Windscribe review
Updated September 28, 2026 · ShieldCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Windscribe suits people who want a genuine free plan and an audited no-logs service, with servers in 69 countries and a self funded owner. Monthly pricing is the weak spot, but the long term plan is where this one earns its place.
Key facts
- Best for
- A free plan with a usable data allowance on top of an audited no-logs network.
- Monthly price
- $9 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Long-term plan price
- $5.75 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Server countries
- 69 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- No-logs audit
- Packetlabs 2024 (FreshScribe server stack); Leviathan Security Group 2021 (desktop app) and 2022 (Android and iOS apps) (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Renewal price
- $9 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Money-back period
- 7 days (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Jurisdiction
- CA (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Protocols
- WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, Stealth, WStunnel (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Features
- Kill-switch, Split-tunnelling, Multi-hop, Obfuscation (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Platforms
- Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Android TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Routers (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Owner
- Founder-owned and self-funded, no outside investors (Yegor Sak CEO, Alex Paguis CTO, Mark Ulicki CIO) (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Longest plan (months)
- 12 months (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Windscribe Limited (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- Canada (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2016 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Chat, Help-centre, Community (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Features
- No logs, Travel
- Audience
- Business
- Pricing model
- Free, Budget
- Official website
- windscribe.com
Privacy tools
- Price from
- $9 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Free plan
- Yes (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Free plan limits
- 10GB of data per month (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Platforms
- Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Android TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Routers (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Protocols
- WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, Stealth, WStunnel (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Logging policy
- No browsing or session logs: only 30-day data transferred totals and last activity timestamp are kept; source IP, sites visited and session history are not stored (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Jurisdiction
- CA (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Open source
- Yes (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Privacy tool type
- Ad-blocker, Private-dns (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Windscribe Limited (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- Canada (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2016 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Chat, Help-centre, Community (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Pricing model
- Free, Budget
Apps and profiles
- Get the app
- App Store
Pros and cons
Pros
- Audited logging: Packetlabs examined the server stack, and Leviathan Security Group examined the desktop and mobile apps.
- Open source and founder-owned, self funded with no outside investors behind the service.
- A network in 69 countries, with WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2 to choose from.
Cons
- Renewal holds at $9, the same as the entry price, so there is no renewal discount.
- Support runs on email, chat and help centre only, with no phone line among them.
- The free plan stops at 10GB of data per month, which streaming and large downloads pass quickly.
Who it suits
- Business users, the audience Windscribe is built for, who want open source software with audit evidence behind the logging claims.
- Travellers and casual users who want a free plan with 10GB of data per month of data before paying anything.
- Readers who weigh no-logs policies by who checked them, since the claim here carries outside auditor names.
Who should look elsewhere
- Buyers who want a single utility at a lower monthly figure: Sinew Software Systems lists $1.99 a month.
- Shoppers who want the widest reach: ESET Brasil covers 40 to 70 in its plans.
What you get free
Windscribe offers a free plan, and the data allowance is 10GB of data per month. Light browsing, email and travel use fit inside that, while streaming and large downloads will pass it before the month is out. Paid subscriptions come with a money back window of 7 days, so the free plan is a low risk way to judge the apps before spending anything.
How Windscribe compares
9.1 vs 9.1
9.1 vs 8.8
9.1 vs 8.5
9.1 vs 9.5
9.1 vs 9.4
9.1 vs 9.1
9.1 vs 9.2
9.1 vs 9.4Covers 40 to 70 in its plans, so it competes on reach rather than on VPN pricing.
9.1 vs 9.2
9.1 vs 8.8
9.1 vs 9.3
9.1 vs 9.0
9.1 vs 9.0
9.1 vs 9.4
Frequently asked questions
What does the free plan include?+
Windscribe runs a free plan, and the data allowance is 10GB of data per month. It is a standing tier rather than a trial, covering the core VPN functions. Light browsing, email and travel use fit inside that allowance, while streaming and large downloads will pass it before the month is out.
What does the paid plan cost at entry and at renewal?+
The paid tier is listed at $9 a month, and the renewal price is the same at $9. The entry figure comes to $9, so a subscription costs the same at the start of a term and at the end of it. Budget the same number on both sides of a renewal.
Does a longer term cost less?+
The long term plan runs at $5.75, and the longest term available is 12 months. Since monthly and renewal pricing both sit higher, the longer term is the only route to a lower monthly outlay. The saving comes from the length of the term, not from a separate tier.
What is the money back window?+
Paid subscriptions come with a money back window of 7 days, so a plan that does not suit can be returned inside that period. The company behind the service is Windscribe Limited, and the free plan needs no return at all, though its allowance of 10GB of data per month is the real limit on casual use.
What does Windscribe log, and has the no-logs claim been checked?+
The policy keeps no browsing or session records, only transferred data totals and a last activity timestamp, and the source address, sites visited and session history are not stored. No-logs, one of the listed features in no logs and travel, has also been audited: Packetlabs examined the server stack and Leviathan Security Group examined the desktop and mobile apps.
Which devices and platforms does it cover?+
Windscribe builds for Windows, macOS and Linux. That covers desktop, phone, TV, browser and router clients from one company, including Linux alongside the usual Windows and macOS builds. A single account is the practical way to cover the whole list rather than juggling separate services for a laptop, a phone and a streaming box.
How do you get help?+
Support runs on email, chat and help centre, which means email, chat, a help centre and a community forum. There is no phone line among them, so anyone who needs to speak to someone by voice will not find one here. Email and the help centre are the deeper routes, with chat for quicker questions.
Who owns Windscribe and is it open source?+
Windscribe is open source, and it is founder-owned and self funded with no outside investors. Yegor Sak is chief executive, Alex Paguis chief technology officer and Mark Ulicki chief information officer, and the service has run since 2016 under Windscribe Limited. Open code lets users read what the client actually does.
Sources
- windscribe.com checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Features, Free plan, Free plan limits, Platforms, Privacy tool type
“Our RAM disk infrastructure stores no identifying data anywhere ... compare the best prices on flights and hotels”
- windscribe.com/about checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Open source
“All our apps are open-source, so you can see how everything works”
- windscribe.com/knowledge-base/articles/has-windscribe-bee... checked September 26, 2026
Backs: No-logs audit
“FreshScribe has been audited by Packetlabs in June 2024; The Windscribe desktop application was audited in September 2021 by Leviathan Security Group; Android and iOS apps have also undergone an...”
- windscribe.com/llm-info checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Audience, Features, Founded, Pricing model, Owner, Protocols, Server countries
“Business usage is supported via ScribeForce (low-cost seats, centralized billing, optional shared static IPs).”
- windscribe.com/privacy checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Logging policy
“The following data is NOT stored: Historical record of VPN sessions, Source IP, Sites you visited”
- windscribe.com/terms checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Headquarters, Jurisdiction, Legal entity, Money-back period, Support channels
“Windscribe Limited 555 Richmond St West, Toronto, ON, M5V 3B1, Canada.”
- windscribe.com/upgrade checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Long-term plan price, Longest plan (months), Price from, Monthly price, Renewal price
“Billed $69 USD every 12 months ... $5.75 per month”
Compiled from 7 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Devices.
Related by the facts
Windscribe
A free plan with a usable data allowance on top of an audited no-logs network.