Brandwave

How popular isMullvad?

In September 2026, people searched for Mullvad by name about 246,000 times worldwide, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 6.2% of all global VPN service searches, placing Mullvad fifth out of six services. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about VPN services, Mullvad appeared in all answers and was the third most recommended of the six.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Mullvad is the fifth most searched of 6 competitors and the third most recommended in AI answers.

  1. NordVPNShare of searches 46.3%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. SurfsharkShare of searches 17%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  3. ExpressVPNShare of searches 13.9%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  4. WindscribeShare of searches 11.4%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  5. MullvadShare of searches 6.2%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd

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Top VPN services in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Mullvad appeared in all five answers. Mullvad is the third most recommended of the six.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. NordVPN1st
  2. Surfshark2nd
  3. Mullvad3rd
  4. Windscribe4th
  5. ExpressVPN5th
  6. CyberGhost–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • NordVPN5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Mullvad5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Surfshark4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • ExpressVPN2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Windscribe2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • CyberGhost0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about VPN services

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Which VPN services compete with Mullvad?

Mullvad against VPN services worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for NordVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN, Windscribe, Mullvad, CyberGhost. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthNordVPNSurfsharkExpressVPNWindscribeMullvadCyberGhost
Oct 202548%17.6%17.6%7.9%5.3%3.5%
Nov 202549.6%18.2%14.9%8.2%5.4%3.7%
Dec 202547.5%17.4%17.4%7.8%6.4%3.5%
Jan 202647.2%17.3%17.3%9.5%5.2%3.5%
Feb 202651.7%15.5%15.5%8.5%5.7%3.1%
Mar 202647.8%17.5%17.5%7.8%6.4%2.9%
Apr 202646.9%17.3%17.3%9.4%6.3%2.8%
May 202648.5%17.8%14.6%9.7%6.5%2.9%
Jun 202646.6%17.1%17.1%9.4%6.3%3.4%
Jul 202650.1%15.1%15.1%10.1%6.7%3%
Aug 202650.4%15.1%15.1%10.1%6.8%2.5%
Sep 202646.3%17%13.9%11.4%6.2%5.1%

  1. 1.NordVPN

    46.3%

    Held 1st. 1.8M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -4 points.

  2. 2.Surfshark

    17%

    Moved from 3rd to 2nd. 673K estimated branded searches, +22.4% vs prior month. Share +1.9 points.

  3. 3.ExpressVPN

    13.9%

    Moved from 2nd to 3rd. 550K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.2 points.

  4. 4.Windscribe

    11.4%

    Held 4th. 450K estimated branded searches, +22.3% vs prior month. Share +1.3 points.

  5. 5.Mullvad

    6.2%

    Held 5th. 246K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.5 points.

  6. 6.CyberGhost

    5.1%

    Held 6th. 201K estimated branded searches, +122.1% vs prior month. Share +2.6 points.

Compare popularity between Mullvad and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Mullvad

5 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Mullvad changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Mullvad worldwide held steady at 246K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Mullvad’s share of searches among VPN services worldwide increased from 5.3% to 6.2%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Mullvad’s share of searches among VPN services worldwide peaked at 6.8% in August 2026 and was lowest at 5.2% in January 2026.

How did search popularity change for VPN services worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Surfshark overtook ExpressVPN to rank 2nd among VPN services worldwide, with 17% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, CyberGhost gained share of searches among VPN services worldwide, from 2.5% to 5.1%.

  3. In September 2026, Windscribe gained share of searches among VPN services worldwide, from 10.1% to 11.4%.

  4. In September 2026, NordVPN lost share of searches among VPN services worldwide, from 50.4% to 46.3%.

  5. In September 2026, ExpressVPN lost share of searches among VPN services worldwide, from 15.1% to 13.9%.

  6. In September 2026, Mullvad lost share of searches among VPN services worldwide, from 6.8% to 6.2%.

How are Mullvad’s branded searches counted?

1 search term

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Mullvad’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • mullvad

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How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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