Mullvad

Mullvad is the perfect service for VPN beginners. Setting it up is as easy as completing a website CAPTCHA to get an account number, installing and entering that number into the Linux client, and that’s it. In around 60 seconds we had signed up, downloaded, installed and launched the client, and been allocated a new Swedish IP address.

The client has features for more experienced users, too. It shows your IP, server, port and protocol up-front. There’s port forwarding, DNS leak protection, IPV6 support, a whole bunch of advanced tweaks and settings, and some detailed online guidance for anyone who needs it.

There are small usability annoyances. Other clients enable changing IP in one click, while here you might take six clicks. Performance is a little below average, too. Still, Mullvad is a simple way to get started.