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    Mullvad VPN vs IVPN

    Complete evidence-based comparison across all 28 security, privacy, and performance criteria

    Executive Summary

    After comprehensive testing across 28 security and privacy criteria—including infrastructure analysis, speed telemetry, configuration reviews, and legal due diligence—we've identified key differentiators between Mullvad VPN and IVPN. Mullvad VPN emerges as the overall winner with a score of 4.52/5.0, winning 8 categories.

    Corporate Structure & Ownership

    Mullvad VPN logo

    Mullvad VPN

    Ownership Type:
    Independent

    Parent Company: Amagicom AB

    Corporate Structure: Private Company

    Risk Factors:

    Low Risk

    • EU jurisdiction
    • Small company

    Privacy Implications:

    • GDPR compliance
    • Independent operation
    • Anonymous payments
    • Strict no-logs policy
    IVPN logo

    IVPN

    Ownership Type:
    Independent

    Parent Company: IVPN Limited

    Corporate Structure: Private Company

    Risk Factors:

    Low Risk

    • Small company
    • Jurisdiction dependency

    Privacy Implications:

    • Independent operation
    • Privacy-focused

    Jurisdictional & Legal Risk Analysis

    Mullvad VPN logo

    Mullvad VPN

    Primary Jurisdiction:
    Sweden

    Country-level indicator: Good

    EU jurisdiction with GDPR protections, outside Five Eyes alliance, strong privacy laws

    As of: 2026-07-22

    Retention: PTS states that subscriber, traffic, location, and internet-access data generated or processed by covered operators can be subject to retention duties. This is not evidence that every Sweden-based VPN stores browsing activity.

    Compulsion: Covered operators can be required to disclose retained, preserved, or real-time data under separate legal authorities and safeguards.

    Swedish Post and Telecom Authority - data retention Swedish Post and Telecom Authority - disclosure of information

    IVPN logo

    IVPN

    Primary Jurisdiction:
    Gibraltar

    Country-level indicator: Unknown

    Legacy country narrative suppressed pending a dated primary-source review.

    Quick Verdict

    Mullvad VPN logo

    Mullvad VPN

    Overall Winner
    Overall Score
    4.52/5.0
    Categories Won8/28
    Categories Tied14
    Visit Mullvad VPN
    IVPN logo

    IVPN

    Overall Score
    4.24/5.0
    Categories Won6/28
    Categories Tied14
    Visit IVPN

    Need a paid VPN deal instead?

    Mullvad and IVPN are strong privacy picks, but they are not current affiliate revenue paths for this site. If your use case is streaming, family sharing, discounts, or broader server coverage, compare these tracked alternatives before you buy.

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    ProtonVPN logo

    ProtonVPN

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    Complete 28-Criteria Comparison

    Detailed side-by-side comparison with evidence for each criterion. Scores are based on independent audits, technical reviews, and verified testing data.

    Jurisdiction
    Mullvad VPN
    3.5-0.5
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 13.0

    Mullvad says its legal entity, Mullvad VPN AB, is based in Sweden and outlines its view of laws relevant to the service. This is the provider's account, not an independent legal conclusion or an alliance-based score.

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    4+0.5
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 13.0

    IVPN is based in Gibraltar, a jurisdiction with strong privacy protections and no mandatory data retention laws.

    View Evidence
    Audited No-Logs Policy
    Mullvad VPN
    5+0.5
    Grade A
    Community
    EQS: 12.5

    Cure53 conducted a comprehensive security audit of Mullvad VPN in 2020, confirming their no-logs policy and infrastructure security.

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    4.5-0.5
    Grade A
    Community
    EQS: 12.5

    Cure53 conducted a comprehensive security audit of IVPN in 2019, confirming their no-logs policy and infrastructure security.

    View Evidence
    Security Protocols
    Mullvad VPN
    5
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 13.0

    Mullvad VPN supports WireGuard and OpenVPN protocols with secure defaults and strong encryption.

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    5
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 13.0

    IVPN supports WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 protocols with secure defaults and strong encryption.

    View Evidence
    Encryption
    Mullvad VPN
    5
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 12.0

    WG ChaCha20-Poly1305; OVPN AES-256-GCM; strong handshakes.

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    5
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 11.0

    AES-256 & ChaCha20; PFS; rigorous configs.

    View Evidence
    Leak Protection
    Mullvad VPN
    5
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 12.0

    Always-on kill-switch/lockdown; DNS guidance; IPv6/WebRTC mitigations.

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    5
    Grade B
    Secondary
    EQS: 9.0

    Kill switch across platforms; independent tests show no DNS/IPv6/WebRTC leaks.

    View Evidence
    Owned Infrastructure
    Mullvad VPN
    3-1.0
    Grade B
    Primary
    EQS: 10.0

    Extensive colocation/hardened fleet (not 100% owned globally).

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    4+1.0
    Grade B
    Primary
    EQS: 10.0

    Self-hosted/managed servers; limited regions vs giants.

    View Evidence
    RAM-Only Servers
    Mullvad VPN
    5+5.0
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 12.0

    Network-wide RAM-only completed Sep 20, 2023.

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    0-5.0
    Grade C
    Primary
    EQS: 9.0

    Not RAM-only fleet as of latest statements.

    View Evidence
    Transparency – Ownership
    Mullvad VPN
    5
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 12.0

    Company details public (Mullvad VPN AB, Sweden); frequent policy/audit comms.

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    5
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 12.0

    Independent; detailed ownership & operations disclosures.

    View Evidence
    Independence & Integrity
    Mullvad VPN
    5
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 12.0

    No affiliates/paid reviews policy.

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    5
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 12.0

    No affiliate program, no paid reviews policy.

    View Evidence
    Bug Bounty & Security Disclosure
    Mullvad VPN
    3+3.0
    Grade B
    Primary
    EQS: 10.0

    Public security contact & disclosure; no cash bounty program.

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    0-3.0
    Grade B
    Primary
    EQS: 10.0

    Security contact and responsible disclosure; no public bounty board.

    View Evidence
    Incident Response
    Mullvad VPN
    4-1.0
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 12.0

    Police visit handled transparently; follow-up protocol request published.

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    5+1.0
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 11.0

    IVPN reported an August 2026 compromise of its separate Bitcoin payment server involving company operating funds. It stated that VPN infrastructure, customer data and customer funds were unaffected. This does not establish an absence of other incidents.

    View Evidence
    Speed Performance
    Mullvad VPN
    4-1.0
    Grade B
    Secondary
    EQS: 10.0

    Mullvad VPN provides good speed performance with WireGuard protocol, though speeds may vary by server location.

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    5+1.0
    Grade B
    Secondary
    EQS: 10.0

    IVPN provides excellent speed performance with WireGuard protocol and optimized server infrastructure.

    View Evidence
    Platform Availability
    Mullvad VPN
    1-4.0
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 12.0

    Native apps: Windows/macOS/Linux GUI/iOS/Android; 5 devices.

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    5+4.0
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 12.0

    Apps for Win/macOS/Linux, iOS/Android; open-source clients.

    View Evidence
    Streaming / Geo-Unblocking
    Mullvad VPN
    3-1.0
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 13.0

    Mullvad VPN does not actively support streaming unblocking and focuses on privacy rather than geo-unblocking.

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    4+1.0
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 13.0

    IVPN does not actively support streaming unblocking and focuses on privacy and security.

    View Evidence
    Customer Support
    Mullvad VPN
    5
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 13.0

    Mullvad VPN provides email support and comprehensive documentation, though live chat is not available.

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    5
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 13.0

    IVPN provides email support and comprehensive documentation with knowledgeable staff.

    View Evidence
    Pricing & Refund Policy
    Mullvad VPN
    5
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 13.0

    Mullvad lists a flat EUR5 monthly price. Its refund help, updated 26 August 2026, offers a 14-day guarantee for eligible payment methods; cash and cryptocurrency are excluded, while App Store and voucher refunds are handled through the relevant seller.

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    5
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 13.0

    IVPN offers competitive pricing with 30-day money-back guarantee and transparent pricing structure.

    View Evidence
    Payment Options
    Mullvad VPN
    5
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 12.0

    Anonymous account numbers; cash by mail, Monero, BTC, cards, bank wire, Swish.

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    5
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 12.0

    Cash by mail, Monero, Bitcoin, cards.

    View Evidence
    Ethical Practices & Reputation
    Mullvad VPN
    4+0.5
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 12.0

    Civil-liberties advocacy (e.g., Stop Chat Control) and privacy-first ops.

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    3.5-0.5
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 12.0

    Privacy-first stance; frequent transparency writing.

    View Evidence
    Ad-Blocker / Threat Protection
    Mullvad VPN
    5+1.0
    Grade B
    Primary
    EQS: 10.0

    Encrypted DNS filters for ads/trackers/malware (DNS-level).

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    4-1.0
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 11.0

    AntiTracker (DNS-level) included.

    View Evidence
    Additional Features
    Mullvad VPN
    4
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 12.0

    Multihop, split tunneling, custom DNS, SOCKS5, API keys, Android TV.

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    4
    Grade B
    Primary
    EQS: 10.0

    Multi-hop, tracker blocking; limited extras (no dedicated IP).

    View Evidence
    Bypassing Censorship
    Mullvad VPN
    5
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 12.0

    WG-over-TCP, Bridge, DAITA traffic camo; effective in many restricted environments.

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    5
    Grade B
    Primary
    EQS: 10.0

    Obfsproxy/obfuscation guidance for restricted networks.

    View Evidence
    Open-Source Transparency
    Mullvad VPN
    5+5.0
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 12.0

    Apps & many tools open-source (GitHub).

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    0-5.0
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 12.0

    All apps & website open-source.

    View Evidence
    Post-Quantum Security (PQC)
    Mullvad VPN
    5+5.0
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 13.0

    Mullvad VPN has enabled quantum-resistant WireGuard tunnels by default on all desktop platforms as of January 2025. The implementation uses Classic McEliece and ML-KEM algorithms for post-quantum secure key encapsulation mechanisms.

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    0-5.0

    No PQC support announced.

    Static / Dedicated IP
    Mullvad VPN
    0
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 12.0

    Not offered (shared IP model).

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    0
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 11.0

    Not offered.

    View Evidence
    Decentralized VPN (dVPN) Participation
    Mullvad VPN
    0

    Centralized (not a dVPN).

    IVPN
    0

    Centralized (not a dVPN).

    AI-Based Threat Detection
    Mullvad VPN
    0

    No AI endpoint scanning features.

    IVPN
    0

    None advertised.

    Linux Support Quality
    Mullvad VPN
    5
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 12.0

    First-class Linux GUI; parity documented.

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    5
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 12.0

    Native OSS Linux client; strong parity.

    View Evidence
    Client Telemetry & Trackers
    Mullvad VPN
    5+5.0
    Grade B
    Primary
    EQS: 10.0

    Apps avoid trackers; policy emphasizes minimal data.

    View Evidence
    IVPN
    0-5.0
    Grade A
    Primary
    EQS: 12.0

    Minimal telemetry; open code enables verification.

    View Evidence

    Detailed Criterion Analysis

    Deep dive into each category with specific comparisons, evidence, and real-world implications.

    Multi-Currency Pricing Comparison

    Pricing Across Currencies (USD, GBP, EUR, CAD)

    ProviderBest current offerUSDGBPEURCAD
    Mullvad VPN
    1-month flat-rate plan
    EUR · 5.00 upfront
    Source checked 2026-11-01    		$5.59£4.17€5.00C$7.80
    IVPN
    Pro Suite yearly
    USD · 100.00 upfront
    Source checked 2026-11-01    		$8.33£6.22€7.46C$11.64

    Mullvad VPN: pricing page reviewed 2026-11-01; quote dates are shown in offer details.

    IVPN: pricing page reviewed 2026-11-01; quote dates are shown in offer details.

    Converted displays use ECB reference rates dated 2026-10-30 and are estimates. Prices are per month.

    Key Strengths & Weaknesses

    Mullvad VPN Strengths

    • Audited No-Logs Policy (Perfect 5.0)
    • RAM-Only Servers (Perfect 5.0)
    • Ad-Blocker / Threat Protection (Perfect 5.0)
    • Open-Source Transparency (Perfect 5.0)
    • Post-Quantum Security (PQC) (Perfect 5.0)
    • Client Telemetry & Trackers (Perfect 5.0)

    IVPN Strengths

    • Incident Response (Perfect 5.0)
    • Speed Performance (Perfect 5.0)
    • Platform Availability (Perfect 5.0)

    Which VPN for Your Use Case?

    Decision Framework

    Choose Mullvad VPN if you prioritize:

    • Audited No-Logs Policy
    • RAM-Only Servers
    • Ad-Blocker / Threat Protection
    • Open-Source Transparency
    • Post-Quantum Security (PQC)

    Choose IVPN if you prioritize:

    • Incident Response
    • Speed Performance
    • Platform Availability

    Ready to Choose?

    Based on our comprehensive 28-criteria analysis, make your decision:

    Mullvad VPN logo

    Mullvad VPN

    Won 8 out of 28 categories

    4.52/5.0
    Visit Mullvad VPN
    IVPN logo

    IVPN

    Won 6 out of 28 categories

    4.24/5.0
    Visit IVPN

    Want to compare more VPNs? Use our full comparison tool.

    Compare All 96 VPNs

    All scores based on our evidence-based methodology. Evidence updated regularly.

    Last updated: 11/2/2026

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