Mullvad VPN Review
A comprehensive look at the Mullvad VPN service with tests and data between July and October 2020.
Introduction
Overview
Mullvad is a great, privacy focused VPN with a good reputation and intuitive clients and provides average speeds at a reasonable price.
This review of Mullvad contains the results of tests between 3 September 2020 and 4 November 2020.
This document is a continuously being updated with fresh data each month in order to be accurate and consistent.
Is Mullvad VPN a good VPN? Is it worth getting?
Privacy & Anonymity Summary
Mullvad has one of the best no-logs policies in the industry, and it is possible to remain completely anonymous when using their service.
Speed & Performance Summary
The browsing and torrenting speeds are average and good for daily use, but the downloading speeds are slightly below average.
Functionality & Application Summary
Their Windows client is fairly intuitive and easy to use, although it lacks some good functionalities such as split tunneling.
Reputation & Support Summary
Mullvad and their parent company have never been involved in any controversies, scandals, data leaks or privacy concerns, and are actually good advocates of online privacy.
Price & Value Summary
At a flat rate of $5.50/month, Mullvad is a great VPN service for anyone who’s looking for complete anonymity.
Proof
How Was Mullvad VPN Rated?
Review Criteria
I've rated Mullvad on multiple elements across five categories, and analysed the results to give you a good understanding of the service.
Privacy & Anonymity
Does Mullvad leak any data while in use? Do they collect or store logs? Do they allow you to anonymously purchase the service? Do they employ a variety of security protocols to keep you anonymous online?
Speed & Performance
Does Mullvad offer fast speeds (on par with browsing without a VPN connection)? Are these speeds consistent? Or do they drop off or fluctuate too much?
Functionality & Application
Does Mullvad work well? Is it easy to install and use? Does it unblock geo-restricted content? Can it unblock Netflix and BBC iPlayer?
Reputation & Support
Is Mullvad a reputable seller with a strong track record of happy customers and good reviews? Does it provide outstanding customer and tech support? Does Mullvad and their parent company have a track record of honesty, transparency, and its customers' best interests at heart?
Price & Value
Does the price of the service match (or exceed) the quality of experience? Does Mullvad represent value for money?
Privacy & Anonymity
Does Mullvad VPN have a logging policy?
Mullvad has a nearly perfect no-logs policy. They do collect connection attempt logs that are necessary to restrict the maximum number of simultaneous connections, but the information older than 5 minutes is deleted from their servers. Mullvad doesn’t ask for email addresses, names, or any kind of personal information, and the only account identifier is a random number generated by the website at the time of opening an account.
They have a comprehensive logging policy page that describes exactly what data is collected when making a payment, opening an account, registering a query, etc.
Does Mullvad VPN have a kill switch?
The Windows client does not have an app kill switch but has an internet kill switch.
What security protocols does Mullvad VPN use?
Mullvad VPN supports OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols on Windows.
Speed & Performance
Is Mullvad VPN fast?
No, the browsing and torrenting speeds are average while the downloading speeds are slightly below average.
Does Mullvad VPN provide consistent speeds?
Speeds provided are consistent, and can be faster at times.
Functionality & Application
Is Mullvad VPN easy to use?
The installation on Windows was very easy, it was just a matter of opening the setup file, and the app was ready to use in around 20 seconds.
The app is simplistic and intuitive, I was able to find specific settings effortlessly even when using the app for the first time. The server locations and server numbers are shown, so I could pick the exact servers that I wanted. The locations screen didn’t offer a search button, yet it was easy to find specific servers.
The Android app is still in beta stage.
A look at the app dashboard on Windows.
Mullvad’s Windows client is minimal and beginner-friendly.
The customization options are limited on Windows.
The security features are impressive.
We can set WireGuard MTU value.
Does Mullvad VPN support split tunneling?
The Windows client does not support split tunneling as such, but it can be set up manually using this guide.
Is Mullvad VPN good for torrenting? Do they approve of using P2P technology?
Mullvad VPN approves of using P2P technology but provides only average speeds.
Is Mullvad VPN good for Netflix?
Mullvad was able to successfully unblocked geo-restricted Netflix content in 1 out of 12 countries. I could watch Netflix content exclusive to and ustralia.
Is Private Internet Access good for BBC iPlayer?
Is Mullvad VPN good for streaming?
What are some good features of Mullvad VPN?
- Excellent privacy
- Accepts anonymous payments
- Good reputation
- Easy to use clients
Reputation & Support
Is Mullvad VPN trustworthy?
Taking the company’s history, privacy and logging policies, business practices, etc. into account, Mullvad is a trustworthy VPN service.
Does Mullvad VPN have live chat support? Are they responsive?
Where are they based? What jurisdiction are they under?
Mullvad is a Sweden based VPN service. Their office address is Mullvad VPN AB, Box 53049, 400 14 Gothenburg, Sweden.
Who is the parent company?
Mullvad VPN is owned by Amalgicon AB.
Have Mullvad VPN or their parent company been involved in any controversies or scandals?
Amalgicom AB and Mullvad have maintained clean track records throughout the years. There are no scandals, controversies, data leaks, or privacy concerns involving Mullvad or their parent company as yet.
What do most customers say they like about the service?
The privacy and anonymity offered by Mullvad VPN is widely praised by their users.
What do customers most dislike about the service?
Mullvad VPN doesn’t have live chat support and it is disappointing for some users.
Price & Value
How much does Mullvad VPN cost per month?
Mullvad offers only a single plan, costing $5.50/month. Mullvad claims that they don’t want to lock customers in to long-term payments, and that is why they provide a single plan with an option to subscribe for multiple months at once.
Is Mullvad VPN worth the money?
It is worth every penny for those who are looking for complete privacy and anonymity, but for someone who just needs a VPN and wouldn’t mind giving email address or credit card details to VPN service providers, there are a number of better VPNs with faster servers.
What payment forms do they accept?
Mullvad accepts cash, credit cards, PayPal, bank wire transfers, Swish, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and vouchers. Among these, cash, vouchers and cryptocurrencies are completely anonymous payment options.
Do they have a trial or a money-back guarantee? What is their refund policy?
Mullvad offers a 30-day money-back guarantee except for payments made in cash due to anti-money laundering regulations. Read their refund policy here.
Conclusion
Who is Mullvad VPN good for?
Mullvad is an incredible choice for those who are looking for complete privacy and anonymity when using the internet since using their service does not require any kind of personal information. It is good for journalists and for those who share sensitive information online.
Who is it not suitable for?
It is not a good VPN for those who download large files quite often, and not for those who are looking for great browsing and downloading speeds. Most of the Mullvad servers are blocked by Netflix, so it is not for those who use streaming services a lot.
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