Mullvad vs. NordVPN

When you’re looking to put your trust in a VPN to protect your data, it’s probably a good idea to choose a brand you’ve heard of. Let’s use NordVPN, for example. It has a reputation for being one of the best VPNs on the market. As for Mullvad, you might have only seen it mentioned if you lurk in VPN subreddits.

So does Mullvad stand a chance against NordVPN? We bought subscriptions to both services and tested them over three months. Impressively, Mullvad matched NordVPN with security essentials like multi-hop routing and kill switch protection. However, Mullvad fell short in specialized server offerings, particularly obfuscated servers that mask VPN usage entirely. Here’s what our testing revealed.

Pricing

One of the first places we head to when shopping around for a VPN is the pricing page. NordVPN has a number of plans based on payment frequency and features. One month will set you back $12.99. If you sign up to a two-year plan, the price per month drops to just $2.99. During promotional periods through NordVPN deals, you might even score a few free months.

Mullvad keeps things refreshingly simple with a flat rate pricing model. It charges €5 per month (roughly $5.80 USD), regardless of subscription length. For month-to-month users, this beats NordVPN’s $12.99 monthly rate. However, if you’re committing to a year or two of service, NordVPN’s discounts are more budget-friendly.

Price Per Month

A Few Important Commonalities

Let’s examine what you actually get with Mullvad and NordVPN subscriptions. We’re not going to dive into all the bells and whistles like ad blockers. We’ll focus on the core security features every VPN should have.

• AES-256 Encryption: At the core of any VPN lies its encryption. Essentially, a VPN functions as a private tunnel for your internet traffic, encrypting all your online activities. So the encryption standard used is pretty important. In this area, NordVPN and Mullvad are evenly matched. They both employ 256-bit AES encryption, which is currently our gold standard encryption. NordVPN also uses a newer encryption algorithm, ChaCha20. It delivers robust security and impressive speeds, particularly on mobile devices.
• Choice of Protocols: A VPN’s protocol dictates how it implements its various encryption strategies. Both Mullvad and NordVPN offer a choice of protocols between OpenVPN and WireGuard. NordVPN uses a customized version called NordLynx. It’s built on WireGuard’s foundation but is enhanced for better privacy. OpenVPN is still the industry standard, but WireGuard offers faster speeds while maintaining strong security.
• Multi-hop: This feature is available with Mullvad and NordVPN. It routes your connection through multiple VPN servers. Your traffic passes through at least two encrypted tunnels, making it harder for anyone to trace your online activities back to you.
• Tight Privacy Policies: Finally, it’s always important to check a VPN’s privacy policy before you hand over any personal information. You’ll want to see what details they collect and what they do with them. NordVPN and Mullvad maintain strict privacy policies. They keep as little information about you as possible — just enough to keep the services running — and they never share it with anyone. Most importantly, neither of them stores any record of your IP address, your browsing history, or your time stamps.
• Kill Switches: A kill switch shuts down your internet activity whenever you lose the connection to your VPN. That eliminates the possibility that someone might accidentally gain access to your personal data or be able to spy on your online activities. Both NordVPN and Mullvad include kill switches.

As an added perk, Mullvad and NordVPN offer split tunneling. This feature lets you route specific apps through the VPN while others use your regular internet connection. This means you can use banking apps securely while streaming music normally.

We think both VPNs are safe to use. You’re getting military-grade encryption and comprehensive privacy features with either choice.

Some Key Differences

So we know NordVPN and Mullvad get the basics right. But what are the differences between these two VPNs? More importantly, do they matter?

Toss-Up Differences

With any two VPNs, you’ll find one is better at some features than others, even if there are not many differences between them. That’s the case with these two companies when it comes to servers and privacy policies.

For starters, Mullvad operates a respectable network of roughly 700 servers across 50 countries. That’s enough coverage for most people. NordVPN, however, plays in a different league entirely with over 8,000 servers spanning 127 countries. This gives you more options to find the perfect server for your needs.

On the other hand, Mullvad’s privacy policy is just a little more airtight than NordVPN’s. Again, NordVPN is no slouch in this department. It’s one of our top VPNs with a ‘no-logs’ policy. It never collects any information that could be used to track your online activities. The company doesn’t record IP addresses, or browsing histories, or timestamps. Independent auditing agencies have verified its claims. The most recent with Deloitte confirmed zero user activity logging.

Mullvad takes a different approach by generating a random 16-digit account number for each user. The company also accepts cash payments sent by mail and various cryptocurrencies, so you can maintain complete anonymity. They’ve also undergone multiple independent audits, with their most recent confirming their commitment to privacy.

NordVPN’s Real Strength

When push comes to shove, though, NordVPN has some features Mullvad just can’t match.

First up are obfuscated servers. Standard VPNs hide your identity and encrypt your traffic, making it impossible for anyone to monitor your online activities. However, they don’t hide the fact that you’re using a VPN connection.

Why does this matter? Many websites, like streaming platforms and some government sites, now actively detect and block VPN connections. You might be completely secure, but you’re locked out of content you want to access. Obfuscated servers solve this by disguising your VPN traffic as regular HTTPS traffic. This makes it virtually undetectable to even sophisticated VPN-blocking systems.

Given that it’s the only one of these two VPNs with obfuscated servers, it probably won’t come as a surprise that NordVPN is also far better at providing access to streaming servers. It’s at the top of our list of best VPNs for Netflix, for example. In fact, with NordVPN, you get reliable connections to Netflix, Hulu, Max, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and dozens of other entertainment sites across multiple regions. Mullvad explicitly states they don’t prioritize streaming access. Our testing confirmed this as we couldn’t access most major platforms.

Finally, as an added bonus, NordVPN is headquartered in Panama, a country outside the Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and 14 Eyes surveillance alliances. Mullvad is located in Sweden, a member of 14 Eyes. Mullvad limits what information it keeps in order to hinder government subpoenas, but the bottom line is that a country outside these alliances is safer than one in it.

Want to read even more about NordVPN’s many features? Check out our full NordVPN review.

Bottom Line

Mullvad impressed us. Their unwavering commitment to internet freedom is clear. Mullvad’s security features rival industry leaders, including multi-hop routing, automatic kill switches, and military-grade AES-256 encryption. At just $5.80 monthly with no contracts required, it’s one of the most simplistic pricing models we’ve seen.

However, we still recommend NordVPN. Beyond matching Mullvad’s security arsenal, NordVPN includes obfuscated servers that bypass even aggressive VPN detection and unlock streaming libraries worldwide. The monthly rate might be higher at $12.99, but annual subscribers pay just $4.59 monthly.

You should certainly consider Mullvad if:

• You’re looking for a short-term subscription, anywhere between one and 11 months.
• You want extra layers of anonymity.
• You need a secure VPN but aren’t as interested in entertainment options.

You’ll probably prefer NordVPN if:

• You want reliable access to Netflix, Max, Disney+, and other streaming services.
• You want to conceal the fact that you’re using a VPN.
• You’re planning to invest in a subscription of a year or more.