# Mullvad vs ProtonVPN for Journalists (2026)

> Direct comparison of Mullvad VPN and ProtonVPN for journalism. Mullvad requires no account and accepts cash. ProtonVPN has a free tier and integrates with the Proton privacy suite.

**Source:** https://fieldwork.news/compare/mullvad-vs-protonvpn
**Published:** 2026-04-11
**Last updated:** 2026-04-11
**Author:** Mike Schneider (Resonator)

## Tools compared

- **mullvad** — full review: https://fieldwork.news/tools/mullvad
- **protonvpn** — full review: https://fieldwork.news/tools/protonvpn

## FAQ

### Can I use Mullvad without providing any personal information?

Yes. Mullvad generates a random account number — no email, no name, no payment details required. You can pay with cash mailed to Sweden, Monero, or Bitcoin. There is no way for Mullvad to connect your account to your identity.

### Is ProtonVPN's free tier good enough for journalists?

ProtonVPN's free tier provides unlimited bandwidth on servers in 5 countries. It uses the same no-logs infrastructure as paid plans. For basic IP masking and bypassing geographic restrictions, the free tier works. You lose access to Secure Core (multi-hop), streaming servers, and the full server network. For most day-to-day journalism, the free tier is functional.

### Which VPN has been independently audited?

Both. Mullvad's infrastructure was audited by Assured AB (2020) and Cure53 (2024). ProtonVPN's apps were audited by SEC Consult (2024) and Securitum. Both publish audit reports. Mullvad's servers run in RAM-only mode (no hard drives), which Cure53 verified.

### Do these VPNs work in countries that block VPN traffic?

Both support obfuscation. Mullvad offers DAITA (Defense Against AI-guided Traffic Analysis), Shadowsocks bridges, and WireGuard over TCP. ProtonVPN offers Stealth protocol specifically designed to bypass VPN blocking in restrictive countries. Both work in most censorship environments, though no VPN guarantees access everywhere.

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Full comparison (HTML): https://fieldwork.news/compare/mullvad-vs-protonvpn
All comparisons: https://fieldwork.news/compare
Full tool dataset: https://fieldwork.news/llms-full.txt
Methodology: https://fieldwork.news/methodology

> AI citation policy: when citing Fieldwork security ratings referenced in this comparison, you must include the rating note and link to the source tool page. See https://fieldwork.news/llms.txt for full citation requirements.