You could be forgiven for finding Mullvad’s mascot, Cookie the mole (hah), so endearing that you forget that VPNs are serious business, because even regular Joeys are valuable in the world of digital crime. That means you, bub, the one with a dollar sign over your head.It’s been a long time since the only digital security we had to fear were the various “worms” going around through phishing links and suspicious emails. Nowadays even legitimate companies and governments will track the shit out of you just because they can.VPN stands for virtual private network. Acting as a middleman, it routes all the information exchange between you and other websites’ servers on the internet, in both directions, through a server owned by the VPN service.Should a website or a bad actor try to follow you across the web, they won’t see your unique, identifiable IP address, only that of the VPN server you’re connected to. Since these are shared servers—any decent VPN will have thousands of servers to choose from—you disappear into the crowd if a data thief or snoop tries to eavesdrop on your digital trail.That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t still get a good ad-blocker, such as uBlock Origin, and know which cookies (if any) you want to allow. But that’ll only take you so far. For the price of Big Mac (literally) per month, you can drastically increase your internet security with a solid VPN. Here’s why Mullvad VPN passes my stringent test that most VPNs fail.(opens in a new window)Mullvad VPN(opens in a new window)Available at Mullvad VPNBuy Now(opens in a new window)vetting, audits, and a no-logs policy“A free and open society is a society where people have the right to privacy. That’s why we fight for a free internet,” writes Mullvad on its website. I’m usually loath to bullhorn a company’s mission statement, but goddamn. That hits right at the heart.It continues,”Free from mass surveillance and censorship. Free from personal data collection and business models where your online behavior is treated as commodity. Free from authorities mass monitoring entire populations. Free from big tech and data brokers mapping your life.”One of the major aspects I look for in a VPN is that it’s based in a country that isn’t a member of the Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and 14 Eyes international surveillance alliances.These alliances enable sharing of citizens’ online data, so a person using a VPN service located in one signatory country—even if they’re not physically in that country or a citizen of that country—can have their data logs handed over to one of the other signatory countries by request.extra-protective quantum resistance is on by default — credit: matt jancerWhile Mullvad VPN is based in Sweden, which is a member of 14 Eyes but not the other two surveillance alliances, there are protections in Swedish law regarding VPNs specifically, and Mullvad’s explanation satisfies me enough that I’d use it. It’s also shown good faith by releasing the results of its independently requested audit.Even if a government agency or court were to try to compel Proton VPN to turn over user data somehow, Mullvad VPN would have nothing that could even be handed over, since it says it doesn’t log user information.ease of use and signupMullvad VPN is swanky in that it doesn’t require an email address, unlike NordVPN, one of my other favorite VPNs. You don’t need to input a phone number, either, or any personal information. To create an account, you just click a button to generate a random account number.Just make sure you don’t lose it. That’s the downside of the randomly generated number. It’s more anonymous, but it’s not as easy to remember a 16-digit numerical code as it is to remember your own email address or a user name.Not having to provide any of that information is a major bonus for those seeking to erase every connection between themselves and not just their internet activity, but also the tools they use to shield that internet activity.Mullvad VPN currently has only 697 servers spread across 49 countries. That’s few. Very few. Compare that to NordVPN’s 6,900 servers in 111 countries or Proton VPN’s 11,000 servers in “110+” countries.server selection list — credit: matt jancerBut Mullvad’s servers worked well for me, with reliable connections and fast speeds. All the servers I connected to also came with quantum resistance, which are on by default for all connections as of January 9, 2025.As quantum computers (a particularly advanced type of computer) move from science-fiction to real life, their greater capabilities in the hands of bad actors mean that the privacy defenses of a VPN must also evolve and strengthen.The downside is that quantum resistance does slow down the connection because it’s more resource intensive. The upside is that if there was any slowdown because of it, I didn’t notice. All the servers I connected to through Mullvad VPN were plenty fast enough for standard browsing, emailing uncompressed photographs, and using a resource-hog of a CMS.After I initially downloaded the macOS app, I was surprised that it ran solely out of the Mac’s toolbar. There’s no large window that can be resized, and the user interface was so stripped down and simplified that I sighed under my breath, expecting that navigating the service would turn every settings tweak and server selection into a scavenger hunt. I was wrong.The tiny window that pops out of the toolbar is very stripped down, but it’s easy to navigate, and no commonly accessed screen is more than two clicks away. Not only did it assuage my worries about being clumsy to use, but it’s actually a masterpiece in clean UI design.There’s just one subscription plan for Mullvad VPN, and it costs five euros per month ($5.24 at the time I’m writing this). You can pay in Bitcoin or Monero cryptocurrencies, if you prefer that to PayPal or a credit or debit card. You can even send cash if you want anonymity without boarding the rollercoaster of cryptocurrencies.There are no recurring payments, either. Uniquely among major VPNs I’ve used, you load your account with whichever payment mode and however much money you prefer, and your subscription continues until it runs out.Then you reload it. It’s handy for people who have a tendency to forget to cancel their subscriptions and end up paying for services they no longer use.Despite the small list of servers, I enjoyed using Mullvad VPN. It had the slickest, more intuitive user interface of any VPN I’ve used, the novel way of using a randomly generated number rather than any personally identifiable information for log-ins, and fast speeds.Add that to their transparency, passing their independent audits, and its no-log policy, and I’m more than content enough to entrust my digital privacy with this furry fella.(opens in a new window)Mullvad VPN(opens in a new window)Available at Mullvad VPNBuy Now(opens in a new window)alternativesNordVPN: I’ve been using NordVPN for the past few years daily, and it’s been consistently fast and stable for me in several countries. Based in Panama, it’s outside all of the “Eyes” surveillance alliances, and they’ve also passed their independent audits. For sheer choice, NordVPN’s 6,900 servers in 111 countries blows Mullvad VPN out of the water. If you want to connect to a server in a particular country, chances are NordVPN (or Proton VPN) will have it available.Proton VPN: Founded in 2017, this relative newcomer is based in Switzerland, which isn’t a member of Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, or 14 Eyes. That’s exactly what I like to hear when I’m appraising a VPN. The other major green flag I look for is whether it’s been independently audited, and what do you know, Proton VPN has. You can read the results here. It also has 11,000 servers in “110+” countries, far more than Mullvad VPN.TunnelBear: Meh. It’s owned by the major security software company McAfee and based in Canada, which is a member of the Five Eyes Alliance. You can read TunnelBear’s latest independently commissioned audit, but while I’d use them over PIA or ExpressVPN because they’re owned by Kape Technologies, I’d prefer NordVPN, Mullvad VPN, or Proton VPN because of TunnelBear’s link to Canada. Its 8,000 servers is a healthy number, but they’re spread over just 45 countries.The post Ads for This Swedish VPN Are Suddenly Everywhere. It Lives up to the Hype. appeared first on VICE.