VPN for me

Head to head

Mullvad vs Proton VPN

No email, no name, cash in an envelope: the privacy purist's VPN. Against: swiss, open source, audited every year, and the only serious free tier.

Mullvad
Proton VPN
Best plan
$5.60/mo · any term
$3.49/mo · 2 years·
Up front
$67.20·
$83.76
Renews at
$67.20/yr·
$83.88/yr
Monthly
$5.60·
$9.99
Devices
5
10·
Countries
49
140·
No-logs audit
Cure53 / Assured 2024
Securitum 2026·
Open source
yes
yes
Pay without a name
no email, cash·
cash
Based in
Sweden (14 Eyes)
Switzerland (no alliance)·
Netflix
·
iPlayer
·
Torrenting
·
Blocked networks
·
Speed
Refund
14 days
30 days·
Free tier
no
yes·

A dot marks the better number on that row. Numbers carry their dates on each provider’s page.

Which one, for which job

Mullvad

  • +No email, no name, cash accepted
  • +Open source, regularly audited, survived a police raid
  • +One flat price, no renewal trap
  • –Only 5 devices
  • –Weak for streaming and makes no claim otherwise
Visit MullvadNot an affiliate link. Opens the provider's site.

Proton VPN

  • +Open-source apps, audited every year, reports public
  • +Switzerland, outside every intelligence alliance
  • +A real free tier with no data cap
  • –Streaming is hit and miss outside Netflix and iPlayer
  • –P2P only on some servers
Visit Proton VPNNot an affiliate link. Opens the provider's site.