 | |
 Desktop client | |
| Developer | Mullvad VPNAB[1] |
|---|---|
| Type | Virtual private network |
| Launch date | March 2009; 16 years ago (2009-03) |
| Current version | 2025.10[2] / 9 October 2025; 15 days ago (9 October 2025) |
| Platform(s) | Android,iOS,Linux,macOS,Windows (official app) |
| Website |
|
Mullvad is acommercialVPN service based inSweden. The name "Mullvad" is the word for "mole" in theSwedish language. Mullvad operates using theWireGuard andOpenVPN protocols. It also supportsShadowsocks as a bridge protocol for censorship circumvention. Mullvad's VPN client software is publicly available under theGPLv3, afree and open-source software license.[4][5][6]
Mullvad was launched in March 2009 by AmagicomAB in Göteborg,[7][8] and it had begun by supporting connections via theOpenVPN protocol in 2009.[9] Mullvad was an early adopter and supporter of theWireGuard protocol, announcing the availability of the new VPN protocol in March 2017[10] and making a "generous donation" supporting WireGuard development between July and December 2017.[11]
In September 2018, the cybersecurity firmCure53 performed apenetration test on Mullvad's macOS, Windows, and Linux applications.[12] Seven issues were found which were addressed by Mullvad.[13] Cure53 tested only the applications and supporting functions. No assessment was made on the Mullvad server-side and back end.[12]
In October 2019, Mullvad partnered withMozilla to utilize Mullvad's WireGuard servers forMozilla VPN.[14]
In April 2020, Mullvad partnered withMalwarebytes and provided WireGuard servers for their VPN service, Malwarebytes Privacy.[15]
In May 2022, Mullvad started officially acceptingMonero.[16]
On 18 April 2023, Mullvad's head office in Gothenburg was visited by officers from theNational Operations Department of theSwedish Police Authority who had a search warrant to seize computers being used by Mullvad containing customer data. Mullvad demonstrated that in accordance with their policies, no such data existed on their systems. After consulting with the prosecutor, the officers left without seizing any equipment or obtaining customer information. Mullvad had released a public statement in relation to this information in a blog post on their website two days later, also mentioning that it was their first time that their offices had been searched by authorities.[17] In a letter sent to Mullvad nine days after the search, the Swedish Police Authority stated that they had conducted the search at the request ofGermany for an ongoing investigation. The investigation involved a blackmail attack that targeted several institutions in the state ofMecklenburg-Western Pomerania which revealedIP addresses that were traced back to Mullvad's VPN service.[18]
On 29 May 2023, Mullvad announced that they would be removing support forport forwarding, effective on 1 July 2023. This was done due to the use of port forwarding for illegal activities, with this causing interference by law enforcement, Mullvad IP addresses getting blacklisted, and hosting providers canceling their services.[19]
ATechRadar review noted in 2019 that "Mullvad's core service is powerful, up-to-date, and absolutely stuffed with high-end technologies".[4] Complementing its use of the open-source OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols, Mullvad includes "industrial strength"encryption (employingAES-256GCM methodology), 4096-bitRSAcertificates withSHA-512 for serverauthentication, perfectforward secrecy, multiple layers ofDNS leak protection,IPv6 leak-protection, and multiple "stealth options" to help bypass government or corporateVPN blocking.[4]
Mullvad provides VPN client applications for computers running the Windows, macOS and Linux operating systems. As of April 2020[update], native iOS and Android Mullvad VPN clients using the WireGuard protocol are available. iOS and Androidmobile operating system users can also configure and use built-in VPN clients or the OpenVPN or WireGuard apps to access Mullvad's service.[20]
Providing personal information used to identify users such asemail addresses andphone numbers is not required during Mullvad's registration process. Instead, a unique 16-digit account number is anonymously generated for each newly registered user, and this account number is used to log in to the Mullvad on other devices.[21]
For anonymity purposes, Mullvad accepts the anonymous payment methods ofcash andMonero. Payment for the service can also be made via bankwire-transfer,credit card,Bitcoin,Bitcoin Cash,PayPal,Swish, EPS Transfer,Bancontact, iDEAL, Przelewy24, and vouchers sold by multiple resellers.[4][22][23] Payments made via cryptocurrency have a 10% discount.[24] In June 2022, the service announced that it will no longer offer new recurring subscriptions, as this further reduces the amount of personal information that will have to be stored.[25]
Mullvad does not log VPN users'IP addresses, the VPN IP address used, browsing-activity,bandwidth, connections, session duration, timestamps, and DNS-requests.[4][21]
Mullvad has many privacy-focused features built into their VPN. Instances include multi-hop, which routes all traffic through an additional Mullvad server before it arrives at its destination,[26] the ability to add a quantum-resistant key exchange to the encryption process, making all data encrypted resistant toquantum computer related attacks,[27] and Defense against AI-guided Traffic Analysis (DAITA), which ensures all packets are the same size and also inserts random network traffic (significantly increasing bandwidth usage), though this is only enabled on select servers.[28]
Mullvad has been actively campaigning against theEU's Regulation to Prevent and Combat Child Sexual Abuse (a.k.a. Chat Control), which would require service providers to scan all users' online communications, even encrypted services, arguing that it would make all methods of online communication viewable and thus not private and not anonymous.[29][30]
While Mullvad has been noted for "taking a strong approach to privacy and maintaining good connection speeds", the VPN client setup and interface has been noted as being more onerous and technical than most other VPN providers especially on some client platforms.[31] However, a follow-up review by the same source in October 2018 notes, "Mullvad has a much improved, modern Windows client (and one for Mac, too)". APC World review, also from October 2018, concludes, "With its commitment to privacy, anonymity (as close as you can realistically get online), and performance Mullvad remains our top recommendation for a VPN service".[20]
In November 2018,TechRadar noted Mullvad VPN as one of five VPN providers to answer a set of questions for trustworthiness verification posed by theCenter for Democracy and Technology.[32][33] In March 2019, aTechRadar review noted slightly substandard speeds.[22] However, aTechRadar review later that year, published on 11 June 2019, stated that Mullvad VPN "speeds are excellent".[4] This is also supported by a 2024 CNET review that demonstrated 13.5% speed loss in March 2024 tests.[34] While the latter review notes a shortcoming for mobile users in that Mullvad had not provided mobile VPN client apps,[4] Mullvad apps for both Android and iOS are now available.
The non-profitFreedom of the Press Foundation, in their "Choosing a VPN" guide, lists Mullvad amongst the five VPNs that meet their recommended settings and features for VPN use as a tool for anonymizing online activity.[35]
| Mullvad Browser | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developers | Mullvad VPN andTor Project |
| Stable release | |
| Repository | github |
| Engine | Gecko |
| Operating system | |
| License | Mozilla Public License[37] |
| Website | mullvad |
On 3 April 2023, Mullvad Browser was released, developed by theTor Project team and distributed by Mullvad.[38] It has similar privacy and security settings levels toTor Browser, with an exception being that it operates independently of the Tor network and is meant to be used with a VPN service instead, either Mullvad VPN or another trusted provider.[39] Mullvad Browser has been programmed to minimize the risk of users being tracked andfingerprinted.[40][41] It attempts to achieve this through several measures:
On 20 June 2023, Mullvad announced the Mullvad Leta search engine. Mullvad Leta uses theGoogle Search andBrave SearchAPIs as a proxy andcaches each search for 30 days. When a user inputs aweb query, the service checks if it has a cache of the search before making a call to the Google Search or Brave Search API.[43] The service was initially only accessible to devices that had Mullvad VPN turned on,[44] before being opened to the general public on 4 March 2025.
Mullvad also offers public DNS servers that offer DNS over HTTPS, DNS over TLS, and various content-blocking filters.[45]
