Mullvad vs ProtonVPN: Privacy Comparison
This in-depth comparison weighs Mullvad against ProtonVPN along six decisive privacy dimensions: how data is collected, how encryption is implemented, how data is shared with third parties, what privacy controls users get, how transparent each service is, and what their historical track record looks like. The two cover much the same ground, yet they handle user privacy in very different ways. What our review shows is that Mullvad delivers a clearly stronger privacy experience on balance, even though each option has its own relative pluses and minuses that are worth examining closely.
Reading the Scorecard
The most useful starting point is the overall tally and the single dimension that decided it. Across the six privacy dimensions we score, Mullvad finishes ahead of ProtonVPN, 54/60 to 37/60. That total reflects a side-by-side review in which one service is consistently the more privacy-respecting choice, even though both cover the same functional ground.
Data Collection produced the widest separation between the two, with Mullvad ahead 10 to 7 out of 10. On Encryption the margin nearly vanishes: Mullvad 10/10 against ProtonVPN 8/10. The deeper analysis that follows shows how the lead was built.
Data Collection Practices
Every privacy assessment starts with data collection. How much a service gathers, stores, and processes about its users is what ultimately drives the privacy risk of using it. Mullvad takes a leaner approach here, capturing only the data strictly required to make the service work. Its rival pulls in a wider net of information -- behavioral patterns, device identifiers, and usage analytics that go well past what the core features actually need. Our marks were Mullvad 10/10 and ProtonVPN 7/10 in this area. What separates them is not merely how much is gathered but why it is gathered and whether it is truly needed.
Encryption Implementation
Encryption protects user data both in transit and at rest, and the implementation quality varies dramatically between services. Mullvad implements stronger encryption measures, including more robust protocols for data in transit and better protection for stored data. The specific encryption implementations differ in their coverage (which data is encrypted), their strength (which algorithms and key lengths are used), and whether end-to-end encryption is employed (preventing even the service provider from accessing user content). Mullvad scored 10/10 while ProtonVPN scored 8/10 for encryption.
Who Else Gets Your Data
One of the most important privacy questions is how freely a service passes data along to others. The list of recipients can run from advertising networks and analytics providers to business partners and government requests. Mullvad draws firmer limits around third-party access to user data. Such practices matter for security and not only privacy, because each new entity with access is another door through which a breach could occur. Scores: Mullvad 7/10, ProtonVPN 4/10.
What You Can Manage Yourself
The availability and effectiveness of user-facing privacy controls determine how much agency individuals have over their own data. This includes settings for data collection opt-out, download and deletion capabilities, granular permission controls, and the ease with which users can exercise their rights under applicable privacy regulations. Mullvad provides more comprehensive and accessible privacy controls. Scores: Mullvad 8/10, ProtonVPN 5/10.
How Clearly They Explain Themselves
At its core, transparency is about how clearly a service tells users what happens to their data. That means how understandable the privacy policy is, whether transparency reports exist, how promptly privacy inquiries are addressed, and whether changes to policy are flagged proactively. Mullvad is the stronger performer on transparency overall. Without clear and accessible privacy communication, informed consent and trust are impossible. Scores: Mullvad 9/10, ProtonVPN 6/10.
What Their History Reveals
Looking at how a service has handled privacy incidents, regulatory actions, and disclosed vulnerabilities over time adds essential context. Mullvad carries the better historical record on privacy, having faced fewer incidents and dealt with the ones that did come up more responsibly. How a company has acted before is usually the clearest signal of how it will act on privacy going forward. Scores: Mullvad 10/10, ProtonVPN 7/10.
The Final Verdict
Adding everything up, our full analysis lands Mullvad at 54/60 and ProtonVPN at 37/60. For privacy, the overall winner is Mullvad. The two cover much the same functional ground, but the winner takes a more privacy-respecting stance across the dimensions that count for the most. Even so, no service is flawless, and whichever option you pick, you should always tune its privacy settings deliberately. We suggest pairing your choice with extra privacy tools, a VPN, DNS-level ad blocker, and privacy-focused browser, so you end up with a well-rounded privacy posture. And if your threat model demands the very highest level of privacy, it is worth asking whether an even more privacy-focused alternative exists in this category beyond the two compared here.