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Mozilla VPN: A Solid Choice for Privacy on the Go

Joe Ritchey

Joe Ritchey

— 2 min read
Mozilla VPN: A Solid Choice for Privacy on the Go
Photo by Dan Nelson / Unsplash

I've been testing Mozilla VPN while traveling, and overall, the experience has been quite positive. From sign-up to real-world usage, here’s a breakdown of my experience.

Sign-Up & Installation

Signing up was straightforward, with no unnecessary complications.

Installing Mozilla VPN on Ubuntu was simple—just add the PPA repository, update, and install:

bashCopyEditsudo add-apt-repository ppa:mozillavpn
sudo apt update
sudo apt install mozillavpn

While Linux support is officially limited to Ubuntu and its derivatives, I’m using Pop!_OS, and it works just fine.

Performance & Usability

Performance has been solid so far. I tested it at an airport on free Wi-Fi, and surprisingly, it felt faster with the VPN on. Page loads were quick, though I had recently restarted my machine, so I’ll keep an eye on consistency throughout the week.

Mozilla VPN also works well with CLI tools. I had no issues using SSH or Google Cloud (gcloud) utilities while connected.

One minor inconvenience: after waking from sleep mode, I sometimes had to reconnect manually.

Captive Portals & Public Wi-Fi

At the airport, I had to disable the VPN to connect to the captive portal before re-enabling it. This is a common issue with VPNs, not specific to Mozilla VPN, but worth noting.

Server Locations

Mozilla VPN provides a fair number of locations across the U.S., especially in major population centers. However, coverage in the Midwest is a bit sparse.

When traveling abroad, I tested the VPN from Argentina, where the closest available server was in São Paulo, Brazil. Connection speeds were still solid, and streaming YouTube worked without buffering.

Multi-Hop Feature

Mozilla VPN offers multi-hop, allowing you to route traffic through multiple locations. I tested a U.S. entry node with an exit in Oslo, Norway. As expected, there was a noticeable performance hit, but everything functioned as it should.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Mozilla VPN has been a great experience. It’s affordable, reliable, and a solid choice for:

  • Securing connections on public Wi-Fi (airports, cafes, hotels)
  • Keeping your browsing private from your ISP
  • Traveling abroad and needing secure, fast connections

If you’re looking for a simple and effective VPN, Mozilla VPN is worth considering.

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