Analysis: What is the best VPN for the mobile operating system Mobile NixOS

Which VPN is Best for Mobile NixOS? A geeky, slightly sardonic review

If you run NixOS — especially on mobile hardware (yes, the brave, nose-plugged few trying NixOS on phones or small ARM boxes) — you know two things are sacred: declarative configuration and the ability to debug your network with nothing but a terminal, a headlamp, and a stubborn sense of existential adventure. Picking a VPN for Mobile NixOS needs a slightly different checklist than “which shiny app has the prettiest logo.” You want something that plays nicely with declarative Nix configs, supports modern protocols like WireGuard, and doesnt force you through a proprietary, distro-specific installer that explodes in your face.

Short conclusion (for the TLDR crowd)

Mullvad is the best overall pick for Mobile NixOS. It pairs excellent WireGuard support, privacy-focused policy, and simple, provider-agnostic keys that slot cleanly into NixOS configs. If you want alternatives: ProtonVPN and IVPN are strong second choices. Avoid vendors that lock you into proprietary Linux installers if you want a clean Nix experience.

What matters for NixOS (mobile or otherwise)

Native protocol support: WireGuard first, OpenVPN/IKEv2 as fallbacks. WireGuards keypairs and minimal config fit the declarative model perfectly. (WireGuard)
Manual config friendliness: Providers that hand you keys/configs or document a CLI approach are gold. Proprietary GUI-only workflows are a pain on NixOS.
Packaging and reproducibility: Is there a Nix package, or at least a simple way to include the client in your configuration.nix? If not, can you rely on the OS built-in networking facilities?
Privacy policy and jurisdiction: If you care about privacy (you probably do), legal protections, no-logs policy, and a transparent team matter.
Mobile quirks: Suspended interfaces, roaming, flaky cellular handoffs — you want a VPN that tolerates reconnections or lets systemd manage the tunnel cleanly.

Top contenders and why they matter

Mullvad — best fit for declarative, privacy-first setups

Why it wins: Mullvad hands you WireGuard config data and a straightforward account model (a single numeric account ID) which is perfect for inserting into networking.wireguard.interfaces in NixOS. Their privacy stance is top-tier and they publish helpful docs for Linux/WireGuard users. For NixOS mobile users who want to declare the VPN the same way they declare firewalld rules, Mullvad is blissfully compatible.

Website: https://mullvad.net/

ProtonVPN — robust features, CLI-friendly

Why consider it: ProtonVPN offers a well-supported CLI client for Linux and a policy focused on privacy. They support WireGuard and also provide useful advanced features (NetShield, multi-hop), which can be interesting if you’re juggling threat models. The CLI can be installed via Nix packaging or run via a declarative service.

Website: https://proton.me/

IVPN — privacy-minded and simple

Why consider it: IVPN has strong privacy credentials, simple per-device WireGuard configs, and good docs for manual setup. It’s less flashy but very Nix-friendly.

Website: https://www.ivpn.net/

Private Internet Access (PIA), NordVPN, Surfshark — capable but varied

All three support WireGuard or their equivalents and have Linux clients. However, some of these clients are packaged as .deb/.rpm installers or proprietary binaries that aren’t always pleasant in a Nix environment. They can still be used via manual WireGuard configs or by running the CLI inside a container, but that adds friction.

Links: PIA, NordVPN, Surfshark

Comparison table — practical criteria for Mobile NixOS

Provider	WireGuard	Manual config friendly	Privacy score (subjective)	Notes
Mullvad	Excellent	Yes — generates keys configs	9/10	Best for declarative Nix usage
ProtonVPN	Good	Yes — CLI configs	8.5/10	Feature-rich CLI available
IVPN	Good	Yes	8.5/10	Privacy-focused, simple
NordVPN	Good	Yes (but often via client)	7.5/10	Large provider some proprietary tooling
PIA	Good	Yes (manual keys available)	7/10	Solid, but historically mixed policy signals

How to integrate a VPN into NixOS — practical tips

Prefer WireGuard: It’s lightweight, friendly to declarative setups, and resilient on mobile. Mullvad or providers that hand you WireGuard keys are easiest.
Use NixOS’ built-in options: NixOS supports WireGuard natively through configuration options. See NixOS documentation for networking.wireguard and module options. (NixOS networking options)
Declare the interface: Add the WireGuard interface and peers to your configuration.nix rather than relying on ad-hoc wg-quick scripts. This keeps your system reproducible.

Example (minimal, illustrative) NixOS snippet:

networking.wireguard.interfaces = {
  wg0 = {
    privateKey = PRIVATE_KEY_HERE # use secrets or files in real life
    addresses = [ 10.0.0.2/24 ]
    peers = [
      {
        publicKey = PEER_PUBLIC_KEY
        allowedIPs = [ 0.0.0.0/0 ::/0 ]
        endpoint = vpn.example.net:51820
      }
    ]
  }
}

Mobile-specific gotchas

Roaming and suspend: Mobile devices will suspend interfaces. Let systemd handle bringing the tunnel up on network changes, or use a small systemd unit that re-establishes the WireGuard interface. GUI-only clients sometimes fail on reconnection.
Battery: WireGuard is light avoid VPNs that insist on keeping heavyweight daemons running in userspace.
Interface naming: On ARM/mobile kernels, ensure the WireGuard kernel module is available. NixOS can build the module into the kernel or as a package.

Sources, docs, and further reading

NixOS networking options: https://nixos.org/manual/nixos/stable/options.html#networking
NixOS WireGuard wiki: https://nixos.wiki/wiki/WireGuard
WireGuard official: https://www.wireguard.com/
Mullvad: https://mullvad.net/
ProtonVPN: https://proton.me/
IVPN: https://www.ivpn.net/
PIA: https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/
NordVPN: https://nordvpn.com/

Final verdict (and an encouragement to be picky)

For Mobile NixOS, choose a provider that hands you keys rather than a black-box binary. Mullvad wins that race: its WireGuard-first approach, privacy practices, and straightforward keys make it the easiest provider to weave into a reproducible NixOS configuration. ProtonVPN and IVPN are solid alternatives if you want extra features or a different trust model. If you love tinkering, you’ll also appreciate how cleanly a WireGuard-based setup fits into the Nix way — declarative, auditable, and slightly smug.

And if your VPN choice boils down to “which app has the nicest UI?” — remember, you’re running Mobile NixOS. You deserve better than shiny icons: you deserve reproducibility, auditable configs, and the satisfaction of declaring your privacy in code. That — and Mullvad — will keep you happy on most mobile Nix adventures.