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ProtonVPN alternative

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[!] There was an error with accessing the ProtonVPN API.
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[!] HTTP Error Code: 422
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Hi all, really tired of Proton being broken every time I go to use it, and now I hear they are depreciating the CLI interface altogether.

I have cancelled and wondered if anyone can recommend a good alternative that works well with Linux.

Thanks and apologies if this is the wrong place to ask.
HP Z640 - 72 x Intel Xeon E5-2699 v3 @ 2.30GHz, 128 GiB RAM, 4GiB + 32GiB NVIDIA

Re: ProtonVPN alternative

Reply #1 –
Rent a vps in any country you like and set up wireguard.

Re: ProtonVPN alternative

Reply #2 –
What  Worm_Jim said. But also it depends what you want to use the vpn for ? If just browsing then you don't even need wireguard. A ssh tunnel to a vps will do.
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ssh -D $port_number $username@$hostname
and set browsers to proxy through 127.0.0.1:$port_number

Re: ProtonVPN alternative

Reply #3 –
except renting a vps requires KYC, so they know who you are.

I like torguard, but I would probably go with an EU/swiss based one today

Re: ProtonVPN alternative

Reply #4 –
If i remeber right, there is also an option to generate a config file with Proton to use with wireguard, maybe with openvpn and others too..
Then you just have to use "wg-quick up NAME" to start a wireguard connection to the saved Server in the config with the parameters.

Maybe not the best idea if you want to change servers hourly   ;)
But you can save different config files with different servers and names to have a choice.

others certainly have this option too.. 

Re: ProtonVPN alternative

Reply #5 –
I use Mullvad and have never had an issue for the years I've been a customer. I had connectivity problems all the time when I was using Proton, and I was a paying customer, not on free tier. I use the wireguard configs you can download from their website; never bothered with their Linux app.

The problem with using a VPS is that even if you pay "anonymously" (e.g. with Monero), all your traffic is routed to the VPS and therefore to the host server. If you're using the VPN for privacy purposes, i.e. a VPN you would have enabled at all times for all your browsing, it would become fairly trivial for the host to identify you. If you only care about hiding your traffic from your ISP then it works, and also if you're using it for some other purposes, eg to get around geoblocking, or to only hide piracy or something, then a VPS works. But I imagine most VPN customers want to share an IP address with a lot of people to make it more difficult to identify them.
 

Re: ProtonVPN alternative

Reply #6 –
Quote from: metwo – on
Hi all, really tired of Proton being broken every time I go to use it, and now I hear they are depreciating the CLI interface altogether.
I have cancelled and wondered if anyone can recommend a good alternative that works well with Linux.
An open source Qt based cross-platform GUI proxy configuration manager exists for Linux that is mostly used by people in countries like China to bypass internet censorship:
https://github.com/Mahdi-zarei/nekoray
https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nekoray-mahdi-zarei-bin
You can rent a VPS, create your own VPN, and then use it on this GUI client (You can also use SSH on this client). If you want a free alternative to commercial VPNs, there are also many donated SOCKS5 and Shadowsocks configs on the internet that you can use at your own risk.
Quote from: n00b – on
except renting a vps requires KYC, so they know who you are.
Except there are many privacy-friendly VPS providers that accept cryptocurrencies, like Monero.

Re: ProtonVPN alternative

Reply #7 –
Quote from: revsuine – on
I use Mullvad and have never had an issue for the years I've been a customer. I had connectivity problems all the time when I was using Proton, and I was a paying customer, not on free tier. I use the wireguard configs you can download from their website; never bothered with their Linux app.

The problem with using a VPS is that even if you pay "anonymously" (e.g. with Monero), all your traffic is routed to the VPS and therefore to the host server. If you're using the VPN for privacy purposes, i.e. a VPN you would have enabled at all times for all your browsing, it would become fairly trivial for the host to identify you. If you only care about hiding your traffic from your ISP then it works, and also if you're using it for some other purposes, eg to get around geoblocking, or to only hide piracy or something, then a VPS works. But I imagine most VPN customers want to share an IP address with a lot of people to make it more difficult to identify them.
Another use case:
Public Wifi, like, Library, Cafe, some_house_open_wifi.
Will limit how much damage local peeps can do.
Xorg 6000...It's the new Outi 5000.

Mullvad w/OpenVPN is on the vulnerable list.

Re: ProtonVPN alternative

Reply #8 –
Quote from: Phosphate5 – on
Quote from: n00b – on
except renting a vps requires KYC, so they know who you are.
Except there are many privacy-friendly VPS providers that accept cryptocurrencies, like Monero.
Torguard is like 2$ a month if you buy a few years on sale.
Is there a private VPS for 75$ for 3 years?