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Cybersecurity · head to head

Keygen vs Mullvad VPN

Keygen logo

Keygen

Cybersecurity

Open, source-available software licensing API

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
M

Mullvad VPN

Cybersecurity

Privacy-first VPN with one flat price and no email required to sign up

From
$5/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Keygen has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Keygen specific Active Licensed User (ALU) pricing not listed; requires interactive pricing calculator; Mullvad VPN offers no free trial or free tier, unlike several consumer VPN competitors.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Keygen and Mullvad VPN actually diverge.

Attributes where Keygen and Mullvad VPN differ
AttributeKeygenMullvad VPN
Starting priceFree$5/month
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebwindows, mac, linux, ios, android
FoundedUnknown2009

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cybersecurity).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Keygen

Nothing recorded that Mullvad VPN does not also cover.

Only in Mullvad VPN

  • Flat single pricing
  • Account-number signup
  • Cash and crypto payments
  • WireGuard support
  • Independent audits

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Keygen

  • Software licensing and distributionnot Mullvad VPN
  • Product release managementnot Mullvad VPN
  • API-based license verificationnot Mullvad VPN

Mullvad VPN

  • Paying for a VPN anonymously with cash or cryptocurrencynot Keygen
  • Avoiding tiered upsells with a single flat-rate plannot Keygen
  • Signing up without providing an email addressnot Keygen
  • Verifying a provider's privacy claims via independent auditsnot Keygen

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Keygen

  • Specific Active Licensed User (ALU) pricing not listed; requires interactive pricing calculator
  • Whitelabel API add-on costs $995/year per domain

Mullvad VPN

  • Offers no free trial or free tier, unlike several consumer VPN competitors.
  • Lacks a bundled tiered structure, so there is no cheaper limited plan for occasional users.
  • Server network and streaming-unblocking performance is smaller than large mainstream VPN providers.
  • No annual discount, meaning long-term subscribers pay the same monthly rate as short-term users.

Pricing, plan by plan

Keygen

Free
  • DevFree
    • Up to 100 Active Licensed Users
    • 10 product releases
    • Core licensing API only
  • Std$null/month
    • Scaling with licensing volume
    • Distribution API (OCI/Docker, npm, Rubygems, PyPI, Tauri)
    • Flat monthly/yearly fees
  • Enterprise$null/month
    • Audit logs
    • SAML/SSO
    • IP filtering

Mullvad VPN

$5/month
  • Mullvad VPN$5/month
    • Flat rate regardless of subscription length
    • 5 simultaneous devices
    • No email required

Which should you pick?

Choose Keygen if

  • You want to start without paying.
Keygen review

Choose Mullvad VPN if

  • You need flat single pricing.
  • You work on windows, mac, linux, ios, android.
  • You also want account-number signup.
Mullvad VPN review

Questions people ask

Is Keygen or Mullvad VPN better?
Neither clearly leads. Keygen starts at Free and Mullvad VPN at $5/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Keygen or Mullvad VPN?
Keygen has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Keygen and $5/month for Mullvad VPN.
Does Keygen or Mullvad VPN run on more platforms?
Keygen runs on Web. Mullvad VPN runs on windows, mac, linux, ios, android.
Can I use Keygen for free?
Yes. Keygen has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Mullvad VPN starts at $5/month.
What is Keygen best used for?
Keygen is most often used for software licensing and distribution, product release management, api-based license verification. Of those, software licensing and distribution and product release management are not what Mullvad VPN is typically brought in for.
What can Keygen do that Mullvad VPN cannot?
Mullvad VPN covers Flat single pricing, Account-number signup, Cash and crypto payments, WireGuard support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Keygen: Does Keygen have a free tier?

Yes, the Dev tier is free and supports up to 100 Active Licensed Users with 10 product releases and core licensing API access.

Source
Keygen: How is Keygen pricing calculated?

Keygen uses scalable, flat monthly or yearly fees based on your licensing volume (Active Licensed Users). No revenue share or transaction fees are charged.

Source
Keygen: Does Keygen charge for additional features like SSO?

SAML/SSO is included in Enterprise tiers. Whitelabel API support costs $995/year per domain. Premium Support SLA is $995/month for Enterprise.

Source
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