ProtonVPN vs Mullvad

VPN
1

I’ve been wanting to test-run a WireGuard VPN, to compare to ProtonVPN’s IKEv2 connection. So, I purchased a 30-day subscription from Mullvad VPN, and connected my Samsung Note 10+.

The first big difference is the apps that each provider uses. While the ProtonVPN app is robust, and well-designed, the Mullvad app is bare-bones both in terms of design, and configuration options. It looks as tho almost no time or effort went into the app.

The next big difference between the two is the connection speed, and this is where the difference between WireGuard and IKEv2 comes into play. Both providers have servers in my city. With ProtonVPN(IKEv2), I average 120Mbps download and 17Mbps upload, with a 43ms ping time. With Mullvad’s WireGuard connection, I averaged 200Mbps download, 17Mbps upload, with a 20ms ping time.

ProtonVPN has 1250 servers in 54 countries, while Mullvad has 770 servers in 37 countries, giving ProtonVPN the edge. I also noticed a greater swing in performance between Mullvad servers, whereas ProtonVPN servers are more consistent, even when connecting to distant servers. The snappy 200Mbps speed I got when connecting to Mullvad’s local server became an unusable 30Mbps when I connected to their Switzerland server. ProtonVPN, on the other hand, went from 120Mbps when connected to their local server to 80Mbps when connected to a Switzerland server.

Conclusion:

The only aspect of Mullvad’s service that outperforms ProtonVPN is connection speed when connected to a local server. For me, it’s not a hugely impactful difference, but it’s noticeable. In every other way, Proton is the clear winner. From the feature-filled and configurable app, to their extensive server coverage, to the stability and consistency of service across their network, to their bedrock commitment to protecting their users’ privacy.

Hopefully, ProtonVPN makes the choice to implement WireGuard (as an option) sometime soon because there is a definite performance improvement that comes with it.

2

My only beef with ProtonVPN is that my work blocks the apps, so I have to use OpenVPN. Not having the “Fastest” option gives me FOMO. And recently, servers in my town were down, so I had to figure out where to connect to next, and download the configuration, something the client would do automatically. And no Fedora GUI client…

Other than that it’s great.

3

Wireguard support will be coming to ProtonVPN later this summer. However, we have found so far that Wireguard does not make a huge difference in performance compared to OpenVPN and IKEv2 because we are running highly optimized versions of those protocols.

4

Their MacOS and iOS apps are still very unstable, you get random disconnected a few times a day even with a stable Wi-Fi connection. The MacOS app being the most annoying as it gets stuck in a reconnecting loop so often and you need to manually kill the app and reopen it in order to re-establish the connection. The iOS App will always disconnect when hibernating with Wi-Fi connection and it fails to reconnect to the server on awake. Android app is okay but still occasional drops.

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If you’re mainly a Mac and iOS person, unless you’re out of option, I would not recommend you to use ProtonVPN,

5

Protonvpn (4€) only allows you to connect 2 devices, while Mullvad (5€) allows you 5 devices.

6

I must say, I have tried both mullvad VPN and Proton. Mullvad beats proton hands down interms of simplicity and wireguard configuration, and port forwarding. Even their payment sceme and log in method is so simple! just a number. Their billing system is so good. Just a piece of paper with no personal information. So much better than Protonmail/VPN handing information into US goverment when pressured.

7

wireguard connections are more consistent for me. I’m disconnected from protonvpn while browsing sites like youtube or reddit. My other vpn with wireguard seems more secure and consistent. The gui for protonvpn is nice but that isn’t very important to me when it comes to a vpn.

8

I think they both have good options. I use both services, and I am also a user of ProtonMail. Mullvad have fast speeds, even when connected to a remote server, and I guess the user experience with the programs is subjective, as it depends on many factors.

I like Proton because of the numerous servers to choose from, as well as the blocking of ads - work on the phone wonderfully (iPhone). Proton have also political stances which is respectful.

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Mullvad have strict transparency policy and the privacy is high. Also, the price is constant and Mullvad can be a good friend if you want just another VPN service on the go - can pay from the website, from mobile, card for one month, for 3 or as much you want.

9

They’re both good options. Historically Mullvad has been faster and provided more servers and in more geographies, but that could have changed by now. I’d be happy with either option.

Mullvad benefits:

  • They have recent infrastructure and software audits (might have missed Proton’s)
  • Simplicity of apps means less can go wrong
  • Better privacy:
    • No email address needed, creating a 100% fresh account is just 1 button click
    • Can mail cash at any point in time without first interacting with customer support via email, and there are a variety of currencies supported (you can mix 5 fiat currencies, no problem, they do the math for you … even last year during early Covid days they processed Asian currencies, lol … probably sitting there in Hazmat suits)
    • If you use ProtonMail, it’s good to not also use the same company for VPN
  • Pricing is super simple (EUR 5 / month), whereas Proton confuses people with discounts that are not as good as they appear

ProtonVPN benefits:

  • Apps have more bells & whistles
  • Free tier
10

What difference did you see in battery life?

11

On the plus side, I think a fedora GUI just released today

12

That is unfortunate. What about keeping the Android or iOS app loaded on your phone for the purpose of giving you access to the fastest servers, which you can then connect to on your computer. It’s an ugly workaround, but it will give you the fastest server.

13

Anything works when you use OpenVPN TCP? If you’re using Android did you try the smart connect feature?

14

I wasn’t exactly comparing apples to apples, since I couldn’t test both WireGuard and IKEv2 on the same network, but I saw a difference of about 20% between ProtonVPN’s IKEv2, and Mullvad’s WireGuard. I look forward to running another comparison when Proton adds WireGuard support!

15

Really? I’ve found Proton works really well on Mac.

16

I haven’t touched an Apple product in 20 years, so I’m worthless when it comes to their OS and apps. I know Apple puts constraints on third-party developers that don’t exist on Android, so getting things to work, especially network-related things, is more involved. I’m sure they’ll continue developing and updating the app to address the issues you raised. It’s just a matter of time, and what to do in the meantime.

17

Even after half a year passed it works unstable on Apple devices. I love Proton services and ideas but if you need stability it’s probably not the best choice

18

That’s not accurate. A Plus subscription from ProtonVPN allows 10 concurrent connections for $8/mo.

19

I think that’s fair. Proton and Mullvad have significantly different subscriber models and payment systems. Mullvad uses an anonymous payment model, as you described, while Proton uses a more traditional model where a user’s account is linked with the payment system. My subscription with Proton, for example, renews automatically every year, using payment information I’ve previously submitted and stored. With Mullvad, you need to proactively submit new payments before your existing credit runs out. There are pros and cons with both systems, and which is better depends on a user’s individual circumstances and needs.

I haven’t had any problems using WireGuard with both providers. When the protocol was first introduced, Mullvad implemented it faster than Proton did. And they provided the configuration files necessary to connect using the official WG client, which Proton did not. Both services now provide seamless WireGuard functionality with comperable performance.

20

Great points. Thanks for including the items I didn’t specifically address in the OP.