- Proton VPN is now officially released by Proton AG on Snap Store
- The release offers one-click installation for Ubuntu and other compatible distros
- Some features are missing in this initial build due to sandboxing restrictions
Linux users looking for a top-notch security boost just got a major convenience upgrade. The team behind Proton VPN has announced that its app is now officially available for download directly from the Linux Snap Store.
While the Swiss-based provider has always supported Linux VPN distributions, previous availability for Snap users was limited to a “community-maintained fork.” This release marks the very first time that the official build has been released directly by Proton AG.
The move makes it significantly easier for the open source community to download one of the best VPN services on the market. According to Proton’s announcement, users can now perform a straightforward “one-click installation on Ubuntu and any distro that supports snaps,” saving them the usual hassle of manual command-line configurations or repository hunting.
Proton’s Snap Store build comes complete with a “verified publisher badge” that ensures users don’t accidentally download a compromised or outdated client. However, it still lacks some key features due to sandboxing limits.
What is missing from the first release?
While the Snap Store debut gives the wider community an “official, trusted way to install Proton VPN,” the developers were very transparent about a few technical trade-offs in this initial release.
Most notably, there is “no split tunneling” available just yet.
This much-requested feature, which lets you choose which specific apps bypass the encrypted tunnel to maintain high network speeds, was introduced to Proton’s default Linux app last year. However, it is absent in the Snap version. “Like our Flatpak, this is due to sandboxing limitations,” the team explained, adding that it’s “something we hope to address in the future.”
Proton VPN is now officially on the Snap Store
from r/ProtonVPN
The provider’s anti-censorship tool, the Stealth protocol, also missed the cut. “Stealth protocol is not included yet. It is not part of this first Snap release,” the company confirmed.
Hardware compatibility also comes with a slight notch. The new package offers “no ARM support at this time.” While Proton noted that they “expect the ARM device volume to be low for now,” they are “monitoring it.”
Software-wise, the developers warned that “older distros may have issues,” and warned that if users are on an operating system “older than Ubuntu 24, you may run into connectivity issues.”
Despite these early missing features, the launch of the Snap Store is just the latest in a series of rapid upgrades that demonstrate Proton’s dedication to its Linux user base. Unlike many competitors that treat open source platforms as a secondary concern, Proton has spent the past months closing the feature gap between its Linux, Windows and Mac applications.
At the beginning of the year, the company unveiled a major Linux makeover.
This included upgrading the graphics app to the modern GTK4 framework to pave the way for a complete redesign of the interface. Meanwhile, command-line interface (CLI) power users received greatly improved server selection tools, along with support for advanced features like custom DNS settings and NetShield Ad-blocker.
With the all-new official Snap release now live at snapcraft.io/proton-vpn, Linux fans finally have the reliable, hassle-free installation method they’ve been waiting for.
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