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ExpressVPN vs Mullvad

Comparing
two VPNs
Decided by
Independent no-logs audits
Last reviewed
2026-08-26
ExpressVPNTakes bitcoin

Courtroom-tested no-logs claim and a bitcoin refund policy that pays back the coins you sent, from a company that also owns two rivals here.

MullvadTakes bitcoin

No email, no username, no password: a random account number, cash or Monero in an envelope, and a police raid that came away with nothing.

Verdict: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN carries more independent audits of its no-logs claim: 5 against 4 for Mullvad. We publish no rating for VPNs, so the audit count is the one criterion that decides.

Criterion
Independent no-logs audits
ExpressVPN
5
Mullvad
4

ExpressVPN and Mullvad, fact by fact

Every row is from the two reviews as of their review dates, with sources on each. A check marks the side a decidable criterion favours; rows without one are information, not a score.

ExpressVPN and Mullvad compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
FactExpressVPNMullvad
Independent audits5, latest 2025 (favoured on this row)4, latest 2024
Real-world tests11
Incidents on record00
Market exits10
OwnerKape TechnologiesMullvad VPN AB
JurisdictionBritish Virgin IslandsSweden
Eyes allianceOutsideFourteen Eyes
PriceFrom $2.99/mo on the 2yr planFlat EUR 5/mo, any term
Money-back30 days14 days
Crypto acceptedbitcoinbitcoin, bitcoin cash, monero
Anonymous signupNoYes
Free tierNoneNone
ServersVendor states servers in 113 countries, all running from RAM under its TrustedServer designVendor publishes a live server list, running to roughly 550 servers, and marks which are owned rather than rented
Last reviewed2026-08-262026-08-26

No-logs evidence, side by side

Dated audits and real-world tests from each review. An empty column is a finding: the claim has not been independently checked.

ExpressVPN

  • 2025Audit by KPMG: third KPMG audit of the no-logs privacy commitments
  • 2024Audit by Cure53: fourth security audit of the Lightway VPN protocol
  • 2023Audit by KPMG: assessment of the privacy policy claims
  • 2022Audit by KPMG: no-logs policy and the TrustedServer architecture
  • 2019Audit by PwC: privacy policy compliance and the TrustedServer technology
  • 2017Turkish investigators seized a physical ExpressVPN server during the inquiry into the killing of the Russian ambassador to Turkey: The server produced no logs tying any customer to the IP addresses under investigation

Mullvad

  • 2024Audit by Cure53: fourth infrastructure audit, covering one OpenVPN and one WireGuard server plus the Ansible deployment code
  • 2023At least six officers from the Swedish police National Operations Department searched Mullvad's Gothenburg office with a warrant seeking customer data: Mullvad showed the data did not exist and the officers left without seizing equipment or obtaining any customer information
  • 2021Audit by Cure53: infrastructure audit that found no personally identifiable information or privacy leaks
  • 2020Audit by Cure53: penetration test and source code audit of the apps across Windows, Android and iOS
  • 2018Audit by Cure53: penetration test and source code audit of the VPN client app

Frequently asked questions

Is ExpressVPN or Mullvad better for privacy?

ExpressVPN carries more independent audits of its no-logs claim: 5 against 4 for Mullvad. We publish no rating for VPNs, so the audit count is the one criterion that decides. Audits, court and seizure records and incidents are dated on each review with their sources.

Can I pay ExpressVPN or Mullvad with bitcoin?

ExpressVPN takes bitcoin (processor: BitPay). Mullvad takes bitcoin, bitcoin cash and monero (processor: In-house, on self-hosted full nodes). Each review quotes the vendor's own refund sentence for crypto purchases verbatim.

Which is cheaper, ExpressVPN or Mullvad?

ExpressVPN: From $2.99/mo on the 2yr plan. Mullvad: Flat EUR 5/mo, any term. Money-back: ExpressVPN 30 days, Mullvad 14 days. Prices are from each vendor's own page as of the review date.

Where are ExpressVPN and Mullvad based?

ExpressVPN: British Virgin Islands (outside the five, nine and fourteen eyes alliances). Mullvad: Sweden (fourteen eyes member). A jurisdiction matters less than a court record showing what the provider could hand over; the reviews carry those where they exist.

The full reviews: ExpressVPN and Mullvad, each with its sources, and every VPN we review.

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