ProtonVPN runs like ass on my mac

VPN
1

I’ve been using - or trying to use - ProtonVPN for a few months on an Intel based iMac running Sonoma 14.7.4 (I have no need for any features in Sequoia). Running PVPN 4.8.0 Also running it on a Windows 10 machine. It’s been relatively solid on Windows for years, and nothing but daily problems on macOS.

  1. Randomly stops working a few times per day. There is no alert or notification; the internet just quietly stops responding. Or it keeps working, and just leaks your IP.
  2. If I change servers - esp to other countries - more than once in 5 minutes, it will definitely stop working. In those cases, it will not reconnect. Quitting the app and reopening doesn’t help. Logging out doesn’t help. I need to restart the mac, and then it connects again immediately.
  3. The kill switch does literally nothing. When ProtonVPN randomly stops - which happens a few times a day, it might cut off the internet. But sometimes you can stay online. With the IP your ISP gave you. I checked this on 4 different occasions. Leaks leaks leaks. This makes a VPN nearly worthless. I know there’s no permanent kill switch on macOS, but the manual kill switch is also nonfunctional.
  4. I know there’s no feature parity, partly because of limitations and restrictions of the OS, but also partly due to the significantly smaller user base. They consequently devote nearly no resources to macOS. One assumes it’s just the “Big Balls” kid from the DOGE team throwing this all together on the weekend. It’s completely unreliable.

Anyone else experiencing these types of issues?

It feels like it’s still in beta and hasn’t been tested. This software is not suited for any mac user IMO. I have been more than patient. I’m on the verge of switching providers.

PS: I will not be “downgrading” to Sequoia, please do not suggest this. I don’t need it, I don’t want it, and there are 5 versions of ProtonVPN for macOS currently available and supported on their site - the latest being for Ventura and newer.

2

It runs fine on my Mac

3

Sorry to hear about the issues you’ve experienced. If you’d like, you can always send us a bug report through the in-app option, and include your error logs, to help us document any unwanted behavior for future improvement: https://protonvpn.com/support/report-a-bug#macos

On point 3. Kill switch works if there’s an unexpected disconnection from the VPN. In scenarios of a manual disconnection, you won’t be prevented from connecting via your local IP. Still, we’d also appreciate it if you could send us a bug report as mentioned above, so we can look into any potential issues with the current kill switch implementation.

4

Works fine on my Mac, but I have an ARM not Intel.

5

How long have you been using it?
What Mac do you have?

6

Thanks for the reply. I never manually disconnect PVPN. It disconnects on its own.

Checking my IP on a site like whatismyip or icanhazip shows the wrong one. This is often when PVPN shows it is connected (and after reloading the IP site to clear the cached IP). It’s not just occasional, it’s frequent leaks. After waking from sleep is the worst; that’s pretty much guaranteed to leak and take several minutes for PVPN to connect.

But I will submit a bug report. I doubt it will lead to anything.