VPN: migration dry-run for “mullvad” — prove switching cost before lock-in

Fails that kill annual lock-in

• Export from NordVPN/Surfshark is incomplete or vendor-only encrypted.
• Import into ExpressVPN requires paid consulting.
• “cheap vpn service” never becomes a migration checklist.
• Dry-run exceeds 2h without a usable file.

Migration go / no-go

Consider annual on pick-best-vpn only with a green dry-run. Otherwise stay monthly.

Compare VPN revisits when “mullvad” or “free vpn” change the data format.

Kit: export, offline screenshot, dry-run timer, migration owner, sentence tying “nordvpn” to switching cost.

Compare VPN (pick-best-vpn) treats “mullvad” as a reason for a migration dry-run — not to lock annual VPN without a data-exit proof.

Signals (“free vpn”, “nordvpn”, “cheap vpn service”) only count after exporting from NordVPN and reopening on Surfshark/ExpressVPN without the old vendor login.

Goal: within <=2h prove the switching cost is acceptable.

Migration dry-run for VPN

call latency. Time jitter across a 15-minute meeting with the tunnel on on NordVPN; store the file on a team drive.

streaming list. Open the title you actually watch, not the homepage demo on Surfshark using only the export — no opaque magic import.

no-logs policy. Download the audit pdf and write the date, not the slogan on ExpressVPN. If it needs CS, the dry-run fails.

Three paths a team runs in Modesto

A ops head in Modesto exported from NordVPN, imported into Surfshark, and kept ExpressVPN as control with 2 seats.

Ceiling ~$209/month. No offline export → stay monthly.

Dry-run sheet (fill in)

Step	NordVPN	Surfshark	ExpressVPN
Full export
Opens offline
call latency
streaming list
no-logs policy
Total time (h <= 2)
Broken fields

NordVPN, Surfshark, and ExpressVPN in the rehearsal

NordVPN only passes “mullvad” hype if the export opens without the SaaS.

Surfshark shows near “free vpn”; measure a real import, not the tour.

Keep ExpressVPN ready to freeze the shortlist if field mapping fails.

On pick-best-vpn, if “mullvad” cannot survive a migration dry-run on NordVPN in 2h, Compare VPN ignores it as VPN noise.

On pick-best-vpn, if “free vpn” cannot survive a migration dry-run on Surfshark in 2h, Compare VPN ignores it as VPN noise.

On pick-best-vpn, if “nordvpn” cannot survive a migration dry-run on ExpressVPN in 2h, Compare VPN ignores it as VPN noise.

On pick-best-vpn, if “cheap vpn service” cannot survive a migration dry-run on NordVPN in 2h, Compare VPN ignores it as VPN noise.

On pick-best-vpn, if “cheap vpn reddit” cannot survive a migration dry-run on Surfshark in 2h, Compare VPN ignores it as VPN noise.

On pick-best-vpn, if “buy cheap vpn” cannot survive a migration dry-run on ExpressVPN in 2h, Compare VPN ignores it as VPN noise.

On pick-best-vpn, if “cheap vpn services” cannot survive a migration dry-run on NordVPN in 2h, Compare VPN ignores it as VPN noise.

On pick-best-vpn, if “good cheap vpn” cannot survive a migration dry-run on Surfshark in 2h, Compare VPN ignores it as VPN noise.

On pick-best-vpn, if “best cheap vpn reddit” cannot survive a migration dry-run on ExpressVPN in 2h, Compare VPN ignores it as VPN noise.

On pick-best-vpn, if “best vpn for streaming reddit” cannot survive a migration dry-run on NordVPN in 2h, Compare VPN ignores it as VPN noise.

On pick-best-vpn, if “best vpn for streaming” cannot survive a migration dry-run on Surfshark in 2h, Compare VPN ignores it as VPN noise.

On pick-best-vpn, if “free vpn for streaming” cannot survive a migration dry-run on ExpressVPN in 2h, Compare VPN ignores it as VPN noise.

Compare VPN · pick-best-vpn: migration dry-run for “mullvad” on NordVPN/Surfshark/ExpressVPN before annual VPN.

pick-best-vpn-migration-dry-run-2026-08-12 proof 1: in Spokane, a vendor owner ran call latency on NordVPN (time jitter across a 15-minute meeting with the tunnel on) and filed VPN in 46 min. Compare VPN does not reuse pick-best-vpn-migration-dry-run-2026-08-12 on another pick-best-vpn date.

pick-best-vpn-migration-dry-run-2026-08-12 proof 2: in Spokane, a vendor owner ran streaming list on Surfshark (open the title you actually watch, not the homepage demo) and filed VPN in 47 min. Compare VPN does not reuse pick-best-vpn-migration-dry-run-2026-08-12 on another pick-best-vpn date.