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Cybersecurity · head to head

Mullvad VPN vs uBlock Origin

M

Mullvad VPN

Cybersecurity

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

From
$5/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
uBlock Origin logo

uBlock Origin

Browser Extensions

Free, open-source ad content blocker

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only uBlock Origin has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Mullvad VPN offers no free trial or free tier, unlike several consumer VPN competitors.; uBlock Origin cNAME uncloaking of third-party trackers disguised as first-party is only available on Firefox, because the required DNS API does not exist in Chromium
  • They diverge on capability: Mullvad VPN covers Flat single pricing, uBlock Origin covers Ad blocking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Mullvad VPN and uBlock Origin actually diverge.

Attributes where Mullvad VPN and uBlock Origin differ
AttributeMullvad VPNuBlock Origin
Starting price$5/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfree
Free tierNoYes
Platformswindows, mac, linux, ios, androidChrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera
CategoryCybersecurityBrowser Extensions
Founded20092014

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

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 uBlock Origin

  • Ad blocking
  • Tracker blocking
  • Malware domain blocking
  • Custom filter lists
  • Chrome support
  • Firefox support
  • Edge support
  • Opera support

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 uBlock Origin
  • Avoiding tiered upsells with a single flat-rate plannot uBlock Origin
  • Signing up without providing an email addressnot uBlock Origin
  • Verifying a provider's privacy claims via independent auditsnot uBlock Origin

uBlock Origin

  • Ad and tracker blocking in web browsersnot Mullvad VPN
  • Privacy protection while browsing the webnot Mullvad VPN
  • Reducing bandwidth usage by blocking adsnot Mullvad VPN
  • Users seeking open-source browser extensionsnot 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.

uBlock Origin

  • CNAME uncloaking of third-party trackers disguised as first-party is only available on Firefox, because the required DNS API does not exist in Chromium
  • HTML filtering of response bodies requires the webRequest.filterResponseData API, which is only available in Firefox
  • On Chromium-based browsers uBO is not reliably ready at browser launch, so tracker and advertisement payloads can reach already-open tabs before filtering starts
  • Pre-fetch blocking is not reliable on Chromium-based browsers because they give websites precedence over user settings
  • The Chromium build does not use the WebAssembly filtering code paths, because the extra manifest permission would create friction publishing to the Chrome Web Store
  • LZ4 storage compression is Firefox only, and on Chromium in incognito mode IndexedDB resets, so uBO launches with out-of-date filter lists

Pricing, plan by plan

Mullvad VPN

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

uBlock Origin

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Ad blocking
    • Tracker blocking
    • Custom filter lists

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.
Mullvad VPN review

Choose uBlock Origin if

  • You need ad blocking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera.
  • You also want tracker blocking.
uBlock Origin review

Questions people ask

Is Mullvad VPN or uBlock Origin better?
Neither clearly leads. Mullvad VPN starts at $5/month and uBlock Origin at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Mullvad VPN or uBlock Origin?
uBlock Origin has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $5/month for Mullvad VPN and Free for uBlock Origin.
Does Mullvad VPN or uBlock Origin run on more platforms?
Mullvad VPN runs on windows, mac, linux, ios, android. uBlock Origin runs on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera.
Can I use uBlock Origin for free?
Yes. uBlock Origin has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Mullvad VPN starts at $5/month.
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 uBlock Origin is typically brought in for.
What can Mullvad VPN do that uBlock Origin cannot?
Mullvad VPN covers Flat single pricing, Account-number signup, Cash and crypto payments, WireGuard support. uBlock Origin covers Ad blocking, Tracker blocking, Malware domain blocking, Custom filter lists.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

uBlock Origin: How much does uBlock Origin cost?

uBlock Origin is completely free and open-source software with no licensing fees, subscriptions, or commercial restrictions.

Source
uBlock Origin: Is uBlock Origin open source?

Yes, uBlock Origin is distributed under the GPL-3.0 License with source code publicly available on GitHub. The project encourages community review and contribution.

Source
uBlock Origin: Does uBlock Origin accept donations?

No, uBlock Origin explicitly does not accept donations. The project instead encourages users to support the developers maintaining the filter lists that power the extension.

Source
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