Best Browsers with a Built-in VPN

Linux is widely regarded as a great OS for users looking to increase their safety online. That being said, using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is an easy, convenient way to strengthen your online data and network security and protect your privacy and anonymity when using the Internet.

There are many great web browsers with built-in VPNs available that include privacy and browsing extras (ad tracker-blocking, private browsing, malware prevention) while eliminating the need to manually set up a VPN. These browsers are often simple to use, free even when registration is needed, and expansive since they typically have no data limits. 

In this article, we will introduce our top browsers with built-in VPNs, explore their features and capabilities, and discuss the main benefits and drawbacks of each. Then, you will be equipped with the knowledge to determine what browser best suits your needs.

How Does a VPN Work?

A VPN uses "virtual" connections routed through the Internet from a private network or a third-party VPN service to a remote site or person. VPNs help strengthen data and network security and mask online behavior from snooping third parties by creating an encrypted connection, or "tunnel," between your device and a remote server operated by the VPN service. This prevents hackers from being able to read the encrypted data upon interception. VPNs also hide your information from Intensive Supervision Programs (ISPs). Your IP address will be concealed by directing the network traffic through a specifically set-up distant server that is operated by a VPN host. VPNs are a great data and network security toolkit that can improve security posture online.

What Are the Main Benefits & Drawbacks of Using a VPN?

When determining whether or not to use a VPN, it is important to first understand the benefits and potential drawbacks you may encounter.

Here are the benefits of using a trustworthy VPN. They:

• Protect your privacy online by disguising your IP, encrypting your connection, and making it truly anonymous.
• Improve security posture by giving the user a new IP address every time they go online, which can be enough to deter doxxing and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.
• Unblock websites to help you browse the web freely, especially in restrictive countries.
• Allow for private downloading and help you avoid copyright infringement notices.
• Help you avoid bandwidth throttling by disguising your traffic type to keep it from being restricted.
• Reduce the stress of staying up-to-date with the latest cybersecurity trends, as your information is protected from most data and cloud security breaches.

Here are the potential drawbacks of using a VPN. You:

• Eventually, you will experience drops in connection speed despite the VPN’s claims to boost your internet speed.
• May never have complete data and network security and privacy. Free VPNs tend not to be fully secure. Paid VPNs provide stronger encryption and better security.
• Are not completely safe from website tracking. If you visit websites where you use session cookies and have to login with your information, companies record your real public IP address rather than your VPN public IP address.
• Could have difficulty configuring VPNs, which could harm the safety of your online browsing. When it comes to using a VPN on Linux, you may do a command line installation where you need to adjust the server yourself after downloading.
• Might notice that VPNs do not work as full antivirus and malware software, which means hackers could still bypass security if they are persistent enough. To achieve optimal protection, you should use a VPN in conjunction with a robust antivirus package. If you do experience a malware infection on your Mac, here are ten great malware removal tools you may wish to use.

Do I Need a VPN?

VPNs can protect your privacy, guarantee anonymity, and ensure data and network security. While you may not need one, VPNs are a great thing to consider to keep your online behavior and identity away from prying eyes. With government agencies, ISPs, and cybercriminals increasingly threatening data privacy, now is an excellent time to begin using a VPN. Think about the downsides of continuing to operate without a VPN. You could jeopardize your privacy, security, and Internet activity and could be denied access to certain services and websites. This cryptography cybersecurity can be incredibly beneficial to your systems and servers. The decision is yours, but at LinuxSecurity we strongly recommend that you use a VPN!

Best Browsers with a Built-in VPN

Tor Browser

Tor Browser is an excellent browser for users looking to protect their privacy and anonymity online. It uses layered encryption to prevent hackers. ISPs and government surveillance agencies from tracking you. 

Tor even ensures that you surf the web anonymously. It offers several powerful security and privacy-centric features, including: 

• The No Scripts and HTTPS Everywhere extensions increase your digital privacy. 
• Allowing users to manually or automatically delete cookies and other browsing data stored on their devices.
• Protection against browser fingerprinting. 

However, the Tor Browser has two notable drawbacks. Tor doesn’t provide real data encryption but, instead, offers layered encryption that protects the data within an onion network. Beyond the Tor exit node, the data is vulnerable to spying because it is not encrypted anymore. Also, Tor hops your traffic via three relay nodes, which impacts the overall speed, a factor that can be pretty frustrating when browsing the web.

Regardless, Tor is overall very effective in protecting digital privacy and ensuring data and network security, factors that cannot be overlooked in the context of today’s threat landscape.

Mozilla Firefox

Mozilla Firefox is among the most popular browsers. It is user-friendly and offers multiple privacy-focused features, including Enhanced Tracking Protection, Total Cookie Protection, DNS over HTTPS, and Fingerprinting, all of which can help you improve your security posture.

The built-in browser VPN is a great option for anyone concerned with their online privacy and security, as Mozilla Firefox:

• Offers device-level encryption and uses the advanced WireGuard protocol to mask your IP address and encrypt your network activity.
• Provides for 400 servers in 30 locations, including the United States, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, and the UK.
• Follows a no-log policy, so you can be confident that your activity and connection logs are not being logged and shared. 
• Comes with no bandwidth restrictions, so you can browse the web at reliable speeds. 

The VPN built into Mozilla Firefox is available for Linux, Android, Windows, iOS, and Mac. It offers impressive functionality on Linux and is arguably the best browser VPN for Linux users. The Mozilla VPN feature is not free, but it is well worth the small fee!

Brave Browser

The Brave Browser is a Chromium-based web browser with an intense focus on privacy and security that helps to achieve greater online anonymity without sacrificing functionality. Brave offers a built-in VPN feature for an additional $9.99 per month and includes:

• The Brave Firewall + VPN feature blocks trackers, cookies, and malicious scripts from interfering with your browsing experience and threatening your safety. 
• Partial encryption using HTTPS site encryption to ensure data and network security and prevent tracking.
• Protection against WebRTC leaks.
• A Brave Shield feature to prevent irrelevant and unwanted ads from being displayed and interrupting your browsing experience. 

Brave is easy to use, has lightweight cryptography (protection won’t consume much of your space), and offers a sleek user interface, all of which help with data and network security and strengthen Brave’s privacy-enhancing technology. You can use Brave browser on all popular operating systems, including Linux, Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows.

Opera

Opera browser is the oldest browser, as it has been in use since 1995. The browser has over 350 million active users and offers a faster, smarter, and significantly more secure browsing experience than other default browsers. Opera comes with a selection of features designed to offer maximum privacy and security, including a built-in ad blocker and protection against tracking, phishing, and malware.

Opera protects your Internet traffic within the browser and prevents you from needing to download additional software or browser extensions. The Opera browser built-in VPN offers:

• An automatic ad and tracker blocker that prevents ads and trackers from disturbing your browsing experience or threatening your privacy.
• Consistently fast speeds for browsing the web.
• Servers in five international locations: The United States, Canada, Germany, Singapore, and the Netherlands. 
• A strict no-log policy, so you don’t have to worry about logging your data or infringing on your privacy.

The built-in Opera browser VPN provides excellent functionality, robust privacy-enhancing technology, and numerous data and network security controls. However, the VPN comes with a 500MB data limit, which could potentially restrict your activities.

Aloha Browser

Aloha is an excellent mobile browser for the privacy- and security-conscious user. It allows you to surf the web without leaving any tracebacks., is user-friendly, and has a clean and easy-to-use interface, making it ideal for both advanced and beginner users. The Aloha browser offers an integrated VPN that provides additional online privacy protection and enhances your web browsing experience. 

The Aloha browser VPN includes benefits like: 

• Encrypting traffic and increasing your anonymity online.
• Conserve your mobile data and block ads to improve the speed at which you can load web pages. 
• Preventing trackers from gathering your data so they cannot log or share browsing data. 
• Using hardware acceleration that loads pages up to two times faster than other browsers. 
• Secure your downloads using the file manager feature and lock your folder with fingerprints or passcodes.
• A fully-featured media player with a VR feature that allows you to watch movies and listen to music.

It is important to note that since Aloha is only a mobile browser, not all users can benefit from it, as more people are focused on the data and network security of their operating systems. 

Epic Privacy Browser 

Epic Privacy is a secure Chromium-based browser that blocks intrusive ads, crypto mining, fingerprinting, and trackers. In fact, it blocks over 600 tracking attempts in an average browsing session! 

The browser offers an impressive built-in VPN extension that keeps your online activities private and secure. The Epic privacy browser built-in VPN is among the best browser VPNs because:

• It uses encrypted proxies to hide data and your IP address and allows you to access blocked sites. 
• The “Do Not Track” feature prevents trackers from following you from website to website. 
• None of your browsing history is recorded or sold to third parties. Rather, your browsing data is permanently deleted after each session.
• It protects from WebRTC leaks to strengthen your online data and network security. 
• The built-in VPN offers server access in eight different locations. 

 

Final Thoughts on Our Top Browsers with a Built-in VPN

Linux is an excellent OS for privacy- and security-conscious users. That being said, using a VPN is a simple and effective way to strengthen your privacy, security, and anonymity online. The browsers with built-in VPNs that we’ve introduced in this article make using a VPN even more convenient and straightforward. Consider utilizing one of them as a privacy-enhancing technology that can guarantee stronger data and network security.

Are you using one of these built-in browser VPNs? How has your experience been? Comment below- we’d love to hear your thoughts!