Windscribe is a popular choice among people looking for the best free VPNs. This provider is known for a free plan that’s also safe and secure, which differentiates it from Hola VPN, Hotspot Shield, and Betternet VPN which are all but safe to use.
The Canadian provider is very user-friendly and it also offers a premium plan that isn’t very popular due to its somewhat expensive price. While seemingly a great provider on the surface, people look for Windscribe alternatives due to downsides found beneath the surface.
And today, I’m going to highlight these downsides as well as give you three much better VPNs that will represent the best alternatives to Windscribe. Needless to say, I recommend staying with us if you’re planning on getting a different provider – it’s gonna be worth it.
Top 3 alternatives VPNs to Windscribe :
- ExpressVPN
- CyberGhost VPN
- NordVPN
6300 servers
111 covered countries
30 days money-back guarantee
10 simultaneous connections
9.8 /10
3000 servers
105 covered countries
30 days money-back guarantee
8 simultaneous connections
9.4 /10
12000 servers
100 covered countries
45 days money-back guarantee
7 simultaneous connections
9.2 /10
Why Would You Want a Windscribe VPN Alternative?
Having in mind this is a free provider, you should always take its promises with a grain of salt. For the start, Windscribe offers a small server fleet of 500 or so servers. Taking into account its popularity, you’re highly likely to encounter overcrowding which will result in poor performance.
Speaking of which, this provider is pretty slow but the most irritating thing is its bandwidth limit. Windscribe gives you just 10 GB of monthly bandwidth, which really isn’t much even for mobile users, let alone desktop users who constantly listen to Spotify or stream on Netflix.
Security-wise, this provider is decent even as a free choice. However, despite its no-logging policy, you should know that it’s based in Canada. Canada is a part of the 5 Eyes alliance known for global surveillance and data collection, which raises the question of whether or not this Canada VPN is really safe.
In addition, it lacks some premium features like 24/7 live chat support, streaming, and P2P capabilities. Although it has a chatbot, a human representative isn’t available 24/7 and that’s pretty bad if you need help urgently. Windscribe has no security audits either, so keep that in mind when going for it.
All in all, it’s a decent free provider at best, but having in mind its bandwidth limit and expensive price alone makes you think about the best Windscribe alternatives. And thankfully, we have them below…
Best Windscribe Alternatives: Try These 3 Providers
If you find this VPN’s offerings unsatisfactory, let me tell you that you’ll have a much better experience with paid providers. Whether you’re looking for a good risk-free VPN for Firestick or you simply want a reliable provider for your PC, you’ll get what you need.
I made sure these providers are very affordable and definitely miles ahead of the Canadian VPN. Take a look below.
1. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is my favorite choice in this list of alternatives to Windscribe because it is truly THE best option out there. With 3,000 servers in 105 countries, it’s significantly larger than Windscribe. In the same fashion, it’s also a lot faster, and as we speak, it offers the fastest speeds among all VPNs, making it quite impressive.
What’s great about ExpressVPN is that you get no compromises. There are no annoying bandwidth limits and the provider is fully capable of downloading torrents and streaming. ExpressVPN will successfully work with Netflix, Hotstar, Disney+, and other relevant platforms.
Moreover, this provider has even better security features than Windscribe. With AES-256 encryption and a proprietary Lightway protocol, ExpressVPN takes the entire experience to a new level. We can also mention its certified no-logging policy which is one of the highlights of this provider.
Namely, it has security audits from PricewaterhouseCoopers/Cure53/KPMG on its no-logs policy, proving that it won’t store any logs of your online activity. Besides, it’s based in the British Virgin Islands, which is a rest haven for privacy compared to surveillance-ridden Canada.
ExpressVPN is the best Windscribe alternative due to customer support. Of course, you get it through live chat and it’s available 24/7 for all your needs. ExpressVPN’s apps are much easier to use and you can expect better device compatibility overall.
Having RAM-based servers, private DNS (which Windscribe doesn’t have), and full support for routers and Smart TV, ExpressVPN is what I call a powerhouse. Best of all is that it’s marginally more expensive than Windscribe, as you’ll pay just $0.9 more a month for the annual plan.
However, ExpressVPN includes 3 free months on top of that and you get a 30-day money-back guarantee for ALL plans, rather than a small 3-day money-back period you get on Windscribe. I think it’s pretty obvious which choice is better.
Pros
- Fastest performance
- Excellent streaming capabilities
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Based in the British Virgin Islands (no logging)
- 24/7 support through live chat
- Private DNS & RAM-based servers
Con
- Not the most affordable option
2. CyberGhost
Do you want a cheaper Windscribe alternative? Well, here’s CyberGhost. This provider is versatile, safe, secure, reliable, and VERY affordable. CyberGhost is simply the best budget VPN. It has 9,500+ worldwide servers in nearly 100 countries, which could eat Windscribe’s server network for breakfast.
Additionally, CyberGhost sports streaming and torrenting servers that you can utilize for obvious purposes. You can, therefore, download torrents anonymously anywhere or enjoy streaming on Netflix Canada, Japan, US, and other libraries with no issues.
CyberGhost is pretty fast too and with WireGuard support on all platforms, you’ll have no issues with performance. Windscribe has WireGuard support as well, but it’s limited, as you don’t get it on all platforms, which is another plus for CyberGhost.
This provider is based in Romania, far from the 5 Eyes. Plus, it has an audited zero-logging policy backed up by transparency reports published four times a year. This makes it extremely trustworthy compared to a free provider that found its home on cold Canadian soil.
In CyberGhost, you’ll also like NoSpy servers that are independently operated by the company. Furthermore, it includes an ad blocker, IPv6 leak protection, and a kill switch. I found its 7 simultaneous connections great too, and there’s 24/7 live chat support that Windscribe lacks.
This support is one of the best out there because it’s available in English, French, and German. With more robust device compatibility and better security and performance, it’s easy to see why CyberGhost is a great alternative to Windscribe. It’s premium yes, but its plans are cheaper than Windscribe’s premium plans!
You see, its 2-year plan is what I always recommend because it’ll cost you a tad above $2 a month and you’ll get a 45-day money-back guarantee. Now go to Windscribe’s site and take a look at its premium pricing – do you see what I’m talking about?
Pros
- Streaming and torrenting servers
- Support for WireGuard
- IPv6 leak protection
- Multi-language live chat support
- Very affordable 2-year plan with a 45-day money-back guarantee
Con
- Has trouble working in some countries that censor the Internet
3. NordVPN
Many experienced VPN users will tell you that they use ExpressVPN or NordVPN to safeguard their privacy. Well, I can assure you they’re right as NordVPN is one of the best alternatives to Windscribe. This provider is easy to use, it looks modern and has an interesting number of features.
Starting with 5,500+ servers in 60 countries, we can see it’s huge compared to Windscribe. Yes, it has P2P servers for torrenting, and streaming with NordVPN will be a breeze. However, NordVPN is one of the safest VPNs you can get thanks to features like Double VPN and NordLynx.
NordLynx is its proprietary protocol, while Double VPN is here to double your encryption. The provider even has Threat Protection, which is a security bundle consisting of antivirus, malware protection, and an ad blocker called CyberSec.
I also liked its Dark Web Monitor for informing me if my personal data has leaked online. In addition, its Meshnet feature is here for hosting and joining secure LAN parties, and you get other standard features like a kill switch, split tunneling, and IP/DNS leak protection.
NordVPN uses RAM-based servers and has a private DNS for added privacy. Not to mention a no-logging policy with three external audits from PwC and Deloitte. This perfectly complements its obfuscated servers used for bypassing censorship in China and other similar countries.
Important to mention is that the provider is based in Panama, so it’s far away from surveillance and data collection in the 5 Eyes alliance. And much like CyberGhost, it’s cheaper than Windscribe, yet, it’s much better in pretty much every possible way. For all these reasons, NordVPN is an excellent alternative.
NordVPN has a cheap 2-year plan at just above $3 a month with a 30-day money-back guarantee for all plans. However, beware of its value-added taxes that can slightly bump up the price in certain countries, although still keeping NordVPN a bit more affordable than Windscribe.
Pros
- Includes ad blocker and malware protection
- NordLynx provides top-grade performance
- It stores zero logs of your activities
- 5,500+ servers in 60 countries
Cons
- More expensive in some countries due to VAT
- No transparency reports
Summary
Putting things into perspective, we can clearly see that, despite its popularity, Windscribe isn’t a particularly decent choice. With an annoying bandwidth limit, no live chat support, and an expensive premium plan price, it’s clear why people are looking at the best Windscribe alternatives.
Today, I gave you three of them, with ExpressVPN being the best one. However, if you want something a bit cheaper than Windscribe’s premium plan, CyberGhost and NordVPN are also phenomenal choices that are still way better than this provider.
Having in mind their money-back guarantee that goes up to 45 days in the case of CyberGhost, these providers can be tested risk-free, so you don’t have to worry about losing money if you don’t like them (which won’t happen).
And you, what is your favorite alternative to Windscribe?
FAQ
Now that we’ve covered the best alternatives to Windscribe VPN, let’s focus on a few other questions we haven’t answered.
Are there any free alternatives to Windscribe?
There certainly are. However, it depends on which Windscribe version you want to replace – free or paid. If you already bought this VPN, you want to look for paid alternatives such as the ones we talked about. If you’re using a free version… well, it’s still better to use paid alternatives.
However, you might be on a budget and not willing to spend money. In that case, Windscribe isn’t really the top choice as a free option and we know about a few much better choices. For instance, Atlas VPN is a better provider, with faster speeds and better streaming capabilities.
Also, you can try ProtonVPN, which offers unlimited monthly bandwidth – unlike Windscribe. This makes it handy for day-to-day use, as you don’t have to worry about crossing the red line. Finally, you can also check out PrivadoVPN and our review of it.
This provider is surprisingly stellar, with decent performance, 12 server locations, and even support for Netflix and P2P. All of these VPNs are known for storing no logs, so you’re looking at safe, secure, and dependable picks for preserving your privacy.
Is Windscribe worth it?
Well, not really. Its paid plans are a bit more expensive but the provider isn’t offering anything revolutionary. You’ll pay more for it than you’d do for CyberGhost or even NordVPN. Yet, the two provides are far ahead of what you’ll get from Windscribe.
They’re safer, as they’re based in privacy-friendly countries. On top of that, you’ll find them more reliable for streaming, torrenting, and pretty much everything else due to faster speeds and more servers. In short, the provider isn’t worth the asking price.
Should I use Surfshark instead of Windscribe?
Absolutely! That’s a remarkable VPN with unlimited connections and very affordable prices. Its plans are far cheaper than Windscribe and the service will give you 3,200 servers in 100 countries, unlike Windscribe’s 500 or so servers.
The provider offers advanced features like MultiHop, Antivirus, IP Rotation, and many more, while retaining its reasonably priced plans. Above all, it can unblock 25+ Netflix catalogs, which many of you streaming enthusiasts will welcome with arms wide open.
Grab Surfshark here and enjoy its special discount through our site. It is, without a doubt, among the best Windscribe alternatives you can get.
