Mullvad VPN: privacy is a universal right vs Rethink: DNS + Firewall + VPN
Side-by-side comparison of two open source alternatives
Mullvad VPN: privacy is a universal right
Free the internet from data collection with Mullvad VPN – a service that helps keep your online activity, identity, and location private. Only €5/month. Get started 1. Install the app. 2. Create an account. 3. Add time to your account via our website or vouchers. To make sure to block third-party cookies and other tracking technologies – use Mullvad VPN together with Mullvad Browser (free of charge). ANONYMOUS ACCOUNTS – NO ACTIVITY LOGS • Creating an account requires no personal info - not even an email address. • We keep no activity logs. • We offer the possibility to pay anonymously with cash or cryptocurrency. • Bypass geographical restrictions with our global network of VPN servers. • Our app uses WireGuard, a superior VPN protocol that connects fast and doesn’t drain your battery. HOW DOES MULLVAD VPN WORK? With Mullvad VPN, your traffic travels through an encrypted tunnel to one of our VPN servers and then onward to the website you are visiting. In this way, websites will only see our server’s identity instead of yours. Same goes for your ISP (internet service provider); they’ll see that you’re connected to Mullvad, but not your activity. It also means that all the third-party actors with technology integrated into the various websites you visit can’t sniff out your IP address and use it to track you from one site to another. Using a trustworthy VPN is a great first step to reclaim your privacy online. In combination with Mullvad Browser you make sure to block third-party cookies and other tracking technologies. FREE THE INTERNET FROM MASS SURVEILLANCE AND DATA COLLECTION A free and open society is a society where people have the right to privacy. That’s why we fight for a free internet. Free from mass surveillance and censorship. Free from big data markets where your personal information is up for sale. Free from authorities mass monitoring every click you make. Free from an infrastructure mapping your whole life. Mullvad VPN and Mullvad Browser is our contribution to the fight. TELEMETRY AND CRASH REPORTS The app collects a very minimal amount of telemetry, and it does not in any way tie it to an account number, IP or other identifiable information. Account numbers are used for authentication. App logs are never sent automatically but are rather explicitly sent by the user. App version checks are performed every 24 hours to tell the app if there are any upgrades available and if the currently running version is still supported. If the split tunneling feature is used, then the app queries your system for a list of all installed applications. This list is only retrieved in the split tunneling view. The list of installed applications is never sent from the device.
Rethink: DNS + Firewall + VPN
Say hello to a safer, transparent, and secure Android. VPN: Connects to multiple WireGuard VPNs of your choice. Safe: Reveals network activity of installed apps and lets you disable, uninstall, or firewall them. Secure: First line of defense against spyware, ransomware, and malware that steal personal information and takeover accounts. Protects from DNS manipulation typically employed to censor websites, social media, and messaging apps. Fast: DNS Servers deployed to 300+ locations world-wide to ensure your internet is as fast and highly available as it can be. Open: Open source and free of any trackers. ***Features*** Firewall: Prevent apps from connecting to the Internet. Block spyware, malware, ransomware and more. A firewall blocks any app connecting to the Internet over WiFi or Mobile data. Since most forms of surveillance require the data to be sent the network to a server, firewalling them effectively mitigates the threat (File Managers, Alarm Clock, Calculator are few such examples of apps that do not require any Internet access to function). The firewall feature uses Accessibility Service to detect and firewall background applications. Monitoring: Keep tabs on incoming and outgoing Internet traffic. If enabled, the connectivity logs are collected and analyzed. Automated reports flag previously unknown or suspicious connections, and reveal the extent of attempt to steal data by spyware networks. In our tests, around 60% of the traffic is flagged and reported as being initiated by known spyware. Logs generated are made available in near-real time to the user for their own analysis. WireGuard: Secure outgoing Internet traffic. The app uses fast, modern, light-weight, and secure WireGuard protocol to encrypt outgoing connections to any compatible VPN provider of your choice. Anti-censorship: The app encrypts your internet connection to Domain Name System (DNS) server run by Rethink with presence in our 300+ locations world-wide. DNS servers are the address book of the internet: A DNS server provides the exact addresses you need to visit a website or open an app. Data Monitor: Track per-app and per-connection Mobile or WiFi data usage.
| Feature | Mullvad VPN: privacy is a universal right | Rethink: DNS + Firewall + VPN |
|---|---|---|
| License | GPL-3.0-or-later | Apache-2.0 |
| Install sources | DirectF-DroidGitHub | F-DroidGitHub |
| Categories | Password ManagerVPNProductivityMessagingBrowser | Password ManagerVPNFirewallDev ToolsMessagingBrowser |
| Features | Ad-FreeOpen SourceNo Tracking | Ad-FreeOpen SourceNo Tracking |
| Platforms | Android | Android |
| Website | ||
| Source code |