The other day, we got a question from our readers, asking us for a suggestion of a good VPN for Safari. As we are always saying, a VPN can’t be free except if you accept to be the product — with the VPN snooping into your traffic and selling that data to advertisers. Or serving you ads itself.
None of these two options work for us and we’re thus paying for our VPN. But, there is one solution Safari users — whether on a Mac, an iPad or an iPhone — can try for free. And even continue using it, if it serves their needs.
Hotspot Shield’s free plan may work for you
This is a rather limited plan, but could come with enough features for some users. Here’s what it includes:
- 1 device support – you can’t use it on both your iPhone and your Mac
- Limited streaming access – not the best choice for accessing Netflix, Disney+, and/or HBO MAX
- Up to 2 Mbps – enough for web browsing and social media
- 500 MB daily data limit – again, should be enough for accessing websites
- US-only – includes access to the server in a single location.
Hotspot Shield also offers a much better paid plan that adds support for 5 devices while removing all limits.
You can use it to access all streaming services and roam the Internet with no restrictions of any kind. As far as everyone knows, you are (will be) accessing their website/service from the VPN server’s IP address – rather than the one provided by your ISP. And that’s what the real point of a VPN is – to get you anonymity on the Internet.
Think beyond Safari
Sure, the web browser on your Mac or other Apple device is one of the most frequently used apps, but chances are you are also using something else. Or you’re using another device, as well.
For a complete VPN experience, you should get a paid VPN and let it do its thing in the background as you safely, securely and anonymously browse the web, download files with BitTorrent, access sites and services that could otherwise be outside of your reach, and so on.
The best VPNs work on just about any platform imaginable, allowing you to — if needed — switch boats. They will also protect you on public Wi-Fi hotspots by encrypting all traffic coming to and from your device and the rest of the Internet – so that no one can snoop into it. In case you haven’t heard, the number of these “man in the middle” attacks has been growing in popularity in recent years, so you should always run a VPN when accessing public Wi-Fi hotspots.
The bottom line is – if you want a free VPN for Safari, try out the free Hotspot Shield plan and take it from there. Upgrade when you want… Or don’t – it’s your privacy, after all.
For what it matters, even when you upgrade – you have 30 days to change your mind and ask for your money back if Hotspot Shield doesn’t work for you. Check it out.
Pros
Cons
- It's super fast!
- Works with Netflix, BBC and others
- Easy to use apps, browser extensions
- You can try it for free!
- Some advanced features are not configurable
- Not the best for high-censorship countries