What is the difference between Mullvad and Surfshark?

Mullvad is best for Privacy maximalists wanting anonymous VPN, while Surfshark is best for Users wanting affordable VPN with unlimited devices. Mullvad starts at €5/mo and Surfshark starts at $2.49/mo.

Mullvad vs Surfshark

Mullvad is Privacy-focused VPN with anonymous accounts — no email, no personal data, while Surfshark is Affordable VPN with unlimited simultaneous connections and CleanWeb ad blocker. Surfshark comes in cheaper, but price alone does not tell the full story. Mullvad is built for privacy maximalists wanting anonymous vpn, whereas Surfshark targets users wanting affordable vpn with unlimited devices.

At a glance

	Mullvad	Surfshark
Best for	Privacy maximalists wanting anonymous VPN	Users wanting affordable VPN with unlimited devices
Starting price	€5/mo	$2.49/mo
Free tier	—	—
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	—	—
Open source	—	—
Anonymous Accounts	✓	—
CleanWeb	—	✓
GPS Spoofing	—	✓
MultiHop	—	✓
No Logs	✓	—
Unlimited Devices	—	✓
WireGuard	✓	—
€5 Flat	✓	—

Mullvad

Strengths

Includes Anonymous Accounts as a core feature, purpose-built for vpn workflows
Includes WireGuard as a core feature, purpose-built for vpn workflows
Affordable at €5/mo — one of the lower-priced options in the vpn category
Established product with 17+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

No free plan — you need to pay €5/mo from day one to use it
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in vpn
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Mullvad → Full review

Surfshark

Strengths

Includes Unlimited Devices as a core feature, purpose-built for vpn workflows
Includes CleanWeb as a core feature, purpose-built for vpn workflows
Affordable at $2.49/mo — one of the lower-priced options in the vpn category
Includes multihop alongside the core feature set — fewer separate tools needed

Weaknesses

No free plan — you need to pay $2.49/mo from day one to use it
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in vpn
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Surfshark → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Mullvad starts at €5/mo. Surfshark starts at $2.49/mo. Surfshark is the more affordable option.

Feature gaps: Mullvad offers Anonymous Accounts, No Logs and WireGuard that Surfshark lacks. Surfshark brings CleanWeb, GPS Spoofing and MultiHop that Mullvad does not have.

Team fit: Both tools target individuals teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.

Where each tool shines: Mullvad's biggest strengths are: includes anonymous accounts as a core feature, purpose-built for vpn workflows. includes wireguard as a core feature, purpose-built for vpn workflows. Surfshark's biggest strengths are: includes unlimited devices as a core feature, purpose-built for vpn workflows. includes cleanweb as a core feature, purpose-built for vpn workflows.

Watch out for: With Mullvad, users commonly note that no free plan — you need to pay €5/mo from day one to use it. With Surfshark, the main complaint is that no free plan — you need to pay $2.49/mo from day one to use it.

Choose Mullvad if...

You need a tool built for privacy maximalists wanting anonymous vpn
You specifically need Anonymous Accounts and No Logs
You care about includes wireguard as a core feature, purpose-built for vpn workflows

Choose Surfshark if...

You need a tool built for users wanting affordable vpn with unlimited devices
You want to save on per-user costs — Surfshark is $2.51/user/mo cheaper
You specifically need CleanWeb and GPS Spoofing
You care about includes cleanweb as a core feature, purpose-built for vpn workflows