Affiliate disclosure: VPN Vetted is reader-supported. We have no affiliate deal with Windscribe: links to Windscribe go to its official site and earn us nothing. Some links to alternatives (Proton VPN and Surfshark, marked “sponsored”) are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That doesn’t change our verdict. Surfshark belongs to Nord Security, the group that also owns NordVPN.
Prices, plans and audit details checked October 31, 2026, between 09:13 and 09:14 BRT, on Windscribe’s, Proton’s and Surfshark’s official pages, in USD, before sales tax or VAT. We saw no Black Friday offer on Windscribe’s pricing page today.
Last updated: October 31, 2026
Verdict (quick)
Windscribe is one of the few VPNs with a genuinely usable free plan (10GB a month once you confirm your email), a cheap yearly Pro plan ($69), no device limit, and a company that publishes who audited what and when. It’s independently owned and based in Canada.
The trade-offs: its most recent third-party audit is from June 2024 (Packetlabs, server infrastructure), older than the 2025–2026 no-logs reports Proton VPN and Surfshark publish; its refund window is short (7 business days, under 10GB used); and some people prefer a provider outside Canada.
Pick Windscribe if you want a strong free tier or the cheapest flat yearly price with unlimited devices. Pick Proton VPN if you want a more recent named no-logs audit. Pick Surfshark if you want unlimited devices with a recent Deloitte report and a 30-day refund window.
Official site: windscribe.com (no affiliate link)
Plans and price
| Plan | Price (USD) | Data | What it’s for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 10GB a month after you sign up and confirm your email | Light, occasional use |
| Pro, monthly | $9.00 a month | Unlimited | Short-term use |
| Pro, yearly | $69 every 12 months ($5.75 a month) | Unlimited | Best value for regular use |
| Build-A-Plan | $1 per location per month ($3 minimum, up to 7 locations) | Each location adds 10GB to your monthly allowance | Free users who need a few extra locations |
Official pricing page and homepage, checked October 31, 2026, 09:13 BRT.
Free
Windscribe’s homepage says you get 10GB of data every month once you sign up and confirm your email. Its FAQ also lists questions about accounts with only 2GB a month and about subscribing to promo emails to get 10GB, so read the signup terms before you count on the full 10GB. For daily use on several devices, 10GB runs out quickly.
Pro
Pro removes the data cap, opens every server location, and adds R.O.B.E.R.T. (Windscribe’s blocklist tool for ads, trackers and malware). The yearly plan renews at $69 every 12 months according to the pricing page (“Billed $69 USD every 12 months”). There’s no 2- or 3-year intro deal, so there’s also no big renewal jump, which is unusual in this market.
Build-A-Plan
You pay $1 per location per month (minimum $3), and each location adds 10GB to your monthly allowance. It’s a niche option for people who mostly live on the free plan.
Refunds
Windscribe’s terms say refund requests must be made within 7 business days of your subscription start date and while your usage is below 10GB. That’s much shorter than the 30-day guarantees Proton VPN and Surfshark advertise. Test on the free plan first.
Privacy: jurisdiction, policy and audits
Jurisdiction
Windscribe’s terms name Windscribe Limited, a company registered in the province of Ontario, Canada, and say Ontario law governs disputes. Canada is a Five Eyes country. Windscribe addresses this directly on its no-logs page: it says Canadian law does not require VPN providers to store logs. That’s Windscribe’s position; if a non-Five Eyes jurisdiction matters to you, Proton VPN (Switzerland) is the alternative below.
What Windscribe says it stores
Its privacy policy and no-logs page say it does not store your real IP address, connection timestamps, session duration or traffic content. It does keep a few operational data points: the date (not time) you last used the service, total bandwidth used over a rolling 30 days, and which app versions you’ve activated. Windscribe says this is used to enforce free-plan limits and prevent abuse.
Audits (named, dated, from Windscribe’s own page)
Windscribe’s knowledge-base article “Has Windscribe been audited?” (dated October 17, 2025) lists:
- Packetlabs, June 2024: audit of FreshScribe, Windscribe’s rebuilt server stack. Windscribe’s blog says it covered 20 code repositories (around 80,000 lines of code) plus external and internal penetration testing, and quotes the report: “the penetration test against the Windscribe stack yielded minimal security concerns.”
- Leviathan Security Group, September 2021: desktop app audit.
- Leviathan Security Group, March 2022: Android and iOS app audit.
- Cure53, December 2022: an earlier audit of a pre-production version of the new stack, which Windscribe says the newer report supersedes.
Important nuance: these are security audits of infrastructure and apps. They’re not the same as the no-logs “assurance” reports Deloitte produced for Surfshark or the Securitum no-logs audit Proton VPN publishes. Windscribe argues on its no-logs page that real-world events (it cites a dismissed 2025 court case in Greece and a server seizure by Dutch authorities) test its policy better than audits do. Those are Windscribe’s own accounts; we haven’t independently verified them.
Windscribe also says its apps are open source on GitHub, which makes its claims easier for outsiders to inspect.
Features
From Windscribe’s official features page:
- Firewall (Windscribe’s kill switch): “Blocks all connectivity outside the VPN tunnel to eliminate all types of leaks.” It’s in the desktop apps.
- R.O.B.E.R.T.: blocks IPs and domains (ads, trackers, malware) of your choice, across devices.
- Unlimited devices: “Secure every device you own — one account, no connection limits.”
- Split tunneling, Double Hop, static IPs and protocol choice (WireGuard, IKEv2, OpenVPN via the config generator).
- Network options: set how Windscribe behaves on specific networks, useful for automatically connecting on public Wi-Fi.
We didn’t run speed or leak tests, so we don’t make claims about performance.
Apps and browser extension
Windscribe lists apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iPhone and Android, plus browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox. A browser extension only covers traffic inside that browser; for whole-device protection (and the Firewall), use the desktop app. We explain the difference in our best VPN for Chrome guide.
Windscribe vs Proton VPN
| Windscribe | Proton VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Owner / base | Windscribe Limited, Ontario, Canada | Proton AG, Switzerland |
| Free plan | 10GB a month (email confirmed) | No data limit, 1 device |
| Paid price | $69 a year, renews at $69 | Plus: $83.76 for 24 months, then $83.88 a year |
| Devices (paid) | Unlimited | 10 |
| Latest named audit | Packetlabs (server stack), June 2024 | Securitum no-logs audit, page updated June 16, 2026 |
| Refund | 7 business days, under 10GB | 30 days |
| Affiliate link | No | Yes |
Windscribe is cheaper per year and has no device cap. Proton VPN’s free plan has no data cap, its audit page is more recent and focused on no-logs, and its refund window is longer. See our Proton VPN review.
Alternatives: Proton VPN and Surfshark
Proton VPN: more recent no-logs audit, unlimited-data free plan
Proton VPN Plus costs $3.49 a month on the 2-year plan ($83.76 up front), then $83.88 a year, for 10 devices. Proton says Securitum completed a fifth consecutive annual audit of its no-logs policy (page updated June 16, 2026). Its free plan has no data limit but covers 1 device. Kill switch is available on all plans in its desktop and mobile apps.
Buy if: you want a recent named no-logs audit and Swiss jurisdiction.
Skip if: you need more than 10 devices at once.
Surfshark: unlimited devices with a Deloitte report
Surfshark Starter costs $2.49 a month, $67.23 for the first 27 months, then $79 a year, with unlimited devices. Today Surfshark’s pricing page shows a “Black Friday deal” label on Surfshark One at the same $67.23 for 27 months (seen October 31, 2026, 09:13 BRT). Surfshark published on June 16, 2025, that Deloitte verified its no-logs policy again. It’s run by Surfshark B.V. in the Netherlands and is part of Nord Security.
Buy if: you want unlimited devices, a recent Deloitte report and a 30-day refund window.
Skip if: you want a free plan or want to avoid the Nord Security group.
Comparison table
| Windscribe Pro (yearly) | Proton VPN Plus | Surfshark Starter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First payment | $69 / 12 months | $83.76 / 24 months | $67.23 / 27 months |
| Renews at | $69 / year | $83.88 / year | $79 / year |
| Devices | Unlimited | 10 | Unlimited |
| Free plan | Yes, 10GB a month | Yes, 1 device | No |
| Latest named audit | Packetlabs, June 2024 (servers) | Securitum, June 16, 2026 (no-logs) | Deloitte, June 16, 2025 (no-logs) |
| Base | Canada | Switzerland | Netherlands |
| Refund window | 7 business days, under 10GB | 30 days | 30 days |
| Affiliate | No | Yes | Yes |
Official pages, USD, before tax, checked October 31, 2026 (09:13–09:14 BRT).
Who should skip Windscribe
- You want a recent, named no-logs audit specifically (not an infrastructure pen test): Proton VPN or Surfshark publish newer ones.
- You prefer a provider outside Canada / Five Eyes: Proton VPN (Switzerland).
- You want a long refund window to try the paid plan: Windscribe’s is 7 business days and under 10GB.
- You need a free plan without a data cap: Proton Free has no data limit (1 device).
How we evaluated
On October 31, 2026 (09:13–09:14 BRT) we read Windscribe’s pricing page, homepage, features page, privacy policy, terms of service, no-logs page and audit article, plus Proton VPN’s and Surfshark’s pricing and audit pages. We did not run our own speed or leak tests, and we don’t give a numeric score. Windscribe isn’t an affiliate partner, so we earn nothing if you choose it.
FAQ
Is Windscribe Free really free?
Yes. Windscribe’s homepage offers 10GB of data every month after you sign up and confirm your email. Its FAQ mentions some accounts with 2GB a month, so check what your account shows.
Is Windscribe safe?
Windscribe publishes named audits: Packetlabs reviewed its server stack in June 2024, and Leviathan Security Group audited its desktop (2021) and mobile apps (2022). It says it doesn’t store your IP, timestamps or traffic. No VPN can promise perfect safety; judge it on these published facts.
Where is Windscribe based?
Windscribe Limited is registered in Ontario, Canada, according to its terms of service.
How many devices can I use with Windscribe?
Windscribe’s features page says one account has no connection limits (“unlimited devices”).
Windscribe vs Proton VPN: which is better?
Windscribe is cheaper per year ($69) with unlimited devices. Proton VPN has a free plan with no data limit, a more recent no-logs audit (Securitum, June 16, 2026) and a 30-day refund window, but a 10-device cap.
How much does Windscribe cost after the first year?
The yearly Pro plan is billed $69 every 12 months, per the pricing page on October 31, 2026. The monthly plan is $9.
Final verdict
Windscribe is a solid, independent choice if you want a real free tier or a simple $69 yearly plan with no device cap. It’s open about what it stores and who audited it, but its latest audit (June 2024) is older and focused on infrastructure rather than a no-logs assurance, and its refund window is short. If those points matter, Proton VPN is our first alternative and Surfshark our budget pick for unlimited devices.
Check Proton price · Check Surfshark price
Related
- Best free VPN
- Private VPN alternatives
- Proton VPN alternatives
- Surfshark vs Proton VPN
- Best VPN for multiple devices
Sources (official pages, checked on October 31, 2026)
- Windscribe, pricing: windscribe.com/upgrade (09:13 BRT)
- Windscribe, homepage (10GB free): windscribe.com (09:13 BRT)
- Windscribe, features: windscribe.com/features (09:13 BRT)
- Windscribe, privacy policy: windscribe.com/privacy (09:13 BRT)
- Windscribe, terms (Ontario, refunds): windscribe.com/terms (09:13 BRT)
- Windscribe, no identifying logs: windscribe.com/features/no-identifying-logs (09:13 BRT)
- Windscribe, “Has Windscribe been audited?” (Oct 17, 2025): windscribe.com/knowledge-base/articles/has-windscribe-been-audited (09:13 BRT)
- Windscribe, FreshScribe audit post: windscribe.com/blog/freshscribe-next-generation-vpn-infrastructure-2 (09:13 BRT)
- Proton VPN, pricing and no-logs audit: protonvpn.com/blog/no-logs-audit (09:13 BRT)
- Surfshark, pricing and Deloitte verification: surfshark.com/blog/surfshark-audit (09:13 BRT)