MMullvad VPNvsIIVPN
IVPN: IVPN offers a comparably privacy-focused, anonymous-signup VPN as a direct competitor.
Privacy-first VPN with one flat price and no email required to sign up
As of 29 August 2026, Mullvad VPN starts at $5/month. VPN service with a single flat rate, account-number-only signup, no email requirement, and no long-term discounts or tiers. Softwr lists it under Cybersecurity. Mullvad VPN is made by Mullvad, launched in 2009, available on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS.
Overview
Mullvad VPN is a privacy-focused VPN service that charges one flat rate regardless of subscription length, with no tiers, upsells, or renewal price increases. Accounts are created with a randomly generated number rather than an email address or personal details, and the service accepts cash and cryptocurrency payments for added anonymity. Mullvad publishes its infrastructure setup openly and has undergone independent security audits.
The honest half
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about Mullvad VPN.
Cross-shopped
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
IVPN: IVPN offers a comparably privacy-focused, anonymous-signup VPN as a direct competitor.
Private Internet Access: PIA offers a larger server network at a lower long-term price for users prioritizing cost over anonymity features.
Pricing
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
Mullvad VPN
$5 /mo
Capabilities
Flat single pricing
One price applies regardless of subscription length, with no tiers or plans to choose between.
Account-number signup
Accounts are identified by a random number, with no email or personal data required.
Cash and crypto payments
Accepts cash by mail and cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin and Monero.
WireGuard support
Supports the WireGuard protocol alongside OpenVPN.
Independent audits
Undergoes third-party security audits of its apps and infrastructure.
Behind it
Keep looking
Privacy-focused VPN with anonymous account numbers instead of email signup
Long-standing VPN service with a large server network and flexible multi-year plans
Consumer VPN with a limited free tier and a bear-themed, beginner-friendly app
Consumer and business VPN from Nord Security, registered in Panama, with repeated third-party no-logs audits.
Consumer VPN registered in the British Virgin Islands, owned by Kape Technologies since 2021, with repeated third-party audits.
Offline-first password manager that stores your vault locally instead of the cloud
VPN and firewall service with a generous free data tier and a customizable Build-A-Plan option
Data and AI security posture management with privacy operations on a single data catalogue
Privileged access management from the merged Thycotic and Centrify
Managed video for restaurants and convenience stores that pairs camera footage with point of sale transaction data
Real-time transaction fraud and financial crime detection for banks and payment processors
Customer identity and access management platform for SaaS applications
Identity-aware session broker for infrastructure access without distributing credentials
Consumer VPN operated from Romania and owned by Kape Technologies, with a no-logs claim audited by Deloitte.
Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for Mullvad VPN, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
What people switch to, and what they give up
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
Put it head to head with anything we hold
Its rating, and an embed for your own site
Large Chinese video platform that US federal buyers and federal contractors cannot lawfully use
quoteManaged video loss prevention with human auditors for restaurants, convenience stores and retail
quoteWorkforce and customer authentication from a certificate authority
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quoteCloud video surveillance billed per camera per month, where retention length drives the bill more than anything else
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Per camera per monthPhishing-resistant passwordless authentication with device trust enforced at every login
quote