The Best VPNs for Linux

• Test Conducted: I used each VPN’s Linux app myself and documented my experience, from the installation process to the availability of a GUI and general ease of use. I also recorded features like an integrated kill switch and the option to dock the app.
• Why It Matters: A positive user experience keeps the VPN accessible to users of all skill levels and removes friction from day-to-day use.
• Optimal Result: An easy-to-install app with a modern GUI and full feature parity with Windows and macOS.

• Test Conducted: I recorded every Linux distribution listed on each provider’s website and personally downloaded the installers for the most popular distros. I also noted whether 32-bit and 64-bit apps were available.
• Why It Matters: Unless a VPN provides an installer for your specific Linux OS, you simply won’t be able to run the app.
• Optimal Result: Installers for Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, and Arch, in both 32-bit and 64-bit formats.

• Test Conducted: I inspected each Linux VPN for security features, focusing on WireGuard or OpenVPN support alongside ChaCha20 or AES-256 encryption. I also checked for a kill switch and tested all of the above with a mix of in-house and third-party tools
• Why It Matters: Strong encryption and an effective kill switch are essential for protecting your traffic from targeted attacks or monitoring. A Linux VPN with weak security is exposed to data breaches, man-in-the-middle attacks, and more.
• Optimal Result: WireGuard or OpenVPN support and a kill switch configured to work in the Linux environment, with no known vulnerabilities in the source code and no ongoing data breaches.

• Test Conducted: I examined each VPN’s logging policy and recorded what data it collects and how long it keeps it. I also checked for privacy-enhancing features like diskless servers, along with real-world evidence such as court cases and audits.
• Why It Matters: An overly intrusive logging policy can compromise your online anonymity. Many VPNs, free ones especially, log and even sell your data to third parties.
• Optimal Result: An audited logging policy that doesn’t collect any user data and has been proven by real-world events, like a server seizure or court subpoena.

• Test Conducted: I used my self-developed speed test tool to measure the speed loss of each VPN across servers in different regions.
• Why It Matters: Your connection speed determines your streaming quality, browsing speed, download times, and more.
• Optimal Result: An average download speed loss of below 10% across short distances, and below 20% for long-range connections.

A GUI app is the easiest way to use a VPN on Linux, and it’s what I recommend for most people. You install the app, log in, and connect with a single click, just like you would on Windows or Mac.

Everything is laid out visually, so the server list and settings are accessible via menus and buttons rather than commands you have to memorize.

This was once quite rare, but the landscape has shifted. Now, all of my shortlisted VPNs provide a full GUI and near feature parity.

The exact installation process varies depending on your provider and Linux distro, but these steps provide a rough outline:

1. Download the correct installer from your VPN provider. Ensure you match the installer file to your distro, e.g. .deb for Debian/Ubuntu.
2. Install the VPN app. Either run the installer file via terminal or double-click the file to open it in your software manager.
3. Launch the app and sign in. Find the app in your desktop menu and log in using your credentials.

Some VPN services provide a command-line interface app alongside, or instead of, a GUI. These apps are terminal-based and much harder to use, especially if you’re used to desktop.

Technical users who favor headless environments (systems running without a graphical interface, like a Raspberry PI) tend to prefer CLI apps.

Again, the exact setup instructions vary by provider and Linux distro, but this general outline to help you get started:

1. Download the Linux app from the provider’s website.
2. Open your terminal in your Downloads folder. Again this varies, but right-click inside the folder where you saved the installer file and select Open in Terminal.
3. Run the installation command. If prompted, enter your admin password.
4. Authenticate via terminal using your VPN login details.
5. Set up essential security features. I recommend enabling the kill switch and WireGuard before connecting.

If your VPN service doesn’t offer a Linux app at all, then you’ll need to manually configure the connection on your device.

Typically, this involves downloading the VPN’s OpenVPN or WireGuard configuration files and importing them into your Linux distribution’s Network Manager.

I’ve done this myself quite a few times, and while it’s not too difficult, it does become tedious importing a separate file for each new server location.

Here are the steps for doing this with WireGuard:

1. Log into your VPN provider’s website and download the config file. Look for labels like “Manual Configuration” or “Advanced setup”.
2. Import the file into your Network Manager. It’s easiest to do this via terminal.
3. Connect to the VPN server. Activate the imported connection profile using this command:

   Bash
nmcli connection up filename

NordVPN is an exceptional all-rounder, and on paper it has everything a Linux user could want. It runs on the fast NordLynx protocol, offers robust command-line support across every major distribution, and it now also offers a full graphical app.

Two reasons keep off my list, for now.

The first is privacy. NordVPN still keeps some temporary connection logs, storing timestamps for 15 minutes after a session ends. That isn’t egregious, and it’s a long way from selling your data, but it falls short of the court-proven, no-logs standard set by my top picks.

The second is the Linux app itself. The GUI is a welcome addition, but a handful of features (e.g. Meshnet) still live only in the command line.

My main gripe, however, is the recurring connectivity issues I keep running into, namely my internet connection staying blocked after I’ve disconnected, and a kill switch that doesn’t always toggle off.

I’d expect NordVPN to smooth out these problems over the next few app releases, but for now they keep it just outside my recommendations.

Surfshark is a good VPN that has a dedicated Linux app with a proper GUI, but it only runs on Debian-based distros (Debian, Ubuntu, and Mint), with no official support for Fedora, Arch, or anything further afield.

Even on a supported distro, I still had to use the terminal to get the Surfshark app installed, so it isn’t the one-click experience I was expecting.

The bigger problem is its unreliable connectivity: the app stalled several times on “Connecting,” “unable to connect” errors, and I had to disconnect and reconnect repeatedly during my tests.

Surfshark has published troubleshooting guides for these precise connection failures on Linux, which tells you just how often they come up.

Windscribe gives you both a GUI and a command-line client for Linux, plus a genuine headless build, so it slots neatly into servers, SSH boxes, and Docker containers. It supports WireGuard, OpenVPN, and its Stealth and WStunnel obfuscation modes. All of this through its free tier, too.

That said, the free plan is capped at 10GB of data each month, and the app itself isn’t as dependable as the clients that I recommend in this guide.

I ran into quite a few connectivity problems, too, and Windscribe’s own release notes show a long list of fixes for crashes and a helper process that spikes CPU.