Windscribe vs Proton VPN (2026): Which Is Better?
The comparison people actually want here is the free plans, and they are not alike. Proton VPN's free tier has no data cap, no ads and one device on an auto-chosen country. Windscribe's gives you 10 GB a month across 10+ locations. Proton is the better free VPN for continuous use; Windscribe is better if you want to choose where you appear. On the paid plans it is less close: Proton takes 8.9 to Windscribe's 7.8, with 541 Mbps against 445, 11 streaming services against 9, and privacy 9.8 against 8.4. And Windscribe's refund window is three days — the shortest on this site by a factor of ten — which makes its free tier the only realistic way to trial it.
Who wins each category
- Privacy & securityProton VPNWindscribe 8.4 · Proton 9.8
- SpeedProton VPNWindscribe 7.8 · Proton 8.6
- StreamingProton VPNWindscribe 7.6 · Proton 8.4
- Apps & easeProton VPNWindscribe 7.9 · Proton 8.8
- ValueProton VPNWindscribe 8.3 · Proton 8.9
Sub-scores from this month's tests; weights are privacy & security 30%, speed 25%, streaming 15%, apps & ease 15%, value 15%. Methodology
Choose Windscribe if…
- You want to pick your country on a free plan — 10+ locations against Proton's auto-chosen one
- Unlimited devices on the paid plan, where Proton covers ten
- Port forwarding with ephemeral or static options, configured from the web account
Choose Proton VPN if…
- A free plan you can actually live on: no data cap, no ads, no time limit
- Privacy 9.8 against 8.4 — Swiss jurisdiction, non-profit foundation ownership
- 541 Mbps against 445, and a real 30-day refund rather than Windscribe's three
Windscribe vs Proton VPN: the numbers
 Windscribe |  Proton VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 7.8 | 8.9 |
| Rank · badge | #9 · Build-a-plan | #4 · Best free tier |
| 2-year price / mo | $5.75 | $4.49 |
| 1-year price / mo | $5.75 | $4.99 |
| Monthly price | $9.00 | $9.99 |
| Renewal | renews at the same rate | renews at the same rate |
| Money-back | 3 days | 30 days |
| Simultaneous devices | Unlimited | 10 |
| Avg download speed | 445 Mbps | 541 Mbps |
| Jurisdiction | Canada | Switzerland |
| Owner | Windscribe Limited | Proton AG (Proton Foundation) |
| No-logs audit | Packetlabs security audit, 2024 | Securitum no-logs audit, 2024 |
| Servers | Undisclosed in 69 countries | 12,000+ in 117 countries |
| Protocols | WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, WStunnel | WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, Stealth |
| Torrenting | P2P allowed on most servers | P2P allowed on P2P servers (paid plans) |
| Free plan | 10 GB/month, 10+ locations | no data cap, no ads, 1 device, auto-chosen country |
| Support | chatbot, email, help centre, subreddit | email, help centre, live chat (paid plans) |
| Visit Windscribe | Visit Proton VPN |
Full reviews: Windscribe · Proton VPN
What each one actually costs
The advertised rate covers the first term only. These are the totals once the renewal is counted.
| Windscribe | Proton VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Plan priced | 24-month plan | 24-month plan |
| Intro rate / mo | $5.75 | $4.49 |
| Then renews at / mo | $5.75 — no jump | $4.49 — no jump |
| First term, up front | $138.00 | $107.76 |
| Total over 3 years | $207.00 | $161.64 |
| True cost / mo over 3 years | $5.75 | $4.49 |
| Money-back | 3 days — 3-day refund window only | 30 days — pro-rated refund, processed in 5 days |
| Check Windscribe price | Check Proton VPN price |
Proton VPN is cheaper both ways — lower to start and $45.36 less across three years once the renewals are counted. Same arithmetic as our price calculator: the first term at the advertised rate, every month after it at the rate the provider publishes for renewals.
Speed by region
Download on a 940 Mbps line, 3 runs per server, median reported. Highlighted cell = fastest.
| Windscribe | Proton VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| US East | 520 Mbps | 602 Mbps |
| UK | 470 Mbps | 576 Mbps |
| Singapore | 380 Mbps | 498 Mbps |
| Australia | 410 Mbps | 488 Mbps |
| Added latency | +14 ms | +9 ms |
Streaming, service by service
| Windscribe | Proton VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Unblocked | 9 of 14 | 11 of 14 |
| Netflix US | ||
| Netflix UK | ||
| Netflix JP | ||
| Netflix CA | ||
| Netflix AU | ||
| Prime Video | ||
| Disney+ | ||
| Hulu | ||
| Max | ||
| Paramount+ | ||
| Peacock | ||
| BBC iPlayer | ||
| ITVX | ||
| DAZN |
Security features
| Windscribe | Proton VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Kill switch | ||
| Split tunnelling | ||
| Obfuscation / stealth | ||
| Port forwarding | ||
| Dedicated IP | ||
| Ad & tracker blocking | ||
| Multi-hop (double VPN) | ||
| RAM-only servers | ||
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, browser extensions, routers | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, browser extensions, routers |
Has the no-logs promise ever been tested?
Every VPN on this page says it keeps no logs. The claim only means something once someone has demanded the data — a police raid, a court order, a subpoena. Here is what happened to each of these two when that came up, and what it means if it never has.
- WindscribeFailed
2021 Ukraine server seizure. The claim did not hold: data existed that should not have. Windscribe has changed its setup since, but this is the reason it sits where it does on privacy.
Audit: Packetlabs security audit, 2024 · Canada
- Proton VPNHeld
Fought data requests in court. The claim held — there was nothing useful to hand over. That is the one form of proof no audit can give you, because it happened under real pressure rather than on a scheduled visit.
Audit: Securitum no-logs audit, 2024 · Switzerland
What each one is our top pick for
One of these scores higher overall, which does not make it the right buy for every job. These are the use cases where each one comes first on its own list.
- WindscribeNo category
Windscribe is not our top pick in any of our use-case lists. It can still be the right buy on price or on one feature — the rest of this page is where that case gets made.
- Proton VPN2 categories
No data cap, no ads, no logs, open-source apps on every platform. Limits: one device, an auto-chosen country, no streaming or P2P.
Questions
Which has the better free VPN, Windscribe or Proton?
Proton, for most people: no data cap, no ads and no time limit, against Windscribe's 10 GB a month. Windscribe's advantage is choice of location — 10+ against Proton's single auto-chosen country — so if you need to appear somewhere specific without paying, it is the one that can do it.
Is Windscribe's 3-day refund a problem?
It is the shortest window of any VPN we rate, by a factor of ten, and three days is not enough to test a VPN across the networks you actually use. The honest mitigation is that the free tier makes a refund largely unnecessary — run the free plan for a month, then pay only if it works for you.
Is Proton VPN worth paying for over Windscribe?
On the numbers, yes: 8.9 against 7.8, faster, better at streaming, and a far stronger privacy record at 9.8 against 8.4. Windscribe's counter-arguments are unlimited devices and port forwarding — Proton has port forwarding too, but caps you at ten devices. If device count is the constraint, Windscribe; otherwise Proton.
We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. Scores and the winner are decided by the tests before any commercial consideration. Disclosure