Kitsmith / Utilities / WireGuard
The official Mac client for the WireGuard VPN protocol — simpler and faster than OpenVPN by design, free on the Mac App Store, but you still need your own server or provider config.
Our take
Like Tunnelblick, this is a client, not a VPN service — WireGuard is the modern protocol several paid VPNs now run underneath, and this is the official Mac App Store app for connecting to a WireGuard server or provider directly. Free, open source, and built for a smaller, more auditable codebase than OpenVPN or IPsec, per the project’s own technical framing.
- Price
- Free
- License
- Open source
- Get it via
- Mac App Store
- Developer
- WireGuard Development Team
Do you use WireGuard?
Who made this
WireGuard’s own site names Jason A. Donenfeld as its author in the page’s own metadata.
What it does
Modern cryptography
Uses Curve25519, ChaCha20, Poly1305, and BLAKE2 rather than the older primitives behind IPsec and OpenVPN.
Small, auditable codebase
Designed to be reviewable by individual security researchers, unlike the much larger OpenVPN/OpenSSL or IPsec codebases.
Built-in roaming
Keeps the connection alive across IP address changes — WiFi to cellular, for example — without reconnecting.
The deal
- Free
- Open source — kernel components under GPLv2; other components under MIT, BSD, Apache 2.0, or GPL depending on the component
Worth knowing: Not a VPN service itself — you need your own WireGuard server or a provider’s configuration to connect to. See ProtonVPN or NordVPN in this section for a bundled server network instead.
WireGuard — questions people ask
Does WireGuard come with VPN servers included?
No — it’s a client only. You need your own WireGuard server or a provider’s configuration file.
Is the Mac WireGuard app free?
Yes, free on the Mac App Store, with no paid tier.
Who maintains WireGuard?
The WireGuard Development Team, led by original author Jason A. Donenfeld.
Is WireGuard free?
Yes — WireGuard is free.
Does WireGuard work alongside a notch app like Alcove?
Yes — WireGuard lives in the menu bar, so it runs happily alongside any Dynamic Island hub or notch app.
Where can I download WireGuard?
WireGuard is available via Mac App Store.
Is WireGuard open source?
Yes — WireGuard is open source.
Reviews
No public ratings yet. Reader reviews are coming to Kitsmith soon.
Listing hand-verified August 28, 2026 from the developer's site and public sources.
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