It can be difficult to get a VPN client set up on Linux. The process often requires confidence with the command-line interface. This is why PIA is our top pick for Linux users. With an easy installation process and a fully featured GUI app, PIA makes using a VPN on Linux a breeze.
PIA is also excellent for power users who need lots of flexibility regarding installation and configuration. Getting into the settings can be a bit overwhelming for new users – there’s a huge number of features on offer – but if you don’t need all that additional functionality, there’s a nice, simple connect button to get you online.
There’s support for an unlimited number of devices, split tunnelling to allow you to choose which apps use the VPN and which don’t, and PIA Mace which is an ad/tracker/malware-blocking tool. There’s also multi-hop connections for additional security, obfuscated servers to hide your VPN usage completely, support for port-forwarding to optimise torrent downloads, and more.
PIA is weak when it comes to speed and unblocking ability. It struggled in our tests, with WireGuard speeds dropping to 330Mb/s and OpenVPN down to 270Mb/s.
This is still more than enough for multiplayer games and 4K streaming, so while we would hope for better results, PIA remains very usable. You can still take advantage of its ability to unblock popular streaming sites, including Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and more.