Using OpenVPN, Mullvad retained close to 39 percent of the base speed. OpenVPN performed better than WireGuard in our testing, which takes the average performance of connections to five different countries over three days of testing with multiple runs.

You can see which servers are owned by Mullvad and which are rented on its Servers page.įor this round of testing we tested both OpenVPN and WireGuard performance to see if there was any difference on Windows. Mullvad explains in clear terms on its help pages what the differences are between rented and owned servers. Mullvad’s change is largely thanks to its decision to start renting servers (actual boxes, not virtual servers) instead of owning every single piece of equipment that runs its VPN. That is a massive increase considering Mullvad only had 304 last time we looked. The company now covers 38 different countries (35 over OpenVPN), with a staggering 780 servers. That’s great news since Mullvad was already one of the standouts. Mullvad’s number of servers and country locations has increased since our last review, while its performance has remained solidly the same. Mullvad has apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android. It also checks to see if you are leaking DNS requests, suffering from a WebRTC leak, or using a blacklisted IP address. It lets you know if the app is working and currently connected to Mullvad. Mullvad was one of the earliest VPN services to implement WireGuard.Īnother nice tool to use with the VPN is Mullvad’s connection check webpage. Go to Settings > Advanced, and you can enable Mullvad’s IPv6 option, as well as manually choose between using OpenVPN or WireGuard. You can also opt to use a monochromatic tray icon if you have visual needs, as well as the option to start Mullvad minimized, and to sign up for Mullvad’s beta program. Under this section you can also enable your PC’s sharing options even though you’re on a VPN. Under Settings > Preferences there are options to auto-connect when Windows starts, or automatically connect when you open Mullvad.

There are a few other options you can find in the settings.

Split tunneling is a beta feature, but if you want to use it, go to Settings > Advanced > Split tunneling. Mullvad’s also added split tunneling, which allows some apps to operate over the VPN, while others don’t. The long and short of it is that the new DNS blocking doesn’t substantially change how its service is configured and therefore doesn’t affect Mullvad’s privacy promises. If you’d like to read about how Mullvad implements ad blocking check out the blog post on the company’s site. To turn them on you need to select Settings > Preferences > Block Ads and Preferences > Block trackers. These features aren’t activated by default. Mullvad recently introduced DNS-based ad and tracker blocking inside the desktop app. It doesn’t promise to get past Netflix VPN restrictions (though sometimes it does), there aren’t any double-hop connections, or smart DNS however, it has added a few extra features recently. Mullvad traditionally hasn’t been big on extra features or services compared to other VPNs. The company doesn’t even want to retain your email address-whether a primary address or a “burner” one only for VPNs. Go there for details about competing products and how we tested them.ĭespite the changes, Mullvad’s greatest strength is still that it prefers to know as little about you as possible, which is a huge win for anyone trying to stay as anonymous as possible online. Note: This review is part of our best VPNs roundup. It continues to use its improved VPN app that we saw roll out several years ago, but the company is also adding new features and dramatically expanding its network compared to what we saw last time around. Data authentication: TLSv1.3 (TLS_CHACHA20_POLY1305_SHA256)įor a long time Mullvad has been a solid VPN service that didn’t change a whole lot other than adding an improved app.Cost: €5 ($5.86 at this writing) billed monthly.Number of country locations: 35 (38 for WireGuard).

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