this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2026
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I am not a lover or hater of proton. I just know that for my needs and desires mullvad checks all boxes. Their VPN infrastructure is diskless (source: https://mullvad.net/en/blog/we-have-successfully-completed-our-migration-to-ram-only-vpn-infrastructure) and the ability to pay with cash. And the fact your account is just a number and no need for entering in other identifiable info. Add in 5he fact I can get OpenVPN config files or Wireguard config files directly exported so I dont have a need for another piece of software I dont need.
Where as protons VPN client if I am not mistaken is locked behind their proprietary software for connection.
I absolutely see the value in other things they offer, as I was investigating paying for email through them. But I just haven't done it.
Vpns aren't a silver bullet. They have their use case. I just know i have to have trust in the company in using their service. ~~And with the cooperation with law enforcement proton has stated to do; I am not going to use that offering.~~ And not sure if that is standard for VPNs these days though I like that idea.
For the other service offerings they have, I self host what I need.
--Edit: struck through something I believed but could not find the source on it I was sure I had read. By no means do I want to spread misinformation. Apologies.
Yeah, I do wish proton was more open about their tech. I do know that proton allows you to make free accounts without giving them identifiable info (which makes them a popular choice for scammers, which is annoying when services just block their email domain thinking it's always nefarious). I don't recall what the payment options are, but I'd be surprised if they didn't have any crypto/anonymous ways to pay.
I still haven't made use of the proton VPN, mostly because, yeah, I don't care for running a proprietary client for something like that, but also the last time I looked into it they did offer wireguard configs that would do the same thing. The client is just intended to be a familiar cross platform interface. No idea about this Stealth mode protocol, though. Seems like that would have to be run locally.
If you do pay for their email, I recommend bringing your own domain. 99% of the time the
proton.medomain works fine, but for the 1% of the time when a system has a problem, it does make me wonder if there's somewhere in their system blacklisting their domain.I'm curious what statements you're referring to. For a company to continue operating, they have to comply with local law enforcement to the extent the law requires. They don't have a choice. If you asked mullvad, they would say the same. But the point of all these services is that they (claim to) do their best to not keep any records by design, so that when law enforcement comes with a subpoena, they have as little as possible to hand over in cooperation. But yeah, as you said, at the end of the day we just have to trust that that's how they operate.
I also wish they were open with their tech. That is true; and would be hard to protect against it without outright blocking proton as a whole for sign-ups.
I aim to go as open as I can with everything. I know it's not feasible to go 100% with some niche needs I have. So I just aim to use as much open tech as possible because it aligns with what I believe.
Absolutely was going to bring my own domain if I go down the proton route.
I will retract my statement on law enforcement; I couldn't find any of the sources I thought I had on there being words about law enforcement cooperation. I will absolutely not push a false narrative; so thank you for pointing that out. If I do find what I thought I remembered seeing info on, I will update my comment/replies.
Ultimately it doesn't matter how well a software can protect your information/data, etc; if the company/entity using it doesn't value what privacy/safety/security.
And ultimately, I am not a a defacto source on what others should do. That should be up to the individual based on their goals.
Not trying to convince you to jump ship, your reasons for using mullvad seem sound, but I wanted to mention you can also export OpenVPN Configs from proton too. You're not locked to the app.
Good they offer that. I dont believe on brand loyalty. So keeping options open in accordance to my beliefs is the way I go typically.