# Mullvad VPN Published January 1, 2026 · Updated August 10, 2026 VPN client Category: Security & Privacy · Paid · [Official website](https://mullvad.net/) ## Install with Homebrew `brew install --cask mullvad-vpn` ## Quick take For Mac users on Sonoma or newer who want a private tunnel with minimal identity, Mullvad at 5 euros is straightforward. It does not try to be a streaming maximizer or a security suite. If you care about anonymous accounts, open source clients and a flat price you can read in one line, it is a clear choice. If you want streaming catalogs and bundles, look elsewhere. Best for: Users who want anonymous accounts without email, People who prefer simple €5 pricing over multi-year discounts, macOS users who want an open-source WireGuard client with multihop ## What is Mullvad VPN? August 2026 status: the Mullvad VPN macOS app is at **2026.3** and asks for **macOS Sonoma 14 or later**. Pricing is still a flat **5 euros a month** with no tiers and no annual lock in. Accounts are a 16 digit number. No email is asked for at signup. The service runs WireGuard first, with multihop, Shadowsocks bridges, obfuscation, split tunneling and a kill switch that fails closed. Independent notes in 2026 keep pointing at the same reasons people pick it: no identity collected at signup, open source clients, and recent public audits including Android app work published in February 2026 by Leviathan. Five concurrent connections on the standard plan. Mullvad started in Gothenburg in 2009 as Mullvad VPN. The name means mole in Swedish. The founding idea was that a VPN should make blanket monitoring harder, not sell a bundle. That shows in how little the product has changed. One price, one feature set, no personal data. At signup you receive a random 16 digit number like 1234-5678-9012-3456. That number is the account. There is no password reset flow because there is no email behind it. If you lose the number without a payment receipt, you lose access to any time you bought. Payment options are part of the same thinking. In addition to card and PayPal you can send cash by post or pay with Bitcoin or Monero, with a 10 percent discount for crypto in recent terms. The company publishes transparency reports and puts its clients through independent audits, which is less common than VPN marketing makes it sound. On privacy tech, Mullvad was an early backer of WireGuard and helped fund it. The Mac app leans on that protocol by default, and in 2025 to 2026 the service moved to a Rust based WireGuard implementation for lower overhead and more reliable handoffs between networks. That change is most noticeable on MacBooks moving between home Wi-Fi, hotspots and tethered phones during the day. ## Features - **2026 macOS App (2026.3).** Version 2026.3 is the current Mac build. It expects macOS 14 or later, ships as a notarized installer, and exposes split tunneling, a kill switch, multihop, Shadowsocks and obfuscation toggles, and automatic WireGuard key rotation. Apple Silicon is supported natively. The app lives in the menu bar and can launch at login so you do not need to open a window to be protected. - **Anonymous Account System.** There is no email or password. You get a random 16 digit number when you create an account. That number is your only identifier, which means a database seizure alone does not map accounts to people. Five devices can connect at once under one number. Time is added by topping up the same account, whether by card, cash in an envelope or crypto. - **WireGuard with Rust Implementation.** WireGuard remains the default. The 2025 to 2026 move to a Rust based implementation is aimed at faster handshakes, lower battery use on MacBooks, and fewer drops when you roam between Wi-Fi networks. Encryption is ChaCha20 over UDP. If you prefer OpenVPN you can still pick it, but WireGuard is what most Mac users will keep selected. - **DAITA - Defense Against AI Traffic Analysis.** DAITA stands for Defense Against AI Traffic Analysis. It adds padding and timing tweaks to traffic to make pattern based identification harder. Even with encryption, packet sizes and timing can leak what kind of activity is behind the tunnel. DAITA is there for users who face that class of analysis. It is available on macOS and can trim peak speed a little when turned on. - **Quantum-Resistant VPN Tunnels.** Quantum resistant tunnels pair post quantum algorithms with the usual encryption so that traffic recorded today is harder to decrypt if large scale quantum computers arrive. The setting is opt in on all platforms including macOS. It is a bet on the future rather than a fix for today's speeds. - **Multihop (Bridge Mode).** Multihop routes traffic through two servers in different locations and jurisdictions before it exits. Bridge mode uses a Shadowsocks based hop to help the connection get out of heavily filtered networks. Speed drops with the extra hop, which is the tradeoff for the added separation. - **Split Tunneling & Content Blocker.** Split tunneling lets you choose which apps skip the tunnel so a local printer, a NAS or a localhost dev server still responds at LAN speed while browsing stays inside the VPN. The content blocker works at the DNS layer, so it filters ads and trackers across apps, not just in one browser. Both live in the Mac settings pane and stay out of the way until you change them. - **Open-Source macOS Client.** The macOS client is open source under GPL v3 on GitHub, so anyone can read and build it. On Apple Silicon it idles at well under 100 MB of RAM with little CPU while connected. The interface is small and Mac like, with Dark Mode and a menu bar entry for quick connect or server change. ## How to Install Mullvad VPN on Mac Two ways to get Mullvad on a Mac, Homebrew or the direct download from mullvad.net. The current build expects macOS 14 Sonoma or later on Apple Silicon and Intel, with notarized packages and menu bar integration. 1. **Install via Homebrew (Recommended).** If you use Homebrew, run brew install --cask mullvad-vpn. Homebrew keeps the app updated and checks the download for you. 2. **Generate Your Account Number.** Make a numbered account at mullvad.net. You will be shown a 16 digit number. Save it in a password manager and on paper. Add time with your chosen payment method. No email or password is involved. 3. **Configure and Connect.** Open the app from Applications, enter the account number, and approve the VPN configuration prompt. Turn on launch at startup if you want it always on, and try the defaults before enabling multihop or obfuscation so you have a baseline speed to compare. ## Pros - No email or personal data at signup, just a random 16 digit number - Flat 5 euros a month with no multi year pricing games and no upsell tiers - Cash and Monero accepted for anonymous payment - Open source macOS client that runs natively on Apple Silicon - DAITA, multihop and quantum resistant options for users who want them ## Cons - Does not chase streaming catalog unblocking as a feature; many services may still block it - Fewer servers and countries than the big marketing led VPNs, about 700 to 800 in 40 countries - Five simultaneous connections per account, less than some competitors - Email only support, no live chat - No password manager, storage or other suite extras included ## Deep Dive: Mullvad's Privacy-First Architecture One price, one feature set, as little identity as possible. That is still the whole strategy in 2026. In a market where monthly prices are often sticker prices for two year plans, Mullvad keeps competing on whether you trust the tunnel and the client, not on how good the coupon looks. ## FAQ ### How much does Mullvad cost in 2026? €5 per month flat, whether you buy one month or longer blocks. No free plan and no premium upsell tier. ### Do I need an email to sign up? No. Mullvad generates a random 16-digit account number. Keep it safe; it is your login. ### How many devices can I use? Up to five simultaneous device connections per account. ### Which macOS versions are supported? The current app lists macOS Sonoma (14) or later. Download 2026.3 from mullvad.net. ### Is Mullvad open source? Yes. the apps are open source on GitHub, and the company publishes audits and transparency materials. ### Does Mullvad log traffic? Mullvad’s published no-logging policy states it does not log user activity; verify the latest policy text on mullvad.net. ### Mullvad vs Proton VPN vs NordVPN? Mullvad wins on anonymous accounts and simple pricing. Proton adds a broader privacy suite and free tier. NordVPN competes on server count and marketing bundles. Choose based on whether anonymity simplicity or extras matter more. ### Can I pay with cash or crypto? Yes. Cash by post and various cryptocurrencies are supported alongside conventional methods. ### Does it work on Apple Silicon? Yes. The native macOS app runs on Apple Silicon Macs. ### Is there a free trial? There is no traditional free tier; you add time to an anonymous account when ready. Time can be purchased in small increments. ## Sources - [Mullvad VPN for macOS download](https://mullvad.net/en/download/vpn/macos) - [Mullvad VPN home](https://mullvad.net/en) - [Mullvad VPN Review 2026](https://www.security.org/vpn/mullvad/) - [PCMag Mullvad review](https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/mullvad-vpn) - [Install Mullvad on macOS](https://mullvad.net/en/help/install-and-use-mullvad-app-macos) - [mullvad/mullvadvpn-app](https://github.com/mullvad/mullvadvpn-app) - [Mullvad VPN on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mullvad-vpn/id1488466513) ## Related - [1Password](https://bundl.run/apps/1password) - [Tailscale](https://bundl.run/apps/tailscale-app) - [ZeroTier](https://bundl.run/apps/zerotier-one) - [Bitwarden](https://bundl.run/apps/bitwarden) - [KeePassXC](https://bundl.run/apps/keepassxc) - [ExpressVPN](https://bundl.run/apps/expressvpn) - [Mullvad VPN vs NordVPN](https://bundl.run/compare/mullvad-vs-nordvpn) - [Mullvad VPN vs ProtonVPN](https://bundl.run/compare/protonvpn-vs-mullvad) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://bundl.run/#organization", "name": "Bundl.run", "url": "https://bundl.run", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://bundl.run/og-image.png", "width": 1200, "height": 630 }, "description": "The Ninite for Mac. 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