Mullvad VPN vs Private Internet Access: privacy compared
Mullvad VPN and Private Internet Access are both rated in VPN providers against the same 13 public criteria. Mullvad VPN does better on no trackers or telemetry, security headers and anonymous payment. Private Internet Access does better on transparency report, tells users about requests and audited no-logs policy. Mullvad VPN is based in Sweden (Fourteen Eyes); Private Internet Access is based in the United States (Five Eyes).
| Criterion | Mullvad VPN Our pick | Private Internet Access |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | Grade B B (79/100) | Grade C C (71/100) |
| Jurisdiction | Sweden Fourteen Eyes | United States Five Eyes |
| Open source Is all the source code needed to run the product public? | Partial source | Partial source |
| No trackers or telemetry Are the website and apps free of third-party trackers, with any analytics anonymous and any telemetry off by default? | Yes source | No source |
| No ads or data sales Is the product funded without advertising, ad targeting or selling user data? | Yes source | Yes source |
| Independent audit Has an independent security or privacy audit been published within the last three years? | Yes source | Yes source |
| Transparency report Does the provider regularly publish how many government and legal requests it receives and how it responds? | Partial source | Yes source |
| Tells users about requests Does the provider promise to tell users about requests for their data, unless a court forbids it? | No | Partial source |
| TLS configuration Does the website pass the Qualys SSL Labs test with a grade of A or better? | Yes source | Yes source |
| Security headers Does the website pass the Mozilla HTTP Observatory test with a grade of A or better? | Yes source | No source |
| Modern web standards Does the website score 90% or higher on the Internet.nl website test? | Not tested yet | Not tested yet |
| Audited no-logs policy Has an independent audit confirmed that activity and connection logs are not kept? | Partial source | Yes source |
| Anonymous payment Can an account be created and paid for without an email address, name or card? | Yes source | Partial source |
| Open-source apps Are the apps for every platform open source? | Yes source | Yes source |
| Modern protocols Is WireGuard (or another modern audited protocol) supported? | Yes source | Yes source |
Summaries
Mullvad VPN. Mullvad VPN scores 79 out of 100 (grade B) on the VPN providers criteria. It meets 8 of 12 criteria: no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, independent audit, TLS configuration, security headers, anonymous payment, open-source apps and modern protocols. It partly meets open source, transparency report and audited no-logs policy. It does not meet tells users about requests. It is based in Sweden: Fourteen Eyes member; EU member (GDPR). Automated tests: SSL Labs grade A+ and Mozilla HTTP Observatory grade A+.
Private Internet Access. Private Internet Access scores 71 out of 100 (grade C) on the VPN providers criteria. It meets 7 of 12 criteria: no ads or data sales, independent audit, transparency report, TLS configuration, audited no-logs policy, open-source apps and modern protocols. It partly meets open source, tells users about requests and anonymous payment. It does not meet no trackers or telemetry and security headers. It is based in the United States: Five Eyes member; subject to the US CLOUD Act. Automated tests: SSL Labs grade A+ and Mozilla HTTP Observatory grade F.