Some VPNs sell speed. Some sell streaming access. ProtonVPN and Mullvad sell something else entirely: the closest thing to a privacy-purist experience you’ll find in this industry. Both were built by teams whose reputations were made in cryptography and civil-liberties circles long before “VPN” became a mainstream product category.
If you’re choosing a VPN specifically because you don’t trust VPNs, this is the comparison that matters most.
⚡ Quick Verdict
Choose ProtonVPN if: You want a strong free tier, a more polished app, and tight integration with Proton Mail and Proton’s broader privacy ecosystem.
Choose Mullvad if: You want the single most anonymous sign-up process in the industry and flat, no-nonsense pricing.
📊 At a Glance
| Feature | ProtonVPN | Mullvad |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2017 (by Proton, makers of Proton Mail) | 2009 |
| Headquarters | Switzerland | Sweden |
| Server count | 4,500+ in 120 countries | 870+ in 50+ countries |
| Account creation | Email required (paid), anonymous free tier | Random generated account number — no email ever |
| Payment options | Card, PayPal, crypto | Card, PayPal, crypto, even cash by mail |
| Pricing model | Tiered plans | Single flat price, no tiers |
| Free tier | Yes — genuinely unlimited data | No, but 5-day free trial with no payment info |
| Open-source apps | Yes | Yes |
🕵️ Anonymity: Mullvad’s Home Turf
This is where Mullvad separates itself from almost every VPN on the market, including ProtonVPN. Sign up for Mullvad and you’re handed a randomly generated account number — no email address, no name, no personal details, ever. You can pay in cash sent through the mail if you really want to leave zero digital trail. It’s the closest thing to an anonymous VPN subscription that currently exists.
ProtonVPN’s paid tiers require an email address (though you can use an alias), but its free tier can be created with minimal information and still comes with genuinely unlimited data — a rarity among “free” VPN plans, most of which cap usage or bandwidth. If you want a no-cost entry point with real privacy behind it, Proton’s free plan is unusually generous.
🔒 Security & Transparency
Both companies publish their apps as open-source software, meaning independent researchers can (and regularly do) inspect the code for backdoors or vulnerabilities. Both have also undergone external audits.
- ProtonVPN is built by the team behind Proton Mail, operates under strict Swiss privacy law, and has published multiple independent audits of both its apps and its no-logs claims.
- Mullvad has been independently audited multiple times, including audits specifically verifying that its infrastructure cannot log connection data even if it wanted to.
Both support WireGuard, and Mullvad in particular has contributed meaningfully to WireGuard’s broader development — the protocol’s original creator has done consulting work with the company. Both also offer multi-hop / “Secure Core” style routing that bounces your traffic through multiple countries before it exits to the internet.
🚀 Speed
Mullvad’s smaller server fleet doesn’t hurt it as much as you’d expect. In our tests, its WireGuard connections were consistently snappy, retaining around 80% of baseline speed on nearby servers. ProtonVPN performed similarly, around 79%, with its Secure Core servers (which intentionally route through privacy-friendly countries like Switzerland and Iceland before reaching your destination) costing a bit more speed in exchange for extra protection.
Neither service is chasing “fastest VPN” marketing claims the way mainstream competitors do — both prioritize architecture that supports their privacy claims over raw throughput numbers.
🎬 Streaming: Not the Point, But Still Notable
Neither of these services markets itself primarily as a streaming tool, and it shows a little.
| Platform | ProtonVPN | Mullvad |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix | ✅ Works on Plus/Unlimited plans | ⚠️ Inconsistent |
| Disney+ | ✅ Generally works | ⚠️ Inconsistent |
| BBC iPlayer | ✅ Generally works | ⚠️ Inconsistent |
ProtonVPN has invested more effort into keeping streaming access reliable on its paid tiers. Mullvad has never really chased this use case, and its results reflect that — it can work, but it’s hit-or-miss and not something to rely on.
💻 Apps & Everyday Use
ProtonVPN’s app feels like a modern, mainstream VPN app — a map view, clear server list, one-click quick connect. It’s genuinely pleasant to use, and its NetShield feature blocks ads, trackers, and malware domains at the DNS level.
Mullvad’s app is intentionally minimal, almost stark. There’s no server map, no upsells, no account settings to speak of beyond your generated number. Some users love this — it feels like a tool built by engineers for people who already know what they want. Others find it a little too bare-bones.
💰 Pricing
Mullvad keeps things refreshingly simple: one flat monthly price, no tiers, no bundled extras, no long-term discount games. What you see is what you pay, every month, whether you sign up for one month or twelve.
ProtonVPN uses a more conventional tiered structure — Free, Plus, and Unlimited (which bundles in Proton Mail, Proton Drive, and Proton Pass). If you’re already using or considering other Proton products, the Unlimited bundle can end up being excellent value.
🌍 Server Network & Jurisdiction
ProtonVPN’s network is considerably larger — over 4,500 servers across 120 countries — compared to Mullvad’s roughly 870 servers in 50-plus countries. That gap is intentional on Mullvad’s side: rather than chasing raw numbers, the company focuses on maintaining tight operational control over a smaller, fully owned infrastructure footprint rather than leasing capacity broadly.
Jurisdiction matters more for these two providers than almost any other comparison, since privacy-focused users tend to care deeply about the legal environment a VPN operates under. ProtonVPN is based in Switzerland, which has strong constitutional privacy protections and sits outside EU/US data-sharing frameworks. Mullvad is based in Sweden, an EU/EEA country and a member of the broader 14 Eyes intelligence-sharing network on paper — but Mullvad’s zero-data-collection architecture means there’s simply nothing to hand over even if legally compelled, a claim that’s been tested and held up under real scrutiny.
📱 Mobile Apps & Everyday Extras
ProtonVPN’s mobile apps carry over NetShield ad and malware blocking, along with quick access to Secure Core routing for extra-sensitive sessions. The apps feel modern and are clearly built with mainstream usability in mind, right down to onboarding flows that explain each feature as you go.
Mullvad’s mobile apps continue its no-frills philosophy: a location list, a connect button, and very little else. There’s no account dashboard to speak of because there’s barely an account to manage — just your number and your active subscription status. For privacy purists, this minimalism is a feature, not a limitation.
Neither service bundles in unrelated products the way some competitors do, though ProtonVPN’s Unlimited plan connects naturally to Proton’s broader suite — Mail, Calendar, Drive, and Pass — for users who want a single privacy-first ecosystem rather than juggling separate providers for each tool.
🖥️ Router Support & Advanced Configuration
Both providers publish manual configuration guides for popular router firmware, letting technically comfortable users protect their entire home network at the router level. Mullvad in particular has long been popular among users who self-host VPN configurations on hardware like pfSense or OpenWrt, thanks to its straightforward WireGuard key generation process. ProtonVPN offers similarly detailed guides and, for Plus and Unlimited subscribers, supports port forwarding for users running self-hosted services behind the VPN.
🎧 Customer Support
ProtonVPN offers live chat support for paid subscribers and a searchable knowledge base for free users, with response times generally under a few hours for email tickets. Mullvad relies primarily on email support rather than live chat, consistent with its lean operational philosophy — response times are solid but not instantaneous, typically within a business day.
🙅 Who Should Skip Each One
If you rely on a VPN primarily for unblocking streaming libraries, Mullvad’s inconsistent results in that department make it a frustrating primary choice — it’s better suited as a secondary, privacy-focused tool. Meanwhile, users who want the absolute maximum anonymity with zero personal information tied to their account may find ProtonVPN’s email requirement (even with an alias) a step short of what Mullvad offers.
🏆 Final Verdict
Both of these VPNs are built by teams with genuine credibility in the privacy and security space, and either is a defensible choice for someone who takes anonymity seriously. The differentiator is really about what kind of privacy user you are:
- Maximum anonymity seekers should choose Mullvad — the account-number sign-up system has no real equivalent elsewhere.
- Users who want privacy plus a fuller ecosystem (email, cloud storage, password manager) and a more polished app will get more out of ProtonVPN.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Which is more anonymous, ProtonVPN or Mullvad?
Mullvad, by a clear margin — its account-number system means it never collects an email address or name from any user.
Does ProtonVPN have a free plan?
Yes, and unusually, it comes with unlimited data rather than the strict caps most “free” VPNs impose.
Is Mullvad good for streaming?
Not particularly — it can unblock some services some of the time, but it’s not designed or optimized for that use case.
Are both apps open source?
Yes, both ProtonVPN and Mullvad publish open-source apps that have been independently audited.
Which is cheaper?
Mullvad’s flat single-tier price is often cheaper than ProtonVPN’s mid-tier plan, though ProtonVPN’s bundled Unlimited plan can offer more value if you use other Proton products.