Need help configuring Linux privacy tools - searching for best vpn for ubuntu that doesn't leak DNS

None of them actually care about Linux. They'll advertise "Linux support" then give you some half-baked CLI tool and call it a day. Your best bet is manually configuring OpenVPN or Wireguard yourself with a provider that gives you configuration files. It's more work but at least it'll actually function properly

I've been running Linux Mint for years and honestly, you don't need a fancy GUI. Just learn the basic terminal commands for your VPN and create a simple bash script to connect. Then use crontab to run it at startup. Much more reliable than any GUI they'll provide and you can customize everything

FWIW the "best vpn for ubuntu" is the one you roll yourself. Rent a cheap VPS for $5/month, install Algo VPN (it's open source), and you'll have a personal VPN that isn't sharing bandwidth with thousands of other users or selling your browsing data. Took me about 40 minutes to set up following their github instructions

this attitude of "just build it yourself bro" is exactly why linux desktop share is still at 2% lmao. OP asked for recommendations, not a weekend project. not everyone wants to become a sysadmin just to get basic functionality working

Same problem last year. Check in your Network Manager settings - most VPNs leak DNS on Ubuntu because of how the OS handles DNS queries. You need to edit /etc/systemd/resolved.conf and set DNSStubListener=no, then create a symlink from /etc/resolv.conf to /run/systemd/resolve/resolv.conf - this fixed all my leaks regardless of which VPN I used

Been in same boat for ages until i switched to nordvpn which surprisingly has decent ubuntu support. They've got an actual .deb package installer and the client integrates with network manager. Kill switch works properly and maintains settings after reboots which was my main issue with others. Not perfect but way better than most for linux users

Fellow Ubuntu user here. The VPN isn't as important as making sure your entire networking stack is configured correctly. Most DNS leaks happen because of:

1. Wrong NetworkManager settings
2. systemd-resolved conflicts
3. Browser-specific DoH settings overriding system

Fix those first, then almost any major VPN will work correctly

want something that "just works" on ubuntu? protonvpn. full stop. native .deb package, actual GUI, built-in kill switch that actually functions, and proper DNS handling. free tier available if u wanna test before paying. thank me later

What you're experiencing is a common issue with network namespace isolation on Ubuntu systems. By default, VPN clients don't properly segment network traffic into separate namespaces, allowing some processes to bypass the VPN tunnel entirely. This architectural limitation means DNS and other requests can leak outside your encrypted connection unless explicitly configured otherwise

omg why is linux vpn support so terrible?? Tried 4 different "linux friendly" services and ended up canceling all of them. Currently using mullvad through wireguard config files which is reliable but still no proper gui. Linux users just get treated like second class :/

Consider a different approach - use a VPN at the router level instead of on your device. Flash your router with dd-wrt/openwrt (if supported) and configure the VPN there. Then all devices connected to your network are protected without needing individual clients

look at this fancy pants with "ubuntu" lol. try getting a vpn working properly on gentoo where you compile everything manually. took me 3 days to get wireguard modules working with my custom kernel. ubuntu vpn issues are luxury problems 😂

Privacy is more than just a VPN! Make sure you're also:

• Using uBlock Origin
• Adjusting Firefox about:config settings
• Disabling WebRTC
• Using containers for different sites All the VPN in the world won't help if your browser is leaking your real IP through WebRTC

Just use the commandline for vpn, gui tools for linux are always garbage. Create a file called vpn.sh with your connection commands, chmod +x it, and create a desktop shortcut. Boom, one-click connection without the bloated gui nonsense