Windscribe VPN Review (2025): Features, Pricing, and Security

Windscribe VPN fast facts Our rating: 4.1 stars out of 5 Pricing: Starts at $5.75 (annual plan) Key features: Has a generous free version. ScribeForce team accounts for organizations. Unlimited device connections.

Windscribe VPN is a decent option for those seeking a virtual private network with a fully functional free version. Its free plan allows up to 10GBs of data, unlimited device connections, and the same security features as the paid tier. It also has a customizable Build A Plan subscription option, giving customers more account flexibility.

However, it may not be the best choice for users who value having a large server network, particularly for streaming or unblocking purposes. Right now, Windscribe supports macOS, Windows, Android, iOS, Linux, Mozilla, and Opera.

Windscribe VPN pricing

Duration	Price
Free version (11 locations only)	Free
1-year Windscribe Pro account	$5.75 per month
1-month Windscribe Pro account	$9.00 per month
Build A Plan	Billed $1.00 per location per month
ScribeForce	$3.00 per seat, per month, minimum 5 seats

For its annual subscription, the $5.75 per month falls in the middle range in terms of pricing compared to other VPNs. Meanwhile, Windscribe’s monthly $9.00 per month plan is one of the more affordable options on the market. While most VPNs make their long-term subscriptions more affordable, I appreciate how Windscribe’s monthly plan is on the lower end of the spectrum.

Windscribe also offers a Build A Plan tier that allows customers to select servers from different locations. There is a $3 minimum purchase, with each server location costing $1 per month, but the overall option is very customer-friendly.

For teams of five or more, ScribeForce is a plan that allows for centralized billing and team management with one subscription.

Lastly, Windscribe has a free version that offers several features found in the paid plan.

I would recommend users interested in Windscribe try the free version before committing to a paid plan. If you’re set on accessing all of the Pro features, their monthly plan is the way to go, given its lower-than-usual price.

Windscribe VPN free version

Windscribe VPN has a free version that comes with a lot of the same in-app functionality as their paid plans. The main difference is that the free version only provides access to servers in 10 locations.

In particular, Windscribe VPN’s free version offers access to servers from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, and Romania.

On the flip side, a Windscribe Pro account includes access to all server locations in 69 countries and 134 cities. These users have access to Pro servers that are less crowded and perform better. In addition, a paid subscription includes unlimited data, while the free version only allows up to 10GB monthly data. However, new users can only access 2GB of data without providing an email address.

The option to try out the service without providing personal information, such as an email address, is a plus. Like the paid tier, the free Windscribe version allows unlimited device connections. This is impressive, considering that other VPNs don’t offer unlimited device connections — even on their paid plans.

The free version also includes an abbreviated version of Windscribe’s R.O.B.E.R.T. domain and IP blocking tool for malware, ads, and tracking protection. The full R.O.B.E.R.T. feature set is included with the Pro plan.

Overall, Windscribe’s free version is a solid free VPN with more functionality than expected. If you’re interested in other free VPNs, check out our rundown of the Best Free VPNs for 2024.

Is Windscribe VPN safe and reliable?

Yes, Windscribe VPN is a safe VPN to use in 2024. It offers all the industry-standard security protocols expected of a VPN: OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard. It also has AES-256 encryption, split tunneling, and a reliable Windscribe Firewall that acts as a VPN kill switch.

It also has a no-logs policy stating that Windscribe doesn’t record connection logs, IP timestamps, session logs, or user activity. To make sure this is actually the case, it’s important to check if a VPN’s no logs policy, or any aspect of its application for that matter, has been independently audited.

When I first reviewed Windscribe last year, the VPN provider said that it had been independently audited and was currently undergoing another audit. However, these audit results were neither published nor available for public viewing. In this regard, I had to dock points off of Windscribe since they didn’t have any publicly available audits then.

Now that we’re in 2024, I am happy to report that Windscribe has published full details of its independent audits for both its no-logs policy and application. In September 2021, Windscribe’s desktop app was audited by Leviathan Security Group, which aided the VPN provider in addressing all issues that were raised.

In 2022, both Windscribe Android and iOS applications were also audited by Leviathan. Finally, Windscribe’s VPN stack called FreshScribe was also recently audited by Packetlabs in June 2024.

WindScribe VPN also publishes real-time Transparency Reports that outline the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and law enforcement requests sent to their service.

On top of all this, Windscribe VPN has fully open-sourced its applications on GitHub, meaning anyone can view their source code and spot vulnerabilities or weaknesses. To me, this is a meaningful selling point that adds points towards Windscribe in the transparency and credibility department.

Some users may be wary of Windscribe’s Canada-based operations due to the country’s inclusion in the Five-Eyes data and intelligence-sharing alliance. To be fair, they aren’t the only service based in these regions, but users looking for a VPN operating in a pro-privacy country might have to look elsewhere.

Having both the necessary security features and independent audits under its belt, I can say that Windscribe VPN is a safe and secure service to use in 2024.

SEE: Can a VPN Be Hacked? (TechRepublic)

Key features of Windscribe VPN

In addition to offering a free version, Windscribe VPN has notable features that set it apart from other VPNs; I’ve highlighted a few of them below.

R.O.B.E.R.T. tool

Windscribe VPN has a built-in domain and IP blocking tool called R.O.B.E.R.T. It’s a customizable server-side tool that can block ads and trackers and prevent software infections.

The tool allows users to customize blocking settings. They can select to block items such as malware, ads and trackers, gambling content, porn, social networks, clickbait, and even fake news.

Users can also customize which IP addresses or domains they want to be blocked or allowed via R.O.B.E.R.T.’s Custom Access Rules.

Per my testing, the IP blocking worked as advertised.

ScribeForce Team Accounts

ScribeForce is another name for Windscribe Team Accounts, which allows for centralized billing and team management with one subscription. This plan provides all Windscribe’s Pro features and can be a powerful management tool for a small business.

With ScribeForce, an owner can generate and manage user accounts from a single page. Plus, ScribeForce accounts are cheaper to invest in compared to regular end-user accounts.

This is a meaningful value proposition for small business owners looking for a VPN that can be easily integrated into their business workflow.

Windscribe Firewall

While Windscribe doesn’t have a traditional kill switch like other VPNs, it does have Windscribe Firewall — firewall implementation that prevents the possibility of any packets leaking to your internet service provider if your VPN session is disrupted.

The “Always On” setting is noteworthy here as it will only allow an internet connection to your machine if it’s through Windscribe VPN’s secure connection. Even if the VPN crashes or you manually exit the app, your machine won’t be able to connect to an ISP.

When I tested the firewall, it was able to reliably cut off the connection even if I had closed the app or disconnected from the VPN server. This is a convenient set-and-forget security feature that I can see many users benefiting from.

SEE: Is a VPN Really Worth It in 2024? (TechRepublic)

Speed and performance: How fast is Windscribe VPN?

Windscribe VPN’s speeds are on the good-to-average side. Overall, I was able to maintain a stable connection during my use. During my session, I was able to use Google Drive and Google Docs, and I had multiple Chrome tabs open to browse the internet for research and stream videos on YouTube.

I did experience an issue loading and playing a 4K video on YouTube. This may have been an isolated issue with my connection, but it’s still worth noting for the purposes of this review. Switching servers and establishing connections also took a few more seconds than I expected.

For clarity, I was using Windscribe’s free version during my testing, but Windscribe has said that there’s no difference in terms of speed between their free and paid versions.

To test Windscribe’s domain name system leak protection, I ran it through a public DNS leak tool multiple times and recorded zero leaks.

For download speeds, I recorded a significantly larger percentage drop with Windscribe compared to other VPNs I’ve tested. While the number itself was respectable, the difference was still larger than many of the VPNs I’ve used so far. On the other hand, upload speeds were decent and in line with other VPN services.

Lastly, the Windscribe app performed well. I experienced zero issues using features and found it to be intuitive. I also liked the more modern approach it takes for its user interface.

Windscribe VPN servers and locations

In 2024, Windscribe’s server network gives you access to servers in 69 countries and 134 cities. That’s a decent increase compared to last year, where it had servers spread out over 63 countries and 110 cities. While they don’t disclose the exact number of servers they have, they have said that it ranges in the hundreds. Per my research, Windscribe has around 400–500 servers.

If you’re looking for a VPN with many servers to choose from, Windscribe probably won’t be the best fit. Their server fleet is among the lowest I’ve seen so far. Looking at other server networks, Private Internet Access VPN has servers from 91 countries; CyberGhost VPN offers servers from 100 countries; and NordVPN has servers across 111 countries.

This is, perhaps, WindScribe’s biggest weakness, as other VPNs can provide a better variety of server locations for streaming, gaming, or torrenting use cases.

SEE: 5 Best VPNs for Streaming in 2024 (TechRepublic)

For security, Windscribe has Double Hop, a server feature that routes user requests through any two servers or locations on their network. While you need to use both the desktop app and Windscribe’s browser extension to use it, Double Hop still provides increased anonymity and privacy for the end user.

Windscribe customer support

For customer support, Windscribe VPN has an online knowledge base with guides and tutorials for all its VPN applications. It also has an official Discord and Reddit community for more discussion-oriented support.

Windscribe also has its own AI chatbot called Garry, which is available to both paid users and the general public. When I tried it, I found that it could provide perfectly accurate and helpful information about Windscribe. The chat also loaded up quickly and gave me responses with zero lag time.

This is in contrast to other AI chatbots I’ve tried, where a few merely gave me tutorial links instead of directly answering my questions or had answers that weren’t as coherent as Garry’s. I also appreciate how Garry is available for interested users, not just premium Windscribe subscribers. To me, this is a consumer-friendly way for people to learn about Windscribe without purchasing a full-fledged subscription.

Windscribe VPN pros

• Has a generous free version.
• Useful R.O.B.E.R.T. IP-blocking tool.
• Independent audits now available in 2024.
• Open-source.
• ScribeForce team accounts for organizations.
• Unlimited device connections.

Windscribe VPN cons

• Very small server network and country spread.
• Speed performance is inconsistent.
• Based in Canada (Five-Eyes member country).

Who is Windscribe VPN best for?

Windscribe VPN is best for prospective VPN users who want to try a fully functional, free VPN. Windscribe’s free version is one of the more generous free VPNs I’ve tried so far. With the free version, you can access their R.O.B.E.R.T. IP-blocking tool and up to 10 GB of data without cost.

In 2024, it’s also a good choice for privacy enthusiasts who value transparency. With its publicly available independent audits and open-source architecture, Windscribe VPN is valuable for users who want credible evidence that their online activity is safe and protected.

Windscribe’s ScribeForce plan also makes it a decent option for small business owners looking for a VPN with management features built in. ScribeForce allows for centralized billing and convenient user management with just one VPN subscription.

However, if you’re looking for a VPN with a large and robust server suite, Windscribe may not be the best choice.

SEE: Everything You Need to Know about the Malvertising Cybersecurity Threat (TechRepublic Premium)

Windscribe VPN alternatives

If you feel that Windscribe VPN doesn’t have the features you need, I’ve listed similar alternatives that may be a better fit.

	Surfshark	TunnelBear	CyberGhost VPN
Starting price (annual)	$2.99 per month	$3.33 per month	$6.99 per month (6-month plan)
Server network	3200+ servers in 100 countries	Around 5,000 servers in 47 countries	Servers in 100 countries and 125 locations
Highlight feature	Affordable subscriptions and fast performance	Beginner-friendly user interface	Optimized and categorized servers for gaming, streaming, torrenting

Surfshark

Surfshark is one of the more well-known VPN options today. It has zero bandwidth limitations, a seven-day free trial, and unlimited device connections. It also comes with malware protection and ad blocker support.

To learn more, read our full Surfshark review.

TunnelBear

If you’re looking for a VPN with yearly independent audits, TunnelBear is a top choice. They regularly undergo third-party security testing and have committed to yearly audits to verify their claims.

To learn more, read our full TunnelBear VPN review.

CyberGhost VPN

For buyers who want a large server network, CyberGhost VPN is one of the best. It offers an extensive suite of servers spread across 100 countries and 125 locations. It even segments these servers into streaming, torrenting, and gaming categories.

To learn more, read our full CyberGhost VPN review.

How I evaluated Windscribe VPN

My review of Windscribe VPN involved a detailed assessment of its security features, cost, and real-world performance. I had hands-on experience with Windscribe VPN’s free version and supplemented my findings with user testimonials and reputable reviews for both the free and paid plans.

For speed, I tested Windscribe through Ookla’s public Speedtest. For DNS leaks, I ran Windscribe multiple times through DNSleaktest.

Finally, I scored Windscribe on everything from its protocols to its pricing based on an internal algorithm to get a score of 4.1 out of 5 stars. This was based on Windscribe VPN alone and with other VPNs available today.