Windscribe VPN Review

Windscribe is a relatively secure VPN service. However, there was a mishap a couple of years ago that you should know about.

In June 2021, Ukrainian authorities seized 2 Windscribe servers. Subsequently, the company reported that these servers were seized, but nothing was recovered. More specifically, both servers had an outdated stack, an OpenVPN server certificate, and a private key. These obsolete servers, which were used as standard methods before the new standard was introduced, have long since been discontinued.

Windscribe claims that their no-logs policy means that there is nothing to look for on the servers. Moreover, Windscribe is still a reliable VPN service provider regarding the features offered. Here’s a quick overview of what’s in the company’s working arsenal.

All Windscribe VPN apps use the most robust security options available.

For starters, your data is encrypted with AES-256 encryption, which is a symmetric encryption algorithm that has never been cracked before.

It’s also worth noting that Windscribe VPN uses a robust SHA-512 algorithm for authentication, as well as a 4096-bit RSA key as a confirmation method.

Windscribe VPN offers many different tunnelling protocols to choose from. However, for the novice user, this broad selection can be more of a hardship than a solution.

Here’s a brief description of the protocols offered by Windscribe VPN.

WireGuard

One of the fastest (and most secure) VPN protocols available today, and it’s supported in the Windscribe apps for Windows and Android.

OpenVPN (TCP and UDP)

OpenVPN is currently one of the most widely used protocols because of its power and versatility. Windscribe VPN allows you to choose between its two variants, TCP and UDP. Use TCP if security is your top priority, and choose UDP if you want better speed. Both options are available in all applications 

WStunnel and StealthVPN.

These two protocols can help you unblock websites if you live in China or other countries where VPN use is restricted or banned altogether at the government level. Both hide VPN traffic, making it seem like you’re not using a VPN at all. This has obvious downsides, namely the potential drastic reduction in your internet speed.

IKEv2/IPsec.

Set as the default protocol in all applications, IKEv2/IPsec often provides the best speeds and high security. On the other hand, an IKEv2 VPN connection can easily be blocked.

This service passed the DNS leak test by successfully masking your IP address.

The network download speed in the case of the Atlanta location in Windsrobe VPN dropped by 19.06% and the network download speed dropped by 71.44%

Considering the figures from this test, we can say that Windscribe showed quite controversial results as the second result did not fit into the standards of 10-20% speed loss.

Considering this, we rated this performance as a 4 out of 5.

Windscribe has a pretty impressive set of extra features. In fact, it has more features than the vast majority of the VPNs we’ve reviewed. The service offers the bare essentials like Kill Switch and advanced features like double VPN and time zone switching.

Kill Switch

Before you decide to purchase any VPN service or not, make sure that the service has a reliable Kill Switch that disconnects your internet connection in case the VPN connection goes down for whatever reason. This is to ensure that your actual IP address is not accidentally exposed.

Kill Switch in Windscribe performed exceptionally well during our tests. It instantly terminated the Internet connection when the VPN was forcibly disconnected. When the VPN connection was no longer at risk, the app reconnected me to the Internet, showing a notification

Split Tunneling

Split tunnelling is currently available in the Windscribe VPN apps for Windows and Android.

This can be useful when you need to save bandwidth or visit a website that requires your actual location.

However, choosing programs that should bypass the VPN connection is somewhat confusing. This is because the resulting list contains all the processes and low-level services, and finding the correct application is quite tricky.

Double Hop

Double Hop allows you to connect to two servers of your choice. In other words, instead of connecting to one place, you will connect to two different places to better hide your actual IP address. Websites you visit will see the second location, adding an extra anonymity layer.

To take advantage of this feature, you’ll have to install a desktop application and an extension for your Chrome, Firefox or Opera browser. This is because the second location is added through the extension.

Secure Hotspot

The Secure Hotspot feature allows you to create a secure Wi-Fi hotspot on your computer so that other people can connect to it and use the Windscribe VPN secure connection without installing the app yourself.

However, this feature only works on Windows devices, and you can only use it if you have a compatible wireless adapter.

Firewall

The Windscribe apps for Windows and macOS have a built-in firewall that prevents any leakage of DNS, IPv6, WebRTC and other data if the VPN connection is interrupted. It does this by blocking any other connections outside the VPN tunnel so that no data packets leave your device if the VPN is disconnected. In case of real danger, the firewall is much more effective than Kill Switch.

Auto Pilot 

This feature is only available in the Windscribe browser extensions. It’s very simple – Auto Pilot will pick the best location for you in terms of speed, so you no longer have to worry about your internet lagging.

Also, if you visit a blocked site in your country, Auto Pilot will automatically connect you to the server needed to unblock it. In other words, this feature makes surfing the web much more accessible.

Time Warp

Another feature available in extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera browsers, Time Warp, spoofs your time zone to match the time zone of the server you’re connected to. That way, websites are less likely to be able to tell that you’re using a VPN.

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

When you have a Windscribe VPN installed on your device, you no longer need additional ad-blocking software. That’s because R.O.B.E.R.T. does its job very well. It is a highly customizable domain and IP-blocking tool that will protect your device from various online threats.

Its free version blocks ads and trackers, and those with a paid subscription to Windscribe will also get protection against malicious pages that can infect your computer with malware. Paid users can also choose to block or whitelist various sites related to gambling, 18+ content and other Web resources.

Windscribe VPN is not the most expensive VPN service on the market of service providers, but it’s definitely not the cheapest service either. You can get it for as little as $5.75 a month if you buy a yearly subscription (it will cost you $69 a year).

You can also try the one-month version of Windscribe, but the cost will already be $9 per month. This, in turn, will cost you $108 per year, so an annual subscription seems like a much better deal.

The nice thing about Windscribe is that it offers a limited free version for those on a limited budget. That 10GB of data may be enough for a certain number of tasks. If you don’t have enough of that amount of data, you can tweet o Windscribe, and the provider will commit to adding another 5GB of data for you as a gift.

Windscribe has a different refund policy than most VPN providers, where Windscribe gives you a 3-day refund period for purchasing the service, while most competitors on the market typically offer 7 to 30 days of refunds with no questions asked.

The free version of Windscrive VPN does not offer all the locations available to paid users. You will only be able to use servers in the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Switzerland, UK, Turkey and Hong Kong. On the other hand, it’s a pretty extensive list of countries for a free VPN – usually, free plan users only get three or four locations.

You can also create your plan.

We’re seeing an exciting feature for the first time among VPN providers.

You can create your plan if you only need access to a certain number of servers. The minimum purchase amount is $3, and each location costs $1/month. You can also get unlimited data and full access to ROBERT for $1. This plan includes custom settings for selected locations. Most users choose a few countries they want to use and get unlimited data. In addition, you can change your plan and select other locations during the month, all at no additional cost.

You can pay for your subscription with Bitcoin, PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Paymentwall, and AliPay.

It was nice to find that Windscribe VPN is great for streaming. Many other VPN services claim to unblock various streaming services and often fail, so Windscribe did great.

The service has handled platforms such as:

Netflix with the U.S. library

DAZN 

BBC iPlayer 

Youtube

First of all, Windscribe offers servers optimized for streaming. I have successfully accessed geo-blocked content on Netflix, DAZN and Youtube using Windflix US. I also tried UK servers to unblock BBC iPlayer, and it worked.

Netflix

You may even get lucky with servers other than the dedicated servers for these tasks, especially if you try more unknown servers that are not yet recognized by Netflix and other platforms. This service would make a great addition to your Amazon Fire TV or other devices.

Windscribe is a decent VPN. We appreciated its ability to unblock Netflix and other streaming platforms, which is why some people use VPNs.

It’s also lovely that Windscribe VPN allows unlimited simultaneous connections and offers a generous free version with 10GB of monthly data.

Regarding security and privacy, you also have nothing to worry about. The VPN uses AES-256 encryption, multiple secure tunnelling protocols, and a clear no-log policy. But there are still questions about the company’s independent audit.

Keep in mind that Windscribe is one of the most feature-rich VPN providers on the market, offering features such as an ad blocker and dual VPN.

Overall, Windscribe VPN has good potential to be one of the best services in the industry – but there’s still work to be done.