Our verdict
Mullvad is the most private VPN we compare. You can sign up without an email address and pay in cash, and the price is the same every month. It is fast and good for torrenting, but it is weak for streaming and has fewer server countries.
Speed
Mullvad kept about 98% of the normal speed on nearby servers in a 2026 test and 75 to 90% on long-distance servers. Other tests measured an average loss of 13 to 24%.
Streaming
Netflix worked in several countries and Max worked, but Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and BBC iPlayer were blocked in tests.
Privacy and security
Mullvad is based in Sweden. You get a random account number instead of creating an account with an email, and you can pay with cash or crypto. It has had more than 10 independent audits since 2018, all servers run on RAM only, and all apps are open source. When Swedish police searched its office in 2023, there was no user data to hand over.
Travel
Mullvad has servers in about 45 to 50 countries, fewer than the others we compare. It has obfuscation options, but we found no independent test results from China.
Torrenting
P2P is allowed on all servers, and the kill switch is always on and held up in tests. Port forwarding was removed in 2023.
Price and plans
Mullvad costs €5 a month whatever the plan length, so there is no intro discount and no renewal increase. It covers 5 devices and has a 14-day money-back guarantee, which does not apply to cash or crypto payments. There is no free plan.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Sign up without an email and pay in cash
- More than 10 independent audits, open-source apps, RAM-only servers
- Same flat price every month
- Fast on nearby servers
Cons
- Blocked by Disney+, Prime Video and BBC iPlayer in tests
- Fewer server countries
- Only 5 devices
- No port forwarding