How Alpaca Works
Last updated: 2026-10-31
Content Filtering Explained
Alpaca is designed to help keep your family safer online on Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android. Before an app or browser connects to a website, your device first looks up that website's address. Alpaca checks each of those lookups against its filter lists and helps stop the ones that lead somewhere harmful. It is the same approach many schools and organizations use.
How It Works
You Browse Normally
Use any browser or app as you normally would. Alpaca works quietly in the background.
Alpaca Checks Each Request
When an app on your device tries to reach a website, Alpaca checks the website's address against its regularly updated filter lists.
Harmful Content Is Filtered
If the address matches something on your chosen lists — such as malware, phishing, tracking or adult content — Alpaca is designed to stop the connection before that content can load.
Everything Else Loads as Usual
Everything else carries on as normal. Alpaca is designed to be lightweight, so browsing should feel the same.
What Alpaca Helps Filter
- Malware & Phishing — Websites known to spread harmful software or try to steal passwords
- Trackers — Services that build a profile of your browsing across the web
- Advertising — Ad networks and ad-serving addresses
- Adult Content — Inappropriate websites (optional)
- Social media, AI apps, games and gambling — Optional filters for popular services. See What Alpaca Can Filter for the full list.
On Each Device
- Mac — Alpaca uses two macOS network extensions, the DNS Proxy and the Content Filter, which you approve once during setup. See Network Extension Setup.
- iPhone & iPad — Alpaca adds a local, on-device VPN configuration called Alpaca DNS. It is used only to filter and does not send your traffic through a remote server. A VPN badge shows in the status bar while protection is on.
- Android — Alpaca uses a local, on-device VPN that only handles website lookups. It does not change your IP address and is not a proxy. A key icon shows in the status bar while protection is on.
Privacy by Design
Filtering happens on your device. Alpaca never sees which sites your family visits, and a lookup that Alpaca filters stays on the device.
Lookups that are allowed go on to a DNS resolver as usual. On iPhone, iPad and Android, that is the resolver you choose in the app's settings.
Your statistics stay on your device too. Alpaca does not log the websites your family looks up — the apps talk to Alpaca for things like signing in and downloading filter-list updates.
Device-Wide Protection
Unlike browser extensions that only cover one browser, Alpaca works across the whole device. Every browser, app and game on it can benefit from Alpaca's protection — with nothing extra to install.