# Viscosity review (2026): is it worth $16? > OpenVPN client for Mac and Windows, bought once Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. Viscosity is an OpenVPN client for macOS and Windows from SparkLabs. It imports and edits OpenVPN connections through a graphical interface, shows traffic and connection details, and can be scripted. It is a client only, so you bring your own VPN server or provider. - **Category:** VPNs - **Made by:** SparkLabs Pty Ltd - **Website:** https://www.sparklabs.com/viscosity - **Runs on:** macOS, Windows - **Who should skip it:** Not for you if you want a VPN service, as it has no servers. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, Viscosity is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $16 one-time, per license. - **Pricing model:** Free trial - **Free plan:** None. - **Free trial:** 30-day free trial for Mac and Windows. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Viscosity license | $16 one-time, per license | One-time purchase with no subscription. Includes email support and free updates for all future 1.x versions. | Read from https://www.sparklabs.com/store/viscosity/ on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Viscosity before buying. ## Ways to pay less - **Volume discount on multiple licenses** (Other savings): The store says raising the quantity of licenses shows an instant discount at checkout. Source: https://www.sparklabs.com/store/viscosity/ ## Key features - **Connection editor:** Create or edit OpenVPN connections without writing configuration by hand, including multi-factor authentication settings, with advanced commands for experts. - **Full and split DNS:** Send every DNS lookup to the VPN's servers, or only lookups for chosen domains. - **Traffic statistics:** A menu overview of connections plus a details window with a traffic graph and network and encryption information. - **Scripting and automation:** Control the app with AppleScript or VBScript, and run custom scripts when a connection changes state. - **Obfuscation and simultaneous connections:** Works with an Obfsproxy server to get past networks that block VPNs, and can hold several VPN connections open at once. - **Deployment bundles:** Organizations can bundle the app with preset settings and connections to hand to their users. ## Good for - Mac and Windows users who connect to OpenVPN servers - Teams that want to ship preconfigured VPN profiles - Buyers who prefer a single payment over a subscription ## Worth knowing - It is only a client and includes no servers or VPN service. - Supports OpenVPN, and runs on macOS and Windows only. - A license includes free updates for 1.x versions only; the store lists upgrades separately. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.0 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. Viscosity is an OpenVPN client for Mac and Windows with a connection editor, traffic stats and scripting, at $16 once. It includes no VPN service, supports OpenVPN only, and its license covers free updates for 1.x versions only. - **Value for money: A.** $16 once is under a year of the category's middle subscription at $5 a month, though you still pay for a VPN service. - **Free plan and trial: C.** 30-day free trial on Mac and Windows; the page does not say whether a card is needed. - **Features: D.** It does a narrow job, an OpenVPN client, and needs a VPN server or provider to be of any use, even with its scripting and split DNS. - **Ease of use: D.** You import or write OpenVPN configurations and can script connections, so it needs technical know-how. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Mac and Windows desktop only, with OpenVPN and AppleScript as its only listed links. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from SparkLabs's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among VPNs - Viscosity's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 9 of the 50 other VPNs we grade, and level with 5. - It stands best on value for money (A, above 43 of 50) and worst on features (D, above 0). The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/vpn ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** To replace Viscosity you would be making servers in dozens of countries, kept fast and private. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 36 of the 50 other VPNs grade higher. It costs $16, paid once. - You could not: Servers in dozens of countries, kept fast and private. - You could not: A native app living in the menu bar. - You could not: A real app for macOS and Windows. Something home-made would be a web page. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with OpenVPN, AppleScript **Tags:** VPN, Menu bar app, One-time purchase ## Alternatives - [Tunnelblick](https://toolgpa.com/tools/tunnelblick): Free open-source OpenVPN client for macOS. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/tunnelblick-vs-viscosity) - [OpenVPN](https://toolgpa.com/tools/openvpn): Open-source VPN protocol plus business VPN products built on it. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/openvpn-vs-viscosity) - [WireGuard](https://toolgpa.com/tools/wireguard): Free, open-source VPN protocol and tunnel software. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/viscosity-vs-wireguard) - [SoftEther VPN](https://toolgpa.com/tools/softether-vpn): Free multi-protocol VPN server and client from a Japanese university. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/softether-vpn-vs-viscosity) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://www.sparklabs.com/viscosity/ - https://www.sparklabs.com/store/viscosity/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/viscosity Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).