Hotspot Shield / Mullvad VPN compared

Same criteria, same rules. You see where they diverge.
No winner on this page. vpn-matrix.com assigns no points and makes no recommendations.

Differences (114)

Criteria where the values diverge.

 Hotspot ShieldMullvad VPN
Legal company name
Anchorfree, LLC / Pango GmbH (product under Point Wild / formerly Pango Group)provider claim
Mullvad VPN ABconfirmed
Trademark holder, if different
Point Wild (HotSpot Shield brand)provider claim
Mullvad VPN ABprovider claim
Year founded
2008confirmed
2009provider claim
Headquarters (country)
USprovider claim
SEconfirmed
Other relevant jurisdictions
United States (Redwood City, California); Pango/Point Wild operatorconfirmed
Swedenprovider claim
Intelligence alliance of the home country
Five Eyesconfirmed
14 Eyesconfirmed
Parent group / holding
Point Wildconfirmed
Amagicom ABprovider claim
Beneficial owners publicly known
partly knownprovider claim
fully knownprovider claim
Ownership structure
private equityprovider claim
founder ownedprovider claim
Sister VPN brands in the group
Betternet, Ultra VPN / UltraAV, VPN360, Touch VPN (per Point Wild / Pango portfolio disclosures)provider claim
noneprovider claim
Group owns VPN review and comparison sites
Comparitech (listed among Point Wild brands)provider claim
noneprovider claim
Runs an affiliate programme
yesprovider claim
noprovider claim
Typical commission rate?
none (no classic affiliate commission program; reseller partnerships exist)provider claim
YouTube and influencer sponsoring
occasionalprovider claim
noneprovider claim
Documented misleading advertising claims
'Military-grade' encryption wording appears on download/marketing pages; Hydra marketed as '#1 for speed'provider claim
?
Acquisition history / former name
AnchorFree → Pango; Aura/Pango era; Dec 2024 Pango Group merged with Total Security and rebranded Point Wildprovider claim
none disclosed on homeprovider claim
Core statement of the logging policy
Does not store VPN browsing activity tied to a user; logs session duration, bandwidth, anonymized domains, device hashes; source IP encrypted then deleted at session endconfirmed
Kontonummer und Ablaufdatum sind die einzigen dauerhaft gespeicherten Kontodaten. Keine Speicherung von Verkehrsdaten, DNS-Anfragen, IP-Adressen, Verbindungszeitpunkten und Bandbreite je Konto.provider claim
Connection logs
per sessionconfirmed
noneprovider claim
Storage of the real IP address
transient onlyconfirmed
not storedprovider claim
Precision of stored timestamps
to the secondprovider claim
noneprovider claim
Recording of transferred data volume
per accountconfirmed
aggregate onlyprovider claim
Enforcement of the device limit
Premium links up to 10 devices per accountprovider claim
Zählung der gleichzeitigen Verbindungen laut Anbieter ausschließlich im Arbeitsspeicher, ohne dauerhafte Speicherung auf Datenträger.provider claim
Minimum account data required
Device hashes for free products without account; paid/account flows collect additional account data per general policyprovider claim
Kontonummer und Ablaufdatum. Kein Benutzername, kein Passwort, keine E-Mail-Adresse.provider claim
Telemetry in the apps
cannot be disabledprovider claim
noneprovider claim
Trackers and SDKs in the Android app
Free versions: Google advertising ID (AAID) to Google for personalized adsprovider claim
No third-party analytics SDKs described; first-party app telemetry sends app/OS version counters onlyconfirmed
Trackers in the iOS app
Free versions: IDFA to Google for personalized adsprovider claim
No third-party analytics SDKs described in no-logging policy; first-party version telemetry discussed primarily with Android examplesprovider claim
Trackers and cookies on the website
Cookies for analytics, personalization, and targeted advertising (site cookie banner)provider claim
Laut Cookie-Richtlinie fünf Cookies: authToken, language, csrftoken sowie __stripe_sid und __stripe_mid des Zahlungsdienstleisters Stripe. Keine Analyse- oder Werbecookies genannt.provider claim
Data shared with third parties
Free VPN versions: Google for personalized ads (AAID/IDFA); paid versions do not send to ad partners. Domain names logged anonymized/aggregated.provider claim
Zahlungsdienstleister (unter anderem Stripe, PayPal, Swish) und Auftragsverarbeiter für Dienstleistungen. Laut Datenschutzerklärung keine Übermittlung außerhalb von EU und EWR.provider claim
Retention periods stated in the policy
Source IP collected for VPN session then deleted at session end; domains aggregated ~monthly; device hashes retained for analyticsprovider claim
Zahlungs- und Transaktions-IDs 20 Tage. Buchhaltungsunterlagen nach schwedischem Buchführungsgesetz sieben Jahre. Support-E-Mails 70 Tage. Nginx-Zugriffsprotokolle des Webservers bis zu fünf Minuten.provider claim
No-logs audit details
Aon technical assessment for Pango Group, report dated 2023-08-25; free and paid tiers; client+server; concluded policy assertions fairly representedconfirmed
Assured Security Consultants, Serverprüfung 25.04. bis 13.05.2022, Bericht vom 21.06.2022: 0 kritische, 0 hohe, 11 mittlere, 9 niedrige Befunde. Fazit: die Konfiguration zeigte keine Anzeichen direkter Kundeninformationen.confirmed
Audit report published
summary onlyconfirmed
full reportconfirmed
App and client audits
none published on fetched pagesprovider claim
App-Audits im Repository dokumentiert: Assured und Cure53 (2018), Cure53 (2020), Atredis (2022), X41 D-Sec (2024), NCC Group Android (2025), Leviathan Security Android (2026). Dazu X41 D-Sec für Konto- und Zahlungsdienste (Bericht vom 20.01.2026).confirmed
Infrastructure and server audits
none published on fetched pagesprovider claim
Cure53 prüfte vom 03. bis 14.06.2024 WireGuard- und OpenVPN-Relays im Whitebox-Verfahren und fand fünf Punkte, davon einen mittleren und einen niedrigen Befund. Zuvor Assured (2022) und Radically Open Security (2023).confirmed
Audit frequency
irregularprovider claim
?
Tested in court or by authorities
none documented on fetched official pagesprovider claim
Am 18.04.2023 durchsuchten Beamte der schwedischen Polizeieinheit NOA das Büro in Göteborg. Der Durchsuchungsbeschluss war am 17.02.2023 auf ein deutsches Rechtshilfeersuchen hin ergangen. Nach Anbieterangabe verließen die Beamten den Standort ohne Beschlagnahme und ohne Kundendaten.provider claim
Security incidents and data leaks
2017 CDT complaint to FTC alleging undisclosed data sharing/traffic redirection on Hotspot Shield Free (per Wikipedia)confirmed
?
Bug bounty programme
none published on fetched Hotspot Shield/Pango pagesprovider claim
Kein Bug-Bounty-Programm mit Geldprämien. Meldungen per E-Mail, auf Wunsch PGP-verschlüsselt; der Anbieter sagt zu, gegen meldende Sicherheitsforschende nicht rechtlich vorzugehen.provider claim
Handling of reported vulnerabilities
none disclosed on fetched pagesprovider claim
Veröffentlichte Offenlegungsrichtlinie: Vorfälle mit Bezug zu Kundendaten werden nach Behebung öffentlich beschrieben, Vorfälle ohne Kundendatenbezug nur intern behandelt.provider claim
Open source clients
noneprovider claim
allconfirmed
Open source server side
noprovider claim
partialprovider claim
Reproducible builds
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Available on F-Droid
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Listings by independent bodies
Cited Speedtest/Ookla fastest VPN; TechRadar, CNET, ZDNet, PCWorld quotes on marketing pagesprovider claim
Privacy Guides führt Mullvad neben Proton VPN und IVPN als einen von drei empfohlenen VPN-Anbietern und nennt dabei Audits, Monero- und Barzahlung sowie die Offenlegung von eigenen und gemieteten Servern.confirmed
WireGuard
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
OpenVPN over UDP
yesconfirmed
noconfirmed
OpenVPN over TCP
yesprovider claim
noconfirmed
IKEv2/IPsec
yesconfirmed
noprovider claim
Proprietary protocol
Hydra (developed internally by Pango)confirmed
noneprovider claim
Legacy protocols still offered
Proprietary Hydra primary; OpenVPN/WireGuard not advertised as primary on fetched product pagesprovider claim
OpenVPN removed (removal announced; WireGuard-only network in relays API)provider claim
Default data cipher
AES-256confirmed
ChaCha20 mit Poly1305-Authentifizierung (AEAD nach RFC 7539)provider claim
Weakest accepted cipher
AES-256provider claim
?
Key exchange and authentication
Catapult Hydra proprietary protocolprovider claim
Noise_IK-Handshake mit Curve25519-ECDH, BLAKE2s als Hash und HKDF zur Schlüsselableitungprovider claim
Perfect forward secrecy?
yesconfirmed
Post-quantum key exchange
not availableprovider claim
on by defaultprovider claim
DNS leak protection?
yesprovider claim
IPv6 handling
unclearprovider claim
routed through tunnelconfirmed
WebRTC protection or guidance
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Obfuscation methods
Hydra proprietary protocol marketed for speed/security; censorship circumvention history (Arab Spring) per Wikipediaprovider claim
Vier Verfahren in der App: Lightweight WireGuard Obfuscation (LWO), WireGuard über QUIC (UDP 443), WireGuard über Shadowsocks und UDP-over-TCP (Ports 80, 443, 5001).provider claim
Kill switch
not availableprovider claim
system-wideprovider claim
Permanent lockdown
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Split tunneling
not offered on Hotspot Shield select-plan/feature lists fetchedprovider claim
Anwendungsbasiert auf Windows, Linux, macOS und Android. Auf iOS laut Feature-Matrix nicht vorhanden.provider claim
Multihop
not availableprovider claim
freely combinableprovider claim
SOCKS5 proxy
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Ad and tracker filtering in DNS
fixed listprovider claim
configurableprovider claim
Custom DNS servers allowed
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Local network access toggle
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Auto connect rules
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Traffic analysis defence
Proprietary Catapult Hydra protocol; historical circumvention useprovider claim
DAITA (Defense Against AI-guided Traffic Analysis) mit konstanten Paketgrößen, zufälligem Hintergrundverkehr und Musterverzerrung, aufgebaut auf dem quelloffenen Maybenot-Framework. Laut Feature-Matrix auf allen fünf Plattformen verfügbar.provider claim
IPv6 inside the tunnel
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Number of servers
1,800 Serverprovider claim
576 Serverconfirmed
Number of countries
80 Laenderprovider claim
50 Laenderconfirmed
Number of cities
35 Staedteprovider claim
91 Staedteconfirmed
Virtual locations
not labelledprovider claim
no virtual locationsprovider claim
RAM-only servers (diskless)
noprovider claim
entire networkconfirmed
Hardware ownership
rentedprovider claim
mixedconfirmed
10 Gbps ports
noprovider claim
some serversconfirmed
Known upstream hosting providers
Third-party infrastructure providers (unnamed); Pango states it would leave any provider requiring activity loggingprovider claim
14 Betreiber laut Relay-Liste: 31173, Blix, Creanova, DataPacket, HostRoyale, M247, PrivateLayer, Tzulo, Veloxserv, Zenlayer, hostuniversal, iRegister, techfutures, xtom.confirmed
Linux app with GUI
not availableprovider claim
native appprovider claim
Linux command line
not availableprovider claim
native appprovider claim
Android TV app
native appprovider claim
not availableprovider claim
Fire TV app
native appprovider claim
not availableprovider claim
Browser extension
not availableprovider claim
own extensionprovider claim
Type of browser extension
no extensionprovider claim
controls the desktop appprovider claim
Router support
Router mentioned as connectable device under Premium (up to 10 devices)provider claim
Dokumentierte Anleitungen für OpenWrt und pfSense, jeweils mit WireGuard.provider claim
Command line documented
noprovider claim
yesconfirmed
Simultaneous devices
10provider claim
5provider claim
Usable without an account
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Data required at signup
any email addressprovider claim
nothing requiredprovider claim
Account model
email as loginprovider claim
account number onlyprovider claim
Cash by mail
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Monero
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Bitcoin
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Retail gift cards
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
PayPal
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
SEPA payment
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Monthly price
€11.99provider claim
€5.00provider claim
Effective price on the longest term
€7.99provider claim
€5.00provider claim
Price change at renewal
moderate increaseprovider claim
same priceprovider claim
Flat pricing without permanent discounts
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Free tier and its limits
Free VPN products (Hotspot Shield free) supported by third-party in-app ads (Unity, ironSource, Digital Turbine, InMobi)confirmed
noneprovider claim
Money-back window
45 Tageprovider claim
14 Tageprovider claim
Streaming unblocking officially advertised
yesprovider claim
noprovider claim
Netflix regions reported
Marketing claims Netflix, YouTube, Prime, Disney+ worldwide; no audited region list on fetched pagesprovider claim
?
Other streaming services
Netflix, YouTube, Prime, Disney+provider claim
?
Bandwidth cap
cappedprovider claim
no limitprovider claim
Data cap
Basic free: 500 MB/day; Premium: unlimitedprovider claim
noneprovider claim
Speed measurement references
Claims up to 2.2x faster than competitionprovider claim
?
SMTP and port 25 handling?
TCP port 25 blocked (spam); ports 465/587 not singled out as blockedprovider claim
Official support in restrictive countries
Historically used for censorship circumvention (Arab Spring); Hydra marketed for accessprovider claim
Eigene Anleitung für Netze mit Filterung mit vier Verschleierungsverfahren. Zu China schreibt der Anbieter, dass alle Mullvad-Server in Asien blockiert seien, und empfiehlt Server in den USA.provider claim
Documentation assessment
workableprovider claim
thorough and currentprovider claim
Tracker load of the website
Essential + analytics/personalization/targeted advertising cookies disclosed on siteprovider claim
Necessary cookies only (authToken, language, csrftoken) plus Stripe payment cookies when payingconfirmed
URL of the warrant canary
none foundprovider claim
No dedicated warrant-canary page found this session (blog tag 404)provider claim
Length and readability of the legal documents
Long formal ToS with commercial/cancellation sections; not specially simplifiedprovider claim
Clear plain-language ToS with explicit port blocks, price, and refund pointerprovider claim
Marketing claims contradicting the provider's own terms
Markets 'world's fastest VPN' via Speedtest; 2017 CDT/FTC complaint about free-tier data sharing (Wikipedia)confirmed
Flat €5/mo since launch messaging on pricing page; 581 servers / 50 countries / 91 cities / 14 providers on servers pageconfirmed

All sourced criteria (154)

 Hotspot ShieldMullvad VPN
Legal company name
Anchorfree, LLC / Pango GmbH (product under Point Wild / formerly Pango Group)provider claim
Mullvad VPN ABconfirmed
Trademark holder, if different
Point Wild (HotSpot Shield brand)provider claim
Mullvad VPN ABprovider claim
Year founded
2008confirmed
2009provider claim
Headquarters (country)
USprovider claim
SEconfirmed
Other relevant jurisdictions
United States (Redwood City, California); Pango/Point Wild operatorconfirmed
Swedenprovider claim
Intelligence alliance of the home country
Five Eyesconfirmed
14 Eyesconfirmed
Parent group / holding
Point Wildconfirmed
Amagicom ABprovider claim
Beneficial owners publicly known
partly knownprovider claim
fully knownprovider claim
Ownership structure
private equityprovider claim
founder ownedprovider claim
Leadership team publicly named
yesprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Verifiable postal address for legal service
yesconfirmed
yesconfirmed
Sister VPN brands in the group
Betternet, Ultra VPN / UltraAV, VPN360, Touch VPN (per Point Wild / Pango portfolio disclosures)provider claim
noneprovider claim
Group owns VPN review and comparison sites
Comparitech (listed among Point Wild brands)provider claim
noneprovider claim
Runs an affiliate programme
yesprovider claim
noprovider claim
Typical commission rate?
none (no classic affiliate commission program; reseller partnerships exist)provider claim
YouTube and influencer sponsoring
occasionalprovider claim
noneprovider claim
Documented misleading advertising claims
'Military-grade' encryption wording appears on download/marketing pages; Hydra marketed as '#1 for speed'provider claim
?
Acquisition history / former name
AnchorFree → Pango; Aura/Pango era; Dec 2024 Pango Group merged with Total Security and rebranded Point Wildprovider claim
none disclosed on homeprovider claim
Operating status
activeconfirmed
activeconfirmed
Core statement of the logging policy
Does not store VPN browsing activity tied to a user; logs session duration, bandwidth, anonymized domains, device hashes; source IP encrypted then deleted at session endconfirmed
Kontonummer und Ablaufdatum sind die einzigen dauerhaft gespeicherten Kontodaten. Keine Speicherung von Verkehrsdaten, DNS-Anfragen, IP-Adressen, Verbindungszeitpunkten und Bandbreite je Konto.provider claim
Activity and traffic logs
noneprovider claim
noneconfirmed
Connection logs
per sessionconfirmed
noneprovider claim
Storage of the real IP address
transient onlyconfirmed
not storedprovider claim
Storage of the assigned VPN IP
not storedprovider claim
not storedprovider claim
Precision of stored timestamps
to the secondprovider claim
noneprovider claim
Recording of transferred data volume
per accountconfirmed
aggregate onlyprovider claim
Enforcement of the device limit
Premium links up to 10 devices per accountprovider claim
Zählung der gleichzeitigen Verbindungen laut Anbieter ausschließlich im Arbeitsspeicher, ohne dauerhafte Speicherung auf Datenträger.provider claim
Minimum account data required
Device hashes for free products without account; paid/account flows collect additional account data per general policyprovider claim
Kontonummer und Ablaufdatum. Kein Benutzername, kein Passwort, keine E-Mail-Adresse.provider claim
Telemetry in the apps
cannot be disabledprovider claim
noneprovider claim
Trackers and SDKs in the Android app
Free versions: Google advertising ID (AAID) to Google for personalized adsprovider claim
No third-party analytics SDKs described; first-party app telemetry sends app/OS version counters onlyconfirmed
Trackers in the iOS app
Free versions: IDFA to Google for personalized adsprovider claim
No third-party analytics SDKs described in no-logging policy; first-party version telemetry discussed primarily with Android examplesprovider claim
Trackers and cookies on the website
Cookies for analytics, personalization, and targeted advertising (site cookie banner)provider claim
Laut Cookie-Richtlinie fünf Cookies: authToken, language, csrftoken sowie __stripe_sid und __stripe_mid des Zahlungsdienstleisters Stripe. Keine Analyse- oder Werbecookies genannt.provider claim
Data shared with third parties
Free VPN versions: Google for personalized ads (AAID/IDFA); paid versions do not send to ad partners. Domain names logged anonymized/aggregated.provider claim
Zahlungsdienstleister (unter anderem Stripe, PayPal, Swish) und Auftragsverarbeiter für Dienstleistungen. Laut Datenschutzerklärung keine Übermittlung außerhalb von EU und EWR.provider claim
Retention periods stated in the policy
Source IP collected for VPN session then deleted at session end; domains aggregated ~monthly; device hashes retained for analyticsprovider claim
Zahlungs- und Transaktions-IDs 20 Tage. Buchhaltungsunterlagen nach schwedischem Buchführungsgesetz sieben Jahre. Support-E-Mails 70 Tage. Nginx-Zugriffsprotokolle des Webservers bis zu fünf Minuten.provider claim
EU representative named under GDPR
yesprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Independent no-logs audit
yesconfirmed
yesconfirmed
No-logs audit details
Aon technical assessment for Pango Group, report dated 2023-08-25; free and paid tiers; client+server; concluded policy assertions fairly representedconfirmed
Assured Security Consultants, Serverprüfung 25.04. bis 13.05.2022, Bericht vom 21.06.2022: 0 kritische, 0 hohe, 11 mittlere, 9 niedrige Befunde. Fazit: die Konfiguration zeigte keine Anzeichen direkter Kundeninformationen.confirmed
Audit report published
summary onlyconfirmed
full reportconfirmed
App and client audits
none published on fetched pagesprovider claim
App-Audits im Repository dokumentiert: Assured und Cure53 (2018), Cure53 (2020), Atredis (2022), X41 D-Sec (2024), NCC Group Android (2025), Leviathan Security Android (2026). Dazu X41 D-Sec für Konto- und Zahlungsdienste (Bericht vom 20.01.2026).confirmed
Infrastructure and server audits
none published on fetched pagesprovider claim
Cure53 prüfte vom 03. bis 14.06.2024 WireGuard- und OpenVPN-Relays im Whitebox-Verfahren und fand fünf Punkte, davon einen mittleren und einen niedrigen Befund. Zuvor Assured (2022) und Radically Open Security (2023).confirmed
Audit frequency
irregularprovider claim
?
Tested in court or by authorities
none documented on fetched official pagesprovider claim
Am 18.04.2023 durchsuchten Beamte der schwedischen Polizeieinheit NOA das Büro in Göteborg. Der Durchsuchungsbeschluss war am 17.02.2023 auf ein deutsches Rechtshilfeersuchen hin ergangen. Nach Anbieterangabe verließen die Beamten den Standort ohne Beschlagnahme und ohne Kundendaten.provider claim
Transparency report
occasionalprovider claim
occasionalprovider claim
Warrant canary
noneprovider claim
noneprovider claim
Security incidents and data leaks
2017 CDT complaint to FTC alleging undisclosed data sharing/traffic redirection on Hotspot Shield Free (per Wikipedia)confirmed
?
Bug bounty programme
none published on fetched Hotspot Shield/Pango pagesprovider claim
Kein Bug-Bounty-Programm mit Geldprämien. Meldungen per E-Mail, auf Wunsch PGP-verschlüsselt; der Anbieter sagt zu, gegen meldende Sicherheitsforschende nicht rechtlich vorzugehen.provider claim
Handling of reported vulnerabilities
none disclosed on fetched pagesprovider claim
Veröffentlichte Offenlegungsrichtlinie: Vorfälle mit Bezug zu Kundendaten werden nach Behebung öffentlich beschrieben, Vorfälle ohne Kundendatenbezug nur intern behandelt.provider claim
Open source clients
noneprovider claim
allconfirmed
Open source server side
noprovider claim
partialprovider claim
Reproducible builds
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Available on F-Droid
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Listings by independent bodies
Cited Speedtest/Ookla fastest VPN; TechRadar, CNET, ZDNet, PCWorld quotes on marketing pagesprovider claim
Privacy Guides führt Mullvad neben Proton VPN und IVPN als einen von drei empfohlenen VPN-Anbietern und nennt dabei Audits, Monero- und Barzahlung sowie die Offenlegung von eigenen und gemieteten Servern.confirmed
WireGuard
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
OpenVPN over UDP
yesconfirmed
noconfirmed
OpenVPN over TCP
yesprovider claim
noconfirmed
IKEv2/IPsec
yesconfirmed
noprovider claim
Proprietary protocol
Hydra (developed internally by Pango)confirmed
noneprovider claim
Legacy protocols still offered
Proprietary Hydra primary; OpenVPN/WireGuard not advertised as primary on fetched product pagesprovider claim
OpenVPN removed (removal announced; WireGuard-only network in relays API)provider claim
Default data cipher
AES-256confirmed
ChaCha20 mit Poly1305-Authentifizierung (AEAD nach RFC 7539)provider claim
Weakest accepted cipher
AES-256provider claim
?
Key exchange and authentication
Catapult Hydra proprietary protocolprovider claim
Noise_IK-Handshake mit Curve25519-ECDH, BLAKE2s als Hash und HKDF zur Schlüsselableitungprovider claim
Perfect forward secrecy?
yesconfirmed
Post-quantum key exchange
not availableprovider claim
on by defaultprovider claim
Own DNS resolvers
yesprovider claim
yesprovider claim
DNS leak protection?
yesprovider claim
IPv6 handling
unclearprovider claim
routed through tunnelconfirmed
WebRTC protection or guidance
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Obfuscation methods
Hydra proprietary protocol marketed for speed/security; censorship circumvention history (Arab Spring) per Wikipediaprovider claim
Vier Verfahren in der App: Lightweight WireGuard Obfuscation (LWO), WireGuard über QUIC (UDP 443), WireGuard über Shadowsocks und UDP-over-TCP (Ports 80, 443, 5001).provider claim
Usability behind the Great Firewall
per user reportsconfirmed
per user reportsprovider claim
Kill switch
not availableprovider claim
system-wideprovider claim
Permanent lockdown
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Split tunneling
not offered on Hotspot Shield select-plan/feature lists fetchedprovider claim
Anwendungsbasiert auf Windows, Linux, macOS und Android. Auf iOS laut Feature-Matrix nicht vorhanden.provider claim
Multihop
not availableprovider claim
freely combinableprovider claim
Tor integration (Onion over VPN)
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Port forwarding
not availableprovider claim
not availableprovider claim
SOCKS5 proxy
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
HTTP proxy
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Smart DNS
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Ad and tracker filtering in DNS
fixed listprovider claim
configurableprovider claim
Malware and phishing filter
yesprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Custom DNS servers allowed
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Local network access toggle
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Auto connect rules
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Private device network (mesh)
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
GPS location override (Android)
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Traffic analysis defence
Proprietary Catapult Hydra protocol; historical circumvention useprovider claim
DAITA (Defense Against AI-guided Traffic Analysis) mit konstanten Paketgrößen, zufälligem Hintergrundverkehr und Musterverzerrung, aufgebaut auf dem quelloffenen Maybenot-Framework. Laut Feature-Matrix auf allen fünf Plattformen verfügbar.provider claim
IPv6 inside the tunnel
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Obfuscation without configuration
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Number of servers
1,800 Serverprovider claim
576 Serverconfirmed
Number of countries
80 Laenderprovider claim
50 Laenderconfirmed
Number of cities
35 Staedteprovider claim
91 Staedteconfirmed
Virtual locations
not labelledprovider claim
no virtual locationsprovider claim
RAM-only servers (diskless)
noprovider claim
entire networkconfirmed
Hardware ownership
rentedprovider claim
mixedconfirmed
Own AS (autonomous system)
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
10 Gbps ports
noprovider claim
some serversconfirmed
P2P and file sharing
entire networkprovider claim
entire networkprovider claim
Public server list
yesprovider claim
yesconfirmed
Public status page
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Known upstream hosting providers
Third-party infrastructure providers (unnamed); Pango states it would leave any provider requiring activity loggingprovider claim
14 Betreiber laut Relay-Liste: 31173, Blix, Creanova, DataPacket, HostRoyale, M247, PrivateLayer, Tzulo, Veloxserv, Zenlayer, hostuniversal, iRegister, techfutures, xtom.confirmed
Windows app
native appconfirmed
native appprovider claim
macOS app
native appconfirmed
native appprovider claim
Linux app with GUI
not availableprovider claim
native appprovider claim
Linux command line
not availableprovider claim
native appprovider claim
Android app
native appconfirmed
native appprovider claim
iOS app
native appconfirmed
native appprovider claim
Android TV app
native appprovider claim
not availableprovider claim
Apple TV app
not availableprovider claim
not availableprovider claim
Fire TV app
native appprovider claim
not availableprovider claim
Browser extension
not availableprovider claim
own extensionprovider claim
Type of browser extension
no extensionprovider claim
controls the desktop appprovider claim
Router support
Router mentioned as connectable device under Premium (up to 10 devices)provider claim
Dokumentierte Anleitungen für OpenWrt und pfSense, jeweils mit WireGuard.provider claim
Native build for Apple Silicon
yesprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Command line documented
noprovider claim
yesconfirmed
Simultaneous devices
10provider claim
5provider claim
Usable without an account
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Data required at signup
any email addressprovider claim
nothing requiredprovider claim
Account model
email as loginprovider claim
account number onlyprovider claim
Cash by mail
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Monero
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Bitcoin
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Lightning
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Retail gift cards
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
PayPal
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Credit and debit card
yesprovider claim
yesprovider claim
SEPA payment
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Monthly price
€11.99provider claim
€5.00provider claim
Effective price on the longest term
€7.99provider claim
€5.00provider claim
Price change at renewal
moderate increaseprovider claim
same priceprovider claim
Flat pricing without permanent discounts
noprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Free tier and its limits
Free VPN products (Hotspot Shield free) supported by third-party in-app ads (Unity, ironSource, Digital Turbine, InMobi)confirmed
noneprovider claim
Money-back window
45 Tageprovider claim
14 Tageprovider claim
Cancellation path
cancel in accountconfirmed
cancel in accountprovider claim
P2P policy in the terms of service
entire networkprovider claim
entire networkprovider claim
Streaming unblocking officially advertised
yesprovider claim
noprovider claim
Netflix regions reported
Marketing claims Netflix, YouTube, Prime, Disney+ worldwide; no audited region list on fetched pagesprovider claim
?
Other streaming services
Netflix, YouTube, Prime, Disney+provider claim
?
Bandwidth cap
cappedprovider claim
no limitprovider claim
Data cap
Basic free: 500 MB/day; Premium: unlimitedprovider claim
noneprovider claim
Speed measurement references
Claims up to 2.2x faster than competitionprovider claim
?
SMTP and port 25 handling?
TCP port 25 blocked (spam); ports 465/587 not singled out as blockedprovider claim
Official support in restrictive countries
Historically used for censorship circumvention (Arab Spring); Hydra marketed for accessprovider claim
Eigene Anleitung für Netze mit Filterung mit vier Verschleierungsverfahren. Zu China schreibt der Anbieter, dass alle Mullvad-Server in Asien blockiert seien, und empfiehlt Server in den USA.provider claim
24/7 live chat
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Email or ticket support
yesprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Telephone support
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
German-language support
yesprovider claim
yesprovider claim
Documentation assessment
workableprovider claim
thorough and currentprovider claim
Self-hosted chat widget
noprovider claim
noprovider claim
Self-service account deletion
yesprovider claim
yesprovider claim
SSL Labs grade of the website
A+confirmed
A+confirmed
Tracker load of the website
Essential + analytics/personalization/targeted advertising cookies disclosed on siteprovider claim
Necessary cookies only (authToken, language, csrftoken) plus Stripe payment cookies when payingconfirmed
URL of the warrant canary
none foundprovider claim
No dedicated warrant-canary page found this session (blog tag 404)provider claim
Length and readability of the legal documents
Long formal ToS with commercial/cancellation sections; not specially simplifiedprovider claim
Clear plain-language ToS with explicit port blocks, price, and refund pointerprovider claim
Marketing claims contradicting the provider's own terms
Markets 'world's fastest VPN' via Speedtest; 2017 CDT/FTC complaint about free-tier data sharing (Wikipedia)confirmed
Flat €5/mo since launch messaging on pricing page; 581 servers / 50 countries / 91 cities / 14 providers on servers pageconfirmed