Mullvad vs Linode

According to Mullvad, they retain no traffic information or metadata. Here is their statement in 2014 when inquired by TorrentFreak if they store any logs that would enable linking an IP address and a timestamp to a user:

No. This would make both us and our users more vulnerable so we
certainly don’t. To make it harder to watch the activities of an IP address from the outside we also have many users share each address, both for IPv4 and our upcoming IPv6 support.

When signing up, a sufficiently long random number is assigned and given to you which serves as both username and password, without any need to provide a name or e-mail address or any other identifying information.

Mullvad allows using any and all protocols that the user wishes, no traffic is restricted.

Bitcoin, cash, bank transfers, PayPal, credit cards are accepted.

In the event of a DNS leak, not all traffic is routed through a secure network. Mullvad helps solve this issue by offering DNS leak protection.

WireGuard is an extremely simple yet fast and modern open-source VPN program built using the latest cryptography. It's faster, simpler, leaner, and more useful than both IPSec and OpenVPN.

It's possible to set up the software to disconnect from Internet in case the connection to the VPN service is lost to not expose traffic in case of service failures.

Mullvad operates out of Sweden, and so is not exposed to the same privacy-corresive laws as it would be if it were in the US or another “Five Eyes” country.

Allows hopping from one location to another for additional security. This is great because everything "hops" through multiple locations effectively providing an additional mask and making it harder to trace the route back to the source.

The platforms that Mullvad can run on include: Windows, OSX, Linux, Android, and iOS. Additionally, Mullvad offers a source code that allows the program to be run on virtually any system.

One of the things that makes Mullvad's free trial attractive is the lack of personal information asked to sign up. Once downloaded, the free trial lasts three hours.

Only 5 € by month with a 3 hours trial period.

Autogenerated account number, no email accepted.

Easy to set up Windows client.

Mullvad customer service is helpful and responds quickly.

You pay when you need it, at least for one month. No pushy salesmen model, you decide when you need it.

The VPN Client is both Open Source and Free Software (GPLv3), code can be reviewed at https://github.com/mullvad/mullvadvpn-app - issues can be reported at https://github.com/mullvad/mullvadvpn-app/issues

Linode's support is amazing. Tickets are usually answered within minutes, if there's a network or hardware issue it's usually resolved before anyone even notices.

If you mess things up in your Linode instance, for example with the filesystem or boot configuration, Linode allows you to run a recovery ISO so you can try and fix things yourself without relying on Linode's support team.

Their VPSs are very fast.

Linode allows you to create memory partitions and copy or move them around. Furthermore, it even lets you reboot your instance with smaller RAM in order to simulate how your application would act if your Linode instance gets downgraded.

The API gives access to nodes, nodebalancers, stackscripts, DNS, and accounts.

SDKs are available for Python, Perl, PHP, Ruby, Java, and Node.js.

Stack scripts gives you the chance to build a completely custom Linode stack with multiple custom features and options all run automatically and set up.

A new user interface is under development which will still keep the same level of power Linode offers but with a cleaner interface. Showing forward thinking and continued improvement.