Mullvad VPN vs NordVPN: Here’s Our Full Comparison for 2024

Many providers that prioritize privacy and security are usually the ones that represent the very best choices on the market. NordVPN is surely one of them, as it’s known for constantly bringing bank-grade security and the highest level of privacy that a user can get.

Thanks to its no-logging policy, excellent performance, and optimized applications, NordVPN gives its users a near-perfect experience. However, Mullvad VPN isn’t as popular, and compared to the big names in the industry, it’s just another small company from Sweden.

There’s a catch, though, and that is the fact that the provider prioritizes anonymity above all, making sure it stores as little information as it can about its users. I talked about it in-depth in my Mullvad VPN review, and today, I want to compare this provider to NordVPN.

Why this provider? Well, because people are very interested in a Mullvad VPN vs NordVPN comparison when it comes to security, privacy, performance, streaming, and other important factors. These providers aren’t similar in any way, but still, if you’re in doubt about which one to buy, helping you is my mission.

In today’s Mullvad vs NordVPN duel for 2024, we’ll go through 9 tests, and at the end, we’ll pick out the winner according to the overall score. The provider that has a higher score wins, so let the battle commence and see who does a better job!

Mullvad VPN vs NordVPN: Apps & Ease of Use

As always, we start this NordVPN vs Mullvad comparison by talking about applications and ease of use.

Even in this category, we’re talking about drastically different providers, which is evident by their device compatibility. Mullvad VPN supports all desktop and mobile platforms.

By that, I mean Windows, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Android. This is great, as you get native clients for all of them, so you don’t need additional setup through the OpenVPN client. That was the case a few years ago, when Mullvad had no app for iOS, for example.

Aside from VPN applications for desktop computers and mobile users, this provider offers a Firefox extension and it supports routers. NordVPN, on the other hand, has everything Mullvad offers but with an addition of an app for Fire TV Stick, gaming consoles, Apple TV, Smart TV, and many others.

It’s quite annoying that Mullvad offers no app for Amazon Firestick TV, which is unacceptable in 2024. Thankfully, its rival covers all platforms by supporting a larger number of routers and giving you SmartPlay functionality for streaming on gaming consoles.

In terms of simultaneous connections, Mullvad VPN has only 5, while NordVPN has 6. It’s marginally better, but when you factor in better-looking apps for more platforms, you get a much better user experience regardless of the platform you’re on.

Mullvad VPN

Speaking of the platforms, I think it’s time to talk about applications in this Mullvad vs NordVPN comparison. I’ll start with Mullvad. Its application hasn’t changed its look, so we get the same blue window with the connection button and server list on the home screen.

The application is smooth, simple to use, and has quick connection times, so I have nothing to complain about. Connecting to a server takes a double-click on the server location, and within 2 seconds, you’re ready to browse the internet with the newly-encrypted connection.

The server list is sorted alphabetically but you can also add filters like server providers and choose from rented or servers owned by Mullvad. I like that the Settings menu is also simple. All VPN-related settings are placed in a menu called “VPN Settings.”

Here, you can find the protocol selection, an automatic kill switch, and even options regarding protocols. Outside of it, there’s Split Tunneling as well as the ability to change user interface settings and customize the app to your accord.

Even better is the fact that its mobile apps look the same. They’re optimized pretty well, and if you’re on iOS or Android, you’ll have no problems using this provider, as there’s no learning curve. On Windows, just make sure you unpin the app from the taskbar to be able to move it around.

Otherwise, by default, it’s anchored in one place and it won’t move around, which I found extremely annoying.

NordVPN

Despite Mullvad’s smoothness and ease of use, I still think NordVPN offers better applications. After all, the budget is on NordVPN’s side, and being the largest VPN service on the planet, the company has loads of money to spend to optimize and improve its applications.

Once you open the app, you’ll be greeted by a world map that you can use to connect to the server. Also, you can open the server list, click once on the country you want, and connect to the VPN server in that country. By the way, this takes 1-2 seconds, so the app is blazing-fast.

NordVPN has many more features compared to Mullvad, so you can expect to find more in the app. The server list immediately displays specialty servers and on the left, you have various features like Dark Web Monitor, Meshnet, and others.

The point is that all features are easy to access as they have separate menus. The Gear icon opens the Settings menu where you can find all important features in one sub-menu. This makes things much simpler if you want to quickly change the protocol or disable/enable a kill switch.

NordVPN went for the same design philosophy when it crafted its mobile applications that also support one-tap connections. On Linux, you don’t get a GUI (Graphical User Interface), but I think it’s not necessary because it has simple commands for all VPN tasks that need no special learning.

Who Wins?

In the first round of my comparison, NordVPN WINS because it offers better-looking applications, more supported platforms, and 6 simultaneous connections compared to 5 in Mullvad. No doubt, this provider is much better when talking about compatibility and connectivity.

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Security & Privacy: Which One Is Safer to Use?

In this Mullvad VPN vs NordVPN duel, it’s crucial to go over the security features of each provider. That is especially true because both companies pride themselves on having rock-solid security, no-logs policies, and other “typical” stuff that providers promise.

Security Features

To be honest, we aren’t talking about false promises here. Mullvad and NordVPN do exceptionally well in terms of security and they have loads of interesting features to talk about. Conversely, they also share some features which I’ll discuss in this part of the comparison.

Let’s start with encryption. A VPN works by encrypting your connection and making your online activities untraceable online. Both providers offer 256-bit AES encryption, which is currently the strongest level of encryption you can get.

Features like a kill switch, split tunneling, and OpenVPN support are here as well. In addition, both providers offer an ad blocker, as well as IPv6 and DNS leak protection, ensuring maximum security while browsing the web.

It’s also relevant to point out that Mullvad and NordVPN have RAM-based servers. These servers lose every bit of information with each restart, which ensures that no user-related info is stored, and as such, maximizes your privacy and anonymity.

What Are the Differences?

When it comes to differences, we have a lot to talk about. NordVPN and Mullvad offer advanced features but they branch into different directions. NordVPN comes with the aforementioned ad blocker, which is a part of Threat Protection.

Threat Protection is a bundle of features like this one but also antivirus and malware protection, both of which are very useful for increasing your security online. Meshnet is another interesting addition, as it lets you host and join secure LAN parties for gaming, business, or any other purposes.

NordVPN comes with something called a Dark Web Monitor. This feature checks the internet for email/password leaks and informs you, allowing you to take immediate action. The provider offers Private DNS too, which is NordVPN’s zero-logging DNS service.

I found this quite impressive, as it helped me get rid of free DNS providers known for storing logs and selling user-related info to the highest bidder. Perhaps the most important feature is NordLynx – a proprietary protocol based on WireGuard, which delivers stunning performance and security.

We also have Double VPN servers that will double your encryption by routing your traffic through two different servers. Mullvad VPN offers MultiHop, which is essentially the same, but you get to choose entry and exit servers, whereas, NordVPN allows you to choose from pre-built pairs.

The Swedish provider offers an advanced ad blocker, which lets you block adult and gambling sites if you want to filter your internet experience. Speaking of which, check my article about how to gamble online abroad if you’re interested.

Moving on, Mullvad VPN comes with WireGuard support. This protocol isn’t better than NordLynx but it’s highly customizable. You can enable obfuscation (NordVPN has obfuscated servers!) and MultiHop, but also select the port you want to use.

Mullvad lets you choose the IP version from IPv4 and IPv6 as well! While using OpenVPN, there’s this Bridge Mode for bypassing censorship, which worked well almost anytime I used it. However, it’s not better than the obfuscated servers found in NordVPN. More about that in a few minutes.

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Is There a No-Logs Policy?

Logging practices are very important in this Mullvad VPN vs NordVPN comparison for 2024. You see, Mullvad functions without the account creation, instead, assigning you an account number used for activation. As you can guess, this is great for preserving your anonymity.

NordVPN functions the same as every other provider as you’ll need to provide your email and create an account on the site. That doesn’t matter, though, as the provider is still a powerhouse of privacy and is known for storing absolutely no logs.

Mullvad VPN is based in Sweden, which isn’t ideal but it has a no-logging policy – one of the least intrusive ones, to be honest. It stores no logs of the websites you visit, IP addresses, DNS requests, geolocation, and other sensitive data.

The company received an audit from Cure53, which is the same company that audited Surfshark and proved that it’s a great VPN for privacy. All in all, we’re talking about a clear no-logs policy with very little stored information, such as total simultaneous connections and payment information.

But what about NordVPN? Well, we can say the same about it. This VPN has no information related to the sites you visit, connection timestamps, IP addresses, DNS queries, location, browsing history, and so forth.

Much like Mullvad, NordVPN stores payment information with the addition of your email address, which is associated with your account. However, this information is used for your account to function and is stored in an anonymized form, so it can never be used to infringe on your privacy.

What’s more, NordVPN has THREE security audits from the biggest auditors on the planet – PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte. It is a testament to NordVPN’s unrelenting focus on privacy and security, which is proven every day and backed by its Panamanian jurisdiction.

Just to remind you, Panama is an off-shore location with no data-retention laws and mass surveillance, which couldn’t be said about Sweden. This, however, plays no huge role as you can see, as Mullvad VPN is also a prime example of a no-log VPN.

Who Wins?

With my Mullvad VPN vs NordVPN security/privacy comparison, I can say this round is a DRAW. Both providers pack many security features – more than a typical VPN – along with certified no-logging policies and third-party audits. Therefore, it’s impossible to pick out the winner.

Mullvad vs NordVPN Streaming Test

If you’re in dire need of a VPN provider to unblock Netflix or enjoy streaming in general, you’re going to be very satisfied with one of these providers. But which provider are we talking about? Well, let me talk to you more about that in my NordVPN vs Mullvad VPN streaming test.

Netflix Test

Netflix is the most popular streaming service with thousands of shows and series. However, the trick with this platform is that it offers different libraries of content based on your location. As a result, the experience can be drastically different just because you’re located in a particular country.

Now, for this Netflix test, we decided to go with the most popular libraries. According to many users, the libraries that show both quality and quantity content include Netflix US, Canada, and Japan. Since they’re the most popular libraries on Netflix, I tested these providers on them.

The results were great for NordVPN but not so much for Mullvad VPN which couldn’t unblock a single library no matter what I tried to do. To make the results clearer and easier to comprehend, I included my test results below.

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Mullvad

• Netflix US (Grey’s Anatomy): Not working, can’t find the series.
• Netflix Canada (Midnight in the Switchgrass – exclusive to Netflix CA): Not working, can’t find the movie.
• Netflix Japan (Naruto Shippuden): Not working, the series isn’t available.

NordVPN

• Netflix US (Grey’s Anatomy): Working properly with a US IP address.
• Netflix Canada (Midnight in the Switchgrass – exclusive to Netflix CA): Working properly with a Canadian IP.
• Netflix Japan (Naruto Shippuden): Working properly using a Japanese VPN server.

Other Streaming Platforms

If you don’t have a Netflix subscription, you most likely won’t be interested in how well these providers work for unblocking this platform. Instead, you’ll like to hear more about their ability to unblock free services like Hotstar and BBC iPlayer.

The good news for NordVPN is that it works really well in this regard. It successfully unblocks every streaming service you throw at it, even including Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, and other prominent platforms. As for Mullvad VPN… well, it’s not great.

For some strange reason, the provider can’t unblock a single streaming service, even failing to let me access BBC iPlayer, where I got a geo-restriction message no matter which UK-based server I used. That would make this provider not recommended if you need a VPN to watch British TV abroad.

Who Wins?

In this part of my comparison, it’s clear that NordVPN WINS because it can unblock every streaming platform, whereas, Mullvad VPN doesn’t work with any Netflix libraries and streaming services. It’s a clear win for the Panamanian provider that wipes the floor with its opponent.

Mullvad vs NordVPN Speed Comparison: Which One Is Faster?

For years, I have used ExpressVPN as my daily driver and I can tell you this is one of the fastest VPNs you can buy. However, my experience showed that NordVPN is just marginally slower, if not as fast as ExpressVPN, making it one of the top performers.

Mullvad VPN shifted its focus to privacy and security, which doesn’t necessarily mean it’s very slow – or does it? To see how fast these services are, I conducted numerous speed tests for 3 days in a row, 3 times a day, all while testing 4 server locations.

I’m located in Europe, so I wanted to make sure I included both near and distant servers, such as those in the UK, the US, Australia, and Japan. By the way, my native internet speeds aren’t the best in the world and after performing a speed test without using a VPN, I got these results:

Before divulging my VPN speed test results, I want to clarify that I left the protocol selection to Automatic. This way, I ensured that these providers do the job fully, thus, deciding on which is the best protocol according to my server selection.

With that explained, here are the results from my numerous speed tests.

Mullvad VPN

UK:

US:

Australia:

Japan:

NordVPN

UK:

US:

Australia:

Japan:

Who Wins?

NordVPN WINS this part of the duel by being much faster than Mullvad. While its rival nearly held its ground while using the UK server, the remaining server locations showed us NordVPN’s outstanding performance that beat Mullvad to a pulp.

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Torrenting: Are Mullvad and NordVPN P2P-Friendly?

If you’re frequently visiting sites like The Pirate Bay, 1337x, or RARBG, you’re most likely engaging in torrenting daily. However, if you’re not using a VPN while doing this, you’re asking for trouble. A VPN is mandatory for two reasons in this case.

To conceal your IP and online activities from your ISP and do the same for torrent sites that are known for tracking your IP address and download history. NordVPN has P2P-optimized servers that show impressive performance when downloading torrents.

They’re optimized for top-grade speeds and performance, allowing you to enjoy fast downloads without speed reduction. In addition, their rock-solid security is perfect for anonymous torrenting, preventing ISPs, hackers, and snoopers from tracking your IP and location.

NordVPN is capable of torrenting on all other servers too but I recommend connecting to a P2P server to maximize your performance. Speaking of performance, I noticed almost no speed reduction when using even a server in the US, which is thousands of kilometers from me – something that really impressed me.

Mullvad VPN, being safe, secure, and everything, is also a VPN suitable for torrenting. While not as fast as its rival, I noticed that, when using servers close to my country, the speed reduction was barely noticeable – if at all visible.

This provider doesn’t have special P2P servers, which might be a reason for that. Still, I can’t say it has poor performance. Long-distance servers are a bit of a problem but when downloading torrents, you surely won’t connect to a server overseas.

And as long as you’re using a server in your country or a country next to your location, you’ll have no problems enjoying fast and secure downloads.

Who Wins?

This round of my Mullvad VPN vs NordVPN duel ends up in a DRAW. Both providers are P2P-friendly and show great performance with no speed reduction in most cases.

Are NordVPN and Mullvad VPN Working in China?

Using a VPN in China became increasingly difficult with recent “updates” to the Great Firewall. In 2024, the Great Firewall restricts access to thousands of sites and on this list, you’ll find VPN services like CyberGhost, IPVanish, Hide.me, and other prominent providers.

So far, ExpressVPN and NordVPN have shown great results in this country. In my review of NordVPN, I talked about its obfuscated servers and how well they work. They rely on OpenVPN and are used for concealing your VPN traffic, making it look like ordinary traffic.

This technique proved efficient at bypassing firewall restrictions and working in China. So far, our testers have had no issues with this provider, and 10/10 times, NordVPN worked like a charm, even providing fast speeds in spite of additional encryption and obfuscation.

Mullvad VPN also works in China but it’s not as efficient and reliable. When using WireGuard with obfuscation, our testers couldn’t make it work for some reason. However, when switching to OpenVPN and using the aforementioned Bridge Mode, things changed for the better.

In this case, Mullvad VPN circumvents the Great Firewall with moderate efficiency. Our testers reported being able to use it but with reduced speeds and higher ping, which hundred the experience a bit.

Who Wins?

Despite both providers working in China, NordVPN WINS because it’s more reliable and offers better speeds in this country. Mullvad VPN works only while using OpenVPN and Bridge Mode, but it reduces speeds and increases latency, which isn’t something you want for browsing, streaming, or gaming.

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Mullvad vs NordVPN Server Fleets: Which One Is Bigger?

Our Mullvad VPN vs NordVPN comparison is nearly coming to an end, so we must talk about their server networks and locations. This is very important for being able to bypass geo-restrictions easily but also for avoiding overcrowding which is typical on smaller server fleets.

Mullvad VPN (650 servers in 40 countries)

Now that I mentioned a small server fleet, I think Mullvad VPN is a good example of that. At the time of writing, this provider offers just 650 servers in 40 countries, which is disappointing for a paid VPN. Even more disappointing is that the provider isn’t keen on expanding its server network.

And to be clear, it’s not a new provider or anything. Furthermore, Mullvad VPN made some strange decisions when it came to server distribution. For example, it has 4 server locations in Sweden, yet, it offers just 2 server locations in the UK.

Don’t get me wrong – I don’t hate anyone. However, people need UK servers more than Swedish servers, especially when talking about streaming platforms. Thankfully, the provider has a lot of servers in the US, Canada, and Europe, so I can’t complain about that.

One thing I noticed is that it has no servers in India – but neither does NordVPN – and African/Asian coverage isn’t the best. After all, with just 40 countries in nearly 70 locations, you can’t expect Mullvad VPN to cover the entire globe or have servers in “less popular” countries.

If you want a provider with 30,000 servers in nearly 90 countries, I recommend checking my full review of Private Internet Access because this is currently the largest provider on the planet.

NordVPN (6,000+ servers in 60 countries)

NordVPN isn’t joking when it promises thousands of worldwide servers. As a result, you get 6,000 servers in 60 countries based on a 10 Gbps infrastructure for the best possible performance. In addition, the server distribution is much better and you get more servers in Asia, Africa, and Australia.

Not to mention that the server variety is impressive too. Mullvad VPN has no specialty servers, but with NordVPN, you get P2P, Obfuscated, Double VPN, and even Onion Over VPN servers optimized for browsing the dark web anonymously.

Another thing I like about NordVPN is its numerous server locations in the United States, where it has nearly 2,000 servers! Fast servers are available in Europe, the UK, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, and other prominent countries. What about dedicated IP addresses?

Do I need a VPN with a dedicated IP, actually? Well, if you want an IP that only you will use, NordVPN will give you that possibility. It offers Dedicated IP servers in the US, the UK, the Netherlands, Canada, France, Germany, and Japan, so you have plenty to choose from.

You won’t get this luxury in Mullvad VPN, which lacks numbers and server variety.

Who Wins?

In this Mullvad VPN vs NordVPN duel for 2024, NordVPN WINS as it has significantly more servers in 20 more countries. Coupled with dedicated IP addresses and specialty servers with 10 Gbps speeds, it’s easy to see why it wins against Mullvad effortlessly.

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Customer Support: Mullvad or NordVPN?

Customer support isn’t a very important part of this NordVPN vs Mullvad comparison. However, having excellent customer support definitely makes the provider feel alive, rather than an empty playground that someone left for you to play with.

That’s, unfortunately, how Mullvad VPN feels like. It has no 24/7 support through live chat and the only way to get in touch is email support, which isn’t the fastest. FAQ sections are present and there are numerous step-by-step tutorials for different purposes.

NordVPN has everything I mentioned, along with 24/7 live chat support available in multiple languages. This makes the process of contacting the support team dead simple, plus, you can fix the potential issues in less than 5 or 10 minutes because support responds immediately when using live chat.

Email support is drastically faster too and you get a great YouTube channel with helpful videos, tutorials, and guides. I can’t say I’m surprised because NordVPN is a much bigger provider with more budget for improvements and customer support.

Still, it’s noticeably better and in this Mullvad vs NordVPN comparison, it’s all that matters.

Who Wins?

That said, NordVPN WINS this round as well by providing better 24/7 customer support through live chat. Mullvad VPN and its email support aren’t the best tandem, so if you want more reliable support that’s always present, you should avoid this provider.

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Pricing Comparison

So far, NordVPN is in the winning position and it’s going to stay that way until the end. But if you place a big accent on the VPN’s price and you’re looking to save every dollar, I think this comparison will interest you the most.

What if you still want to buy Mullvad VPN? How much will it cost you?

This provider has a unique pricing structure that revolves around one flat fee of €5 a month. You don’t have to commit for longer than one month and you can just “supply” your account with “time” e.g. subscription every time you feel like it.

You can pay €5 now and when the subscription expires, Mullvad won’t charge you again until you decide to pay. I found this way of charging for a service handy, especially with a 30-day money-back guarantee that makes things simpler if you want a refund.

If you’re from the United States, Mullvad will charge you $5.5 a month, which is its way of converting Euros to American Dollars. No doubt, this isn’t the cheapest price but you don’t have to commit, which is a trade-off that you may or may not want to take.

NordVPN has nothing unique about its pricing. It’s a classic pricing structure with 2-year, 1-year, and monthly plans on offer. The 2-year plan is the cheapest deal and it starts at way under $3.4 a month but you have to commit for 2 years.

Plus and Complete plans include NordPass and NordLocker which we won’t examine, as you most likely won’t use these services. Besides, if you need a great cloud storage provider, you can go for pCloud which gives you more free storage than NordLocker.

If you want just a VPN, the monthly price is definitely cheaper than Mullvad. Actually, even this Plus plan with Data Breach Scanner and NordPass is cheaper than Mullvad at nearly $5 a month, so you can get two bonus features and still save some money in the long run.

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Of course, a 30-day money-back guarantee is here and it applies to all plans, so you can easily get reimbursed if you’re dissatisfied for any reason.

Who Wins?

The final round of the comparison tells us that NordVPN WINS. While Mullvad VPN doesn’t require your commitment, it’s still more expensive every month. Plus, for a price cheaper than Mullvad’s monthly price, you can get NordLocker on top of your NordVPN subscription.

Conclusion: NordVPN Wins!

This NordVPN vs Mullvad VPN comparison for 2024 was pretty long and in-depth but from the start, we could see the direction in which it was going. Without question, NordVPN WINS with a score of 9:2, which means it beats its opponent with a crushing blow.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see why the result is the way it is. NordVPN offers a better user experience, it’s better for streaming, and comes with much faster speeds thanks to its NordLynx protocol. That’s not all, however.

This provider offers many more servers along with specialty servers for different purposes and its 24/7 live chat support makes it more reliable. Finally, despite being so much better, NordVPN ends up being cheaper, even allowing you to get NordPass while keeping the price lower than MullvadVPN’s monthly price.

Mullvad VPN held its ground when talking about security and privacy, and in a way, it stores fewer bits of information than NordVPN. It’s also P2P-friendly and works in China when using Bridge Mode. Still, on a grand scale, it’s far from being more reliable than the Panamanian provider.

There’s a good reason why NordVPN is one of the top VPN services in 2024 and in this comparison, I think I made it even clearer. As for Mullvad… well, it isn’t bad but it needs a lot more polishing to compete with the big boys. Until then, I recommend sticking with NordVPN instead.

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FAQ

In this section, we’ll tackle some of the most frequently asked questions about Mullvad VPN and NordVPN.

Are NordVPN and Mullvad legit?

Yes, they’re 100% legit. As explained in this comparison, both rely on their no-logging policies and store no logs. Their RAM servers, Private DNS, and AES-256 encryption stand out as some of the best security features on the market.

In terms of trustworthiness, you won’t have to worry. Both providers proved to be safe and secure, especially with several third-party security audits.

Can I use Mullvad and NordVPN for free?

We’re sad to report that you can’t. Mullvad doesn’t offer a free trial but there’s a 30-day refund policy. This means you can get it, enjoy it for 30 days, and get a refund if you’re dissatisfied or don’t want to pay for it.

NordVPN is a much better option here. It has a 7-day free trial on mobile devices plus a 30-day refund policy. The fact that you have to provide credit card info on mobile devices isn’t good but at least, you can cancel anytime in 7 days and not get charged.

See our guide on using NordVPN for free for more information.

ExpressVPN vs NordVPN vs Mullvad – which one to get?

Out of the three, ExpressVPN is the best but also more expensive. It’s the fastest, most-audited VPN with rock-solid security and exceptional streaming capabilities. NordVPN is very close and almost equal but offers fewer server locations.

Mullvad is way below these two quality-wise, just for reference. That said, we’d rather choose between NordVPN and ExpressVPN instead of Mullvad.