Best VPN for Linux in 2025 (Only 4 Passed All Tests)

As a Linux user, you likely prioritize security and privacy more than most computer users. While Linux-based operating systems are generally more secure against threats like viruses and malware, that's only part of the picture. Even if your system is well-protected, it's crucial to safeguard your communications with the outside world. That's why we've created this guide to the best Linux VPNs for your benefit.

Interest in VPNs is surging across all operating systems, including Linux-based distros, in today's world of intense surveillance, often conducted by your own internet service provider, as well as social media sites and other entities. The key is to find the best Linux VPN that suits your unique needs and circumstances.

Key takeaways

• Our top recommended Linux VPNs in 2025 are Surfshark, NordVPN, Proton VPN, and ExpressVPN, a quartet known for their robust security, speed, and user-friendliness.

• Key features to look for in a Linux VPN include strong encryption, no-logs policies, fast connection speeds, and user interface options, where a GUI can enhance usability.

• While free VPNs may compromise privacy and performance, paid services typically provide better security and features, making them a more reliable option for Linux users.

Top Linux VPNs in 2025

The VPNs in the table below passed all of our tests and met the criteria to be recommended:

1. Surfshark — Best overall VPN for Linux with a full GUI app, impressive price, performance, and features (86% coupon)

2. NordVPN — Fastest VPN service with tons of advanced features and a large network of very fast servers around the world (with a 77% off coupon)

3. Proton VPN — Quality Linux VPN with huge server network

4. ExpressVPN — Reliable VPN with a new GUI app

A key factor in our evaluation was the quality and location of each VPN server, ensuring optimal performance and access to geographically restricted content.

We’ve rigorously tested these VPNs to ensure they meet the high standards expected by Linux users like yourself. NordVPN and Surfshark stand out with their high levels of security and privacy features, making them suitable for you if you prioritize these aspects. Proton VPN, with its enormous network (over 12,000 servers!) and Swiss jurisdiction, is a newcomer to this list. ExpressVPN, renowned for its robust security and ease of use rounds out your top four choices.

Let’s look at each of them so you can see which will best serve your needs.

1. Surfshark — Best overall VPN for Linux with a full GUI app, impressive price, performance, and features

Surfshark is an excellent option for any Linux user, particularly if you are on a budget. It offers significant discounts for longer subscription terms, and ranks as one of the best cheap VPNs. In addition, this VPN service is well-suited for beginners due to its full graphical user interface (GUI) and easy installation process.

Surfshark gives you a wide range of advanced features. These include:

• Automatic kill switches to protect your internet traffic in case of sudden disconnections, ensuring your data remains secure.

• CleanWeb ad, tracker, and malware blocker, providing a cleaner and safer browsing experience.

• WireGuard support for a balance of speed and security, making it a great choice for streaming and gaming.

• Bypasser and Reverse Bypasser (Split tunneling) to allow specific apps or websites to bypass the VPN, giving you more control over your internet traffic.

• Cookie pop-up blocker, included in the Surfshark browser extension, to prevent annoying cookie consent requests.

• Rotating IP to complicate tracking by hostile entities, enhancing your anonymity online.

• MultiHop and Dynamic MultiHop are features that route your connection through multiple countries, adding an extra layer of security. Dynamic MultiHop is a unique feature that lets you decide which servers are included in the connection.

• NoBorders mode to help you connect in restrictive regions, ensuring access to the open internet.

• Camouflage Mode which makes your internet traffic look normal, preventing your ISP from knowing you’re using a VPN.

• Private DNS and leak protection to ensure your internet traffic is not exposed to third parties.

• 24/7 live chat support for immediate assistance whenever you need it.

• and more

A standout feature of Surfshark is its support for unlimited simultaneous connections, making it ideal for users with multiple devices. With elite skills at accessing geo-blocked content, it is also one of the best VPNs for Netflix.

See all Surfshark features here >>

Surfshark has a large server networks, and both use some of those servers to provide advanced features most VPNs can’t match.

• Double VPN servers pass your traffic through two servers, increasing both your security and privacy.

• Obfuscated servers disguise your VPN traffic in order to bypass internet blocks erected by certain nations and other groups.

• Dedicated IP servers give you private use of a fixed (static) IP address. There are pros and cons to using a dedicated IP address, but if you need one, Surfshark can provide it. Using a dedicated address requires an additional fee.

• Static IP servers provide you with a fixed IP address every time you connect to them. However that IP address will be shared with other NordVPN users, rather than dedicated to your exclusive use. NordVPN does not provide static IP servers.

• P2P servers are optimized for peer-to-peer activities like torrenting.

The table below tells you everything you need to know about Surfshark’s servers and will make it easy to compare to other seervices:

Surfshark server stats
Total servers	3,200+
Total countries	100
RAM-only servers	✅
Double VPN (MultiHop and Dynamic MultiHop)	✅
Onion Over VPN
Obfuscated (No Borders mode)	✅
Dedicated IP	✅
Static IP	✅
P2P	✅

Adding to Surfshark’s charms is its performance. In most of our tests, only NordVPN is faster. While it may not reach the peak speeds of NordVPN, Surfshark still offers fast speeds, with top speeds in excess of 750 Mbps, ensuring a smooth online experience.

Summing it up, the Surfshark Linux app is fast, secure, and easy to use with its GUI interface. Throw in unlimited simultaneous connections, a low, low price, 24/7 live chat support, and a 30-day money-back guarantee, and Surfshark is clearly the best Linux VPN.

If this service appeals to you, check out our complete Surfshark VPN review.

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2. NordVPN — Fastest Linux VPN with tons of advanced features

NordVPN stands out as one of the best Linux VPNs due to its exceptional blend of speed, security, and user support. Known for its lightning-fast connection speeds, NordVPN utilizes the NordLynx protocol, built on the cutting-edge WireGuard technology, to deliver peak performance with minimal latency. This makes it ideal for you if you engage in bandwidth-intensive activities such as streaming, gaming, or large file transfers.

The NordVPN Linux VPN app is designed to provide robust security features and fast connection speeds, tailored specifically for Linux distros.

Note that the Post-quantum VPN setting is enabled in the image above. NordVPN recommends always enabling Post-quantum encryption in Linux.

As I am sure you noticed, the NordVPN Linux app has a command line interface (CLI), which means you need a bit of Linux experience to install and use it. To make this easier, the NordVPN website has a set of instructions for downloading, installing, and using the app. Here is a small portion of that instruction set:

Impressive security and privacy features are another crucial aspect of NordVPN. We’re talking about industry-leading AES-256 and ChaCha20 encryption in its OpenVPN and NordLynx protocols. This is a no-logs VPN that commissions continuous outside audits to ensure that your data is secure and your privacy protected.

NOTE: In February of 2025, NordVPN announced the successful completion of the fifth independent audit of its no-logs policy.

Other security and privacy features you will appreciate include, automatic kill switches in all apps, 100% RAM-only servers that store zero user data, and the Threat Protection feature that blocks ads, trackers, and malware. A nice additional feature for Linux users is the fact that the company has open-sourced the Linux client, so people can inspect the code for problems.

If you use other devices and operating systems in addition to Linux, NordVPN has even more features to offer you.

See all NordVPN features here >>

NordLynx combines the highly-secure and extremely-fast WireGuard protocol with enhanced privacy technology, resulting in exceptional performance across all fronts. With NordLynx, NordVPN is the fastest Linux VPN, turning in the best speed test result ever recorded in our lab:

Like Surfshark, NordVPN’s server network contains a wide variety of specialized servers that few other VPNs can match. One type that Surfshark doesn't have is Onion Over VPN servers. These pass your traffic through both the NordVPN network and the Tor network, adding that networks anonymity to your connection, albeit with a major impact on the speed of your connection.

The following table sums up the NordVPN server situation:

NordVPN server stats
Total servers	7,300+
Total countries	118
RAM-only	✅
Double VPN	✅
Onion Over VPN	✅
Obfuscated	✅
Dedicated IP	✅
Static IP
P2P	✅

NordVPN supports 10 simultaneous connections, and provides 24/7 live chat support and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Get the full story on this VPN provider in our updated NordVPN review.

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3. Proton VPN — Quality Linux VPN with huge server network

Proton VPN is another strong choice if you are a privacy-focused Linux user. Proton VPN offers a GUI VPN app that makes your life easier. However, installing the Linux app involves some work in the terminal, making it more difficult to install than Surfshark for example. In addition, while the Linux app itself offers the most important features of Proton VPN, it is not nearly as attractive or user-friendly as the Proton VPN apps for Windows or macOS.

Selecting a country in the app (red box above) shows you the individual server locations within the country. It also displays icons of the specialty servers within that country, such as the Onion over VPN icon circled in red.

This service protects your privacy with its kill switch, Secure Core servers (a specialized type of Double VPN), an audited no-logs policy, the NetShield ad, tracker, and malware blocker, and the legal protection of its Swiss jurisdiction. As with the other services here, you can be sure that your online activities are not tracked or stored.

Performance-wise, Proton VPN has made significant improvements, achieving speeds of 698 Mbps in our speed test facility. With over 12,000 servers in 117 countries, Proton VPN ensures fast and reliable connections, making it a solid choice for you as a Linux user.

Proton VPN server stats
Total servers	12,000+
Total countries	117
RAM-only	✅
Double VPN (Secure Core)	✅
Onion Over VPN	✅
Obfuscated (Stealth VPN protocol)	✅
Dedicated IP	✅
Static IP
P2P	✅

Proton VPN supports up to ten (10) simultaneous connections. You also get live chat support during Swiss business hours, and a 30-day, prorated money-back guarantee. If Surfshakr and NordVPN are not to your liking, Proton VPN can get the job done for you.

Check out our complete Proton VPN review for more info.

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4. ExpressVPN — A reliable basic Linux VPN

ExpressVPN has long been one of the leading VPN services. Its VPN apps have always been reliable and secure, as well as easy to use. It has all the core security and privacy features, such as the Network Lock kill switch, 100% RAM-only servers, the Threat Manager ad, tracker, and malware blocker, and extensive outside audits of its no-logs policy and every other aspect of the service.

One reason that ExpressVPN remains so easy to use is that it has avoided adding many advanced features that most users don’t need. But that does not mean that ExpressVPN has not been innovating. In our testing with its custom Lightway VPN protocol, ExpressVPN achieved download speeds of over 700 Mbps, making it one of the faster VPNs on the market and a reliable option for streaming and other data-intensive activities.

There was a time when ExpressVPN could not unblock BBC iPlayer. But the engineers at ExpressVPN resolved that problem and this is now one of the best VPNs for BBC iPlayer.

Until recently, a major drawback for ExpressVPN was its limitation of using a CLI interface in Linux. For a VPN that is as inherently easy to use as ExpressVPN, the complexity of a CLI could be jarring. But the ExpressVPN Linux app now runs in both CLI and a new graphic (GUI) form that offers the same ease of use as the versions for Windows and other operating systems.

Important: Be aware that at the time of this review (March 2025), the ExpressVPN GUI was still in beta.

With the addition of this GUI interface for Linux, ExpressVPN´s app is now as easy to use here as in other operating systems.

ExpressVPN server stats
Total servers	3,000+
Total countries	105
RAM-only	✅
Double VPN	✅
Onion Over VPN	✅
Obfuscated (Stealth VPN protocol)	✅
Dedicated IP	✅
Static IP
P2P	✅

ExpressVPN users can have up to eight simultaneous connections, or an unlimited number if you use the company's Aircove router. With 24/7 live chat support, you can quickly resolve any issues, and its 30-day money-back guarantee makes test driving this rapidly-improving service risk free.

Need more info? Check out our complete ExpressVPN review.

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How to Choose the Best Linux VPN

When choosing a Linux VPN, there are several factors to consider to ensure you get the best service for your needs. Here are some tips to help you make the right choice:

1. Look for a VPN with a Dedicated Linux App: A dedicated Linux app provides a seamless and secure online experience for Linux users. All the VPNs we recommend here have dedicated Linux apps.

2. Check the VPN’s Server Network: A large network with servers spread across the planet is essential for unblocking streaming services and accessing the best content. All the VPNs here have at least 3,000 servers spread across at least 100 countries.

3. Consider the VPN’s Security Features: Advanced security features, such as modern VPN protocols that use AES-256 or ChaCha20 encryption and an audited no-logs policy, are crucial for protecting your online activity. Look for VPNs that offer features like a kill switch, RAM-only servers, and regular security audits.

4. Check the VPN’s Speeds: Fast speeds are vital for streaming, torrenting, and online gaming. The VPNs recommended here are among the fastest in existence.

5. Look for a VPN with a User-Friendly Interface: A user-friendly interface makes it easy to use the VPN, even for beginners. VPNs with a graphical user interface (GUI) are generally easier to navigate than those with a command-line interface (CLI).

6. Check the VPN’s Customer Support: Live chat support is essential for resolving problems. 24/7 live chat support is ideal. FAQs and detailed setup guides help too.

7. Consider the VPN’s Pricing: Look for a VPN that offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, allowing you to try the service risk-free.

Setting up a VPN on Linux

Setting up a VPN on Linux can be complicated, requiring you to enter obscure Linux commands through the CLI (Command Line Interface). Each of the Linux VPNs we recommend here provides installation instructions on its website. The Surfshark installation process is the easiest, even if you are not a Linux user. The Proton VPN installation process is the most difficult, with NordVPN and ExpressVPN falling somewhere in the middle.

Why Linux users need a VPN

Even though Linux boasts robust security features and an open-source nature, it doesn't inherently protect you from threats like data interception, surveillance, or tracking by ISPs and malicious entities. A VPN encrypts your internet connection, ensuring your data remains confidential even on unsecured networks like public Wi-Fi. This is especially beneficial if you're tweaking systems or accessing sensitive repositories.

Moreover, if you value freedom and autonomy, a VPN aligns with this ethos by masking your IP address, helping you bypass geo-restrictions, censorship, or throttling. While Linux itself is a fortress compared to some mainstream OS options, it’s not a silver bullet—pairing it with a VPN creates a layered defense, ensuring your digital footprint stays as minimal as your system’s attack surface.

Free vs. paid VPNs for Linux

Choosing between free and paid VPNs for Linux involves significant differences in privacy, performance, and features. Free VPNs often compromise user privacy and come with limitations that can hinder your online experience.

Free VPNs typically have fewer servers, slower speeds, and data usage restrictions, hindering regular online activities. Many also collect and sell user data, raising privacy concerns, making them impractical for users needing a reliable, secure connection. Investing in a paid service like those covered here is a superior option.

Boosting your security further with secure browsers and extensions

Using secure browsers is crucial for protecting your online activities from tracking and data collection. Popular secure browsers include Firefox with privacy settings and Brave for built-in ad and tracker blocking. These browsers enhance your online security by reducing the risk of data exposure.

Privacy-focused extensions further enhance the security features of your browser. Tools like uBlock Origin for ad-blocking and Privacy Badger for tracker blocking add another layer of protection. Using a secure browser with these extensions on your Linux box is a wise move.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Surfshark stands out as the top choice for Linux. Fast, secure, cheap, and with a full GUI for ease of use, it is a winning option for experienced Linux users and neophytes alike.

While Surfshark is our top Linux VPN recommendation, NordVPN, Proton VPN, and ExpressVPN also offer excellent services. If Surfshark doesn't fit your needs, one of these others surely will.

This guide to the best VPNs for Linux was last updated on March 25, 2025.