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Mullvad VPN vs Surfshark: privacy compared

Mullvad VPN and Surfshark are both rated in VPN providers against the same 13 public criteria. Mullvad VPN is based in Sweden (Fourteen Eyes); Surfshark is based in the Netherlands (Nine Eyes).

Mullvad VPN compared with Surfshark
CriterionMullvad VPN Our pickSurfshark
GradeGrade B B (78/100)Grade D D (48/100)
JurisdictionSweden Fourteen EyesNetherlands Nine Eyes
Open source
Is all the source code needed to run the product public?
Partial sourceNo
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 sourceNo source
No ads or data sales
Is the product funded without advertising, ad targeting or selling user data?
Yes sourceYes source
Independent audit
Has an independent security or privacy audit been published within the last three years?
Yes sourceYes source
Transparency report
Does the provider regularly publish how many government and legal requests it receives and how it responds?
Partial sourceYes source
Tells users about requests
Does the provider promise to tell users about requests for their data, unless a court forbids it?
NoNo
TLS configuration
Does the website pass the Qualys SSL Labs test with a grade of A or better?
Yes sourceYes source
Security headers
Does the website pass the Mozilla HTTP Observatory test with a grade of A or better?
Yes sourceNo source
Modern web standards
Does the website score 90% or higher on the Internet.nl website test?
Partial sourcePartial source
Audited no-logs policy
Has an independent audit confirmed that activity and connection logs are not kept?
Partial sourcePartial source
Anonymous payment
Can an account be created and paid for without an email address, name or card?
Yes sourcePartial source
Open-source apps
Are the apps for every platform open source?
Yes sourceNo
Modern protocols
Is WireGuard (or another modern audited protocol) supported?
Yes sourceYes source

Which is more private, Mullvad VPN or Surfshark?

Mullvad VPN scores higher on the public criteria: 78 out of 100, against 48 for Surfshark. Mullvad VPN does better on open source, no trackers or telemetry, security headers, anonymous payment and open-source apps. Surfshark does better on transparency report. How scoring works

Summaries

Mullvad VPN. Mullvad VPN scores 78 out of 100 (grade B) on the VPN providers criteria. It meets 8 of 13 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, modern web standards 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+, Mozilla HTTP Observatory grade A+ and Internet.nl website score 73%.

Surfshark. Surfshark scores 48 out of 100 (grade D) on the VPN providers criteria. It meets 5 of 13 criteria: no ads or data sales, independent audit, transparency report, TLS configuration and modern protocols. It partly meets modern web standards, audited no-logs policy and anonymous payment. It does not meet open source, no trackers or telemetry, tells users about requests, security headers and open-source apps. It is based in the Netherlands: Nine Eyes member; EU member (GDPR). Automated tests: SSL Labs grade A, Mozilla HTTP Observatory grade C- and Internet.nl website score 72%.

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