- Mullvad has released a new Rust-based WireGuard implementation
- “GotaTun” replaces previous software to improve stability and speed
- Mullvad will completely stop supporting the OpenVPN protocol on January 15, 2026
If you’re looking for the best VPN for privacy, chances are Mullvad has already crossed your radar. Known for its strict no-logging policy and anonymous registration process, the Swedish provider is now making major changes 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 seem like a backend technicality, the real-world benefits for users are substantial: better performance, longer battery life on mobile devices, and significantly fewer app crashes.
The move marks a major departure from the widely used “wireguard-go” software that has powered Mullvad apps (and many other VPNs) for years. By switching to its own Rust-based solution, Mullvad is not only future-proofing its service, it is also clearing the way for a major transition in 2026: the complete retirement of the OpenVPN protocol.
Why ‘GotaTun’ changes the game
Until now, Mullvad mobile applications 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 bugs” reported in its Android app arose directly from this clash between programming languages.
That’s where GotaTun comes in. GotaTun, derived from Cloudflare’s “BoringTun” project, is a purpose-built library that integrates seamlessly with existing Mullvad code.
GotaTun is a WireGuard® implementation written in Rust intended to be 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/259UgRtTmsDecember 19, 2025
The results of the change have been immediate. Since GotaTun was released for 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, GotaTun has not caused a single accident,” the team noted, adding that users are already reporting “better speeds and lower battery usage.”
Beyond stability, the move to Rust enables “memory safety” and “zero-copy memory strategies”—technical terms that essentially translate into a faster, more secure, and efficient VPN experience that consumes less power on your phone.
Mullvad’s move to Rust echoes a similar move by ExpressVPN, which completely rebuilt its Lightway protocol in Rust earlier in the year.
Preparing for a WireGuard-only future
This technical review is part of a broader strategy. Mullvad is currently in the process of phasing out the old OpenVPN protocol entirely to focus its resources on WireGuard.
The company has set a firm deadline: January 15, 2026. On this date, support for OpenVPN will be removed from all servers and applications.
By consolidating its efforts into a single, modern protocol like WireGuard, and now owning its own implementation with GotaTun, Mullvad can iterate faster. The new engine already supports advanced privacy features such as DAITA (which defends against traffic analysis attacks) and Multihop out of the box.
While GotaTun is currently available for Android users (version 2025.10 and later), 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 scheduled for early next year, ensuring the move to Rust maintains the vendor’s high security standards.
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