Mullvad VPN review

Mullvad is a very well-established and respected VPN brand. Founded in 2009 in Sweden (one of the most privacy-centric countries in Europe) it is widely regarded as one of the best VPNs, and is aimed at those with a "privacy above all else" mindset.

It comes as no surprise that Mullvad’s ultimate owner, Amagicom AB, stands for (in their words) "free communication".

One of the interesting things about Mullvad is its price. It's €5 ($5.15) per month, no matter how long you plan to use the service. This means no discounts on long-term plans, but no unexpected price hikes either.

Because its main focus is privacy and security, Mullvad is not substantially involved (or interested) in unblocking geo-located streaming services. This is reflected in its relatively poor showing for unblocking services outside Western Europe in our testing. For those who are looking to use their VPN to stream content, this may be a reason to go for a different provider. However, for a no-frills VPN for basic users most concerned about their privacy, it's ideal.

Mullvad on paper

Mullvad recent updates

There have been several updates to Mullvad's offering recently – some good, some bad.

In a move that could frustrate some users, Mullvad’s money-back-guarantee has been slashed to fourteen days from thirty.

On the positive side, Mullvad published its annual app audit in December 2024, and it looks good. There were minimal issues of concern, and all of the problems flagged by the audit were quickly addressed.

Mullvad has also been working to improve its offering by adding new features such as quantum-resistant tunnels to push the encryption envelope against ever more sophisticated attacks. It has also recently partnered with Obscura VPN to provide another privacy-focused service.

Mullvad features

As previously mentioned, as one of the most private VPNs, Mullvad is all about privacy at its core. The service can be as anonymous as users need it to be, even allowing them to pay in cash so there is nothing linking them to the VPN. You can't get much more private than that.

Further enhancing its commitment to privacy, Mullvad has decided to stop accepting PayPal as a payment method to be able to collect even less information about its users. As with most VPN vendors, there is a money-back guarantee of fourteen days for a trial, unless you paid for the service with cash. Mullvad are unable to refund any cash payments because of anti-money laundering laws.

An interesting note is if you use Tailscale, Mullvad is the only VPN vendor that supports this. Depending on your network needs, this could be an important consideration.

Basic features you'd expect to see from any reputable VPN provider like split tunneling and a kill switch are present, and in our testing, both proved to be very reliable and fuss-free.

Both its desktop and mobile VPN apps work as expected and allow users to pick and choose their server exit locations within just a few clicks.

Score out of 10: 7

Mullvad server network

The Mullvad VPN network may not be the largest with 85 locations in 49 countries and a total of 649 servers (as of the time of writing), but it is extremely secure and cutting-edge, with servers that boot without disks and run purely in RAM.

Mullvad has most of its presence in Western countries (42 locations in Europe and 23 in North America). For those needing locations in other regions, including Asia, Mullvad may not be the best provider. However, what it lacks in terms of locations it makes up for in the quality of its network.

With this being said, it's difficult to overlook the fact that almost all competitors – ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Surfshark, Proton VPN – offer much larger server networks, in terms of both overall server number and locations supported.

Score out of 10: 6

Mullvad price and payment

Mullvad offers a single tier and uniform price (€5/$5.15 per month), no matter what. It initially makes it more expensive than other VPNs – for example, NordVPN or Surfshark – in multi-year deals, but on the flip side, it does mean that there are no end-of-contract price hikes built in to the offer.

This does come with some drawbacks, however. There is no option for multi-month or year-long contracts, as the price is the price. This does mean that while it won't be making our list of the best cheap VPNs, you are guaranteed to pay the same price each month, no matter what.

For those looking for cheap monthly VPN, it's a lot better value than your average month-to-month VPN subscription. However for those prepared to enter a longer contract, it can work out more expensive in the long run, at least for the first couple of years.

Score out of 10: 8

Is Mullvad easy to use?

Mullvad's ease of use is best described as functional but secure. It does what you'd expect, with a decent range of options and configurability.

It has good speeds, maxing out at 857 Mbps in our testing, so connection to the VPN should be quick and easy. Its help center includes lots of documentation for Linux and other Operating Systems, so you can get the help you need when setting up.

The interface layout is consistent across all devices which makes life a bit easier, as you won't have to re-learn how to use the VPN when switching between devices.

Installation is straightforward, and I had no issues during the process. Same goes for using the VPN itself, with changing between VPN locations taking just a couple of clicks from within the app.

Score out of 10: 7

Mullvad apps

Speaking bluntly, apps are a bit of a weak point with Mullvad. However, it does still support all the core platforms such as Mac, PC, Android and Linux. It even supports F-Droid, the alternative App store.

While this may not sound huge, it means those with rooted Android-based phones or custom firmware can get their hands on an official Mullvad VPN client.

It does also offer support for Amazon Fire Stick, although it is not as straightforward as one would hope. It's a bit of a potluck scenario if the installation works. But then again, it's a month-to-month $5.15 contract so it may be worth a test to just see if you can access it. Even if it doesn't work, you're not tied into a contract so you can simply try out a different VPN the next month. Plus, if you're within Mullvad's 14-day money-back window (as long as you didn't pay with cash), you can simply get your subscription refunded.

For other devices, such as Roku, and other unusual devices there are workarounds, such as using a generic VPN client with the configuration details from Mullvad. However, doing this means changing the VPN endpoint is not as easy as a few clicks.

For devices that are supported by Mullvad, it is a rudimentary affair, but it works.

Score out of 10: 7

How private is Mullvad?

Mullvad's standout area is privacy, with an extensive privacy policy that details in minute detail what information is recorded and for what purpose, and expands on its no-logging policy. It is clear and quite readable as far as privacy policies go.

The policy goes into what is logged and what isn't in minute detail. It even details what server logs are kept (such as general stats, memory, CPU etc). The no-logging also extends as far as the Mullvad website. The only cookies it stores are limited to payment operations.

Can we independently verify the no logs? Not really, as it wasn't included in its recent VPN audit. However, given Mullvad's stance on user privacy, there is no reason to distrust what it says. The VPN provider expends a lot of time and effort creating a great, private VPN service. This includes adding new and novel features such as DAITA resistance to AI traffic analysis.

Speaking of Mullvad's transparency, its recent App vulnerability report can be found here. Mullvad fixed all the issues with only two significant issues that were promptly fixed.

It is worth mentioning that some other VPN vendors do undergo audits, for example Surfshark. VPN audits are a way to separate the serious players from those looking to make as much profit at the cost of the user.

Interestingly, Mullvad are also openly committed to removing OpenVPN support in favour of Wireguard, a more lightweight and faster VPN protocol.

Score out of 10: 10

How fast is Mullvad VPN?

Mullvad's peak speed has degraded a little compared to our last test, going from 900 Mbps to 857 Mbps. While this may mean it won't make the top of our fastest VPN list, it still provides excellent speeds. Upload speeds declined a little and IPVanish now marginally exceeds Mullvad but by negligible amounts.

In the real world, these differences wouldn't even be noticeable, and this kind of fluctuation is expected day-to-day. If you're looking for the best gaming VPN, you'll be pleased to know that if you were gaming the response time would be good enough that you'd be hard pushed to notice the difference.

When streaming, even with 4K streams (typically 25 Mbps), there is lots of performance left in the tank. To most non-technical users Mullvad's speeds will be extremely close to your maximum broadband performance. It's not something you'd need to worry about day to day.

Score out of 10: 9

How good is Mullvad for streaming?

There is no beating about the bush on this one. Unblocking streaming services is not something that Mullvad actively advertises that it supports, so it's no surprise that it's not one of the best streaming VPNs. If it works, it's a bonus. If it doesn't, Mullvad isn't going to fix it. This shows in its relatively poor unblocking score.

In our testing, it was only able to unblock iPlayer, Channel 4, and 9Now, meaning it cannot unblock Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Netflix, ITV and 10 Play. In its defense, this is not what Mullvad is about, so the score is understandable.

On the other hand, Mullvad performed as a middle-of-the-pack player accessing torrent sites which are often blocked by ISPs.

So, not one of the best torrenting VPNs, but a point in its favor if you're looking for a private VPN and do a lot with BitTorrent.

Score out of 10: 6

Mullvad's track record

As one of the most secure VPNs, Mullvad VPN has established itself as a reputable service in the VPN industry, consistently prioritizing user privacy and security. Over several years, it has demonstrated a strong commitment to maintaining high standards of reliability and user satisfaction.

Mullvad has undergone multiple external security audits since 2018, underscoring its dedication to transparency and security. The recent audit, conducted in late 2024 by Germany-based X41 D-Sec, concluded that the app maintains a high-security level, with some non-critical issues that were identified and swiftly addressed.

User feedback reflects a generally positive experience with Mullvad, with the service holding a 4.1 out of 5 star rating on the Apple App Store. While some users have reported occasional dropped connections, overall many praise its reliability and straightforward approach to privacy.

Score out of 10: 10

What customer support does Mullvad offer?

Unfortunately, this is an area where Mullvad needs to up its game. To put it politely, it could be much better. There is no phone support or chat-based support, and while the former is rare, almost all top VPNs offer live chat.

It comes down to two options: self-service support pages and email support. The guides are well written, tried and tested, but it would be nice to see some more hands-on support for those that want or need it.

Score out of 10: 6

Mullvad VPN review: Final verdict

Mullvad | $5.15 | Flat rate

Mullvad is a VPN known for its commitment to privacy and security, with user anonymity being it's number one priority. This is shown not only in its variety of anonymous ways to pay (including cash!) but its use of military-grade encryption, too.

One of the interesting things about Mullvad is the fact that it is always one price, no matter what. While this may initially make it more pricey than other long-term subscriptions from other providers, it is a lot cheaper than other month-to-month subscriptions and it does mean there will be no unexpected price hikes.

However, if you want to use a VPN for streaming, Mullvad is not the best in this area, as it is built for privacy. You may be able to unblock some streaming sites, but this is a bonus rather than a feature.

Final rating: 76/100

Subscribe if:

✅ Privacy and security are your top priorities. Mullvad's main focus is ensuring that its users have complete anonymity. You can even pay in cash if you want your VPN use to be completely untraceable.
✅ You want a VPN with simple pricing. Mullvad has a single price per month. While this may mean no discounts for long-term subscriptions, it does also mean no unexpected price hikes.
✅ You want a VPN with great speeds. With its excellent results in our speed testing, Mullvad is sure to not slow you down.

Don't subscribe if:

❌ You want to use your VPN for streaming. Mullvad is not built for unblocking streaming sites, and it shows.
❌ You live outside the US or Europe. Mullvad doesn't have a particularly large server spread, so you may struggle to find a useable server.