Mullvad Browser

Mullvad Browser is a desktop browser built to reduce tracking and fingerprinting, developed by Mullvad VPN AB together with the Tor Project. Mullvad describes it as a Tor Browser without the Tor Network, intended to be used on its own or together with a VPN.

Mullvad Browser is based on Firefox ESR, ships with uBlock Origin, NoScript and the Mullvad Browser Extension, and runs in private mode by default so that no cookies are kept between sessions. Letterboxing rounds the window size to fixed steps, DuckDuckGo is the default search engine with suggestions off, and three security levels (Standard, Safer, Safest) progressively restrict JavaScript and other features.

Mullvad VPN AB gives Box 53049, 400 14 Gothenburg, Sweden as its address. Mullvad states that the company is a subsidiary of Amagicom AB and that both are 100 per cent owned by founders Fredrik Strömberg and Daniel Berntsson, which is the clearest ownership statement in this category.

The Mullvad Browser source is published under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 in Mullvad's repository and on the Tor Project's GitLab. Mullvad states that telemetry and crash reporting are disabled at compile time and answers the question of what the browser collects with a single word: none. Mullvad publishes no security certification for the browser.

Mullvad Browser is free of charge whether or not you are a Mullvad VPN customer, and Mullvad states that it earns nothing from the browser because its income comes from the VPN service. Downloads exist for Linux, macOS and Windows 10 or later in 64-bit.

Mullvad Browser suits people who want strong defaults without configuring anything and who accept logging in again after every restart. Mullvad Browser does not suit anyone who needs a phone browser, because Mullvad states that it is not available on smartphones, or who wants a persistent, synchronised profile across devices.

What Mullvad Browser does well

• Mullvad VPN AB and its parent Amagicom AB are stated to be 100 per cent owned by the two founders
• Source code published under the Mozilla Public License 2.0
• Telemetry and crash reporting are disabled at compile time, according to Mullvad
• Free for everyone, with or without a Mullvad VPN subscription
• uBlock Origin and NoScript preinstalled, with DNS over HTTPS set to Mullvad's own resolver

Where Mullvad Browser falls short

• Not available on smartphones, as Mullvad states itself
• Private mode by default means no cookies survive a restart, so every site asks for a login again
• The Windows build requires Windows 10 or later and 64-bit
• Mullvad earns no money from the browser, so its future depends on the VPN business that pays for it

Standout feature. Mullvad Browser pairs Tor Browser's fingerprinting protection with a stated owner: two founders in Gothenburg hold 100 per cent of the company, and the browser earns them nothing.