Looking for a new VPN for your cell phone?Mozilla released a beta version of its Firefox VPN Android app this week. It promises to be a fast and fairly inexpensive service, but there are a few catches.

The first is that even if you install the Firefox VPN app, you still can't use it: like the Windows 10 version of the VPN software announced in December, you must be on the Firefox VPN waiting list. Chromebooks are also supported. Chromebooks are supported, but support for Mac, iOS, and Linux is still in development.

Access to the Firefox VPN service is only available after receiving an invitation, is currently limited to US residents (another catch), and costs $4.99 per month during the beta testing period. However, you no longer need to already have a Firefox account, which was required for the December waiting list.

The VPN complements Firefox's Private Network service, which began beta testing in September, by routing all desktop browser traffic through the back-end network of Internet services company Cloudflare routed through the back-end network of Internet services company Cloudflare.

Private Network protects only Firefox browser traffic, since it does not protect data exchanged with email clients, other browsers, iTunes, or anything else that might access the Internet on your machine, It is not a VPN in the true sense of the word. However, it is great to use if you are traveling abroad and need to check your e-mail at the airport or hotel.

Now, here's the nice thing: Firefox VPN is powered by Mullvad, a Swedish company that is one of the most privacy-conscious consumer VPN providers we've seen. Firefox is a company whose VPN mentions that it can access servers in "over 30 countries," which suggests that it uses most or all of Mullvad's global network.

Mullvad is also one of the first consumer VPN providers to extensively use WireGuard, the next best VPN protocol, although Mullvad also uses OpenVPN and the IKEv2/IPsec protocol, which are fine, Firefox VPN uses only WireGuard.

The downside to using Mullvad is that there is no official Android or iOS client app yet. You have to download and install a third-party open source OpenVPN or (in the case of Android) WireGuard app, visit the Mullvad site, generate a configuration file, download it to your phone and open it in the app. It's easier than it sounds, but still tedious.

Firefox VPN gets around that with its Android app, saving a bit of hassle; the Mullvad Android WireGuard app is available as a beta release, but it must be sideloaded.

Mullvad accepts payments in cash as well as credit cards, gift cards, and cryptocurrencies, and is famous for not requiring users to have a username, email address, and password to access the network. All that is required is an account number, which Mullvad randomly assigns upon signing up for the service.

Firefox VPN invitations have not yet been received, so it remains to be seen if cash payment is also possible. Also, Firefox VPN's waiting list is already less private than Mullvad's, as it requires signing up with an email address.

However, the $5/month price of the Firefox beta is a bit cheaper than Mullvad's €5/month ($5.40 at today's exchange rate).

€5 or $5 per month is very cheap for a consumer VPN service, but unlike most other VPN providers, Mullvad does not offer discounts if you sign up for a year or more in bulk.

It remains to be seen if Mozilla will offer a discount, but we expect the service to eventually cost at least $5 per month. Similarly, the Firefox Private Network browser proxy is free to use for up to 12 hours per month if you have a Firefox account, but may end up costing money in the long run.