Mullvad vs ProtonVPN: Two Privacy Purists Compared

Mullvad and ProtonVPN are the two names privacy researchers reach for first, and for good reason — both are independently audited, both refuse to compromise on jurisdiction, and both treat marketing hype as something to avoid rather than lean into. The difference comes down to philosophy: Mullvad strips everything down to a flat price and an anonymous account number, while ProtonVPN builds a fuller ecosystem around the same privacy-first foundation.

Privacy & Jurisdiction

Both are excellent here. Mullvad's Swedish base sits inside the 14 Eyes alliance on paper, but its anonymous account-number signup means there's nothing identifiable to compel. ProtonVPN's Swiss jurisdiction sits outside all Eyes alliances entirely, backed by five consecutive annual Securitum audits (2022-2026) plus a SOC 2 Type II attestation — a deeper audit cadence than Mullvad's four Cure53 engagements, though Mullvad's account-anonymity model is arguably the stronger structural guarantee.

Speed & Server Network

ProtonVPN's much larger network (15,000+ servers vs Mullvad's ~700) gives it a real edge for finding a fast, nearby server almost anywhere. Mullvad's WireGuard-only setup still delivers excellent speeds on its smaller footprint, but ProtonVPN simply covers more ground.

Price & Streaming

Mullvad's flat €5/month never changes, no matter how long you stay. ProtonVPN offers something Mullvad doesn't: a genuinely free, unlimited-data tier, plus reliable Netflix and streaming access on its paid plan — an area where Mullvad doesn't compete at all.

Our Verdict

If you want the absolute minimum account footprint and don't care about streaming, Mullvad wins. If you want Proton's audit depth, a usable free plan, and streaming access without giving up serious privacy credentials, ProtonVPN is the more complete pick. Neither is a wrong answer.

Real-World Trust Tests

Both providers have faced a genuine, unplanned test of their privacy claims rather than a hypothetical one. Mullvad's came in April 2023, when Swedish police entered its Gothenburg office with a search warrant looking for customer data and left with nothing, because the account-number system meant there was nothing to find. ProtonVPN's comes from a different angle: its CEO has publicly defended the company's legal position that VPN services fall outside Switzerland's telecommunications surveillance law (BÜPF), and Proton has successfully resisted targeted interception orders in the past. Neither company has a documented case of handing over usable user activity data.

Payment anonymity also differs meaningfully: Mullvad accepts cash mailed to its office and cryptocurrency with no email required at all, while ProtonVPN's free plan only requires an email address (which can itself be a Proton Mail address, keeping the whole relationship inside one privacy-focused ecosystem).

Which Should You Actually Choose?

Think about what you're actually using a VPN for day to day. If it's mostly about not wanting your ISP or a public Wi-Fi network to see your traffic, and you'd rather not think about it further, ProtonVPN's larger network and streaming support make it the lower-friction daily driver. If you're specifically trying to minimize any possible link between your identity and your VPN account — for research, journalism, or simply principle — Mullvad's account-number model is purpose-built for exactly that scenario and nothing else. Many privacy-conscious users in the community actually run both: Mullvad for anonymity-critical tasks, ProtonVPN (or another mainstream option) for everyday streaming and browsing.

Encryption & Protocol Details

Mullvad has fully committed to WireGuard as of January 2026, having discontinued OpenVPN support entirely to focus its engineering on one well-audited protocol. ProtonVPN offers both WireGuard and OpenVPN, plus its own Stealth protocol specifically designed to disguise VPN traffic on networks that actively block VPN connections — a feature Mullvad doesn't have an equivalent for, since it isn't optimized for restrictive-network use the way ProtonVPN's Secure Core and Stealth combination is.

One more practical difference: Mullvad limits accounts to 5 simultaneous device connections, while ProtonVPN's paid Plus plan supports 10, and its Family tier extends to six separate user accounts under one subscription for $19.99/month — a meaningfully different structure if you're covering a whole household rather than just yourself.

Torrenting support also differs: Mullvad allows P2P on every server with no restrictions, while ProtonVPN restricts P2P to specific servers clearly labeled in the app, with the free tier excluded from torrenting entirely. If torrenting is a regular part of your usage, Mullvad's blanket allowance is the simpler experience.

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