NordVPN vs Mullvad

Which VPN Is Better?

Products

NordVPN
Mullvad

Tested using Methodology v0.10.1

Updated Jan 22, 2026 04:52 PM

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NordVPN

Tested using Methodology v0.10.1

Updated Jan 22, 2026 05:00 PM

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Mullvad
  1. Recommended in 7 articles:
  2. Privacy
  3. VPNs
  4. iPhone
  5. 4

Our Verdict

NordVPN

Mullvad

Mullvad is a better VPN service than NordVPN, but the latter has a few distinct advantages. Namely, it delivers slightly faster download speeds and has servers in more countries, and you can connect with up to 10 devices simultaneously, compared to five for Mullvad. Unfortunately, however, Nord's kill switch doesn't function effectively, as it leaks some data outside of the tunnel after a system reboot. Mullvad is also better for privacy. You can sign up anonymously, and the company has a history of good privacy and transparent company practices. On the other hand, Nord's privacy policy vaguely indicates that it collects your data in certain circumstances, and the company doesn't have ideal transparent practices.

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Variants

  • NordVPN (Basic)
  • NordVPN (Complete)
  • Mullvad (VPN)

Check Price

Basic
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
VPN
Mullvad
SEE PRICE
Mullvad
Complete
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 
Plus
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 
Ultra
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 

Main Differences for
Torrent

Threshold 

0.10

Torrent 
 

7.8
8.9

Kill Switch Robustness 
 

2.0
8.0

Registration 
 

6.1
9.5

Full Comparison

Security

IP And DNS Leaks 
 

9.0
9.0

IPLEAK.net Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN IPLEAK.net Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Mullvad IPLEAK.net Screenshot

Wireshark IP And DNS Leak Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Wireshark IP And DNS Leak Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Mullvad Wireshark IP And DNS Leak Screenshot

Leak Detected 
 

No
No

In-Browser IP 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

In-Browser DNS 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

System DNS 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

System Traffic 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

Kill Switch Robustness 
 

2.0
8.0

Wireshark Kill Switch Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Wireshark Kill Switch Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Mullvad Wireshark Kill Switch Screenshot

Leak Detected 
 

Yes
No

During VPN Software Crash 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

During Loss Of Internet 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

During System Reboot 
 

Leak Detected
No Leak Detected
Show Text 

Man-In-The-Middle Attacks 
 

8.5
8.5

Man-In-The-Middle Attacks Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Man-In-The-Middle Attacks Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Mullvad Man-In-The-Middle Attacks Screenshot

TLS Interruption Risk 
 

No Evidence
No Evidence

Proper BGP Implementation 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Privacy

Privacy Policy 
 

3.0
8.9

Privacy Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Privacy Picture
Compare High-Res
Mullvad Privacy Picture

Investigation Notes 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Investigation Notes
Compare High-Res
Mullvad Investigation Notes

No-Log Policy 
 

0
8.0

Privacy Policy Audit 
 

4.5
9.5

Legal & Security Events 
 

8.0
10

Last Review Date 
 

2025-OCT-15
2025-OCT-16
Show Text 

Company Practices 
 

5.0
9.4

Company Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Company Picture
Compare High-Res
Mullvad Company Picture

Investigation Notes 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Investigation Notes
Compare High-Res
Mullvad Investigation Notes

Parent & Affiliate Companies 
 

6.4
10

Marketing Claims & Practices 
 

8.2
10

Communication Transparency 
 

3.2
7.2

Security Audits 
 

5.0
10

Privacy By Default 
 

7.0
10

Terms Of Service 
 

1.0
10

Last Review Date 
 

2025-OCT-16
2025-OCT-17
Show Text 

Registration 
 

6.1
9.5

Payment Options 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Payment Options
Compare High-Res
Mullvad Payment Options

Email Required 
 

Yes
No

Password Required 
 

Yes
No

Cryptocurrency 
 

Yes
Yes

Cash 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 
Performance

Download Speed 
 

7.6
7.5

Without VPN 
 

1,057 Mbps
1,112 Mbps

With VPN 
 

233 Mbps
218 Mbps

Speed Difference 
 

-823.9 Mbps
-893.6 Mbps

Download Speed Graph  

 Preview Graph
NordVPN Download Speed Graph
 Preview Graph
Mullvad Download Speed Graph
Show Text 

Upload Speed 
 

7.7
7.7

Upload Speed Graph  

 Preview Graph
NordVPN Upload Speed Graph
 Preview Graph
Mullvad Upload Speed Graph

Without VPN 
 

1,016 Mbps
1,018 Mbps

With VPN 
 

274 Mbps
291 Mbps

Speed Difference 
 

-742.0 Mbps
-727.2 Mbps

Latency 
 

5.5
6.1

Download Latency Graph  

 Preview Graph
NordVPN Download Latency Graph
 Preview Graph
Mullvad Download Latency Graph

Upload Latency Graph  

 Preview Graph
NordVPN Upload Latency Graph
 Preview Graph
Mullvad Upload Latency Graph

Download Latency Without VPN 
 

149 ms
136 ms

Download Latency With VPN 
 

343 ms
256 ms

Download Latency Difference 
 

194 ms
120 ms

Upload Latency Without VPN 
 

153 ms
146 ms

Upload Latency With VPN 
 

476 ms
428 ms

Upload Latency Difference 
 

323 ms
283 ms

Combined Latency Consistency 
 

±56 ms
±53 ms
Features

Downloads 
 

9.5
9.5

Torrent Test Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Torrent Test Picture
Compare High-Res
Mullvad Torrent Test Picture

Torrent (P2P) 
 

Yes
Yes

Data Limit 
 

N/A
N/A

Platform Support 
 

9.3
9.3

Windows 
 

Yes
Yes

macOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Linux 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Protocols 
 

Protocol Results Table 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Protocol Results Table
Compare High-Res
Mullvad Protocol Results Table

WireGuard 
 

No
Yes

OpenVPN Over UDP 
 

Yes
Yes

OpenVPN Over TCP 
 

Yes
Yes

IPSec With L2TP 
 

No
No

IPSec With IKEv2 
 

Yes
No

Proprietary Protocol(s) 
 

NordLynx
None
Show Text 

Simultaneous Devices 
 

9.1
6.8

Tested Simultaneous Connections 
 

10
5

Simultaneous Locations 
 

Yes
Yes

Advertised Max Simultaneous Connections 
 

10
5

Destinations 
 

8.6
9.0

VPN Destination Selection Example 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN VPN Destination Selection Example
Compare High-Res
Mullvad VPN Destination Selection Example

Countries 
 

118
49

Countries With Multiple Cities 
 

9
11

Server Choice 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 

Split Tunneling 
 

8.0
6.1

VPN Disabled For App Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN VPN Disabled For App Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Mullvad VPN Disabled For App Screenshot

VPN Enabled For App Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN VPN Enabled For App Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Mullvad VPN Enabled For App Screenshot

Disabling Of VPN For Specific Apps 
 

Yes
Yes

Enabling Of VPN For Specific Apps 
 

Yes
No

Splitting Based On Address 
 

No
No

Ping Local Address - Same Subnet 
 

Yes
Yes

Ping Local Address - Different Subnet 
 

No
No

Headless Setup 
 

7.0
10

Headless WireGuard Connection Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Headless WireGuard Connection Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Mullvad Headless WireGuard Connection Screenshot

Headless OpenVPN Connection Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Headless OpenVPN Connection Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Mullvad Headless OpenVPN Connection Screenshot

Headless WireGuard Connection 
 

No
Yes

Headless OpenVPN Connection 
 

Yes
Yes

Check Price

Basic
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
VPN
Mullvad
SEE PRICE
Mullvad
Complete
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 
Plus
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 
Ultra
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 

NordVPN

Mullvad

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