Mullvad vs NordVPN comparison 2023

Asking yourself who would win in a Mullvad vs NordVPN comparison is mostly asking yourself what you want most from a VPN service. The latter is probably your best bet if you need an all-around provider. But is there something unique that Mullvad can offer?

I will evaluate key criteria, such as privacy, security, speed, global coverage, and price. Moreover, we will see how NordVPN and Mullvad handle geo-blocks and other curbs.

Don’t have the time to read the whole article? Below you’ll find a quick comparison to see which VPN has the upper hand.

NordVPN vs Mullvad VPN comparison highlights

📈 Our rating	9.6 ⭐	8.2 ⭐
🏷️ Current offer	Get NordVPN 57% OFF!	Get Mullvad VPN now!
💵 Price starts from	$3.49/month	$5.00/month
🗓️ Money-back guarantee	30 days	30 days
🗒️ No-logs policy	Independently-audited	Not audited
🖧 Servers	5400+ servers in 60+ countries	858+ servers in 39+ countries
✔️ VPN protocols	NordLynx, OpenVPN, IKEv2	WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2
🍿 Streaming	Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, BBC iPlayer, and more	No

Winner:

Visit NordVPN

Speed and servers

Performance is one of the most critical aspects when comparing VPNs. Without stable and fast connectivity, you won’t be able to enjoy restriction-free internet to the fullest. In most cases, the speeds depend on the tunneling protocols that the provider uses.

Moreover, while a VPN doesn’t need thousands of servers to provide a fast connection, the number of available countries is often a deciding factor. After all, if the closest server is thousands of miles away, one should expect higher latency and less performance.

Speed

NordVPN vs Mullvad VPN: 14-Day Speed Average

Thanks to industry-standard tunneling protocols, both contenders are on our fastest VPNs list. However, as you can see from the table, NordVPN wins by a landslide. That’s due to the next-gen NordLynx tunneling protocol. It’s like an enhanced version of the trusty WireGuard tunneling protocol. Essentially, it provides incredible speed and quick & stable connections without sacrificing security.

Meanwhile, Mullvad mainly utilizes WireGuard. It’s a trustworthy and swift tunneling protocol that is widely used among the best VPN providers. It’s much faster than its predecessors (OpenVPN, IKEv2), but it’s not as swift as NordLynx.

Servers

Mullvad VPN has a decent server fleet. The service has 858+ pieces of hardware in 39+ countries. You’ll see that most of the connections are in Europe, with a few being in the Americas, Oceania, and Asia. Moreover, the provider owns a large part of the servers, with some being RAM-only.

Nevertheless, Mullvad is outmatched by NordVPN hardware-wise. The latter provider boasts 5400+ servers and covers 60+ countries globally. Additionally, all hardware is RAM-only which further boosts your privacy.
Furthermore, NordVPN has specialty servers for particular user needs, such as P2P or Double VPN.

On the whole, NordVPN beats Mullvad big time. The former has better coverage and more hardware. Plus, NordVPN is way faster, thanks to the proprietary NordLynx tunneling protocol.

Winner:

Visit NordVPN

Price comparison

Mullvad and NordVPN have utterly different pricing strategies. For example, NordVPN offers extras, such as a free trial, special features, and additional discount codes. Moreover, There are various subscription prices and periods to choose from.

Meanwhile, what’s great about Mullvad is flat monthly rates, which is excellent if you don’t like overpaying for short-term plans. Nevertheless, this provider doesn’t offer any special subscriptions or discounts.

What both providers have in common is the 30-day money-back guarantee. It’s an excellent fail-safe if you’re dissatisfied with the service in your first month of use.

NordVPN

VPNpro rating: 9.6 / 10

Get NordVPN

NordVPN pricing

While NordVPN doesn’t have a free version, the provider offers a 7-day free trial. You can obtain it through Google Play Store and use it with other compatible devices afterward. And if you want to try the service for an extended time without paying, you can take advantage of the 30-day money-back guarantee.

Furthermore, for an industry-leading product, NordVPN is very cheap. Also, there are plenty of plans to choose from with a variety of different features:

The Complete subscription offers NordPass: cross-platform password manager, data breach scanner, and 1 TB of encrypted cloud storage. Meanwhile, the Plus provides everything, apart from the storage. And obviously, the Standard gives you the essentials. If the prices seem too steep, you can always use a NordVPN discount coupon to save some cash.

Payment-wise, NordVPN accepts credit cards, Google Pay, ACH Transfer, and cryptocurrencies. The latter method is great for privacy-cautious users. Lastly, you can find hard copies of NordVPN in some countries and pay by cash.

Mullvad VPN pricing

To start off, Mullvad VPN doesn’t have a free trial version for you to try. On the bright side, the provider offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. After that, you can use payment options, such as credit card, PayPal, Bank transfer, or crypto.

As for plans, all of them cost around $5.00/month. You can grab a Mullvad VPN for a month, year, decade, or as long as you want. However, are you sure you want to commit for that long? Moreover, Mullvad doesn’t have special discount codes, but you can get 10% off by paying with crypto.

If you’re still wondering which one is better, NordVPN undeniably offers better services and prices. There are more variations and plans to choose from. Additionally, it has a 7-day free trial which is great if you simply want to check how the service works.

Security

If you care about your online safety, both providers offer excellent security features. If you opt for any of the two, you’ll get military-grade encryption, and IP and DNS leak protection.

And while both VPNs are great in this category, NordVPN wins the title of the most secure VPN. That’s because it offers more features than Mullvad VPN.

Mullvad security features

Many consider Mullvad VPN to be amongst the safest VPN providers on the market. You can read the full Mullvad VPN review, but for now, I’ll look into the most important features:

• Multi-hop. The purpose of this technology is to boost your security on the web. It covers your online traces by tunneling your connection over multiple rotating VPN locations.
• Split tunneling. This feature allows you to choose which traffic gets encrypted. That way, you secure your precious info and get top-notch speeds as well as access to local services.

NordVPN security features

If you want to know about everything that NordVPN has to offer, read the full NordVPN review. But for now, let’s focus on the most crucial security features:

• Threat Protection. This tool will fend off malware, viruses, ads, and trackers. Moreover, it will prevent you from visiting risky websites and downloading malicious files.
• Double VPN (Multi-hop). It’s an advanced security feature that routes your traffic through 2 servers. That provides twice as much encryption and safety.
• Dark Web Monitoring. It checks if your email address linked with the NordVPN account has been leaked.
• Obfuscated servers. It’s the same as Stealth VPN technology, which is extra handy in countries under heavy internet restrictions. It makes your VPN connection undetectable and helps you bypass the toughest firewalls.

Privacy

Once again, both contestants demonstrate that they’re serious when it comes to users and their privacy. However, only one of them is on our best no-logs VPNs list. At first sight, it seems that NordVPN has an edge. It’s registered in a privacy-friendly location and had its no-logs policy audited twice by third parties.

However, Mullvad turns the table by offering anonymous registration, which means no email or other personal information. Combine it with an anonymous payment, and there’s virtually no way to track you down.

Mullvad VPN

VPNpro rating: 8.2 / 10

Visit Mullvad VPN

Compatibility and ease of use

There’s not much I can say about Mullvad compatibility-wise. It has apps for major OS, like Windows, Android, Mac, or iOS. Sadly, it’s not compatible with other smart devices, and no official browser extensions exist.

Moreover, you won’t be able to set Mullvad up on a router, which is a bummer. Luckily, Mullvad offers 5 simultaneous connections, which should be enough for one person.

In contrast, NordVPN offers a lot more. The provider has dedicated apps for all major OS, including smart devices, like Android TV or Fire Stick. Additionally, you can utilize SmartPlay DNS features which lets you stream on devices that don’t support VPNs.

Moreover, you’ll find that NordVPN has browser extensions for Chrome, Edge, Brave, and Firefox. Plus, you’ll get 6 simultaneous connections, or you can protect your whole home network by setting up a VPN on your router.

So, NordVPN wins against Mullvad by a long shot. It offers more connections, better compatibility, and the possibility to set it up on a router.

Winner:

Visit NordVPN

Mobile Apps

Mullvad VPN offers apps for iOS and Android. Both of them are easy to utilize, and even not-so-tech-savvy people will instantly understand how to use the app. However, the iPhone version lacks split tunneling feature, which is quite disappointing. Plus, the interface is a bit outdated compared to other VPNs.

NordVPN also has amazing applications for iOS and Android. Also, they offer similar, easy-to-use interface. You can quickly swap servers, enable or disable VPN connection, and access settings. Unfortunately, the iPhone version lacks split tunneling but offers Dark Web Monitoring.

Desktop Apps

NordVPN offers all top-tier features like split tunneling and a kill switch for Windows users. But even though the Mac version lacks these extras, NordVPN is still the best service to use.

The same can be said about Mullvad’s Mac version – it lacks a few features. Nevertheless, it’s easy to use, as you can quickly access preferences and advanced settings. But the app could use some adjustments as it looks a bit old-school.

Netflix and other streaming platforms

Not much to add here. If you’re interested in unblocking Netflix, BBC iPlayer, or other popular content platforms, choose NordVPN – it’s our best service for streaming. It also has Smart DNS, which will allow you to watch favorite movies and shows on smart TVs and game consoles. Not to mention, thanks to the NordLynx tunneling protocol, you’ll get 4K-ready speeds wherever you are.

According to the research and Reddit, Mullvad can’t bypass geo-restrictions on any streaming sites. That means that getting this service for watching shows and movies is pointless. For them, security and privacy have always been a priority.

Stream anything with NordVPN

Torrenting and P2P

Even though NordVPN is our #1 service for torrenting, there are some scenarios where choosing Mullvad is a better idea. One is where you’re a Linux user and want split tunneling to be available.

The second scenario is when you need to upload significant amounts of data before downloading. NordVPN doesn’t have port forwarding, so if other users cannot reach you because of the router or other reasons, Mullvad will do the job.

Nevertheless, NordVPN offers better speeds, which is essential for torrenting. Plus, it provides more security against hackers, snoopers, and your ISP. Not to mention, it has dedicated P2P servers, which are optimized for torrenting and preventing throttling.

Customer support

NordVPN provides much better customer support than Mullvad. The latter has email only, which means that answers may take hours, if not days. However, during that time, you can dig into Mullvad’s extensive knowledge base – chances are you’ll find the answer on your own.

In contrast, you probably won’t spend much time browsing NordVPN’s no-less rich support section. That’s because most of your issues will be solved by 24/7 live chat.

Mullvad VPN vs NordVPN: which one is better, according to Reddit?

If you’re still on the fence about whether NordVPN or Mullvad is better, just ask Reddit! People there share their opinions and experiences of using both services. And according to Reddit, NordVPN is the ultimate VPN. Internauts enjoy heaps of servers, fast speeds, and various features.

Nevertheless, there are some Mullvad VPN fans out there, especially in the torrenting subreddits. Users praise Mullvad for offering useful features like port forwarding, SOCKS5 proxy, and amazing speeds. That’s why it’s no surprise that Mullvad VPN is among the best torrenting VPNs, according to Reddit.

Best VPN in each category

Mullvad VPN vs NordVPN: which one is better?

My Mullvad vs NordVPN comparison has clearly shown that NordVPN is obviously a better choice. The former is faster, safer, more compatible, and can bypass strict geo-restrictions. Not to mention, it’s cheaper and offers more features than the other competitor.

The only scenarios where you would want to use Mullvad VPN is when you want more privacy or if you need port forwarding. But even in these areas, NordVPN does not disappoint. Thus, if you want a versatile service for all your needs, NordVPN is the ultimate choice.

Have you tried any of these services? Which one did you prefer? Let us know in the comments!

Get NordVPN with 57% OFF

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FAQ

Does Netflix block NordVPN?

Yes, Netflix is constantly trying to block NordVPN and all other VPNs. Nevertheless, NordVPN is unstoppable when it comes to bypassing geo-restrictions. Therefore it’s one of the best VPNs to change Netflix region.

Is NordVPN free?

No, NordVPN is not free. Instead, it has a 7-day free trial available for Android users. Once claimed, the VPN can be used on other devices as well. Plus, you can take advantage of the 30-day money-back guarantee.

Is Mullvad the best VPN?

No, Mullvad is not the best VPN. While the service is good for privacy, it’s far from the top. It does not work with streaming services, lacks support on many different devices, and is quite expensive in the long run.

Does Mullvad VPN work with Netflix?

Unfortunately, Mullvad VPN does not work with Netflix. It’s great for privacy and security, but it’s not optimized for getting around streaming service blocks. Therefore, NordVPN is a better option.

NordVPN vs Mullvad: which one is better?

According to our research, NordVPN is by far a better choice than Mullvad VPN. The former is a lot faster, safer, and offers more features. Plus, unlike Mullvad, NordVPN can give you access to geo-blocked content. Lastly, it’s a lot cheaper, even by industry standards.

Is Mullvad better than ExpressVPN?

While Mullvad shines in some areas, it’s not as good as ExpressVPN. The latter offers better speeds, more servers globally, and more features. However, it’s more expensive than Mullvad VPN.