Best Raspberry Pi VPN in 2024

If you use a Raspberry Pi to browse the web or stream content, you might be wondering whether it supports a virtual private network (VPN), which is becoming an increasingly popular privacy tool on Windows and other platforms.

By default, the Debian Linux-based operating system is not the most secure, especially if you're away from home and using Wi-Fi. A VPN will encrypt your internet connection, making it impenetrable to hackers and snoopers. It also changes your visible IP address, which is useful for privacy and unblocking geo-restricted content such as international streaming libraries.

Fortunately, many leading VPN providers now support Raspberry Pi via Linux, although it can be difficult to set up with the command terminal. If you're using Raspberry Pi as a standard desktop computer, we recommend using the Ubuntu operating system. The best Raspberry Pi VPN solutions offer a GUI or pre-configured app for Linux to connect quickly.

Our top 8 Raspberry Pi VPNs

Surfshark gets the top spot because its Linux app is easy to install and has all the same excellent features as its Windows VPN and other counterparts. If you're using an operating system like Ubuntu, all you need to do is download the official Linux app. Raspberry Pi OS/Raspbian users can download Surfshark’s config files with an OpenVPN client to get configured quickly, though you must access your web account to change locations and other settings.

Surfshark uses 3,200 1Gbps servers with locations in over 100 countries. This lets you easily change your visible IP location and unblock geo-restricted content with speeds capable of 4K streaming. There are no device or connection limits, so you can share one account with family or friends. Its bypasser lets you choose any apps or sites you don’t want encrypted, while a kill switch pauses traffic if the VPN connection drops to protect your real IP. For extra security, it has a multi-hop feature that routes traffic through two different VPN servers.

An account costs $12.95 per month, $47.88 ($3.99/mo) for a year upfront, or $59.76 ($2.39/mo) for two years. It offers an ad, cookie, and pop-up blocker for free.

ExpressVPN tops many of our best VPN categories, but its Linux client doesn't have a full GUI, which means you’ll have to learn some commands. The best way around this is to install the browser extension for Chrome or Firefox to act as the user interface. This lets you connect to locations in 94 countries with the click of a mouse. The drawback is features like split tunneling and protocol selection aren’t available in-browser.

ExpressVPN's browser extension forces secure HTTPS and blocks HTML 5 geolocation, WebRTC, and DNS leaks. This, along with an automatic kill switch, prevents your real location from ever being exposed when browsing the web. Its 1-10Gbps server network makes streaming and gaming a breeze.

An account costs $12.95 per month, $59.95 ($9.99/mo) for six months upfront, or $99.95 ($6.67.mo) for a year. One account can support six or eight connections depending on the plan.

For those on a budget, Mullvad does away with long-term commitments and provides its anonymous VPN service for a flat 5 euros a month. The Swiss-based provider uses a unique account ID process that doesn’t even require a username or email to register. You can even pay in cryptocurrency, and there are zero records of your account.

Raspberry Pi users benefit from a full GUI app for Linux, allowing you to quickly connect to servers in 43 countries. For extra privacy, it supports multi-hop to connect through two VPN servers at once, while obfuscation hides the type of traffic from your ISP to prevent throttling. The kill switch and split tunneling protect only the apps and sites specified.

Mulvad’s 655 servers vary between 1-10Gbps, which is more than capable of 4K streaming, and five different devices can connect from a single account.

Private Internet Access stands out for having the largest VPN network in the industry, with 30,000 servers spanning 84 countries with speeds of up to 10Gbps. Whether you’re streaming, gaming, or torrenting, there’s a suitable location just a click away. And PIA supports unlimited connections from your devices, including Raspberry Pi.

On Raspberry Pi, you can use its full Linux GUI, which works on Debian, Fedora, Arch, Mint, and Ubuntu distros. It has all the same features as the Windows and Mac apps, including advanced split tunneling for apps and websites to bypass encryption, a kill switch to halt traffic if the VPN connection drops, and multi-hop to route traffic through two VPN servers. The obfuscation feature masks all traffic as regular web activity, which is useful if your ISP automatically throttles speeds when gaming or streaming. It also blocks ads, popups, tracking scripts, and intrusive cookies at no extra cost.

Plans start at $11.99 per month, $39.95 ($3.33/mo) for a year, or $79 ($2.03/mo) for three years. The only catch is it’s based in the U.S., which technically means your billing info could be requested by law enforcement as evidence in a criminal case. However, it does not maintain any access or usage logs.

AirVPN was created by activists against internet censorship and has several features that go beyond the average VPN. Its obfuscation technology keeps your ISP and government unaware of the type of traffic and protocol you’re using. This means there’s no way to tell if you’re even using a VPN. Like Mullvad, it is also one of the few that doesn’t require personal information to register an account, which protects billing information alongside a no-logs policy.

It uses the advanced Eddie client for Raspberry Pi, which supports 64-bit and 32-bit Linux architectures, as well as Debian, Ubuntu, OpenSUSE, Fedora, Arch, and other distros. This lets you easily choose from over 20 countries and hundreds of individual servers. The site provides in-depth status information for every server, including the current speed and how many users are connected. Whichever you choose, AirVPN guarantees a minimum 4Mbps download and upload speeds, while its maximum capacity is 2Gbps.

If you want to test AirVPN or only require a VPN occasionally, you can pay for three days of access for just 2 Euros (less than $2). It’s 7 euros per month, 15 euros for three months, 49 euros for a year, 79 euros for two years, and 99 euros for three years.

As well as a kill switch and split tunneling, TorGuard has obfuscation to avoid throttling and a built-in ad and tracker blocker. Some streaming services get suspicious if your IP address is always changing. Netflix also enforces a single household policy, which requires a home location to be logged. TorGuard gets around this problem by offering all users a static streaming IP, which makes it seem like your primary location.

Plans start from $9.99 monthly to $29.99 upfront for a year. The $64.99 premium plan comes with a free VPN router.

The strictest streaming services and websites are always looking for ways to block VPNs. Some go as far as blocking servers from non-residential locations. VPNArea solves this with real residential servers that are located in average neighborhoods.

Its Linux app is compatible with all major distros and includes a kill switch, leak prevention, and supports up to 8 devices from one account. Choose from over 100 servers in 55 countries, the majority of which run at 1Gbps for fast streaming and torrenting. It also has Double VPN for double the privacy and special Stealth ‘Stunnel’ servers for bypassing ISP throttling or censorship in strict countries in Asia and the Middle East.

VPNArea costs a respectable $9.90 per month, $49.56 ($4.12/mo) for a year, or $77 ($3.21/mo) for two years.

If you don’t have the budget to pay for a VPN or just want to test Proton before committing, its free forever plan has no restrictions beyond the countries you can choose – Japan, the Netherlands, and the U.S. You get unlimited bandwidth and speeds of up to 1Gbps, which is more than capable of 4K streaming or intense gaming.

Its premium plan is €11.49 a month (less than $13), which opens access to 69 countries and 3,000 individual servers. Features include a kill switch to protect your IP if disconnected and split tunneling by app or IP. It also provides Onion Over VPN for connecting to the Tor network and accessing the dark web. And because it’s headquartered in Switzerland, your billing information has more protection.

Final word on the best Raspberry Pi VPNs

Thanks to Linux, there are plenty of feature-packed VPN apps for Raspberry Pi, while OpenVPN is always an option if you don’t mind using the command terminal. Surfshark has the best all-round features, server selection, and Linux app performance, but ExpressVPN is still worth considering on Raspberry Pi if you use the browser extension. Depending on your requirements, others stand out with features like obfuscation, dedicated IPs, or specialized servers.