ExpressVPN vs Mullvad (2026): Which Is Better?
ExpressVPN scores 8.8 overall to Mullvad's 6.7, and even on privacy — where Mullvad's anonymous sign-up gets the attention — ExpressVPN rates higher on our sub-score, 9.5 against 7.8. What Mullvad has that a score doesn't fully capture: no email, no password, cash accepted by post, and a 2023 police raid that produced nothing. ExpressVPN's pressure test is its own — a 2017 server seizure in Turkey, also nothing obtained — plus ten devices to Mullvad's five and 24/7 live chat where Mullvad has none. Mullvad's flat €5 has never changed; ExpressVPN's $2.99 long-plan rate renews at $8.33. Neither's streaming or speed has been measured by us.
Who wins each category
- Privacy & securityExpressVPNExpressVPN 9.5 · Mullvad 7.8
- SpeedTieExpressVPN 0.0 · Mullvad 0.0
- StreamingTieExpressVPN 0.0 · Mullvad 0.0
- Apps & easeExpressVPNExpressVPN 8.3 · Mullvad 7.3
- ValueExpressVPNExpressVPN 7.8 · Mullvad 3.7
Sub-scores are provisional for ExpressVPN and Mullvad — published audits, jurisdiction and public record rather than our own measurement; see the review; weights are privacy & security 30%, speed 25%, streaming 15%, apps & ease 15%, value 15%. Methodology
Choose ExpressVPN if…
- Ten devices against Mullvad's five, across every platform including routers and Fire TV
- A pressure test of its own: a 2017 server seizure produced nothing
- 24/7 live chat, where Mullvad has none
Choose Mullvad if…
- An account never connected to you: no email, no username, cash accepted by post
- A no-logs claim tested by a police raid that produced nothing
- Flat pricing with no intro rate and no renewal jump, ever
ExpressVPN vs Mullvad: the numbers
 ExpressVPN |  Mullvad | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 8.8provisional — not tested by us | 6.7provisional — not tested by us |
| Rank · badge | Not ranked · Widest platform support | Not ranked · Privacy purist |
| 2-year price / mo | $2.99 | $5.80 (1-year — no 2-year plan) |
| 1-year price / mo | $6.67 | $5.80 |
| Monthly price | $12.95 | $5.80 |
| Renewal | Billed $83.72 for the first 28 months, then autorenews at $99.95 a year | Flat €5 a month whatever the term, and the price has not changed since 2009 |
| Money-back | 30 days | 14 days |
| Simultaneous devices | 10 | 5 |
| Avg download speed | Not tested by us | Not tested by us |
| Jurisdiction | British Virgin Islands | Sweden |
| Owner | Kape Technologies | Amagicom AB |
| No-logs audit | KPMG no-logs audit, 2024 | Assured AB infrastructure audit, 2024 |
| Servers | 3,000+ in 105 countries | 650+ in 49 countries |
| Protocols | Lightway, OpenVPN, IKEv2 | WireGuard, OpenVPN |
| Torrenting | P2P allowed on all servers | P2P allowed on all servers |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Support | 24/7 live chat, email, help centre | email, help centre |
| Visit ExpressVPN | Visit Mullvad |
Full reviews: ExpressVPN · Mullvad
What each one actually costs
The advertised rate covers the first term only. These are the totals once the renewal is counted.
| ExpressVPN | Mullvad | |
|---|---|---|
| Plan priced | 24-month plan | 12-month plan |
| Intro rate / mo | $2.99 | $5.80 |
| Then renews at / mo | $8.33 (+179%) | $5.80 — no jump |
| First term, up front | $71.76 | $69.60 |
| Total over 2 years | $71.76 | $139.20 |
| Total over 3 years | $171.72 | $208.80 |
| True cost / mo over 3 years | $4.77 | $5.80 |
| Money-back | 30 days — 30 days, first-time users only — we have not claimed one yet | 14 days — 14 days, and none at all on cash payments — we have not claimed one yet |
| Check ExpressVPN price | Check Mullvad price |
ExpressVPN is cheaper both ways — lower to start and $37.08 less across three years once the renewals are counted. Same arithmetic as our price calculator: the first term at the advertised rate, every month after it at the rate the provider publishes for renewals.
Speed by region
Neither VPN has been speed-tested by us yet, so there is nothing to chart here.
ExpressVPN and Mullvad have not been through our speed rig yet, so there is no region-by-region chart for this pair. Speed figures other people have published are on the ExpressVPN and Mullvad review, attributed to whoever measured them.
Streaming, service by service
| ExpressVPN | Mullvad | |
|---|---|---|
| Unblocked | 0 of 0 reported (not tested by us) | 0 of 0 reported (not tested by us) |
| Netflix US | n/r | n/r |
| Netflix UK | n/r | n/r |
| Netflix JP | n/r | n/r |
| Netflix CA | n/r | n/r |
| Netflix AU | n/r | n/r |
| Prime Video | n/r | n/r |
| Disney+ | n/r | n/r |
| Hulu | n/r | n/r |
| Max | n/r | n/r |
| Paramount+ | n/r | n/r |
| Peacock | n/r | n/r |
| BBC iPlayer | n/r | n/r |
| ITVX | n/r | n/r |
| DAZN | n/r | n/r |
| n/r — no published result found | n/r — no published result found |
Security features
| ExpressVPN | Mullvad | |
|---|---|---|
| Kill switch | ||
| Split tunnelling | ||
| Obfuscation / stealth | ||
| Port forwarding | ||
| Dedicated IP | ||
| Ad & tracker blocking | ||
| Multi-hop (double VPN) | ||
| RAM-only servers | ||
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Fire TV, Apple TV, browser extensions, Aircove router | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, browser extensions, routers |
Has the no-logs promise ever been tested?
Every VPN on this page says it keeps no logs. The claim only means something once someone has demanded the data — a police raid, a court order, a subpoena. Here is what happened to each of these two when that came up, and what it means if it never has.
- ExpressVPNHeld
2017 server seizure in Turkey. The claim held — there was nothing useful to hand over. That is the one form of proof no audit can give you, because it happened under real pressure rather than on a scheduled visit.
Audit: KPMG no-logs audit, 2024 · British Virgin Islands
- MullvadHeld
2023 Swedish police search warrant. The claim held — there was nothing useful to hand over. That is the one form of proof no audit can give you, because it happened under real pressure rather than on a scheduled visit.
Audit: Assured AB infrastructure audit, 2024 · Sweden
What each one is our top pick for
One of these scores higher overall, which does not make it the right buy for every job. These are the use cases where each one comes first on its own list.
- ExpressVPN2 categories
Built for iOS's always-on setting specifically, with reconnects between Wi-Fi and cellular, and the same app carries over to Apple TV. We have not benchmarked reconnect speed ourselves.
- Mullvad1 category
In April 2023 Swedish police executed a search warrant at Mullvad's office and left with nothing, because there was nothing — no account names, no emails, RAM-only servers, and a 2024 audit by Assured. The strongest demonstration of a no-logs claim any provider can offer, and one no audit can match.
Questions
Is Mullvad better than ExpressVPN?
Not on our score — 6.7 against 8.8, including on the privacy sub-score, where ExpressVPN rates 9.5 to Mullvad's 7.8. What Mullvad offers instead is a genuinely anonymous account and its own pressure test — a 2023 police raid that found nothing. Both have real evidence behind their no-logs claims; ExpressVPN's is a 2017 server seizure.
Can I use Mullvad for Netflix?
We have not tested this. Mullvad doesn't market itself as a streaming VPN and doesn't claim to unblock services; ExpressVPN does advertise streaming support. If streaming is any part of why you're buying, that difference in ambition is the honest answer, not a number from us.
Which is more private, and does it matter?
Mullvad, and the difference is structural rather than a matter of degree: it has no email address to hand over, no account name, and no payment record if you send cash. ExpressVPN's privacy record is strong and audited, and it has its own pressure test — the 2017 seizure — but it knows who you are. Whether that matters depends entirely on what you're protecting yourself from.
We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. Scores and the winner are decided by the scoring rubric before any commercial consideration. Disclosure