Orchid VPN Goes Live With Desktop App for Mac Users

An Ethereum-based service for privately browsing the web now has a desktop app for Mac users.

By Zack Seward

Jul 23, 2020 at 4:45 a.m. UTC

Updated Sep 14, 2021 at 9:34 a.m. UTC

isaac-quesada-O62XBdFhH_k-unsplash — Orchid (Isaac Quesada/Unsplash)

Zack Seward

An Ethereum-based service for privately browsing the web now has a desktop app for Mac users.

Orchid VPN announced the launch in a Wednesday blog post, highlighting the ease with which users can purchase bandwidth using an Apple ID.

“This marks one of the first times consumers can exchange USD for a service that runs entirely on crypto in the background,” Orchid CEO Steven “Seven” Waterhouse told CoinDesk via a spokesperson.

Apple has long held a staunch anti-crypto stance, ranging from banning bitcoin purchases with its Apple Card to delisting apps that preform mining functions. At minimum, Orchid’s arrangement with the Cupertino, Calif., tech giant represents a slick workaround.

“Before our launch in the app-store and MacOS, the Orchid network of private VPN bandwidth was reserved for people who were able to acquire the OXT needed to access the network using existing crypto wallets,” Waterhouse said. “Now, anyone can easily make an in-app purchase of the crypto-backed credits used to access the network.”

Orchid rolled out an app for iPhone users earlier this month. The firm said it fast-tracked the development of the desktop version to meet the privacy needs of people working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A similar VPN offering, HOPN, recently raised $1 million in seed round led by Binance Labs.

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