ProtonVPN and Mullvad are both genuinely privacy-focused VPNs with audited no-logs policies and strong security. The choice between them comes down to whether you value Proton’s broader ecosystem and streaming support, or Mullvad’s maximum anonymity and simpler pricing.
Privacy and Anonymity
Mullvad wins on anonymity. Creating a Mullvad account generates a random 16-digit number — no email, no name, no personal details required. You can pay with cash mailed to Sweden. This means Mullvad genuinely cannot identify who you are, not just that they won’t look. Our full Mullvad VPN review covers this in depth.
ProtonVPN requires an email address to create an account. The company offers privacy-respecting policies and a strong track record, but the email creates an account identifier that Mullvad’s approach avoids entirely.
Both have been independently audited. Both have verified no-logs policies. Both are based in privacy-respecting European jurisdictions (Switzerland for Proton, Sweden for Mullvad). For most threat models, both are equally private in practice. For users who want zero account identity, Mullvad’s approach is stronger.
Speed and Server Count
ProtonVPN has a significantly larger server network: 8,000+ servers in 112 countries versus Mullvad’s approximately 700 servers in 45 countries. For users who need a specific geographic location (a less common country), ProtonVPN has more options.
Speed is comparable on nearby servers for both. WireGuard protocol on either VPN produces 80-90% of baseline connection speed on fast connections. ProtonVPN’s Stealth protocol and Mullvad’s DAITA both add slight overhead for obfuscation use cases.
The Proton Ecosystem Advantage
ProtonVPN integrates with ProtonMail, Proton Drive, Proton Calendar, and Proton Pass under a single Proton account. If you use multiple Proton services, managing them together and getting discounts through Proton Unlimited makes ProtonVPN more cost-effective than pricing the services separately.
Mullvad has no ecosystem — it’s just a VPN, designed to do one thing well. For users who want only a VPN, this is a feature (simplicity). For users building a broader privacy stack, Proton’s integration is an advantage.
Streaming Support
ProtonVPN actively maintains streaming support, with specific servers labeled for Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and other services. The company updates these servers when streaming services block VPN IP addresses. Streaming is a designed use case for ProtonVPN.
Mullvad does not prioritize streaming and doesn’t maintain streaming-optimized servers. It works for streaming in some regions sometimes, but it’s not reliable enough to be the primary reason to choose it.
Pricing
Mullvad: €5 per month, no long-term discount, no subscription required (pay monthly, stop anytime). ProtonVPN: $9.99/month on a monthly plan, $71.88/year ($5.99/month) on annual. Proton Unlimited (all Proton services): $107.88/year.
For VPN-only use, Mullvad at €5/month and ProtonVPN annual at ~$6/month are close. If you want the Proton ecosystem, Proton Unlimited’s per-service value improves significantly.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Mullvad if: You want maximum anonymity at sign-up. You want cash payment. You don’t need streaming support. You prefer simple per-month pricing with no commitment.
Choose ProtonVPN if: You also use ProtonMail or other Proton services. You need reliable streaming unblocking. You want a larger server network. You prefer a company with a broader privacy mission beyond just VPN.
Both are significantly better privacy choices than NordVPN, ExpressVPN, or IPVanish, which have ownership structures or past histories that give privacy advocates pause. Good basic cybersecurity tips includes being selective about who you route your internet traffic through.
Which VPN are you using and what was the deciding factor? Leave a comment with your privacy priorities and the feature that tipped your choice — VPN decisions are highly personal and reader experiences are the most useful information.
