Verdict
Windscribe ’s free tier is excellent , and its streaming - well-disposed subscription religious service is also deserving a aspect .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Windscribe is a Canadian VPN Robert William Service that ’s gained popularity as a outcome of its free inspection and repair , low price and dependable execution .
It ’s systematically reliable for streaming , and although it lacks prospicient - condition subscription options , its annual and monthly subscription are both very toll - effectual . They ’re not the cheapest by any means , but they come in in around the centre of the pack in most of my group test , which makes it a worthwhile raise fee if you already habituate and like the company ’s free tier .
Windscribe has antecedently place top in ourbest VPNgroup test , but has now drop down our recommendations following disappointing performance in our latest speeding test resolution . Note that , although Windscribe allows you to relate an unlimited figure of devices , only five of those can be using the loyal WireGuard communications protocol . If you demand to colligate a sixth , you ’ll be require if you desire to withdraw the former registered gadget .
Pricing and Subscriptions
Windscribe offer a generous 10GB - per - month free grade . complimentary users get admittance to locations in 10 countries , not including any of the Windflix video - streaming terminus . Pay for the full service and you get access to end point in 65 countries .
If you like the service enough to pay up for it , you could either give for the $ 9/£7.33 monthly plan or spend $ 69/£56.19 upfront for the yearly programme , which form out cheaper in the long run .
mark that the yearly fee has increased by $ 20 since my last full review of this product , and the current GBP to dollar exchange pace is n’t doing UK customers many favours . However , there are no hidden renewal fees waiting to surprise you . you may even compensate using cryptocurrency , if you feel that will help keep you anonymous ( although it wo n’t on its own ) .
Features and Usability
Windscribe ’s concealment and logging insurance understandably suggest what data it does and does not keep , with only full bandwidth pulmonary tuberculosis and the clock time your account was last used stored in the long terminal figure . The service supports anonymous requital via Bitcoin , and you do n’t have to provide an email savoir-faire to signal up .
The Canada - based business firm is sheer about its privacy policy and , although it keeps some logs to help grapple its service , it read that it does n’t keep any identifying information . Windscribe maintains a livetransparency paper , show both DMCA and law enforcement information asking . None have ever been comply with because Windscribe does n’t lumber any identifiable user information .
In 2021 , Windscribe – to its citation – admitted that a pair of older servers prehend by Ukrainian authorities in the course of an investigation were unencrypted , although the company say that no drug user data was at peril due to the inspection and repair ’s no - lumber insurance . Windscribe has since taken step to update the security measures across its server fleet and vilipend older , less secure guest protocols that it previously supported .
I ’m not a sports fan of the company ’s use of the chance to knock industry peer who ’ve stomach like ictus , but at least its claims about not keeping any identifying log appear to be satisfying . Windscribe publishes origin code for much of its computer software but has not commission and published solution of a third - party audited account of its security and log claims .
I come up the Windows desktop client unsubdivided to use , including a solid cooking stove of supererogatory security features . By nonpayment , Windscribe activates its integrated firewall feature , which includes akill switchthat prevents any internet dealings from being transplant if you lose your connection to the VPN for any reason . you’re able to also share your encrypted connection as a secure wireless hotspot , if your router supports the feature .
Windscribe ’s muscular integrated ad - blocker is handy , but I found that it entirely blocked access to some ad - gated internet site and service . choice in your online account management port grant you to instantly apply features let in ad- and tracker - blocking , as well as an anti - malware filter . These options are also available via the app .
Performance
All of my testing was stockpile out on a virtual desktop physically site at a data centre with a in high spirits - speed cyberspace connection in London . This testing apparatus make results under optimum connection conditions . VPN client are test on their default setting .
This month ’s test insure a bit of a fall - off compared to my last rest of Windscribe , particularly for burrow from Europe to North America . Overall performance better when I forced the service to always employ the WireGuard communications protocol , as you ’ll see from the result table above , but throughput via US terminus rest slow in the fount of repetition tests . This can safely be regarded as an irregular issue on the day of examination , rather than representative execution . Connection speeds to the US are normally well over 150 Mbit / s.
Windscribe ’s free user gain from the same blistering speeds as paying client , although they have access to a restricted range of endpoints , which can – but usually does not – ensue in contention .
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Should you buy it?
Windscribe is one of the best free VPNs uncommitted , offering both 10 GB of monthly data point and memory access to endpoints in 11 unlike countries .
Windscribe is n’t one of the fastest VPNs uncommitted , check below - intermediate scores in our bench mark run . If you worry about speeding , then check outNordVPN , SurfsharkandProtonVPNinstead .
Final Thoughts
Windscribe has a batch of strengths , and is more often than not reliable for both reasonably fluid day - to - day web browsing and streaming .
The service corroborate a wide range of devices and is generally easygoing to expend . It ’s generally fast , provide a technically outright number of co-occurrent connections , and its pricing is crack - militant . Windscribe is n’t just one of thebest free VPNproviders around , it ’s also one of the good devote - for services , and its subscriptions are very reasonably priced .
It is n’t the quick in my latest test ( that honour goes toNordVPN , SurfsharkandProtonVPN ) , but Windscribe is one of thebest general - purpose VPNservices around . However , if security is a priority thenPerfect Privacyhas established its privacy credentials through unfortunate political science equipment seizures , which Windscribe has n’t been luckless enough to suffer thus far .
Trusted Score
How we test
We run exam from a London - based connection that typically sees upper between 500Mbps and 700Mbps , which signify that we ’re able to get a dependable thought of what each VPN ’s maximal speeds presently are .
We examine multiple end point from each provider in three locations : the UK , the Netherlands and the U.S.
FAQs
Yes , Windscribe has a free grade , although you could only expend 10 GB of data each calendar month , which could disappear apace if you ’re watching video etc .
It is perfectly legal to habituate Windscribe as a VPN . However , using the VPN to bypass geolocation limitation can break the terminal figure and condition of sure sites and Robert William Service such as Netflix .
