- Mullvad has launched a new Rust-based WireGuard implementation
- “GotaTun” replaces the older software to improve stability and speed
- Mullvad is set to drop support for the OpenVPN protocol entirely on January 15, 2026
If you’re looking for the best VPN for privacy, Mullvad has probably already crossed your radar. The Swedish provider, known for its strict no-logging policy and anonymous sign-up process, is now making significant changes under the hood to make its service faster and more reliable.
Mullvad has announced the release of “GotaTun”, a new custom implementation of the WireGuard protocol written in the Rust programming language. While this may sound like a backend technique, the real-world benefits for users are significant: better performance, longer mobile battery life, and significantly fewer app crashes.
The move marks a major shift away from the widely used “wireguard-go” software that has powered Mullvad’s apps (and many other VPNs) for years. By switching to its own Rust-based solution, Mullvad is not only future-proofing its service, but also preparing for a major transition in 2026: the complete retirement of OpenVPN protocol.
Why ‘GotaTun’ is changing the game
Until now, Mullvad’s mobile apps have relied on “wireguard-go” to handle connections. While functional, mixing this Go-based code with Mullvad’s primarily Rust-based app structure caused friction. IN in a recent blog post, the company revealed that “more than 85% of all crashes” reported on its Android app stemmed directly from this clash of programming languages.
This is where GotaTun comes in. Forked from Cloudflare’s “BoringTun” project, GotaTun is a custom-built library that integrates seamlessly with Mullvad’s existing code.
GotaTun is a WireGuard® implementation written in Rust with the goal of being fast, efficient and reliable. Now available to all Android users, we aim to ship it to the remaining platforms next year. Read more here: https://t.co/259UgRtTms19 December 2025
The results of the switch have been immediate. Since the rollout of GotaTun to Android users in late November 2025, Mullvad reports that the user-perceived crash rate dropped from 0.40% to a paltry 0.01%. “So far, not a single crash has stemmed from GotaTun,” the team noted, adding that users are already reporting “better speeds and lower battery consumption.”
In addition to stability, the switch to Rust allows for “memory safety” and “zero copy memory strategies,” technical terms that essentially translate to a faster, more secure, and efficient VPN experience that drains less power on your phone.
Mullvad’s move to Rust mirrors a similar move by ExpressVPN, which completely rebuilt its Lightway protocol in Rust at the beginning of the year.
Preparing for a WireGuard-only future
This technical overhaul is part of a wider strategy. Mole wad is currently in the process of phasing out the legacy OpenVPN protocol entirely to focus its resources on WireGuard.
The company has set a firm deadline: January 15, 2026. On this date, OpenVPN support will be removed from all servers and apps.
By consolidating its efforts into a single, modern protocol like WireGuard, and now owning its own implementation of it with GotaTun, Mullvad can iterate faster. The new engine already supports advanced privacy features like DAITA (which defends against traffic analysis attacks) and Multihop out of the box.
While GotaTun is currently live for Android users (version 2025.10 and above), Mullvad plans to bring the new engine to desktop and iOS platforms throughout 2026. A third-party security audit of the new code is also planned for early next year, ensuring that the switch to Rust maintains the provider’s high security standards.
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