Mullvad VPN
The most honest VPN on the internet, and in 2026 still the one this industry is measured against: numbered accounts, cash or Monero accepted, open-source client
One of the strongest no-logs receipts in the industry - a Swedish court could not prove logs exist, the servers are diskless RAM-only, and monthly transparency reports run through August 2026. Big caveat: founder David Wibergh sold OVPN to Pango (Point Wild/Aura group) in May 2023 - the same holding as Hotspot Shield/Betternet that owns the Comparitech and ProPrivacy review sites. The technology pedigree is elite; the ownership is now a marketing-machine holding.
by the vpncomparison editorial desk · review version 2 · prose updated 2026-09-28 · facts as of 2026-09-28 · how we verify
OVPN is a commercial Swedish provider founded in 2014, now owned by the Point Wild/Pango group (Aura), which also owns Hotspot Shield, Betternet, and the review sites Comparitech and ProPrivacy. It has a rare court-proven no-logs record from a 2020 Swedish court case. While its technical design - diskless RAM-only servers - strongly supports privacy, its ownership ties to a known affiliate marketing conglomerate raise trust concerns.
OVPN claims no activity logs, and this is backed by a 2020 Swedish court ruling where movie copyright enforcers failed to prove logs existed - OVPN won the case and was awarded legal fees. The court accepted it is not an internet provider under EU law, so data retention rules don’t apply. Servers are diskless, boot from signed RAM, and disable system logging, making temporary logs impossible. Monthly transparency reports run through August 2026. However, there is no warrant canary, and no independent audits have been published. Evidence is court-proven, not just policy.
OVPN offers a 36-month plan at EUR 4.22/month (≈$4.50), down from a 1-month price of EUR 12 (≈$13). The renewal price after the 3-year term is not disclosed, creating uncertainty. The intro price represents a 75% discount, but with no stated renewal rate, you risk a steep jump. The 10-day refund window is short. Payment is fiat-only; no crypto. There is no free tier. The full 3-year cost is approximately $162, but the post-contract price remains a black box.
OVPN supports WireGuard and OpenVPN, with a built-in kill switch, multihop routing, and dedicated IP options. It does not support split tunneling or Tor over VPN. P2P is explicitly blocked, but streaming services are accessible. Servers are in 32 cities, though exact counts and country totals are not provided. The service works on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and routers. No obfuscation is offered, limiting use in highly censored regions. Performance claims are not independently tested.
OVPN was acquired in May 2023 by Pango (Point Wild/Aura), a holding company that owns Hotspot Shield, Betternet, and the affiliate-driven review sites Comparitech and ProPrivacy. Founder David Wibergh stated OVPN would remain operationally independent with its own infrastructure. The provider has a clean incident record: in 2020, it successfully defended its no-logs claim in court. However, the acquisition links it to a network known for aggressive affiliate marketing and adware-tainted apps, undermining its independent image.
OVPN offers no obfuscation tools, meaning its traffic can be easily detected and blocked by deep packet inspection in countries like China, Iran, or Russia. WireGuard and OpenVPN without obfuscation are ineffective under such regimes. This service is not suitable for users in heavily censored environments. Alternatives with Shadowsocks, obfs4, or proprietary stealth protocols are better suited for these regions.
OVPN delivers one of the strongest technical and legal no-logs records in the industry - proven in a real court battle. However, its 2023 acquisition by the Pango group, which profits from affiliate-driven review sites and adware-linked VPNs, creates a conflict of interest. Recommend only for EU-based users who prioritize court-tested privacy over ownership independence and are comfortable with opaque renewal pricing.
| Intro price | $4.99 /month |
|---|---|
| Refund window | 10 days |
See the 3-year total next to the marketing number: true-cost calculator →
has an affiliate program via in-house · published terms: not public - 'Get competitive commissions with monthly payouts... Instead, we're at a commission level that ensures that our affiliates, our customers and we benefit proportionally'; no percentage published
Runs on Tapfiliate (ovpn.tapfiliate.com signup); OVPN vets affiliates ('We don't accept all affiliates') and offers a free trial account to prospective partners.
If we sign up for this program, every link here becomes rel="nofollow sponsored" and this box stays. Until then our links are plain redirects with zero tracking. Ranking logic physically cannot read affiliate fields - here is the proof.
Before you pay: check the renewal price, the refund window, and whether a cheaper or free path covers your use case - the honest checklist.
Based on our checks as of 2026-09-28: OVPN scores 7.1/10 in our weighted review. We logged 1 red flag (listed above). Its logging claim survived a real-world test. User reports, ownership and the incident record are documented with dated sources in the meta-review below.
You get access to diskless, RAM-only servers in 32 cities, support for WireGuard and OpenVPN, multihop, a kill switch, and streaming access. P2P is blocked. Devices supported include Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, and routers. The 36-month plan allows 7 devices.
The 36-month plan costs EUR 4.22/month (≈$4.50), totaling about $162. The renewal price after this term is not disclosed, so you face uncertainty and potential price hikes. The 1-month plan costs EUR 12 (≈$13).
OVPN’s no-logs claim is court-proven: in 2020, a Swedish court rejected a copyright enforcement request because no logs could be tied to users. The ruling confirmed OVPN’s technical design prevents logging. This is stronger than audit-only or policy-based claims.
No. OVPN offers no obfuscation, so its traffic is easily detectable and blockable by firewalls using deep packet inspection. It is not suitable for use in China, Iran, Russia, or similar environments. Choose a provider with obfs4, Shadowsocks, or stealth protocols instead.
No. OVPN accepts only fiat payments (credit card, PayPal) and does not support cryptocurrency. There is no option for truly anonymous payment. Your financial provider will have a record of the transaction.
If OVPN shuts down, your access ends. The company has insurance for legal defense, but no public exit strategy or data destruction protocol is detailed. Given its acquisition by Pango, any shutdown would likely be part of broader corporate restructuring.
Proton VPN offers a permanent free tier with strong privacy (Swiss jurisdiction, no logs, audited). For low-cost paid options, Mullvad (flat €5/month, anonymous accounts) or IVPN (€5/month, court-tested no logs) are independent and transparent - unlike conglomerate-owned services.
The most honest VPN on the internet, and in 2026 still the one this industry is measured against: numbered accounts, cash or Monero accepted, open-source client
The anti-affiliate champion candidate holds up: no affiliate program (stated out loud on the homepage), flat honest pricing, quarterly warrant canary, annual th
The best-evidenced no-logs claim in the business - twice tested in US courts (2016, 2018) and twice found to have nothing - plus the cheapest long-term renewal
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