Mullvad VPN vs Windscribe: privacy compared
Mullvad VPN and Windscribe are both rated in VPN providers against the same 13 public criteria. Mullvad VPN does better on no trackers or telemetry and security headers. Windscribe does better on transparency report and audited no-logs policy. Mullvad VPN is based in Sweden (Fourteen Eyes); Windscribe is based in Canada (Five Eyes).
| Criterion | Mullvad VPN Our pick | Windscribe |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | Grade B B (79/100) | Grade B B (81/100) |
| Jurisdiction | Sweden Fourteen Eyes | Canada 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 | Partial 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 | No |
| 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 | Partial 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 | Yes 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+.
Windscribe. Windscribe scores 81 out of 100 (grade B) on the VPN providers criteria. It meets 8 of 12 criteria: no ads or data sales, independent audit, transparency report, TLS configuration, audited no-logs policy, anonymous payment, open-source apps and modern protocols. It partly meets open source, no trackers or telemetry and security headers. It does not meet tells users about requests. It is based in Canada: Five Eyes member. Automated tests: SSL Labs grade A+ and Mozilla HTTP Observatory grade B+.