Short answer: Yes — Mullvad is the most trustworthy VPN available. It's not the cheapest, not the flashiest, and doesn't sponsor a single YouTuber. That's exactly why it's good.
Worth it for: Anyone who actually cares about privacy, not just "VPN privacy theater" Skip if: You primarily want to watch Netflix in other countries Better alternative: There isn't one. Mullvad is the gold standard for honest VPN service
Every other VPN company spends millions on influencer marketing telling you they "don't log." Mullvad doesn't market at all. In 2023, Swedish police raided Mullvad's offices and seized computers. They found nothing — because there was nothing to find. That's not a marketing claim. That's a court record.
When It IS Worth It
You actually care about privacy. Mullvad doesn't want your email, your name, or your credit card. You generate an account number, pay with cash/crypto/card, and connect. There is no account to hack because there is no account. Anonymous by architecture, not by policy.
The €5/month pricing is honest. No "sign up for 3 years at $2/month" manipulative deals. No renewal at 4x the price. No confusing tier structure. €5/month, every month, for everyone. You can pay for one month or ten years — same price per month. This alone sets Mullvad apart from every competitor.
The WireGuard implementation is excellent. Mullvad was one of the first VPN providers to support WireGuard natively. Connection speeds are fast — typically 80-95% of your raw internet speed. For a VPN, that's exceptional.
Open source and audited. Mullvad's apps are open source. Third-party audits are published publicly. The company is based in Sweden (strong privacy laws for EU standards). Everything is verifiable — trust but verify actually applies here.
When It Is NOT Worth It
Streaming unblocking is inconsistent. Mullvad works with some streaming services sometimes, but doesn't prioritize it. Netflix, Disney+, and BBC iPlayer actively block VPN IPs, and Mullvad doesn't play the whack-a-mole game of rotating IPs to bypass them. If streaming is your primary VPN use case, NordVPN or ExpressVPN are better (though less trustworthy).
No simultaneous connection limits are nice, but... Mullvad allows 5 devices simultaneously. For families sharing one subscription, this might not be enough. Some competitors offer unlimited simultaneous connections.
€5/month isn't the cheapest. Surfshark and PIA offer multi-year plans at $2-3/month. If you're budget-constrained and just want basic IP masking, cheaper options exist. But you get what you pay for in the VPN industry — and what you're paying for with Mullvad is genuine privacy.
Who Should NOT Buy This
- Netflix unlockers → Mullvad doesn't prioritize streaming. Get a streaming-focused VPN instead
- "I just want the cheapest VPN" → Several competitors are cheaper on multi-year plans. Mullvad competes on trust, not price
- People who need 24/7 customer support → Mullvad's support is email-only. No live chat, no phone. If you need hand-holding, look elsewhere
- Enterprise/business users → No team management, no centralized billing. Business VPN needs are better served by Tailscale or WireGuard directly
Cheaper or Better Alternatives
| Alternative | Price | My Take |
|---|---|---|
| ProtonVPN | Free-$10/mo | Good privacy focus, Swiss company. Free tier exists. More features but more complex |
| IVPN | $6-10/mo | Similar privacy philosophy to Mullvad. Slightly more expensive, equally trustworthy |
| NordVPN | $3-13/mo | Better for streaming, worse for privacy. Heavy marketing budget = heavy data collection incentives |
| Surfshark | $2-13/mo | Cheapest option. Merged with NordVPN's parent company. Privacy trust level: medium |
| Tailscale | Free for personal | Not a traditional VPN but excellent for connecting your own devices securely |
What Annoys Me About Mullvad
The app design is functional, not beautiful. Mullvad's apps work perfectly but look like they were designed by engineers (because they were). No sleek interface, no map-based server selection, no fancy animations. Pure function over form.
Server selection could be better. Mullvad has servers in ~40 countries. NordVPN has 60+. For most users this doesn't matter, but if you need a VPN exit in a specific small country, Mullvad might not have it.
No dedicated router app. If you want to VPN your entire network, you need to manually configure WireGuard on your router. Most competitors offer router apps or pre-configured routers.
They genuinely don't care about growth. This is both the best and most annoying thing about Mullvad. They don't have a referral program, don't offer discounts, don't do Black Friday sales. Their attitude is "if you want privacy, we're here; if not, that's fine." Admirable, but it means features develop slowly.
Final Verdict
Mullvad is the VPN for people who understand what a VPN actually does and want it done right. No surveillance capitalism, no false promises, no marketing manipulation. You pay €5, you get encrypted traffic, and nobody — not Mullvad, not your ISP, not anyone — knows what you're doing online.
The VPN industry is 90% marketing and 10% technology. Mullvad inverted that ratio. Is it perfect? No — streaming support is weak, the app is utilitarian, and the pricing isn't the cheapest available. But when a company's response to a police raid is "we don't have the data you're looking for" — backed by the cops finding literally nothing — that's a VPN worth paying for.
Rating: 9/10 — The most trustworthy VPN service available. Only loses a point for weak streaming support and spartan design.
FAQ
Q: Can I pay for Mullvad anonymously? A: Yes. You can mail cash in an envelope with your account number. You can pay with Bitcoin, Monero, or cash vouchers. No email required, no name required. Your account is literally just a number.
Q: Is Mullvad fast enough for gaming? A: Yes. WireGuard adds minimal latency (typically 2-5ms). For competitive gaming, connect to the closest server. You probably won't notice the VPN is on.
Q: Does Mullvad work in China? A: Sometimes. Mullvad offers obfuscation features (bridges) that can bypass Chinese censorship, but it's a constant cat-and-mouse game. For China specifically, look at Astrill or custom V2Ray setups.
Q: Why doesn't Mullvad have a free trial? A: Because free trials require your email for signup, which defeats the anonymous account model. You can try it for one month at €5. If you don't like it, you've spent less than a coffee.