2 Best Free Alternatives to Mullvad in 2026
By Noahlast updated pricing verified
Compared: free alternatives to Mullvad
| Alternative | Best for | Standout | Biggest weakness | Learning curve | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mullvadreference | privacy-conscious individuals who want anonymous signup and a single flat-rate plan instead of tiered VPN pricing | Anonymous account-number signup with no email required, combined with cash or cryptocurrency payment options and a fully open-source, independently audited client. | No free tier and no long-term discount: the price is a flat €5/month whether paid monthly or in advance, so heavy multi-year commitments don't get cheaper the way many competitors' 2-3 year plans do. | Low | Custom pricing |
| Proton VPN | privacy-conscious users and journalists who want an open-source, independently audited VPN with a genuinely unlimited-data free tier, or paid subscribers wanting 10-device coverage bundled with Proton's email and storage products | The free tier has no data cap, unlike most competitors' free plans, and VPN Accelerator claims up to a 400% speed boost over standard WireGuard on high-latency or lossy connections. | The free tier is capped at one device and a small pool of server locations, and users who only want a fast, single-purpose VPN end up paying for Mail, Drive, Pass, and Calendar features bundled into the higher-value Unlimited plan if they upgrade past VPN Plus. | Low | Free tier · paid from $4.99/mo |
| IVPN | privacy-conscious users who want an open-source VPN client and are willing to pay a premium for anonymous sign-up and payment options over the cheapest VPN on the market | Apps and website are fully open source, account creation requires no email address, and payment can be made anonymously with cash or cryptocurrency. | Smaller server network than mass-market VPNs like NordVPN or ExpressVPN, no free tier or ad-supported option, and current subscription pricing could not be verified because IVPN's pricing page loads its numbers via JavaScript rather than static HTML. | Moderate | Custom pricing |
Mullvad
Proton VPN
IVPN1.Proton VPN — best Mullvad alternative for privacy-conscious users and journalists who want an open-source, independently audited VPN with a genuinely unlimited-data free tier, or paid subscribers wanting 10-device coverage bundled with Proton's email and storage products
Proton VPN is the best Mullvad alternative for privacy-conscious users who want an open-source, independently audited VPN with a genuinely free tier, something Mullvad doesn't offer at all. Proton Free has no data cap, unusual among free VPNs, though it's limited to one device, medium speed, and a small set of server locations; VPN Plus then costs $4.99/month billed annually, close to Mullvad's flat €5/month price but unlocking 10 simultaneous devices and 2,000+ servers in 140+ countries versus Mullvad's 5-device cap. Proton VPN holds a 4.5/5 rating from 44 Capterra reviews, external review evidence Mullvad has none of on record. Like Mullvad, Proton VPN's apps are open source and independently audited, and Proton is based in Switzerland under strict Swiss privacy law, comparable in spirit to Mullvad's Swedish jurisdiction. Mullvad is still the better choice for anyone who wants the most anonymous possible signup: Mullvad requires no email at all, just a random account number, and accepts cash and cryptocurrency, while Proton VPN's free tier still requires an account, and Proton Unlimited bundles Mail, Drive, Pass, and Calendar, raising cost for users who want VPN only.
Compared to Mullvad: a genuinely free, unlimited-data tier vs Mullvad's no free tier at all, 10 simultaneous devices on VPN Plus vs Mullvad's 5, a 4.5/5 rating from 44 Capterra reviews vs no rating on record for Mullvad
Wins:Free tier has no data cap, something Mullvad doesn't offer at any price · VPN Plus unlocks 10 simultaneous devices and 2,000+ servers in 140+ countries vs Mullvad's 5-device cap · 4.5/5 rating from 44 Capterra reviews vs no external rating on record for Mullvad
Loses:Signup still requires a Proton account, unlike Mullvad's fully anonymous random account number with no email · Proton Unlimited bundles Mail, Drive, Pass, and Calendar, raising cost for users who want VPN only, unlike Mullvad's single-purpose flat price · Free tier limits users to one device and a small pool of server locations
Pros
- Free tier has no data cap, unusual among competitors' free plans.
- Open-source, independently audited apps across Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.
- VPN Plus unlocks 2,000+ servers in 140+ countries with streaming-service unblocking.
- Built-in ad and malware blocker plus a kill switch on paid plans.
Cons
- Free tier limits users to one device and a small set of server locations.
- Proton Unlimited bundles Mail, Drive, Pass, and Calendar, raising cost for users who want VPN only.
- Fewer total server count than the largest competitors like NordVPN or ExpressVPN.
Pricing: Free tier · paid from $4.99/mo — Free tier, then $4.99/month VPN Plus billed annually, vs Mullvad's flat €5/month for all users
2.IVPN — best Mullvad alternative for privacy-conscious users who want an open-source VPN client and are willing to pay a premium for anonymous sign-up and payment options over the cheapest VPN on the market
IVPN is the best Mullvad alternative for users who specifically want Mullvad's anonymous-signup model, no email required to create an account, replicated by another provider, since IVPN's apps and website are open source and account creation also requires no email address. Like Mullvad, IVPN accepts cash mailed to its office (Gibraltar rather than Sweden) and cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Monero) for anonymous payment, alongside standard card and PayPal options. IVPN supports WireGuard with quantum-resistant key exchange enabled by default, matching Mullvad's own DAITA and quantum-resistant tunnel options, plus V2Ray obfuscation for censored networks and multi-hop routing that Mullvad also offers. IVPN publishes two tiers, Standard and Pro, though exact current dollar pricing could not be confirmed since IVPN's pricing page renders numbers via JavaScript, the same verification gap Mullvad's own tiered detail doesn't have since its price is a simple flat €5/month. Mullvad is still the better choice for anyone who wants one single, simple flat price with no tier decision to make at all: IVPN's two-tier Standard/Pro structure requires choosing a plan, and IVPN has a smaller server network than mass-market competitors, a limitation it shares with Mullvad.
Compared to Mullvad: no email required to create an account, matching Mullvad's anonymous signup model, cash and cryptocurrency payment options at a different jurisdiction (Gibraltar vs Sweden), quantum-resistant WireGuard by default plus V2Ray obfuscation
Wins:V2Ray obfuscation mode specifically handles censored-network use cases beyond Mullvad's own multi-hop and DAITA features · Apps and the ivpn.net website itself are both open source, a level of transparency matching Mullvad's own · Gibraltar jurisdiction offers a second option for users who want to diversify away from Mullvad's Swedish jurisdiction
Loses:Exact current subscription pricing could not be confirmed because IVPN's pricing page renders numbers via JavaScript, unlike Mullvad's simple, publicly stated flat €5/month · Two-tier Standard/Pro plan structure requires choosing a plan, versus Mullvad's single flat price with no tiers to compare · No free tier or trial beyond standard refund policies, the same limitation Mullvad has
Pros
- Apps and the website are open source and published on GitHub, unusual for a VPN provider.
- No email required to create an account; cash and cryptocurrency payment options support anonymous sign-up.
- V2Ray obfuscation and multi-hop routing handle censored-network and higher-privacy use cases most consumer VPNs skip.
- WireGuard is configured with quantum-resistant key exchange by default.
Cons
- Smaller server network than large consumer VPNs like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, or Surfshark.
- No free tier; every plan requires payment from the start.
- Two-tier plan structure (Standard/Pro) is less feature-rich out of the box than competitors bundling multi-hop and obfuscation into a single plan.
- Streaming-service unblocking is not a stated priority the way it is for mainstream VPN marketing.
Pricing: Custom pricing — Exact current pricing not published (JS-rendered) vs Mullvad's flat €5/month for all users