, impressive features, specialized servers, and the largest network of VPN servers on the market, making it one of the best VPNs for macOS.

• $11.95
• $11.95
• $11.95