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Windscribe Free is a privately owned VPN founded in 2016. It has servers in 10 countries, support for a range of different devices, unlimited simultaneous connections, and a variety of additional features like obfuscated protocols, a configurable domain and IP blocking tool called R.O.B.E.R.T., split tunneling, and more. In addition to the free tier we tested in this review, there's a paid Pro tier and the option to build a custom plan where you can choose which countries' servers you'd like access to. See the Differences Between Variants section for more details.
Our Verdict
Windscribe Free is okay for torrenting. While it allows you to download torrent files, it has a download limit of 10GB or 2GB per month, depending on whether or not you register with an email address. Its security is acceptable, as it keeps your IP address and DNS queries within its tunnel while you use it. However, its kill switch doesn't work properly, as it allows some unencrypted traffic to leak past the VPN in the event of a software crash or system reboot. While a password is necessary to register, you can create an account without an email address, but as mentioned previously, you don't get as much data if you sign up without one.
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Doesn't leak your IP address or DNS queries.
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Proper TLS implementation protects you from man-in-the-middle attacks.
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Monthly data limit.
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Kill switch leaks unencrypted traffic.
Windscribe Free has acceptable security. It keeps your IP address and DNS queries encrypted while you're connected to it. It also offers protection against man-in-the-middle attacks as it has proper TLS implementation. Unfortunately, its kill switch doesn't work as intended, as it leaks some unencrypted traffic after reconnecting to the internet, a system reboot, or a software crash. This is a concern if you need all your traffic to be encrypted after your internet drops out or upon connecting to a new network.
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Doesn't leak your IP address or DNS queries.
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Proper TLS implementation protects you from man-in-the-middle attacks.
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Kill switch leaks unencrypted traffic.
Windscribe Free has mediocre download speeds, upload speeds, and latency. It's suitable for everyday use, but don't expect to download large files quickly. Its latency is also somewhat inconsistent, potentially causing lag spikes in online games or video calls.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
Windscribe Free has a paid Pro tier and a free tier, which we tested in this review. We tested the Pro tier separately. You can also build your own plan with servers only in countries that you specify.
| Plan | Country Selection | Data Limit | Pro-Only Servers | R.O.B.E.R.T.* | Port Forwarding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro | 65 | Unlimited | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Free | 10 | 2GB - 10GB*** | No | Malware, Ads, Tracker blocking only | No |
| Build A Plan | 1-5** | 12GB per country, unlimited optionally available | Yes | Optional | Optional |
*R.O.B.E.R.T. is Windscribe's customizable server-side domain and IP blocking tool that offers premade block lists and the ability to create your own custom lists.
**Windscribe doesn't let you select more than five countries, as it's cheaper to subscribe to the Pro plan.
***If you register without an email address, the data limit is 2GB. If you register with one, it's 10GB.
Compared To Other VPNs
Windscribe Free has broadly comparable performance to most other services but has an impressive list of additional features. From the fairly common realm of supporting a wide range of devices, unlimited simultaneous connections, and split tunneling to the niche, like the ability to create custom IP block lists and precise control of packet sizes. Features like these make it a compelling option if you're a power user who likes tweaking details. Unfortunately, it fails the kill switch test like most VPNs we tested. That could be an issue if you're concerned with keeping your traffic protected at all times, like after restarting your system.
Windscribe has a generally good reputation online for privacy, as it has a straightforward privacy policy and private, independent ownership.
To see which services we recommend, check out our article on the best VPNs.
Test Results
If you register for an account using an email address, you'll receive a 10 GB data limit. Without providing an email address, the limit is 2 GB.
The kill switch doesn't work as intended, as network traffic leaks outside the VPN tunnel after a reboot and after a software crash, reboot, or loss of internet. This can be problematic if you're concerned with keeping your traffic encrypted at all times, like if your system freezes and you have to restart it.
Windscribe Free doesn't implement BGP properly, but this is true with almost every VPN service.
This VPN delivers fairly slow download speeds, but they're still suitable for everyday browsing and internet use. Downloading large files takes some time.
This VPN delivers upload speeds that are fairly consistent and suitable for everyday use. However, it takes some time to upload large files.
This VPN delivers latency with occasional spikes that can disrupt online games or video calls, but it's generally okay for regular internet use.
If you register for an account using an email address, you'll receive a 10 GB data limit. Without providing an email address, the limit is 2 GB.
This VPN has native apps for Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, and openSUSE Linux distributions. Only the paid version of Windscribe allows for manual configuration.
There are apps available for iOS and Android, Fire TV, Android TV, and Apple TV. Windscribe also has browser extensions, and you can even install it on your router, so all your network traffic goes through the VPN.
Stealth and WStunnel are protocols with obfuscation that work by encapsulating an OpenVPN connection in a TLS tunnel or a WebSocket, respectively. These can be useful if you're contending with internet censors that don't allow access to a site through a VPN.
You can only ping local addresses on different subnets if you input the address directly into the app's split tunneling section.
Headless configuration options are reserved for the paid version of Windscribe.
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Comments
Windscribe Free: Main Discussion
Let us know why you want us to review the product here, or encourage others to vote for this product.
Update: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
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What about testing for extraneous noises it produces?
Update: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.