Updated on: April 26, 2024
Short on time? Here’s the best VPN for Ubuntu in 2024:
- 🥇ExpressVPN: It has a Linux app that’s easy to install with a command line and GUI (graphical user interface). It also comes with advanced security features, industry-leading speeds, and excellent streaming support. All plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee.
I’m a big fan of how Ubuntu performs regular security updates and patches. That said, I don’t like to only rely on Ubuntu’s settings to protect my data and privacy. That’s why I like to use a VPN with Ubuntu.
However, most VPNs don’t have a Linux app or aren’t compatible with Ubuntu. Plus, many VPNs that work with Ubuntu have poor interfaces and lack features that are available on macOS and Windows.
So, I spent a few weeks testing dozens of VPNs, and I found the best ones for Ubuntu. My top recommendation is ExpressVPN, as it has a full-featured Linux app that’s compatible with Ubuntu, maintains the fastest speeds on the market, and comes with industry-leading security features.
Quick summary of the best VPNs for Ubuntu in 2024:
- 1. 🥇ExpressVPN — Best VPN for Ubuntu in 2024 with a feature-rich Linux app and GUI browser extension.
- 2. 🥈Private Internet Access — Great VPN for torrenting on Ubuntu with strong security & highly customizable features.
- 3. 🥉CyberGhost VPN — Great for streaming on Ubuntu (large network of streaming-specialized servers).
- 4. NordVPN — High-end security features for Ubuntu users + great speeds across all servers.
- 5. Surfshark — Affordable Ubuntu VPN with an easy-to-use Linux app (good for beginners).
🥇1. ExpressVPN — Best Overall VPN for Ubuntu
ExpressVPN is my favorite VPN for Ubuntu because it has a feature-rich Linux app that’s compatible with Ubuntu. It’s quite easy to set up thanks to the detailed guides, which are in written and video form. Plus, you can choose between a command line interface (CLI) or a GUI (available on Chrome, Firefox, and Edge browser extensions).
The provider comes with advanced security features, including:
- RAM-only servers — These types of servers only store data on the RAM, which means that with each server reboot, the data is deleted.
- An audited no-logs policy — ExpressVPN’s no-logs policy has been independently audited, which proves that the VPN doesn’t log your personal data, browsing history, or what files you download.
- Perfect forward secrecy — This security feature regularly changes your encryption key. This way, even if hackers access your current key, they won’t be able to access past or future keys.
- Full leak protection — ExpressVPN has protection against DNS, WebRTC, and IPv6 leaks. I ran tests on 5+ servers, and I never experienced any leaks.
- Threat Manager — Prevents ad trackers from spying on your browsing and blocks connections to malicious sites.
- Ad Blocker. Filters out most display ads and stops them from loading and appearing on your browser.
This VPN has the fastest speeds on the market. In my tests, websites loaded instantly, and I could watch content in HD and 4K quality without any issues. I could also play online games like World of Warcraft without any lag. Plus, downloading files was super quick: it took less than 3 minutes to download a 2 GB file.
ExpressVPN has excellent streaming support — customer support confirmed it works with 100+ streaming sites, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Disney+, in addition to less popular services like CBC in Canada or Canal+ in France.
I like that the VPN works with all torrenting apps on Linux, including qBittorrent, Deluge, and Transmission. What’s more, it allows torrenting on all of its servers in 105 countries. This makes it easier to find the faster server in your location.
Unfortunately, the VPN doesn’t offer split-tunneling on the Linux app, but it does have other useful features for Linux such as DDoS protection for gaming, desktop notifications, and Smart Location, which automatically chooses the best server for your location.
ExpressVPN offers several plans starting at $6.67 / month. Each plan has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Ubuntu — it has a Linux app that’s compatible with Ubuntu and has both a CLI and GUI interface. Moreover, it has advanced security features, industry-leading speeds, and excellent streaming and torrenting support. All plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full ExpressVPN review
🥈2. Private Internet Access — Great for Torrenting + Highly Customizable
Private Internet Access (PIA) offers great P2P support on Ubuntu. It allows torrenting on all of its servers in 91 countries, giving you plenty of options to find the fastest server. What’s more, it comes with SOCKS5 proxy support, which changes your IP address like a VPN but doesn’t encrypt your traffic, so you get much faster speeds. Plus, it has port forwarding, which lets you connect to more peers for faster download speeds.
PIA has a quite customizable app for Linux with an easy-to-navigate GUI. I liked that I could easily change protocols (OpenVPN or WireGuard) and encryption levels to get faster and more secure connections. Plus, you’re able to change the look and layout of the app, and it has unlimited device connections, which lets all of your family members use the app at the same time.
The app also has a split-tunneling feature (which is really rare on Linux) that provides faster speeds by allowing you to choose which apps use the VPN and which apps bypass it. Plus, it split-tunnels IP addresses too, so you can tunnel specific websites instead of an entire browser.
In my tests, PIA had fast speeds. While connected to the VPN server, websites loaded instantly, and I was able to stream videos in HD without any buffering. However, PIA is slower than ExpressVPN.
The VPN comes with strong security features. It has RAM-only servers, perfect forward secrecy, an audited no-logs policy, full leak protection, and it’s completely open-source, so anyone can inspect it for vulnerabilities. Also, it includes the best ad blocker on the market, called PIA MACE, which successfully blocks ads, ad trackers, and shady sites.
Private Internet Access has cheap plans starting at $2.03 / month. All plans are backed with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
Private Internet Access has great torrenting support and a customizable Linux app. The Linux app has a split-tunneling feature and a SOCKS5 proxy server. It also has fast speeds and advanced security features. All plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full Private Internet Access review
🥉3. CyberGhost VPN — Great Streaming Support for Ubuntu
CyberGhost VPN is a really great Ubuntu VPN for streaming. It has 100+ dedicated streaming servers for its Linux app and customer support confirmed they’re optimized for 50+ streaming apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer.
I like that the VPN has set up guides for OpenVPN and PPTP on Ubuntu. However, I don’t like that the Linux app only has CLI, which makes it less intuitive than ExpressVPN’s and Private Internet Access’ Linux apps.
The VPN had fast speeds during my tests. Websites loaded in 1–2 seconds, and HD videos loaded in 3 seconds with minor buffering in the beginning. It had good speeds for torrenting too: it only took 7 minutes to download a 3 GB file.
I also like CyberGhost for torrenting. Even though it doesn’t have some more advanced features for torrenting like port forwarding or SOCKS5 proxy support (both of which Private Internet Access has), it allows torrenting in 75+ countries and works with all popular P2P clients like uTorrent and Vuze.
This provider has advanced security features, like perfect forward secrecy, RAM-only servers, an audited no-logs policy, and DNS and IPv6 leak protection. It also has an Identity Guard feature, which notifies you if your passwords have been part of a data breach.
CyberGhost VPN’s low-cost plans ($2.19 / month) are backed by either a 45-day money-back guarantee (longer-term plans) or a 14-day money-back guarantee (monthly plan).
Bottom Line:
CyberGhost VPN has dedicated servers for streaming for its Linux app. It has set up guides for OpenVPN and PPTP on Ubuntu, fast speeds, and advanced security features. The long-term plans have a 45-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full CyberGhost VPN review
4. NordVPN — High-End Security Features for Ubuntu
NordVPN has top-notch security features for Ubuntu users. It comes with RAM-only servers, full leak protection, perfect forward secrecy, and an audited no-logs policy. It also has an ad blocker called Threat Protection on its Linux app. It successfully blocked ads, ad trackers, and connections to malicious sites in my tests. It also offers double VPN servers, which route your traffic through 2 VPN servers instead of 1, which adds an extra layer of security.
However, NordVPN doesn’t have a GUI app for Linux. This means that you’ll have to use the app through the CLI, which isn’t as user-friendly — unlike ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access.
I was happy with the fast speeds I had during my tests. NordVPN is one of the fastest VPNs available because of its proprietary Nordlynx protocol. Websites loaded in 1–2 seconds and HD and 4K videos loaded in under 4 seconds with only a little buffering at the start. Files downloaded pretty quickly, too.
I’m a big fan of NordVPN’s streaming and torrenting support. It works with all popular streaming sites, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu. It also allows P2P traffic on 4,500+ in 45+ countries and works with major P2P apps, so you’ll have no problem torrenting on Ubuntu.
NordVPN offers competitive plans ($3.09 / month), and all plans are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
NordVPN has great security features for Ubuntu users. It has advanced security features and extra ones like double VPN. It maintains fast speeds and has great streaming support, but it doesn’t have a GUI app. All plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee.
5. Surfshark — Beginner-Friendly VPN With Affordable Plans
Surfshark has a Linux app with a GUI that is easy to navigate. I like that you can mark servers as Favorites, which will enable a 1-click connection. Plus, the search function enables you to quickly find a server, which is pretty convenient. Also, it allows unlimited simultaneous connections. And the VPN has quite affordable plans.
The provider has advanced security features, including an audited no-logs policy, RAM-only servers, and perfect forward secrecy. However, it’s missing WebRTC and IPv6 leak protection. It also has a feature called CleanWeb that is similar (though not as good) as Private Internet Access’s MACE tool.
The VPN is also pretty good for streaming and torrenting on Ubuntu. It works with 50+ popular streaming platforms but not Disney+. It also works well with all the popular P2P clients and allows torrenting on all its servers when using Ubuntu.
Surfshark had decent speeds in my tests. Websites loaded in 4 seconds, and HD videos started playing in 5–6 seconds with noticeable slowdowns. However, Surfshark isn’t as fast as ExpressVPN, especially on distant servers.
Surfshark has cheap plans starting at $2.29 / month. Each purchase has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
Surfshark has affordable plans and an easy-to-navigate GUI app. It also provides unlimited simultaneous connections, advanced security features, great streaming and torrenting support, and decent speeds. All plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full Surfshark review
Comparison of the Best VPNs for Ubuntu in 2024
How to Choose the Best VPN for Ubuntu in 2024
- Look for a VPN with a Linux app. Not all VPNs have a Linux app, so it’s important to first look for a VPN with a Linux app. All the VPNs on this list come with a user-friendly Linux app.
- Choose a Linux app that’s intuitive and easy to set up. The VPNs on this list have Linux apps that are easy to set up. The installation process shouldn’t take longer than 2 minutes.
- Opt for fast speeds. All VPNs slow down your speeds because they encrypt your traffic. However, top brands are able to maintain fast speeds across all servers. ExpressVPN had the fastest speeds in my tests.
- Find a VPN with strong security features. I only recommend VPN that comes with industry-standard features, like 256-bit AES encryption, a no-logs policy, and a kill switch that disconnects your internet if your VPN connection drops.
- Ensure the VPN provides good value. The VPNs on this list offer multiple simultaneous connections (Private Internet Access and Surfshark offer unlimited connections). What’s more, they have affordable plans and money-back guarantees.
Top Brands That Didn’t Make the Cut
- TunnelBear. TunnelBear has limited support for all the latest Ubuntu versions, so you’ll have to set it up manually using OpenVPN. Plus, it’s not as fast as the others on my list. What’s more, the VPN has a small server network.
- VyprVPN. VyprVPN supports all devices running Ubuntu. However, it only has a manual setup option (most VPNs on my list have a GUI app). In addition, the VPN lacks an ad and malware blocker.
- IPVanish. IPVanish is compatible with Linux but only manual configurations are supported. Plus, the VPN isn’t good for streaming, as it doesn’t work with popular streaming sites like Amazon Prime and BBC iPlayer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which VPN is best for Ubuntu?
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Ubuntu. It offers both a command line and GUI that are easy to navigate. It has the fastest speeds on the market and works with all popular streaming sites such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.
Is there a free VPN for Ubuntu?
Yes, but I don’t recommend it. Most free Linux VPNs have weak security features, limit data usage, small server network, and lack streaming support. Instead, I recommend purchasing a premium VPN, like ExpressVPN. It’s compatible with Ubuntu, has the fastest speeds on the market, and has excellent streaming support.
Should I use a VPN on Linux?
Yes. Like many operating systems, Linux has hackers and malicious third parties that want to exploit your personal data. All the VPNs on this list come with advanced security features like RAM-only servers and an audited no-logs policy to protect your data fully.
Is it legal to use a VPN on Ubuntu?
Yes, it’s legal to use a VPN on Ubuntu in most countries. However, using a VPN for illegal activities remains illegal, regardless of the platform.
