VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) are practical. We show you the two best VPN services for Mac and iPhone, which even offer a free option to use.
Why use a VPN?
Why is a VPN practical? There are three reasons for this: firstly, you can hide your IP address, so you are no longer under the Internet address assigned to you by your provider, but under that of the provider (but beware: this does not mean that it is completely anonymous).
Secondly, you can use a VPN if you are on the move in an open WLAN or hotel network: since these connections are often openly accessible, the data must of course also be read before they reach the Internet at all. A VPN solves this problem quite simply.
The third reason to use a VPN is to use an IP of another country. As we have already explained to you here and here, a VPN service can be used for geoblocking, i.e. offering content for a certain geographical region. So you dial into the VNP with a server in the USA and you already have an IP in the USA and accordingly also content on YouTube like in the USA.
The two best providers of a VPN solution that also offer a super free access for users who don’t need this kind of service that often are ProtonVPN and Windscribe VPN. We have both tested for some time and are very happy with both. So you can sign a contract there with a good conscience.
The essential difference between the two free offers of the two services are quickly enumerated: ProtonVPN offers you free access to only three server locations (USA, Netherlands, Japan) but lets you surf unlimited and also the speed is ok and enough for watching videos. Windscribe on the other hand allows you 13 servers all over the world, but limits the surf volume to 10 GB per month. Further differences and advantages of the paid version:
ProtonVPN: Free and chargeable VPN for Mac and iPhone
As already mentioned the surf volume is not limited. In addition, the service is based in Switzerland, which should be an argument of confidence for many. Even in the free version there are already apps for iOS and macOS that are very easy to use. The encryption is done with AES-256. In addition, the company does not record logs according to its own statements – according to Swiss law, it is not obliged to do so, so it does not. The software comes with a kill switch: i.e. if the connection via the VPN is lost, the entire network traffic is stopped, so that your actual IP does not end up in the network (not on iOS).
- more devices
- better speed
- P2P Support
- Secure Core
- Tor Server
- Secure Videostreaming
If you need more, then the models with costs come into question for you: from 4 Euro per month you get better speed and P2P support, from 8 Euro you can redirect your traffic via even more secure servers and also use the Tor network. Also included: Secure streaming, i.e. the use of streaming services like Netflix abroad.
Here you can find a list of available servers. And here are the details for Netflix streaming.
Windscribe: Free and chargeable VPN for Mac and iPhone
Windscribe offers you 10 GB free surf volume per month. This is more limited than ProtonVPN, but there are more server locations to choose from: USA, Canada, Great Britain, Hong Kong, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway and Romania. Very handy if you want to check something for a short time, but want to do it with different country IPs. The service is based in Canada, so you should be able to trust it.
Windscribe not only offers configuration tips for the Mac or your iOS device, but for pretty much anything that can be connected to the net: Browser plugins, Amazon Fire TV and Nvidia Shield support, even configuration guides for DD-WRT routers and Synology and QNAP NAS systems.
- more servers and accessible countries
- Secure Core (forwarding over multiple servers)
- Tor over VPN
- P2P Support
- higher speed
- more devices
- Secure Streaming
The prices for the pro versions start at about four dollars a month. In return you get unlimited traffic and can surf around in 60 countries. Also included is a higher speed, more supported devices and video streaming (read the details here, Netflix does work).
