ProtonVPN vs Mullvad: The Anonymous VPN Comparison

If you’ve done any serious reading about VPN privacy, you’ve narrowed it down to two names: ProtonVPN and Mullvad. Both are meaningfully different from the mainstream VPN market, which is dominated by companies that spend enormous amounts on affiliate marketing and very little on technical accountability.

Here’s a clear comparison of what actually distinguishes them.

Why These Two

Most VPN providers make no-log claims that have never been tested. ProtonVPN and Mullvad have both published multiple third-party audits, been subject to real law enforcement demands, and provided documented evidence of what they could (and couldn’t) hand over.

That’s the baseline. Below that, the comparison gets interesting.

Jurisdiction and Corporate Structure

Mullvad is based in Sweden and operated by Amagicom AB. Sweden is part of the EU and has strong data protection laws, but it’s also a member of the 14 Eyes intelligence alliance. Sweden has historically had active signals intelligence capabilities. Mullvad counters this with architecture: they don’t collect data that would be useful to hand over, and they’ve documented this in practice.

ProtonVPN is based in Switzerland and operated by Proton AG. Switzerland is not in the EU and not in the Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, or 14 Eyes intelligence alliances. Swiss law requires court orders for any data disclosure and has additional privacy protections that exceed EU GDPR requirements. Jurisdiction alone isn’t sufficient, but it’s meaningfully different.

If jurisdiction is a top concern for your threat model, ProtonVPN’s Swiss base is a concrete advantage.

Audit History

Both providers have published independent third-party security audits of their apps and infrastructure.

Mullvad has published audits of their desktop clients, mobile apps, and infrastructure. Their audit program is ongoing, and reports are publicly available on their website. They also underwent an independent audit of their no-log claims specifically.

ProtonVPN has published audits of their desktop clients, mobile apps, and has had their no-log claims audited. Proton as a company has also had their overall infrastructure reviewed as part of work stemming from their ProtonMail operations, which have been under more scrutiny than most VPN providers simply because of their prominence among journalists and activists.

Neither provider has a meaningful advantage here. Both have invested seriously in public auditability.

Anonymous Account Creation and Payment

This is where the two providers diverge most sharply.

Mullvad has the most aggressive anonymous access of any commercial VPN:

• No email address required to sign up
• No username required — you get a randomly generated account number
• Cash accepted by mail (you send banknotes to their office in Sweden)
• Monero (XMR) accepted for the most untraceable crypto payment
• Bitcoin accepted with the caveat that Bitcoin is pseudonymous, not anonymous

For maximum anonymity at registration: Mullvad, paid with cash or Monero, no identifying information whatsoever. This is genuinely difficult for any service to beat.

ProtonVPN requires an email address to create an account (though you can use a disposable or anonymous email). They accept Bitcoin and standard payment methods but not cash or Monero. The paid tiers provide more features; the free tier is legitimate.

If anonymous account creation is a priority, Mullvad wins this category outright.

Free Tier

ProtonVPN has a free tier that is genuinely functional. It’s slower than paid (no P2P, limited server selection), but it’s not a trial or a data-harvesting product. ProtonVPN’s free tier exists partly as a commitment to privacy access for people who can’t afford paid services.

Mullvad has no free tier. The pricing is flat: €5/month regardless of plan length. No annual discounts. You pay month-to-month. The no-annual-discount policy is actually a privacy feature — long subscriptions create longer payment records.

Speed and Infrastructure

Both providers run their own infrastructure rather than leasing servers from cloud providers. This matters for privacy (rented servers have different custody chains) and performance.

Mullvad has a large global server network with a focus on server quality. Their WireGuard implementation is well-regarded.

ProtonVPN has expanded significantly and now has comparable coverage. Both support WireGuard. Both have custom Linux clients. Both have apps across major platforms.

For most users, speed difference is negligible — it’ll depend more on your location relative to their server locations than any fundamental capability difference.

The Specific Threat Model Question

You need maximum anonymity from registration forward: Mullvad. Cash payment, no email, no account name.

You want Swiss jurisdiction and a strong privacy ecosystem (Proton Mail, Proton Drive): ProtonVPN. The integrated Proton ecosystem is genuinely useful if you’re building a privacy stack.

You want a free entry point: ProtonVPN.

You want flat monthly pricing with no long-term commitment: Mullvad’s €5/month structure is clean.

You’re a journalist or activist whose device might be seized: Both have been tested by law enforcement demands. Mullvad’s documented response to a server seizure in 2023 (police took the server, found nothing, because Mullvad keeps no logs) is the clearest real-world evidence in the industry.

What Both Get Right

Neither provider runs referral programs that incentivize misleading reviews. Neither claims features (like military-grade encryption) that are marketing fluff. Both use audited open protocols (WireGuard primarily). Both have published warrant canaries and transparency reports.

The VPN market is mostly noise. These two are signal.