Update: Officially out of Beta. Read more…
Finding a good VPN (virtual private network) nowadays isn’t difficult. Just off the top of my head, I can recommend Surfshark, NordVPN or TunnelBear and the list goes on and on. The one you choose really boils down to pricing and features but one of the most important features to look for in any VPN is device compatibility. There’s no sense in paying for a service if it is limited to only one or two of your devices. Adding to the list of cross-platform VPNs, Mozilla has just announced the Beta version of a standalone VPN that will be compatible with Windows, Android and Chromebooks with support for iOS, Mac and Linux to arrive down the road.
Mozilla states that their VPN is built in-house and uses the more current Wireguard protocol as opposed to OpenVPN or IPsec used by many popular VPNs. The VPN is currently in Beta and you will have to sign up for a waitlist to get an invite for the desktop version. Alternatively, you can install the Android app from the Play Store and sign up at the pre-Alpha price of $4.99/month. It’s unclear at this point if the VPN will offer an actual Chrome app or users will simply be prompted to install the Android version on their devices.
Update June 18, 2020: After roughly four months in Beta, Mozilla is taking the VPN out of testing and rolling it out to the general public. The pricing structure is to remain the same $4.99 for now and will allow users up-to five devices including Windows, Android and iOS which also includes Android on Chromebooks
Your feedback also helped us identify ways to make the VPN more impactful and privacy-centric, which includes building features like split tunneling and making it available on Mac clients. The VPN will exit Beta phase in the next few weeks, move out of the Firefox Private Network brand, and become a stand-alone product, Mozilla VPN, to serve a larger audience.
We are working hard to make the official product, the Mozilla VPN, available in selected regions this year. We will continue to offer the Mozilla VPN at the current pricing model for a limited time, which allows you to protect up to five devices on Windows, Android, and iOS at $4.99/month.
Mozilla Blog
Mozilla already offers a free VPN service via an extension but it is exclusive to Firefox which doesn’t do Chromebook users much good. Once available, the Mozilla VPN will allow unlimited bandwidth and let users connect up-to 5 devices at once. To join the waitlist, just head over to the Firefox VPN page here and drop in your email. I’ve joined the waitlist and once it’s available form Chrome OS, we’ll do a full review of the VPN from Mozilla and see how it stacks up against the competition. If you want to go ahead and try out the Android version, you can find it in the Google Play Store.
Mozilla Puts Its Trusted Stamp on VPN
UPDATE:Roughly a month after announcing the official release, Mozilla has taken its VPN out of Beta and extended availability to Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Malaysia, and New Zealand. More countries are expected to be added this fall. The VPN, which uses the modern WireGuard protocol, runs $4.99 a month and is currently available for Windows, Android and iOS. Mac and Linux support are on the way and Chromebook users can use the Android app to set up a secure VPN on their Chrome OS devices. You can try Mozilla VPN free for 30 days by heading to the official download page here.
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