Decided to experiment with a month of Mullvad VPN. (Was using ProtonVPN)
Mail: Proton
O/S: Windows
Use: Boring… emails, Reddit and news
Are there any known issues with the current version of Mullvad VPN that we should be aware of?
It installed quickly and appears to be working fine. (10 minutes of use so far). It seems to pass Leak tests.
No, you’re fine. Keep using it. Proton is also great btw.
Proton has more servers and subject to less CAPTCHA, and Mullvad has less servers but more private and has IPv6 support…
What do you mean by more private? These are providing the same service and protection.
Proton wants some info from info, like email and account name, Mullvad creates a random numbers for you without asking anything else.
The reason for my experimental use of Mullvad VPN was the discussion about them introducing newer protections:
You can still use both services anonymously… I don’t see a big problem.
Can you create an account as anon with Proton? Nope. You need an account with an email and password. That is not the case with Mullvad.
Yeah, you can make an account with Proton anonymously via Tor. And pay for the service in Cash. The only thing literally being saved is your password which Mullvad doesn’t need as it is not a traditional account. You will still need to store the Mullvad username somewhere, and you’ll have to do the same with Proton.
Again, I don’t see the big differentiator here where any other “meta data” is collected.
With Mullvad, you only need a random numbers, that is it. You don’t need an email, even a temporary one, and you don’t need an account at all. You don’t need an email and an password. You don’t need to provide a payment method.
Proton on the other hand wants everything above.
You can store your Mullvad account number in a text file and delete it after 30 days and then create another one without hassle.
Yes - still ways to get around and mitigate those things.
Anyways, these are not the reasons why a service is better or not than another. These are simply cosmetic differences if you ask me.
I can buy a gift card from a random place and create a random account on Mullvad but I can’t do the same on Proton.
Don’t get me wrong, but are privacy friendly but account wise Mullvad is better.
You can buy a Proton gift card online and use that to upgrade your account you made with Tor.
I do see what you’re saying - its logical. But account wise being better doesn’t make the service itself any better.
In my mind, Mullvad, IVPN, and Proton are all the same with some key differentiating features and functionality and of course, their UI/UX.
(afaik) This (rather expensive) “protection” is needed because Mullvad is going all-in on WireGuard. OpenVPN, for instance, doesn’t need these?
Proton has credential-less mode live on Android, which is similar to Mullvad’s (and Windscribe’s?) implementation. Things are moving in the right direction.
Doubt that.
You can use anything anonymously if you go through 10 million steps.
Your low effort comment doesn’t help.
You can label any argument as “low effort” or “not helpful” but how about you counter it?
You have not said enough or made enough sense worth countering.
Would a better solution be a decentralized approach like Safing SPN? Safing Portmaster - SPN Features
For devils advocate, you’d have to trust both an email provider and a VPN for Proton (paid) vs Mullvad without needing any other third party service to register. More entities is a larger surface to make mistakes depending on the threat model. Mullvad also supports cash and Monero for payment.
In general, I’d say it boils down to trust and the privacy laws in the jurisdiction of the company. I “trust” Mullvad more than Proton with respect to privacy. Mullvads entire business is solely around being a VPN and providing privacy respecting services (like Leta, Mullvad Browser), while Proton is focused on security services.