Mullvad VPN Setup Guide
Four privacy VPNs, seven operating facts. Privacy VPN comparison from the article, with the April 2023 Mullvad search-warrant outcome retained as historical evidence rather than a provider claim.
Data behind this diagram
| Provider | No email | XMR payment | Audit | Open source | Logs policy | Price per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mullvad | Yes | Yes | Cure53 | Yes | No logs | €5 |
| IVPN | Yes | Yes | Cure53 | Yes | No logs | $6 |
| LNVPN | No account | No; Lightning only | No | No | No logs | Per minute |
| Proton VPN | No; email required | Yes | SEC Consult | Yes | No logs | $4–10 |
Most VPNs want an email and a credit card. Mullvad wants neither. You get a 16-digit number, add time, and connect. That design matters more than marketing copy. It cuts away a whole layer of identity leakage.
- email, name, or account required (Mullvad)
- 0
- Random 16-digit account number only, no signup form
- Mullvad monthly price, XMR and BTC accepted
- €5
- Cash by mail also accepted in some regions
- Mullvad server countries (WireGuard only)
- 50
- 587 servers across 91 cities, per Mullvad’s live server list
Mullvad knows less
Most VPN providers, including the loud ones with "no-logs" slogans, still know your email and process a payment tied to you. If records exist, records can be demanded. With Mullvad:
- No email address attaches to the account.
- No name, phone number, or billing address.
- You can pay without linking payment to identity. Cash by mail still exists.
- The account number is random and says nothing about who you are.
- Mullvad has passed independent audits (Cure53, Assured) and has a public record of having little to hand over.
In April 2023, Swedish police raided Mullvad's office and left with nothing useful. That is what a no-logs claim looks like when reality knocks.
Step 1: Generate the number
Create an account without credentials
Go to mullvad.net and see the provider page if you want more detail. Click Generate account number. That is the signup flow. No form. No email. No CAPTCHA. You get a 16-digit code like 1234 5678 9012 3456.
Save it. That number is the account. Lose it and it is gone. There is no recovery path. That is deliberate.
Step 2: Pay without a paper trail
Fund the account anonymously
Mullvad costs €5 per month. Their pricing page shows several payment methods. From most private to least:
- Monero (XMR): the best choice. Open the account page, enter the number, choose "Add time" → Cryptocurrency → Monero, then send the exact amount to the XMR address shown.
- Bitcoin via Lightning: faster and a bit cleaner than on-chain BTC. Use a non-custodial Lightning wallet.
- Bitcoin on-chain: Mullvad gives you a fresh BTC address per payment, but the chain is public. If the BTC came from a KYC exchange, that trail still exists. CoinJoin first if you need it.
- Cash by mail: slow, old, still real. Put cash and your account number in the envelope and follow Mullvad's instructions.
Step 3: Install the app
Download and sign in
Download the app from mullvad.net/download for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, or Android. If you avoid Google Play, grab the Android APK directly from Mullvad.
Open the app and enter the 16-digit account number. It connects with the number alone. No password. No 2FA.
Step 4: Connect and tighten settings
Pick a server location
The default settings work fine for most people. A few things deserve attention:
- Avoid Five Eyes countries if your threat model includes government surveillance. Pick Switzerland, Iceland, or Germany instead of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand.
- Kill switch: on by default. Keep it on.
- DNS leak protection: Mullvad routes DNS through its own servers. You can also turn on its ad and tracker blocking DNS.
- Split tunneling: useful on desktop and Android, but easy to misconfigure. Leak one app and you punch a hole in the setup.
Router mode trades simplicity for coverage
If you want every device in a house behind the VPN, load Mullvad's WireGuard config onto the router. OpenWRT and DD-WRT both support WireGuard. Generate the config from the Mullvad account page and import it.
This protects devices that cannot run VPN apps, like smart TVs and some IoT junk. It also means every device shares one exit IP and one router becomes the failure point.
Alternatives worth a look
IVPN uses a similar model. It accepts XMR, uses account IDs instead of email, and offers multihop. It runs from Gibraltar and has a Cure53 audit. Slightly pricier. Still good.
LNVPN drops accounts completely. You pay over Lightning by the minute and receive a WireGuard config. No subscription. No stored balance. Good for occasional use.
Proton VPN gives you Swiss jurisdiction, open-source clients, and a free tier. It still needs an email because it rides on a Proton account. Less private by structure than Mullvad or IVPN, but still much better than mainstream VPN brands.
A VPN hides traffic from your ISP and blocks basic IP tracking. It does not make you anonymous. The VPN provider still sees your real IP and where your traffic goes. For anonymity, route traffic through Tor after the VPN, or use Tor Browser on its own. A VPN gives privacy. Tor gives anonymity.
Minimum setup includes a Mullvad number, XMR payment, the Mullvad app, and WireGuard.
Information is provided for educational purposes. Always verify provider terms. Not financial advice. Commercial disclosure.
Sources
- mullvad.net
- Mullvad VPN official site · first-party source
- April 2023, Swedish police raided Mullvad's office
- independent audits (Cure53, Assured)
- Monero (XMR):
- Their pricing page
- LNVPN official site · first-party source
- Proton VPN official site · first-party source
- IVPN official site · first-party source
- Cure53 audit
- Tor Browser
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Mullvad VPN require an email address?
No. Mullvad uses a random 16-digit account number instead of an email address. You visit mullvad.net/account, click "Generate account number," and get a number like 1234 5678 9012 3456. No email. No name. No password. Add credit to that number and use the app. If you lose the number, recovery does not exist. Write it down. That design means Mullvad cannot easily tie usage back to your identity because it never asked for one.
How do I pay for Mullvad anonymously?
Mullvad accepts Monero, Bitcoin, Lightning, cash by post, and less private methods like bank transfer. Monero is the best option. Buy XMR through Haveno DEX with cash if you can, then send it to Mullvad. That keeps your payment separate from your VPN use. Credit and debit cards work, but they tie your identity to the account.
Has Mullvad ever been raided or handed over user data?
In April 2023, Swedish police executed a search warrant at Mullvad’s office. They left without customer data because Mullvad’s systems did not contain the information they sought. The account-number system and no-logging architecture leave little customer data to hand over.
What is Mullvad Multihop and should I use it?
Multihop routes traffic through two Mullvad servers in different countries before it exits to the internet. If one server gets compromised, an attacker still should not see both your source IP and destination at once. Mullvad builds Multihop on WireGuard. It is slower, usually by about 20 to 40 ms. Use it for sensitive research or if you connect from a high-surveillance location. For normal use, single-hop is fine.
Is Mullvad better than IVPN or Proton VPN?
All three respect privacy far more than most VPN brands. Mullvad stands out because it needs no email at all. IVPN lets you register without email but still uses an account ID. Proton requires email. Mullvad and IVPN are audited and open-source. Proton is Swiss, but it also complied with a court order to log an activist's IP in 2021. For anonymity, Mullvad comes first, then IVPN, then Proton. If you want email, calendar, and cloud storage in one bundle, Proton makes more sense.