Proton Edges Mullvad In New VPN Privacy Showdown
Proton Edges Mullvad In New VPN Privacy Showdown
https://www.findarticles.com/proton-edges-mullvad-in-new-vpn-privacy-showdown/
Publish Date: 2026-03-22 13:01:00
Source Domain: www.findarticles.com
Two of the most privacy-obsessed VPNs are going head to head, and the gap between them is slimmer than ever. Mullvad and Proton have built loyal followings on transparency, open-source apps, and no-logs policies, but the latest round of testing and audits shows meaningful differences in how they protect users, how much they cost, and how far their networks reach.
Why These Two VPNs Matter in Today’s Privacy Landscape
Privacy threats are moving fast—governments expand data retention, adtech tracks across devices, and AI models vacuum public content at scale. Mullvad and Proton are among the few services pushing back with verifiable safeguards. Both publish transparency reports, ship open-source clients, and have undergone independent security audits. That combination puts them in a different league from one-click VPN brands built around marketing rather than engineering.
Jurisdiction and Logging Reality Check for Both VPNs
Mullvad is based in Sweden, part of the 14-Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance. Proton operates from Switzerland, a jurisdiction known for strong data protection laws and outside the 14-Eyes. On paper, Switzerland is the friendlier venue, but Mullvad’s operational model is the bigger story: it issues random account numbers, does not require an email address, and famously accepts cash by mail. In 2023, Swedish police searched Mullvad’s offices and reportedly left with no user data, a real-world stress test for its no-logs stance.
Proton’s policy is also strict—no activity logs and no identifying data needed to create a VPN account. Its apps and infrastructure have been audited by third-party firms in recent years, and the company maintains detailed transparency reports on law enforcement requests. The notable caveat often raised by critics stems from a Proton Mail case in which IP information was collected under Swiss court order; Proton emphasizes this was not VPN usage data and that Proton VPN remains a no-logs service.
