Mullvad skips the signup trap
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.
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. On modern platforms, WireGuard is the default and it is the right pick.
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.
Provider comparison
| Provider | No Email | XMR Payment | Audit | Open Source | Logs Policy | Price/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mullvad | Yes | Yes | Yes (Cure53) | Yes | No logs | €5 |
| IVPN | Yes | Yes | Yes (Cure53) | Yes | No logs | $6 |
| LNVPN | Yes (no account) | No (LN only) | No | No | No logs | Per minute |
| Proton VPN | No (email req.) | Yes | Yes (SEC Consult) | Yes | No logs | $4–10 |
⚠ 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. If you need anonymity, route traffic through Tor after the VPN, or use Tor Browser on its own. A VPN gives privacy. Tor gives anonymity.
✓ Minimum setup: generate a Mullvad number, pay with XMR, install the app, use WireGuard. Ten minutes if you do not overthink it.
Information is provided for educational purposes. Always verify provider terms. Not financial advice. Affiliate disclosure.
Follow the money in VPN ownership
The commercial VPN market is packed into a few holding companies. Kape Technologies owns ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and PIA. Ziff Davis owns IPVanish and StrongVPN. Mullvad stays independent and outside that consolidation.
- Kape Technologies
- Israel, LSE:KAPE. Owns ExpressVPN (~$1B acquisition), CyberGhost (~3M subscribers), Private Internet Access.
- Ziff Davis
- US media conglomerate. Owns IPVanish and StrongVPN. Revenue from subscriptions, data used to cross-sell media products.
- Mullvad
- Sweden. Independently owned. No accounts, you get a random number. Accepts XMR. No logs. Audited by Cure53.
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 a Mullvad server location. They left with nothing. Mullvad runs RAM-only servers with no persistent logs, and the account number system leaves little user data to hand over. That was a real test of the no-logs claim, and Mullvad passed it. As far as public reporting shows, Mullvad has not received a gag order of the US National Security Letter type. It also publishes a warrant canary.
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.