How Mullvad pricing works one flat rate, prepaid time and cash by post

Mullvad charges the same €5 for every month of VPN time, whether you pay for one month or top up years ahead. The account is prepaid, so nothing is billed again on its own; when the paid time runs out, you simply add more. Next to the VPNRadarLab market median of €3.13 a month, that flat rate works out at about 1.6 times the median on every term, since longer commitments bring no cut.

One rate for a month, a year or longer

There is exactly one plan. No tier ladder, no family bundle, no lifetime deal, no free option. The published price is in euros with VAT already inside, and it does not shift with the buyer's country; the site shows rough equivalents in dollars, pounds, kronor and a few other currencies, but those are guides only. A one-month top-up costs €5, a twelve-month top-up costs €60, which is the same €5 a month, and Mullvad lists prepaid blocks running up to a decade at that identical monthly figure. Longer time buys convenience, nothing more.

Discounts barely exist: no sales, no promo codes, no student pricing, no bonus months. The single cut is 10% for paying in cryptocurrency. Details live on Mullvad's pricing page.

When the paid time runs out

The account simply uses up the days you paid for. There is no auto-renewal by default and no subscription behind it, so no card gets charged while you are not looking. To continue, you top up the same account number and the new time is added to what remains. The rate stays €5 a month on every renewal, so there is no price jump waiting for loyal customers.

An account number instead of an email

Sign-up generates a long numeric account identifier. No email address, no phone number, no identity check. That number is your login, and it is worth storing somewhere safe.

Paying by card, bank transfer, coins or an envelope of cash

Monero and posted banknotes are what keep the payment unlinked from any bank account or card. If you would rather keep your card out of it, pay in XMR and take the discount. The 14-day money-back guarantee does not cover cash payments (one Mullvad page also excludes crypto); the fine print is on the refund policy page. A fuller rundown of checkout routes across services is in the VPN payment methods overview.

What the €5 covers, and what Mullvad does not sell

One account runs 5 devices at once, with no data cap and no speed cap. Multi-hop, where traffic passes through two servers, is included at no extra cost, and the company's free browser costs nothing to download. What you cannot buy here matters just as much: no dedicated IP (shared addresses only), no port forwarding (removed in May 2023), and none of the usual bundles like antivirus, a password manager, eSIM or cloud storage. If you want those extras, look elsewhere.

Mullvad's rate against the typical VPN bill

Because the rate never drops on longer terms, the entry price is the single criterion that costs Mullvad the most points in the VPNRadarLab "price and terms" sub-score of 3.0 out of 10: the €5 rate earns only 0.4 of the 2.5 price points because it sits above most of the market, and nothing is clawed back through a free tier or trial. Cash and crypto payment options earn full marks, and the absence of renewal hikes costs it nothing.

Mullvad billing FAQ

Does Mullvad have a free tier or a trial?

No. Payment starts right away; the 14-day refund window serves as the nearest substitute for a trial.

Can I prepay for more than a year?

Yes. The provider lists top-ups up to a decade, and every month still costs €5.

How much does paying in crypto save?

10%. No other payment route gets a discount.

Bottom line on paying for Mullvad

A single flat rate, prepaid time without automatic charges, an account consisting of a number, and payment options ranging from cards and bank transfers to coins and cash. You pay roughly 1.6 times the €3.13 market median every month, and in return the bill never changes and the sign-up says nothing about you.