VPN

Mullvad VPN vs Proton VPN: Which Should You Use?

A practical comparison of features, pricing, ease of use, best use cases and value for money.

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Quick verdict

Best overall

Proton VPN

Best for beginners

Proton VPN

Best value

Mullvad VPN

Best for professionals

Proton VPN

Best free option

Proton VPN

Final recommendation

Pick Mullvad if account-level anonymity and flat pricing come first; pick Proton VPN for a broader feature set, free tier and bundled suite.

Side-by-side

Mullvad VPN vs Proton VPN at a glance

Criteria	Mullvad VPN	Proton VPN
Main use case	Anonymity-first VPN	Privacy-first VPN + suite
Account model	Anonymous account number	Proton account (email)
Free plan	No	Yes — unlimited data
Payment options	Cards, crypto, cash	Cards, PayPal, crypto
Secure Core / multi-hop	Multi-hop via WireGuard config	Secure Core built in
Pricing	€5/mo flat	Free / from $4.99/mo (Plus)
Best for	Anonymity purists	Everyday privacy + Proton users
Weaknesses	No streaming optimisation	Fewer servers than NordVPN
ToolMoneyLab score	89 / 100	93 / 100
CTA	Try Mullvad VPN →	Try Proton VPN →

Choose Mullvad VPN if…

Choose Mullvad if you want the least amount of personal data attached to your VPN account and a flat price with no games.

Choose Proton VPN if…

Choose Proton VPN if you want Secure Core, a real free plan and the option to bundle mail, drive and a password manager.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

The details that matter

Feature	Mullvad VPN	Proton VPN
Main use case	Anonymity-first VPN	Privacy-first VPN + suite
Account model	Anonymous account number	Proton account (email)
Free plan	No	Yes — unlimited data
Payment options	Cards, crypto, cash	Cards, PayPal, crypto
Secure Core / multi-hop	Multi-hop via WireGuard config	Secure Core built in
Pricing	€5/mo flat	Free / from $4.99/mo (Plus)
Best for	Anonymity purists	Everyday privacy + Proton users
Weaknesses	No streaming optimisation	Fewer servers than NordVPN
ToolMoneyLab score	89 / 100	93 / 100

Pricing comparison

What you'll actually pay

Mullvad is a flat €5/mo. Proton VPN Plus is $9.99/mo standalone but cheaper on multi-year and cheapest inside Proton Unlimited at $9.99/mo for the whole suite.

Pricing changes frequently, so always check the official website before subscribing.

Pros and cons

What we liked and didn't

Mullvad VPN — Pros

Anonymous account numbers — no email required
Flat €5/mo with no upsells
Independently audited and open source
Accepts cash and Monero

Mullvad VPN — Cons

No streaming optimisation
No affiliate programme (editorial-only recommendation)

Proton VPN — Pros

Genuinely usable free plan
Swiss privacy law and independent audits
Open-source apps on every platform
Bundled inside Proton Unlimited

Proton VPN — Cons

Fewer streaming servers than mainstream VPNs
Best value only inside Proton Unlimited

Final verdict

The bottom line

Choose Mullvad VPN if…

Choose Mullvad for the strictest anonymity posture at a flat price.

Choose Proton VPN if…

Choose Proton VPN when you want a broader suite and a real free tier.

Explore the Proton ecosystem →

The Tool Money Lab Verdict

Our editorial call on Mullvad VPN vs Proton VPN

After spending real time with both Mullvad VPN and Proton VPN, our editorial view is that these tools solve overlapping problems in very different ways. Mullvad VPN is built for privacy purists who want minimal data collection at a flat price., while Proton VPN is aimed at users who want a strong free plan, secure core routing and a bundled privacy suite.. Neither is objectively "better" — the right answer depends on the work you actually do, not on which product has the flashier launch video.

Proton VPN takes the edge on our internal scorecard (93/100 vs 89/100), but that headline number hides the nuance. Mullvad VPN tends to win on anonymous account numbers — no email required, while Proton VPN pulls ahead on genuinely usable free plan. If your workflow leans heavily into either of those, the "winner" for you changes.

Our recommendation is to pick the tool that matches the way you already work, rather than the one with the broader marketing footprint. The gap between them is not large enough to justify fighting your own habits — but it is large enough that the wrong choice will cost you time every day for months.

We recommend Mullvad VPN to…

Privacy purists who want minimal data collection at a flat price

We recommend Proton VPN to…

Users who want a strong free plan
Secure Core routing
a bundled privacy suite

Where Mullvad VPN clearly wins

Anonymous account numbers — no email required
Flat €5/mo with no upsells
Independently audited and open source

Where Proton VPN clearly wins

Genuinely usable free plan
Swiss privacy law and independent audits
Open-source apps on every platform

Trade-offs to know

Mullvad VPN: No streaming optimisation
Proton VPN: Fewer streaming servers than mainstream VPNs

Value for money

On pure value, Proton VPN currently offers the stronger price-to-capability ratio for its target audience, but Mullvad VPN remains the better spend when its speciality is the deciding factor.

Overall recommendation

Most readers should start with Proton VPN for users who want a strong free plan, secure core routing and a bundled privacy suite., and consider Mullvad VPN when privacy purists who want minimal data collection at a flat price. is the dominant use case.

Why we made this recommendation

How The Tool Money Lab evaluates every comparison

Every comparison published by The Tool Money Lab is written by editors who use these products in day-to-day work. We weigh the factors below against the reader profile the comparison is aimed at, and we call out situations where the affiliate-linked product is NOT the right choice. Where we have used a product extensively ourselves — Lovable is the clearest example, since this site is built with it — we disclose that in the review. Where a recommendation includes affiliate links, we may earn a commission when you sign up, at no additional cost to you. Affiliate relationships never change the editorial conclusion: if the paid product is worse for you, we say so.

Features

Ease of use

Performance

Reliability

Security

Privacy

Value for money

Business suitability

Ecosystem

Customer support

Long-term usability

Commercial model

Real-world testing where applicable

Independent research

Disclosure: pages on The Tool Money Lab may contain affiliate links. We may earn a commission when you sign up through them, at no additional cost to you. Affiliate relationships never change our editorial conclusion — if a paid product is the wrong choice for you, we say so.

Try them yourself

VPN

Mullvad VPN

The anonymity-first VPN with account numbers instead of emails.

Best for: Privacy purists who want minimal data collection at a flat price.

Try Mullvad VPN →Read review

VPN

Proton VPN

The privacy-first Swiss VPN from the Proton suite.

Best for: Users who want a strong free plan, Secure Core routing and a bundled privacy suite.

Try Proton VPN →Read review

Disclosure: We may earn a commission if you sign up through links on this page, at no additional cost to you. Our comparisons remain editorially independent. This one is based on the vendors' published product, pricing and compliance documentation rather than hands-on testing, and each review states its evidence class.

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