# TripMode review (2026): is the free plan enough? > Mac app that blocks background data use on slow or metered networks Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. TripMode is a Mac app that blocks apps from using the internet unless you allow them, which stops background updates and syncs from eating a limited data plan. It adds a live traffic monitor, usage reports, data limits and hotspot detection. It is now sold only through the Mac App Store. - **Category:** Desktop Utilities - **Made by:** Alix Sàrl - **Website:** https://tripmode.ch/ - **Runs on:** macOS - **Who should skip it:** Not for you if you use Windows, as that version is marked end of life. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, TripMode has a free plan, and paid plans start at $14.99 per year after a 7-day trial. - **Pricing model:** Free plan - **Free plan:** A feature-limited free mode is available on the Mac App Store; the listing does not say which features it leaves out. - **Free trial:** 7-day free trial, then $14.99 a year unless cancelled. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Free | $0 | Feature-limited mode of the Mac App Store app. | | Monthly | $4.99 per month; the listing also shows $5.99 under this name | Auto-renewing subscription with full access, including Family Sharing. | | Yearly | $14.99 per year; the listing also shows $17.99 under this name | Auto-renewing subscription after the 7-day trial, with all updates included. | | Lifetime | $39.99 one-time; the listing also shows $49.99 under this name | One-time in-app purchase with full access and unlimited updates, shared through Family Sharing. | Read from https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tripmode/id1513400665 on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with TripMode before buying. ## Key features - **Block by default:** Lists every app requesting internet access and blocks them by default; you choose which apps get through and see each one's data use. - **Hotspot detection:** Remembers networks it was activated on and turns on by itself when you connect to a mobile hotspot or tether an iPhone. - **Live monitor and reports:** Shows real-time traffic per app and reports usage for the last day, week or month, with the servers and domains each app contacted. - **Data limits:** Warns before a limit you set is reached, then blocks all transfers; limits can apply to specific networks such as a hotspot. - **Profiles and scheduler:** Profiles for work, calls, streaming or gaming, with a scheduler to switch TripMode on or off at set times. - **Automation:** Supports AppleScript and Shortcuts for automating when and how it runs. ## Good for - Travelers and anyone on tethered or capped mobile data - Seeing which Mac apps use the network and which domains they contact - Cutting background updates and cloud syncs on a slow connection ## Worth knowing - Mac only; the App Store listing states macOS 11.0 or later. TripMode for Windows and TripMode 2 are marked end of life. - The vendor no longer sells license keys; purchases go through the Mac App Store, and an old license does not work with that version. - The App Store listing shows two prices for each of Monthly, Yearly and Lifetime without explaining the difference. - It is also included in Setapp, which the vendor lists at $9.99 a month for over 240 apps. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.6 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. TripMode blocks Mac apps from the internet unless you allow them, which stops background updates eating a hotspot plan. It is Mac only and sold through the Mac App Store alone, and the listing shows two prices for each plan. - **Value for money: A.** $14.99 a year, about $1.25 a month, below the cheapest quarter of this category. Lifetime is $39.99, under a year of the middle subscription. - **Free plan and trial: C.** A 7-day trial, then a feature-limited free mode that the listing does not describe. - **Features: B.** Block by default, hotspot detection, live monitor and reports, data limits, profiles and scheduling. The listing names no gap in the core job. - **Ease of use: B.** No store rating is on record, but you install it, pick which apps may connect, and that is it. - **Platforms and integrations: D.** Mac only, macOS 11.0 or later. The Windows version and TripMode 2 are end of life. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Alix Sàrl's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among desktop utilities - TripMode's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 69 of the 186 other desktop utilities we grade, and level with 46. - It stands best on value for money (A, above 55 of 186) and worst on platforms and integrations (D, above 0). - Its paid plans start at $1.25 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $2.99 for the category: 6 of the 36 others that charge start lower. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 6 tools score higher and cost less. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/utilities ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** The plain part of TripMode you could make: reports. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend. It costs $14.99 a year. - You could make: Reports: an app builder makes this well. - You could not: Readings from inside the operating system. - You could not: Blocking that reaches every browser and app and is hard to switch off. - You could not: A real app for macOS. Something home-made would be a web page. - You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with Setapp, AppleScript, Shortcuts **Tags:** System monitor, Site & app blocker, One-time purchase, Reports ## Alternatives - [NetLimiter](https://toolgpa.com/tools/netlimiter): Per-app internet bandwidth limits and monitoring for Windows. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/netlimiter-vs-tripmode) - [GlassWire](https://toolgpa.com/tools/glasswire): Windows network monitor and firewall with a traffic time machine. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/glasswire-vs-tripmode) - [LuLu](https://toolgpa.com/tools/lulu): Free open-source Mac firewall for outgoing connections. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/lulu-vs-tripmode) - [Radio Silence](https://toolgpa.com/tools/radio-silence): Mac firewall and network monitor that blocks apps from going online. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/radio-silence-vs-tripmode) - [TG Pro](https://toolgpa.com/tools/tg-pro): Mac temperature monitor with manual and automatic fan control. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/tg-pro-vs-tripmode) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://tripmode.ch/ - https://tripmode.ch/buy - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tripmode/id1513400665 Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/tripmode Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).