Mullvad VPN vs Proton VPN
Mullvad and Proton VPN are the two European VPNs most often named for privacy. Mullvad charges a flat EUR 5 a month, accepts cash and cryptocurrency and asks for no email address, but has no free plan or trial. Proton VPN offers a free plan with no data limits and a 30-day money-back guarantee on paid plans, from a company based in Geneva.
Choose Mullvad VPN if
you want to pay a single flat price, pay in cash or crypto, open an account without an email address, and be fine with a 14-day money-back guarantee instead of a free plan.
Read the Mullvad VPN reviewChoose Proton VPN if
you want a free plan to try first, a 30-day money-back guarantee on paid plans, up to 10 devices on VPN Plus and the option to bundle with Proton Mail and Drive.
Read the Proton VPN reviewMullvad VPN and Proton VPN side by side
| Mullvad VPN | Proton VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Mullvad VPN AB | Proton AG |
| Headquarters | Gothenburg, Sweden | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Founded | 2009 | 2017 |
| Jurisdiction | EU (Sweden) | Switzerland (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| Where the data sits | 40+ countries | 90+ countries |
| Pricing | €5/month flat, no discounts or long-term plans | Free tier / from about €4.99/month |
| Entry-level list price (vendor site, checked 8 October 2026) | EUR 5 per month, flat (no long-term discount) | Free plan (1 device); paid VPN Plus price not shown on the page when checked |
| Free tier or trial | No trial; cancel any time | Free tier, unlimited data |
| Certifications and checks | Independently audited no-logs policy, open source | Independently audited, all apps open source |
| Source code | Open source | Open source |
| Usually replaces | NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark | NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark |
| Position in our VPN Services guide | #1 of 12 | #2 of 12 |
Both are listed in our European VPN Services guide. The table is built from the same directory data as those entries, except the list price, which is quoted from each vendor's own pricing page (see Sources below); how we check it is described in the editorial process.
Where Mullvad VPN and Proton VPN differ
Across the five points below, Mullvad VPN has the edge on 2 points, Proton VPN on 2 points and one is a tie. A count like that is a summary, not a verdict: the point that matters to you may be the one the other product wins.
Price and billing
Mullvad's pricing page states EUR 5 a month, with no change since 2009 and no discount for 1-year or 10-year terms, and a 10% discount when paying in cryptocurrency. Proton's page shows a paid VPN Plus plan and a Proton Unlimited bundle, but its prices were placeholders when we checked, so we cannot compare the numbers.
Edge: Mullvad VPN
Free plan and guarantee
Proton Free covers 1 device and servers in 10 countries, and the home page says it has no data limits. Paid plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee. Mullvad has no free plan or trial and gives 14 days of money back, except on cash payments.
Edge: Proton VPN
Anonymity of the account
Mullvad's site says it does not ask for any personal info, not even an email, and accepts cash, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Monero and card payments. Proton's checkout accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal or Proton credits, per its pricing page.
Edge: Mullvad VPN
Devices
Mullvad allows up to 5 devices at once per account. Proton's VPN Plus plan lists 10 simultaneous devices.
Edge: Proton VPN
Transparency and network
Mullvad says it requests independent audits, has a no-logging policy, is open source and offers quantum-resistant tunnels and multihop. Proton says its audits are openly published and its apps open source, and claims 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries. We did not find a server count on Mullvad's pages.
No clear winner on this point.
When neither Mullvad VPN nor Proton VPN fits
If neither suits you, the European VPN guide also lists IVPN and Surfshark, which are further providers with different pricing and company locations.
Mullvad VPN vs Proton VPN: questions
Mullvad charges a flat EUR 5 a month. Proton VPN has a free plan, and its paid prices could not be read from its pricing page when we checked, so a paid-plan comparison needs Proton's checkout.
No. Its pricing page mentions no trial period, only a 14-day money-back guarantee that excludes cash payments.
Mullvad accepts cash, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Monero and several other methods, and says it does not ask for your email when you create an account.
Mullvad allows up to 5 simultaneously per account. Proton's VPN Plus lists 10, and Proton Free lists 1.
Sources
Facts, prices and plan details on this page were checked on the vendors' own websites on . Prices and plans change; the vendor's current page is authoritative.
- Mullvad pricing: EUR 5 a month, payment methods, 5 devices, 14-day money-back guarantee (checked 8 October 2026)
- Mullvad VPN page: No email needed, no-logging policy, audits requested, quantum-resistant tunnels, multihop (checked 8 October 2026)
- Proton VPN home page: 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries, no-logs claim, openly published audits, open source, Geneva, free plan with no data limits (checked 8 October 2026)
- Proton VPN pricing page: Free plan (1 device, 10 countries), VPN Plus (10 devices, 30-day money-back guarantee), Proton Unlimited bundle; prices were placeholders when checked (checked 8 October 2026)