The smaller number of countries covered by Mullvad likely won’t be an issue for
most readers, who will probably need servers near to their locations for better
performance. Notably, a full third of Mullvad’s 669 servers are in the US. Many
other VPN companies overshadow that overall server count. ExpressVPN,
TorGuard VPN, Hotspot Shield VPN, and Private Internet Access VPN all boast
more than 3,000 servers, while CyberGhost and NordVPN have over 5,000. The
number of servers can have more to do with the number of customers, so a
ODUJHUÀHHWGRHVQ¶WQHFHVVDULO\PHDQEHWWHUSHUIRUPDQFH
Many VPN companies employ virtual servers, which is where a single hardware
VHUYHUFDQSOD\KRVWWRPDQ\VRIWZDUHGH¿QHGYLUWXDOVHUYHUV7KHVHLQWXUQ
FDQEHFRQ¿JXUHGWRDSSHDUDVWKRXJKWKH\DUHLQDFRXQWU\RWKHUWKDQWKDWRI
their host hardware. This can be a good thing, as it allows companies to quickly
spin up servers in response to demand or provide coverage for an unsafe
country by placing the physical hardware in a safer location. The issue is when
VPN companies are not transparent about where your data is heading.
This isn’t an issue for Mullvad. A company representative told me that it uses
only dedicated servers, located exactly where Mullvad says they are. That’s
great, but Mullvad goes even further. Its server list shows you the country
and city of its servers, the company operating the data center, and whether
Mullvad leases those servers or owns them outright. That’s an unmatched
degree of transparency.
PRIVACY
When you use a VPN, the company potentially has access to all of your web
WUDI¿F7KDWUHTXLUHVDQHQRUPRXVDPRXQWRIWUXVWVRLW¶VLPSRUWDQWWR
understand the measures a VPN company takes to protect your privacy. I found
that Mullvad has gone to great lengths to protect user privacy, setting an
example for others to follow.
Mullvad tackles the thorny issue of privacy with radical transparency. In its
article on data logging, it actually breaks down exactly what information is
transferred during a credit card transaction, who sees it, and so on. It’s a
remarkable and educational experience. The downside is that there is a lot of
highly technical information. The company does an admirable job of writing in
plain, understandable language, but brevity is not its strong suit. Personally, I