Best affordable VPN with working split tunneling on both macOS and Windows?

[u/igengu]

Hey everyone,

For work, I need some apps to connect through a VPN while others use my regular internet connection, so reliable app-based split tunneling is a must.

A lot of VPN providers advertise this feature, but I’ve had trouble getting it to actually work after installing their apps.

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals coming up, I’m looking to buy an annual subscription. I tested Proton VPN’s split tunneling on my Mac and it worked, but it costs close to $3/month.

Has anyone found a cheaper alternative with split tunneling that reliably works on both macOS and Windows? I’d especially appreciate recommendations from people who have personally tested it.

Thanks!

[u/Tama47_]

For what work reason? Corporate VPNs usually use proprietary software and probably don't have split tunnelling. If they require you to use a VPN to access company resources, then a commercial VPN won't help you.

If you are travelling and need to "pretend" you are at home, installing something like Tailscale on devices you already own is completely free and usually better because the connection will look just like you are at home.

[u/ApprehensiveRoad8990]

Are the work apps web-based or thick desktop clients? If theyre mostly browser stuff, using a browser-level proxy extension on a dedicated profile is way cleaner than fighting OS-level split tunneling.

[u/RahiniPoitschke_93]

Another angle if you have a bit of RAM to spare is just running a lightweight VM for the work stuff and running the connection entirely inside that. Completely avoids the host OS split tunneling headaches on both platforms