Software · head to head
Mullvad VPN vs NordVPN
Mullvad VPN
Software
Privacy-first VPN with one flat price and no email required to sign up
- From
- $5/month
- Rated
- -
NordVPN
Software
The best online VPN service for speed and security
- From
- $3.99/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Mullvad VPN offers no free trial or free tier, unlike several consumer VPN competitors.; NordVPN the App Store listing states the app is free to download but is non-functional without purchasing a subscription first; no price figure appears anywhere in the listing itself, only the requirement to buy a plan before VPN access works.
- They diverge on capability: Mullvad VPN covers Flat single pricing, NordVPN covers Military-grade encryption.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Mullvad VPN and NordVPN actually diverge.
| Attribute | Mullvad VPN | NordVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $5/month | $3.99/month |
| Platforms | windows, mac, linux, ios, android | Web, Desktop, Mobile, Api |
| Founded | 2009 | 2012 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Mullvad VPN
- Flat single pricing
- Account-number signup
- Cash and crypto payments
- WireGuard support
- Independent audits
Only in NordVPN
- Military-grade encryption
- No-logs policy
- Kill Switch
- Split tunneling
- Double VPN
- Onion over VPN
- Threat Protection
- Meshnet
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Mullvad VPN
- Paying for a VPN anonymously with cash or cryptocurrencynot NordVPN
- Avoiding tiered upsells with a single flat-rate plannot NordVPN
- Signing up without providing an email addressnot NordVPN
- Verifying a provider's privacy claims via independent auditsnot NordVPN
NordVPN
- Vpnnot Mullvad VPN
- Privacynot Mullvad VPN
- Online Securitynot Mullvad VPN
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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.
NordVPN
- The App Store listing states the app is free to download but is non-functional without purchasing a subscription first; no price figure appears anywhere in the listing itself, only the requirement to buy a plan before VPN access works.
Pricing, plan by plan
Mullvad VPN
$5/month- Mullvad VPN$5/month
- Flat rate regardless of subscription length
- 5 simultaneous devices
- No email required
NordVPN
$3.99/month- Standard$3.99/month
- 6 devices
- 5,500+ servers
- Threat Protection Lite
- Plus$4.99/month
- All Standard features
- Threat Protection Pro
- NordPass password manager
- Complete$5.99/month
- All Plus features
- NordLocker 1TB encrypted cloud
- Identity theft protection
Which should you pick?
Choose Mullvad VPN if
- You need flat single pricing.
- You work on windows, mac, linux, ios, android.
- You also want account-number signup.
Choose NordVPN if
- You need military-grade encryption.
- You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile, Api.
- You also want no-logs policy.
Questions people ask
- Is Mullvad VPN or NordVPN better?
- Neither clearly leads. Mullvad VPN starts at $5/month and NordVPN at $3.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Mullvad VPN or NordVPN?
- Mullvad VPN starts at $5/month and NordVPN at $3.99/month.
- Does Mullvad VPN or NordVPN run on more platforms?
- Mullvad VPN runs on windows, mac, linux, ios, android. NordVPN runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile, Api.
- What is Mullvad VPN best used for?
- Mullvad VPN is most often used for paying for a vpn anonymously with cash or cryptocurrency, avoiding tiered upsells with a single flat-rate plan, signing up without providing an email address, verifying a provider's privacy claims via independent audits. Of those, paying for a vpn anonymously with cash or cryptocurrency and avoiding tiered upsells with a single flat-rate plan are not what NordVPN is typically brought in for.
- What can Mullvad VPN do that NordVPN cannot?
- Mullvad VPN covers Flat single pricing, Account-number signup, Cash and crypto payments, WireGuard support. NordVPN covers Military-grade encryption, No-logs policy, Kill Switch, Split tunneling.
Related pages
More on Mullvad VPN
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