Head-to-head · Privacy & Security / VPN
ExpressVPN vs Mullvad VPN
Which one to pick in 2026 — comparing 🇺🇸 ExpressVPN with the European alternative 🇪🇺 Mullvad VPN on the things that actually decide who can read your data.
🇺🇸 ExpressVPNvs🇪🇺 Mullvad VPN
Verdict
Who has stronger privacy guarantees by law?
Mullvad VPN — GDPR-native and outside the US CLOUD Act / FISA 702 reach.
Which one encrypts your data end-to-end by default?
Neither ships full E2E by default — check the table for nuance.
Which one tracks you for ads?
Neither monetises through ad tracking.
Which one is open source?
Mullvad VPN is not fully open source — check details.
Side-by-side
ExpressVPN vs Mullvad VPN — full comparison
Criteria
🇪🇺 Mullvad VPN
🇺🇸 ExpressVPN
Headquarters
Gothenburg, Sweden
British Virgin Islands
Jurisdiction
Sweden (EU)
Owned by Kape Technologies (UK/Israel)
Data location
Administração da empresa na Suécia; servidores VPN distribuídos globalmente
Global
GDPR-native
Yes
No
CLOUD Act / FISA exposed
No
Yes
Ad tracking
No
No
End-to-end encryption
No
No
Open source
No
No
Ownership
Mullvad VPN AB / Amagicom AB
Kape Technologies
Founded
2009
2009
Make the switch
Try Mullvad VPN instead of ExpressVPN
Privacy-focused VPN service with anonymous account numbers and a strict no-activity-logs policy.
Other European alternatives to ExpressVPN