5 ms·

Happy Mullvad user here. The fact that they do zero advertising and provide no offers or discounts etc is the number one reason I went with them. They don’t eve

Happy Mullvad user here. The fact that they do zero advertising and provide no offers or discounts etc is the number one reason I went with them. They don’t even collect your email. You have an account number that’s all. You can even pay for that account in cash by sending that money to the company’s PO box anonymously.

guerrilla 5y ago
I like your criterion there. How well does it do for geofencing? NordVPN has been okay except for the BBC which seems to smart for any of that.
- stereoradonc 5y ago
  Nord uses "residential IP addresses". There was some discussion around its cagey ownership as well.
sleavey 5y ago
That sounds excellent. Is that even legal for them to do though? Aren't there "know your customer" laws all over the world now?
- kfreds 5y ago
  Hi! Yes, it is legal. Your average corner shop has no requirements to do KYC when selling chocolate bars, and neither do we. :) Cheers, Fredrik Strömberg, cofounder of Mullvad.
  - sleavey 5y ago
    Thanks! Reading your site now. Is support for using native wireguard and OpenVPN clients considered first class alongside the Mullvad app? And any restrictions accessing geoblocked streaming content (both from your side and providers' sides blocking Mullvad)?
    - leppr 5y ago
      Last I checked Mullvad wasn't great for sites that actively ban VPN IPs like Netflix. For that NordVPN is better since (I recall reading) they use the residential IPs of users of some other free VPN services, so these rotate too frequently for Netflix to ban. You'll still have to ask for fresh IPs from time to time though as even those get blocked.
      - burnaway 5y ago
        As Netflix is now banning more residential IPs more aggressively, all "streaming VPNs" face problems nowadays: https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-intensifies-vpn-ban-and-targets-residential-ip-addresses-too-210811/ https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-intensifies-vpn-ban-and-tar...
      - dorchadas 5y ago
        Yeah, streaming sites was the one issue I had with Mulvad. But I don't stream that much, and am super happy with them otherwise.
  - djbebs 5y ago
    Hi! I've been looking for a new VPN provider for a while, but most i found seem to disallow tormenting. Does mullvad permit it?
    - AnonC 5y ago
      Tangential: If you mean torrenting (I see a typo in your comment), and if you don’t really need a VPN or can do with a basic VPN service, there are many “seedbox” providers who provide disk space, data traffic, and a set of ‘ready to install and use’ apps.
      - voisin 5y ago
        Recommended examples?
        AnonC 5y ago
        I don't have specific recommendations, but going through r/seedboxes (on reddit) and also reading the wiki there or asking questions can help.
BoppreH 5y ago
Another Mullvad user here. Generally happy, but the Windows and Android apps are somewhat buggy. Every couple of weeks I have to reinstall the Windows app because it's failing to update, and the Android app started eating my battery recently (used 46% of a full charge yesterday after some hours of internet browsing). In their defense their support has always been amazing when I contacted them about it, and the Android issue could be manufacturer's fault, since OnePlus is known for its shenanigans. I'll continue with Mullvad for the foreseeable future.
- szszrk 5y ago
  Can you use them with third party VPN clients?
  - spindle 5y ago
    Yes
  - BoppreH 5y ago
    Yes [1], the technical aspects are easily accessible. I'm avoiding third party VPN clients for simplicity and trust-minimization, but it's my plan B. [1] https://mullvad.net/en/help/faq/#40 https://mullvad.net/en/help/faq/#40
- guareber8 5y ago
  The windows app works perfectly for me - I'm vpn'd 24/7 and it never crashes. I think it depends on your usage.
- bspammer 5y ago
  You could try using the official WireGuard app rather than Mullvad’s. Just generate a WireGuard config on Mullvad’s website, and you should be able to import that no problem.
drcongo 5y ago
Thanks for this, just switched to Mullvad.
thefz 5y ago
Happy Mullvad user here. Plus they offer WireGuard which is awesome.
vmception 5y ago
Thats good, that has nothing to do with privacy. The VPN concept can provide no assurance on privacy and any supposed assurance can change at any moment’s notice, whether they VPN provider is aware or not, coerced or not. Who you want privacy from is important, but the people VPNs provide privacy against results in no differentiation between VPN providers.

guerrilla 5y ago

I like your criterion there. How well does it do for geofencing? NordVPN has been okay except for the BBC which seems to smart for any of that.

stereoradonc 5y ago
Nord uses "residential IP addresses". There was some discussion around its cagey ownership as well.

sleavey 5y ago

That sounds excellent. Is that even legal for them to do though? Aren't there "know your customer" laws all over the world now?

kfreds 5y ago
Hi! Yes, it is legal. Your average corner shop has no requirements to do KYC when selling chocolate bars, and neither do we. :) Cheers, Fredrik Strömberg, cofounder of Mullvad.
- sleavey 5y ago
  Thanks! Reading your site now. Is support for using native wireguard and OpenVPN clients considered first class alongside the Mullvad app? And any restrictions accessing geoblocked streaming content (both from your side and providers' sides blocking Mullvad)?
  - leppr 5y ago
    Last I checked Mullvad wasn't great for sites that actively ban VPN IPs like Netflix. For that NordVPN is better since (I recall reading) they use the residential IPs of users of some other free VPN services, so these rotate too frequently for Netflix to ban. You'll still have to ask for fresh IPs from time to time though as even those get blocked.
    - burnaway 5y ago
      As Netflix is now banning more residential IPs more aggressively, all "streaming VPNs" face problems nowadays: https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-intensifies-vpn-ban-and-targets-residential-ip-addresses-too-210811/ https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-intensifies-vpn-ban-and-tar...
    - dorchadas 5y ago
      Yeah, streaming sites was the one issue I had with Mulvad. But I don't stream that much, and am super happy with them otherwise.
- djbebs 5y ago
  Hi! I've been looking for a new VPN provider for a while, but most i found seem to disallow tormenting. Does mullvad permit it?
  - AnonC 5y ago
    Tangential: If you mean torrenting (I see a typo in your comment), and if you don’t really need a VPN or can do with a basic VPN service, there are many “seedbox” providers who provide disk space, data traffic, and a set of ‘ready to install and use’ apps.
    - voisin 5y ago
      Recommended examples?
      - AnonC 5y ago
        I don't have specific recommendations, but going through r/seedboxes (on reddit) and also reading the wiki there or asking questions can help.

BoppreH 5y ago

Another Mullvad user here. Generally happy, but the Windows and Android apps are somewhat buggy. Every couple of weeks I have to reinstall the Windows app because it's failing to update, and the Android app started eating my battery recently (used 46% of a full charge yesterday after some hours of internet browsing). In their defense their support has always been amazing when I contacted them about it, and the Android issue could be manufacturer's fault, since OnePlus is known for its shenanigans. I'll continue with Mullvad for the foreseeable future.

szszrk 5y ago
Can you use them with third party VPN clients?
- spindle 5y ago
  Yes
- BoppreH 5y ago
  Yes [1], the technical aspects are easily accessible. I'm avoiding third party VPN clients for simplicity and trust-minimization, but it's my plan B. [1] https://mullvad.net/en/help/faq/#40 https://mullvad.net/en/help/faq/#40
guareber8 5y ago
The windows app works perfectly for me - I'm vpn'd 24/7 and it never crashes. I think it depends on your usage.
bspammer 5y ago
You could try using the official WireGuard app rather than Mullvad’s. Just generate a WireGuard config on Mullvad’s website, and you should be able to import that no problem.

drcongo 5y ago

Thanks for this, just switched to Mullvad.

thefz 5y ago

Happy Mullvad user here. Plus they offer WireGuard which is awesome.

vmception 5y ago

Thats good, that has nothing to do with privacy. The VPN concept can provide no assurance on privacy and any supposed assurance can change at any moment’s notice, whether they VPN provider is aware or not, coerced or not. Who you want privacy from is important, but the people VPNs provide privacy against results in no differentiation between VPN providers.