Mozilla VPN: Fast, Private, and Easy to Use—but Weak for Streaming and Limited on Devices

It’s common for large tech brands to rent servers from, or rely on, dedicated VPN providers. In most cases, their logging policies are straightforward. Mozilla VPN’s approach is a bit more nuanced.

Because Mozilla operates independently but uses Mullvad’s server network and technology, its logging policy blends elements from both companies.

We asked Mozilla to clarify how data collection and logging work for Mozilla VPN users, and it provided clear guidance. We’ve summarized that information in the table below:

Our main concern was that Mozilla’s standard privacy policy would apply to VPN users. However, while that data is collected when you create a Mozilla account (which is required to use the VPN), it is not linked to your Mozilla VPN usage.

The only personal data Mozilla VPN ties to your usage is basic device information, such as model and operating system.

All Mozilla VPN usage data is handled and processed by Mullvad. As we noted in our review of Mullvad VPN, it follows an exceptional no-logs policy.

You can trust Mullvad to respect your privacy, with virtually no data logged across its global server network.

US & Swedish jurisdictions are poor choices

Our main concern with the two logging policies is the jurisdictions of the companies involved.

Mozilla is incorporated in the US, while Mullvad is based in Sweden. The US is one of the worst countries for online privacy and is part of the intrusive Five Eyes Alliance.

Sweden isn’t as problematic as the US, but it is an EU member and participates in various international data-sharing agreements.

The good news is that, with so little data logged, these jurisdictions are unlikely to pose a real risk. They’re still worth noting, but they’re a minor factor.

Mozilla VPN’s ability to unblock streaming libraries is tied to Mullvad’s infrastructure, which it relies on. While Mullvad is a solid VPN in many ways, it performs poorly for streaming—and Mozilla VPN does too as a result.

The good news is that we were able to unblock HBO Max, a top US streaming service with lots of exclusive content. We connected to Mozilla VPN’s US – Raleigh server, and it streamed right away.

We also managed to watch the UK streaming service All 4 by using the United Kingdom – Manchester server.

Beyond those two, Mozilla VPN’s streaming support is very limited. Every other major service we tried either blocked access immediately or wouldn’t even allow us to log in.

A good streaming VPN should unblock many platforms and multiple Netflix libraries worldwide to maximize content access. ExpressVPN is the best option for streaming—it unblocks 10 Netflix libraries, BBC iPlayer, and more.

We connected to Mozilla VPN servers in nine cities across six continents. We ran our tests on a 100Mbps internet connection, which is a typical home internet speed.

Here’s a table showing the results of our Mozilla VPN speed tests:

When connected to a nearby server in New York, US, Mozilla VPN loses just 3% of download speed — this is very good. You’ll barely notice any change to your internet speeds when connected to a nearby server.

It also performed very well in distant locations like the US West Coast and Germany, and when connected to a server in neighboring Canada, downloads slowed by an indistinguishable 1%.

When Mozilla VPN is running at its peak, it comes close to the fastest VPNs on the market. During multiple tests over an extended period, we noticed some fluctuations, but nothing serious.

Mozilla VPN delivers impressive upload and download speeds worldwide. This is partly due to its exclusive use of WireGuard, one of the fastest VPN protocols available.

We also want to credit Mozilla VPN for its quick connection times. Establishing a connection takes no longer than a split second after you click the Connect button — it’s one of the most consistently fast we’ve tested.

You can torrent on all 674 Mozilla VPN servers without data limits or throttling. We verified in testing that the kill switch works properly (even though you can’t toggle it on or off in the app), so you don’t need to worry about your IP address being exposed if the connection drops.

The main issue when torrenting with Mozilla VPN is highly inconsistent speeds. Our test file downloads at 10.0 MiB/s without a VPN. One set of four tests with Mozilla VPN enabled averaged almost 9.5 MiB/s—fast enough to rank among the quickest VPNs we’ve tried.

However, a later set of tests averaged a much slower 5.1 MiB/s. We tried multiple tweaks to regain the initial high speeds, but nothing worked.

You might get lucky and consistently see the faster results, but we view them as an exception rather than the norm.

Mozilla VPN’s other drawback for torrenting is the lack of port forwarding, which isn’t available on any platform. If you want a more technical VPN with broader features and excellent speeds, our AirVPN review found it to be an excellent choice.

Double VPN (called multi-hop in the Mozilla VPN app) routes your device’s web traffic through two servers instead of one.

This setup makes your traffic harder to track and can increase your privacy. It may reduce speed, though, because your data passes through an extra location before reaching its destination.

Mozilla VPN’s multi-hop is impressive because it doesn’t restrict you to a few entry or exit nodes—almost the entire server network is available at both stages.

If you’re curious how it works and why you might use it, we have a complete guide that explains Double VPN (multi-hop) and how routing traffic through two servers enhances privacy.

One of Mozilla’s useful extras is custom DNS, which lets you choose ad-blocking servers, tracker-blocking servers, both at once, or a custom DNS of your choice (such as Google or Cloudflare).

The ad and tracker blockers work well overall, but they won’t catch everything. That’s common among VPN-based ad blockers, as our in-depth testing on whether VPNs actually block ads shows.

Mozilla VPN also offers split tunneling, but only on Windows and Android. It’s not labeled that way in the app. To find it, go to Settings > App permissions and toggle Protect all apps with VPN to Off.

You can then choose which apps will travel outside the encrypted VPN tunnel.