VPN for me

Head to head

Mullvad vs Surfshark

No email, no name, cash in an envelope: the privacy purist's VPN. Against: cheapest way to cover every device in the house.

Mullvad
Surfshark
Best plan
$5.60/mo · any term
$2.49/mo · 2 years + 3 months·
Up front
$67.20·
$67.23
Renews at
$67.20/yr·
$79.00/yr
Monthly
$5.60·
$16.45
Devices
5
Unlimited·
Countries
49
100·
No-logs audit
Cure53 / Assured 2024
Deloitte 2025·
Open source
yes·
no
Pay without a name
no email, cash·
crypto
Based in
Sweden (14 Eyes)·
Netherlands (9 Eyes)
Netflix
·
iPlayer
·
Torrenting
Blocked networks
Speed
Refund
14 days
30 days·
Free tier
no
no

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.

Surfshark

  • +Unlimited simultaneous devices
  • +Lowest intro price of the audited providers
  • +P2P on all servers
  • –Netherlands is a 9 Eyes country
  • –Not open source
Visit SurfsharkNot an affiliate link. Opens the provider's site.