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Best free open source VPN
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Best for unlimited connections
The best free VPNs for Linux include Proton VPN, which offers one of the best free plans, and hide.me, which has a native Linux command-line app for a lighter experience. Both options are open-source and independently audited, giving valuable insight into their privacy protection.
Meanwhile, Windscribe offers unlimited device connections on its free plan, and RiseupVPN is truly, actually, totally free, though speed is somewhat limited.
With many, if not most, free VPNs being low quality, of suspect provenance and security, or both, it can be tricky to figure out which one is right for you. That's why I'm here today: I'll cover the best free VPNs (and VPNs with free plans) for Linux, their features, security, and any notable limitations.
Oh, and they all have open-source client apps.
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Privacy-focused VPN headquartered in Switzerland, outside the Eyes alliances, with an independently audited no-logs policy
Secure Core servers in Switzerland, Iceland, and Sweden add an extra hop to your connection, making it much harder to trace back to you
Includes a Stealth protocol that disguises VPN traffic to bypass blocks in restrictive networks and countries
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Reasonable pricing, plus generous free plan that runs on one device across eight server locations
Independently reviewed no-logs policy and based in Malaysia, outside the 5, 9, and 14 Eyes alliances
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10 GB free tier that actually supports torrenting — no paid plan required
Offers unlimited device connections and customizable plans if you only need access to servers in specific countries
Broad protocol support including Stealth and WebSocket Stealth for bypassing VPN blocks
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Truly free, nonprofit-run VPN that's Tor compatible
No limits except those imposed by Riseup's own hardware
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| Best for | Best free open source VPN for Linux | Headless setups | Unlimited connections | Nonprofit VPN |
| Star rating | 5.0 | 4.7 | 4.6 | Not yet rated |
| Free version | Yes — unlimited data, unlimited speeds, servers in 10 countries | Yes — unlimited data, restricted speeds, 8 locations | Yes — 10 GB data free, unlimited connections, servers in 10 countries | Yes — unlimited data, speeds restricted only by server usage, 5 locations |
| Paid plan starting price | Starts at $2.99/mo | Starts at $2.49/mo | Starts at $1.00/mo per location | N/A |
| Open source | ||||
| Linux app type | GUI and CLI | CLI | GUI | GUI |
| Learn more | Get Proton VPN Read Proton VPN Review |
Get hide.me VPN Read hide.me Review |
Get Windscribe Read Windscribe Review |
Get RiseupVPN |
Every VPN in this guide is hands-on tested by our team using a consistent process. We evaluate each product across seven areas:
We test VPNs at least twice a year. Testing has been carried out across Windows, macOS, and mobile, so our results reflect real-world performance across devices.
To learn more about how we test, read our full VPN methodology here.
Yes, or possibly no. What does or doesn't make a virtual private network (VPN) safe has little to do with the operating system; it has much more to do with the people/company running the VPN. We typically don't recommend free VPNs because many are poorly maintained and insecure, and some may even sell your data outright. (You also have to worry about your IP address being used as a residential proxy with particularly bad free VPNs.)
The following free VPNs for Linux are the exception because the organizations behind them are known to be reliable, and most of them have been audited by independent third parties.
And what do they get out of offering a free service? Most offer free plans as an easy way to trial their paid plans. Others are run by activists determined to break up the monopolistic interests that control vast swathes of the internet. Whatever their reasons, these organizations have proven to be reasonably trustworthy stewards of their users' data… with potential caveats imposed by local data laws.
Privacy-focused VPN headquartered in Switzerland, outside the Eyes alliances, with an independently audited no-logs policy
Secure Core servers in Switzerland, Iceland, and Sweden add an extra hop to your connection, making it much harder to trace back to you
Includes a Stealth protocol that disguises VPN traffic to bypass blocks in restrictive networks and countries
| Free version | Yes |
| Bandwidth limit | No — unlimited bandwidth |
| Number of servers | Servers across 10 countries |
| Number of connected devices | 1 |
| VPN protocol | OpenVPN, IKEv2, WireGuard, Stealth (proprietary) |
| No-logs policy | No logs |
| Linux app type | Native GUI client |
| Paid plan starting price | Starts at $2.99/mo |
| Learn more | Get Proton VPN Read Proton VPN Review |
Proton VPN is ideal for users who want a VPN with a GUI or CLI app and a very generous free plan. In fact, it's our top Linux VPN, whether you pay for the premium plan or stick to the free plan.
It offers seamless integration and support across all major Linux distros, including Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu, Arch, and others. It offers somewhat limited support for other distros via the Snap package.
Proton VPN's free version offers strong security features, unlimited bandwidth, and great Linux support with easy-to-follow guides and a simple user interface that makes it easy to get started.
It impressed us with its privacy-centric features, like:
Connectivity issues with the IKEv2 protocol: We had some issues while testing Proton's free VPN service. When we selected the IKEv2 protocol, we couldn't connect to any VPN servers unless we disabled the kill switch first. This was frustrating because a kill switch ensures your data traffic stays protected even if you lose your VPN connection.
To assess Proton VPN’s performance, we conducted speed tests, Netflix tests against its geo-restrictions, and leak tests.
Proton VPN had minimal impact on our speeds, successfully unblocked all the Netflix libraries we tested, and prevented all data leaks.
| Test type | 
|
| Audited no-logs policy | Yes, audited by Securitum in September 2025 |
| Speed | Maintained our download speed with most servers |
| Netflix | Unblocked Netflix U.S., Canada, U.K., and Australia |
| DNS leak | Passed, no DNS leaks |
| WebRTC leak | Passed, no WebRTC leaks |
| Kill switch | Passed, no trace of our physical location when switching servers |
| Learn more | Get Proton VPN |
Proton VPN earned a perfect star rating of 5.0 due to its ease of use, extensive security features, audited no-logs policy, and privacy-friendly headquarters.
| Decision factor | Weight | Verdict |
| Our experience | 15% | 5.0 |
| Value | 11% | 5.0 |
| Features | 30.5% | 5.0 |
| Test results | 20% | 5.0 |
| Privacy and security | 15.5% | 5.0 |
| Compatibility | 3% | 5.0 |
| Customer service | 5% | 5.0 |
Reasonable pricing, plus generous free plan that runs on one device across eight server locations
Independently reviewed no-logs policy and based in Malaysia, outside the 5, 9, and 14 Eyes alliances
| Free version | Yes |
| Bandwidth limit | No — but speeds are restricted |
| Number of servers | 8 locations |
| Number of connected devices | 1 |
| VPN protocol | OpenVPN, WireGuard |
| No-logs policy | No logs |
| Linux app type | CLI |
| Paid plan starting price | Starts at $2.49/mo |
| Learn more | Get hide.me VPN |
hide.me is a great choice for Linux users who prefer a headless setup, with a solid CLI-based app for those who'd rather run their VPN in the background (or on servers).
On top of hide.me's simple Linux integration, we also find the VPN a good option overall, even on its free plan.
One of the best parts for privacy-centric users is that the free plan doesn't require you to enter your credit card info or sign up at all if you use a manually configured VPN connection. You can just install the program right from GitHub with no information tying you to the transaction.
The limited speeds: Our main issue with hide.me's free plan is that it does limit your speeds. This shouldn't affect most things you do online, but high-bandwidth activities like gaming or streaming may be affected.
To determine how well hide.me works, we performed three real-world performance tests: speed tests while connected to servers worldwide, Netflix tests to unblock geo-restrictions, and leak tests to assess privacy protection.
hide.me showed lots of promise with all of its tests. It had minimal impact on our download speeds and unblocked all the Netflix libraries we tested. It also passed all three leak tests.
| Test type | 
|
| Audited no-logs policy | Yes, audited by Securitum in March-June 2024 |
| Speed | Decreased our download speeds by an average of 12% |
| Netflix | Unblocked Netflix U.S., Canada, U.K., and Australia |
| DNS leak | Passed, no DNS leaks |
| WebRTC leak | Passed, no WebRTC leaks |
| Kill switch | Passed, no trace of our physical location when switching servers |
| Learn more | Get hide.me |
hide.me has a high star rating of 4.7 because of its budget-friendly plans, impressive testing performance, and audited no-logs policy.
hide.me received lower scores in the experience, features, and test results categories. hide.me can struggle with connecting to servers, which made for a frustrating experience. It also lacks dedicated IP addresses, which is an important VPN feature.
| Decision factor | Weight | Verdict |
| Our experience | 15% | 4.5 |
| Value | 11% | 5.0 |
| Features | 30.5% | 4.5 |
| Test results | 20% | 4.5 |
| Privacy and security | 15.5% | 5.0 |
| Compatibility | 3% | 5.0 |
| Customer service | 5% | 5.0 |
10 GB free tier that actually supports torrenting — no paid plan required
Offers unlimited device connections and customizable plans if you only need access to servers in specific countries
Broad protocol support including Stealth and WebSocket Stealth for bypassing VPN blocks
| Free version | Yes |
| Bandwidth limit | 10 GB with a confirmed email, 2 GB without email, extra 5 GB for posting on Twitter |
| Number of servers | Servers across 10 countries |
| Number of connected devices | Unlimited |
| VPN protocol | OpenVPN, IKEv2, WireGuard, OpenVPN (TCP/UDP), Stealth (OpenVPN-based, not the same thing as Proton VPN's Stealth), WStunnel (OpenVPN via WebSocket) |
| No-logs policy | No logs |
| Linux app type | Native GUI client |
| Paid plan starting price | Starts at $1.00/mo per location |
| Learn more | Get Windscribe Read Windscribe Review |
Windscribe offers a free, simple way to protect all your devices at once, even on the free plan. It's a fast, secure VPN that offers a wide range of open-source encryption protocols, servers worldwide, and access to all app features on the free plan.
The GUI app is simple to install and use, and it supports Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, and openSUSE with native packages for each distro. It also offers a CLI option for all those platforms. On top of that, you can install a browser extension for full privacy protection.
Additionally, there is:
No kill switch: Kill switches disable your internet connection when your VPN connection drops, preventing data from leaking onto, for example, a public Wi-Fi network. Windscribe suggests manually configuring your firewall as an improvised kill switch, which is less than convenient.
Bandwidth caps: This one's the kicker. If you don't sign up with your email, the free plan gives you 2 GB of data. With a verified email, you get 10 GB of data for free, plus another 5 GB you can earn by posting about Windscribe on Twitter. That's enough data to protect your smartphone for a month, with moderate usage. PC users who download lots of Linux ISOs (or games on Steam) will be disappointed in the free plan.
We tested Windscribe's speed performance, ability to bypass geo-blocks, and privacy protection against data leaks.
Windscribe showed great performance across all the tests we conducted. It maintained solid speeds, unblocked all the Netflix libraries we tried, and stopped all data leaks.
| Test type | 
|
| Audited no-logs policy | No history of third-party audits |
| Speed | Decreased our download speeds by an average of 25% |
| Netflix | Unblocked Netflix U.S., Canada, U.K., and Australia |
| DNS leak | Passed, no DNS leaks |
| WebRTC leak | Passed, no WebRTC leaks |
| Kill switch | Passed, no trace of our physical location when switching servers |
| Learn more | Get Windscribe |
Windscribe has a high star rating of 4.6 because of our seamless testing experience, wide range of pricing options, and solid features.
Windscribe received a lower test results score because of its slow speed performance. It also received a lower features score because its no-logs policy has never been audited and because it has a small server network.
| Decision factor | Weight | Verdict |
| Our experience | 15% | 5.0 |
| Value | 11% | 4.7 |
| Features | 30.5% | 4.5 |
| Test results | 20% | 4.5 |
| Privacy and security | 15.5% | 5.0 |
| Compatibility | 3% | 5.0 |
| Customer service | 5% | 4.0 |
Truly free, nonprofit-run VPN that's Tor compatible
No limits except those imposed by Riseup's own hardware
| Free version | Yes |
| Bandwidth limit | Unlimited |
| Number of servers | Servers in the U.S., France, and the Netherlands |
| Number of connected devices | Unlimited |
| VPN protocol | OpenVPN/LEAP |
| No-logs policy | No logs |
| Linux app type | Native GUI client |
| Paid plan starting price | N/A |
| Learn more | Get RiseupVPN |
RiseupVPN is a great option for anyone who needs a secure connection for free, fast, and run by people who care about that. RiseupVPN, as the name implies, is run by activists from a nonprofit organization called Riseup. They also provide free, secure email accounts, mailing lists, private wikis, collaborative document editing, and image hosting for activists (and anyone else who needs them).
Their stated mission is to fight back against corporate ownership of the internet and support activists and whistleblowers worldwide. If you need online services and don't trust corporations, they offer a free, trusted alternative.
Look, I'm really glad this service exists. But I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the following.
Slightly annoying interface: I had to enter my system password twice when launching the app, twice again when starting a connection, and twice again when closing the app, for some reason. That's a wrinkle they could smooth out.
Based in the U.S.: A slightly bigger problem is that Riseup is headquartered in Seattle, and the U.S. is part of the Five Eyes Alliance. The service itself is quite secure, but subject to U.S. laws, like any other U.S. organization.
Only OpenVPN is supported: It's a highly secure protocol, but one can't help wondering if WireGuard might not help with speeds.
Slow speeds: Look, it's a free service, and lots of people are using it. Just browsing should be fine, but do heavy downloading through another VPN.
Limited distro support: RiseupVPN officially supports only Debian, Ubuntu, and Arch.
We haven't yet performed a full review of RiseupVPN, but I personally tested it on my own PC. On a 1-gigabit internet connection, routed through Riseup's Miami server, the results were fine, considering it's free and using the OpenVPN protocol. In a pinch, I could even stream on a connection like this. But this free VPN won't work if you need to stream reliably or download large files.
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To measure a VPN's speed impact, we start by using SpeedTest.net to record a baseline download speed without any VPN active. Then, we compare it to speeds when connected to servers in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Australia. A positive percentage means the VPN actually improved our speeds, while a negative percentage means it slowed things down. The table below shows the historical average of test results drawn from up to seven rounds of testing conducted since May 2024.
| Average speed change | |
| Proton VPN | 14% slower |
| hide.me | 18% slower |
| Windscribe | 24% slower |
As an open source advocate, I'd say it matters no matter what operating system you use. Linux enthusiasts, in particular, tend to appreciate open-source VPN clients for a variety of reasons. The main one, of course, is privacy and auditability. The beauty of an open-source VPN client is that you can check the code yourself to see whether it's collecting any data it shouldn't. This is especially useful for organizations that have to worry about security regulation compliance.
As a side note: being able to build the app from source can help with creating reproducible system builds. When a developer or systems administrator wants to be darn sure that they're providing software that'll work on every machine in an organization, being able to compile your own known working builds is useful.
The best free VPN for Linux is Proton VPN because of its excellent security features and unlimited bandwidth. Other top Linux VPNs include hide.me, for its lightweight headless setup support. Windscribe is a solid option for people who don't mind bandwidth caps, and RiseupVPN is for anyone who needs secure, activist-friendly service fast and on a budget.
Privacy-focused VPN headquartered in Switzerland, outside the Eyes alliances, with an independently audited no-logs policy
Secure Core servers in Switzerland, Iceland, and Sweden add an extra hop to your connection, making it much harder to trace back to you
Includes a Stealth protocol that disguises VPN traffic to bypass blocks in restrictive networks and countries
All in all, while free VPNs have often earned their shifty reputation, it's always good to know that you have real options, even when you don't have cash to spare for a paid VPN. Heck, in the case of RiseupVPN, it's even kind of heartwarming.
Here's me wishing you a day of happy (and safe) browsing!
No, Linux doesn't have a built-in VPN. You can configure your networking settings to manually route your traffic through a VPN server, but you still need… well, a VPN. VPN apps are mostly just a simple way of configuring your system to use that VPN’s network and easily browse through the available servers, and you don’t technically need the app itself. They’re quite useful, though.
Yes, some VPNs offer free plans, but be cautious when choosing one, since the trade-off is often your data. Some good, security-centric VPNs like Proton VPN offer a free plan with limitations, but it could still be worth it for you.
No, you don't necessarily need a VPN on Linux, though it's a useful, powerful tool for keeping your online activities secure. Using a VPN encrypts your internet traffic and data while masking your true location. It doesn't guarantee anonymity, but it adds an extra layer of security that can help keep your data safe.
The best free VPN for Linux overall, as well as Ubuntu and Fedora, is Proton VPN. It offers a great combination of unlimited data, solid speeds, cross-platform compatibility across many Linux distributions, and security that, even with the free plan's few limitations, others struggle to match.
Technically, yes, you can use a free VPN to torrent on Linux, but you’re unlikely to have a great experience. Free VPN servers tend to be crowded, which will slow your downloads and likely slow the internet for others, too.
Yes, Proton VPN is about as safe as they come. Their no-logs policy has been tested in court and independently audited. Now, if you pay for the service with a credit card, they’ll still know who you are, and they’re subject to Swiss court authority, but overall? It’s a very safe service to use. Learn more in our in-depth Proton VPN review.
Most of the free VPNs here ship a Debian package, so it likely installs on any Debian- or Ubuntu-based distro. Linux Mint is built on Ubuntu and Kali is built on Debian, which means the same .deb file that works on Ubuntu usually works on both. Support isn't always official, though, so check the provider's documentation for your distro before you install.
Privacy-focused VPN headquartered in Switzerland, outside the Eyes alliances, with an independently audited no-logs policy
Secure Core servers in Switzerland, Iceland, and Sweden add an extra hop to your connection, making it much harder to trace back to you
Includes a Stealth protocol that disguises VPN traffic to bypass blocks in restrictive networks and countries
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