Both are independently owned Swedish companies — jurisdiction and ownership structure are the same starting point. The difference is verification depth: Mullvad has published audit programs, a 2023 police search that recovered no data, and an account model requiring no personal information; PrivateVPN has none of those.

What you get that Mullvad doesn't offer

Port forwarding included. SOCKS5 proxy support. Ten simultaneous connections. Streaming access maintained as a product commitment. Both share the same Swedish independent ownership structure.

What you give up

No published independent audit — PrivateVPN's no-logs claim is stated but not third-party verified. No equivalent to Mullvad's 2023 field test. Account creation requires an email address; Mullvad requires none. Cash payment not accepted. Both are Swedish 14-eyes — but Mullvad's architecture has been tested under that jurisdiction; PrivateVPN's has not.

What you get that PrivateVPN doesn't offer

Account creation with no personal data — number only, no email. Physical cash accepted. 2023 police office search: hardware seized, zero data recovered — architecture verified under real law enforcement conditions. Fully public audit reports downloadable without account. Privacy architecture built around minimization as the primary design constraint. Flat pricing with no upsell.

What you give up

PrivateVPN provides port forwarding; Mullvad does not. SOCKS5 proxy at PrivateVPN. Ten simultaneous connections vs Mullvad's five. PrivateVPN supports streaming access; Mullvad doesn't position around geo-unblocking. Both share the same Swedish 14-eyes jurisdictional baseline.