Proton VPN or Mullvad: which one should you choose?

Among people who take privacy seriously, the VPN debate often comes down to these two names. And for good reason: both are no-logs, audited, without the aggressive marketing that pollutes the sector. So which one should you install? My default answer is Proton VPN, and I’ll show you why. But Mullvad plays in a category nobody else occupies.

The match in one table

Criterion	Proton VPN	Mullvad
Price	Free; VPN Plus at €3.99/month (billed annually)	€5/month, single rate whatever the duration
Free plan	Yes, unlimited data	No
Account creation	Standard account	A number, no email or name
Jurisdiction	Switzerland	Sweden
No-logs	Yes, open source and audited	Yes, audited and confirmed by a 2023 police raid
Level	Beginner	Intermediate

What Proton VPN does better

Accessibility, across the board. It’s the only reputable VPN to offer a free plan with no data limit: you can test it without pulling out your credit card, for as long as you want. The client is simple and modern, available on every platform, ideal for a first VPN or for protecting your connection on public Wi-Fi. It’s where I advise starting, precisely because there’s nothing to lose.

The paid plan adds Secure Core, a double hop through Switzerland, streaming and more than 60 countries. And if you already use Proton Mail, everything fits into the same ecosystem, through Proton Unlimited. The honest reservation: the free plan is limited in speed and locations, with servers in 5 countries. To unlock the full potential, you’ll have to pay.

What Mullvad does better

Anonymity, pushed further than anyone. Mullvad asks for no email, no name, no password: you receive an account number, you pay, that’s it. Payment can be made in cash or in Bitcoin. Who else accepts a banknote in an envelope? The rate is €5/month, identical whatever the duration, with no fake promotions.

The no-logs credibility is unique in the sector: verified by independent audit, then confirmed by a police raid in 2023 where the servers contained nothing. Add compatibility with the Mullvad Browser, and you have the purists’ VPN. The trade-offs exist: the account-free model can be disorienting at first, and the interface is less mainstream than Proton’s.

Verdict

Choose Proton VPN if you want a serious VPN that starts free, simple to install and built to last. It’s my default choice, especially if you’re already building your digital life around the Proton suite.

Choose Mullvad if maximum anonymity is your number one criterion: no named account, cash payment possible, total transparency on the infrastructure. No other VPN goes this far on that ground.

My practical advice: start with Proton’s free plan, and within a few weeks you’ll see whether the VPN becomes part of your habits. In both cases, you’re entrusting your traffic to a player that has proven it doesn’t log it. The detailed profiles of Proton VPN and Mullvad are in the VPN catalog. The VPN is just one building block of the journey: the guide to leaving Google puts the whole thing in order, and the diagnostic tells you where to start.