The Best VPNs for Linux

Crucially, PIA includes its kill switch on Linux. This saved us from having to manually configure one in Linux’s network settings which can be time-consuming and, frankly, quite difficult.

PIA lets you use its advanced kill switch and ad-blocker on Linux.

You also have access to the VPN’s ad-blocker, split tunneling, and full server network. This level of feature parity is exceptional and makes it worthwhile to use a VPN on Linux.

We found PIA a lot easier to use than most VPNs we test on Linux. You only need to click the power button once to connect and most of its extra features are neatly hidden within a drop-down menu.

Though user-friendly, PIA’s advanced features can be confusing if you’re unfamiliar with VPNs, but the learning curve isn’t too steep.

PIA is compatible with most popular Linux distros, making setup straightforward. It also works on both 32-bit and 64-bit systems, allowing for wider compatibility.

Using Ubuntu, the setup process took us less than 1 minute. This is due to PIA providing an easy-to-use installer to download the bulk of its software unlike Mullvad, for example, which requires entering multiple inputs into your CLI.

PIA tunnels your traffic with the open-source WireGuard protocol and encrypts it with ChaCha20. This is a highly secure configuration that’s enabled by default within the VPN’s Linux app.

We tested this ourselves, by using Wireshark to analyze our VPN encryption within the Linux environment.

PIA encrypted our internet traffic while on Linux.

Each data packet displayed incoherent symbols indicating that the VPN successfully encrypted our connection.

Aside from its encryption, we were reassured to learn that PIA also operates its own DNS servers which are enabled by default within the Linux app. This keeps everything in-house, preventing your Internet Service Provider (ISP) from seeing which websites you visit.

On a nearby server, PIA slowed down our download speeds by just 4% on a nearby server.

This is exceptionally fast and is thanks to PIA’s WireGuard implementation working correctly with Linux.

Over longer-distances PIA had a much greater impact on our connection speeds. For example, our US to Australia connection slowed down by 18%.

While this is slightly worse than competitors like ExpressVPN, it didn’t affect our streaming experience. Video quality remained consistent, even when accessing geo-blocked content.

This reliability is useful, as PIA consistently unblocks US Netflix, HBO Max, BBC iPlayer, and more. In contrast, Proton VPN Free doesn’t work with any streaming service, and Mullvad only unblocks a few.

Personally, we find Mullvad the nicest VPN to use on Linux. It’s very obvious that the app is custom-made for the OS, and not another ported PC client.

Its main screen is simple, with only a few essential buttons, and its map interface is far less obtrusive than the typically cluttered designs in similar interfaces.

Within its settings, Mullvad includes more advanced features than many Linux VPNs. You can customize its WireGuard protocol by port number and IP address type, and there’s even options for multi-hop and obfuscation.

Mullvad allowed us to customize our connection within its Linux app.

However, we noticed that the VPN selects ‘Automatic’ as its default protocol, which often uses OpenVPN. For optimal performance, click the cog icon in the top-right corner and click ‘VPN settings‘ and then scroll down to ‘Tunnel protocol‘ and select WireGuard.

Mullvad is only compatible with Ubuntu, Debian, and Fedora distributions and 64-bit systems. This is disappointingly narrow compared to Astrill or Proton VPN’s selection.

Though the setup process isn’t overly complicated, we were disappointed by the lack of an installer for less tech-savvy users.

As is the case with its other apps, you only need to provide your 16-digit account number to sign in. This is far quicker, and easier, than having to enter an email or password.

Mullvad uses WireGuard or OpenVPN to establish a VPN tunnel and encrypts it with ChaCha20 or AES-256 respectively.

We experienced no connectivity issues with Mullvad and our encryption tests showed that it successfully encrypted our internet traffic:

Using WireGuard, Mullvad encrypted our connection on Linux.

Mullvad also includes a standard kill switch and a permanent kill switch called “Lockdown mode”. The latter cuts your internet until you connect to the VPN making IP leaks virtually impossible.

We tested both kill switches on its Linux app and detected no data leaks.

Mullvad excels at privacy with a genuine no-logs privacy policy.

Unlike most VPNs, Mullvad does not require you to provide account details or pay for a regular subscription. Instead, you make an anonymous payment and set up your account with a randomly generated code. This ensures complete anonymity.

We’ve set up Mullvad countless times in testing and personal use, and we’ve always found its unique sign-up process straightforward enough.

Moreover, Mullvad operates a diskless server network which makes it impossible for anyone to extract your personal data.

Mullvad barely impacted our local speeds with an average decrease of 6%. Over longer-distances, our speeds dropped slightly with an average international speed loss of 15%

We found this sufficiently fast for most activities on our Linux. However Mullvad doesn’t work with most streaming services so it was difficult to test the impact on video quality when bypassing geo-blocks.

ExpressVPN’s newly-released Linux app has every feature you’d expect from a big-name VPN, including dedicated IP, an ad blocker, and split tunneling.

More importantly, all of these features can be enabled in-app with just a few clicks. We found this so much easier than having to memorize various commands to enter into the Linux terminal.

While we’re pleased to see ExpressVPN finally release an app for Linux, its interface really isn’t to our tastes.

It uses the same design as its App store client for macOS, including the peculiar introduction of a map interface.

We think it looks clunky, especially as the map seems to cut off quite abruptly on our display. We’d welcome an app re-design at some point.

Typically, when a VPN service prioritizes privacy and security — as is the case with many Linux-focused providers — they tend to under invest in speed and streaming.

Thankfully, this isn’t the case with ExpressVPN. As the best VPN we’ve reviewed in general, it is also one of the fastest with an average speed loss of 2%, and the best for streaming.

This was a refreshing change from our typical Linux experience. While testing on our Ubuntu, we used the VPN to stream US Netflix in 4K quality without any buffering or freezing.

In comparison, we struggled to stream most content platforms with Mullvad, and the free version of Proton VPN failed to work with any.

Thanks to its universal installer — and helpful online guides — the VPN is quick to set up on your Linux.

It didn’t take us long, and once installed you have a variety of sign-in options, including an email link and activation code.

ExpressVPN is also compatible with a wide range of distributions that include Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Linux Mint, and more.

However, we were disappointed to learn that it only supports 64-bit systems.

ExpressVPN is one of the first VPN services to implement post-quantum protection on all of its apps, including Linux.

This is essential for future-proofing against more advanced attacks on your VPN encryption.

While it’s disappointing that it’s only available on Lightway, a close-sourced protocol, we have no reason to suspect it is in any way compromised.

Another standout feature is ExpressVPN’s implementation of RAM-only (diskless) servers, which erase your activity data following every reboot. This is far safer than using a physical hard drive, and ensures your personal data is kept secure.

Proton VPN’s Linux app includes a GUI, but it falls short of the polish and user-friendly design found in the paid VPNs on our list.

Unlike our top 3 recommendations, Proton VPN’s Linux app differs significantly from its Windows counterpart. Most notably, it lacks a map interface and does not incorporate any icons.

Previously, its Linux app displayed the connected country’s flag, but now it only shows a text confirmation. We found this much harder to quickly tell if the VPN was connected, especially when the app was alongside another window.

Proton VPN’s Linux app is basic but functional.

For a free Linux VPN, Proton VPN has an excellent number of basic and advanced features such as an integrated kill switch, WireGuard support (although it’s labelled ‘experimental’ on Linux), an auto-connect tool, and its proprietary VPN ‘Accelerator’.

That said, we were disappointed by the amount of paywalled features including port forwarding and access to Proton VPN’s full server list.

From our recommended VPNs, Proton VPN is compatible with the most Linux distros.

You can install its free tier on the following distros:

• Debian 10
• Ubuntu 20+
• Mint 20+
• MX Linux 19+
• Kali Linux
• Elementary OS 6.0+
• Fedora 31+ (excluding Rawhide)
• Archlinux/Manjaro

There are also OpenVPN and IKEv2 config files, in addition to a CLI installation guide.

It took us slightly longer to set up than PIA’s Linux app at just under 3 minutes.

Proton VPN is one of the most secure free VPNs available. It tunnels your traffic with WireGuard, encrypts it with ChaCha20, and uses Perfect Forward Secrecy for key exchange.

We tested this with a packet analyzer and found that Proton VPN securely encrypted our traffic on Linux.

Proton VPN’s free client encrypted our traffic, displaying it as incoherent symbols.

Proton VPN also includes IPv4 and IPv6 leak protection built into its Linux app. We tested this with our in-house leak test tool and detected no data leaks.

Proton VPN has a zero-logs policy which logs no identifiable data. The only information it retains is your email when you create an account, which can easily be bypassed with an anonymous email address.

In 2019 Proton VPN proved its policy in court, when it was asked to submit user data. Since no relevant data had been stored, it had nothing to hand over.

The final factor that makes Proton VPN such a strong choice for privacy is its jurisdiction.

Being based in Switzerland, which isn’t part of the 14 Eyes and or the EU, makes Proton VPN a very good choice for privacy-conscious users.

Proton VPN’s speeds are exceptional, with an average speed loss of 12% on same-country connections, even using the free service.

We’ve regularly used Linux with Proton VPN running in the background, sometimes for multiple hours, and have never noticed an impact on performance or our download times.

That said, Proton VPN only has 2,000 free servers which can easily become congested, reducing your speeds. For context, PIA has 18,651 servers and Mullvad has 674.

To avoid this, we suggest using the VPN at non-peak times or upgrading to its paid version.