Mullvad VPN vs Outline VPN (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Outline VPN grades higher than Mullvad VPN: 2.0 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Mullvad VPN grades higher on ease of use. Outline VPN grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features and platforms.
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
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 Outline VPN if
- Fits if you want to run your own VPN rather than trust a provider
- Works for sharing one server with friends or family
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you don't want a hosting bill, as you pay your own server host
- Skip it if you want to switch between countries, since traffic exits from one location
- Tight if you only have a phone, because creating a server needs a desktop computer
- Watch out: getoutline.me and a Telegram channel are not affiliated with the Outline team
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAMullvad VPNWeak | 2.0GPAOutline VPNFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CThe software is free, but only if you host it yourself, which needs a server; the site cites $5 a month or less at many providers. |
| 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. | CThe apps and server software cost nothing, but you also need a server of your own, so it is not free to use. |
| 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. | CYour own server, access keys, per-key data limits and an SDK. There is one exit location, with no pool to switch between. |
| 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. | DNo store rating on record, and you create a server through the Manager on a desktop and manage it yourself. |
| 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. | BManager on Windows, Mac and Linux, and clients for iOS and Android. |
| Best for | a VPN with no email or name attached | running your own VPN server for a few people |
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 Outline VPN. How we grade
Price against what you get
Mullvad VPN starts at about $5.59 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Outline VPN has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
Mullvad VPN scores higher, and starts $5.59 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other VPNs on the chart, 20 score higher than Mullvad VPN for less, and none scores higher than Outline VPN for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Outline VPN is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Mullvad VPN also covers ad and tracker blocking.
At a glance
| Mullvad VPN | Outline VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free |
| Starts at | €5 per month, the same rate for any length paid ahead | Free |
| Free plan | None | The software is free and open source. You pay your own server host; the Get Started page says many providers offer plans for $5 a month or less. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Mullvad VPN AB | Outline Foundation |
| Price read from | mullvad.net | getoutline.org |
| 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.
Outline VPN
- You need your own server, so there is a hosting bill, and the site cites $5 a month or less at many providers.
- Your traffic leaves from the one server location you picked, with no pool of locations to switch between.
- The site says getoutline.me and a Telegram channel are not affiliated with the Outline team and cannot help with access keys from those services.
- Outline Manager runs on Windows, macOS and Linux desktops, so creating a server needs a desktop computer.
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.
Outline VPN
- Your own server
- Outline Manager walks you through creating a server at a cloud provider such as DigitalOcean, AWS or Google Cloud, or on your own Linux machine, and lets you pick its location.
- Access keys
- Each person you share the server with gets a unique access key from the Manager, and a key can be managed or deleted from the server.
- Per-key data limits
- The Manager can set a data limit for each key so one user cannot use all of the server's bandwidth.
- Shadowsocks-based
- The server runs a Shadowsocks service with a REST API for key management, which the project says benefits from ongoing work on resisting detection and blocking.
- Outline SDK
- A cross-platform library and tools for building the same blocking-resistant networking strategies into other apps and VPN tools.
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.
Outline VPN
Outline$0
Free Manager and Client apps and server software. You host the server yourself at a cloud provider you choose or on your own Linux infrastructure.
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.
Outline VPN
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Mullvad VPN or Outline VPN?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Outline VPN is cheaper to start with: it is free, against about $5.59 a month for Mullvad VPN. Mullvad VPN starts at €5 per month, the same rate for any length paid ahead, and Outline VPN is free.
Which has a free plan, Mullvad VPN or Outline VPN?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Outline VPN has a free plan. Mullvad VPN does not.
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.