The Best VPN for Linux in 2024

1. NordVPN - Best VPN for Security Linux

SecurityScore:

9.7 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

Multihop	Yes
Camouflage Mode	Yes
Kill switch	Yes
Split Tunneling	Yes
Netflix	Yes
Torrenting	Yes

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Simply put, Nord is one of the best VPNs on the market today, regardless of the operating system you prefer. It’s fast, it’s secure, and its proprietary NordLynx protocol is second-to-none. It works great for accessing Netflix, and as far as pricing goes, it’s pretty much middle-of-the-road. If you’re looking for a well-rounded VPN for your Linux computer, Nord is definitely one to consider.

Overview

NordVPN has been around for a little over a decade and has grown to be one of the most popular VPN providers on the planet, with around 14 million people trusting it with their data — Linux users included.

When it comes to performance, it offers blazing-fast speeds on a network of around 6,000 servers in 111 countries around the world. While that’s not as impressive as Private Internet Access’ server options, it’s definitely enough to get the job done for most folks without sacrificing speed. I use Nord on a lot of my devices, and I really appreciate its ability to stream Netflix from anywhere in the world.

>> Learn More: Best VPNs for Streaming

Just recently, I used it to access Canada’s Netflix library for a party at my house so my guests could experience the joys of “Trailer Park Boys.”

Beyond using it to laugh at Ricky and Julian’s antics, Nord has a serious side too. Its encryptions are military grade, its double VPN adds additional layers of protection, and its server obfuscation allows you to bypass any software blockers looking to terminate VPN traffic. If you’re looking for digital security, NordVPN is tough to beat.

How to Install NordVPN on Linux

As you’re likely aware, installing software on a Linux computer is a little different than it is on a Mac or PC. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Purchase NordVPN and set up your account.
2. Download the NordVPN Linux client by opening the terminal, writing tsh <(curl -sSf https://downloads.nordcdn.com/apps/linux/install.sh) and following any on-screen instructions.
   • Note: If that doesn’t work, you can try:
     sh <(wget -qO – https://downloads.nordcdn.com/apps/linux/install.sh)
   • If you get the message “Whoops! Permission denied accessing /run/nordvpn/nordvpnd.sock,” write the command sudo usermod -aG nordvpn $USER and then reboot your device.
3. Log in to your NordVPN account using the command nordvpn login.
4. Connect to a NordVPN server using the command nordvpn connect.

That should be it. Once you’re in, you might want to configure your settings. You are a Linux user, after all. So here are a few of the most helpful commands:

• nordvpn connect or nordvpn c — Connect to VPN; to connect to specific servers, use nordvpn connect <country_code server_number> (e.g., nordvpn connect uk715)
• nordvpn disconnect or nordvpn d — Disconnect from VPN
• nordvpn c double_vpn — Connect to the closest Double VPN server
• nordvpn connect –group double_vpn <country_code> — Connect to a specific country using DoubleVPN servers
• nordvpn connect –group p2p <country_code> —  Connect to a specific country using P2P servers
• nordvpn connect P2P — Connect to a P2P server
• nordvpn connect The_Americas — Connect to servers located in the Americas
• nordvpn connect Dedicated_IP — Connect to a dedicated IP server

On that note, if you want to see a list of all of the available commands, you can always type nordvpn help or nordvpn h.

Price

Like I said above, NordVPN’s prices are in the middle of the pack. There are a few on this list, like Ivacy and Private Internet Access, that are a little cheaper, but we’re talking about a matter of dollars over two or three years. In the scheme of things, I think NordVPN is appropriately priced when you consider the features you’re getting. Here’s a quick breakdown:

NordVPN Pricing

2. Private Internet Access VPN - Best VPN With a Linux GUI

SecurityScore:

9.4 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

Multihop	Yes
Camouflage Mode	No
Kill switch	Yes
Split Tunneling	Yes
Netflix	Yes
Torrenting	Yes

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With one of the largest server fleets available and a hugely customizable interface, Private Internet Access — or PIA for short — is a great option for Linux users. It’s extremely fast and extremely secure, and it even includes a graphical user interface (GUI) for its Linux version.

Overview

If PIA is known for anything, it’s its absolutely massive server fleet. Remember that NordVPN has 6,000? By all measures, that’s respectable. But PIA has 65,000. That’s not a typo. It literally has over ten times the number of servers as Nord.

What does this mean exactly? It means that no matter where you are on the planet, you’re going to be in close proximity to a PIA server. That translates to very low latency and very few servers becoming overloaded. There are no bandwidth or data restrictions here.

That’s why it’s my go-to VPN for international travel. I used it almost exclusively on my trip to Southeast Asia last year, and I had no problem professionally or personally. My work email client doesn’t really pay well with VPNs, so I was able to use the VPN’s split tunneling feature to whitelist it, meaning I didn’t have to switch the service off to check my messages. This can help things stay seamless and secure, which I really appreciate.

>> Learn More: Best VPNs for South Korea

How to Install PIA on Linux

PIA can be installed on systemd, sysvinit, and openrc-based operating systems like Mint, Ubuntu, Arch, and Debian — i.e., most of the popular distributions. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Purchase your PIA subscription of choice and download the app installer. Save the file.
2. Open the Terminal and change the directory to locate the installer. Use the command cd Downloads.
3. After you change the directory, run the application installer using the command sh pia-linux-3.3.1-06924.run.
4. Once the application has been installed, the app will open. You’ll be prompted to enter your login credentials, which are the email you entered and the password you created when you signed up.

If you’re having trouble, PIA has a pretty detailed troubleshooting guide on its website.

It’s also worth pointing out that PIA is one of the few VPNs out there that has a GUI on Linux. This means that you’re going to have an actual app to work with on your desktop rather than entering lines of code into the terminal to establish connections and adjust settings.

Price

PIA is a little less expensive than NordVPN, but it isn’t the most affordable on our list. That award goes to Ivacy, which we’ll discuss in just a bit. It’s one of the few VPNs that offers a three-year term, which I recommend opting for since it averages out to the lowest monthly price. Check out the breakdown of PIA’s prices below:

Private Internet Access Pricing

3. IPVanish - Best Linux VPN With Unlimited Simultaneous Connections

SecurityScore:

9.3 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

Multi-hop	No
Camouflage Mode	No
Kill switch	Yes
Split Tunneling	Yes
Netflix	Yes
Torrenting	Yes, with uTorrent

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If you’re a tech geek — and it’s pretty safe to assume you are since you’re running Linux — you likely have a bunch of devices you’d like to protect. Rather than buying multiple subscriptions to a single VPN provider, you could just go with IPVanish. It offers an unlimited number of connections so you can protect your desktop, your two laptops, your phone, your tablet, your server, your roommate’s computer, your smart TV, etc.

Overview

IPVanish is a solid VPN that offers customers powerful protections and rock-solid speeds. That said, if you’ve been paying attention in this space over the years like I have, you’ll know that it ran into a bit of a controversy back in 2018 when TorrentFreak revealed court documents that indicated IPVanish handed over the personal information of a customer suspected of sharing child pornography on an IRC network in 2016. This made the privacy purists really freak out, saying that IPVanish was lying about its no-log policy since it provided DHS with the source IP address and the dates and times the user connected to and disconnected from the network.

So yeah. Logs.

Since that time — in 2022, to be exact — IPVanish passed a third-party audit conducted by Leviathan Security Group that confirmed it was no longer keeping these types of logs and that it does indeed have a no-log policy.

>> Learn more: Best No-Log VPNs

So take everything you read with a grain of salt. Despite “no-log” promises, every VPN keeps track of some information about its customers — even if it’s just to bill you. If you’re really concerned about your privacy, you should look for a RAM-only provider like Nord or Express. Their servers do not physically store data and are wiped clean every time they cycle down.

How to Install IPVanish on Linux

IPVanish is supported by Ubuntu, Fedora, Kali Linux, Linux Mint, Lubuntu, and Pop! OS. The install process is a little different depending on the distribution you’re using, but I’m going to provide the instructions for Ubuntu here — it’s the one I prefer and the one I’m most familiar with. If you’re using something else, this can still act as a guide, but just make sure the command lines are correct.

1. Start by setting up an account with IPVanish, downloading the installer, and opening up your Terminal
2. Enter the command cd Downloads/.
3. Enter the command wget https://configs.ipvanish.com/configs/configs.zip, which will download and save the IPVanish OpenVPN configs zip file from IPVanish’s repository directly to your Downloads folder.
4. Unzip the config files by entering the command unzip configs.zip.
5. Once the files unzip, close out of the Terminal window and go to your settings app.
6. Scroll down the list of options and select Network, then click the Add (+) button.
7. When the add VPN window pops up, click on the Import from File option.
8. Select your preferred OpenVPN configuration file from the set of configs you unzipped earlier into your Downloads folder. You can add other additional servers one at a time based on your preferences. IPVanish’s server naming format is ipvanish-Country-Location-Server address. Once the configuration file has been chosen, click the Open button in the top right corner.
9. In the Add VPN window that appears, the OpenVPN config file will have been imported into the Add VPN wizard. Enter a name for your VPN connection in the Name field. Confirm the server address in the Gateway field, make sure the Type is set to Password, enter your IPVanish credentials into the Username and Password fields, and confirm the IPVanish CA certificate is labeled as ca.ipvanish.com.crt. Once you’ve entered all of the required details, click on the IPv6 tab at the top of the window.
10. Select the Disable radio button and then click the Add button in the top right of the window.
11. You should now see the newly created IPVanish OpenVPN connection listed in the Network window. Click the VPN slider switch to activate the VPN and connect to IPVanish.

It’s a little involved, but once it’s set up, you can connect or disconnect the VPN from your desktop by clicking on the Network icon at the top of the screen. That is a little easier than having to open up the Terminal each time you want to adjust the VPN.

Price

IPVanish’s prices are among the cheapest among our group, which is definitely a selling point if you’re into purchasing your protection on a budget. You’ll save quite a bit compared to Nord or Express. Here’s a quick breakdown of what everything will cost:

IPVanish Pricing

Keep in mind that you’re going to get three free months built into the one- and two-year subscription terms, which really brings the monthly price down.

4. Ivacy - Best Affordable VPN for Linux

SecurityScore:

9.2 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

Multihop	No
Camouflage Mode	No
Kill switch	Yes
Split Tunneling	Yes
Netflix	Yes
Torrenting	Yes

View Plans

Ivacy is another really strong VPN on Linux. It offers a large server network — 6,500 in 100 locations across the globe; decent performance; and the ability to unblock most streaming platforms. Its primary selling point is its pricing structure. We’ll get into that next.

Overview

In my tests, I’ve found that Ivacy is a pretty strong VPN. Its security functions well in testing environments, its speeds are always fast enough not to cause headaches, and, on my most recent trip to Europe, I was able to use it to get a U.S. IP address to check out the news from across the pond. That’s one of the great benefits of using a VPN like Ivacy. It really opens up the global internet for you.

>> Learn More: Best VPN for Travel

One thing that I do want to point out about Ivacy is that it’s a little less than transparent when it comes to its server network and its privacy policies. On the former point, it’s not exactly clear who actually owns its servers and who has access to them. It’s well known that a lot of VPN providers share servers, but most are upfront about it. On the latter point, Ivacy says it “regularly undergo[es] security audits,” but it’s extremely difficult to find any information about who is performing those audits and what the results are. Most VPNs shout it from the rooftops when they pass audits, and they put out press releases to let the public know the details.

That said, I haven’t been able to poke any holes in Ivacy’s claims, so the red flags might actually be red herrings. From what my data shows, this is a solid service that gets the job done. I just wish it was a little more transparent about its claims.

How to Install Ivacy on Linux

Similar to IPVanish, the instructions for setting up Ivacy on different distributions differ slightly. It works on Ubuntu, Xubuntu, MX Linux, Kubuntu, Manjaro, MX Linux, Kali Linux, Linux Light, Fedora, and a handful of other distros. I’m going to be walking you through the setup on Ubuntu, but if you’re using a different OS, just make sure your commands are correct.

1. Set up an Ivacy account and open up the Terminal.
2. Enter sudo apt-get install network-manager-openvpn.
3. Enter your password and type the letter y.
4. Close the Terminal and download the OpenVPN file from Ivacy’s website. Extract the files in that folder.
5. Go to the Network Connection icon and click on Settings.
6. Go to Network and click Add.
7. Select Import from File.
8. Import the file from the folder where you have saved it. Navigate to your desired server location and click on it.
9. A new window with multiple options will open up. In the Connection Name field, write IvacyVPN OpenVPN.
10. Enter your Ivacy username and password in the respective fields.
11. Switch the VPN on.

This process is similar to setting up IPVanish. If you have any problems, make sure you check Ivacy’s website for troubleshooting solutions.

Price

So now we come to the most affordable VPN on our list and one of the cheapest on the market today — less than Nord and even PIA. You’ll read more about this in my Ivacy pricing guide, but one of the things I really like about Ivacy is that it offers an almost unheard-of five-year subscription term that costs only a buck per month. Here’s what the breakdown looks like:

Ivacy Pricing

5. ExpressVPN - Best User-Friendly VPN for Linux

SecurityScore:

9.1 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

Multihop	No
Camouflage Mode	Yes
Kill switch	Yes
Split Tunneling	Yes
Netflix	Yes
Torrenting	Yes

View Plans

Along with Nord, ExpressVPN is one of the biggest names in the industry — and for good reason. First, it has an advanced fleet of RAM-only servers that’s 2,000 strong — a little smaller than Nord’s and certainly smaller than PIA’s (but whose isn’t?), but large enough to get the job done. Next, my VPN speed tests indicate that performance remains strong while it’s connected. Finally, it’s just really easy to use. I’ll get more into that in just a bit.

Overview

ExpressVPN has been around for about 15 years, and during that time, it’s built quite a loyal fanbase. One of the main reasons for that is its commitment to innovation — specifically its proprietary lightway protocol and RAM-only server fleet — and user-friendly posture. On traditional Mac and PC computers, the setup is a breeze, and configuration is so simple that your grandmother can do it, if you’ll pardon the cliche.

>> Learn More: VPN Protocols Compared

My sister isn’t all that technologically inclined, so I set up ExpressVPN on all of her devices: a Windows desktop, a MacBook Air she uses for work, and her iPhone. Not once has she called me complaining about it not working, which is more than I can say for almost every other piece of tech she has in her house.

How to Install ExpressVPN on Linux

ExpressVPN is available on the most recent releases of Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch, Raspberry Pi, and Mint. And true to its user-friendly nature, it’s built in some pretty interesting shortcuts to the setup process.

1. Purchase an ExpressVPN subscription.
2. Go to the ExpressVPN setup page and enter your login credentials.
3. Enter your verification code.
4. Select your Linux OS. If you’re using Debian or Mint, you should select Ubuntu. Just make sure you know if you’re running a 64-bit or a 32-bit distribution.
5. Click download and save the file. Keep this browser window open, because you’ll need the activation code in the setup later.
6. At this point, you can download the Browser Extension version of ExpressVPN to use a GUI to continue the setup. If you prefer to do things manually, move on to step 7.
7. Go to your Downloads folder. Locate and right-click the installer file you downloaded earlier. Click Open with Other Application > Software Install > Select.
8. Click Install.
9. Enter your password and click Authenticate.
10. When installation is complete, go to the terminal window and enter the command expressvpn.
11. Then enter the command cd ~/Downloads/.
12. For Ubuntu, Debian, or Mint, run this command: sudo dpkg -i [installer filename]; for Fedora, run sudo dnf install [installer filename]; for Arch, run sudo pacman -U [installer filename].
13. Open a new Terminal and run the command expressvpn activate.
14. Paste the activation code from earlier in the setup process. Note that the code won’t appear on the screen.

To connect to a VPN server, type the command expressvpn connect. ExpressVPN will use the Smart Location feature to select a server location, which is recommended to you based on factors such as speed and proximity.

Here are a few helpful shortcuts Express has included to make life a little easier for Linux users:

• If you want to see the full list of recommended server locations to connect to, type the command expressvpn list.
• If you want to see all of the server locations, type the command expressvpn list all.
• If you want to connect using Smart Location, type the command expressvpn connect smart.
• If you want to connect using the best protocol for your connection, type the command expressvpn protocol auto.

If you encounter any issues, ExpressVPN’s customer service team is available 24/7 to walk you through the troubleshooting process.

Price

So here’s where ExpressVPN gets me a little bit. It’s a little pricer than I would like — a little more than Nord and more than Ivacy and PIA. I have more on this in my breakdown of ExpressVPN’s prices, but here’s a really quick breakdown for you.

ExpressVPNs Pricing