Thinking of ordering Mullvad VPN? Read our review first

Mullvad^[1] is a personal VPN service that supports open-source VPN technologies including OpenVPN and WireGuard. Mullvad was founded in 2008 and is owned by the Swedish company named Amagicom AB. The service is not subject to the USA security snooping theoretically. So those who avoid US-based VPNs should consider the Mullvad VPN service.^[2]

World-class, online privacy. Mullvad is a VPN service that helps keep your online activity, identity, and location private.

Mullvad allows users to browse the web securely by encrypting the data to the highest standards. It also does not collect activity logs or ask for personal information, including a name or email address. The VPN service has 182 servers in 29 (mostly highly developed) countries. The company also says that it owns its servers rather than renting them.^[3]

A review of MullvadVPN that will open your eyes

What we liked is that Mullvad VPN is super simple to set up. The installer of the client software only takes 12.5 MB and is easy to install and pay for the service. For us, it took only a minute to securely connect. In order to start using the VPN, users are only required to download and install the app. It does not ask any setup configurations or registration process – an account number is the only thing required to connect to the Mullvad VPN service. Once the account number is received, users can try the VPN service for free for three hours. After that, users have to choose to either make a payment or cancel the service. Mullvad VPN offers client software for Windows PCs, Macs, and Debian-based Linux including Ubuntu or newer. Users can also run a generic Open VPN client on any desktop. However, the Mullvad VPN service does not provide its own applications, instead, it recommends OpenVPN for Android and OpenVPN Connect for iOS. There are also no Mullvad browser extensions and does not offer ad blocking.

Pricy package for an average VPN service

After the first three hours of using Mullvad VPN, users are required to pay 5 Euro (which is approximately $6) per month. Even if a user decides to pay per year at once, there is no discount, or any other plans, which makes the VPN service seem to be a bit pricey.

Mullvad VPNs offer regular functions like other average VPNs providers do

Mullvad aims to provide a high degree of privacy for its users and provides with only the VPN essentials.

The privacy features include:

• Wi-Fi protection helps users to stay secure on public Wi-Fi
• Protection against mass surveillance
• Privacy protection hides the IP address and replaces by the Mullvad’s one
• Anonymous account which can be created without supplying any personal information.
• Protection during disconnections – Kill Switch.
• No logging and no tracking on the homepage.
• Fight censorship to bypass restrictive firewalls and proxies.
• Mitigate blocking and throttling by wrapping the traffic in a layer of obfuscation that makes it harder for the provider to identify.

The strongest part of MullvadVPN is a secure data encryption

Mullvad uses AES-256 encryption while customers are authenticated using the RSA-4096 encryption and use an SHA-384 handshake. In addition, OpenVPN connections are reconnected every hour. None of the protections are customizable but its worth mention that the privacy protections are advanced. The anonymity is taken to another level, as all the user gets is a 16-digit number and no other personal information is required to start using the VPN. Mullvad is based in Sweden, which means that it theoretically bypass the US government warrants. Sweden is not an ISP and is not part of NATO. It is worth to mention that the VPN does not do affiliate marketing. As you can see Mullvad offers superior privacy protections for privacy fanatics.

MullvadVPN connection speed is very low

Mullvad’s performance rates are not the best. In fact, the VPN service is one of the slowest out there. However, when it comes to playing music and streaming videos on a smartphone Mullvad did actually a pretty decent job. The connection speeds are inconsistent as some of them were very fast, but the VPN service’s infrastructure was one of the slowest connection times at almost 18 seconds. The network latency is also one of the worst in the market – almost 112 milliseconds, which is an increase of 800% from the baseline. The transferring data scores were one of the best in the market as the average download and upload speed is 13 megabits per second. It is worth mentioning that a Mullvad connection is steady but over a period of 12 hours, it needed to be reconnected four times. Customer support The company offers users lots of resources for support including setup guides for all platforms and extensive FAQs. In addition, Mullvad also offers a tech support via email, so users can email the VPN-related questions at any time.

The user interface is not the best we have ever seen

Mullvad’s interface can see a bit outdated since it reminds one of an old-school PC interface. However, the VPN service can seem a bit complex to use. The client software applies a two-tabbed functional interface, which can seem a bit confusing and hard to get used to. The Status window displays the connection and the users also can see details such as the IP address, port or protocol used.

When it comes to mobile devices, it can seem a bit complex to install the VPN service on Android or iOS devices. More information on how to set up the VPN on the Android device is provided by the company. There is a padlock icon in the mobile version, which indicates if the VPN is active or inactive.

We would not recommend Mullvad VPN because of slow connection and pricy plans

Mullvad VPN offers very decent privacy protections, it is extremely private, based in Sweden and has a quick and easy setup process. However, it is technically complex, pricey and has one of the lowest performance rates in the market.