Alternatives to Windscribe
Freemium VPN with build-a-plan pricing
Windscribe ranks #2 of 9 in Personal VPNs, with an Alt Score of 96. It is licensed under GPL-2.0, freemium from $1.00 per location/month (Build-A-Plan, $3 minimum); Pro from $5.75/month billed yearly and available on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and Browser extension. 12 of 12 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Privacy-conscious individuals, travelers on public Wi-Fi, and people needing to bypass regional content restrictions who want a VPN with a genuinely usable free tier.
A VPN with real (non-virtual) servers in 60+ countries, apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. Includes R.O.B.E.R.T., a network-level ad and tracker blocker, plus split tunneling and multiple protocol options (WireGuard, IKEv2, OpenVPN). A free plan offers 10GB/month of data with no credit card required, and paid plans let you build a custom plan by picking only the features/locations you want, or subscribe to a flat Pro plan.
Install the app or browser extension, sign in, and connect to a server location to route your traffic through an encrypted tunnel; R.O.B.E.R.T. and split tunneling can be configured separately to block trackers or exclude specific apps/sites from the VPN.
Where Windscribe stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave Windscribe
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
Sign in to add a reason — new reasons go through moderation before appearing.
Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the Personal VPNs checklist (16 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
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| Personal VPNs checklist | Windscribe | Private Internet Access | Surfshark | NordVPN | ExpressVPN | Proton VPN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Anonymous payment accepted |
Every fact and feature listed for Windscribe is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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License GPL-2.0 verified 2026-07-11
GPL-2.0 license
https://github.com/Windscribe/Desktop-App -
Pricing model Freemium verified 2026-07-11
We offer an actually free plan - no throttling, no gotchas, no strings attached.
https://windscribe.com/features/use-for-free -
Starts at $1.00 per location/month (Build-A-Plan, $3 minimum); Pro from $5.75/month billed yearly verified 2026-07-11
Billed $1.00 per location, per month
https://windscribe.com/upgrade -
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser extension verified 2026-07-11
VPN applications for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and browser extensions (Chrome, Firefox, MS Edge)
https://windscribe.com/features/windows -
Status active verified 2026-07-11
100% of our VPN node fleet now runs entirely in RAM.
https://windscribe.com/blog/nodeos-booting-from-ram -
Independent audit published Yes verified 2026-07-11
The Windscribe desktop application was audited in September 2021 by Leviathan Security Group. All raised issues were addressed and fixed.
https://windscribe.com/knowledge-base/articles/has-windscribe-been-audited -
No-logs policy jurisdiction Yes verified 2026-07-11
Windscribe operates out of Canada. In addition to offering a mature legal system, Canadian laws do not mandate that VPN providers log any data.
https://windscribe.com/features/no-identifying-logs -
WireGuard support Yes verified 2026-07-11
Latest next-generation VPN protocol that offers record breaking speeds. Connect on 6 different ports.
https://windscribe.com/features/windows -
Server count / countries Yes verified 2026-07-11
Currently we offer servers in 69 different countries worldwide, 10 of which are accessible to Free users.
https://windscribe.com/knowledge-base/articles/how-many-servers-does-windscribe-have -
Simultaneous devices Yes verified 2026-07-11
No device or connection limits
https://windscribe.com/features/unlimited-devices -
Kill switch Yes verified 2026-07-11
blocks ALL connectivity outside of the VPN tunnel to ensure zero leaks of any kind if the VPN disconnects
https://windscribe.com/features/firewall -
Split tunneling Yes verified 2026-07-11
Split tunneling is a VPN feature that lets you send some of your internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel while allowing other traffic to access the internet directly.
https://windscribe.com/knowledge-base/articles/what-is-split-tunneling-and-how-to-use-it -
Port forwarding Yes verified 2026-07-11
Port forwarding is a method that lets incoming data (from the internet) reach a specific device or service on your local network through a designated port number.
https://windscribe.com/features/port-forwarding -
Dedicated IP option Partial verified 2026-07-11
Same external IP address, every connection, every time.
https://windscribe.com/features/static-ips -
P2P allowed Yes verified 2026-07-11
We do not prohibit Pro users from using our VPN for Peer-to-Peer (P2P) traffic, but P2P is disabled on our free servers at this time.
https://windscribe.com/knowledge-base/articles/does-windscribe-allow-peer-to-peer-p2p-traffic -
RAM-only servers Yes verified 2026-07-11
RAM disk" is wiped."
Once one of our nodes is turned off or rebooted, all data on this ephemeral
https://windscribe.com/blog/nodeos-booting-from-ram -
Anonymous payment accepted Yes verified 2026-07-11
Windscribe paid plans can be purchased without using a credit card or any identifiable payment method, mainly cryptocurrencies.
https://windscribe.com/knowledge-base/articles/which-cryptocurrencies-do-you-support
FAQ
Yes. Proton VPN and Cloudflare WARP have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
Proton VPN, Mullvad and IVPN — every license claim links its source.