MacSentry's Mac focus is unusual, but it's not enough to make up for the lack of features, the Windows connection problems, the weak support website, and multiple other service issues. MacSentry correctly sets up OpenVPN to block DNS leaks, and multiple test websites showed we were properly protected at all times. The review ended with more positive news from our leak tests. VPN speeds can vary considerably depending on your location, so we ran our tests again from a European data center, and this time MacSentry reached an impressive 180-190Mbps. UK to US performance followed the same pattern at an average 40Mbps not breaking any records, but enough for many tasks. Okay, the top providers might get 10-15% more, but you're unlikely to notice the difference. UK speeds were better at 60Mbps on a 75Mbps connection. MacSentry hadn't impressed us so far, and our website unblocking tests didn't improve the mood, as it failed to get us into BBC iPlayer, US Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or Disney+. MacSentry may have performed poorly in our unblocking tests but did much better in our speed tests (Image credit: Ookla) Performance You can manually set up the service with any OpenVPN-compatible client, giving you far more control over your connections and how they work.
But keep in mind that you don't have to use MacSentry's apps to access the service. MacSentry's Mac app is almost as basic as the Windows offering, but it does at least have a capable kill switch (and it'll automatically reconnect, too.) It's far from foolproof, but it's better than we with many apps (including those which claim to offer kill switches, but they don't actually work.) The app spots a dropped connection immediately, and warns you with a notification, giving you a chance to stop what you're doing, close your browser, maybe manually reconnect. MacSentry's Windows client is a simple Chromium-based shell, little more than a basic front end which allows you to choose a location, then uses the open-source OpenVPN application to make and manage your connection.Īs a result, there's no kill switch to block internet access if the VPN fails. There's no great complexity under the hood, either. The Settings panel is very simple, with only three options: to launch the client along with Windows, choose the protocol (OpenVPN TCP or UDP), or hide MacSentry's button in the Windows taskbar. MacSentry has at least added Windows desktop notifications since our last review, a welcome touch, and you're now alerted whenever the client connects or disconnects. That's not a difficult fix, but it's not convenient, either, and it really shouldn't be necessary. Closing and restarting it didn't work, and only rebooting the system solved the problem. Most of the time it worked, but after a while, for no apparent reason, the client regularly refused to connect. Just point, click and connect.Īt least, that's the plan. There are no other advanced extras - no server ping times, no load figures, no Favorites system - but there's also nothing else to learn. You can scroll around, zoom in to a particular location to see where it is, but you still have to choose it from the map, and there are no fancy animations when you connect. The client also has a map, but it's not a lot of use.
MacSentry also displays its locations on a map (Image credit: MacSentry) But we would be even happier if the company followed providers like ExpressVPN (opens in new tab), VyprVPN (opens in new tab) and NordVPN (opens in new tab), and had a public audit to confirm it's living up to any privacy promises. MacSentry seems to be ruling out both activity and session logging, which works for us. We headed off to the brief privacy policy, which explained that some data is recorded when you connect – "username, internal IP, length of the session, and the amount of data transferred" – but adds that "this data is not retained and purged after the user disconnects as it is no longer relevant." The single-page FAQ (opens in new tab) is emphatic, but just as lacking in detail: "we do not store any logs whatsoever". MacSentry's website has a clear "no logging" statement on its front page, but experience has taught us that you can’t always take this at face value.
That's not long - most providers give you 30 days at least - but if you take full advantage of it, it's enough time to get a feel of whether the service will work for you.
There's no free product or trial available via the website, unfortunately, but MacSentry does offer a 'no questions, no fuss, no fine print' 7-day money-back guarantee. PayPal, credit cards and Bitcoin are supported for payment. Monthly billing (opens in new tab) can be yours for $9.99, this drops to $4.99 over six months (opens in new tab), and only $3.58 over a year (opens in new tab).