Proton VPN and Mullvad are two privacy-focused VPN services, but they fit different jobs. As of April 2026, Proton VPN is the broader product: it is based in Switzerland, includes a free tier, supports major streaming platforms in more countries, and sits inside Proton’s wider bundle of Mail, Drive and Pass. As of April 2026, Mullvad is the stricter privacy pick for minimal signup data: it is based in Sweden, uses account numbers instead of email by default, and still keeps its service deliberately simple. If your priority is streaming and bundled services, Proton VPN is usually the better buy; if your priority is low-friction anonymity at signup and a smaller product surface, Mullvad is usually the better fit.
Privacy model: Mullvad asks for less, Proton gives you more around the VPN
As of April 2026, Proton VPN is operated by Proton AG, based in Switzerland. Its no-logs claims have been tested in third-party security assessments, and Proton publishes audit summaries and transparency materials across its products. Proton’s ownership is public and tied to the wider Proton suite. The trade-off is account structure: even if you use a throwaway address, Proton is still an account-based service linked to an email login because it is part of a broader platform.
As of April 2026, Mullvad is operated by Mullvad VPN AB, based in Sweden and owned by Amagicom AB. Mullvad’s defining feature remains its numbered-account model: you can generate an account number with no email address, and the company has long supported privacy-preserving payment options including cash by post in some periods. For a concrete example, if you want to buy a VPN without handing over an email address, Mullvad does that out of the box; Proton does not.
Jurisdiction matters, but only up to a point. Switzerland is outside the EU and has a stronger privacy reputation than many Western jurisdictions. Sweden is in the EU and is not marketed as a privacy haven. That said, the more important question is whether the service keeps logs it can hand over. As of April 2026, both providers say they do not keep activity logs, and both have had independent security work performed. Mullvad still has the cleaner signup story; Proton has the more mature ecosystem.
Audits, ownership and trust history
As of April 2026, Proton VPN has undergone independent audits, including security assessments by Securitum for Proton VPN apps and infrastructure in the 2024-2025 period, and Proton publishes audit information on its security pages. Proton AG’s ownership is public, and there is no known published audit history showing the company lied to auditors about logging or ownership.
As of April 2026, Mullvad has also undergone multiple independent audits over time, including application and infrastructure reviews by firms such as Cure53 and Assured AB, and it publishes results or summaries on its website. Mullvad’s ownership is also public. Importantly, neither company carries the kind of trust damage seen in some VPN brands that were later tied to undisclosed owners or misleading logging claims.
For a practical comparison: if your threshold is “I only buy VPNs with a recent published audit”, both qualify. If your threshold is “I want the provider that exposes the least personal data at signup”, Mullvad wins. If your threshold is “I want one vendor to handle VPN, email, password manager and cloud storage”, Proton wins. Those are different trust models, not small feature differences.
Pricing: Mullvad is simpler; Proton can be cheaper in a bundle
As of April 2026, Mullvad’s pricing remains unusually simple: €5 per month, with no long teaser rate and no coupon maze. That is one of the cleanest pricing models in the VPN market. It also means there is no deep discount for committing to two years. If you use it for 12 months, you pay about €60. If you use it for 24 months, you pay about €120.
As of April 2026, Proton VPN uses the more standard subscription structure: monthly plans cost much more than long-term plans, and the best effective rate usually comes from annual or two-year commitments, either standalone or inside Proton Unlimited. Exact prices shift with promotions and currency, so check the checkout page carefully. A realistic example is this: if you only need a VPN for three months, Mullvad’s flat €15 total is often easier to justify than Proton’s high monthly rate. If you also need encrypted email and a password manager for a year, Proton Unlimited can work out cheaper than paying for separate services.
Dark patterns are worth noting here. Mullvad’s pricing is straightforward and does not rely on coupon-only landing pages. Proton’s pricing is clearer than many mass-market VPN brands, but, like most subscription products, longer commitments can auto-renew unless you disable renewal. Before buying either service, check the renewal amount, not just the first-term headline.
Speed, protocol support and day-to-day use
As of April 2026, both Proton VPN and Mullvad support WireGuard and OpenVPN, and both have mature apps for major desktop and mobile platforms. Kernel WireGuard support is available where the operating system supports it, which is what most users should want for lower overhead and fast reconnects.
In normal use, both are fast enough for 4K streaming, large downloads and video calls on a decent line. The difference is less about raw peak speed and more about network design and convenience. Proton VPN runs a larger product operation with more location options and more consumer-facing features such as streaming-optimised servers and profile tools. Mullvad stays leaner and is often preferred by users who want a plain list of servers, stable WireGuard performance and fewer marketing layers.
A concrete scenario: on a 500 Mbps home fibre line, many users will see both services deliver more than 300 Mbps on nearby WireGuard servers, which is already above what most households need. If you routinely hop between the US, UK and Japan for specific services, Proton’s broader consumer routing and server labelling will usually be easier to work with. If you just want a fast nearby tunnel for everyday browsing and don’t care about entertainment unblocking, Mullvad is simpler.
Streaming and geo-unblocking: Proton clearly leads
This is the least ambiguous section. As of April 2026, Proton VPN is materially better than Mullvad for streaming access. Proton explicitly markets support for major platforms in supported regions, and independent testers regularly report better results with Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney+ and similar services than with Mullvad.
As of April 2026, Mullvad does not position itself as a streaming-first VPN and has stepped away from cat-and-mouse marketing around unblocking. In practice, some endpoints may work with some platforms some of the time, but you should not buy Mullvad expecting reliable access to several foreign libraries. If streaming is one of your top three reasons for paying, Proton is the safer choice.
The numeric version is simple: if you want one VPN to cover privacy plus three or four streaming services across multiple countries, Proton is the better pick. If streaming success is irrelevant and your main goal is reducing ISP visibility on public Wi-Fi, hotel networks or routine browsing, Mullvad gives up little where it matters most.
Extras, ecosystem and who should buy which
As of April 2026, Proton VPN’s biggest advantage is not the tunnel itself but the bundle around it. Proton Mail, Proton Drive, Proton Pass and Proton Calendar make Proton attractive if you want fewer vendors handling sensitive services. There is also a genuine free tier for Proton VPN, which remains rare among reputable VPN providers. The free plan is limited, but for someone who needs occasional protection on café Wi‑Fi and has a £0 or $0 budget, it is a real on-ramp.
As of April 2026, Mullvad offers fewer extras by design. That is not a weakness if you value focus. Mullvad Browser, developed in collaboration with the Tor Project, is a useful adjacent privacy tool, but Mullvad is not trying to become your email provider, cloud drive and password manager. For some readers, that narrower scope is exactly the appeal: fewer moving parts, fewer account ties, less lock-in.
Here is the decision matrix:
| If you care most about… | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Signing up with minimal personal data | Mullvad | Account-number model, no email required by default |
| Reliable streaming access | Proton VPN | Better support for major platforms and regions |
| Lowest-friction short-term pricing | Mullvad | Flat €5 monthly pricing, no teaser discounts |
| Getting VPN + email + password manager together | Proton VPN | Bundle value across Proton services |
| A free plan from a reputable provider | Proton VPN | Usable free tier exists |
| Minimalist product design and less account sprawl | Mullvad | Narrower service, fewer bundled dependencies |
What to do next: decide whether your primary job is anonymity at signup, or convenience across several privacy tools. If it is signup privacy and a straightforward monthly price, choose Mullvad. If it is streaming, a free tier, or consolidating email, storage and passwords with one vendor, choose Proton VPN. If you also share links a lot and want to strip tracking parameters before sending them, use our free URL cleaning tool: https://tool.notrackr.com/.