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Mullvad vs Norton VPN compares opposite ends of the market. Mullvad, an independent Swedish service, needs no email, accepts cash by post, runs servers from memory and has more than 10 audits in our table; Swedish police left its office empty-handed in 2023, CyberInsider reported. Norton VPN, from Gen Digital, has two no-logs audits, a 60-day refund and a cheap first year, and sits inside a large consumer security group.
This guide compares anonymity, evidence, data sharing, refunds, price, devices and fit.
Mullvad vs Norton VPN on Anonymity
Mullvad gives you a random 16-digit account number and lets you pay with cash sent by post or cryptocurrency, so nothing needs to link your name to the account. Norton VPN uses a Norton account tied to your email and payment details.
For anonymous use, Mullvad is in a different category.
Mullvad vs Norton VPN on Evidence
Mullvad has more than 10 independent audits in our table, and in April 2023 Swedish police arrived with a warrant for customer data and left without taking anything, because none existed, CyberInsider reported. Independent auditors reviewed Norton’s no-logs policy in 2024 and October 2025, and its Mimic protocol in December 2025, Tom’s Guide reports.
Both have outside checks; Mullvad’s record is longer and tested in practice. Our Mullvad safety guide covers that visit.
Data Sharing
Mullvad does not run an affiliate programme.
Read both privacy policies before signing up.
Gen Digital owns Norton alongside Avast, Avira, AVG, CCleaner and LifeLock, and Norton’s privacy policy allows sharing data with partners inside the group, Security.org notes. Mullvad is a standalone company with no affiliate programme or sister brands.
If you want your VPN separate from other products, Mullvad is the cleaner choice.
Refunds and Price
Norton gives 60 days for refunds plus a seven-day trial, and Plus costs $29.99 for the first year, Tom’s Guide lists. Mullvad costs a flat €5 a month with no discounts, and refunds within 14 days except for cash and cryptocurrency payments, our tables record.
Norton is cheaper in year one; Mullvad never raises its price. Our renewal price guide compares renewals.
Protocols and Devices
At home, WireGuard is the fast default on both.
Mullvad runs WireGuard only, with DAITA to hide traffic patterns and multihop through two servers. Norton offers WireGuard, OpenVPN, IPSec and its Mimic protocol, which disguises VPN traffic as HTTPS, though its Mac app lacks WireGuard and OpenVPN.
For filtered networks, Norton’s Mimic is the more specialised tool; for traffic analysis, Mullvad’s DAITA.
Count phones, laptops, tablets and TVs first.
Mullvad allows five devices per account. Norton’s Standard and Plus plans also allow five, and Ultimate allows 10.
A router running Mullvad counts as one device and covers everything behind it.
Streaming
Test the services you use within each refund window.
Mullvad’s design choices serve privacy rather than unblocking.
Mullvad does not try to unblock streaming, and testers found services such as BBC iPlayer and US Netflix often blocked. Tom’s Guide highlights Norton VPN’s strong streaming unblocking.
For streaming, Norton is the better fit.
Who Each Is For
Both now have outside audits, so the choice rests on anonymity, streaming and price.
Mullvad suits journalists, activists and anyone who wants to use a VPN without revealing who they are. Norton suits people who want a simple, audited VPN with streaming, a long refund window and, often, a Norton 360 subscription.
Choose by how much anonymity you need, not by how familiar the brand name feels.
Open Source, Platforms and Split Tunnelling
Mullvad’s apps are open source and cover Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and Android TV. Norton’s apps have fewer features on Apple devices, Tom’s Guide notes, and Norton VPN often comes bundled in Norton 360 suites.
Linux users have an official desktop app with Mullvad.
Mullvad offers split tunnelling on Windows, Android and Linux, our tables record. Norton offers it on Windows and Android only, without an inverse mode, Security.org and PCWorld note.
Check support on the platform you use most.
Mullvad’s DNS Change
Quad9 is the replacement Mullvad recommends, and its Mullvad Browser now uses it by default.
Mullvad is closing its public encrypted DNS service on 2 November 2026, recommending Quad9 instead; the DNS inside its VPN app keeps working. The change does not affect Norton VPN users.
If you used Mullvad’s public DNS without the VPN, switch resolver before that date.
Account Recovery
Write the number down somewhere safe offline.
Because Mullvad’s account number is your only login, losing it means losing access to any time you have paid for; store it safely. A Norton account uses your email, so you can reset it the usual way.
Anonymity and easy recovery pull in opposite directions.
How We Research
This page draws on CyberInsider’s report on Mullvad’s 2023 police visit, Tom’s Guide’s reports on Norton VPN’s 2025 changes, Security.org’s Norton coverage, Comparitech’s and Top10VPN’s streaming tests and our Mullvad tables. We cross-checked these sources against each other, and where they conflict or something can’t be verified, we say so in the text rather than guessing. We checked time-sensitive figures, including prices in US dollars, on 8 October 2026. The main source we relied on is CyberInsider on Mullvad’s 2023 visit. Our full approach lives on the About Us page.
Mullvad vs Norton VPN FAQ
Mullvad for anonymity and audits; Norton for streaming and refunds.
No; it uses a random account number.
Norton, with 60 days.
Its policy allows sharing with partners inside Gen Digital, Security.org notes.
Norton.
The Verdict
Mullvad vs Norton VPN: Mullvad for anonymous, heavily audited privacy; Norton for a simple, streaming-friendly VPN with a long refund.