Windscribe Review 2024 — Can You Trust This Free VPN?

After its security breach, many people aren't sure if they can trust Windscribe — one of the most popular free VPNs. If it couldn't protect its servers, can you really rely on it to keep you safe, especially without a subscription?

I tested every feature Windscribe has, including performing leak tests and speed checks and testing it for torrenting, gaming, and more. I also thoroughly investigated its no-logs claim to see how it's improved since the breach.

After my tests, I can confirm that Windscribe is safe and decent overall. It has strong security features and takes your privacy seriously. Its free version is one of the best available, but the paid version is lacking in a few areas. You can check out one of the best premium VPNs available in this list.

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Windscribe can safely access all the top streaming platforms from anywhere with its premium app. On top of that, my global team and I could stream HD quality videos with both Windscribe premium and its free version.

However, the 10GB data limit per month with the free version will only let you stream for around 7 hours max. So, it’s a decent way to test out Windscribe, but it’s not substantial enough for regular viewing.

Works With: Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Max, Peacock, BBC iPlayer, ESPN+, Channel 4, and ITVX

We didn’t have any issues streaming with any of the platforms in our tests. This was quite the feat since nearly every streaming platform uses anti-VPN technologies. These can prevent you from watching your favorite content, even if you’re in an approved location using a VPN server in your own country. Impressively, this never happened to us with Windscribe.

In the first test, we could securely view the full US Netflix library in great quality. Most videos loaded almost instantly with no buffering.

In fact, we could watch complete Netflix libraries from Australia, Japan, Canada, Brazil, France, and the UK in similar quality.

Videos loaded quickly and played back without any buffering

Windscribe can facilitate uninterrupted streaming on Max, Disney+, Peacock, and Amazon Prime Video from anywhere. What’s most impressive is that the free app works with these platforms too, but as stated above, your viewing time will be limited.

Our tester didn’t experience buffering, long load times, or any dips in quality

We could also watch videos on ITV, BBC iPlayer, and other UK channels without issues. Overall, Windscribe is a great choice for streaming, but you’ll have to get the premium version to really get anything out of it.

Windscribe has some of the fastest free servers I’ve tested, and paid servers are impressive too.

We use a dedicated speed tester to get our results. That way, all of the tests are done from the same location with the same connection. The chart below shows your results from the premium servers. However, we got comparable speeds with free servers. All tests were done with the WireGuard protocol since it gave us the best results.

Our speeds fell 4% on servers nearby and 30% on distant ones

Servers nearby dropped our speeds less than 5%. That’s a great result because most VPNs lower your speeds by 15%, at least in that range.

Speeds were just a little slower with IKEv2 and OpenVPN UDP

The only issue is some protocols are very slow. I wanted to check out the speeds for myself, so I tested several servers using different protocols and noticed significant differences in speeds.

For instance, OpenVPN TCP and Wstunnel dropped my speeds by more than 15% when connected to my local server in Kenya. And, the Stealth protocol lowered my speeds by 45% or more each time.

I also noticed that it has a few select 10GBPS servers, but when I tested them, my speeds weren’t significantly different from normal servers.

I also tested all the free servers, and I wasn’t disappointed. Despite the nearest server being roughly 7,000 km away, my speed only fell 27%. That’s good because even the best VPNs can slow you down by up to 45% over similar distances. Overall, you won’t easily find a faster free VPN than Windscribe.

When I played Roblox on nearby Windscribe servers, everything went smoothly. My ping rates were under 85ms, which you need for responsive gameplay. Even servers far away, like one in Germany, gave me a low ping of just 18 ms, which is great for gaming. But I was surprised that my character froze randomly when I tried playing Roblox using this server.

He could enjoy smooth gameplay since his ping only raised 9ms

Ping is crucial in gaming because it shows how quickly the network reacts to your commands. When ping is high, the delay between pressing buttons and your character's actions can make games unplayable.

Overall, I think Windscribe is pretty good for gaming, but only with its paid version. While I got similar results with the free version, its data limit will be used up quickly while you’re gaming.

Windscribe doesn’t have the largest network, but it gives you 177 servers in 69 countries. Actually, all of Windscribe’s servers are city-level, and there are 45+ different locations in the US, which tops what many of the most popular VPNs offer.

The list also displays 10GBPS and P2P-optimized servers

All of Windscribe’s servers are physically located as well. That means they’re actually in the city you connect to. Some VPNs offer virtual servers, which aren’t physically in the location listed.

It also uses some rented servers while it owns others. Unfortunately, the company doesn’t disclose a lot about its network, including the exact number of servers it owns. It did claim to have 177 in the past. Windscribe also makes use of RAM-only servers, which are more private since everything on them is deleted with each reboot.

I also like that Windscribe lets you access several countries that many VPNs neglect, like Ecuador and Turkey, and they even have servers in Antarctica. You can also purchase static IP addresses, which are helpful if you need a consistent, encrypted IP to operate a website.

The free service lets you use the Hong Kong location, 10 US servers, and 8 European countries. Western Europe and North America have the most coverage for free and premium apps. I had no issues at all connecting to any server — both near and far away.

Windscribe is very safe, and it comes with military-grade AES 256-bit encryption, which makes your data virtually unreadable. It includes an auto-enable feature for public networks. For remote home network access, you can use port forwarding. Although this requires an additional fee for a static IP ($2/month for a Datacenter IP and $8/month for a Residential IP).

I also like that Windscribe provides advanced features like Perfect Forward Secrecy, Time Warp, split tunneling, and Location Warp for added privacy. There are even more rare features like double VPN and secure hotspot. In addition to supporting all the major protocols, it also has unique settings like packet size adjustment and API resolution.

The default settings work fine if you don't want to customize

These technical details might not matter to everyone, but they're a nice touch for those deeply interested in technology. Finally, its browser extensions offer a GPS-spoofing feature, and all of its desktop apps are open-source. So, Windscribe certainly isn’t lacking in this department.

Encryption

Windscribe secures your internet connection using the AES-256 cipher encryption, which is the same standard used by banks and many worldwide militaries. This means that the data you send and receive is encrypted in a way that makes it virtually impossible for anyone to decode.

Security Protocols

Windscribe lets you choose between the industry's best protocols, such as WireGuard, IKEv2, OpenVPN, and even its proprietary protocol, WStunnel. As you could see from our speed tests, WireGuard is the fastest. But, OpenVPN is often considered the most secure since it’s open-source and constantly checked for vulnerabilities.

Additionally, Windscribe includes SOCKS5 proxy support, which is useful for torrenting by masking your IP address, though it doesn't encrypt data like the other protocols.

Firewall (Kill Switch)

Windscribe calls its dedicated kill switch Firewall, and it works as advertised. This feature will disable the network if your VPN connection drops. To test it, I tried to open a tab while the VPN was connecting. It always blocked the page until the connection was complete. This is a necessary feature every VPN needs to have.

IP & DNS Leak Protection

Windscribe also offers reliable IP and DNS protection features that prevent leaks.

My true IP stayed hidden across tests on a dozen locations

I was confident that Windscribe would keep my data private.

R.O.B.E.R.T. (Ad Blocker)

This is a very customizable tool that serves as Windscribe’s ad and malware blocker. It does even more with the premium app. The paid version lets you block social networks, porn, gambling, clickbait, and more. It’s a nice addition, although some things like native banner ads would still show up occasionally, even with it activated.

I can recommend Windscribe as a private VPN because it follows a strict no-logs policy. You’re not even required to enter your email address when signing up. This is rare and makes its free option one of the safest.

Windscribe also offers transparency reports that verify its policy. These let you see any time there have been DMCA requests for its data, and they show that Windscribe has never shared anything.

My main complaint is that Windscribe hasn’t undergone any independent audits, which is surprising, especially after a government body seized a portion of its servers.

Does Windscribe Keep Logs? No

Windscribe doesn’t log any unnecessary data. This is nice to know since Windscribe is one of the VPNs whose servers have been seized by the government before. In 2021, two Windscribe servers were seized in Ukraine as part of an investigation by local authorities.

However, the authorities weren’t able to recover any information since Windscribe does not store session logs or timestamps. It doesn’t collect your IP address, or the sites you’ve visited either.

It doesn't log any data while you're connected

Like most top VPNs, Windscribe only stores anonymous data that’s necessary for maintaining the service. While you're connected, the server's memory will have your OpenVPN/IKEv2 username, the time of connection, and the amount of data transferred. The privacy policy also clearly states that all of this is deleted as soon as you disconnect.

Was Windscribe Audited? No

Windscribe hasn’t undergone any third-party audits. When I asked this question through chat support, the chatbot confirmed that the privacy policy has gone through regular internal audits but hasn’t undergone a public third-party audit. I do hope they get an independent and transparent audit in the future — following the example of the best premium providers.

Based in Canada

Canada is not the best location for a VPN’s headquarters because it’s in the 5 Eyes Alliance. This is an agreement between several countries to share data on their citizens. Luckily, the VPN doesn’t store any data that could compromise its users. Still, if privacy is crucial to you, there are many VPNs headquartered in more privacy-friendly countries.

Does Windscribe Work in China? Maybe

Windscribe’s support claims it’s possible to use the VPN in China. However, they warn that you’ll probably have to access different features and protocols to get it working.

Most VPNs I have tested struggle to work in China

The agent recommended trying Stealth and WStunnel protocols as these are the most efficient in highly restricted countries like China. This was a bit disappointing because, in my experience, these protocols are the slowest. If you’re looking for a faster option in China, you can check out these VPNs that have all been proven to work in the country.

The Chinese government has banned many VPNs, but there have been no publicly-reported cases of it going after people for using them. However, my team and I don’t condone any illegal activities. I suggest you read the laws before deciding to use a VPN in China.

You can torrent on nearly every server, but Windscribe slowed down my download speeds significantly. It took almost 1 hour to complete a 1.62GB file; I could download the same torrent in 15 minutes without the VPN. This happened even though I was on my local server in Nairobi.

To be sure, I tried downloading the same file at different times of the day and had similar results. The only servers you can’t use for P2P are located in India, Lithuania, Russia, and South Africa.
Windscribe offers port forwarding, which should facilitate slightly faster downloads. However, it only shortened my download waits by a few minutes.

If you want to download copyright-free files fast, check out these VPNs. Just be aware that torrenting is legal in most countries, but accessing copyrighted files isn’t. We ask that you please only download torrents in the public domain to be sure you don’t break any laws.