Mullvad VPN vs Proton VPN

Proton requires an email to create an account, even if you use a throwaway. Mullvad generates a random account number and asks for nothing else — no email, no name, no payment method that ties back to you if you use cash. For the vast majority of users this distinction is academic, but for the people it matters to, it's the entire ballgame. Proton's Swiss jurisdiction is strong legal protection; Mullvad's no-account system means there's nothing to hand over even if a court orders it.

49 countries versus 117 is not a minor gap — it's the difference between having a server near you and having to route through a distant node that tanks your speeds. If you're in Southeast Asia, South America, or Africa, Proton is far more likely to have a local server. Mullvad's smaller network is a real-world limitation that shows up in latency, not just a spec sheet footnote.

Most free VPNs are data-harvesting traps. Proton's free tier has no data cap, which is almost unheard of, and it's backed by the same open-source, audited infrastructure as the paid plan. You get fewer server choices, but it's real privacy protection at zero cost. Mullvad doesn't offer a trial or free tier — you pay from day one, and at over $15/month, that's a meaningful commitment before you've tested it.

Mullvad has been audited and is open-source, so it's not behind on transparency. But Proton's apps have been independently audited multiple times across more platforms, and the organization behind it — the same team that built ProtonMail — has a longer public track record of fighting government data requests and winning. Mullvad is trustworthy; Proton has more receipts.