Mullvad Review

Mullvad’s privacy policy is clear: it does not log any traffic, user bandwidth, or your originating IP address. It used to log metadata relating to server usage, but it has since abandoned that.

Mullvad VPN does not ask for an email address or any other information in order to create an account. Instead, it gives you a random account number that you use to activate your VPN.

Mullvad doesn’t even run subscriptions anymore. Instead, it runs a one-time payment model so that it need never store any data regarding its users.

This is unique to Mullvad and shows how much it values customer privacy. Just don’t lose the account number.

Proven No-Logs In Server Seizure

Mullvad’s privacy guarantee was proven when, in May 2023, Swedish authorities raided Mullvad’s offices and no user data could be extracted.

Mullvad went even further and made its entire VPN server infrastructure and DNS server network diskless — meaning that no data is stored in physical hardware.

Sweden (EU) Jurisdiction Is Not Ideal

Mullvad is based in Sweden, which means it has to follow the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) law. There are serious privacy implications to an EU jurisdiction: Mullvad is obliged to collect your payment information should you pay via bank wire, PayPal, Swish, or Stripe.

As you can see, if you pay via bank wire your Mullvad account number is associated with personally-identifiable information. For this reason, Mullvad warns against paying for its service through bank wire. It states:

“Please avoid making payments through bank wire if you do not want your Mullvad account to be traceable to you.”

For maximum privacy, Mullvad allows subscribers to pay via Bitcoin and even cash. We like that Mullvad is transparent about this and warns potential subscribers, and suggests a way around it.

The only other data Mullvad collects is the content of emails and problem reports that you send, as well as the email address you use. Mullvad advises you to refrain from entering personal data when contacting support.

While Mullvad does receive information requests about its users, it has no information to provide. Mullvad told us:

“We frequently get requests regarding IP-addresses and if we know which user was using it at a certain time. Since we do not have any VPN activity logs, they get very similar responses […] that we have no information that could help their investigation, and that all our IP-addresses are shared by our users.”

Who Is Behind Mullvad VPN?

Mullvad VPN is owned by Swedish company Amagicom AB and run by its CEO, Jan Axel Jonsson. The owners and sole shareholders of Amagicom AB are Fredrik Strömberg and Daniel Berntsson, who describe themselves as “idealists.” The company is based at Engelbrektsgatan 28, 411 37 Göteborg, Sweden.

As more VPNs get acquired and consolidated under larger companies like Kape Technologies (owner of ExpressVPN , CyberGhost), Ziff Davis (IPVanish, StrongVPN), and Cyberspace (NordVPN, Surfshark, AtlasVPN) Mullvad remains an independent VPN service provider and the owners “are not interested in ever selling it.”

Mullvad doesn’t unblock streaming sites and doesn’t pretend to. It no longer works with Netflix and it hasn’t bothered to develop any streaming-optimized servers or an app for Amazon Fire TV Stick.

We tested it on all the major streaming sites and recorded very little success. Only Amazon Prime Video (US), and Max became available to us outside those regions. It won’t bypass Hulu blocks.

Mullvad failed to unblock Hulu and most other streaming services.

Despite this, we found that Mullvad is one of the best VPNs for streaming Sky Go. It almost always worked in our testing and maintained a 720p video quality.

Like with Astrill VPN, it’s fair enough that Mullvad is focused on privacy. But a VPN can do both. We’d love to see Mullvad expand into unblocking streaming sites, especially unblocking Netflix. Then we can recommend it wholeheartedly.

We connected to Mullvad’s servers on six different continents, using a 100Mbps internet connection similar to the speed you might have at home.

Here’s a table showing Mullvad’s speed test results:

A 7% difference between our normal internet connection and a VPN-connected internet is very good, but not quite as fast as some other VPN services.

Connecting to Canada we recorded speeds over 95Mbps, which is very good for such a distance. Likewise, we picked up best speeds of 90Mbps connecting to Brazil.

However, download averages of 87Mbps to the UK are a little less impressive. As you can see the chart above, it struggles compared to some popular rival VPNs.

There are better VPNs for long-distance connections, like Hotspot Shield, but we think you’ll be satisfied with Mullvad’s performance.

Mullvad offers strong AES-256 and ChaCha20 encryption. There’s also an inbuilt kill switch, double VPN, split tunneling, and a tracker blocker for added security.

Mullvad continues to show commitment to VPN security and user privacy, from adding new security features to conducting regular penetration tests and audits.

Offers the Safest Protocols

Mullvad offers both OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols on almost every platform — Android only has WireGuard. We like that it’s left out older and unsafe protocols like PPTP and SSTP.

Mullvad has two protocols: WireGuard and OpenVPN.

Mullvad actually donated money towards the development of the WireGuard protocol and was one of the very first VPNs to implement it, which has since become industry practice.

In Settings, there are also more options for each protocol. With WireGuard, you can enable multi-hop VPN servers or change your port. You can also decide between IPv4 and IPv6 connections.

With OpenVPN, you can choose between UDP or TCP and enable Bridge Mode, which is Mullvad’s anti-censorship obfuscation technology.

It’s a shame that Bridge Mode isn’t available on WireGuard and multi-hop isn’t available on OpenVPN.

Split tunneling, which lets you decide which programs should use the VPN connection and which ones shouldn’t, is available on Windows, macOS, Android, and Linux.

Automatic Kill Switch

Mullvad has an in-built kill switch always running. This stops your internet connection should the VPN connection drop.

Many VPNs have their kill switches turned off by default (like Surfshark). So we like Mullvad’s approach because it prioritizes security and prevents accidental exposure of your real IP address.

It’s useful if you’re someone who forgets to turn your kill switch on.

Mullvad can block your internet connection until you connect to an encrypted VPN server.

Mullvad’s iOS kill switch is always running in the background.

On Android, you have to adjust your Android device network settings: activating both Always-on VPN and Block connections without VPN. This ideally should be integrated into the Android app.

A Range of Additional Security Initiatives

Mullvad offers a wide variety of additional security features. These include an ad blocker, IPv6 support, improved protocols.

Regular Security Audits

We’re glad to see Mullvad implements regular security audits and penetration tests of its server infrastructure and apps.

These external audits can help a VPN identify bugs and vulnerabilities, which can then be fixed. Overall, they’re a great way to improve the security of a VPN service over time.

Here are some of Mullvad’s recent security audits and their results:

Open-Source Apps

All of Mullvad’s desktop and mobile apps for fully open-source.

This means anyone can easily view its code on GitHub and report vulnerabilities.

Other privacy-focused VPNs, like PIA and IVPN, have made their code open-source, but it still is quite rare in the VPN industry.

Full IPv6 Support

Many VPNs are incompatible with IPv6 and cause subsequent leaks — they simply block IPv6 connections and redirect you to IPv4.

But Mullvad is one of the VPNs to have a solution. This makes it a great solution if your ISP supports IPv6.

Improving WireGuard

Mullvad is a VPN at the forefront of the industry’s security innovations. We’re impressed to see it’s constantly future-proofing its service.

For example, Mullvad recently released a Defense against AI-guided Traffic Analysis (DAITA) feature on Windows, which protects you against FBI mass surveillance by adding random background traffic to distort recognizable data patterns.

However, you should bear in mind that this feature increases the amount of data packets sent, which can negatively impact speeds or make you run out of data quicker.

In addition, Mullvad implemented quantum-resistant WireGuard connections in 2023.

Mullvad has servers in 44 countries. This isn’t as expansive as many VPN competitors. ExpressVPN has servers in 106 countries, for example. Still, most users should be satisfied and speeds are unaffected by server congestion.

Good City-Level Server Options

Mullvad has a good number of city servers across the globe.

The US comes out on top for city-level servers, with 18 choices. This is a better spread than some of the best VPNs for the US, but it’s not as good as PIA’s servers in 50 US states.

Australia is also a standout with Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney IP addresses all available. Even the best VPN services for Australia usually only have around three or four city options.

However, other parts of the world aren’t served anywhere near as well as the US and Australia. Africa only has count one country location — in South Africa. Asia and the Middle East are poorly served, too.

Mullvad Rents Most of Its Servers

Mullvad VPN is helpfully transparent about what sort of servers it operates and exactly how many of them there are (not all VPNs are).

Using the server page on the Mullvad website, you can find out if they are owned by Mullvad or are rented, whether they are 10Gbps or not, and which work on WireGuard or OpenVPN.

Most of Mullvad’s servers are rented. This isn’t a problem if they are rented from trustworthy companies and Mullvad undertakes a rigorous vetting process. Mullvad claims to do so, and that the servers it rents are not shared with anyone else.

But as Mullvad is so transparent about its infrastructure you can identify and choose to connect to Mullvad-owned servers only. These will be the most secure servers, but the risk to privacy is very low on rented servers too.

All-Physical Server Network

Mullvad operates an exclusively physical server network. This explains why there are so few countries available to connect to.

Virtual servers provide IP addresses from a chosen country even if the server is physically located somewhere else. This is how a VPN like HideMyAss is able to offer IP addresses in almost every country. With Mullvad, though, every single server is located where it says it is.

When it comes to physical vs virtual servers, one approach isn’t wholly better than another. But it’s generally agreed that physical servers are less vulnerable to cyberattacks.

No Static IP Addresses

Mullvad does not operate static VPN IP addresses, sometimes called dedicated IPs. This means that you’ll never be assigned the same IP address twice, which is great for privacy.

But it also helps to explain why Mullvad is so bad at unblocking streaming services: static IP addresses appear more like normal internet traffic compared to dynamic IP addresses.

Setting up Mullvad is refreshingly simple. After creating a Mullvad account, which doesn’t require any personal information, we downloaded the app for our preferred device. Mullvad’s account system is unique—it uses anonymous account numbers instead of email addresses or passwords. This reinforces Mullvad’s commitment to privacy.

The installation process was quick and intuitive. Once installed, the app opened directly to the main interface, which includes a large connect button, a server list, and a settings menu. For advanced users, some configuration options like WireGuard keys are accessible through Mullvad’s website, which we found slightly less convenient.

Despite this, Mullvad excels at guiding users through even the more technical features with in-app explainers that simplify the process.

Mullvad’s interface is clean, consistent, and user-friendly. It’s stripped down to the essentials, which makes it a pleasure to use whether you’re a beginner or an experienced VPN user.

On both desktop (Windows and macOS) and mobile (iOS and Android), the app provides a straightforward layout with a large connect button, a server list, and a settings cog. This consistency across platforms ensures a unified experience for users switching between devices.

That said, there are some notable differences in functionality. For instance, all features are available on the desktop apps, while the mobile versions have slight variations. The Android app includes split tunneling, whereas the iOS app offers an ad, tracker, and malware blocker. However, neither mobile app supports OpenVPN or features like Bridge Mode and “Always Require VPN,” which are available on desktop.

Both desktop and mobile apps use the WireGuard protocol by default, with automatic WireGuard key rotation every four days for enhanced security. This feature works seamlessly and adds an extra layer of privacy, regardless of the device.

While we appreciated the consistency in design and ease of use, these differences in functionality could create confusion for users who rely on specific features across multiple devices. Unifying the feature set would significantly enhance the overall user experience.

Using Mullvad daily is a smooth and hassle-free experience. Its quick server connection times and intuitive design make it easy to use without unnecessary complications. Most of the time, we simply hit the connect button, and the app takes care of the rest.

However, the experience is slightly marred by inconsistencies between platforms. For instance, features like split tunneling are only available on Android, while OpenVPN and Bridge Mode are missing on mobile entirely. These differences can be confusing for users switching between devices.

We also noticed that some settings, such as managing WireGuard keys, require logging into the Mullvad website. While this isn’t a dealbreaker, we would prefer a fully self-contained app experience.

Despite these minor shortcomings, Mullvad remains one of the most pleasant VPNs to use, striking an excellent balance between simplicity and technical depth. If it could unify its feature set across platforms, it would rank even higher for user experience.

For a privacy-first product, Mullvad’s apps are surprisingly nice and easy to use.

Mullvad is a top torrenting VPN. All of its servers are optimized for P2P activity. Some VPNs, like TorGuard, now ban popular torrenting websites, but Mullvad still has no restrictions in place.

We tested Mullvad VPN on safe torrent clients like qBitorrent to see how it performed as a torrenting VPN. We found that the download speeds were quick and stable; we recorded an excellent average torrenting bitrate of 9.8MiB/s.

While Mullvad wasn’t as fast as the best VPNs for torrenting, it is still a fast and private choice – kill switch protection and a safe logging policy make sure of that.

SOCKS5 Proxy Is Available, But Port Forwarding Has Been Removed

SOCKS5 is available on all of Mullvad’s servers once you activate it for the application you wish to use it on. This is great for torrenters and even reduces the chance of seeing CAPTCHAs.

However, citing “avenues for abuse,” Mullvad no longer allows you to use port forwarding for faster P2P connections. Port forwarding is a useful manual tool for gamers who use VPNs, as it allows you to optimize speeds, change your NAT type, and reduce lag.

Mullvad’s compatibility is average compared to competitors. Notably, it lacks a dedicated Fire TV app despite offering an Android TV app for years.

Mullvad also allows you to be logged in on just five different devices at once. If you want to use it on more devices, you’ll have to offload a different device first.

Many competing services like Surfshark and Windscribe offer no device limitations at all.

Mullvad’s Bridge Mode works by first connecting you to one of Mullvad’s ‘Bridge servers’, which use the Shadowsocks proxy to avoid fingerprinting, and then connect you into the country you wish to bypass web blocks in.

This technique for bypassing censorship doesn’t always work: we tested Bridge Mode on our server in Shanghai and it wouldn’t get around the Great Firewall of China, which has the strictest web censorship in the world.

Mullvad’s Bridge Mode is available on OpenVPN only.

Bridge Mode is more likely to work in countries with less sophisticated censorship technology, such as the UAE, Turkey, and Russia.

Under Preferences, you can find toggle options to launch the app on start up and auto-connect, as well as activate ad, tracker, and malware blockers.

Mullvad can block intrusive ads, trackers, and malware.

Mullvad doesn’t have the best VPN ad blocker we’ve tested, but it does block the majority of social and analytic trackers, and some pop-up ads.

It’s worth enabling if you’ve already got Mullvad, but it’s not as effective as uBlock Origin.

Mullvad Browser was created in collaboration with the Tor Project, and works to prevent tracking and browser fingerprinting.

It does this by:

• Deactivating telemetry data collection
• Blocking third-party trackers
• Deleting cookies, cache, and history after each session

You can use it on Windows, macOS, or Linux.