Surfshark, for example, is priced at around $2.49 per month before deals if you pay for two years. Compared to other monthly plans, this is quite cheap, but since there’s no loyalty discount as such, the service can appear a bit pricey. Whether you pay for one month, one year or a decade, the price stays the same. Unusually, Mullvad has only one pricing plan at €5 (around $5.20) per month. Recurring subscriptions revoked (allows the VPN to collect even less data).Expansion of diskless server infrastructure.Account numbers now available via Amazon (an anonymity plus).

Post-quantum safe VPN tunnels available on all WireGuard servers.

Authoritative DNS server audit completed by Assured AB in May 2022.

But if your core concern is privacy, and you want to open a VPN account without handing over a shred of personal data, it's tough to beat.

Stuck? There's no live chat so you'll have to rely on the Help Center, or email the team queries. The apps are basic-looking but dig deeper and you'll find a some great advanced features, such as the ability to block adult and gambling content. The service is reasonably priced compared to rivals, and simple enough to use. It did unblock the odd niche service in my tests, but you can forget about unblocking Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime.

If you're a streamer and want to unblock your favourite streaming service when travelling abroad, Mullvad is a bust. It you want to open a VPN account without handing over any personal data, Mullvad is calling your name. Although it 'only' has some 895 servers – the likes of ExpressVPN boast upwards of 3000 – Mullvad seems to punch well above its weight, reaching blazing-fast speeds across multiple protocols. The second big reason to go with Mullvad the speed of its network. This is as close to a clean bill of health as you can get. Mullvad's policy is refreshingly clear, and backed by both a 2021 infrastructure audit and a 2022 DNS server audit. What's more, while most VPNs publish their privacy policies, they're often hard to untangle. But Mullvad goes further, promising total anonymity when you pay with cash or cryptocurrency. Like most of the top providers, Mullvad is packed with features to protect your privacy – including high-strength encryption. Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Firefox

Mullvad vpn servers