Mullvad VPN is one of the most privacy-first services you can buy. You sign up with a random account number instead of an email, you can pay in cash or Monero, and the price is a flat EUR 5 a month. Its servers, apps and payment systems have been audited again and again.
Every choice has trade-offs, though. Mullvad caps you at 5 devices, removed port forwarding in 2023, and sells a single plan with no dedicated IP add-on. Streaming services block it often, and its iPhone app has no split tunneling. If one of those gaps is why you're shopping, the right alternative depends on which one bothers you most. Below, we match each Mullvad weakness to the VPN that fixes it, and we're candid about when staying put is the smarter move.
Why Look for a Mullvad Alternative?
Mullvad does the core job well, and our Mullvad VPN review scores it 8.5/10. Sign-up takes seconds, the apps install in under three minutes, and a connection comes up in about three seconds. The Linux app is a full graphical client, so you never need the command line.
The network is the first limit. Mullvad runs 566 servers in 50 countries, and on a network that small, a crowded server is easy to notice. On our gigabit line, its US servers swung from about 384 Mbps down to under 90 Mbps, and even a nearby server cut speeds by around 45% on a bad run. Everyday browsing also ran into frequent CAPTCHA and Cloudflare checks. Support is email-only, with replies that took anywhere from a few minutes to almost a day.
Router users have one more reason to look elsewhere. Mullvad dropped OpenVPN in January 2026, so the service now runs on WireGuard only. Router setup already needed manual technical work, even before that.
Only 5 Devices per Account
Mullvad allows up to 5 devices per account. That cap fills fast once phones, laptops, a tablet and a TV stick are all connected, and the only fix inside Mullvad is paying for a second account. Proton VPN, NordVPN and ExpressVPN each start at 10 devices, while Surfshark and PIA set no limit at all.
No Port Forwarding or Dedicated IP
Port forwarding lets incoming connections reach your device through the VPN tunnel. It matters for seeding torrents, hosting a game server or reaching a home server while you're away. Mullvad cited abuse when it removed the feature. Some users hosted undesirable content and malicious services, which led to law-enforcement contact and blacklisted IPs. Without it, all three of those jobs get harder.
Mullvad removed port forwarding in mid-2023. The change was announced on 29 May 2023 and took effect on 1 July 2023. IVPN removed its own port forwarding on 30 September 2023, so it won't fill this gap either.
A dedicated IP is an address that only you use. It helps with banking logins and allowlisted work servers, and it cuts down on CAPTCHAs. Mullvad sells one flat plan with no add-ons, so there is no dedicated IP option to buy, and every server uses shared IPs.
Weak for Streaming
Mullvad doesn't run streaming-optimized servers, and it doesn't chase unblocking. On its shared IPs, Netflix and BBC iPlayer threw proxy errors in our testing, and access that worked in one session failed minutes later. If you watch overseas libraries every week, that gets old quickly.
No Split Tunneling on iOS
Split tunneling lets chosen apps or sites skip the VPN while everything else stays protected. Mullvad offers it on Windows, macOS, Linux and Android, but not on iPhone or iPad. iOS is a hard platform for this feature in general, and Proton VPN's iOS app lacks it too. Check the iOS answer in our FAQ before you switch for this reason alone.
How We Picked These Mullvad Alternatives
We started from the gaps above and held each candidate against Mullvad itself. Privacy came first. Every pick needed a no-logs policy checked by a named auditor, and we noted each company's jurisdiction and payment options. A VPN that fixed streaming but weakened privacy didn't make the list.
Then we compared each pick's speeds with Mullvad's, using US servers on a fast line wherever we could, and noted how far each one fell on distant servers. We checked for DNS, IPv6 and WebRTC leaks, watched whether the kill switch held when servers changed, and tried Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Prime Video, Hulu and Max. Last, we compared the features people leave Mullvad for: device limits, port forwarding, dedicated IP options, iOS split tunneling and pricing per month. Each pick's score comes from our full review of that service, and those scores set the order below.
Mullvad Alternatives Compared
Mullvad sits in the last row as the baseline. Prices are each provider's lowest long-term monthly rate, so weigh them against Mullvad's flat EUR 5 monthly price, which never changes with plan length.
| Product | Buy | Price | Devices | Server countries | Port forwarding | Streaming | Audited no-logs | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Check price → | $2.99/mo(2 yr) | 10 (1 free) | 140+ | Yes (P2P, desktop) | Strong on paid plans | Securitum, 2026 | Switzerland |
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Check price | $3.49/mo(2 yr) | 10 | 130+ (counts vary) | No | Strong | Deloitte, 2026 | Panama |
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Check price | $2.99/mo(28 mo) | 10 | 113 | No (apps) | Strong | KPMG, 2025 | British Virgin Islands |
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Check price | $2.49/mo(2 yr) | Unlimited | 100 | No | Strong | Deloitte, 2025 | Netherlands |
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Check price | $2.03/mo(3 yr) | Unlimited | 104 (still growing) | Yes (non-US) | Weak | Deloitte, 2025 | United States |
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Check price | $5/mo(1 yr) | 5 (10 on Pro Suite) | 41 | No | Weak | Cure53, 2019 | Gibraltar |
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EUR 5/moflat | 5 | 50 | No (removed 2023) | Weak | Security audits only | Sweden |
1. Proton VPN - Best Privacy-Focused Mullvad Alternative
If you want to leave Mullvad without lowering your privacy bar, Proton VPN is the closest match among the big names. Securitum has run Proton's independent no-logs audit five years in a row, and the 2026 report found no evidence of logging browsing activity, DNS queries or user-identifiable connection metadata. Proton AG is based in Switzerland, and every Proton VPN app has been open source since 2020.
Speed was the first thing we checked against Mullvad, and the gap was clear. Proton's paid servers cut our download speed by no more than about 8 percent, and VPN Accelerator helped noticeably on distant servers. Leak tests for DNS, IPv6 and WebRTC stayed clean across dozens of countries. Netflix libraries, BBC iPlayer and HBO Max unblocked consistently on paid plans, while Disney+ could be hit or miss.
Privacy Parity With Mullvad
Proton matches several Mullvad habits. It takes cash and Bitcoin as well as cards and PayPal. Secure Core routes traffic through hardened servers in Iceland, Switzerland or Sweden before it exits. That extra hop runs about 35 percent slower, so save it for sensitive sessions. Port forwarding works on P2P servers in the Windows, macOS and Linux apps, and built-in profiles made our torrent setup quick. Our guide to Proton VPN port forwarding walks through it.
VPN Plus covers 10 devices for $2.99 a month on the 2-year plan or $9.99 month to month, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Our Proton VPN review covers the full plan lineup.
Pros
- NetShield blocks ads and malware
- Servers in 140+ countries, against Mullvad's 50
- The app explains each setting in plain language
Cons
- Dedicated IPs only on Business plans
- Live chat is not 24/7, and email replies can take two days or more
2. NordVPN - Best Mullvad Alternative Overall
Where Proton matches Mullvad on privacy, NordVPN fixes the most Mullvad gaps at once. Its no-logs policy passed a sixth Deloitte assurance engagement (ISAE 3000), announced in February 2026. The company is based in Panama, and its servers are RAM-only.
The speed difference was the widest we measured. On the same US locations where Mullvad wobbled, NordVPN held 825 to 903 Mbps on our gigabit line, keeping 95 percent or more of the line's full speed. Regular servers unblocked Netflix in 20+ regions, plus Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+ and BBC iPlayer, with no special streaming server needed. The apps ran without crashes or stalls across torrenting, streaming and everyday browsing.
Dedicated IP and Meshnet
NordVPN sells a dedicated IP add-on from $3.69 a month on a 2-year plan, though the add-on price changes with subscription length and promotions. Meshnet links your own devices in a private encrypted network, so you can reach a home computer or share files remotely. That covers some jobs Mullvad users once handled with port forwarding, but NordVPN itself offers no inbound port forwarding.
The network runs to 9,000+ servers. Country totals range from about 130 to 160+, though, because NordVPN counts virtual locations differently across its own pages. Basic costs $3.49 a month on the 2-year plan or $14.99 month to month, covers 10 devices and carries a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Pros
- Live chat answers within minutes
- Threat Protection Pro blocks malware and trackers
Cons
- The renewal price jumps well above the promotional rate
- Double VPN can cut throughput to around half on a fast line
3. ExpressVPN - Best Mullvad Alternative for Streaming
NordVPN streams well, but if streaming is the one thing Mullvad keeps breaking, ExpressVPN is the alternative we'd reach for. ExpressVPN's KPMG no-logs assessment checked its TrustedServer setup and privacy-policy claims as of February 2025, and the report was published that June. The company is registered in the British Virgin Islands and since September 2021, it has been owned by Kape Technologies, which is also PIA's parent.
We pointed it first at the services that failed on Mullvad. Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Prime Video and Hulu unblocked across many regions without buffering. Access can still shift from week to week, with the odd proxy error on a specific service, but we rarely had to hunt for a working server. Network Lock, its kill switch, fired correctly when a server timed out or the network changed.
Fast Lightway Speeds
Lightway is ExpressVPN's own open-source protocol. It has been rewritten in Rust, runs post-quantum encryption by default and has been audited by Cure53 and Praetorian. On our gigabit line it held roughly 450 to 720 Mbps on US and UK servers. On a slower home line, nearby downloads dropped by 37 to 39 percent, a bigger hit than NordVPN or Proton VPN.
Basic costs $2.99 a month on the 28-month term, covers 10 devices and spans 113 countries. The sticker shock comes at renewal, when Basic jumps to $99.95 a year. That is why we also keep a list of ExpressVPN alternatives. A 30-day money-back guarantee applies, and the mobile apps offer a 7-day free trial.
Pros
- One-button apps with almost nothing to configure
- Pro plan includes a dedicated IP
Cons
- No Double VPN or other multi-hop option
- No port forwarding in the standard apps
4. Surfshark - Best Mullvad Alternative for Unlimited Devices
If ExpressVPN solves streaming, Surfshark solves the household problem for less money. Deloitte verified its no-logs policy (ISAE 3000) in 2023 and again in 2025. Surfshark B.V. is based in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, and its servers are RAM-only.
Surfshark's speed held up better than its price suggests. Over WireGuard, US servers reached 637 to 752 Mbps on our fast line, and on macOS a transatlantic server slowed downloads by only about 10%. The Windows app showed bigger slowdowns and occasional ping spikes. A 4GB torrent ran only about 5% slower with Camouflage Mode on, and the kill switch held with no DNS or WebRTC leaks.
Unlimited Simultaneous Connections
Every Surfshark plan allows unlimited simultaneous connections, so one account covers every phone, laptop and TV in the house. Native Android TV, Apple TV and Fire TV apps made our TV setup simple. Netflix unblocked in 15+ regional libraries, plus Max, Disney+, Hulu and BBC iPlayer. The network behind it spans 4,500+ servers in 100 countries.
Starter costs $2.49 a month on the 2-year plan, which comes to $67.23 for the first 27 months, and the plan then renews at $79 a year. Month to month it's one of the priciest options, at roughly $15 to $16 depending on region and tax. Surfshark dropped port forwarding in 2022, citing IP-leak risk.
Pros
- Dedicated IP available as a paid add-on
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- Crypto checkout works only on the website, not in the mobile apps
- MultiHop slows connections significantly
5. Private Internet Access - Best Mullvad Alternative for Port Forwarding
Unlike the first four picks, PIA brings back the exact feature Mullvad removed. Its no-logs policy passed a third Deloitte assurance engagement (ISAE 3000), completed on 19 December 2025, and the claim has also held up in US court cases. That record matters, because PIA is based in the United States and has been owned by Kape Technologies since 2019. Its apps are 100% open source.
Port Forwarding Mullvad Dropped
Port forwarding works on every PIA server except US locations. We switched it on in the desktop app and seeded torrents with only about a 4% slowdown. The catch is that the forwarded port changes on every reconnect, so you'll need to update your torrent client or game server each time. Outside torrenting, speeds were uneven: some US and UK servers lost around three quarters of our gigabit line's speed, while others lost about 12 percent.
Streaming is PIA's weak spot. US and UK Netflix failed on standard servers, and Disney+ and Hulu detected the VPN, though a streaming-optimized server played HBO Max in 4K. The long settings list overwhelms beginners at first, but it becomes easy once you've tuned it. Our PIA VPN review walks through it. The 3-year plan costs $2.03 a month, monthly billing is $11.95, and servers cover 104 countries, a count that keeps changing as PIA adds locations.
Pros
- Unlimited devices on every plan
- Dedicated IP add-on redeemed with an anonymous token
- Live chat answers quickly and knowledgeably
Cons
- Auto-renewal is on by default, and refunds need a support request
- Mobile upload speeds fall to around 70% of baseline
6. IVPN - Closest Like-for-Like Mullvad Alternative
Where PIA restores a feature, IVPN restores the feel. If what you love about Mullvad is its anonymity model, IVPN is the closest swap, even though it scores lowest here at 7.0/10. Cure53 audited IVPN's no-logs policy in 2019, and the company has commissioned annual Cure53 security audits since. IVPN is based in Gibraltar. In August 2026, a BTCPay Server flaw let an attacker take 0.6168 BTC of IVPN's own funds, but no customer data, traffic or VPN servers were involved.
Anonymous Accounts and Cash Payments
Sign-up felt just like Mullvad's. IVPN generated an account ID in seconds and never asked for an email or a password. You can pay with cash, Monero or Bitcoin. On nearby WireGuard servers we lost only 5 to 10% of our download speed, and the kill switch held as we switched servers. A US-to-Canada connection dropped about 64%, though, and the 41-country network thins out outside North America and Europe.
IVPN doesn't fix every Mullvad gap. It removed port forwarding in 2023, and the Standard plan has the same 5-device cap. Streaming is inconsistent: Netflix worked in some regions but not every time, while BBC iPlayer, Disney+ and Prime Video stayed blocked. Standard costs $60 a year, about $5 a month, or $6 if you pay month to month, and our IVPN review covers the higher tiers.
Pros
- Multi-hop and obfuscation on every plan
- 30-day refund window on all plans
Cons
- The apps log out on their own, so you re-enter the account ID
- Picking a server doesn't connect until you flip the toggle
Is There a Free Mullvad Alternative?
Mullvad has no free plan and no free trial, so a free tier is a genuine difference. Proton VPN's free plan is the best option. It covers 1 device, with servers in 10 countries, no data cap and no ads. It picks the server for you, though, and it doesn't support streaming, torrenting or split tunneling, so treat it as private browsing on public Wi-Fi rather than a full replacement.
Windscribe is the other free option worth a look. Its free plan gives you 10GB a month with a confirmed email, or 2GB without one, across servers in 10 countries. US connections kept about 91% of our download speed, but the data cap runs out quickly if you stream. The cluttered icons can also confuse beginners.
Mozilla VPN often turns up in these lists, but it isn't free, and it isn't really an alternative. Its servers are provided by Mullvad, while Mozilla makes the apps and handles billing.
Which Mullvad Alternative Fits Your Reason for Leaving?
Most people leave Mullvad for one specific reason, so start there. PIA turns up for two different reasons because a single plan both removes the device cap and brings back port forwarding.
| Reason for leaving | Best pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| More than 5 devices | Surfshark or PIA | Unlimited simultaneous connections |
| Port forwarding | PIA or Proton VPN | PIA on non-US servers, Proton on desktop P2P servers |
| Dedicated IP | NordVPN or ExpressVPN | Paid add-on on NordVPN, included on ExpressVPN Pro |
| Streaming | ExpressVPN or NordVPN | Broad unblocking on regular servers |
| Same anonymity model | IVPN | Account ID, cash and Monero |
| Free option | Proton VPN | No data cap on the free tier |
When Mullvad Is Still the Better Choice
Mullvad is still the right call for many users. Its sign-up issues a random 16-digit account number with no email or name, and accepted cryptocurrencies get a 10% discount. The flat price is easy to underrate, too. Because EUR 5 buys the same month whether you pay for one month or a year, month-to-month users pay far less than NordVPN's $14.99 rate, and there is no promotional price to jump at renewal.
Its audit record is deep. Cure53's audit of Mullvad's infrastructure in June 2024 was its fourth such audit. X41 D-Sec audited the account and payment API in January 2026 and found nothing that gave access to user data. These are security audits of infrastructure and code rather than a formal no-logs opinion, so they differ from the Deloitte or KPMG reports above. The policy has been tested in practice as well: Swedish police visited Mullvad's office in 2023 with a search warrant and left with no customer data.
DAITA rounds it out. It pads packets to a constant size and adds random background traffic to defeat AI-guided traffic analysis, and it works on iOS too. No alternative here offers anything like it.
Final Thoughts
The decision people most often get wrong is switching for one gap when a cheaper fix exists. If the 5-device cap is your only complaint, a second Mullvad account keeps the same privacy model. It doubles the bill, though, and still leaves streaming and port forwarding unsolved, so a switch makes more sense once two or more gaps bother you.
Before you leave, run the new VPN alongside Mullvad on your own connection. Every paid pick here offers a 30-day money-back window, which gives you time to test streaming, speeds and device setup before you commit.
