Mullvad VPN vs Mysterium VPN (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Mullvad VPN and Mysterium VPN share a 1.8 GPA, neither has a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on which platforms you need.
Checked Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Mullvad VPN
Flat-rate Swedish VPN with anonymous numbered accounts
Mysterium VPN
Decentralized VPN that runs on Mysterium Network's peer nodes
Which one is for you
Pick Mullvad VPN if
- Fits if you don't want your name or email tied to your VPN
- Works for a short trip abroad, as one month costs the same €5 rate as a year
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to try before paying, as there's no trial or free plan
- Watch out: the 14-day refund excludes cash payments, and the VPN page says crypto too
- Skip it if you torrent and need port forwarding, or want a dedicated IP; Mullvad offers neither
- Tight if you have more than 5 devices to cover
- Watch out: it's priced in euros, €5 a month, which the page converts to about $5.60
Pick Mysterium VPN if
- Fits if you want your traffic to leave through a peer-run network, not one company's servers
- Works for people who read open-source code before trusting a client
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need an iPhone app, as none was confirmed on the pages read
- Not for you if you want a fixed monthly price, because none was found
- Watch out: traffic exits through nodes run by other members of the network
- Watch out: the vendor's VPN site answered with a bot check, so plans and prices are unverified
- Watch out: the Play listing is titled Mysterium Dark from NetSys Inc., so check which app you are installing
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAMullvad VPNWeak | 1.8GPAMysterium VPNWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C€5 a month flat, about $5.60, whether you pay for one month or a year ahead, so two years come to €120. That's a little above the middle of what VPNs charge, with no first-term discount to expire. Paying in cryptocurrency takes 10% off. | CNo plan or price was read, so there is nothing to set against the category's $3.99 to $8 a month. The Google Play listing talks about paying for what you use. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free: there's no trial, and the 14-day money-back guarantee excludes cash and, on the VPN page, crypto payments too. A money-back guarantee isn't a trial anyway. | FNo free plan or free trial is on record in the listing. |
| Features | CAnonymous numbered accounts, DAITA against traffic analysis, quantum-resistant tunnels, multihop, obfuscation and DNS blocking. But the listing names the gaps: 5 devices, no port forwarding and no dedicated IPs. | CPeer-run nodes, residential IP addresses and WireGuard encryption. The listing confirms no iOS app. |
| Ease of use | C4.1 from about 1,500 App Store ratings, below most VPNs here. You sign up with a generated account number rather than an email, so keep that number somewhere safe. | CNo rating on record. You pay in crypto or by use, which is a learning curve compared with a monthly plan. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android, with open-source apps. There's no integration list or API on record, so it stops at B. | BWindows, Mac, Linux and Android clients, but no iOS app confirmed and no integrations on record. |
| Best for | a VPN with no email or name attached | a peer-run VPN client you can inspect |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Mullvad VPN and Mysterium VPN. How we grade
Where they differ
- Mullvad VPN also covers ad and tracker blocking.
At a glance
| Mullvad VPN | Mysterium VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | €5 per month, the same rate for any length paid ahead | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Mullvad VPN AB | Mysterium Network |
| Price read from | mullvad.net | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 2, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Mullvad VPN
- Priced in euros: €5 a month, which the page converts to about $5.60 at the current exchange rate.
- Covers up to 5 devices, and offers neither port forwarding nor dedicated IP addresses.
- No free trial; the 14-day money-back guarantee excludes cash payments, and the VPN page also excludes crypto payments.
Mysterium VPN
- Pricing is unverified: the vendor's VPN site answered with a bot check, so no plan or price was read.
- The Google Play listing, for an app titled Mysterium Dark from NetSys Inc., describes paying for what you use, not a monthly plan.
- No iOS app was confirmed on the pages read.
- Traffic exits through nodes run by other members of the network.
Key features
Mullvad VPN
- Anonymous accounts
- Signing up generates an account number; no email or other personal details are asked for, and cash or cryptocurrency are accepted.
- DAITA
- Defense Against AI-guided Traffic Analysis, a feature in the app meant to make encrypted traffic harder to analyze.
- Quantum-resistant tunnels
- Quantum-resistant VPN tunnels can be switched on in the apps on every supported platform.
- Multihop and obfuscation
- Route traffic through two or more servers in different jurisdictions, and use obfuscation to get past firewalls that block VPNs.
- DNS content blocking
- Built-in toggles block ads, trackers and malware through Mullvad's DNS, except on Android, where custom DNS entries do the same job.
Mysterium VPN
- Peer-run node network
- The network site counts more than 22,000 active nodes across 135+ countries and says it has no central point of control.
- Residential IP addresses
- The project's desktop client page describes a VPN running on Mysterium's residential network.
- Open-source code
- The desktop client is published on GitHub, and the Google Play listing says the source code is open for anyone to see.
- WireGuard encryption
- The Google Play listing says the app uses the WireGuard protocol with ChaCha20, Poly1305 and BLAKE2.
- Crypto payment and no email
- The Google Play listing says there is no email requirement and that cryptocurrency can be used to pay; it also describes a pay-for-what-you-use model.
Plans
Mullvad VPN
Flat rate€5
per month, whether you pay for 1 month, 1 year or longer
Every feature on up to 5 devices, VAT included. The page shows a dollar equivalent that moves with the exchange rate. No sales or term discounts.
Mysterium VPN
Pricing could not be confirmed. See mysteriumvpn.com.
Ways to pay less
Mullvad VPN
- Other savings
10% off when paying with cryptocurrency
Mullvad discounts payments made in its accepted cryptocurrencies by 10%, citing lower fees and less administration.
Mysterium VPN
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Mullvad VPN or Mysterium VPN?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Mullvad VPN starts at €5 per month, the same rate for any length paid ahead, and Mysterium VPN has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Mullvad VPN or Mysterium VPN?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Mullvad VPN nor Mysterium VPN has a free plan.
Which platforms do Mullvad VPN and Mysterium VPN run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Mullvad VPN lists an iOS app. Both list macOS, Windows, Linux and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.