Mullvad VPN review: total anonymity for an affordable price

Mullvad is a different kind of VPN, an open-source solution with fixed prices that accepts untrackable payments and identifies you with just an account number. It sounds like a great solution for maintaining anonymity.

I reviewed Mullvad VPN’s speed at servers around the world and researched its privacy policy and support options to find out if it deserves a spot on our guide to the best VPNs.

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 one and only subscription option.

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 but the annual price increases by 93% 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.

You can pay with a credit card, PayPal, and wire transfer. For greater anonymity, you can transfer Bitcoin, Bitcoin cash, Monero, or even mail paper currency to Mullvad.

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. The account number is all I needed to log in. Mullvad doesn’t need my email address, name, phone number, or address.

After signing in, I selected from a list of 706 servers in 47 countries worldwide. I could specify a particular server, or select a city or country to let Mullvad pick a server for me.

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 Nordic countries, but 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, adjust 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 let me resize the tiny app window to see more servers at once. A browser extension would also be nice.

Features

VPN speed isn’t the only thing that matters, but it’s 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.

I tested Mullvad VPN’s upload and download rates and latency with SpeedTest to see how well it performed when routing my traffic to servers across the globe.

I get 900Mbps uploads and downloads via an Ethernet connection to my PC before connecting to a VPN. I’m located in Canada and expected to get great speeds with a Canadian server but Mullvad VPN only managed 149Mbps down and 39Mbps up. That’s a big penalty for using a VPN. At least the ping was good at 37ms.

Connecting to the U.S. yielded much better results: 424Mbps down and 6Mbps up with a latency of 86ms. The upload speed was surprisingly slow, so I opened the server list and tried a few from a nearby state.

On my fourth try, SpeedTest reported 521Mbps down and 100Mbps up with a ping of just 30ms. That’s a nice improvement but I’d prefer Mullvad VPN to have more reliable speeds without so much effort.

Overseas connections are always slower, particularly for uploads, and have more latency. I wouldn’t try fast-paced gaming while using a distant VPN server. However, Mullvad VPN was fast enough to make it a good alternative to NordVPN and ExpressVPN.

Mullvad VPN performed well overall and was more reliable in European countries. I got 264 to 432 for downloads and around 4Mbps uploads with an average ping of 123ms.

Australia is on the opposite side of the world from me, so I was pleased to measure 24Mbps down and 2Mbps up with a ping of 294.

Beyond speed, Mullvad VPN has some nice features to fine-tune my connection. Split-tunneling lets me 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. You still need an advanced antivirus app to protect your computer from hackers.

Various other controls let me enable obfuscation, an important feature for VPNs to break through administrative firewalls at school or work. I can enable a kill switch, automatically launch the app at startup, and more.

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 documentation I can browse and search if I need an answer immediately.

For further 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. The agent confirmed it’s a reputation-based blocker that isn’t foolproof.

A one-day turnaround is common for email support, so Mullvad was three times faster than I expected.

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.

Mullvad VPN’s monthly fee is the lowest I’ve seen, but you can get better deals if you commit to a subscription of a year or more with the best VPNs. For example, Surfshark costs $45 annually for a fast, reliable VPN. That’s equivalent to less than $4 per month.

You can even use a fast VPN for free with a few limitations. Proton VPN provides unlimited use on 136 servers in three countries, an offer that’s hard to beat if you’re on a tight budget.

I found the Mullvad VPN’s speeds to be a bit inconsistent. Also, support is strictly by email. 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.