Windscribe VPN review
[Presented by BestCloudBest.com]
Are you looking for privacy and security while browsing the Internet? Additionally, are you also trying to unblock geo-restricted streaming services like Netflix and Hulu? What about P2P/torrenting? Are you interested in that too?
Well, you are likely thinking about buying a “Virtual Private Network” (VPN) service since VPNs offer these features. Not surprisingly, VPNs have become very popular and many VPN providers have entered this growing market.
As a result, you could find it hard to choose a VPN provider that meets your specific requirements. Windscribe is a Canada-based VPN provider that offers good privacy and security features. It can sometimes unblock streaming services like Netflix, moreover, it allows P2P/torrenting.
Should you buy it, though? In this review, we analyze its features and pros-and-cons so that you can make an informed judgment.
The Features you get with Windscribe VPN
You are planning to use VPN services to meet specific requirements, therefore, you would like to know whether a VPN provider offers the features you need. Windscribe offers a host of features, and let’s take a look at them.
How much does Windcribe value your privacy?
Privacy is a key requirement for many VPN users, and Windscribe is on a strong footing here. The company has a “no logs” policy, and it doesn’t log information that VPN users like to keep private. Windscribe describes what it logs and what it doesn’t log in its privacy policy.
This VPN provider doesn’t log connections, browsing history, timestamp, or IPs of its users. It can’t tie its users’ Internet activities to a particular user since it doesn’t track personally identifiable information.
Windscribe records the bandwidth used in a month since it needs to ensure that its free-plan users aren’t surpassing their data-transfer limits. It also records the following:
· The OpenVPN username, server, and connection time;
· The number of devices connected;
· The amount of data a user transfers for three minutes.
This provider stores these in the RAM of the VPN server, therefore, the data is lost when a user closes his/her session.
You don’t need to provide an email or any other personal information to Windscribe, moreover, you can pay anonymously using Bitcoin. In summary, Windscribe does log some information, however, such information doesn’t have privacy concerns attached to it.
Windscribe has its jurisdiction in Canada, which is part of the “5 Eyes” countries. These countries allow mass surveillance, however, Windscribe isn’t affected by that.
Canadian laws require “Internet Service Providers” (ISPs) to keep a log of their users’ activities, and ISPs need to provide this information to the government when required. However, Windscribe isn’t an ISP, rather, it’s a VPN provider. Canadian laws currently don’t require VPNs to keep logs about their users.
Windscribe has a transparency report on its website, where it shows the number of requests it has received from copyright and law enforcement agencies for sharing data. The company makes it clear that it hasn’t complied with even one such request since it doesn’t log the data requested.
Is your data secure while using Windscribe?
Security is a key requirement for VPN users, which isn’t surprising considering the growing instances of cyber-attacks. Windscribe offers good news here since the company had strong privacy features.
IKEv2 is the default protocol of Windscribe, and it offers a good balance between security and speed. Windscribe also supports OpenVPN, and we recommend that you use it. OpenVPN has the reputation of being the most secure VPN protocol, and it has no known vulnerabilities. With Windscribe, you can choose either UDP or TCP OpenVPN connections.
Windscribe uses strong encryption, which includes AES-256 cipher with SHA512 auth. It uses a 4096-bit RSA key. Windscribe supports “perfect forward secrecy”, which is an encryption method that frequently generates new encryption keys that are unique. In the unlikely scenario of cyber-attackers getting hold of your encryption key, they will be able to access only a limited amount of data, thanks to “perfect forward secrecy”!
Windscribe offers an automatic “kill switch”, and it calls it a “Firewall”. The “kill switch” automatically blocks your Internet connection if the VPN connection drops for any reason. This is a useful security feature since it protects your data even if the VPN connection terminates unexpectedly.
Windscribe masks your IP address, and it guards against IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks. You can use other advanced security features that Windscribe offers, e.g.,
· “Port forwarding”: You can use Windscribe to access your services on your computer or home network remotely and securely;
· “Split tunneling”: with this feature, you can specify the apps that will use the VPN and the ones that won’t;
· “Double hop”: You can increase your privacy, security, and anonymity with this feature, which routes your requests through any 2 locations on the Windscribe network.
An interesting feature of Windscribe is “R.O.B.E.R.T.”, which blocks ads, trackers, and malware. It’s a customizable server-side domain and IP blocking tool, and you can set-up access rules in it.
Server locations for Windscribe VPN
Windscribe has servers in over 60 countries and 110 cities, and all of its servers are physical servers. The company has its infrastructure in all key geographies, therefore, you can experience a reasonable speed if you use Windscribe.
NORTH AMERICA
Canada; Canada - Toronto; Canada - Vancouver; United States; Mexico
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
N/A
SOUTH AMERICA
Argentina; Brazil; Colombia
EUROPE
Albania; Austria; Azerbaijan; Belgium; Bosnia and Herz.; Bulgaria; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Estonia; Finland; France; Georgia; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Iceland; India; Ireland; Italy; Latvia; Lithuania; Macedonia; Moldova; Netherlands; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Russia; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Turkey; Ukraine; United Kingdom
ASIA
Hong Kong; Indonesia
AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST
Israel; South Africa; Tunisia; Cyprus
OCEANIA
Australia; New Zealand
Platforms supported by Windscribe VPN
You would want a VPN service that you can use across all of your devices. Windscribe fares very well here since it supports a wide range of platforms. It supports Windows and macOS, moreover, it supports Linux Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and CentOS.
You can use Windscribe on your Android, iPhone, and Windows phones. Note that Windscribe has a custom app for each of these platforms. This VPN provider has browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera, and Windscribe recommends that you use its apps as well as browser extensions for best privacy and security.
You can follow the guides offered by Windscribe to set it up on smart TV platforms like Amazon Fire TV, Nvidia Shield, and KODI. The company offers guides for you set up Windscribe on DD-WRT, Asus, and Tomato routers, moreover, you can buy pre-configured routers to use Windscribe.
In addition to the above, Windscribe offers configuration files. Using these, you can set-up Windscribe on any device that supports certain VPN/proxy protocols, namely, OpenVPN, IKEv2, and SOCKS5. Windscribe well and truly covers all your platforms and devices, moreover, it allows you to connect unlimited devices.
Can Windscribe unblock streaming services?
Many users look for a VPN since they want to unblock geo-restricted streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, etc. Unblocking Netflix is becoming increasingly harder for most VPN providers since Netflix is continuously trying to restrict VPNs from accessing its libraries.
Windscribe has special servers for unblocking Netflix, and these are called “Windflix” servers. It has 4 such servers, and these are located in the US, UK, Canada, and Japan. While you can stream Netflix using these servers, they aren’t always successful. Windscribe is unable to unblock Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Videos, and HBO GO, however, it allows users to view YouTube US-only content.
Does Windscribe allow P2P/torrenting?
Windscribe allows P2P/torrenting on most of its servers. You can view itslocation status webpage and find out the countries where Windscribe doesn’t allow torrenting, e.g., India, Russia, South Africa, etc. You can access P2P services on all of its other servers, and Windscribe allows unlimited bandwidth.
Can Windscribe VPN bypass internet censorship?
Some countries impose censorship, e.g., China has its “Firewalls”. Often, Internet users look for a VPN to bypass such censorship mechanisms. The good news is that Windscribe can bypass the kind of censorship that China imposes.
Windscribe has a “Stealth VPN mode”, which masks your OpenVPN traffic. The company does it by hiding your OpenVPN traffic inside a secure TLS tunnel. You can also use its “Wstunnel mode”, which is an alternative if the other mode can’t bypass censorship. Here, Windscribe wraps the OpenVPN traffic in a WebSocket to bypass censorship.
How much does WIndscribe cost?
Windscribe has flexible pricing plans. The company has a monthly plan, which costs $9 per month. This plan involves monthly billing. Its yearly plan costs $49, and Windscribe bills you annually. This works out to $4.08 per month. There are no limitations on bandwidth.
You can also use its pricing page to build a customized pricing plan that works for you. Choose the locations you want, and Windscribe bills you $1 per location, per month. Windscribe has optional features like a static IP address and a team account, at additional costs. E.g., a static IP address costs you $8 per month.
Windscribe has a “Free” plan, which naturally comes with several limitations. You can access servers in 11 countries only, and the servers can be slow at times. The free plan doesn’t unblock Netflix. You can get 10 GB of data per month and unlimited connections in this free plan, and we recommend that you can use it to try out Windscribe.
The free plan allows you to set 3 rules for “R.O.B.E.R.T.”, i.e., the tool that Windscribe offers for blocking malware, ads, and trackers. The paid plans enable you to set up more rules.
Windscribe accepts standard payment methods like PayPal, moreover, it accepts credit cards like Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. Paymantwall is another payment option that you have. Windscribe also accepts Bitcoin.
The company has a refund policy, however, it has a few restrictions. You need to request a refund within 72 hours of your purchase, moreover, if you have used 10 GB data then Windscribe will decline your refund request.
The pros and cons of Windscribe VPN
You would surely like to understand the pros and cons of a VPN provider before you buy its services, and we explain them here. Windscribe offers several advantages, which are as follows:
· Windscribe offers great privacy, thanks to its “no logs” policy and the options to buy its services anonymously;
· This is a highly secure VPN service with its OpenVPN/IKEv2 protocols, excellent encryption, “kill switches”, protection against IP/DNS/WebRTC leaks, and blocking of malware/ads/trackers. It also has advanced security features like “split tunneling”, “double hop”, etc.;
· Windscribe has its infrastructure in over 60 countries and 110 cities, and it offers reasonable speed;
· You can use Windscribe on all key platforms and routers. Windscribe has custom apps for all key platforms, moreover, it has useful guides for all popular routers;
· You can connect unlimited devices using Windscribe, and its paid plans have no data/bandwidth restrictions;
· Windscribe has a free plan, which is good enough if your requirements are limited. You can also use it to evaluate this VPN service;
· Windscribe allows P2P/torrenting, moreover, it can bypass Internet censorship imposed by countries like China;
· The company has great documentation and robust customer support capabilities, and it offers reasonable and flexible pricing plans.
You will notice a few disadvantages too if you use Windscribe, and these are as follows:
· While its Windflix servers can unblock Netflix, Windscribe can’t achieve consistently. It can’t unblock other popular streaming services like Hulu and BBC iPlayer;
· Windscribe has its jurisdiction in Canada, which is one of the “5 Eyes” countries that allow mass surveillance. That’s not the ideal jurisdiction for a VPN provider. While the existing Canadian laws can’t force Windscribe to keep logs of users’ activities, future legislation can impact the ability of Windscribe to protect the privacy of its users;
· Windscribe doesn’t honor refund requests made after 72 hours from the purchase, moreover, it doesn’t issue a refund if you have used more than 10 GB data.
A few quick facts about Windscribe
It’s time to summarize a few quick facts about Windscribe so that you can make an informed decision about buying its services. These facts are as follows:
· Windscribe is an established VPN provider based in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada;
· It has strong privacy features like “no logs” policy and anonymity, therefore, having its jurisdiction in Canada doesn’t impact its privacy credentials;
· Windscribe has strong security solutions including OpenVPN protocol, military-grade encryption, “kill switches”, guards against IP/DNS/WebRTC leaks, and a blocker against malware/ads/trackers;
· The company supports all key platforms, allows unlimited connections, and has no limitations on data/bandwidth in its paid plans;
· It can’t unblock most streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer, however, some of its servers can unblock Netflix;
· Windscribe offers reasonable speed, moreover, it allows P2P/torrenting;
· Its pricing is reasonable and flexible, which includes a free plan;
· Windscribe provides excellent documentation, moreover, the company offers robust customer support.
Is Windscribe VPN easy to use?
You will surely prefer a VPN service that’s user-friendly, and Windscribe goes all the way to satisfy its users vis-à-vis its ease-of-use. You will notice that as soon as you visit its website since you can easily locate all key menu options like “Get Started”, “Log in”, “Support”, and pricing”. Windscribe prominently displays the “Download Windscribe” button so that you can get started with its free plan easily.
You can easily sign-up for a free account by providing a username and password. The process to buy one of its paid plans is easy since it consists of a few simple steps.
You can access any of its self-help and support options easily. Windscribe displays its various support options prominently on its “Support” webpage.
Windscribe prominently displays all of its setup guides on its “Setup guides” page.
You can easily download the Windscribe custom apps, browser extensions, and guides from its “Download” page. This page also allows you to generate configuration files for protocols like OpenVPN, IKEv2, and SOCKS5.
Using Windscribe VPN on Windows
Windscribe provides a simple .exe installer for their Windows client. On their website, the download page is easy to find thanks to the large download button at the top of the page.
The installer has some fun easter eggs hidden in it, but we don’t want to spoil the experience for you.
The application opens with a login screen, and you have to register an account before you get to access the application. Just like the website it has a minimalistic and modern design scheme.
On the main menu screen you can see your current IP, your subscription time, the selected location, and the status of the VPN connection. If you don’t plan on changing around the settings, just click on the large power button and the service will automatically get you connected to the closest server.
In the top right corner of the main menu there is a small bell icon, where you can read any news or updates regarding Windscribe.
The server list is not the best when it comes to being user friendly, it features no search bar, and there is no indicator for latency, load, or bandwidth. Compared to other providers Windscribe certainly lacks behind when it comes to selecting the right server.
When it comes to the settings, users get a fair amount of options. Under the general tab, you’ll find the usual settings, like launching the app with Windows or automatically connecting on startup, for some reason the option to block LAN traffic is also under the general options when it’s clearly connection related.
Moving on to the connection settings, the first feature to watch out for is called “Firewall” this is basically a kill switch that has three modes: automatic, manual, and always on we would recommend leaving it on automatic.
Windscribe provides a fair amount of protocols to choose from, by default IKEv2 is selected automatically. Users can also choose OpenVPN UDP or OpenVPN TCP while UDP is much faster than TCP and it’s also easily blocked. If you are trying to connect from a region where the internet traffic is heavily censored, and VPNs are banned Windscribe has its user’s back with “Stealth” and “Wstunnel”, these protocols both disguise your VPN traffic as other data. All protocols that support port selection come with the option to change their port.
The application also features proxy settings, and an easy to use debug interface.
Considering everything, Windscribe provides a well made and professional Windows client. We would like to see an ad blocking feature added in the future. During the testing we didn’t run into any problems there were no IP-leaks and the Killswitch worked in every scenario.
About the smartphone applications of Windscribe VPN
Windscribe provides applications for both Android and IOS and these can be downloaded from the Play Store and the App Store. The two clients don’t show much difference when it comes to features.
The IOS version is really simple and has no settings at all. It uses IKEv2/IPsec with AES-GCM encryption and there is no way to change that. It has a server list and a connect button, it has no additional options whatsoever. This is probably the reason for the 3.8-star rating on the App store, which is surprisingly good compared to other more advanced VPN clients.
In the rest of this section, we’ll be talking about the Android client. After installing the app the whole application can be accessed, but we can’t connect until the VPN username and password are entered in the Prefs tab.
Under the Username and Password, fields are some of the application settings like, Connect on boot or Auto-connect and a switch to choose between Light and Dark theme.
After entering your login credentials the service is ready for use, start by selecting a location from the Location menu and clicking the large connect button. The app also shows your current IP address and location. VPN.AC provides an IP leak test tool, and a window to check the connection logs. To our understanding, the connection logs are only stored locally and they are deleted when the application or the phone is restarted, this feature can be useful for professional users.
The servers are the same on all platforms, some of them support P2P, others are optimized for use from china or they make use of multi-hop connections. All servers run on “bare-metal” and none of them are virtualized.
In the Advanced settings menu, users can switch between 4 types of OpenVPN protocols, like OpenVPN ECC, OpenVPN 128-bit, OpenVPN 256-bit, and OpenVPN XOR, all protocols can use several different ports. The app has an option called “Small packets” which aims to improve stability on slow networks and networks running old equipment.
There are some advanced features provided in the app, that is the option for split tunneling which allows other applications to bypass the VPN network, and there is also a feature that draws out usage graphs.
Overall the Android application is a fully-featured and very professional platform, that has a wide range of options and features. The only thing that we would like to see is an ad blocking service. On the other hand, the IOS app is very basic and we would only recommend using it if there is no other choice. While testing we didn’t run into any bugs and the VPN passed our leak test.
Using Windscribe on Linux
Windscribe currently has no application for Linux but they do provide a simple terminal app. Because of this, it’s a bit harder to use their service on Linux than on other platforms.
To use this we first had to download a Linux installer using the terminal application. The process of installing Windscribe is not simple, so we. After installing the package, we recommend running the sudo apt-get update command in a terminal.
Once you are done installing the program use the windscribe login command to login to the service. If the credentials are correct, you can start using Windscribe’s linux program. Selecting a location is done with the windscribe locations command, and connecting to your selected server is done using windscribe connect servername.
Running the windscribe --help command shows all the options provided in the client.
Windscribe for Linux uses OpenVPN protocol as the default. But you do get the option to use Stealth VPN, there is also an option to choose between TCP and UDP. The service has an internet killswitch and it supports proxy servers. It has a lan bypass option that allows users to allow or deny access to their local network.
Windscribe’s Linux client would be much easier to use if it had a graphical interface, but because of the size of the market on Linux, development for this platform probably isn’t a priority for Windscribe. We can only recommend using this VPN on Linux if there is no better choice, or if you already own a Windscribe subscription.
During testing, the software showed no bugs and it also passed our leak test.
The router support of Windscribe VPN
We tested Windscribe on a router running AsusWRT firmware but the service supports any router compatible with OpenVPN.
Setting up a VPN connection on any router running AsusWRT is really simple, Windscribe’s website has a tutorial for setting up the VPN on different firmwares and almost all of them have screenshots. Even if you are new to setting a VPN up a router Windscribe’s tutorials are easy to understand, and their online support replies fast if you run into any problems.
First, navigate to the VPN panel on your router’s configuration page here select the button to add a new profile, give the connection a name enter your username, and password provided by Windscribe on their website (please note that these aren’t your VPN.AC login credentials, these are automatically generated and can be found on the OpenVPN part of the website).
Windscribe provides easy to use configuration files that have all the necessary configurations for the server of your choice, these config files are generated automatically and are pre-configured with all the necessary settings.
Using a VPN on a router can secure the internet for your whole family. The only drawback of using a virtual private network on your router is that it’s very inconvenient to switch between servers or turn the service on and off.
Setting up Windscribe was easy but it would be nice to see support for more protocols in the future. While testing the service we didn’t run into any technical problems and the VPN passed all leak and security checks.
Customer service
You would prefer to have great customer support and robust documentation for any product you buy, wouldn’t you? Windscribe fares really well here with its robust customer support and you can easily access all supports options on its “Support” page.
You can submit a ticket, use its support chatbot for relatively simpler queries, and use its Subreddit channel. Windscribe also offers live chat for more complex queries.
This VPN provider offers excellent guides on its “Setup guide” page, therefore, you will likely have very few questions for its customer support team. Windscribe has a very informative FAQ page on its website, moreover, it has a searchable knowledge base.
Jurisdiction of Windscribe
The jurisdiction of Windscribe is Canada, which is one of the “5 Eyes” countries that conduct mass surveillance. In Canada, ISPs must provide the logs on their users to relevant government authorities if the government orders them to do so. The Canadian government has the necessary legal backing for such powers.
However, Windscribe is a VPN provider and not an ISP. Canadian laws don’t compel VPN providers to turn in logs on their users to the government. If Canada enacts such laws in the future, then Windscribe will need to comply with them.
At the time of this review, Windscribe doesn’t log the Internet activities of its users. Legally, it can’t be forced to keep logs and provide them to the Canadian government. We have seen no reports of any pressure on Windscribe from the government. As explained already, Windscribe shows in its transparency report that it doesn’t comply with requests from copyright and law enforcement agencies for sharing data.
Having said that, it’s not an ideal scenario for a VPN provider to have its jurisdiction in a “5 Eyes” country. Legislations in the future can force Windscribe to provide logs of its users’ Internet activities to the government.
Does Windscribe keep any logs of your activity?
Windscribe doesn’t keep any logs of the Internet activities of its users. The privacy policy of Windscribe states that the company doesn’t log connections, IPs, timestamps, or browsing history of its users. Windscribe also states in its privacy policy that it can’t tie users’ activities to any single user.
The policy describes in detail the data the company records. Windscribe records the bandwidth used in a month, and the company does it to ensure that the users of its “Free” plan don’t overshoot their limits.
This VPN provider also records the OpenVPN username, server, connection time, the amount of data a user transfers, and the number of devices connected. Windscribe stores these in the RAM of the concerned VPN server, therefore, the company can’t retain this data after the closure of the session.
As I have explained, Windscribe has a transparency report on its website, showing the number of requests it has received from copyright and law enforcement agencies to share data. The company states that it hasn’t complied with any of the requests. It clarifies that due to its “no logs” policy, it doesn’t have the relevant data to comply with such requests.
Technical security and encryption provided by Windscribe
Windscribe uses the IKEv2 protocol by default, which is secure. However, it supports the OpenVPN protocol, and we recommend that you use it. OpenVPN is known as the most secure VPN protocol.
With AES-256 cipher with SHA512 “auth”, Windscribe employs as strong encryption as you can ask for! It uses a 4096-bit RSA key, which is the proverbial “icing on the cake”!
With its “perfect forward secrecy” feature generating new encryption keys regularly, Windscribe protects your data even in the unlikely scenario of cybercriminals getting hold of your encryption key. Windscribe offers an automatic “kill switch”, which blocks the Internet connection if the VPN connection drops.
This VPN provider prevents IP/DNS/WebRTC leaks and it masks your IP address. You can use “R.O.B.E.R.T” to block malware, ads, and trackers. Advanced features like “port forwarding”, “split tunneling”, and “double hop” further increase your security. In summary, Windscribe stands on a strong footing as far as security is concerned.
Our short conclusion of Windscribe VPN
You might find it hard to choose the right VPN provider since many providers compete in this market. Windscribe offers excellent privacy and security features, moreover, it supports all key platforms and routers. This VPN provider allows unlimited connections, moreover, it imposes no data/bandwidth restrictions on its paid plans.
Windscribe often can’t unblock geo-restricted streaming services like Hulu and BBC iPlayer, and it has limited success in unblocking Netflix. You can access P2P/torrenting services using Windscribe, and this VPN provider offers reasonable speed.
Its reasonable and flexible pricing plans include a free plan, moreover, Windscribe provides excellent documentation and robust customer support. We find Windscribe to be a good choice, and you can certainly try out its free plan and evaluate it.
