Note: This review is based on Mullvad’s official pricing, help and blog pages, plus the pricing pages of NordVPN, Surfshark and Proton VPN, all checked on September 27, 2026. We did not run speed or streaming tests, so there are no benchmark numbers here. VPN promo prices change often, so confirm on each vendor’s site before you buy.
Short answer: Mullvad is worth it if privacy is the main reason you want a VPN. You sign up without an email, can pay in cash or crypto, and pay the same €5 per month whether you buy one month or a year. It is not the best pick if you want streaming unblocking, more than 5 devices, port forwarding or the lowest possible first-year price.
- Pick Mullvad for anonymous signup, no long-term commitment and a simple, audited, WireGuard-only service.
- Pick Proton VPN if you want strong privacy plus port forwarding and streaming support.
- Pick NordVPN or Surfshark if you want the lowest intro price on a 2-year plan, streaming support and extra features, and you’re fine with a normal email-based account.
Mullvad pricing (September 2026)
Mullvad has one plan and one price.
| Mullvad | |
|---|---|
| Price | €5 per month, same rate whether you pay monthly or for a year |
| Approx. in other currencies (Mullvad’s figures) | $5.70, £4.30, CA$8.06, A$8.08 |
| Long-term discount | None |
| Crypto discount | 10% off when paying with accepted cryptocurrencies |
| Payment methods | Cash, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Monero, bank wire, credit card, PayPal, Swish and several European bank methods |
| Refund | 14-day money-back guarantee (not available for cash payments) |
| Devices | Up to 5 per account |
What this means: a year of Mullvad costs €60, and it costs €60 again the next year. There is no promo price that triples on renewal, and no reason to prepay 2 years.
How Mullvad compares on price
| VPN (cheapest plan) | Best intro deal | Paid upfront | Renews at | Devices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mullvad | €5/mo, any term | €5 per month | €5/mo (no change) | 5 |
| NordVPN Basic | $3.49/mo on a 2-year plan | $94.23 for the first 27 months | $139.08/year | 10 |
| Surfshark Starter | $2.49/mo on a 2-year plan | $67.23 for the first 27 months | $79/year | Unlimited |
| Proton VPN Plus | $3.49/mo on a 2-year plan | $83.76 for 24 months | $83.88/year | 10 |
NordVPN and Surfshark 2-year plans currently include 3 extra months. Surfshark’s renewal figure comes from its pricing page data, not the plan card. Proton’s figures come from its checkout on September 27, 2026 with the intro offer applied.
The takeaway: over the first two years, Mullvad (about €120) is the most expensive of the four. After the intro periods end, it’s the cheapest of the four per year: €60 (about $68 at Mullvad’s rate) versus $79 for Surfshark, $83.88 for Proton and $139.08 for NordVPN. If you plan to stay for years and hate renewal surprises, Mullvad’s flat price is a genuine advantage.
What you get: features and limits
| Mullvad | |
|---|---|
| Account | Random account number. No email, no name |
| Protocol | WireGuard only. OpenVPN was fully removed on January 15, 2026 |
| Quantum-resistant tunnels | Yes. Default on desktop since early 2025 |
| DAITA (traffic-analysis defense) | Yes, in all apps, on select servers (Amsterdam, London, Los Angeles, New York) |
| Multihop | Yes |
| Split tunneling | Yes, on desktop apps |
| Kill switch / Lockdown mode | Kill switch always on. Lockdown mode on desktop |
| Port forwarding | No. Removed July 1, 2023 |
| Servers | 566 servers in 50 countries listed on Mullvad’s server page |
| Server storage | RAM-only (diskless) since September 2023 |
| Jurisdiction | Sweden |
| Apps | Open source |
Why port forwarding matters for developers
Mullvad announced in May 2023 that it would remove port forwarding. It said people had been using forwarded ports to host malicious content, which led to IP blacklisting and hosting problems for everyone. Existing ports were deleted on July 1, 2023.
If you relied on a VPN port to expose a local dev server, receive webhooks or seed torrents, Mullvad can’t do that now. Use a tunnel service for webhooks, or pick a VPN that still forwards ports. Proton VPN supports it on P2P servers for all paid plans (Windows, macOS and Linux).
What DAITA does
DAITA (Defense Against AI-guided Traffic Analysis) pads packets to a constant size, adds random background traffic and distorts traffic patterns. The goal is to make it harder to tell which sites you visit from encrypted traffic alone. It’s built on the open-source Maybenot framework and works only on a handful of server locations for now. Most people won’t need it.
Audits and transparency
Mullvad publishes its audit reports on its blog. Recent ones:
| Date published | Auditor | What was audited |
|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | Leviathan Security Group | Android app (MASA assessment) |
| March 2026 | Assured Security Consultants | GotaTun, Mullvad’s WireGuard implementation for Android |
| January 2026 | X41 D-Sec | Payment and account API and backend services |
| October 2025 | Assured | Web application |
| June 2024 | Cure53 | VPN server infrastructure |
These are security audits of apps and infrastructure, not a single “no-logs certificate.” Combined with RAM-only servers and no-email accounts, Mullvad simply holds very little data that could identify you. NordVPN, Surfshark and Proton all have no-logs assurance reports too (Deloitte for NordVPN and Surfshark, Securitum for Proton), but they still hold your email and payment details.
What you give up compared with NordVPN, Surfshark and Proton
- Streaming. Mullvad doesn’t advertise streaming unblocking and uses shared IP addresses. NordVPN, Surfshark and Proton VPN Plus all market streaming support.
- Device count. 5 devices versus 10 on NordVPN and Proton Plus, and unlimited on Surfshark.
- Port forwarding. Gone since 2023. Proton still offers it.
- Extras. No dedicated IPs, antivirus, password manager or identity-monitoring bundles. NordVPN and Surfshark sell all of these in higher tiers.
- Short-term price. If you only need a VPN for a year or two, NordVPN, Surfshark and Proton are cheaper on their intro deals.
- Protocol choice. WireGuard only. If a network blocks WireGuard, Mullvad’s obfuscation options help, but you can’t fall back to OpenVPN.
Which should you pick?
| Your situation | Pick |
|---|---|
| You want no email, no name, and to pay in cash or Monero | Mullvad |
| You want strong privacy plus port forwarding | Proton VPN Plus |
| You want the cheapest 2-year deal and unlimited devices | Surfshark |
| You want streaming, 10 devices and optional extras like a dedicated IP | NordVPN |
| You’ll keep a VPN for years and want a price that never jumps | Mullvad |
| You only need a VPN for a few weeks | Mullvad (monthly €5, no long plan needed) |
If you decide Mullvad’s limits are a dealbreaker, NordVPN is the closest all-rounder, and Surfshark is the cheapest way to cover a whole household. For more detail, see our NordVPN review and NordVPN vs Surfshark comparison.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Signup with a random account number. No email or personal details.
- Cash, Monero and Bitcoin accepted, with 10% off for crypto.
- Flat €5/month with no renewal price jump and no long-term lock-in.
- RAM-only servers, open-source apps and regular published audits.
- Quantum-resistant WireGuard and DAITA built in.
Cons
- No port forwarding since July 2023.
- 5-device limit.
- No streaming support advertised.
- More expensive than intro deals from NordVPN, Surfshark and Proton over the first two years.
- WireGuard only. OpenVPN was removed in January 2026.
- 14-day refund window (30 days at NordVPN, Surfshark and Proton), and no refunds on cash payments.
FAQ
How much does Mullvad cost in 2026? €5 per month. The price is the same for one month or a full year, and Mullvad lists it as about $5.70. Paying with crypto gets a 10% discount.
Does Mullvad need an email address? No. Mullvad generates a random account number, and that’s your login. It doesn’t ask for your name or email.
Does Mullvad support port forwarding? No. It removed port forwarding on July 1, 2023, after abuse led to blacklisting and hosting problems. Proton VPN still supports it on P2P servers.
How many devices can I use with Mullvad? Up to 5 devices per account.
Is Mullvad good for Netflix? Mullvad doesn’t advertise streaming support. If streaming matters, NordVPN, Surfshark and Proton VPN Plus all market it.
Is Mullvad cheaper than NordVPN? Not at first. NordVPN Basic costs $94.23 for the first 27 months, compared with about €120 for 24 months of Mullvad. After renewal, NordVPN Basic costs $139.08 a year, while Mullvad stays at €60 a year.
Comparing more providers? See our best VPN for developers guide and our CyberGhost alternatives roundup.
Sources, checked September 27, 2026: Mullvad pricing, Mullvad VPN features, Mullvad server list, Mullvad: removing port forwarding, Mullvad RAM-only migration, Mullvad review of 2025, DAITA, Using the Mullvad app, Mullvad audits, NordVPN pricing, NordVPN no-logs, Surfshark pricing, Surfshark Deloitte audit, Proton VPN pricing, Proton VPN port forwarding, Proton VPN no-logs audit.