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Mullvad vs NordVPN (2024): Which VPN Should You Choose?
Mullvad VPN is a fan favorite among privacy enthusiasts for its emphasis on anonymity and transparency. On the other hand, NordVPN consistently ranks as a top VPN option for its extensive server network, extra security capabilities and polished application.
With this in mind, it may be difficult to decide which VPN is best for your needs. Fortunately, we’ve rounded up all the important info and data you need to choose which VPN is the right choice for you and your business.
Let’s dive in and see whether Mullvad VPN or NordVPN is the best fit for you.
- Mullvad VPN: Best for individuals who prioritize privacy and absolute anonymity with their personal information and browsing data.
- NordVPN: Best for most businesses, large or small, that need an all-around VPN with reliable speeds, a robust server network and wide platform support.
Mullvad VPN vs NordVPN: Comparison
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Mullvad VPN vs NordVPN: Pricing
Mullvad VPN pricing
Mullvad VPN is the only VPN I’ve tried that has a flat rate for all its contract options. Aside from the usual one-month and one-year subscriptions, Mullvad VPN also offers a unique one-decade subscription option.
- 1 month: $5.40 per month.
- 1 year: $5.40 per month.
- 1 decade: $5.40 per month.
If you want to learn more, read our full Mullvad VPN review.
Unfortunately, Mullvad VPN doesn’t offer a free trial of its paid VPN. While it provides customers with a 30-day money-back guarantee, I hope Mullvad considers offering a free trial on any one of its VPN clients, especially since other VPNs, like NordVPN, offer free trial access — even if some of them are only through their mobile application.
NordVPN pricing
NordVPN categorizes its paid plans into three tiers: Basic, Plus and Ultimate. NordVPN offers feature upgrades as you move up to the Ultimate plan, with all three subscription tiers offering a monthly, annual and two-year subscription.
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NordVPN has a seven-day free trial through its Android application. While I wish Nord gave Apple and desktop users the same access to a free trial, it’s still a lot better when compared with Mullvad VPN, which doesn’t offer any sort of test trial access. Thankfully, you can use NordVPN on desktop after accessing the free trial via its Android mobile app.
SEE: NordVPN vs ExpressVPN: Which VPN Is Best? (TechRepublic)
Like Mullvad, NordVPN also provides a 30-day money-back guarantee to its customers, allowing them to refund their subscription within the period if they find it isn’t a good fit.
If you want to learn more, check out our full NordVPN review.
Mullvad VPN vs NordVPN: Feature comparison
Security protocols and encryption
Winner: Tie
Both Mullvad VPN and NordVPN come with the high-quality security protocols we want out of modern-day VPNs. Mullvad VPN uses the OpenVPN and WireGuard tunneling protocols. On the other hand, NordVPN carries OpenVPN and NordLynx — its in-house VPN protocol based on WireGuard.
I appreciate how both VPNs don’t sacrifice user flexibility in choosing to include both OpenVPN and WireGuard/NordLynx. With these protocols, businesses can easily switch between having the strong security of OpenVPN or the fast speeds of WireGuard/NordLynx when connecting to a VPN server from either provider.
SEE: Surfshark vs NordVPN: Which VPN Is Better in 2024? (TechRepublic)
For encryption, I’m happy to see that both Mullvad VPN and NordVPN use the industry-standard AES-256 encryption algorithm. AES encryption is extremely secure, with banks and government agencies alike using it to encrypt and protect their data.
With both Mullvad VPN and NordVPN using AES-256, I’m glad to report a tie in the encryption round of this match-up.
VPN server network and locations
Winner: NordVPN
For server suites, NordVPN takes the decisive win over Mullvad VPN. As of July 2024, NordVPN has over 6,400+ servers across 111 countries in its server network. This covers locations in the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East.
On the flipside, Mullvad VPN offers 680+ servers from 44 countries and 81 cities. This is significantly smaller than NordVPN and is on the lower end compared to the average 2,000–4,000 servers we see in other VPN providers as well.
The large server pool advantage benefits prospective VPN users who want to unblock geo-restricted content found in other countries. Theoretically, this can also help with connection speeds since you’ll have more options to choose servers closer to your area — diminishing latency and lag.
SEE: 4 Different Types of VPNs & When to Use Them (TechRepublic)
That being said, I appreciate how Mullvad VPN provides a detailed view of its server network on its official website. It shows the available servers on its network, its respective providers and, more critically, server ownership.
This level of transparency doesn’t go unnoticed, and I commend Mullvad for not being afraid to disclose which servers they’re renting and which ones they actually own.
Despite this, it’s still clear that NordVPN is the better choice if your business is looking for a VPN with a diverse and robust server fleet.
Third-party audits and track record
Winner: Mullvad VPN
Mullvad VPN wins in terms of third-party testing and overall track record. With Mullvad’s heavy emphasis on transparency, it has shown a strong commitment to regular independent tests conducted by third-party experts. In fact, Mullvad’s most recent infrastructure audit result was published on June 28, 2024.
Mullvad VPN has audits on different aspects of its service dating back to 2017, all of which are available on its official website. It is also completely open-source, and its source code is available for public viewing and review.
SEE: 6 Best Anonymous (No-Log) VPNs for 2024 (TechRepublic)
Another big indicator of its strong security is an incident in April 2023, where Swedish Police officers visited Mullvad VPN offices looking for customer data. Because Mullvad VPN was a no-logs VPN and actually held true to this claim, the police officers left its offices empty-handed. With this, Mullvad showed it isn’t bluffing when it says it doesn’t record any sort of customer information.
That’s not to say NordVPN lacks in the third-party testing department — far from it. NordVPN has its service regularly audited as well, with its most recent audit result published in January 2024. It’s also closed-source software, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
But if you value third-party testing and staunch company transparency, I find Mullvad VPN to have a slight edge over NordVPN.
Performance and speed
Winner: NordVPN
For speed and real-world performance, NordVPN earns the win. During my testing, NordVPN gave me consistent and fast speeds with my regular workflow as a writer. This involved doing work on Google apps like Docs and Drive; attending online video meetings; doing research on multiple browser tabs; and streaming the occasional 1080p videos.
It also performed exceptionally well with speed tests, recording only a 5.80% decrease in download speed and a 16.2% drop in upload speed compared to my internet service provider.
On the other hand, I had a positive experience with Mullvad VPN’s servers. I didn’t experience any serious slowdown while doing the same tasks and was fairly impressed with the overall reliability of Mullvad VPN’s servers.
SEE: How to Start a Career in Cybersecurity (TechRepublic Premium)
However, Mullvad VPN is let down by its speed test results. For downloads, Mullvad VPN had a 40.8% drop in speed, while it had an 89.8% decrease for uploads — much larger deficits compared to what NordVPN provided.
While speed tests don’t necessarily tell the whole story, this can be an indicator that Mullvad could have less consistent results during connection-intensive tasks. Because of this, NordVPN gets the win for speed and performance.
Standout security features
Winner: Tie
While NordVPN comes with a large volume of additional security features, I think Mullvad VPN holds its own with its unique, privacy-focused value-adds.
First, Mullvad VPN uses a distinct anonymous account numbering system for all its paid users. This means that Mullvad customers don’t need to provide an email address, password or username to have a Mullvad VPN account — adding an extra layer of privacy to the end users.
It also lets users pay for a Mullvad VPN subscription via anonymous payment methods like cash, physical vouchers or cryptocurrencies. This reduces users’ digital footprint to a minimum, further enhancing the anonymous browsing experience we want with a VPN service.
Of course, I can’t discount the amount of additional security features NordVPN includes with its client. It has a built-in threat protection system that blocks ads, malware and trackers. It also includes its Meshnet private networking system, allowing for secure file sharing and device access through their VPN.
NordVPN also has security-focused server types, with obfuscated servers, double VPN capabilities and optimized P2P servers.
Despite NordVPN’s abundance of extra security features, I think Mullvad VPN’s comprehensive approach to customer privacy helps it stand on equal ground with the popular VPN provider.
Ease of use and design
Winner: NordVPN
When it comes to ease of use and overall app design, I pick NordVPN. Personally, I think NordVPN succeeds in having both an aesthetically pleasing design and an intuitive user interface.
While NordVPN carries a lot of features, I never felt overwhelmed as everything was cleanly organized. I also liked Nord’s sleek and minimalist design, which helps elevate the overall UI experience.
To Mullvad VPN’s credit, I had zero issues using its app as well. It was user-friendly and all the settings and usual VPN features were where I expected them to be.
I also like how Mullvad VPN lets users make a customized list of their favorite or most used VPN servers. This makes it fairly easy to quickly connect to your business’ top server location.
Subjectively speaking, however, I still prefer NordVPN’s more polished UI design over Mullvad VPN’s interface. While Mullvad VPN is very intuitive, its desktop application is on the more dated and cartoon-y side compared to NordVPN.
Simultaneous device connections
Winner: NordVPN
NordVPN allows more simultaneous device connections than Mullvad VPN. Right now, users can have up to 10 simultaneous device connections with the NordVPN app. While I would have preferred unlimited device connections, this is significantly more than Mullvad VPN’s current five-device limit.
If your business plans to have multiple devices connected to a VPN server, NordVPN will be a better fit with its 10 simultaneous device connections.
Mullvad VPN pros and cons
Pros
- Anonymous user account number system for increased privacy.
- Consistent third-party security audits.
- Affordable monthly subscription.
Cons
- Small server network and country spread.
- Lack of a dedicated free trial.
- Only five simultaneous device connections.
NordVPN pros and cons
Pros
- Larger server network of 6,400 servers in 111 countries.
- Fast and reliable VPN speeds.
- Polished and intuitive user experience.
- Abundance of additional security capabilities.
Cons
- Monthly plan is on the expensive end.
- Free trial is via Android app only.
Should your organization use Mullvad VPN or NordVPN?
Overall, NordVPN is the more well-rounded VPN solution. It carries a robust server network of 6,400 servers across 111 countries and includes a variety of extra security features aside from the VPN. It also provides incredibly consistent VPN speeds and performance.
NordVPN is best for most businesses, big or small, that want a full-featured VPN that can help unblock geo-restricted content, easily change device IP addresses and strengthen security and privacy within the organization.
Mullvad VPN is best for individual users or individual business owners who prioritize anonymity above everything else. It’s also a great pick for users who want to leave as little a digital footprint as possible through its random account system and anonymous payment options.
Unfortunately, Mullvad VPN’s less developed server network, poorer speed test performance and smaller allowable simultaneous device connections hold it back from getting the win over NordVPN.
Methodology
My comparison of Mullvad VPN and NordVPN involved real-world evaluation of both VPNs and a detailed analysis of each VPN’s features, value and performance.
To assess each VPN, both services were scored on everything, from their security protocols to pricing. In particular, I took into account five main pillars, each having corresponding weights:
- Pricing (20%).
- Core VPN features (30%).
- Ease of use (15%).
- Customer support (30%).
- Expert analysis (5%).
I also took into account real user feedback and reputable reviews to round out my final recommendations for both Mullvad VPN and NordVPN.
For speed and performance, I tested both VPNs on my personal Windows computer and ran them through Ookla’s public Speedtest. Finally, I thought about which types of businesses or individual users would best benefit from either NordVPN or Mullvad VPN.
