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hide.me vs Mullvad

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

One of the first VPNs ever audited, re-audited a decade later, with a free tier that does not cap your data at all.

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: Mullvad

Mullvad carries more independent audits of its no-logs claim: 4 against 2 for hide.me. We publish no rating for VPNs, so the audit count is the one criterion that decides.

Criterion
Independent no-logs audits
hide.me
2
Mullvad
4

hide.me 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.

hide.me and Mullvad compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
Facthide.meMullvad
Independent audits2, latest 20244, latest 2024 (favoured on this row)
Real-world tests01
Incidents on record00
Market exits00
OwnereVenture LimitedMullvad VPN AB
JurisdictionMalaysiaSweden
Eyes allianceOutsideFourteen Eyes
PriceFree tier, or from $2.59/moFlat EUR 5/mo, any term
Money-back30 days14 days
Crypto acceptedbitcoin, monero, ethereum, litecoin, dogecoin, solanabitcoin, bitcoin cash, monero
Anonymous signupNoYes
Free tierNo data cap, 8 locations, one device, reduced speeds, no card neededNone
ServersVendor states roughly 2,600 servers across 92 locations, with free users limited to eight of themVendor 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.

hide.me

  • 2024Audit by Securitum: no-logs policy and the RAM-only server infrastructure, with a published summary report
  • 2015Audit by DefenseCode: one of the first independent examinations of a VPN provider's logging claims

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 hide.me or Mullvad better for privacy?

Mullvad carries more independent audits of its no-logs claim: 4 against 2 for hide.me. 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 hide.me or Mullvad with bitcoin?

hide.me takes bitcoin, monero, ethereum, litecoin, dogecoin and solana (processor: In-house). 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, hide.me or Mullvad?

hide.me: Free tier, or from $2.59/mo. Mullvad: Flat EUR 5/mo, any term. Money-back: hide.me 30 days, Mullvad 14 days. Prices are from each vendor's own page as of the review date.

Where are hide.me and Mullvad based?

hide.me: Malaysia (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: hide.me and Mullvad, each with its sources, and every VPN we review.

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