What MUDFISH does

Mudfish Networks Inc. (branded MUDFISH) is a South Korea-domiciled, bootstrapped provider of network acceleration services aimed primarily at online gamers and, secondarily, streaming and privacy-conscious users. The company was founded in 2011 and operates a global relay network of 658 commercial nodes plus 1,022 free public nodes across 50+ countries. Its core product, Mudfish Cloud VPN, applies proprietary WAN Optimization techniques to TCP and UDP traffic, with differentiated features including Server Chain routing (traffic through two nodes) and Multi Path Mode (automatic first-node selection based on ping). The product is delivered across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome, Firefox, OpenWRT, WSL, Steam Deck, and OVA virtual-machine images, with browser-extension and mobile-app variants.

MUDFISH monetizes via a usage-based Pay Per Traffic model (starting at $0.01 USD/month) and monthly subscription tiers, both transacted through a Mudfish Credits virtual-currency system. The company also operates Mudfish GDN, a Game Delivery Network relay-server service priced at 490 KRW/month per relay plus 135 KRW/GB of traffic; Mudfish DNS Client for encrypted DNS; HTTP/SOCKS proxy endpoints; Mudfish AdClean (ad blocking); Muddog (free VPN); and Mudcat (port sharing). GTM is product-led and fully self-serve, with documentation, user-contributed wiki, and a community forum as the primary acquisition and support surfaces; payments are processed through PayPal and Apple In-App Purchase, with refund handling routed through an individual Gmail/Nate email rather than a corporate ticketing system.

Headcount, revenue, ARR, ownership, and management team data are not publicly disclosed; the company has not raised external funding, does not have a parent or known acquirer, and is operating as a private, founder-controlled entity.

Name

MUDFISH

Legal name

Mudfish Networks Inc.

Website

https://mudfish.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Mudfish Networks Inc. is a South Korea-based, bootstrapped provider of network acceleration (WAN-optimization VPN) services for online gamers and streamers, offering pay-per-traffic and subscription access to 658 commercial relay nodes across 50+ countries via multi-platform clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Network Acceleration Software

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Network & Connectivity Optimization for Cloud Gaming (QoS, traffic shaping, game-focused ISPs/VPNs) (MPAFAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

WAN Optimization & Application Acceleration Services (HDAIAFAJ)

Keywords

• Network acceleration services
• Gaming VPN
• WAN optimization
• Streaming acceleration
• Proxy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Kayangdong

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Pay Per Traffic (PPT): Usage-based pricing where users pay based on the amount of traffic consumed through the VPN/proxy service. This is the primary revenue model with pricing starting at $0.01 USD/month minimum.
2. Subscription Plans: Monthly subscription plans with speed caps and included data allowances. Requires at least one paid item equipped to work properly.
3. Mudfish Credits: Virtual credit system used to purchase data plans and premium features. Credits can be purchased and are consumed based on usage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Mudfish Networks Inc. (MUDFISH) sells a consumer-focused network acceleration service branded as a Network Booster for Game/Streaming, delivered via downloadable VPN clients, mobile apps, and browser extensions. The service applies WAN Optimization techniques to make TCP and UDP connections more robust and faster, with specialized routing features (Server Chain, Multi Path Mode, game-traffic-only) plus standard VPN, HTTP/SOCKS proxy, and encrypted DNS capabilities.

Product overview

MUDFISH operates as a Network Booster platform offering Acceleration-as-a-Service primarily for gaming and streaming. The product portfolio centers on Mudfish Cloud VPN as the core service, complemented by mobile apps (Android/iOS) and browser extensions (Chrome/Firefox). Additional offerings include Mudfish DNS Client for encrypted DNS requests, Mudfish HTTP/SOCKS Proxy services for flexible proxy configurations, and Mudfish GDN (Game Delivery Network) for game server relay access. The ecosystem also includes utility tools like ping testing, image uploader, and text bin. The service distinguishes itself with specialized VPN features for gaming including server chain mode (two-node routing) and multi-path mode (ping-based automatic node selection), supporting a global network of approximately 658 commercial nodes and 1022 free public nodes across multiple cloud providers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mudfish Cloud VPN: Main VPN service for network acceleration with WAN optimization technology
• Mudfish Mobile App
• Mudfish Browser Extension
• Mudfish DNS Client
• Mudfish Adclean
• Mudcat
• Muddog
• Mudfish GDN

Products and services

• Mudfish Cloud VPN A network acceleration VPN service for gaming and streaming that applies WAN Optimization techniques to make TCP or UDP connections more robust and faster. Includes Server Chain mode (two-node routing) and Multi Path Mode (automatic ping-based node selection), game-traffic-only routing, full VPN, and HTTP/SOCKS proxy support. Targets individual gamers and streaming users.
• Mudfish Mobile App Mobile application for Android and iOS that delivers the Mudfish Cloud VPN network-acceleration experience on phones and tablets, including WAN-optimized routing and proxy features.
• Mudfish Browser Extension Browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that provides proxy services through Mudfish nodes. A separate product from Mudfish Cloud VPN but shares Mudfish Credits and data plans with the main service.
• Mudfish GDN (Game Delivery Network) Relay-server service allowing users to access game servers or other services through Mudfish relay servers, providing connection bypass for users with network issues. Pricing is 490 KRW per relay server per month plus 135 KRW per GB of traffic.
• Mudfish DNS Client Windows helper program that encrypts DNS requests and bypasses DNS poisoning using the WinDivert driver, allowing encrypted DNS without manual DNS configuration changes.
• Mudfish HTTP/SOCKS Proxy HTTP and SOCKS proxy service available on every Mudfish node, supporting HTTP, HTTPS, HTTP sslbump, and SOCKS v3/v4/v5 protocols for flexible routing and integration with proxy-aware applications such as Proxifier.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduce lag and improve game connection quality
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature8 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ExitLag: ExitLag is a direct competitor offering gaming-optimized network routing to reduce latency and packet loss for online games. Like MUDFISH, it serves competitive gamers seeking smoother multiplayer connections, but is more marketing-heavy and Latin America-focused.
• WTFast: WTFast is one of the original GPN (Gamers Private Network) services, offering optimized routing for online multiplayer games. It is directly comparable to MUDFISH in purpose and target customer (competitive PC gamers seeking lower ping).
• NoPing: NoPing is a gaming-focused latency-reduction service popular in Brazil and Latin America. It is directly comparable to MUDFISH as both offer subscription-based network acceleration tailored to specific games like League of Legends, CS, and Valorant.
• Haste: Haste is a newer gaming network optimization service providing low-latency routing for online games. It competes in the same niche as MUDFISH, targeting gamers with proprietary acceleration technology and subscription pricing.
• Pingz: Pingz is a gaming VPN/acceleration service offering low-latency routing for online multiplayer titles. Comparable to MUDFISH in targeting competitive gamers with subscription-based VPN acceleration.

Emerging players

• Twingate: Twingate is a modern zero-trust network access platform that uses similar tunneling/proxy infrastructure to MUDFISH. While primarily B2B-focused, it represents an emerging architectural alternative that overlaps on underlying network-routing technology.

Broad incumbents

• NordVPN: NordVPN is one of the largest mainstream consumer VPN providers globally, offering general-purpose encrypted tunneling. While not gaming-specific, it overlaps with MUDFISH on VPN/proxy functionality and represents the broad-incumbent alternative for general privacy and geo-spoofing use cases.
• ExpressVPN: ExpressVPN is a leading global consumer VPN with extensive server network. It competes broadly with MUDFISH on VPN use cases but lacks gaming-specific WAN optimization features like Server Chain or Multi Path Mode.
• Cloudflare WARP: Cloudflare WARP is a free VPN-like service built on Cloudflare's global edge network. It represents a significant competitive threat to MUDFISH as a well-funded free alternative that increasingly targets latency-sensitive applications including gaming.

Others

• LogMeIn Hamachi: Hamachi by LogMeIn is a hosted VPN service historically popular for LAN-style multiplayer gaming. It is thematically comparable to MUDFISH as a VPN-enabled gaming connectivity tool, though its delivery model (mesh VPN) differs from MUDFISH's WAN optimization approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MUDFISH