Mullvad's pricing page is unusually short. One rate: EUR 5 a month including VAT, identical whether you pay for one month, one year or a decade, and shown as roughly $5.61, £4.22, SEK 55.83, A$8.10 or CA$7.95. There is no free plan, and the page explains why, arguing that free services are usually paid for with attention or data. There are no sales either - the FAQ states Mullvad never runs discounts for Christmas or any other event - though cryptocurrency payments get a 10% reduction because they cost less to process. An account works on up to 5 devices, and if you are dissatisfied there is a 14-day money-back guarantee, except for cash payments, which are excluded under anti-money-laundering rules.
TL;DR
Mullvad charges one flat rate of EUR 5 a month to everybody, for as long or as short as you like, with anonymous accounts and no email address. NordVPN charges between $2.99 and $16.59 a month depending on plan and term, and uses the higher tiers to bundle a password manager, breach scanning, 1 TB of encrypted storage and a data-removal service. Mullvad is the smaller, plainer purchase; NordVPN is the bigger, cheaper-per-month-if-you-commit one.
NordVPN's own pricing explainer describes four tiers across three terms. Basic runs $12.99 a month monthly, $4.59 a month on a one-year plan and $2.99 a month on a two-year plan. Plus is $13.99, $5.49 and $3.89. Complete is $14.99, $6.49 and $4.89. Prime is $16.59, $8.09 and $6.89. Every tier includes the VPN itself, Threat Protection, AES-256 encryption, access to servers in 164 locations and up to 10 devices connected at once. Plus upgrades Threat Protection to the Pro version and adds the NordPass password manager plus a data breach scanner. Complete adds 1 TB of encrypted cloud storage through NordLocker. Prime adds Incogni, a personal data removal tool. There is no free trial, but a 30-day money-back guarantee applies, and NordVPN notes that you have to actively request the refund rather than simply cancelling.
That structure sets up the real choice. Mullvad sells exactly one thing at one price, does not try to be your password manager or your storage, and asks for no email address at signup - you get an account number instead. NordVPN sells a discount for commitment: the two-year Basic plan works out at $2.99 a month, under half of Mullvad's rate, in exchange for paying for 24 months up front and accepting that the promotional rate does not carry into renewal. If you want the VPN to be a small line in a larger security budget, NordVPN's tiers make that arithmetic easy. If you want the smallest possible vendor relationship with a VPN provider, Mullvad is built around exactly that.
| Feature | Mullvad | NordVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest rate | EUR 5 a month, flat, including VAT | $2.99 a month on the two-year Basic plan |
| Monthly rolling | EUR 5 a month, same as every other term | $12.99 a month on Basic, $16.59 on Prime |
| Yearly option | Prepay a year at the same monthly rate | $4.59 a month on Basic, $8.09 on Prime |
| Tiers | One plan only | Basic, Plus, Complete and Prime |
| Devices | Up to 5 per account | Up to 10 simultaneously on every tier |
| Bundled extras | None: the product is the VPN | Threat Protection Pro, NordPass, breach scanner, 1 TB NordLocker, Incogni by tier |
| Signup | Account number, no email address required | Account with email and payment details |
| Refund | 14-day money-back guarantee, cash excluded | 30-day money-back guarantee, refund must be requested |
| Discounts | 10% for cryptocurrency payments; no sales ever | Promotional periods, with deeper cuts around major shopping events |
Pick Mullvad if
Mullvad is the better purchase when your threat model cares about the relationship with the provider more than the feature list: a flat EUR 5 a month, an account number instead of an email, cash accepted by post, and no attempt to upsell a bundle. It is also the simpler bill, since nothing about it changes with term length or renewal.
Pick NordVPN if
NordVPN wins on pure monthly cost once you accept a 24-month prepayment, and it wins on breadth: 10 devices, a password manager, breach scanning, encrypted storage and a data-removal tool across the tiers. Read the renewal terms though - the $2.99 to $6.89 promotional rates are for the initial term, and month-to-month pricing is $12.99 to $16.59.
We did not collect user reviews, ratings or independent speed-test results for either service here. All prices and terms come from mullvad.net's pricing page and NordVPN's own pricing explainer.
Over a single month with no commitment, Mullvad: EUR 5 including VAT against $12.99 for NordVPN's Basic. Over two years prepaid, NordVPN: $2.99 a month on Basic, which is below Mullvad's rate, on the condition that you pay for the full term up front.
Its pricing FAQ states the company never runs sales, because it charges one sustainable rate rather than relying on introductory pricing, and it applies a 10% reduction only to cryptocurrency payments, where its own processing costs are lower.
No. Mullvad allows up to 5 devices on one account; NordVPN allows up to 10 simultaneous connections on every tier, from Basic through Prime.
All tiers include the VPN, Threat Protection and 10 devices. Plus upgrades to Threat Protection Pro and adds NordPass and a data breach scanner. Complete adds 1 TB of encrypted NordLocker storage. Prime adds Incogni, its personal data removal tool.
Mullvad offers a 14-day money-back guarantee, excluding cash payments because of anti-money-laundering rules. NordVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and notes that cancelling alone does not trigger it - you have to request the refund from support.
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