Options, Pricing, Professionals & Cons

Mullvad VPN has constructed a stable status for being among the best privacy-focused VPNs available on the market. Its distinctive nameless person account quantity system, sturdy encryption and dedication to common third-party safety audits make it a best choice for these whose main concern is privateness.

Whereas it’s hampered by a small 641-server community unfold throughout simply 40 international locations, Mullvad’s concentrate on privateness is one thing I need to see extra of in different VPNs accessible in the present day.

Mullvad VPN pricing

Mullvad affords a flat charge of €5 or $5.48 per 30 days, no matter subscription size. As compared, different VPNs have various costs per plan and length.

Mullvad’s month-to-month subscription may be very reasonably priced in comparison with different VPNs resembling NordVPN at $12.99 per 30 days and ProtonVPN at $9.99 per 30 days. In the event you’re wanting to make use of a VPN for a restricted period of time, Mullvad VPN is among the most reasonably priced choices.

Nonetheless, there’s a draw back to the flat charge — you don’t mechanically obtain a reduction or extra financial savings for selecting a long run, which different VPNs sometimes provide. Due to this fact, Mullvad VPN isn’t probably the most cost-effective choice for long-term customers.

There isn’t a free model or free trial for Mullvad VPN, however there’s a 30-day money-back assure if subscribers aren’t happy with the service.

I commend Mullvad’s concentrate on privateness by way of its cost choices. Exterior of the standard decisions like bank card or PayPal, Mullvad VPN permits you to pay with money, cryptocurrencies or purchasable bodily vouchers — all of which offer customers with anonymity with their funds. It is a nice choice for privateness lovers who need to stay nameless.

Is Mullvad VPN protected and reliable?

Mullvad VPN comes with OpenVPN and WireGuard safety protocols — two of probably the most safe and best-performing protocols in the present day. As well as, Mullvad makes use of the gold-standard AES-256 encryption, features a built-in kill swap and protects towards DNS leaks.

It has a no-logs coverage that states that the VPN “by no means retailer[s] any exercise logs of any sort.” Happily, Mullvad has proven a robust dedication to common unbiased safety audits to again their privateness claims. Its most up-to-date audit was carried out by Radically Open Safety in August 2023, which “discovered no logging of person exercise information” inside Mullvad’s VPN infrastructure.

Some customers might categorical concern that Mullvad is predicated in Sweden, a member of the 14 Eyes surveillance alliance. Nonetheless, I argue that Mullvad VPN efficiently alleviated such considerations when the corporate was subjected to a search warrant in April 2023.

Based on Mullvad, six cops from the Nationwide Operations Division (NOA) of the Swedish Police visited their workplaces and wished to grab computer systems that held buyer information. Mullvad defined that, due to their no-logs coverage, “such buyer information didn’t exist.” This finally led to the cops leaving empty-handed.

The corporate emphasised that even “if [the police] had taken one thing that will not have given them entry to any buyer info” due to their no-logs coverage.

Total, Mullvad VPN proves to be a protected and safe VPN service to make use of in 2024.

Key options of Mullvad VPN

Except for offering customers with a safe VPN connection and a community of servers all over the world, Mullvad affords just a few standout options that set it aside from different VPN distributors.

Nameless account numbers

One other distinctive privateness characteristic of Mullvad is its use of nameless account numbers.

Determine A

As an alternative of requiring clients to offer an e mail tackle, username or password, Mullvad mechanically generates a random account quantity for every person, serving as their important method to log in and use Mullvad VPN. The 16-digit quantity can also be used to let customers pay for his or her subscription.

This offers a further layer of anonymity since customers received’t have to offer any sort of private or figuring out info to make use of Mullvad. On the minimal, most VPNs ask customers to offer an e mail tackle to make use of their service, so I admire the added privateness of not needing to take action with Mullvad VPN.

Mullvad Lockdown mode

Determine B

Mullvad features a Lockdown mode characteristic that blocks any web connection not secured by a Mullvad VPN server. Which means that even should you by accident give up the Mullvad VPN app or disconnect from one among its servers for any motive, your information and visitors will stay safe and blocked from unprotected networks.

In my testing, Lockdown mode labored as marketed and reliably lower off the web on my machine each time I attempted to attach exterior of the VPN.

DNS content material blockers

Determine C

You additionally get a set of content material blockers inside Mullvad’s app that permits you to prohibit entry to intrusive content material resembling advertisements, grownup content material and malware.

Whereas opponents like ExpressVPN allow you to block advertisements and trackers as nicely, I like that Mullvad offers you a bit extra choices within the sorts of content material you’ll be able to block. Particular callouts listed below are with the ability to block playing websites, grownup content material and even social media websites.

Pace and efficiency: How briskly is Mullvad VPN?

Mullvad carried out nicely by way of pace and efficiency. I didn’t expertise any severe slowdown with my regular workflow that entails working in Google Docs, having a number of tabs open for analysis and streaming the occasional 1080p YouTube movies. I used to be additionally impressed with how dependable Mullvad’s connection was throughout an hour-long Google Meet name I attended whereas testing the VPN; I didn’t expertise any points with the connection.

When it comes to pace testing, Mullvad acquired extra modest numbers. For obtain speeds, it recorded a 40.8% drop in pace in comparison with my web service supplier, which is nice however not nice. Add pace was noticeably worse, with an 89.7% lower in pace. In the event you or your enterprise regularly uploads giant information, NordVPN could also be a greater decide because it has proven to offer quicker total speeds.

Regardless of the stable efficiency, I have to point out that speeds might fluctuate extra with Mullvad VPN in comparison with different VPNs on account of its smaller server community. I’ll dive into that extra within the subsequent part, however having extra servers normally permits for quicker efficiency.

All issues apart, my time with Mullvad VPN confirmed it might probably present fairly quick speeds with out problem.

Mullvad VPN servers and areas

Mullvad VPN’s server community is the place it sadly falls behind the competitors. At the moment, Mullvad has 641 servers in round 40 international locations; this server suite is sort of small in each the server quantity and nation unfold, contemplating {that a} trendy VPN normally has round 3,000 servers in round 60 international locations.

For context, ProtonVPN offers round 3,090 servers throughout 71 international locations, whereas CyberGhost VPN affords round 11,330+ servers throughout 100 international locations.

Which means that if Mullvad VPN doesn’t have a server location that’s near you, chances are you’ll expertise slower speeds or impacted efficiency. This smaller server suite additionally means Mullvad received’t be a first-rate choice for many who plan to unblock geo-restricted content material on-line.

If a big nation unfold is a precedence, CyberGhost VPN or Personal Web Entry might be higher choices as they supply servers from 100 and 91 international locations, respectively.

Mullvad doesn’t categorize its servers for extra specialised use circumstances like NordVPN’s safer Double VPN servers or CyberGhost’s streaming-optimized servers.

Mullvad VPN app expertise

I examined Mullvad VPN on my Home windows laptop computer and located the desktop utility to be very straightforward to make use of.

Determine D

Issues such because the server record have been the place I anticipated them to be, and I had no hassle activating completely different options inside the app’s VPN settings.

I actually like that Mullvad permits you to create a customized record or group of high servers. You may put servers in lists and title every group as you want. This may be helpful should you usually entry content material from sure areas and need to hook up with the suitable server location simply.

Determine E

Subjectively, I do really feel like Mullvad’s app is lagging behind by way of design because the cartoon-like interface appears a bit outdated. Nonetheless, I’ve no complaints in regards to the utility’s efficiency because it labored and not using a hitch.

Mullvad execs

• Inexpensive month-to-month plan.
• Constant unbiased audits.
• Nameless person account quantity system.
• Respectable speeds and efficiency.
• Straightforward-to-use desktop utility.

Mullvad cons

• Small server community of 641 servers.
• Helps servers from solely 40+ international locations.
• Longer subscriptions will be costly.
• No free trial.
• Solely permits for 5 simultaneous system connections.
• Based mostly in Sweden (14 Eyes alliance).

Who’s Mullvad VPN greatest for?

Mullvad VPN is greatest for privateness lovers who worth anonymity above all else. Its distinctive cost system and nameless person account quantity system are significant methods so as to add additional safety for end-users who need to share as little information as attainable.

It’s a VPN service that gives first rate speeds and an intuitive utility. It’s additionally a fantastic decide for particular person customers who need sturdy encryption and safety for a brief period of time, particularly with its extra reasonably priced month-to-month subscription.

Whereas its lack of an reasonably priced long-term subscription and minuscule server community wanes compared to the competitors, Mullvad’s huge concentrate on privateness is a welcome taste to the VPN area as an entire.

Alternate options to Mullvad VPN

In the event you discover that Mullvad VPN isn’t a match for you, I’ve listed three sturdy options which will higher fit your wants.

Proton VPN

If you need a VPN that gives a full-fledged free model, give Proton VPN a strive. Its free model affords limitless information and entry to 86 servers in three international locations at no extra value. It additionally operates in privacy-friendly Switzerland, making it a first-rate choice for these anxious about authorities surveillance.

In our full evaluation, ProtonVPN acquired 4.0 stars out of 5. To be taught extra, learn right here.

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN affords a no-nonsense VPN that has a well-designed utility, quick speeds and safety for as much as eight simultaneous units. It additionally has servers throughout 105 international locations and makes use of RAM-only server expertise for much more safety.

In our full evaluation, ExpressVPN acquired 4.4 stars out of 5. To be taught extra, learn right here.

CyberGhost VPN

Customers who need an intensive server suite ought to have CyberGhost VPN on their record. It affords greater than 11,000 servers throughout 100 international locations and over 125 areas. It additionally has a beneficiant 24-hour free trial that permits you to check its premium VPN with no bank card required. On high of this, CyberGhost neatly categorizes its servers for streaming, gaming and torrenting.

In our full evaluation, CyberGhost VPN acquired 4.3 stars out of 5. To be taught extra, learn right here.

Overview methodology

My evaluation of Mullvad VPN concerned a complete evaluation of its options, value and real-world efficiency. I had hands-on time with Mullvad VPN on my Home windows laptop computer by way of a paid one-month subscription.

For pace, I used Ookla’s public Speedtest to measure obtain and add speeds. I additionally ran Mullvad by way of DNSLeakTest a number of instances to examine for any drops in its DNS leak safety.

I scored Mullvad VPN on all the pieces, from its safety protocols to its pricing, primarily based on an inside algorithm to get a ranking of three.7 out of 5 stars. In my scoring, I checked out Mullvad VPN each by itself and in relation to different VPNs accessible.