It’s rare that anything is free these days and, usually, those that are – are generally worthless, which is why Opera VPN is such a surprise! With VPN service providers prolife rating at a rapid rate, it is difficult to stay on top of which is the best value for money and, while Opera VPN can’t compete with the big boys, they still give it horns. Mullvad is also a fan of horns, with their interface dominated by a cartoon Viking, which makes it fun, unlike PIA VPN whose interface is so simple it’s almost blank. The difference with PIA is that simple is smart and behind that blank screen there is a vast pool of sophisticated features. One of Mullvad’s advantages is its location – Swedish lack of censorship and the fact that the European Union Data Retention Directive does not apply to them gives Mullvad a head-start over rivals in the EU or USA.
Features
7.0
Pricing
6.8
Ease of Use
8.8
Reliability & Support
8.4
Features
5.4
Pricing
10.0
Ease of Use
7.0
Reliability & Support
6.0
Features
9.7
Pricing
8.0
Ease of Use
9.6
Reliability & Support
9.8
Rating
Features
7.0
5.4
9.7
Pricing
6.8
10.0
8.0
Ease of Use
8.8
7.0
9.6
Reliability & Support
8.4
6.0
9.8
Reviews
Review by our expert
Ren Sayer
Cybersecurity Researcher
6.2
Mullvad VPN has been popular among privacy buffs for some time now, but I’ve always wondered about its other features. Does it offer good value for your money? To find out, I tested its mobile and desktop apps and did some thorough research on its features.
From this, it’s clear that Mullvad VPN offers more than privacy and isn’t far off from the premium VPNs. What really surprised me wa...
No problemsI use Mullvad as another layer of security while on the internet and I have no issues, problems, or complaints. Without the VPN switched on I get 100MBs and with it switched on I get 90MBs so no speed reduction problems.
I do not use it for P2P or streaming or trying to use Netflix etc from other countries.
I have found customer service to be very helpful.
I use it on my Windows PC and Android phone.
Latest negative user review
Shai, Axelrud
2.0
MullVad VPN Not Doing Its JobMullvad VPN easily detected as a VPN in many countries, so it becomes useless since you cannot navigate there. Customer Service either cold as the North Pole or irresponsive. Better swim in other beaches and get what you paid for.
Alex (Shurf) Frenkel
Ex-Hacker and Technical Researcher
7.2
OperaVPN once had different versions; a web-browser VPN and a mobile app.
The Opera mobile app, which was available for Android and iOS, is no longer active (read more about it below), but there are a few good free alternatives, such as TunnelBear and Windscribe.
Opera's free web-browser with a built-in VPN, however, is still up and running. Unfortunately, that isn't much of a consolation....
Great free service! I hope it stays that way.I have been using this VPN along with uTorrent Web for 6 months with no issues. As long as the fast download speed is not a requirement for you it's a good deal! Every now and then I'll get a message from a website that my IP address is on their blacklist but it's really not an issue.
Latest negative user review
Von Hohenheim, theophrastus
2.0
Opera uses Google serversI installed Opera a couple of years ago because of its included VPN. I wanted to get away from being tracked everywhere by Google. However, when I discovered that the Opera VPN was using Google servers, that idea went out the window. I stopped using the Opera VPN feature and went with a different VPN provider.
Private Internet Access (PIA) is one of the most popular VPNs on the market. True to its name, this provider is best known for its strict no-logs policy and commitment to user privacy.
Is PIA truly as trustworthy as they claim when it comes to protecting user privacy and anonymity? How does it perform in other categories like streaming, torrenting, and safety?
We tested PIA ourselves to fin...
I have been using PIA for years and have been very happy with the service so far.I've been using PIA VPN for many years and have been very happy with it. Just took advantage of the holiday 3 year special to save even more money off the yearly plan I was on previously. I signed up years ago thinking I would only keep it for a short time but ended up using it ever since. I travel and live abroad so it comes in handy sometimes since my ISP here in Asia throttles lots of things.
Latest negative user review
Emiel Israel
2.0
Ignoring and not existing serviceHave the same not working on my win 7 they simply don't reply like I do not exist! Unfortunately, I paid already, I requested a refund but is the same as talking to deaf ears. Shame on them.
Only 1 star and tell my Facebook friends to stay away from PIA.
Mullvad VPN has been popular among privacy buffs for some time now, but I’ve always wondered about its other features. Does it offer good value for your money? To find out, I tested its mobile and desktop apps and did some thorough research on its features.
From this, it’s clear that Mullvad VPN offers more than privacy and isn’t far off from the premium VPNs. What really surprised me wa...
OperaVPN once had different versions; a web-browser VPN and a mobile app.
The Opera mobile app, which was available for Android and iOS, is no longer active (read more about it below), but there are a few good free alternatives, such as TunnelBear and Windscribe.
Opera's free web-browser with a built-in VPN, however, is still up and running. Unfortunately, that isn't much of a consolation....
Private Internet Access (PIA) is one of the most popular VPNs on the market. True to its name, this provider is best known for its strict no-logs policy and commitment to user privacy.
Is PIA truly as trustworthy as they claim when it comes to protecting user privacy and anonymity? How does it perform in other categories like streaming, torrenting, and safety?
We tested PIA ourselves to fin...
No problemsI use Mullvad as another layer of security while on the internet and I have no issues, problems, or complaints. Without the VPN switched on I get 100MBs and with it switched on I get 90MBs so no speed reduction problems.
I do not use it for P2P or streaming or trying to use Netflix etc from other countries.
I have found customer service to be very helpful.
I use it on my Windows PC and Android phone.
Anonymously
10.0
Great free service! I hope it stays that way.I have been using this VPN along with uTorrent Web for 6 months with no issues. As long as the fast download speed is not a requirement for you it's a good deal! Every now and then I'll get a message from a website that my IP address is on their blacklist but it's really not an issue.
Mark
10.0
I have been using PIA for years and have been very happy with the service so far.I've been using PIA VPN for many years and have been very happy with it. Just took advantage of the holiday 3 year special to save even more money off the yearly plan I was on previously. I signed up years ago thinking I would only keep it for a short time but ended up using it ever since. I travel and live abroad so it comes in handy sometimes since my ISP here in Asia throttles lots of things.
Latest negative user review
Shai, Axelrud
2.0
MullVad VPN Not Doing Its JobMullvad VPN easily detected as a VPN in many countries, so it becomes useless since you cannot navigate there. Customer Service either cold as the North Pole or irresponsive. Better swim in other beaches and get what you paid for.
Von Hohenheim, theophrastus
2.0
Opera uses Google serversI installed Opera a couple of years ago because of its included VPN. I wanted to get away from being tracked everywhere by Google. However, when I discovered that the Opera VPN was using Google servers, that idea went out the window. I stopped using the Opera VPN feature and went with a different VPN provider.
Emiel Israel
2.0
Ignoring and not existing serviceHave the same not working on my win 7 they simply don't reply like I do not exist! Unfortunately, I paid already, I requested a refund but is the same as talking to deaf ears. Shame on them.
Only 1 star and tell my Facebook friends to stay away from PIA.
Overall, Mullvad is small but clever, Opera is big and loud and PIA VPN is a robust tool that promises a safe haven to internet users who wish to conceal their personal information from government agencies, hackers and publicists. Opera VPN is free, but doesn’t allow any torrenting, while PIA VPN is competitively priced, offers limited torrenting and enables the user to specify their VPN access configuration using the range of preferences available. PIA’s superior level of sophistication and competitive pricing ensures its success in this comparison.
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