Proton VPN vs Mullvad VPN comparison: Which wins?

Finding a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is easy with so many options to choose from. Choosing the right VPN for you is more of a challenge. Chances are that if you’ve already narrowed the options down to just Proton VPN and Mullvad, then you value your privacy. The two VPN providers excel in this area, but what about their connection speeds, unblocking ability, ease of use, and pricing?

To make your decision easier, we’ve put together an in-depth comparison of Proton VPN and Mullvad. This guide is broken down into manageable sections so you can easily skip ahead if you’ve got something specific in mind. You’ll find comparison tables listed throughout so you can easily see how Proton VPN and Mullvad stack up. We’ll then use all of the information gathered throughout our testing process to decide an overall winner.

Proton VPN vs Mullvad VPN comparison highlights

Proton VPN

• Reliable unblocker of streaming services
• One of the largest server networks
• More than fast enough for 4K streaming
• Headquartered in Switzerland
• Two year subscription works out cheaper

Mullvad

• Sign up anonymously (no email required)
• Pay in cash or cryptocurrency
• Fast and consistent server speeds
• Highly affordable one month subscription
• Apps are very easy to navigate

Proton vs Mullvad pricing

Mullvad is unique in that it offers a flat monthly rate of just €5, which is equivalent to USD $5.15 at the time of writing. It’s then up to you how often you top up your subscription and for how long. Proton VPN is similar to most VPNs in that it offers three different subscription periods: one month, one year, and two years.

At $9.99, Proton VPN’s one-month subscription is twice the price of Mullvad. However, if you subscribe for a year, you’ll pay just $4.99, which is slightly cheaper. Proton VPN’s two-year subscription gets you the biggest discount. At 55 percent off, it’s just $4.49 a month, much cheaper than Mullvad. That equates to $107.76 for two years compared to $126.24 for two years with Mullvad.

Unlike VPNs such as NordVPN and Surfshark, Proton VPN and Mullvad don’t offer plans with differing levels of features (though Proton VPN does package its other services such as Proton Mail, Proton Drive, and Proton Calendar into a Proton Unlimited plan). Instead, all features are available under a single subscription tier, and you only need to select your preferred duration.

Proton VPN and Mullvad both offer 30-day money-back guarantees. I’ve tested them and can verify their authenticity, having promptly received full refunds in both cases. It’s easy to try either (or both!) VPNs risk-free and get your money back if you’re not entirely satisfied with what they have to offer.

Best Deal for Proton VPN:Get 55 percent off Proton VPN’s two-year plan and pay just $107.76 ($4.49/month). That’s a saving of $132.

Best Deal for Mullvad:Mullvad offers a flat monthly rate of just €5 ($5.15 at the time of writing).

Proton VPN vs Mullvad VPN features

You can download Proton VPN and Mullvad on desktop (Windows, MacOS, and Linux) and mobile (Android and iOS). They’re also compatible with Linux, offering a GUI app. The key difference is that Proton VPN also makes apps for Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV, which is one of the reasons why it’s a better VPN for streaming. You can also secure these devices with Mullvad by manually configuring a connection with a compatible router.

Proton VPN and Mullvad provide guides to help you get set up with compatible routers. Of the two, Proton VPN is compatible with slightly more routers and firmware. You’ll find that split tunneling is available with both VPNs. This gives you the option to choose which traffic is routed via the VPN connection and which can bypass it. The feature is available via more apps with Mullvad than Proton VPN (but only Proton VPN has split tunneling for Android TV).

As for free extras, Proton VPN comes out slightly ahead, largely thanks to its Chrome and Firefox browser extensions. Both VPNs offer an ad blocker as well as the ability to encrypt your traffic twice (Double VPN). Another interesting feature offered by Proton VPN is its Tor Over VPN servers, which provide a direct way to route your traffic via the Tor network from within the Proton VPN app.

Although Mullvad provides a Firefox browser extension, this doesn’t encrypt your traffic like a regular VPN app. Instead, it’s a SOCKS5 proxy that protects against IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks. Mullvad also has a privacy-focused browser in collaboration with the Tor Project. With it, no cookies or cache are saved, and trackers are blocked.

Streaming and unblocking

Proton VPN and Mullvad both make our list of the fastest VPNs with speeds that are more than fast enough for streaming. Netflix recommends a minimum of 15 Mbps for 4K streaming. Both VPNs average far beyond this, so you can expect lag and buffer-free streaming, very fast downloads, and low ping gaming.

Many people use VPNs to bypass geographic restrictions on content but not all VPNs excel in this area. This is particularly the case when it comes to unblocking geo-restricted streaming services. Proton VPN performs well in this respect, successfully accessing almost every streaming platform we threw at it. This includes multiple Netflix libraries, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and HBO Max.

Bypassing content blocks clearly isn’t Mullvad’s main area of focus, as evidenced by the fact that it only successfully accessed Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, and ITVX in testing. If you plan on using your VPN for streaming when traveling abroad, Proton VPN is more suitable.

Evading VPN censorship (China)

VPNs are legal in most countries, and you can use them almost anywhere without restriction. China is a different story, however. Although VPNs aren’t illegal in China, those that aren’t government-approved (and likely heavily censored) are blocked. Not every VPN can circumvent VPN blocking.

Proton VPN and Mullvad are not among the best VPNs for China. Some users have been unable to use these VPNs in China, while others have reported success. The reality is that it’s a fluid situation. If you want to use either VPN in China, your best bet is to install the VPN app on your device before traveling there.

In the case of Proton VPN, it has a Stealth protocol you can activate via settings. This disguises VPN traffic as regular web traffic to evade censorship. Mullvad has Bridge mode, which uses Shadowsocks proxies. This adds an extra layer of encryption in an attempt to sidestep restrictions.

Setup and interface

Signing up with Proton VPN is much like most VPNs in that you’ll be asked to provide an email address and create a secure password to access your account. Mullvad is unique because you’ll be assigned a randomly generated account number instead of using an email address for account access. This is all you need, so don’t lose it, as there’s no recovery.

Downloading and installing Proton VPN and Mullvad is much the same. An automatic setup wizard makes this process extremely straightforward. Both feature a Quick Connect button to secure your connection in a single click. One key difference is that although both have server locations displayed in a list, Proton VPN also has an expandable map view.

The two VPNs provide user-friendly apps, although Mullvad’s are less cluttered and easier to navigate. You’ll find the desktop and mobile apps to be highly responsive in both cases. Accessing the settings page via Mullvad’s apps with just one click from the home view is easy. Proton VPN’s mobile apps also make this easy, although you have to click on Proton VPN in the taskbar with the MacOS app and select Settings which isn’t quite as convenient.

Switching up the settings couldn’t be easier. The two VPNs largely offer toggle buttons or dropdown options, so you can quickly and easily change things up.

Servers and performance

Proton VPN has one of the largest server networks of any VPN. This now consists of more than 9,000 servers in 112 countries. This is more servers and locations than the likes of Surfshark and ExpressVPN.

Having more servers means less demand for each, with the load more evenly spread across the network. More server locations make it easier to bypass content blocks and find a server closer to your location for a faster connection.

Mullvad is on the opposite end of the scale in that it only has just over 600 servers in 48 countries at the time of writing. This isn’t necessarily a problem unless you need a server in a specific location that isn’t provided. Mullvad almost certainly serves significantly fewer users than Proton, a company that offers a whole suite of popular products, including Proton Mail. As such, it doesn’t need thousands of servers to provide good performance.

Proton VPN and Mullvad have servers in the most popular locations, including the USA, Canada, UK, and Australia. Mullvad doesn’t offer servers in any locations that Proton VPN doesn’t. Proton VPN has servers in countries that most VPNs don’t cover, such as Comoros and Turkmenistan.

Proton VPN comes out slightly ahead in terms of server speed, averaging 216 Mbps in our most recent tests. Mullvad was only marginally behind, with an average of 209 Mbps. Both VPNs offer a very fast WireGuard protocol and unlimited bandwidth, too.

Remember that server speeds vary according to factors, including your base connection, the current server load, and the distance between your physical location and the VPN server. We regularly carry out speed tests to provide the most up-to-date results and these can vary in a short space of time. With Proton VPN and Mullvad performing similarly, there’s no real obvious advantage to be had here with either VPN.

Country list

Here’s the full list of countries in which Proton VPN and Mullvad offer servers:

Security

You’ll have more choice of VPN protocols with Proton VPN which offers WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, and a Stealth VPN protocol. Although Mullvad also provides WireGuard and OpenVPN, it doesn’t offer IKEv2, which is known for its faster speeds on mobile, at least compared to OpenVPN.

However, WireGuard and OpenVPN are the most commonly used protocols. OpenVPN affords a great deal of flexibility in that it’s highly configurable and can be used to bypass censorship. Although newer, WireGuard has quickly established itself as a popular choice, particularly thanks to its very fast speeds. A streamlined codebase makes it easier to inspect.

Both VPNs are as secure as you could ask for thanks to their use of 256-bit AES encryption with 4096-bit RSA keys on the OpenVPN protocol. If you use WireGuard, you can expect ChaCha20 encryption, which is also considered effectively impenetrable.

You can make use of a kill switch in the desktop and mobile apps of Proton VPN and Mullad. In Mullvad’s case, this is enabled by default and can’t be switched off. The kill switch serves to cut your internet traffic in the event that you lose the VPN connection, even if only for a few seconds. This prevents your data from being leaked outside the secure VPN tunnel.

Neither Proton VPN nor Mullvad use public DNS servers, instead using private DNS servers to further secure your data and privacy. The two VPNs are also similar in that they both provide ways to evade censorship: Proton VPN with its Stealth protocol, and Mullvad using Bridge (MultiHop) servers.

Privacy

Proton VPN operates out of Switzerland, a country known for its strong privacy laws and one which isn’t a member of surveillance alliances. Swiss law doesn’t make it mandatory for VPN providers to retain data which is another big plus. Mullvad is headquartered in Sweden which also doesn’t have mandatory data retention laws. Sweden is part of the 14 Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance but, as a no-logs provider, it shouldn’t have anything to provide.

These two VPN providers offer arguably the most comprehensive no-logs policies of any VPNs on the market. With absolutely no connection logs or activity logs, you can use these services anonymously and with your privacy intact. Proton VPN and Mullvad have subjected themselves to independent audits, providing more transparency and fostering a greater degree of trust in the process.

You’ll need to provide an email address when you sign up with Proton VPN. Mullvad differs from Proton VPN and indeed most VPNs in that no email address is required. Instead, you’ll be assigned a randomly-generated account number. This enhances your privacy because, unlike some email addresses, it’s not directly linked to your identity.

Both VPN providers accept anonymous payment options. In both cases, you’ll have to create an account first in order to be able to pay in cash. That’s so you can indicate to which account the cash should be assigned. In the case of Proton VPN, you’ll first need to sign up for the free plan before selecting the upgrade option and then choosing cash as an option.

Although the two VPNs accept cryptocurrency, Mullvad makes paying that little bit easier in that you can do so directly when signing up. With Proton VPN, the cryptocurrency option no longer appears during signup but can be found via the Account Dashboard under Credits. Only Bitcoin is available which is pseudonymous rather than anonymous. Mullvad accepts both Bitcoin and Monero, the latter of which is considered more privacy-focused.

Configuration

Proton VPN and Mullvad work the same as most VPNs in that you’ll connect to a server and be assigned a shared IP address. All activities carried out by users on that IP address are mixed up, making it harder to connect a user with specific online actions.

Dedicated IP addresses have their advantages, particularly if you’re looking to avoid blacklists and CAPTCHAs but they cost extra and reduce your anonymity in the process. Neither VPN offers dedicated IP addresses for individual users. Proton VPN does provide such an option for businesses however.

Although Proton VPN and Mullvad don’t offer dedicated DDoS protection, using either can still provide you with a level of protection. That’s because the VPN’s encryption hides your original IP address so that it can’t easily be identified and targeted. Instead, your VPN IP address would be impacted but you could simply switch servers to continue your activities as normal.

Customer Service

You might not need it often, but it’s nice to know that if you do, customer support is available to help with any issues. Proton VPN and Mullvad offer quality customer support and tend to not only reply quickly to enquiries, but provide high quality answers that are relevant to the question asked.

The difference here is that only Proton VPN’s support is available via live chat and, even then, this isn’t available 24/7. Instead, you’ll be able to contact live chat during business hours. This won’t bother everyone but if you’re used to 24/7 live chat support as with the likes of NordVPN and Surfshark, then you may find this a little disappointing.

Phone support isn’t offered by Proton VPN, Mullvad, or indeed by most VPNs, with IPVanish being one of the rare exceptions. However, you do have the option to search their help sections which feature useful, step-by-step setup guides which include screenshots to make things easier. Some FAQs are also available.

Mullvad VPN vs Proton VPN: The winner

Here we have two VPNs that offer greater privacy protection than most with their strict no-logs policies and the fact that they let you pay anonymously in cash. It’s Mullvad that has the edge in this respect because it also accepts Monero, which is widely considered one of the most private cryptocurrencies around. Mullvad doesn’t even require you to provide an email address during signup, instead using a token-based system.

Despite this, it’s Proton VPN that wins out here, with its significantly larger server network and superior unblocking of popular streaming platforms proving the difference. Unlike Mullvad, it offers browser extensions as well as apps for both Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV. Mullvad’s flat monthly rate of just €5 is impressive but if you don’t mind committing for a couple of years, Proton VPN works out even cheaper.

You can’t go far wrong with either VPN. However, if you’re looking for a streaming VPN, Proton VPN is your best bet.