Verdict
Higher trust score: Mullvad
Based on our trust scoring, Mullvad comes out ahead of SmsActivate (9.4 vs 8.0). The gap reflects differences in KYC stance, custody model and operational track record.
Note: Scores are our independent assessment. Both services have valid use cases — read each detail page before deciding.
Score breakdown
Overall /10
Mullvad
9.4
Good
SmsActivate
8.0
Good
Privacy /100
Mullvad
100
Good
SmsActivate
52
Average
Trust /100
Mullvad
96
Good
SmsActivate
85
Good
Side by side
KYC level
L1Anonymous
L2Discreet
Tagline
Swedish VPN with a 16-digit anonymous account number — no email, no personal data — accepting Monero, Bitcoin, Lightning and cash by mail, with a 2023 police raid that produced zero customer data.
Virtual numbers for SMS verification, 7–30-day rentals and 4G/5G mobile proxies. An international catalogue, carrier selection and payment in Bitcoin, Monero, Ethereum or USDT.
Jurisdiction
Sweden
—
Founded
2009
—
Tor / .onion
Available
No
Categories
VPN, Privacy
SMS, Proxy store, Privacy
Feature comparison 13
Mullvad
SmsActivate
Bitcoin (BTC)
Accepts Monero (XMR)
Cash
—
Non-custodial
—
Open source
—
Tor (.onion) available
—
Lightning Network
—
Mobile app
—
Web app
Available worldwide
Custodial
—
Requires email
—
Logs IP addresses
—
Read the full reviews
The side-by-side covers the headlines — the detail pages walk through every claim and citation.