Free VPN for Linux: How the SingLinkVPN Free Plan Works

The Linux Allowance: 500 MB a Day at the Desktop Tier

SingLinkVPN grades the free allowance by device type rather than handing each account a single pooled figure. Phones (iOS and Android) get 200 MB per day; computers (Windows, macOS and Linux) get 500 MB per day. Linux belongs to the computer tier, so each Linux machine has a base allowance of 500 MB per day, reset at midnight. Whatever is left at the end of the day does not carry over.

Whether 500 MB is enough on Linux depends entirely on what the machine is doing. Text-first terminal work barely registers: SSH sessions, git fetches, package index refreshes, reading documentation, sending mail. That kind of traffic stretches 500 MB a long way. HD video in a browser, container image pulls and large dependency downloads go the other way and can clear the day's allowance in minutes. Treating the free allowance as a channel you reach for when you need it is a reasonable expectation; treating it as a primary link for sustained bulk traffic is not.

• Phone tier (iOS, Android): 200 MB base per day; campaign periods depend on the campaign
• Computer tier (Windows, macOS, Linux): 500 MB base per day
• Linux is graded exactly as Windows and macOS are
• Resets at midnight; unused data does not accumulate or carry forward
• No credit card required, and no ads to watch for the base allowance

What "Up to 1 GB a Day" During Campaigns Actually Means

On top of the 500 MB base, SingLinkVPN can raise the daily ceiling to up to 1 GB during campaigns, depending on the campaign. Several conditions all have to hold: a campaign must currently be running, since this is not a standing benefit; that particular campaign has to offer it, because not every campaign does; and the device must meet that campaign's eligibility conditions. Campaigns can apply to both mobile and desktop, and a Linux machine, as a desktop-tier device, can be covered too.

So read "up to 1 GB a day" as the ceiling during a campaign, depending on the campaign — not as the everyday Linux allowance. The everyday figure is always 500 MB per day. Whether a campaign is running right now and whether a given machine qualifies are both shown in the client itself. This page deliberately avoids pinning down campaign dates or details, because those change from one campaign to the next.

The campaign ceiling is neither permanent nor offered by every campaign. If the client shows no such campaign, it usually means none is running or the device does not meet the current campaign's conditions. The client is the source of truth.

Each Device Counts Its Own Allowance

The allowance belongs to the device, not to the account. Under one account, a Linux workstation, a Windows laptop and a phone each hold their own daily figure. They do not draw from one another and cannot be transferred between machines. Exhausting 500 MB on a Linux development box leaves a second Linux machine on the same account with its own untouched 500 MB, and leaves the phone's 200 MB entirely alone.

This tends to matter more to Linux users than to most, because a Linux machine is rarely the only one in the house: a desktop workstation, an old laptop reinstalled with Linux, a small always-on box. They often belong to the same person. Each getting its own 500 MB means different kinds of work can be spread across different machines. The flip side is worth remembering too: extra devices do not merge into one larger pool, so when a single machine is finished for the day, it is finished until the midnight reset.

• Every device counts separately and resets on its own at midnight
• Allowances cannot be transferred or pooled between devices
• Linux, Windows and macOS share a tier but never share a figure
• Phone and computer tiers are independent of each other

The Free Plan Uses Beta Protocol Nodes Only

SingLinkVPN develops four in-house protocols: Beta, Sola, Mini and SingLink 2.0. The Free Plan can use Beta protocol nodes and nothing else — Sola, Mini and SingLink 2.0 are all closed to free users. This has nothing to do with running Linux rather than Windows or a phone; it is a plan-level restriction and switching platforms does not change it.

Beta is the speed-first everyday protocol, suited to web browsing, social media, messaging and general text-oriented traffic — which happens to describe most Linux desktop work quite well. Free nodes are shared by the entire free user base, so speeds fluctuate at peak times and individual nodes can be temporarily unreachable. Switching to another node carrying the "Free" label usually resolves it.

For the protocol itself — how its speed ceiling scales with plan tier, how to pick a node, and how to troubleshoot a connection that will not establish — there is a dedicated page on this site at /tech/protocols/beta/ (prefix the path with the current locale code, for example /en/tech/protocols/beta/).

If you read anywhere that the Free Plan can run heavy traffic over SingLink 2.0, that does not match current plan access. The Free Plan means Beta nodes, with no second option.

Linux Workloads That Suit a Free Allowance

Linux machines are typically used differently from a general-purpose home computer, so whether a free allowance fits depends on what the machine actually does. The situations below are common among Linux users, and they are also where 500 MB tends to go furthest:

The poor fits are equally clear: pulling container images or large distribution image files, continuous backup synchronization, long sessions of HD video in a browser, and automation that runs around the clock. These either exhaust the day's allowance within minutes or need a level of consistency that shared free nodes cannot offer. Work like that belongs on a paid tier with its own allocated resources rather than being squeezed through a free allowance.

• Development machines: reading overseas technical documentation, reaching the web interface of a code hosting platform, following technical forums, pulling small dependencies — text and small files, where 500 MB usually lasts a full day
• An admin terminal next to remote servers: connecting from a local Linux workstation to a remote console, watching monitoring dashboards, handling alerts — traffic concentrated in web pages and API calls, which stays light
• A workstation beside a home NAS or a software router: occasional lookups against external services, refreshing package index information, retrieving configuration files or small scripts
• An old laptop rebuilt with Linux: used as a secondary machine for browsing and email, comfortably within its own separate 500 MB
• Short-term needs: a channel while travelling or switching network environments, used and then set aside

These are judgements about workloads, not promises about speed, node counts or availability. Real-world results depend on the local network and on node conditions at the time.

Installing the Linux Client: Two Snap Routes

The Linux client is distributed as a snap and is listed on the Snap Store at snapcraft.io/singlinkvpn, built for both x86_64 and ARM64. There are two ways in, and which one you take comes down to a single question: does this machine already have snapd?

If the answer is no, or you are not sure, use the official one-line installer: sh <(wget -qO - https://singlink-downloads.pages.dev/linux/install.sh) -p singlinkvpn-gui. That command works through four things in order. It checks whether snapd is present and installs it if not — automatically on apt-based distributions, while on others it points you to the snapcraft documentation to install snapd yourself. It then installs or updates the SingLinkVPN snap. Next it connects the network-control and firewall-control interfaces, which the client needs because a VPN has to alter routing and firewall rules; without them the connection will not come up. Finally it restarts the relevant services. All of that touches the system layer, so it needs sudo.

If snapd has been running on the box all along — many desktop distributions ship it, or you may have installed another snap at some point — there is no need for the detour. Run sudo snap install singlinkvpn and you are done. Both routes land the same snap; the difference is only that the first one handles snapd and the interface connections on your behalf.

Once it is installed, start the client with snap run singlinkvpn, sign in, and pick a Beta node carrying the "Free" label from the node list. What this page still does not state is which distributions the snap covers, what version is current, or how big the download is. For those, the Snap Store listing and the site download page are the sources to trust.

• snapd already present: sudo snap install singlinkvpn
• Not sure about snapd: run the official one-liner, which installs it first
• One-line installer: sh <(wget -qO - https://singlink-downloads.pages.dev/linux/install.sh) -p singlinkvpn-gui
• Launch after installing: snap run singlinkvpn
• Architectures: x86_64 and ARM64
• The installer connects the network-control and firewall-control interfaces and restarts services, which requires sudo

No supported-distribution list, snap version number or download size is published here; the Snap Store listing and the site download page are authoritative for those. On distributions outside the apt family with no snapd installed, the script points you to the snapcraft documentation to set snapd up first.

Where the Free Plan Ends, and When to Consider Upgrading

Here are the boundaries in one place, so you do not meet them one at a time: allowances are graded by device type, with Linux at the computer tier on 500 MB a day; during campaigns the ceiling is up to 1 GB a day, depending on the campaign, and not every campaign offers it; only Beta protocol nodes are available; free nodes are shared across the whole free user base, so speeds fluctuate at peak times; and the allowance resets at midnight without accumulating, pooling or transferring between devices.

Taken together, those limits define what the Free Plan is good for: confirming the route works from your network, covering short-term and light needs, and trying the service before paying for it. When you notice the day's 500 MB routinely gone by the afternoon, or you need consistent bandwidth for sustained transfers and long-lived connections, that is the signal to look at a paid tier — paid plans draw on separately allocated resources that free nodes do not share, and they unlock protocols beyond Beta according to tier.

This page describes the structure of the free plan only. It does not publish node counts, speed figures or user numbers, all of which shift with time and allocation.

Three Steps to Start Using the Free Plan on Linux

Getting started on Linux takes three steps: create an account, install the client as a snap, then connect to a Beta node carrying the "Free" label.

1. 1

   Register and sign in to a SingLinkVPN account

   Create a SingLinkVPN account on the official site and sign in. The Free Plan does not ask for a credit card. Once the account exists, the free allowance is graded by device type, and Linux machines fall into the computer tier at 500 MB per day.

2. 2

   Install the Linux client as a snap

   The client ships as a snap on the Snap Store, built for x86_64 and ARM64. If the machine already has snapd, run sudo snap install singlinkvpn. If you are not sure, use the official one-liner sh <(wget -qO - https://singlink-downloads.pages.dev/linux/install.sh) -p singlinkvpn-gui, which installs snapd when it is missing, installs the snap, and connects the network-control and firewall-control interfaces; those steps need sudo. Start it afterwards with snap run singlinkvpn.

3. 3

   Connect to a Beta node labeled "Free"

   After signing in to the client, open the node list and connect to a node carrying the "Free" label. The Free Plan can only use Beta protocol nodes; if one node will not connect, switching to another free node usually resolves it.

Frequently asked questions