OpenVPN provides flexible VPN solutions to secure your data communications, whether. OpenVPN is well known for being an extremely secure, long standing VPN platform. But, isnt Tunnelblick just a MacOS client for OpenVPN? If you're looking for the simplest, OpenVPN Access Server and OpenVPN Connect are the way to go if you're implementing your own. Vpn client for Mac: viscosity vs tunnelblick vs shimo? This thread is archived. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. I personally use viscosity. By far it is incredibly simple to use. I just had a.ovpn file, imported that file, and then.
This article explains what Tunnelblick is when you need it and how to install/uninstall it. Further, a useful list of VPN providers that allow Tunnelblick connections is included.
If you are running Mac Os you have probably heard people talking about Tunnelblick and how it can be used to set up a VPN connection. You may find below all you need to know about Tunnelblick in order to make the most of it.
What is Tunnelblick?
Tunnelblick is an open source MacOS application that provides secure access to an OpenVPN server. For those of you who don’t know, OpenVPN implements VPN techniques for creating secure point-to-point or site-to-site connections. The server running OpenVPN securely connects the Mac machine to the Internet, bypassing restrictions and censorship.
Tunnelblick is free and comes with easy to use graphic user interface for the control of OpenVPN client and/or server connections. All necessary binaries and drivers, including OpenVPN and tun/tap drivers, are installed and configured by the Tunnelblick VPN package.
What you need to run Tunnelblick
Tunnelblick runs on OS X 10.4 through 10.9.
It is important to understand that it does not provide VPN by itself. It only helps a Mac OS computer to connect to a VPN server.
Thus, you need access to a VPN server with OpenVPN software installed. The OpenVPN server can be:
- Provided by your company (if you are using it for business purposes). Then you need to get the connection configuration from the network administrator (OpenVPN configuration files: .ovpn / .conf with the appropriate certificate and key files, or a Tunnel blick VPN Configuration: .tblk file).
- A server provided by a VPN service (take a look below to a list of recommended VPN providers).
- A more advanced option is to connect to another computer that you have access to or to a router that acts as VPN server. You may consider ZeroShell or Untangle to configure the computer you want to access or OpenVPN on DD-WRT to configure your router.
VPN services that support Tunnelblick
Regarding the VPN service providers, you need to know that not all of them allow their users to connect to their servers using Tunnel blick. Many of them use their own Mac VPN clients or Viscosity to connect with their clients.
You may find below a list with several good VPN providers that allow Tunnelblick VPN connections.
VPN Provider | Tunnelblick | Own Mac VPN Client | Viscosity |
---|---|---|---|
AirVPN | Yes | Yes | – |
ExpressVPN | Yes | Yes | Yes |
HideMyAss | Yes | Yes | – |
ibVPN | Yes | Yes | – |
IPVanish | Yes | Yes (OSX 10.6.8+) | – |
Private Internet Access | Yes | Yes (10.6+) | Yes |
PureVPN | Yes | Yes | – |
StrongVPN | Yes | – | Yes |
VyprVPN | Yes | Yes | – |
How to install it
Before starting the installation you need to get the config files from the VPN service provider or from the network administrator (in case you want to connect to the company network). Save them on your Mac OS computer.
Next, here is a quick start guide:
Openvpn Vs Tunnelblick
- Download the software GUI for Mac OS.
- Install it following the onscreen instructions.
- Launch it.
- Add configuration files by clicking on ‘I have configuration files‘.
- Select ‘OpenVPN Configuration(s)‘.
- Next, select ‘Open Private Configurations Folder‘.
- Select ‘Done‘.
- A new window with the folder ‘Configurations‘ will appear.
- Now you need the OpenVPN configuration files. Extract the entire contents into the ‘Configurations‘ folder. Close the window when done.
- Launch it from ‘Applications‘.
- Click on the icon on the taskbar.
- Select a VPN location you would like to connect to and it will prompt you for your VPN username and password.
- Connect to the VPN server.
More detailed tutorials (including screenshots) may be found on the VPN providers setup pages: HideMyAss, ibVPN, VyprVPN, Private Internet Access, StrongVPN.
How to uninstall it
When you no longer need to use it to connect to a VPN server, follow the below-described actions:
- Drag the program from your ‘Applications’ folder to your Trash.
- Click your hard disk icon on your desktop (or open your Finder).
- Click on ‘Library’->’Application Support’, and ‘Delete’/Trash it folder if it exists.
- Click on ‘Library’->’Preferences’, and ‘Delete’/Trash the “com.tunnelblick.Tunnelblick.plist” file if it exists.
- Empty your Trash.
- Restart your Mac computer.
Can you run Tunnelblick on iPad and iPhone?
Openvpn Vs Tunnelblick 2
No, it is for MacOS only. But you may connect from your iPad or iPhone to an OpenVPN server using applications like OpenVPN Connect.
Tunnelblick for Windows
The app is only available on Mac computers and there is no Windows version. OpenVPN provides easy to use Windows application to connect to the VPN servers running OpenVPN.
Is it vulnerable to the OpenSSL Heartbeat attack?
Several versions of Tunnelblick include a version of the OpenSSL library that is vulnerable to the heartbleed attack:
- All 3.4 versions before 3.4beta22 (build 3789)
- All 3.3 versions before 3.3.2 (build 3518.3792)
If you are running one of these versions you need to update to the latest version!
Tunnelblick vs Viscosity
Openvpn Vs Tunnelblick Vpn
Viscosity is a paid alternative to Tunnelblick and it provides a rich user interface for creating, editing, and controlling VPN connections. Basically, it performs the same job, but it looks nicer. Plus, Viscosity is available for both Mac and Windows, unlike Tunnelblick that only runs on Mac computers.
Moreover, Viscosity can run AppleScript or Batch/VBS scripts before connecting/on connect/on disconnect per tunnel.
Thus, if you plan to go with Viscosity, take into account that there are significantly fewer VPN providers that accept Viscosity connections.
The subscription costs $9 and includes email support and free updates for all future 1.x versions.
Conclusion
Tunnelblick is an excellent solution for creating VPN connections on your Mac computers and to secure your Internet traffic. It is simple to install and to use even by those that are not computer freaks. It does not provide VPN by itself, it only helps the Mac to connect to an OpenVPN server. There are plenty of VPN providers that accept such connection (check the list provided in the article). You may consider Viscosity as an alternative to Tunnelblick if you need detailed traffic statistics, enterprise support or script control. Enjoy!
Highlighted Articles Discussion Group | On This Page BackgroundTo connect to a VPN, Tunnelblick needs to use a special kind of device driver:
Apple has made it more and more difficult to load system extensions with each How to Load Tunnelblick's System ExtensionsIf you are using any version of macOS up to and including macOS Sierra, If you are using macOS High Sierra, Mojave, or Catalina, you need to
If you are using macOS Big Sur on an Intel Mac, you need to:
If you are using macOS Big Sur on an Apple Silicon Mac, you need to use the latest beta version of Tunnelblick. See Tunnelblick and Apple Silicon for details. The Long-Term ProblemApple has announced changes to macOS which affect many users of Tunnelblick. You might see a warning from Tunnelblick about this change, or you might see the following warning when connecting your VPN: What this means is:
How to tell if you have a 'tap' VPN or a 'tun' VPNFirst, click to select a configuration in the left side of the 'Configurations' panel of Tunnelblick's 'VPN Details' window. Then, examine the title of the 'VPN Details' window. If it includes:
When will this happen?Apple does not announce its intentions in advance, so there may not be any prior notice of this change. It may appear in a version of macOS Big Sur, or may appear in a later version of macOS. Minecraft pe 1.16. For updated information about macOS Big Sur, see Tunnelblick on macOS Big Sur. How to modify a 'tun' VPN so it will continue to workYou need to remove the dev-node option if it exists in the VPN's OpenVPN configuration file:
If you made changes to the file and did not change it from shared to private and back to shared, the next time you connect the configuration you will be asked to have a computer administrator authorize the changes. If macOS still complainsAlways load tun or always load tapIf you have a 'tun' VPN which does not need to be modified, or has been modified as described above, and Tunnelblick or macOS Catalina still complains, then you have changed a Tunnelblick setting and should restore it to the default setting. All configurations should be set to 'Load tun driver automatically' and 'Load tap driver automatically'. These settings are found on the 'Connecting & Disconnecting' tab of the 'Advanced' settings window. Recent versions of Tunnelblick will automatically disable loading of 'tun' and 'tap' system extensions on versions of macOS that do not allow Tunnelblick to load them. Disabling SIPSystem Integrity Protection ('SIP') is a feature of macOS which helps keep your computer safe (see About System Integrity Protection on your Mac). Although it is not recommended because it makes your computer less safe, if you are using macOS Big Sur 11.0.1, disabling SIP may allow your computer to connect a 'tap' VPN. See Configuring System Integrity Protection for instructions to disable SIP. It has been reported that on macOS Big Sur 11.1.0 disabling SIP is no longer necessary. This has not been verified by the Tunnelblick developers. Old versions of Tunnelblick will not helpThis situation is caused by changes in macOS, not a change in Tunnelblick, so older versions of Tunnelblick will not help. All Macs running OS X 7.5 or later should use the latest stable or beta version of Tunnelblick. See Deprecated Downloads for a version of Tunnelblick that should be used on earlier versions of OS X and on all PowerPC Macs. What Apple announcedApple has announced that 'future OS releases will no longer load system extensions that use deprecated KPIs by default'. Tunnelblick includes, and for some configurations loads one of two such extensions:
It isn't clear what Apple means by the phrase 'by default'. It may mean that Apple will provide a mechanism for users to allow loading of system extensions that use deprecated KPIs. However, Apple's practice has been to make such mechanisms very difficult to use, and the warning in macOS Catalina does not indicate such a mechanism will be provided. Early versions of macOS Big Sur may allow system extensions to be loaded if SIP is disabled, see Tunnelblick on macOS Big Sur. On macOS Big Sur 11.1.0 disabling SIP is no longer necessary. What is Tunnelblick doing about it?In the short term:
In the longer term: At some point in the future when Tunnelblick no longer supports versions of macOS that can load system extensions, system extension loading and unloading will probably be removed from Tunnelblick. Historically, Tunnelblick has supported several years of macOS releases. As of June 2020 Tunnelblick supports OS X and macOS versions as far back as 10.7.5, which was released in 2012, so it is anticipated that the removal will not take place until the mid- to late-2020s. |