If you’re an Ubuntu user, your privacy is protected by several fundamental principles Canonical follows. However, you can always take things a step further and add an extra privacy layer in the form of a VPN (Virtual Private Network).
Essentially, a VPN is a secure tunnel that can be used to protect your internet connection from snooping, interference, and censorship. There are many providers of VPN services out there, but not all offer Linux-compatible clients and customer support that understands the needs of Linux users.
To help you secure your connection when accessing the internet from Ubuntu, we’ve selected top 5 best Ubuntu VPN services currently available.
TorGuard
TorGuard is a popular VPN service that offers attractive pricing options and excellent support for Linux. For just $9.99 a month, you can enjoy unlimited speeds and bandwidth, connect from five devices at the same time, and choose from over 3,000 servers in more than 50 countries. Included in the price is 24/7 support provided by professionals who actually understand what they’re talking about.
It takes just a few minutes to install the TorGuard client on Ubuntu, and the client comes pre-configured to protect your data with 256-bit AES encryption, DNS/IPV6/WebRTC leak blocking, kill switch, and more. Once installed, you are free to select any server you want and change the settings to suit your needs. Of course, you can also use the default settings and simply click the Connect button.
TorGuard doesn’t keep any log files, and you can try it risk-free for up to 7 days. If you don’t like it or find something wrong with it, you can just tell TorGuard to refund you—no questions asked. Besides its VPN service, TorGuard also offers an anonymous proxy and email services with unlimited speed and bandwidth.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is a British Virgin Islands-based company that’s been offering its VPN service since 2009. Today, ExpressVPN is considered to be one of the most trustworthy VPN service providers out there, being featured in The New York Times and other prominent outlets.
What makes ExpressVPN a great choice for all Ubuntu users is its huge global network of more than 2,000 VPN servers optimized for fast connections. ExpressVPN doesn’t apply any traffic or speed restrictions, so you can stream or download anything you want from anywhere on the planet without disclosing your real IP address.
Because ExpressVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean without data retention laws, you don’t need to worry about the law enforcement seizing ExpressVPN’s servers. Even if they did, they wouldn’t find anything because ExpressVPN doesn’t keep any activity or connection logs in the first place.
You can try ExpressVPN for up to 30 days. All plans are fully refundable, and you don’t have to answer any questions to get your money back.
Private Internet Access
Private Internet Access operates in 44 regions across 29 countries, offering a dependable VPN service that encrypts your connection and provides you with an anonymous IP to protect your privacy. Private Internet Access is also a proud sponsor of several open source projects, including Gnome and Inkscape, so some of the money you’ll spend on it will find its way back to open source developers.
Installing the Private Internet Access Linux client is a matter of a few simple commands, and Private Internet Access explains the entire installation process in great detail on its website. The client itself works great, and it provides all the essential options you need to manage your VPN connection.
OpenVPN, PPTP and IPSEC/L2TP VPN tunnels from Private Internet Access start at only $2.91 a month if you pay for two years at a time. You can try Private Internet Access for 7 days without committing to it.
AirVPN
Based on OpenVPN, a free and open source software application that implements virtual private network techniques to create secure point-to-point or site-to-site connections in routed or bridged configurations and remote access facilities, AirVPN is an Ubuntu-friendly VPN service that accepts Bitcoin as a form of payment and promises to keep no logs of its users’ activity.
One month of AirVPN costs as little as €4.5 if you pay for a year of service at a time. Considering what AirVPN offers, we see no reason not to pay upfront. With no traffic or time limits, you can enjoy up to five simultaneous connection per account and stay protected with the security offered by high-level encryption, including 4096-bit RSA keys size, AES-256-CBC Data Channel, and HMAC SHA1 Control Channel.
The maximum speed depends only on the server load, but the minimum speed won’t ever be lower than 4 Mbps for both download and upload.
PureVPN
PureVPN is a highly-rated VPN service with more than 3 million satisfied users around the world. PureVPN’s Linux app comes free with every PureVPN subscription, and the easy-to-use command line interface of PureVPN for Linux is well suited to meet the needs of those seeking additional privacy and security.
With a single PureVPN subscription, you can connect from up to five different devices and enjoy anonymous internet access with no restrictions. PureVPN offers a 31-day money-back guarantee, and the company promises to process all refunds without asking any questions and with no undue delay.
Prices start at just $3.54 a month, and PureVPN accepts just about any payment method you can think of, including Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, and other popular cryptocurrencies.
Conclusion
Online privacy and data security are two major issues that are best addressed proactively. Using a Linux distribution such as Ubuntu is a great step toward keeping your personal information protected, but you can do more than that. A VPN can keep your online activity hidden from third-parties, which includes not only hackers but also your internet service provider and government.
