{"slug": "mullvad", "name": "Mullvad", "category": "networking", "category_name": "Networking and VPN", "description": "Swedish commercial VPN service built on WireGuard, focused on privacy and anonymous accounts.", "recommenders": 23, "commenters": 37, "warners": 3, "score": 20.552, "rising": -4.87, "first": "2025-11-12", "latest": "2026-10-31", "why": "Recommended for anonymous sign-up with no personal details, a no-logging privacy stance commenters trust, and fast servers in many countries.", "why_is_quote": false, "has_verdict": true, "sentiment": {"recommend": 24, "neutral": 10, "compare": 1, "warn": 3}, "spark": [2, 4, 0, 2, 0, 0, 2, 9, 3, 1, 1, 0], "listed": true, "loved": ["Privacy and trust", "Anonymous signup"], "caveat": "Blocked IPs", "short_quote": "I use Mullvad through Tailscale\u2019s exit\u2011node integration, and it\u2019s awesome. They  are the only provider I trust these days.", "icon": true, "domain": "mullvad.net", "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://mullvad.net", "pricing": "paid", "aliases": ["Mullvad", "Mullvad VPN"], "verdict": [{"text": "Recommended for anonymous sign-up with no personal details,", "cites": [{"id": 779689840, "item_id": 48730615, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48730615", "by": "CM30", "date": "2026-06-30", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "One thing I admire about Mullvad is that you technically don't need to provide personal information to set up an account", "excerpt": "What's the best alternative for the more privacy/safety paranoid? One thing I admire about Mullvad is that you technically don't need to provide personal information to set up an account, or have it tied to a billing address/name. You can pay by post or crypto, and make it much harder for a hostile government to get the information by legally pressuring Mullvad themselves. It's not something I've needed myself, but I", "context": "", "use_case": "privacy VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Mullvad Alternatives?"}, {"id": 741496736, "item_id": 46343546, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46343546", "by": "KomoD", "date": "2025-12-21", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Mullvad and their sign-up process is even easier.", "excerpt": "I use Mullvad and their sign-up process is even easier. I just click \"Generate account number\" and that's it. I don't need to provide anything, I don't even need a keyboard. I honestly wish 99% of online services were like that. > Where's the terms of service agreement? \"By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy\", it's on the sign up page > I think the signup did not even require JavaScript ", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Xeovo VPN \u2013 the joy of a simple sign-up"}, {"id": 805136992, "item_id": 50321062, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50321062", "by": "d3Xt3r", "date": "2026-10-31", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I was happy with Mullvad as they really took the anonymity thing seriously", "excerpt": "I was happy with Mullvad as they really took the anonymity thing seriously (no account registration required, unlike most VPNs). Unfortunately I'm yet to find a suitable replacement, ever since the fiasco with one of their co-founders. If anyone knows of a similar provider, which offers anonymous registration and supports connecting using just a Wireguard profile (no need for a dedicated client), please let me know. ", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: What has been your favorite VPN provider?"}]}, {"text": " a no-logging privacy stance commenters trust,", "cites": [{"id": 779494784, "item_id": 48718424, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48718424", "by": "mattrighetti", "date": "2026-06-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Mullvad because it physically prevents anyone from logging my data.", "excerpt": "I use Mullvad because it physically prevents anyone from logging my data. What a co-owner does with his personal money in a local Swedish municipal election has zero impact on the code protecting my traffic. Did a quick research - calling a party that campaigns for a 30-hour work week and socialist dental care 'far-right' just because they have a strict immigration policy shows how carelessly people throw labels arou", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "The CEO of Mullvad is the main financer of the far-right Swedish \u00d6rebro party"}, {"id": 779552992, "item_id": 48722062, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48722062", "by": "seethishat", "date": "2026-06-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I pay for and use Mullvad VPN. I believe they value everyone's privacy and I believe they are competent technologists.", "excerpt": "I pay for and use Mullvad VPN. I believe they value everyone's privacy and I believe they are competent technologists. I don't care about politics. I will continue to buy and use Mullvad VPN.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "The CEO of Mullvad is the main financer of the far-right Swedish \u00d6rebro party"}, {"id": 740168800, "item_id": 46260550, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46260550", "by": "drewfax", "date": "2025-12-13", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Mullvad through Tailscale\u2019s exit\u2011node integration, and it\u2019s awesome. They  are the only provider I trust these days.", "excerpt": "I use Mullvad through Tailscale\u2019s exit\u2011node integration, and it\u2019s awesome. They are the only provider I trust these days. To highlight virtual routing: it\u2019s useful in scenarios where a country blocks VPNs but you still need an IP from that country to browse local websites. In such cases, virtual routing comes in handy. For example, when India required all VPN servers in the country to log user traffic, Proton moved i", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN exit nodes", "switched_from": "", "story": "VPN location claims don't match real traffic exits"}, {"id": 779486432, "item_id": 48717902, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48717902", "by": "gigatexal", "date": "2026-06-29", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I used Mullvad before this because they passed a bunch of tests and legally denied claims to user data.", "excerpt": "I used Mullvad before this because they passed a bunch of tests and legally denied claims to user data. I don\u2019t have the reference but it was on HN. So who do people recommend now?", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "The CEO of Mullvad is the main financer of the far-right Swedish \u00d6rebro party"}]}, {"text": " and fast servers in many countries.", "cites": [{"id": 778414704, "item_id": 48650919, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48650919", "by": "sitzkrieg", "date": "2026-06-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "excellent speeds most the time, ive never seen any other provider come close but only tried a few others. steal for the price.", "excerpt": "the billing options, the server selections and technology, come to mind. also should not mention but some regional vpns (dig around the area you like) quite often do not get get hellflagged as vpn ip. cloudflare usually gets it but it has never been obnoxious like i\u2019ve seen on others. oh and most importantly, i have 5gbit symmetrical fiber and most close servers nearly saturate both ways and i dont think ive ever see", "context": "has 5gbit symmetrical fiber", "use_case": "VPN on fast fiber", "switched_from": "", "story": "Mullvad to China: Block This. We Dare You"}, {"id": 788888048, "item_id": 49305503, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49305503", "by": "viking_fullz", "date": "2026-08-14", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "this was what always had me returning to mullvad", "excerpt": "This looks quite promising. I think I'll give it a shot. This actually has exactly what I look for in vpn providers. Specifically what I like are the following features: - unusual countries, Appreciate the option, its less likely in my experience to face Captcha's when you use exit nodes in Central or South America or the MENA region (though it would be nice to see more south American options). Moldova and Bulgaria i", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN with socks5 per exit node", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: SmokeVPN \u2013 All-in-One WireGuard VPN Hub \u2013 Switch Exits in Realtime"}]}, {"text": " The most common complaint is that sites like Imgur, Reddit and Cloudflare-protected pages often block its IPs,", "cites": [{"id": 737378992, "item_id": 46086187, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46086187", "by": "super256", "date": "2025-11-29", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I use Mullvad and I have not yet found a single Mullvad IP that can access Imgur.", "excerpt": "> Second, even if I installed a VPN on my main machine, what about my phone? My laptop? My desktop? Also, Imgur blocks many VPN IPs. I use Mullvad and I have not yet found a single Mullvad IP that can access Imgur.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Imgur geo-blocked the UK, so I geo-unblocked my network"}, {"id": 800504224, "item_id": 50031514, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50031514", "by": "mft_", "date": "2026-10-10", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Mullvad (IME, when I used to use it) was halfway unusable for e.g. Reddit", "excerpt": "I suspect that Tor has also been used a lot for IP obfuscation to support scraping, and what you\u2019re seeing might be an anti-scraping measure. Mullvad (IME, when I used to use it) was halfway unusable for e.g. Reddit because (I understand) so many of their exit nodes were blocked for similar reasons.", "context": "former user", "use_case": "VPN browsing", "switched_from": "", "story": "A statement on the Tor Project's relationship with Mullvad"}, {"id": 761570481, "item_id": 47598155, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47598155", "by": "okr", "date": "2026-04-01", "stance": "compare", "quote": "But the Mullvad VPN exit nodes often runs into problems like cloudflare blocking.", "excerpt": "I use tailscale and mullvad vpn for a list of exit nodes i can choose from to work around restrictions, but also bad routing. Like, when in asia and the route is to europe, sometimes it adds weird hops, while when i use an exit-node in Japan, i know, i have perfect routing to Japan and from there perfect routing to europe. But the Mullvad VPN exit nodes often runs into problems like cloudflare blocking. So i am looki", "context": "", "use_case": "exit nodes", "switched_from": "", "story": "I traced my traffic through a home Tailscale exit node"}, {"id": 753519552, "item_id": 47094972, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47094972", "by": "vsgherzi", "date": "2026-02-20", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I love mullvad but hate that most sites block mullvad ips", "excerpt": "The blocking of VPNs is despicable. I love mullvad but hate that most sites block mullvad ips until i get lucky with one of the relays. Either way love what they do and hope they win. The forced demonetization of users is ridiculous. This will be looked back on just as the cryptography was when it was deemed a munition and banned from export.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "And then? And then Mullvad was censored in the UK"}, {"id": 793754656, "item_id": 49609666, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49609666", "by": "pixelesque", "date": "2026-09-08", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "It does it for me if I use a VPN (Mullvad)", "excerpt": "I've had this for a few months trying to log into https://console.vultr.com/... It does it for me if I use a VPN (Mullvad) - if I don't use a VPN then I haven't noticed I get them. But yeah, very annoying.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Are others seeing Google's reCAPTCHA rejecting Firefox users?"}]}, {"text": " and some users left over a co-founder's political donation.", "cites": [{"id": 793120097, "item_id": 49570006, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49570006", "by": "RamRodification", "date": "2026-09-04", "stance": "warn", "quote": "after it turned out one of the two Mullvad founders took my money and gave it to a local lunatic politician.", "excerpt": "I'm not the person you are responding to, but Proton VPN? That's what I switched to after it turned out one of the two Mullvad founders took my money and gave it to a local lunatic politician.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Shutting down our public encrypted DNS"}, {"id": 779975905, "item_id": 48748494, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48748494", "by": "drcongo", "date": "2026-07-01", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I'd rather not give money to Mullvad any more", "excerpt": "I found it to have just enough substance to make me take a look at what Nym VPN is, because I'd rather not give money to Mullvad any more, but the VPN looks like something for shilling crypto.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "The Anti-Palantir Manifesto"}, {"id": 805136992, "item_id": 50321062, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50321062", "by": "d3Xt3r", "date": "2026-10-31", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I was happy with Mullvad as they really took the anonymity thing seriously", "excerpt": "I was happy with Mullvad as they really took the anonymity thing seriously (no account registration required, unlike most VPNs). Unfortunately I'm yet to find a suitable replacement, ever since the fiasco with one of their co-founders. If anyone knows of a similar provider, which offers anonymous registration and supports connecting using just a Wireguard profile (no need for a dedicated client), please let me know. ", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: What has been your favorite VPN provider?"}]}], "praise": [{"label": "Privacy and trust", "summary": "Commenters trust its no-logging design and call it among the most trustworthy VPN providers.", "quotes": [{"id": 779494784, "item_id": 48718424, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48718424", "by": "mattrighetti", "date": "2026-06-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Mullvad because it physically prevents anyone from logging my data.", "excerpt": "I use Mullvad because it physically prevents anyone from logging my data. What a co-owner does with his personal money in a local Swedish municipal election has zero impact on the code protecting my traffic. Did a quick research - calling a party that campaigns for a 30-hour work week and socialist dental care 'far-right' just because they have a strict immigration policy shows how carelessly people throw labels arou", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "The CEO of Mullvad is the main financer of the far-right Swedish \u00d6rebro party"}, {"id": 740168800, "item_id": 46260550, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46260550", "by": "drewfax", "date": "2025-12-13", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Mullvad through Tailscale\u2019s exit\u2011node integration, and it\u2019s awesome. They  are the only provider I trust these days.", "excerpt": "I use Mullvad through Tailscale\u2019s exit\u2011node integration, and it\u2019s awesome. They are the only provider I trust these days. To highlight virtual routing: it\u2019s useful in scenarios where a country blocks VPNs but you still need an IP from that country to browse local websites. In such cases, virtual routing comes in handy. For example, when India required all VPN servers in the country to log user traffic, Proton moved i", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN exit nodes", "switched_from": "", "story": "VPN location claims don't match real traffic exits"}, {"id": 779552992, "item_id": 48722062, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48722062", "by": "seethishat", "date": "2026-06-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I pay for and use Mullvad VPN. I believe they value everyone's privacy and I believe they are competent technologists.", "excerpt": "I pay for and use Mullvad VPN. I believe they value everyone's privacy and I believe they are competent technologists. I don't care about politics. I will continue to buy and use Mullvad VPN.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "The CEO of Mullvad is the main financer of the far-right Swedish \u00d6rebro party"}]}, {"label": "Anonymous signup", "summary": "Accounts are generated without personal information and can be paid for by post, crypto or Bitcoin.", "quotes": [{"id": 741496736, "item_id": 46343546, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46343546", "by": "KomoD", "date": "2025-12-21", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Mullvad and their sign-up process is even easier.", "excerpt": "I use Mullvad and their sign-up process is even easier. I just click \"Generate account number\" and that's it. I don't need to provide anything, I don't even need a keyboard. I honestly wish 99% of online services were like that. > Where's the terms of service agreement? \"By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy\", it's on the sign up page > I think the signup did not even require JavaScript ", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Xeovo VPN \u2013 the joy of a simple sign-up"}, {"id": 779689840, "item_id": 48730615, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48730615", "by": "CM30", "date": "2026-06-30", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "One thing I admire about Mullvad is that you technically don't need to provide personal information to set up an account", "excerpt": "What's the best alternative for the more privacy/safety paranoid? One thing I admire about Mullvad is that you technically don't need to provide personal information to set up an account, or have it tied to a billing address/name. You can pay by post or crypto, and make it much harder for a hostile government to get the information by legally pressuring Mullvad themselves. It's not something I've needed myself, but I", "context": "", "use_case": "privacy VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Mullvad Alternatives?"}, {"id": 779585472, "item_id": 48724092, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48724092", "by": "gustavus", "date": "2026-06-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I like the product I'll keep using it.", "excerpt": "For whatever it's worth I use Mullvad because it lets me pay in Bitcoin is super easy to re-up and is super anonymous. I don't really give a darn who you voted for or what your founder did. I like the product I'll keep using it.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN with Bitcoin payment", "switched_from": "", "story": "Mullvad founder gave millions to extremist far right party"}]}, {"label": "Tailscale integration", "summary": "Users like using Mullvad servers as Tailscale exit nodes.", "quotes": [{"id": 740168800, "item_id": 46260550, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46260550", "by": "drewfax", "date": "2025-12-13", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Mullvad through Tailscale\u2019s exit\u2011node integration, and it\u2019s awesome. They  are the only provider I trust these days.", "excerpt": "I use Mullvad through Tailscale\u2019s exit\u2011node integration, and it\u2019s awesome. They are the only provider I trust these days. To highlight virtual routing: it\u2019s useful in scenarios where a country blocks VPNs but you still need an IP from that country to browse local websites. In such cases, virtual routing comes in handy. For example, when India required all VPN servers in the country to log user traffic, Proton moved i", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN exit nodes", "switched_from": "", "story": "VPN location claims don't match real traffic exits"}, {"id": 761570481, "item_id": 47598155, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47598155", "by": "okr", "date": "2026-04-01", "stance": "compare", "quote": "But the Mullvad VPN exit nodes often runs into problems like cloudflare blocking.", "excerpt": "I use tailscale and mullvad vpn for a list of exit nodes i can choose from to work around restrictions, but also bad routing. Like, when in asia and the route is to europe, sometimes it adds weird hops, while when i use an exit-node in Japan, i know, i have perfect routing to Japan and from there perfect routing to europe. But the Mullvad VPN exit nodes often runs into problems like cloudflare blocking. So i am looki", "context": "", "use_case": "exit nodes", "switched_from": "", "story": "I traced my traffic through a home Tailscale exit node"}, {"id": 741231761, "item_id": 46326985, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46326985", "by": "codethief", "date": "2025-12-19", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "since that's what I use to connect to Mullvad", "excerpt": "Fingers crossed that GotaTun will also make its way into the Tailscale Android app (since that's what I use to connect to Mullvad).", "context": "Android user", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "GotaTun \u2013 Mullvad's WireGuard Implementation in Rust"}]}, {"label": "Server locations", "summary": "Exit nodes in less common countries help with geo-specific results and fewer captchas.", "quotes": [{"id": 788888048, "item_id": 49305503, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49305503", "by": "viking_fullz", "date": "2026-08-14", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "this was what always had me returning to mullvad", "excerpt": "This looks quite promising. I think I'll give it a shot. This actually has exactly what I look for in vpn providers. Specifically what I like are the following features: - unusual countries, Appreciate the option, its less likely in my experience to face Captcha's when you use exit nodes in Central or South America or the MENA region (though it would be nice to see more south American options). Moldova and Bulgaria i", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN with socks5 per exit node", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: SmokeVPN \u2013 All-in-One WireGuard VPN Hub \u2013 Switch Exits in Realtime"}, {"id": 742617712, "item_id": 46413607, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46413607", "by": "franciscop", "date": "2025-12-28", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Mullvad, which makes this easier", "excerpt": "I have the same problem and my \"solution\" is mediocre, but kind of works: use a VPN. I used to set it to the UK, but since the recent developments I've been experimenting with other English-speaking countries. My native language is Spanish, but I live in Japan, and it's odd because I never want Japanese (language) results, but I am fine with Spanish results. Some times I need to switch to Spain, or Japan, or just dis", "context": "Spanish speaker living in Japan", "use_case": "VPN to switch search locale", "switched_from": "", "story": "Tell HN: Google ignores English searches and forces localized results"}]}, {"label": "Speed and price", "summary": "One user on 5 Gbit fiber reports near-saturated speeds and calls it a steal for the price.", "quotes": [{"id": 778414704, "item_id": 48650919, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48650919", "by": "sitzkrieg", "date": "2026-06-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "excellent speeds most the time, ive never seen any other provider come close but only tried a few others. steal for the price.", "excerpt": "the billing options, the server selections and technology, come to mind. also should not mention but some regional vpns (dig around the area you like) quite often do not get get hellflagged as vpn ip. cloudflare usually gets it but it has never been obnoxious like i\u2019ve seen on others. oh and most importantly, i have 5gbit symmetrical fiber and most close servers nearly saturate both ways and i dont think ive ever see", "context": "has 5gbit symmetrical fiber", "use_case": "VPN on fast fiber", "switched_from": "", "story": "Mullvad to China: Block This. We Dare You"}, {"id": 793118721, "item_id": 49569920, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49569920", "by": "ornornor", "date": "2026-09-04", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "except the YT app, Mullvad\u2019s Albania wireguard did that", "excerpt": "Been using them for years. The price is reasonable too. It\u2019s the only way I found to block ads everywhere on iOS (except the YT app, Mullvad\u2019s Albania wireguard did that)", "context": "", "use_case": "blocking YouTube app ads", "switched_from": "", "story": "Shutting down our public encrypted DNS"}]}, {"label": "Customer support", "summary": "Named as a company with great support.", "quotes": [{"id": 780859584, "item_id": 48803724, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48803724", "by": "Cider9986", "date": "2026-07-06", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "US Mobile, TJ's, Amazon, Apple, Mullvad, HN come to mind when I think of companies with great support and I recommend them because of it.", "excerpt": "Why would customers want great support on a podcast app? Who is choosing a podcast app based on their customer support? How many problems can you possibly have? US Mobile, TJ's, Amazon, Apple, Mullvad, HN come to mind when I think of companies with great support and I recommend them because of it. All of these are closer to essential services with competition and frequent problems so I appreciate and interact with th", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN with good support", "switched_from": "", "story": "Castro Podcasts \u2013 Things I got wrong: Support"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "Blocked IPs", "summary": "Many sites, including Imgur, Reddit and Cloudflare-protected pages, block or challenge Mullvad IPs.", "quotes": [{"id": 737378992, "item_id": 46086187, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46086187", "by": "super256", "date": "2025-11-29", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I use Mullvad and I have not yet found a single Mullvad IP that can access Imgur.", "excerpt": "> Second, even if I installed a VPN on my main machine, what about my phone? My laptop? My desktop? Also, Imgur blocks many VPN IPs. I use Mullvad and I have not yet found a single Mullvad IP that can access Imgur.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Imgur geo-blocked the UK, so I geo-unblocked my network"}, {"id": 800504224, "item_id": 50031514, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50031514", "by": "mft_", "date": "2026-10-10", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Mullvad (IME, when I used to use it) was halfway unusable for e.g. Reddit", "excerpt": "I suspect that Tor has also been used a lot for IP obfuscation to support scraping, and what you\u2019re seeing might be an anti-scraping measure. Mullvad (IME, when I used to use it) was halfway unusable for e.g. Reddit because (I understand) so many of their exit nodes were blocked for similar reasons.", "context": "former user", "use_case": "VPN browsing", "switched_from": "", "story": "A statement on the Tor Project's relationship with Mullvad"}, {"id": 761570481, "item_id": 47598155, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47598155", "by": "okr", "date": "2026-04-01", "stance": "compare", "quote": "But the Mullvad VPN exit nodes often runs into problems like cloudflare blocking.", "excerpt": "I use tailscale and mullvad vpn for a list of exit nodes i can choose from to work around restrictions, but also bad routing. Like, when in asia and the route is to europe, sometimes it adds weird hops, while when i use an exit-node in Japan, i know, i have perfect routing to Japan and from there perfect routing to europe. But the Mullvad VPN exit nodes often runs into problems like cloudflare blocking. So i am looki", "context": "", "use_case": "exit nodes", "switched_from": "", "story": "I traced my traffic through a home Tailscale exit node"}]}, {"label": "Founder controversy", "summary": "Some users stopped paying or are reconsidering after a co-founder funded a local political party.", "quotes": [{"id": 793120097, "item_id": 49570006, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49570006", "by": "RamRodification", "date": "2026-09-04", "stance": "warn", "quote": "after it turned out one of the two Mullvad founders took my money and gave it to a local lunatic politician.", "excerpt": "I'm not the person you are responding to, but Proton VPN? That's what I switched to after it turned out one of the two Mullvad founders took my money and gave it to a local lunatic politician.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Shutting down our public encrypted DNS"}, {"id": 779975905, "item_id": 48748494, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48748494", "by": "drcongo", "date": "2026-07-01", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I'd rather not give money to Mullvad any more", "excerpt": "I found it to have just enough substance to make me take a look at what Nym VPN is, because I'd rather not give money to Mullvad any more, but the VPN looks like something for shilling crypto.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "The Anti-Palantir Manifesto"}, {"id": 805136992, "item_id": 50321062, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50321062", "by": "d3Xt3r", "date": "2026-10-31", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I was happy with Mullvad as they really took the anonymity thing seriously", "excerpt": "I was happy with Mullvad as they really took the anonymity thing seriously (no account registration required, unlike most VPNs). Unfortunately I'm yet to find a suitable replacement, ever since the fiasco with one of their co-founders. If anyone knows of a similar provider, which offers anonymous registration and supports connecting using just a Wireguard profile (no need for a dedicated client), please let me know. ", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: What has been your favorite VPN provider?"}]}, {"label": "Slower in China", "summary": "One visitor in China says it works but is slower than a self-hosted WireGuard VPS.", "quotes": [{"id": 742713121, "item_id": 46419570, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46419570", "by": "acheong08", "date": "2025-12-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Mullvad works as a commercial provider, just slower.", "excerpt": "Currently in China (as a visitor). Wireguard literally just works (to a VPS). Mullvad works as a commercial provider, just slower. Xray-core (vless, Trojan) if you're paranoid. I have my own proxy over syncthing relays https://github.com/acheong08/syndicate which I use to proxy to my home in the UK (residential IP) without exposing any ports. I get rate limited to around 10mbps in Chongqing. Was slightly higher in Be", "context": "visitor in China", "use_case": "VPN in China", "switched_from": "", "story": "Tor staying ahead of censors in 2025"}]}], "who": [{"by": "sitzkrieg", "context": "has 5gbit symmetrical fiber", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48650919", "date": "2026-06-23"}, {"by": "acheong08", "context": "visitor in China", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46419570", "date": "2025-12-29"}, {"by": "franciscop", "context": "Spanish speaker living in Japan", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46413607", "date": "2025-12-28"}, {"by": "codethief", "context": "Android user", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46326985", "date": "2025-12-19"}, {"by": "blendo", "context": "customer", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45934157", "date": "2025-11-14"}], "tags": ["for privacy-focused users", "anonymous crypto payment", "works with Tailscale", "for travelers", "for iOS ad blocking"], "use_cases": ["vpn", "privacy vpn", "vpn browsing", "vpn backend", "exit hop", "blocking youtube app ads"], "compared": [{"slug": "ivpn", "name": "IVPN", "co": 4, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 2}, {"slug": "proton-vpn", "name": "Proton VPN", "co": 3, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 1}, {"slug": "tailscale", "name": "Tailscale", "co": 4, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "nextdns", "name": "NextDNS", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "proton", "name": "Proton", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "wireguard", "name": "WireGuard", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48717469", "title": "The CEO of Mullvad is the main financer of the far-right Swedish \u00d6rebro party", "mentions": 6}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48725218", "title": "Ask HN: Mullvad Alternatives?", "mentions": 3}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49807003", "title": "Obscura: VPN that can't log your activity", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49568579", "title": "Shutting down our public encrypted DNS", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48975428", "title": "I'm Done with Mullvad", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48687508", "title": "Mullvad founder gave millions to extremist far right party", "mentions": 2}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {"recommend": 2, "neutral": 1}, "2025-12": {"recommend": 4, "neutral": 1}, "2026-01": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-02": {"recommend": 2}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {"compare": 1}, "2026-05": {"recommend": 2}, "2026-06": {"recommend": 9, "neutral": 3}, "2026-07": {"warn": 1, "recommend": 3, "neutral": 1}, "2026-08": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-09": {"recommend": 1, "warn": 1, "neutral": 2}, "2026-10": {"warn": 1, "neutral": 1}}, "quotes": [{"id": 805136992, "item_id": 50321062, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50321062", "by": "d3Xt3r", "date": "2026-10-31", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I was happy with Mullvad as they really took the anonymity thing seriously", "excerpt": "I was happy with Mullvad as they really took the anonymity thing seriously (no account registration required, unlike most VPNs). Unfortunately I'm yet to find a suitable replacement, ever since the fiasco with one of their co-founders. If anyone knows of a similar provider, which offers anonymous registration and supports connecting using just a Wireguard profile (no need for a dedicated client), please let me know. ", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: What has been your favorite VPN provider?"}, {"id": 800504224, "item_id": 50031514, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50031514", "by": "mft_", "date": "2026-10-10", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Mullvad (IME, when I used to use it) was halfway unusable for e.g. Reddit", "excerpt": "I suspect that Tor has also been used a lot for IP obfuscation to support scraping, and what you\u2019re seeing might be an anti-scraping measure. Mullvad (IME, when I used to use it) was halfway unusable for e.g. Reddit because (I understand) so many of their exit nodes were blocked for similar reasons.", "context": "former user", "use_case": "VPN browsing", "switched_from": "", "story": "A statement on the Tor Project's relationship with Mullvad"}, {"id": 796935025, "item_id": 49808439, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49808439", "by": "dongcarl", "date": "2026-09-22", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "nothing to leak (other than WireGuard packets fully encrypted to Mullvad's servers)", "excerpt": "(Carl from Obscura here) I love folks who are also reasoning through security models! A few things to note here: - We believe that all software running on a user's computer should be open source, so you can audit and build your own client: https://github.com/Sovereign-Engineering/obscuravpn-client - With traditional Single-Party VPNs, even if you trust them fully and they're honest, they can still be compromised or h", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN backend", "switched_from": "", "story": "Obscura: VPN that can't log your activity"}, {"id": 796932466, "item_id": 49808279, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49808279", "by": "dongcarl", "date": "2026-09-22", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Our exit hop is Mullvad instead of Cloudflare+Fastly+Akamai", "excerpt": "We're heavily inspired by them (see our original blog post which is a bit more technical here: https://obscura.com/blog/bootstrapping-trust/) The differences are: - We allow you to choose an exit location (I believe iCloud Private Relay restricts you to the same location) - Our exit hop is Mullvad instead of Cloudflare+Fastly+Akamai - We use QUIC for transport instead of HTTP/3 (which is built on QUIC and has a bit m", "context": "", "use_case": "exit hop", "switched_from": "", "story": "Obscura: VPN that can't log your activity"}, {"id": 793754656, "item_id": 49609666, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49609666", "by": "pixelesque", "date": "2026-09-08", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "It does it for me if I use a VPN (Mullvad)", "excerpt": "I've had this for a few months trying to log into https://console.vultr.com/... It does it for me if I use a VPN (Mullvad) - if I don't use a VPN then I haven't noticed I get them. But yeah, very annoying.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Are others seeing Google's reCAPTCHA rejecting Firefox users?"}, {"id": 793120097, "item_id": 49570006, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49570006", "by": "RamRodification", "date": "2026-09-04", "stance": "warn", "quote": "after it turned out one of the two Mullvad founders took my money and gave it to a local lunatic politician.", "excerpt": "I'm not the person you are responding to, but Proton VPN? That's what I switched to after it turned out one of the two Mullvad founders took my money and gave it to a local lunatic politician.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Shutting down our public encrypted DNS"}, {"id": 793118721, "item_id": 49569920, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49569920", "by": "ornornor", "date": "2026-09-04", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "except the YT app, Mullvad\u2019s Albania wireguard did that", "excerpt": "Been using them for years. The price is reasonable too. It\u2019s the only way I found to block ads everywhere on iOS (except the YT app, Mullvad\u2019s Albania wireguard did that)", "context": "", "use_case": "blocking YouTube app ads", "switched_from": "", "story": "Shutting down our public encrypted DNS"}, {"id": 788888048, "item_id": 49305503, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49305503", "by": "viking_fullz", "date": "2026-08-14", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "this was what always had me returning to mullvad", "excerpt": "This looks quite promising. I think I'll give it a shot. This actually has exactly what I look for in vpn providers. Specifically what I like are the following features: - unusual countries, Appreciate the option, its less likely in my experience to face Captcha's when you use exit nodes in Central or South America or the MENA region (though it would be nice to see more south American options). Moldova and Bulgaria i", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN with socks5 per exit node", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: SmokeVPN \u2013 All-in-One WireGuard VPN Hub \u2013 Switch Exits in Realtime"}, {"id": 783715472, "item_id": 48982217, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48982217", "by": "dijit", "date": "2026-07-20", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "we should use one of the VPN providers that aren't pushing for systems transparency", "excerpt": "it's always funny how the hardline advocates of the free internet (especially outside of the US) are subject to this kind of unpersoning. It's enough to consider that there's something malicious going on. But I guess we should use one of the VPN providers that aren't pushing for systems transparency[0] and are dubiously everywhere across all of youtube advertising despite that being provably the place where the scumm", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "I'm Done with Mullvad"}, {"id": 783611632, "item_id": 48975727, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48975727", "by": "kaxu-64", "date": "2026-07-20", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I love Mullvad even more. This will now be my 1st vpn.", "excerpt": "I love Mullvad even more. This will now be my 1st vpn.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "I'm Done with Mullvad"}, {"id": 782510992, "item_id": 48906937, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48906937", "by": "rationalist", "date": "2026-07-14", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I use Mullvad.", "excerpt": "I've noticed that my upvotes and downvotes do not appear to affect comments like they used to, or at least there is now a delayed reaction to where I don't know if it's me or someone else voting. I use Mullvad.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Tell HN: Up/downvotes of comments on HN are silently ignored when using Tor"}, {"id": 780859584, "item_id": 48803724, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48803724", "by": "Cider9986", "date": "2026-07-06", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "US Mobile, TJ's, Amazon, Apple, Mullvad, HN come to mind when I think of companies with great support and I recommend them because of it.", "excerpt": "Why would customers want great support on a podcast app? Who is choosing a podcast app based on their customer support? How many problems can you possibly have? US Mobile, TJ's, Amazon, Apple, Mullvad, HN come to mind when I think of companies with great support and I recommend them because of it. All of these are closer to essential services with competition and frequent problems so I appreciate and interact with th", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN with good support", "switched_from": "", "story": "Castro Podcasts \u2013 Things I got wrong: Support"}, {"id": 779975905, "item_id": 48748494, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48748494", "by": "drcongo", "date": "2026-07-01", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I'd rather not give money to Mullvad any more", "excerpt": "I found it to have just enough substance to make me take a look at what Nym VPN is, because I'd rather not give money to Mullvad any more, but the VPN looks like something for shilling crypto.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "The Anti-Palantir Manifesto"}, {"id": 779786112, "item_id": 48736632, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48736632", "by": "rpastuszak", "date": "2026-06-30", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Maybe I'll stick with Mullvad for the time being, maybe I won't", "excerpt": "Yes, although I don't think this effort is futile as you seem to be implying. A more interesting question is how much effort we're willing to put into making those choices. My answer was posting here and doing a bit of research. Maybe I'll stick with Mullvad for the time being, maybe I won't and I'll help a few people make the same choice. It's better than shrugging and being defeatist, cynicism is cheap. (Adobe subs", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Mullvad Alternatives?"}, {"id": 779689840, "item_id": 48730615, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48730615", "by": "CM30", "date": "2026-06-30", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "One thing I admire about Mullvad is that you technically don't need to provide personal information to set up an account", "excerpt": "What's the best alternative for the more privacy/safety paranoid? One thing I admire about Mullvad is that you technically don't need to provide personal information to set up an account, or have it tied to a billing address/name. You can pay by post or crypto, and make it much harder for a hostile government to get the information by legally pressuring Mullvad themselves. It's not something I've needed myself, but I", "context": "", "use_case": "privacy VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Mullvad Alternatives?"}, {"id": 779605808, "item_id": 48725363, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48725363", "by": "yourmomisanalt", "date": "2026-06-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Mullvad is the best.", "excerpt": "Mullvad is the best. You should ask for the socialist alternative", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Mullvad Alternatives?"}, {"id": 779585472, "item_id": 48724092, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48724092", "by": "gustavus", "date": "2026-06-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I like the product I'll keep using it.", "excerpt": "For whatever it's worth I use Mullvad because it lets me pay in Bitcoin is super easy to re-up and is super anonymous. I don't really give a darn who you voted for or what your founder did. I like the product I'll keep using it.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN with Bitcoin payment", "switched_from": "", "story": "Mullvad founder gave millions to extremist far right party"}, {"id": 779576193, "item_id": 48723512, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48723512", "by": "loup-vaillant", "date": "2026-06-29", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I would have no choice but seriously lower my confidence in their VPN.", "excerpt": "> I don\u2019t support remigration, but calling immigration \u201cthe free expression of people\u201d is a stretch. It\u2019s orthogonal. Far right political parties have a marked tendency to severely restrict freedom of expression once they\u2019re in power. They routinely call for it when they\u2019re the underdogs, but that often changes fairly quickly once they get their way. In some cases you can see hints of that before they came into power", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Mullvad founder gave millions to extremist far right party"}, {"id": 779557424, "item_id": 48722339, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48722339", "by": "deejaaymac", "date": "2026-06-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use mullvad because I believe they are the best off the shelf choice.", "excerpt": "Agreed. I use mullvad because I believe they are the best off the shelf choice. If I stopped using things because of the owners opinions, then I'd live in a cave.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "The CEO of Mullvad is the main financer of the far-right Swedish \u00d6rebro party"}, {"id": 779552992, "item_id": 48722062, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48722062", "by": "seethishat", "date": "2026-06-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I pay for and use Mullvad VPN. I believe they value everyone's privacy and I believe they are competent technologists.", "excerpt": "I pay for and use Mullvad VPN. I believe they value everyone's privacy and I believe they are competent technologists. I don't care about politics. I will continue to buy and use Mullvad VPN.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "The CEO of Mullvad is the main financer of the far-right Swedish \u00d6rebro party"}, {"id": 779552192, "item_id": 48722012, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48722012", "by": "al_borland", "date": "2026-06-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Mullvad, I have no intention of switching.", "excerpt": "I use Mullvad, I have no intention of switching. The comment from the other CEO seemed perfectly reasonable, and the Wikipedia article about the political party also didn\u2019t seem all that extreme. It mostly seemed like common sense stuff.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "The CEO of Mullvad is the main financer of the far-right Swedish \u00d6rebro party"}, {"id": 779542096, "item_id": 48721381, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48721381", "by": "BitWiseVibe", "date": "2026-06-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Mullvad has been known to be right-adjacent for a long time, it's a big reason I use them.", "excerpt": "This is not news. Mullvad has been known to be right-adjacent for a long time, it's a big reason I use them.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "The CEO of Mullvad is the main financer of the far-right Swedish \u00d6rebro party"}, {"id": 779494784, "item_id": 48718424, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48718424", "by": "mattrighetti", "date": "2026-06-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Mullvad because it physically prevents anyone from logging my data.", "excerpt": "I use Mullvad because it physically prevents anyone from logging my data. What a co-owner does with his personal money in a local Swedish municipal election has zero impact on the code protecting my traffic. Did a quick research - calling a party that campaigns for a 30-hour work week and socialist dental care 'far-right' just because they have a strict immigration policy shows how carelessly people throw labels arou", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "The CEO of Mullvad is the main financer of the far-right Swedish \u00d6rebro party"}, {"id": 779486432, "item_id": 48717902, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48717902", "by": "gigatexal", "date": "2026-06-29", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I used Mullvad before this because they passed a bunch of tests and legally denied claims to user data.", "excerpt": "I used Mullvad before this because they passed a bunch of tests and legally denied claims to user data. I don\u2019t have the reference but it was on HN. So who do people recommend now?", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "The CEO of Mullvad is the main financer of the far-right Swedish \u00d6rebro party"}, {"id": 778414704, "item_id": 48650919, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48650919", "by": "sitzkrieg", "date": "2026-06-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "excellent speeds most the time, ive never seen any other provider come close but only tried a few others. steal for the price.", "excerpt": "the billing options, the server selections and technology, come to mind. also should not mention but some regional vpns (dig around the area you like) quite often do not get get hellflagged as vpn ip. cloudflare usually gets it but it has never been obnoxious like i\u2019ve seen on others. oh and most importantly, i have 5gbit symmetrical fiber and most close servers nearly saturate both ways and i dont think ive ever see", "context": "has 5gbit symmetrical fiber", "use_case": "VPN on fast fiber", "switched_from": "", "story": "Mullvad to China: Block This. We Dare You"}, {"id": 770311376, "item_id": 48144461, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48144461", "by": "gchamonlive", "date": "2026-05-14", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I don't care if they know I use mullvad, I care they don't know I'm me", "excerpt": "It's a game of cat and mouse. The service keeps banning IP ranges, the user keeps reconnecting to different servers and regions. The server can't know exactly who's who, just that a bunch of users are using mullvad, while the user just need to find one server on one IP range that works. Seems like a good deal to me. I don't care if they know I use mullvad, I care they don't know I'm me, and that's not something mullv", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN privacy", "switched_from": "", "story": "Mullvad exit IPs are surprisingly identifying"}, {"id": 770307120, "item_id": 48144195, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48144195", "by": "Cider9986", "date": "2026-05-14", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "ideally a trustworthy VPN like Mullvad, IVPN, or Proton", "excerpt": "VPNs are not snake oil. They transfer the trust of your internet activity from a place of low-trust, your ISP, to a place of high-trust, ideally a trustworthy VPN like Mullvad, IVPN, or Proton. Among other benefits. If you don't like your ISP creating a profile of you and selling it to target ads to you, you should use a VPN. >Should I use a VPN? Yes, almost certainly. A VPN has many advantages, including: 1. Hiding ", "context": "", "use_case": "privacy VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Mullvad exit IPs are surprisingly identifying"}, {"id": 761570481, "item_id": 47598155, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47598155", "by": "okr", "date": "2026-04-01", "stance": "compare", "quote": "But the Mullvad VPN exit nodes often runs into problems like cloudflare blocking.", "excerpt": "I use tailscale and mullvad vpn for a list of exit nodes i can choose from to work around restrictions, but also bad routing. Like, when in asia and the route is to europe, sometimes it adds weird hops, while when i use an exit-node in Japan, i know, i have perfect routing to Japan and from there perfect routing to europe. But the Mullvad VPN exit nodes often runs into problems like cloudflare blocking. So i am looki", "context": "", "use_case": "exit nodes", "switched_from": "", "story": "I traced my traffic through a home Tailscale exit node"}, {"id": 753519552, "item_id": 47094972, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47094972", "by": "vsgherzi", "date": "2026-02-20", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I love mullvad but hate that most sites block mullvad ips", "excerpt": "The blocking of VPNs is despicable. I love mullvad but hate that most sites block mullvad ips until i get lucky with one of the relays. Either way love what they do and hope they win. The forced demonetization of users is ridiculous. This will be looked back on just as the cryptography was when it was deemed a munition and banned from export.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "And then? And then Mullvad was censored in the UK"}, {"id": 752392609, "item_id": 47024538, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47024538", "by": "jitl", "date": "2026-02-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "i\u2019m not going to switch to an ai vibe code of Google Photos, Tailscale/Mulvadd VPN, or YouTube.", "excerpt": "i don\u2019t agree. most apps i use are not AI clone-able yet with AI\u2019s current faculties. i\u2019m not going to switch to an ai vibe code of Google Photos, Tailscale/Mulvadd VPN, or YouTube. For those three apps, i pay for cloud infrastructure. sure, you can say with enough AI i could vibe code a Tailscale backend system, but it sounds like it would take more tokens than my $20/mo ChatGPT plan PLUS a mountain of cloud provide", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "AI is going to kill app subscriptions"}, {"id": 747572197, "item_id": 46723262, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46723262", "by": "reify", "date": "2026-01-22", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "mullvadvpn", "excerpt": "I dumped smart phone shite with CyanogenMod back in 2010. I still have an old Oneplus 5T running lineage with android 15 A samsung S4 with android 11 as my kitchen timer. My family have Motorola edge 20 and Motorola edge 20 pro both with android 16. https://doc.e.foundation/devices https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/ I personaly prefer Lineage over E.OS. I use droid-ify app store, which saves messing about with addin", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: What is your opinion on non-mainstream mobile OS options (e.g. /e/OS)?"}, {"id": 742713121, "item_id": 46419570, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46419570", "by": "acheong08", "date": "2025-12-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Mullvad works as a commercial provider, just slower.", "excerpt": "Currently in China (as a visitor). Wireguard literally just works (to a VPS). Mullvad works as a commercial provider, just slower. Xray-core (vless, Trojan) if you're paranoid. I have my own proxy over syncthing relays https://github.com/acheong08/syndicate which I use to proxy to my home in the UK (residential IP) without exposing any ports. I get rate limited to around 10mbps in Chongqing. Was slightly higher in Be", "context": "visitor in China", "use_case": "VPN in China", "switched_from": "", "story": "Tor staying ahead of censors in 2025"}, {"id": 742617712, "item_id": 46413607, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46413607", "by": "franciscop", "date": "2025-12-28", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Mullvad, which makes this easier", "excerpt": "I have the same problem and my \"solution\" is mediocre, but kind of works: use a VPN. I used to set it to the UK, but since the recent developments I've been experimenting with other English-speaking countries. My native language is Spanish, but I live in Japan, and it's odd because I never want Japanese (language) results, but I am fine with Spanish results. Some times I need to switch to Spain, or Japan, or just dis", "context": "Spanish speaker living in Japan", "use_case": "VPN to switch search locale", "switched_from": "", "story": "Tell HN: Google ignores English searches and forces localized results"}, {"id": 741496736, "item_id": 46343546, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46343546", "by": "KomoD", "date": "2025-12-21", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Mullvad and their sign-up process is even easier.", "excerpt": "I use Mullvad and their sign-up process is even easier. I just click \"Generate account number\" and that's it. I don't need to provide anything, I don't even need a keyboard. I honestly wish 99% of online services were like that. > Where's the terms of service agreement? \"By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy\", it's on the sign up page > I think the signup did not even require JavaScript ", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Xeovo VPN \u2013 the joy of a simple sign-up"}, {"id": 741231761, "item_id": 46326985, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46326985", "by": "codethief", "date": "2025-12-19", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "since that's what I use to connect to Mullvad", "excerpt": "Fingers crossed that GotaTun will also make its way into the Tailscale Android app (since that's what I use to connect to Mullvad).", "context": "Android user", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "GotaTun \u2013 Mullvad's WireGuard Implementation in Rust"}, {"id": 740168800, "item_id": 46260550, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46260550", "by": "drewfax", "date": "2025-12-13", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Mullvad through Tailscale\u2019s exit\u2011node integration, and it\u2019s awesome. They  are the only provider I trust these days.", "excerpt": "I use Mullvad through Tailscale\u2019s exit\u2011node integration, and it\u2019s awesome. They are the only provider I trust these days. To highlight virtual routing: it\u2019s useful in scenarios where a country blocks VPNs but you still need an IP from that country to browse local websites. In such cases, virtual routing comes in handy. For example, when India required all VPN servers in the country to log user traffic, Proton moved i", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN exit nodes", "switched_from": "", "story": "VPN location claims don't match real traffic exits"}, {"id": 737378992, "item_id": 46086187, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46086187", "by": "super256", "date": "2025-11-29", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I use Mullvad and I have not yet found a single Mullvad IP that can access Imgur.", "excerpt": "> Second, even if I installed a VPN on my main machine, what about my phone? My laptop? My desktop? Also, Imgur blocks many VPN IPs. I use Mullvad and I have not yet found a single Mullvad IP that can access Imgur.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "Imgur geo-blocked the UK, so I geo-unblocked my network"}, {"id": 734946512, "item_id": 45934157, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45934157", "by": "blendo", "date": "2025-11-14", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Tbh, I'm a customer. Before Mullvad, I used PIA.", "excerpt": "For months, Mullvad has been papering San Francisco with smart and cheeky ads, like \"Mass surveillance is made by machine men with machine hearts\". I admire that they're saying this, and wish other VPN companies would do similar public relations to highlight the risks of ad targeting. Tbh, I'm a customer. Before Mullvad, I used PIA. https://mullvad.net/en/blog/advertising-that-targets-everyone", "context": "customer", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "PIA", "story": "Mullvad VPN present And Then? (Chat Control is back on the menu)"}, {"id": 734567584, "item_id": 45910474, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45910474", "by": "godelski", "date": "2025-11-12", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Again, dive deep into how Mullvad does it.", "excerpt": "You could definitely do this E2EE. Models should run in ephemeral containers where data is only processed in RAM. For active conversation a unique and temporary key-pair is generated. Saved chats are encrypted client side and stored encrypted server side. To resume a conversation[0], decrypt client side, establish connection to container, generate new temporary key-pair, and so on. There's more details and nuances bu", "context": "", "use_case": "privacy-preserving data handling example", "switched_from": "", "story": "Fighting the New York Times' invasion of user privacy"}]}