Tools · Chapter 6
VPN Providers
Six providers by jurisdiction and audit status — including the ones to avoid.
| Provider | Jurisdiction | Audit | My verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mullvad | Sweden | Multiple independent audits | My top recommendation. Accepts cash and Monero. No account required — you pay with a randomly generated account number. The most privacy-respecting VPN provider I've evaluated. |
| ProtonVPN | Switzerland | Independent audit | Owned by the same company as Proton Mail. Swiss privacy law, open source clients, strong track record. Good choice if you're already in the Proton ecosystem. |
| IVPN | Gibraltar | Independent audit | Small, privacy-focused team. No marketing nonsense. Accepts cash and crypto. Excellent transparency reports. |
| ExpressVPN | British Virgin Islands | Partial audit | Widely recommended but acquired by Kape Technologies, which has a murky past. Not my first choice despite its reputation. |
| NordVPN | Panama | Partial audit | Had a server breach in 2018 that was not disclosed promptly. Large marketing budget. Acceptable but better options exist. |
| Any free VPN | Varies | Rarely | Do not use a free VPN for privacy. The business model requires monetising your data — which is exactly what you're trying to protect. |
Reproduced verbatim from The Privacy Diet, Chapter 6 — “Recommended Providers”. The book explains the reasoning behind each verdict.