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Most private VPN I’ve ever seen: Mullvad

Some days ago, when Proton VPN’s free servers were very slow to the point I couldn’t use it, I looked at my suggestion note for another VPN. Then, my eyes caught this  Mullvad on that note. With no hesitation, I fired up Firefox and looked for more information about it on  DuckDuckGo.  Here’s why I consider it as the Most private VPN I’ve ever seen.

Based on Sweden

If Proton VPN based on Switzerland, this  Mullvad based in Sweden. Sweden is a country where they treat individual privacy pretty well. Because of this, I visit their homepage to get more information on their service.

Anonymous and simple

Their homepage is not that fancy, but neat. But I guess this doesn’t matter too much. The one that surprises me more is how easy it is to sign up for an account.

It is very simple and easy. You clicked that  Get account button at the top right. The yellow one.

Then, you’ll get a simple equation to solve. Just fill the answer for that equation, and click that  Generate Account Number button.

Done and you get an active account number with them in a matter of seconds. The next thing to do is download their app. You can do it by clicking the Download button at the top right, next to that  Get Account button. The download page will display the app for your platform, so just click the download there.

No need for e-mail

Yes, seriously. There’s no need for an e-mail address. Not even a password. The only account credential for you is the generated account number you get earlier. So, keep it safely on your password manager or vault or whatever.

Lightweight app

At least on Mac, their native app is lightweight. Unlike the Proton VPN that requires some seconds to load, this Mullvad app is even faster. To me, it instantly opens.

Supports anonymous payment

They accept payment in  cash. No payment is more anonymous than cash. Not only that, they accept payment in any currency too, in cash. You only need to send them an equivalent amount of 5 EUR in your local currency.

Besides that, they also accept Bitcoin. The other payment options are:

  • Bitcoin cash

  • Credit card. I use this.

  • Bank wire.

  • Paypal. If you want to have a subscription that renews automatically, as far as I know, Paypal is the only way. The other payment methods are a single purchase. This means you need to pay them 5 EUR on the next month manually.

  • Activation code. I get no idea where you can buy their subscription in a store. They said you can purchase it in a store or accept a coupon from them.

  • Swish – if you live in Sweden. It’s their mobile payment platform.

Single pricing

There’s only one-tier. It is 5 EUR for a month. Even if you plan to purchase yearly, there’s no discount. So, if you choose yearly, you must pay 60 EUR. I prefer to pay it monthly.

Their pricing is equivalent to US$5.8. It’s more expensive than Proton VPN Basic plan price though it’s much cheaper than their Plus plan.

No auto subscription unless you use Paypal

As I have said above, there is no way to make the subscription run automatically. For some people, this may be more hassles because they must pay manually when the subscription expires.

For the others, this may be a good reminder. I know many people who forget if they still subscribe to a service they don’t use it anymore. Since it’s a small amount, they just overlook it on their monthly statement. This allows the service to keep renewing the subscription without the approval of the payer.

I prefer such a subscription model. In case I don’t need their service anymore, I need not cancel it. But, for those who are confident they need the service for so long, you can use Paypal and subscribe every month. This way,  Mullvad will keep renewing it automatically unless you cancel it.

Money-back guarantee

As a Proton VPN,  Mullvad gives 30 days money-back guarantee too. However, it may not be useful if you pay monthly.

Faster speed

I have done no benchmark test, but it feels that Mullvad’s  speed is faster for my daily use compared to the Proton VPN Free and Basic Plan. My daily uses are just:

  • Sending e-mail

  • Browsing the information

  • Web development activities on AWS C9 or other Cloud IDEs

  • Chatting on Skype and Slack.

  • Streaming (rarely)

  • Listening to the favorite podcast (sometimes)

Though I don’t think it’s as fast as Proton VPN Plus, Mullvad connection stability is much better. I never need to reconnect again. So far, it’s smooth sailing.

No affiliate program

They state it themselves on their homepage. With this, I believe most reviews about them are honest because the reviewers are not getting paid by affiliate commission. Even if there are some bad reviews, it will probably be a campaign from their competitors or haters.

The verdicts

If you’re a person who’s a freak about your privacy and anonymity,  Mullvad VPN is for you. If you live near them, you can pay them by cash or send them the cash.

Will I leave Proton VPN for Mullvad?

I still keep the Proton VPN app on my Mac. I also keep this  Mullvad. In case I am short of money, I can just switch to Proton VPN Free service. Otherwise, just pay 5 EUR to Mullvad and enjoy their service.

Categories: VPN  
Tags: vpn