Windscribe VPN Pro Review 2023: 3 Cons and 6 Pros

by Petr Lippert
updated July 5, 2023 (Report a bug)

1. Windscribe Pro: Works in China and Compatible with Tor

   • At $4.08 per month, the subscription price is higher than that of leading VPN providers
   • It offers only average download speed (85 Mb/s)
   • It has a limited number of servers 480

   • Unlimited simultaneous device connections
   • It can unblock streaming platforms
   • Offers customizable subscriptions
   • Operational in China
   • Equipped with the custom ROBERT privacy system
   • Compatible with Tor

   Windscribe Pro is a product of Windscribe Limited, a Canadian company established in 2015. Windscribe Pro was launched a year later, in 2016.

   A key advantage of Windscribe Pro is its ability to protect an unlimited number of devices simultaneously. Thanks to its unique Location Warp feature, Windscribe Pro is operational in China and successfully unblocked streaming service libraries during testing.

   The recorded average download speed of 85 Mb/s is sufficient for streaming high-resolution videos, although it’s considered average compared to other services. A major plus is the configurable ROBERT feature, which effectively blocks ads, trackers, and malware. The 256-bit encryption coupled with a range of protocols and additional features ensures excellent security levels.

   One weak point of Windscribe Pro is its relatively small network of only 480 servers. However, it’s worth noting their distribution across 64 countries worldwide, including some less common locations.

   Another downside of Windscribe Pro is its higher price compared to similar services. The most affordable subscription, after discount, is $4.08 per month, in contrast to the regular $9.00. For comparison, NordVPN‘s subscription is $4.07 per month, and Surfshark‘s is $2.14 per month.

   Interestingly, Windscribe Pro allows you to tailor your subscription according to your needs.

2. Windscribe Pro Subscription: Discount Code, Free Trial, Money Back Guarantee…

   • Your Price: $9.00​55% off  $4.08 /mo (999 devices)
   • Money Back Guarantee: Yes (3 days)
   • Free Trial: Yes (1 day)
   • Cryptocurrency payments:
     Yes

     Bitcoin :Yes
     Dash :Yes
     Ethereum :Yes
     Ripple :No

   

   7.6

   ★★★☆

   The service ensures an excellent level of privacy and can also be used in China. The downside is a low number of servers and only average data transfer speeds.

   $4.08 /moFree 1-day trial​3-day money back guarantee

   Get this VPN 55% cheaper

   You can choose to subscribe to Windscribe Pro with either monthly payments or an upfront annual payment. Both options offer identical features, with the only difference being the price. The annual subscription with upfront payment, where the monthly cost is $4.08, is the better deal.

   The subscription price is higher compared to other services. However, you can save by opting for a custom Windscribe Pro plan where you can select desired servers, data transfer limits, and other parameters. For an additional fee, you can obtain unlimited data or special ROBERT privacy protection.

   To subscribe to Windscribe Pro, you need to create an account with a username, password, and verified email address. Payments can be made using credit cards, PayPal, Bitcoin, Dash and Ethereum cryptocurrencies, and other local payment methods.

   Refunds can be requested within 3 days of the subscription purchase via the website’s support feature. The money-back guarantee is subject to a maximum data transfer of 10 GB. Both monthly and annual subscriptions renew automatically until cancelled.

   Instead of a trial version, Windscribe offers a free variant, Windscribe Free, with a monthly data transfer limit of 10 GB per month. The free version comes with limited features and a smaller selection of servers (only 30).

   You can recommend Windscribe Pro to friends, and for each new paying customer, both parties receive an extra 1 GB of data for free.

   With a Windscribe Pro subscription, you can purchase a static IP address. Unlike some competing VPNs, this is not a dedicated IP. This allows the provider to avoid legal responsibility for disclosing account details associated with that IP address.

3. Windscribe Pro and Supported Devices: Android, iOS, macOS…

   • Device limit: Unlimited

   Platforms supported

   • Android:
     Yes

     Android is supported by 98 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Android TV:
     No

     Android TV is supported by 37 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Apple TV:
     No

     Apple TV is supported by 18 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Fire TV:
     Yes

     Fire TV is supported by 44 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Chromebook:
     No

     Chromebook is supported by 21 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Chromecast:
     No

     Chromecast is supported by 16 % of reviewed VPNs
   • iOS:
     Yes

     iOS is supported by 99 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Kodi:
     Yes

     Kodi is supported by 22 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Linux:
     Yes

     Linux is supported by 60 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Mac:
     Yes

     Mac is supported by 98 % of reviewed VPNs
   • NAS:
     Yes

     NAS is supported by 25 % of reviewed VPNs
   • nVidia Shield:
     Yes

     nVidia Shield is supported by 15 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Playstation:
     No

     Playstation is supported by 20 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Raspberry Pi:
     No

     Raspberry Pi is supported by 18 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Roku:
     No

     Roku is supported by 16 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Router:
     Yes

     Router is supported by 54 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Windows:
     Yes

     Windows is supported by 100 % of reviewed VPNs
   • xBox:
     No

     xBox is supported by 20 % of reviewed VPNs

   Browser Extensions

   • Brave :
     Yes

     The Brave browser add-on is offered by 45 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Chrome :
     Yes

     The Chrome browser add-on is offered by 45 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Edge :
     Yes

     The Edge browser add-on is offered by 19 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Firefox :
     Yes

     The Firefox browser add-on is offered by 35 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Opera :
     Yes

     The Opera browser add-on is offered by 45 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Safari :
     No

     The Safari browser add-on is offered by 0 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Vivaldi :
     Yes

     The Vivaldi browser add-on is offered by 45 % of reviewed VPNs.

   Windscribe Pro allows for usage on up to 999 devices simultaneously within a single subscription. This is above average compared to most competing VPN services.

   The Windscribe Pro app is compatible with most operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux. It also supports Kodi,nVidia Shield, and NAS platforms. Among smart TVs, only Fire TV is supported by Windscribe Pro.

   Gaming consoles are not directly supported, but Windscribe Pro can be set up on a router to protect all devices connected to the network.

   The service can also be used as an add-on for Chrome, Edge, Opera, Firefox, Brave, and Vivaldi browsers.

   Windscribe Pro fares quite well in comparison to other services, with its support for a broad range of platforms being above average. For example, Surfshark offers even higher compatibility.

4. Windscribe Pro App: User-friendliness, whitelist, server selection…

   • App Languages: 🇺🇸 English +24 more🇫🇷 French 🇮🇹 Italian 🇩🇪 German 🇳🇱 Dutch 🇵🇱 Polish 🇵🇹 Portuguese 🇷🇺 Russian 🇪🇸 Spanish 🇦🇪 Arabic 🇨🇳 Chinese 🇩🇰 Danish 🇯🇵 Japanese 🇰🇷 Korean 🇸🇪 Swedish 🇹🇭 Thai 🇹🇷 Turkish 🇨🇿 Czech 🇮🇳 Hindi 🇭🇷 Croatian 🇮🇩 Indonesian 🇭🇺 Hungarian 🇬🇷 Greek 🇸🇰 Slovak 🇻🇳 Vietnamese
   • Whitelisting:
     Yes

     Whitelisting is supported by 52 % of reviewed VPNs

   Downloading the app from Windscribe Pro is straightforward, with tutorials available in case of complications. At first glance, the app’s interface can appear cluttered and difficult to navigate due to the multitude of features, but it doesn’t take long to familiarize oneself with the interface and control system.

   Windscribe Pro is available in 25 languages. Users can switch between dark and light modes and adjust latency, notification, and haptics settings on touch devices.

   The interface of the Windscribe Pro app is well-designed. Upon launching, the default page with the list of servers and quick connect button always appears first. The remaining features are tucked away under an icon in the upper left corner of the screen. The application is user-friendly, providing good configuration options. For instance, under the ROBERT function, users can set up ad or malware blocking. Users can also create a whitelist of sites for which the VPN will not be active.

   An auto-connect feature is available, which automatically connects the device to the VPN upon startup. Alternatively, users can manually select a server from the list. The servers are sorted by location, with a current speed indicator displayed next to each. Users can also create a list of favorite servers.

   Once a server connection is established, the main icon for Windscribe Pro turns green.

5. Windscribe Pro Connection Speed: Upload, Download & Latency

   • Traffic limit: Unlimited

   Download speed

   Higher is better. The average download of all tested VPNs is 110 Mb/s.

   Upload speed

   Higher is better. The average upload of all tested VPNs is 76 Mb/s.

   Server latency

   A lower value is better. The average response rate of all tested VPNs is 55 ms.

   Windscribe Pro doesn’t limit the amount of data users can transfer, a standard feature for paid VPNs. For comparison, the free variant, Windscribe Free, imposes a data transfer limit of 10 GB per month.

   Connection to the server was slower compared to other tested VPNs, but this didn’t significantly delay usage. Connection speed was consistent for both automatic and manual server selection.

   In multiple tests with Windscribe Pro, we measured an average download speed of 85 Mb/s, adequate for transferring large amounts of data and streaming 4K video. The average upload speed was 84 Mb/s, positioning Windscribe Pro in the upper half of VPNs compared.

   The response speed was average at 18 ms, suitable for gaming. The best VPN services such as AdGuard VPN hover around 7 ms. It’s worth noting that lower values are preferable for response speeds, unlike download and upload speeds.

6. Windscribe Pro Server Locations

   • Number of servers:
     480

     The average number of servers for the reviewed VPNs is 1661.
   • Number of countries:
     64

     The average number of countries available for the reviewed VPNs is 40.

   Europe	🇦🇱 Albania 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇬 Bulgaria 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇪🇪 Estonia 🇫🇮 Finland 🇫🇷 France 🇭🇷 Croatia 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇮🇸 Iceland 🇮🇹 Italy 🇨🇾 Cyprus 🇱🇹 Lithuania 🇱🇻 Latvia 🇭🇺 Hungary 🇲🇩 Moldova 🇩🇪 Germany 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇱 Poland 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇦🇹 Austria 🇷🇴 Romania 🇬🇷 Greece 🇲🇰 Northern Macedonia 🇸🇰 Slovakia 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇷🇸 Serbia 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇨🇭 Switzerland 🇹🇷 Turkey 🇺🇦 Ukraine
   North America	🇨🇦 Canada 🇲🇽 Mexico 🇵🇦 Panama 🇺🇸 USA
   South America	🇦🇶 Antarctica 🇦🇷 Argentina 🇧🇷 Brazil 🇨🇱 Chile 🇨🇴 Colombia 🇵🇪 Peru
   Asia	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan 🇵🇭 Philippines 🇭🇰 Hong Kong 🇮🇳 India 🇮🇩 Indonesia 🇮🇱 Israel 🇯🇵 Japan 🇰🇷 South Korea 🇲🇾 Malaysia 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇬 Singapore 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates 🇹🇭 Thailand 🇹🇼 Taiwan 🇻🇳 Vietnam
   Africa	🇿🇦 South Africa 🇹🇳 Tunisia
   Oceania	🇦🇺 Australia 🇳🇿 New Zealand

   Windscribe Pro‘s network, though smaller with 480 servers, is widely distributed across 64 different countries.

   The majority of servers are positioned in Europe and Asia, while others are found in the USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Windscribe Pro also operates servers in countries with a high risk of censorship, such as Russia and the United Arab Emirates.

   A lower number of servers doesn’t necessarily hinder the speed and stability of the connection, which is influenced by factors such as the actual number of connected users. During our service testing, we did not encounter any significant stability issues. All features offered by Windscribe Pro are accessible on all servers without exception.

   Windscribe Pro also provides servers specifically dedicated to video streaming, located in New York, Tokyo, London, and Toronto.

7. Windscribe Pro Security Features: DNS Leak Protection, Kill Switch…

   • DNS leak protection :
     Yes

     DNS leak protection is offered by 93% of the reviewed VPNs.
   • Kill Switch:
     Yes

     Kill Switch is supported by 85% of the reviewed VPNs.
   • Multi-Hop:
     Yes

     Multi-Hop connection is offered by 20 % of the VPNs reviewed.
   • Tor:
     Yes

     Tor support is offered by 18 % of the reviewed VPNs.

   Yes, Windscribe Pro offers DNS (IPv6) protection, ad blocking, malware and tracker protection as standard. The blocker, named ROBERT, is among the market’s best, allowing users to customize it according to their preferences.

   One key security feature is the kill switch, which protects the user in case of a VPN server connection loss by immediately disconnecting from the internet. This prevents the user’s IP address, location, or data from being compromised. Botnet attack protection is also available.

   Windscribe Pro supports multi-hop (double-hop), where the VPN connects via two different servers simultaneously. This results in a higher level of anonymity, as the second server provides protection if the first VPN is breached. However, multi-hop may result in slower connection speeds.

   Split tunneling lets users select applications that will access the internet directly, bypassing the VPN. This can optimize connection speeds for activities that don’t require VPN protection.

   Windscribe Pro is one of the few VPN services that support the Tor protocol.

   The Location Warp feature can unblock geo-restrictions by virtually relocating the device by changing the IP address. This can be used to unblock streaming service libraries, for instance. Similarly, the Time Warp feature masks the timestamp, preventing the VPN connection from being detected.

   Data transmission is safeguarded by 256-bit encryption, complemented by SHA512 algorithms and a 4096-bit RSA key. Windscribe Pro supports IKEv2, Wireguard, OpenVPN UDP, OpenVPN TCP, WSTunnel, and Stealth protocols. In summary, Windscribe Pro is a good choice from a security standpoint.

8. Windscribe Pro & Streaming: Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime…

   • Amazon Prime:
     Yes

     Amazon Prime streaming is supported by 51 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Disney+:
     Yes

     Disney+ streaming is supported by 54 % of reviewed VPNs
   • HBO:
     Yes

     HBO streaming is supported by 57 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Hulu:
     Yes

     Hulu streaming is supported by 48 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Netflix:
     Yes

     Netflix streaming is supported by 65 % of reviewed VPNs
   • YouTube:
     Yes

     YouTube streaming is supported by 95 % of reviewed VPNs

   Windscribe Pro can be used to unblock video streaming.

   Supported platforms include Netflix, YouTube, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, ITV, All 4, Spotify, and Dazn. This is thanks to the Location Warp technology, which can unblock geo-restrictions by changing the IP address.

   Windscribe Pro has servers in New York, Toronto, London, and Tokyo specifically dedicated to streaming video. However, you may not succeed in unblocking the video on your first try. Streaming platform providers work to combat VPN services by blocking their IP addresses. If this happens, you can typically disconnect and reconnect, which will change your IP address.

   Thanks to its excellent connection speed, Windscribe Pro ensured smooth playback throughout our testing. We encountered no issues, even when skipping through videos. Overall, it’s a suitable VPN service for unblocking streaming video.

9. Features of Windscribe Pro: AdBlock, Static IP…

   • Blocks Ads:
     Yes

     Ad blocking is offered by 43 % of the VPNs reviewed.
   • Blocks Malware:
     Yes

     Malware blocking is offered by 33 % of the VPNs reviewed.
   • Blocks Trackers:
     Yes

     Trackers blocking is offered by 36 % of the VPNs reviewed.

   Windscribe Pro supports blocking malware, ads, trackers, and other threats. These features are collectively called ROBERT, with the added advantage of extensive personalization options.

   The application supports automatic connection upon device startup. Location Warp, on the other hand, unblocks geo-restrictions by changing the IP address to a specified location.

   A static IP address isn’t standard with a Windscribe Pro subscription, but can be purchased for an additional fee.

10. Windscribe Pro‘s CPU usage and App Performance

    During testing, the load on the Windows machine was minimal, with Windscribe Pro falling in line with similar VPN services. The application’s compact size of 50 MB is also a nice feature, taking up minimal storage space.

    A lower device load can be achieved by disabling features such as auto-connect, which consumes power even when the VPN connection is inactive. Using Windscribe Pro didn’t negatively affect device performance.

11. Windscribe Pro Torrenting Servers

    • Torrenting servers:
      Yes

      Torrenting support is offered by 88 % of the reviewed VPNs.

    Windscribe Pro can be used for torrenting.

    Torrenting is available on all Windscribe Pro servers, except those located in India, Russia, Lithuania, and South Africa. Servers that don’t support torrenting are marked with a red flag in the list. The remaining servers are available for P2P.

    Windscribe Pro‘s connection speeds are sufficient for torrenting, with an average download speed of 85 Mb/s and an upload speed of 84 Mb/s. For faster torrenting speeds, a SOCKS5 proxy can be set up.

    Windscribe Pro supports the torrent clients Vuze, Deluge, uTorrent, and qBittorrent.

12. What is the country of origin of Windscribe Pro?

    • VPN Provider: Windscribe Limited
    • Country of origin: 🇨🇦 Canada

    Windscribe Limited, a relatively new company, was established in 2015 in Toronto, Canada. From the start, Windscribe has been in the business of providing commercial virtual private network services, and it operates independently without any parent or subsidiary companies.

    Being located in Canada, the home of Windscribe Pro, does present some potential risks. Canada is a member of the 14 Eyes Countries, a coalition whose intelligence services can surveil the internet activities of their citizens. Moreover, the information collected can be shared among the group’s member countries, which include the US and Germany.

    For users seeking the utmost in anonymity, it is recommended to choose a VPN based in a country with more favorable conditions for operating such services. For instance, NordVPN is headquartered in Panama, while Proton VPN Plus is registered in Switzerland and houses part of its infrastructure in a former military bunker located 1,000 meters underground.

13. Windscribe Pro and Privacy: Logging Policy, Security Issues…

    • No-Logs Policy:
      Yes

      The No-Logs Policy is followed by 78% of reviewed VPNs.

    Windscribe Pro states on its website that it adheres to a strict no-log policy. As a result, the application does not store information about data transmitted, IP addresses, session histories, or websites visited.

    However, Windscribe Pro does collect some information. The data collected pertains to account maintenance, such as name, email address, password, and subscription validity data. All data stored is meant to be anonymized and is not sold to third parties.

    Furthermore, the static IP address is not dedicated, which prevents the company from being legally obligated to disclose user information. If Windscribe Pro does not store any user data, it will not have any information to hand over if a state authority requests it.

    In the past, Windscribe Limited has received numerous requests from higher authorities to disclose its users’ sensitive data. As far as we are aware, none of this data has ever been released.

    In 2021, Windscribe Pro had two of its servers seized in Ukraine, temporarily making the service vulnerable. However, no personal data was compromised.

    Overall, Windscribe Pro is a secure VPN with a high level of privacy. An independent audit from a reputable company would enhance its credibility.

14. Windscribe Pro Support: Chat, e-mail…

    The Windscribe Pro website features a Support Center that provides advice on resolving technical issues, answers to frequently asked questions, application installation guides, and other relevant information.

    The Windscribe Pro application comes with a knowledge base that offers basic hints and tips. The website also hosts a blog with regularly updated news and events related to VPNs.

    On social media, Windscribe Pro maintains active profiles on Reddit and Discord.

    Technical support for Windscribe Pro can also be reached via a form on the site, and the support team will respond via email. For immediate communication, a non-stop live chat named Garry is available on the site and in the app.

15. Windscribe Pro FAQ

    Is Windscribe Pro a reliable VPN?

    Windscribe Pro, based in Canada—a member of the 14 Eyes Countries—might raise some concerns for certain users. The service mitigates this with a no-logging policy, ensuring that all user account-related data is anonymous and encrypted. We assess the security level of Windscribe Pro as excellent.

    According to its claims, Windscribe Limited does not sell or share user data. It also logs all data release requests from higher authorities. To the best of our knowledge, no such data has been released in the past. Thus, Windscribe Pro can be confidently regarded as a trustworthy service.

    Is Windscribe Pro free?

    Windscribe Pro is a paid service, with the best-priced subscription available to VPN wiki visitors at $4.08 per month after discount. There is also a free variant, Windscribe Free, which limits users to only 30 available servers and a data transfer limit of 10 GB per month. Some key features are not included in the free version.

    How can additional protocols be set up in Windscribe Pro?

    Within the Windscribe Pro application, only the IKEv2 and OpenVPN protocols are typically available. Other protocols need to be configured manually, with detailed instructions available on the Windscribe Pro website.