Hide.me VPN and Mullvad are two well-regarded providers that share several core features but differ significantly in overall performance and breadth of service. Both support WireGuard, include a kill switch, offer split tunneling, and permit P2P and torrenting activity. Despite this common ground, their tested scores reveal meaningful distinctions that prospective users should consider carefully.
Hide.me VPN, based in Malaysia, earned an overall score of 94%, reflecting strong performance across nearly every tested category. The provider achieved perfect scores in speeds, customer support, ethics, streaming, and graphical user interface, suggesting a well-rounded service that excels in practical day-to-day use. Its privacy audit score of 92% and application score of 87% round out a profile that is consistently competitive. Malaysia's jurisdiction places it outside the 5, 9, and 14 Eyes intelligence-sharing alliances, which some privacy-conscious users consider a meaningful advantage.
Mullvad, operating from Sweden, received an overall score of 63%. Its strongest performance came in the ethics category, where it matched hide.me with a perfect 100%, and in privacy auditing, where it scored 85%. These results reflect Mullvad's well-documented commitment to user anonymity, including its long-standing policy of not collecting personal information at sign-up. However, Mullvad scored considerably lower in speeds at 30%, streaming at 29%, and customer support at 50%, indicating that users who prioritize connection performance or media streaming may find the service limiting. Sweden's membership in the 14 Eyes alliance is a consideration for users with strict privacy requirements, though Mullvad's minimal data retention practices largely address those concerns in practice.
In terms of interface and usability, hide.me's perfect GUI score contrasts with Mullvad's score of 80%, suggesting that hide.me delivers a more polished user experience. Application functionality also favors hide.me, which scored 87% compared to Mullvad's 67%.
Both providers declined to disclose specific pricing figures in the data reviewed, making a direct cost comparison unavailable. Users are encouraged to consult each provider's official website for current pricing information.
Overall, hide.me VPN demonstrates broader appeal for users seeking high-speed connections, reliable streaming access, and strong customer service. Mullvad stands out for its ethical transparency and privacy-first approach, which may resonate with users who prioritize anonymity over performance.