Mullvad
Flat ~$5.50 per mo (no tiers, no discounts)
NordVPN
From ~$3.49/mo (2-yr) to ~$12.99/mo (monthly)
Mullvad is a privacy purist's VPN: flat ~$5.50 a month, no email or account required, and minimal data collection. NordVPN is feature-packed with a huge server network, fast speeds, and a polished app. Mullvad wins on radical privacy and simple pricing; NordVPN wins on features and streaming.
Pick Mullvad if privacy is paramount: flat pricing, no email or account, and a minimal-data philosophy.
Pick NordVPN if you want more features, a larger server network, fast speeds, and strong streaming support.
Mullvad and NordVPN are both respected VPNs, but they serve different priorities. Mullvad is built for radical privacy: a flat ~$5.50 a month with no tiers or discounts, no email required to sign up (you get an anonymous account number), and a minimal-data philosophy that privacy advocates love. NordVPN is the feature-packed mainstream choice: a very large server network, extra tools like Threat Protection and Meshnet, fast speeds, polished apps, and strong streaming unblocking.
On price, Mullvad is a simple flat ~$5.50 a month (you can even pay in cash or crypto), while NordVPN runs from around $3.49 a month on a two-year plan up to ~$12.99 monthly, renewing higher. The choice is mostly radical privacy and simple pricing (Mullvad) versus features, network size, and streaming (NordVPN).
We compare privacy, pricing model, features, speed, and streaming.
| Quick facts | Mullvad | NordVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Flat ~$5.50/mo | From ~$3.49/mo (2-yr) |
| Account / email needed | No (anonymous) | Yes |
| Server network | Moderate | Very large, 110+ countries |
| Extra features | Minimal (by design) | Many |
| Best for | Radical privacy | Features + streaming |
Each row reflects the feature on each product's current public release.
| Feature | M Mullvad | N NordVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Audited no-logs policy | Yes | Yes |
| No email / anonymous account | Yes | No |
| Flat, simple pricing | Yes | No |
| Cash / crypto payment | Yes | Crypto |
| Extra tools (threat/ad block, mesh) | Minimal | Many |
| Large server network | Moderate | Very large |
| Streaming unblocking | Limited | Strong |
| Polished apps | Good | Best-in-class |
Pricing and features change often. Always verify the current details on each product's official site. Last reviewed June 2026.
Things neither product's marketing page leads with.
Mullvad is the privacy gold standard with dead-simple flat pricing, but it has fewer features and weaker streaming support.
NordVPN is more feature-rich and better for streaming, but it requires an account and uses promo pricing that renews higher.
For maximum anonymity choose Mullvad; for an all-round, streaming-friendly VPN choose NordVPN.
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