“Mullvad VPN offers a unique balance of anonymity and advanced security options with the option switch off some protection when I need more speed.”
- New AI and quantum computing protection
- Consistent 5 euro monthly cost
- Total anonymity, no email required
- Accepts cryptocurrency, cash, more
- Quick, reliable server connections
- Email support, no live chat
- Requires some tinkering for best performance
Mullvad VPN takes a unique approach to privacy, offering multiple layers of protection at a fixed monthly price. This open-source solution accepts untrackable payments and identifies users with just an account number. It sounds like the ideal solution for maintaining anonymity.
I reviewed Mullvad VPN last year and was impressed by the company’s commitment to privacy at a consistently affordable price. While performance was good, it couldn’t compete with the fastest streaming VPNs.
Competition is heating up with many VPNs adding features and boosting speed while keeping prices affordable. I reviewed the 2025 version of Mullvad VPN to find out if the latest updates keep pace with the best VPNs on the market.
Specs
| Mullvad VPN | |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Devices | 5 |
| Support | |
| Free version? | No |
Tiers and pricing
Mullvad is unique in the VPN marketplace. There’s no trickery in its pricing. It costs 5 euros per month (about $5.50) to use the service on up to five computers, phones, and tablets. That’s the only subscription option via the company website.
However, Mullvad VPN is now available on Amazon as a 12-month purchase for $57, reducing the average monthly cost to $4.75. There’s also a 6-month option for $29, which works out to $4.84 per month. If you trust Amazon with your financial information, you can save about $8 by paying for a year in advance.
Order Mullvad VPN on Amazon
While most VPNs offer special deals and limited-time offers to entice new subscribers, Mullvad is consistently affordable month after month. That means you won’t get any nasty surprises when it comes time to renew.
Sometimes an incredible discount for the first year of service turns out to be a ticking time bomb with a cost that explodes to double the initial fee. For example, NordVPN provides fast, high-quality service and threat protection for $60 in the first year but skyrockets to $139 on renewal.
A fixed-price plan could be a huge relief if you’re wary of unexpected expenses. Mullvad keeps it clean and simple. There’s no free version, no annual plan, and no bundles or add-ons. Mullvad VPN costs 5 euros a month, and that hasn’t changed since it first launched in 2009.
For greatest anonymity, you can transfer Bitcoin or Monero, and even mail paper currency to Mullvad. Mullvad also accepts credit cards, PayPal, wire transfer, and other payment types. That convenience comes at the cost of revealing some financial data, but it’s nice to have that choice.
Design
Mullvad VPN installs quickly and gets right down to business, presenting a box to enter my account number or to create a new one. I created an account and was presented with a unique string of numbers. The account number is all I needed to log in. Mullvad doesn’t ask for my email address, name, phone number, or address.
After signing in, I selected from a list of 690 servers in 49 countries worldwide. I could specify a particular server, or select a city or country to let Mullvad pick a server for me. On the Windows app, Mullvad VPN offers WireGuard and OpenVPN servers. WireGuard is typically faster and is the only protocol available on mobile devices.
The server list is searchable and can be filtered by provider and owner. For example, I filtered by Mullvad-owned, which reduced the server list to the U.K., Germany, France, and six Nordic countries. That guarantees I’m only using servers that Mullvad owns and manages.
I created a list of favorite servers as shortcuts to connect to the counties and regions I browse most often. That saves me the effort of scrolling or searching.
Back on the home screen, the gear at the top opens settings, where I can adjust the user interface, fine-tune security and VPN options, set up split tunneling, and get support.
The account button at the top lets me see my account number so I can set up Mullvad VPN on other devices. This is also where I can buy more credit to keep my subscription going.
The design is clean and easy to navigate. However, I wish Mullvad VPN made the tiny app window resizable so I could see more servers at once. Also, a browser extension would be more convenient.
Features
While Mullvad has always maintained a focus on privacy and security, the latest updates take that to a whole new level. Mullvad VPN now hides subtle patterns in encrypted traffic as a defense against AI-guided traffic analysis (DAITA). It also supports post-quantum encryption that should keep your data safe even if hackers and spies use a quantum computer.
Mullvad didn’t stop there. The new Shadowsocks obfuscation disguises VPN traffic and multi-hop technology routes your activity through two servers for extra security. While there are speed tradeoffs for some of these features, the options are there when I need to maximize privacy and anonymity.
VPN speed is still an important consideration when I want to stream videos, download files, and play games while protecting my privacy. Even browsing is better with a fast connection. In last year’s review, Mullvad wasn’t the fastest but proved quick enough for international streaming.
Unfortunately, I noticed a performance drop when connecting overseas, even with every advanced security measure switched off. I get 900Mbps uploads and downloads via an Ethernet connection to my PC before connecting to a VPN. I used SpeedTest to check download rates and was disappointed to get 14 Mbps for the U.K. and 65 Mbps for France. I tried various servers and tinkered with settings with no improvement.
I was pleasantly surprised to see 329 Mbps for a server in Germany. That’s a 64% performance drop, but still a very usable download rate. Latency for European countries was universally good at around 100 ms. That’s standard for VPNs. Even AdGuard, the fastest VPN I’ve tested with speeds over 600 Mbps in Europe, has a ping that’s over 100 ms.
I live in Canada and expected great speeds with a Canadian server, but Mullvad VPN only managed 97 Mbps downloads. That’s a big penalty when connecting to a nearby server. At least the ping was good at 37 ms. To be fair, the closest server was 1,000 miles away. Given my location, it’s better to choose a U.S. server.
Connecting to the U.S. yielded much better results: 642 Mbps downloads with a latency of 44 ms. That’s more like it. Since I had good performance with this server, I moved on to testing the impact of enabling DAITA, post-quantum, obfuscation, and multi-hop.
Obfuscation is an important feature for VPNs to break through administrative firewalls at school or work. Mullvad VPN’s new Shadowsocks WireGuard implementation worked well, but reduced speed by about half. If you leave obfuscation in automatic mode, Mullvad only uses it when it can’t connect, so that’s the best option.
While quantum decryption is currently unlikely, using quantum-resistant tunneling didn’t noticeably affect speed. The same is true for DAITA — the anti-AI-tracking feature is equally fast when set to use only a single server. That limits choices somewhat, but provides extra protection without a speed penalty.
If I need a connection in a country that doesn’t have a DAITA server, I can allow multi-hop. In that case, Mullvad VPN connects to a DAITA server first, then routes through my preferred location. Directing traffic through more servers always reduces speed.
For example, NymVPN pushes multi-hop privacy to the limit, passing through up to five servers before exiting the VPN network. At that extreme approach, bandwidth is so low that it’s only usable on mobile devices. Fortunately, NymVPN also supports a two-hop mode.
Mullvad VPN’s two-hop technique cut my internet performance by about half. If I felt I was a target of hackers and spies, the tradeoff could be worthwhile.
Beyond speed, Mullvad VPN offers split-tunneling so I can specify trusted apps that can bypass the VPN. Those apps can see my location to customize a feed and get maximum throughput regardless of which VPN server I choose.
Mullvad VPN also has content blockers for malware, trackers, ads, gambling, adult content, and social media. The company warns that the malware blocker isn’t foolproof, and in my spot-checks, it failed all 13 malware tests on Wicar. You still need an advanced antivirus app to protect your computer from hackers.
Support
As a low-cost VPN with no hidden costs, Mullvad VPN has to keep staff costs low. The company offers a support center with detailed documentation that I can browse and search for quicker answers.
For personal assistance, the only option is to email support. I tested customer service with a question about Mullvad VPN’s malware blocker. It took about eight hours to get a reply. A one-day turnaround is common for email support, so Mullvad was three times faster than I expected. The agent confirmed it’s a reputation-based blocker that isn’t foolproof.
Most VPNs offer similar malware blocking, but to really safeguard your computer, the best antivirus software provides more robust real-time protection and prevention with ongoing scans and cleanup.
Privacy and security
Since total anonymity is easy to achieve with Mullvad VPN, there are no privacy concerns. To Mullvad, I’m just a number, which is a good thing for a VPN service.
There’s no need for trust. They simply don’t know who I am. They don’t know my email address unless I contact support. Even then, there’s no way to tie my email to my account number.
I can pay via crypto or cash to eliminate any financial trail. Mullvad clears payment information after the 30-day refund period has passed, so I can pay with a credit card and only leave a temporary footprint.
That said, Mullvad has regular independent audits to verify its security protocols and no-log policy.
Is Mullvad right for you?
Mullvad VPN’s system ensures complete privacy without requiring trust. That might be an essential detail if you’re at risk of spying or likely to be targeted for identity theft. Residents of oppressive countries need dependable anonymity since expressing opinions can be dangerous.
Even if you don’t have a critical need for privacy, it’s nice to know trackers and hackers will have a hard time identifying you with Mullvad VPN. However, the performance tradeoff is significant for international use. I enjoyed good speed with nearby U.S. servers, but European servers were slower than expected, even with advanced protections switched off.
Mullvad VPN’s monthly fee is the lowest I’ve seen, but the best VPN deals require a longer commitment of one or more years of service. For example, Surfshark is a fast, reliable VPN that costs $48 annually.
You can even use high-quality VPNs for free with a few limitations. Proton VPN is one of the fastest solutions, and the free version allows unlimited use on 2,300 servers in five countries. That offer is hard to beat if you’re on a tight budget.
Overall, I found the Mullvad VPN to be an excellent way to ensure anonymity and stay ahead of advanced hacking techniques. However, the latest updates have impacted speed in most locations. Still, I like Mullvad’s no-nonsense approach and recommend it to anyone who’s sick of chasing deals and wants rock-solid privacy protection without any hassle.
