Windscribe vs. NordVPN Comparison (April, 2020)
NordVPN allows you torrenting on all it’s specific servers and it’s P2P servers are more secure and optimized for fast downloads. In addition, NordVPN for Android comes with more servers and more private connections.
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In contrast, Windscribe offers a free plan. However, Windscribe is based in Canada which is a part of the Five Eyes surveillance alliance. That is an immense disadvantage for users whose principal concern in online privacy.
A few years back, driven by the need for better online privacy, I started my somewhat frustrating journey to find a VPN provider that satisfied all my needs.
I am not very picky but I was looking for something that was a good value for the money.
Most of the VPNs I came across were either great and very expensive or cheap but poor in features. Therefore, I know how challenging this process can be, and I want to help you find the best provider.
Eventually, after trying out different VPN service providers, I managed to narrow down my list to some of the best VPN solutions on the market.
My final choice came down to Windscribe vs. NordVPN.
They are both very affordable and rich in features.
In this honest comparison, I will disclose all the pros and cons of both VPNs to help you pick the best one for you.
Let’s begin!
Windscribe vs NordVPN Comparison
NordVPN has a massive server network of 5677+ servers spread through 59+ countries. They even allow users to bypass the Great Firewall of China and browse freely by using their obfuscated servers.
Windscribe, on the other hand, has fewer servers than NordVPN but covers a total of 60 countries, and 110 cities. Their free plan, as I mentioned earlier, is limited to 10 server locations. Both Windscribe and NordVPN offer the option to with cryptocurrencies.
Quick Overview
| Windscribe | NordVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.1 of 5 ★★★★★ 4.1/5 | 4.8 of 5 ★★★★★ 4.8/5 |
| Price | View Best Price | View Best Price |
| Jurisdiction | Canada | Panama |
| Logging Policy | Keeps Some Logs | No Logging Policy |
| Servers & Countries | Servers in 60+ countries | 5110+ Servers in 58+ Countries |
| Torrenting / P2P | Yes | Yes |
| Encryption | AES-256-bit | AES-256-bit |
| Customer Support | 24/7 Live Chat + Email | 24/7 Live Chat + Email |
| Simultaneous Connections | Unlimited | Six Devices |
| Supported Platforms | Windows, iOS, macOS, Android, Linux, Chrome, Firefox | Windows, iOS, macOS, Android, Linux, Chrome, Firefox |
| Free Trial | Yes | No |
| Visit: | Go with Windscribe | Go with NordVPN |
Why I Chose NordVPN and Windscribe?
Before making a purchase, think of all the things you want your VPN service provider to have.
My initial concern was to find an inexpensive VPN, as I was on a tight budget, but I also wanted the provider to be rich in privacy and security features.
I looked at the free VPN alternatives on the market as a possible solution.
After trying out some of them myself, I realized that most free VPNs are very limited in features.
Some of them also fail to deliver proper security and privacy features.
There are a few good exceptions, but free VPN providers fall behind paid ones in terms of overall quality.
A much better option is to find a cheaper provider or one that offers a free plan.
Keep in mind that even free plans from respected VPN service providers will be limited in some ways, but they are a decent temporary solution.
You’ll see in the comparison below that both NordVPN and Windscribe have premium features.
They are a good value for the money and can be a friendly solution for your wallet.
Windscribe also offers a limited free plan if that’s what you are searching for.
The following comparison is made based on the main criteria I value in VPNs:
- Privacy and security;
- Speed and server count;
- Performance;
- Price.
NordVPN and Windscribe are excellent for people who want premium features for affordable prices. They are, however, very different and target different types of VPN users.
Let’s see which one might be the right solution for you.
Features and Things To Consider
Jurisdiction and Privacy
| Criteria | Windscribe | NordVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Canada | Panama |
| Logging | Some Logs | No-Logging Policy |
If you are a privacy-freak like me, you’d appreciate a VPN that respects your privacy.
In other words the VPN:
- Won’t store logs or any kind of information that might be used to identify you;
- Will be based in a country that respects privacy;
- Will offer private means of payment, such as Bitcoin.
Windscribe is based in Canada.
Unfortunately, the country is a part of the Five Eyes surveillance alliance.
That is an immense disadvantage for users whose principal concern in online privacy.
When you look inside Windscribe’s privacy policy, you will notice that they store some logs.
They store bandwidth data for 30 days and timestamps from your last activity.
While you are using their servers, Windscribe will keep data on how many simultaneous connections you are using, the Open VPN/IKEv2 username, and the time of your connection, as well as how much data you transferred per session.
They do not store the websites you visited through their VPN server, the historical records of your VPN sessions, not the source IP address.
NordVPN, on the other hand, is much more considerable with its privacy.
The company has a strict zero-logging policy, which means it won’t store any information on you.
A helpful circumstance is that NordVPN is based in Panama. The country doesn’t have strict data retention laws or government surveillance that might compel the company to collect your logs.
Both Windscribe and NordVPN offer the option to pay privately, with cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin. However, if we consider all the facts, NordVPN is better when it comes to privacy.
Winner: NordVPN
Popularity on the Market
NordVPN is a very popular provider, and it’s one of the leaders in the industry.
Its popularity is focused around its affordable prices, great features, and unblocking capabilities.
Windscribe, on the other hand, is widely popular for its free plan.
Compared to one another, NordVPN is the more attractive solution, although Windscribe doesn’t fall much behind. The provider managed to top NordVPN for a brief moment back in 2017, but couldn’t keep up with its growth.
Winner: NordVPN
Cost Comparison
| Options | Windscribe | NordVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Price Plans |
|
|
| Free Trial | No | No |
| Free Plan | Yes | No |
| Return Policy | 3 Days, up to 10GB of usage | 30 Days |
NordVPN and Windscribe are considerably different when it comes to prices.
NordVPN has a more basic approach to pricing. The provider is quite affordable, and its prices start at $11.95 per month as the most expensive option and decrease with the length of the subscription.
You can often find discounts, but even without them, NordVPN’s longest subscription of 36 months is reasonably priced. It costs a total of $125.64, or only $3.49 per month.
As I have already mentioned in my previous NordVPN vs TorGuard comparison, NordVPN, unfortunately, does not offer a free plan or a free trial, but it does have a 30-days refund policy and offers some decent discounts.
On the other hand, one of the most praised things about Windscribe is its low price, as well as the provider’s free plan.
Although limited, Windscribe implements a free subscription for its users, which is something you won’t see very often in premium providers. The plan allows up to 10GB of bandwidth per month, decent server speeds, and 10 servers.
The premium plan, however, extends the features and offers better speeds, but more on that later.
Windscribe’s monthly subscription is billed $9.00 every month, while their yearly subscription costs a total of $49 charged every 12 months or only $4.08 monthly, moreover, you can also get a voucher.
That is much cheaper than NordVPN.
Additionally, Windscribe has another price plan that you can tailor according to your needs.
The subscription price depends on how many servers you want, and it’s billed just $1 per every server monthly.
Due to its excellent price plan, Windscribe does not have a long money-back guarantee, but the company still offers a 3-day return policy that should not exceed 10GB of bandwidth.
Winner: Windscribe
Server Coverage
Depending on your needs, the server coverage of a VPN might be the determining point of whether you will choose a provider or skip it.
After all, there are a lot of benefits that come with more servers, including:
- Faster speeds;
- Accessing much broader content on the internet;
- Unblocking geo-restrictions and bypassing censorship;
- Accessing blocked gaming servers;
- Streaming your favorite movies and shows.
Both NordVPN and Windscribe have extensive server coverage, but NordVPN is in the lead with over 5,000 servers in 58 countries.
The provider’s unique feature when it comes to servers lies in its Stealth mode or the ability to mask OpenVPN traffic to look like regular HTTPS traffic.
That can be done through NordVPN’s obfuscated servers, which should be used if you want to bypass stronger bans and restrictions online. They even allow users to bypass the Great Firewall of China and browse freely, an advantage only a few providers can successfully pull off.
Windscribe, on the other hand, has fewer servers than NordVPN but covers a total of 60 countries, and 110 cities. Their free plan, as I mentioned earlier, is limited to 10 server locations.
Winner: NordVPN
Server Speed
The speed is essential for the overall performance of the VPN.
Even with the most advantageous features or prices, if a VPN does not have decent speeds, it can be very frustrating to use.
NordVPN and Windscribe show satisfactory speeds, as you can see in the charts below.
When I connected on NordVPN’s “Quick Connect”, I was immediately transferred to a nearby server, and the speed didn’t show any vital difference. I was able to browse privately, yet with the same speeds.
The U.K. and U.S. speeds did not decline too much either, which is an excellent sign for passionate streamers or gamers who value the performance above everything else.
| Ping | Download | |
|---|---|---|
| Speed before using NordVPN | 17 ms | 47.33 Mbps |
| Connected to a nearby server | 21 ms | 47.55 Mbps (+0.46%) |
| Connected to a UK server | 58 ms | 41.26 Mbps (-12.82%) |
| Connected to a US server | 127 ms | 43.97 Mbps (-7.10%) |
Windscribe, on the other hand, was slower than NordVPN, particularly when I used the free plan.
Their premium servers are faster, so keep that in mind when you are making a decision.
I noticed a significant difference in the server speeds, although I was surprised to see that the US connection did not have such a notable decline in speed, as the UK server.
| Ping | Download | |
|---|---|---|
| Speed before using Windscribe | 19 ms | 49.36 Mbps |
| Connected on ‘Best Location’ | 47 ms | 37.58 Mbps (-23.87%) |
| Connected to a UK server | 60 ms | 11.44 Mbps (-76.80%) |
| Connected to a US server | 152 ms | 38.77 Mbps (-21.45%) |
Winner: NordVPN
Streaming and Torrenting
| Streaming Services: | Windscribe | NordVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix | No | Yes |
| HBO Go | No | Yes |
| Hulu | No | Yes |
| Spotify | Yes | Yes |
| Amazon Prime | Yes | Yes |
| BBC iPlayer | No | Yes |
Both NordVPN and Windscribe allow streaming and torrenting on their servers.
However, when it comes to actually unblocking the content, Windscribe falls behind NordVPN’s excellent performance and unblocking capabilities.
NordVPN can unblock pretty much everything, even Netflix, but you have to pick the right servers that are optimized for this. Also, the provider has P2P servers for torrenting, which you can easily find on their server list.
Unfortunately, it was much more difficult to access the more popular streaming platforms with Windscribe.
If you want to use their free plan, forget about accessing geo-blocked streaming services.
It won’t be possible.
Their premium servers were more efficient, still failed to show positive results.
I wasn’t able to access Netflix, Hulu, nor BBC iPlayer.
The VPN, however, works with lesser restrictions such as the one on Spotify.
Overall, Windscribe can bypass more basic geo-restrictions, but it’s a struggle finding a server that can circumvent strong blocks.
One positive aspect of Windscribe is that it allows torrenting on its servers.
Winner: NordVPN
Security Features
| Feature | Windscribe | NordVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Security Protocols |
|
|
| Encryption | AES-256-bit | AES-256-bit |
| Kill Switch | Yes | Yes |
| Leak Test | Secure | Secure |
Both NordVPN and Windscribe have excellent security features. They have strong AES-256-bit encryption and support several security protocols, including OpenVPN.
Windscribe also enables IKEv2 as its default protocol, as well as SOCKS 5 protocol.
The company supports many ports through its OpenVPN, and you can choose which one to use.
In terms of other security features, it’s good to know that Windscribe has a kill switch, although you’ll find it under a different name on their website (Firewall).
The provider allows split tunneling and port-forwarding, and has other remarkable features unique to its service, such as R.O.B.E.R.T., their WebRTC Slayer, and Split Personality.
From what I’ve seen in ProtonVPN vs NordVPN comparison too, NordVPN also excels in security and enables double encryption, a kill switch, CyberSec and DNS leak protection.
Winner: TIE
Customer Support
Once you enter Windscribe’s website, it’s easy to get a hold of their support.
You can either use their ‘self-help’ section with a lot of helpful guides, FAQ, and a knowledge base or choose their personalized customer support.
Windscribe does not have a live chat but instead uses a chatbot that can be helpful for only the more basic things. If you need additional help where their bot Harry cannot help you, you can submit a ticket or visit Windscribe’s subreddit.
NordVPN has convenient 24/7 customer support.
You can reach them through a live chat and email, and it won’t take long before someone responds to you. I’ve had different experiences with their customer support, from excellent to modest, but never bad.
If you want to find a quick solution to your problem, you can check NordVPN’s support page or helpful tutorials.
For me, personally, having a conversation with a real person that can help you is better than relying on a chatbot, which is why I prefer NordVPN’s customer support.
Winner: NordVPN
Device Compatibility and Connections
| Features: | Windscribe | NordVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Simultaneous Connections | Unlimited | Six Devices |
| Supported Platforms | Windows, iOS, macOS, Android, Linux, Chrome, Firefox | Windows, iOS, macOS, Android, Linux, Chrome, Firefox |
| Leak Protection | Yes | Yes |
NordVPN is compatible with Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, and Linux.
The provider also has browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox and allows six simultaneous connections, which is above the market’s average of up to five connections.
However, compared to Windscribe’s unlimited connections on both the free and the premium price plan, NordVPN falls behind.
Windscribe is compatible with the same devices and browsers or Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, Linux, Chrome and Firefox. Depending on which one you use, the features might differ.
Winner: Windscribe
User Experience
Finally, after considering everything, I need to address the importance of a friendly interface.
Even if you are an experienced user, it’s nice to have a simple interface, with everything only a click away from you.
Both NordVPN and Windscribe are incredibly easy to use. Once you download their software and install it on your device, you will see that it won’t take you longer than a few minutes to get used to the apps.
They both come with nicely arranged servers and a menu where you can adjust the settings.
To use the software and connect to a server, you only need to click on the ‘connect’ button, or in Windscribe’s case the “ON/OFF” button.
NordVPN’s interface has a map of the world, where they show their servers.
Instead of searching for them on the server menu, you can find your location on the map.
It’s easy and very straightforward.
Winner: TIE
Conclusion
To say one is better than the other is difficult because these two providers are very different.
They have unique selling propositions and are suitable for different users.
If you are more concerned about privacy and want to efficiently unblock content on the internet, my suggestion is to use NordVPN (click here & get a massive discount).
If your principal concern is the money, then Windscribe can be a great substitute for free providers.
My advice to you would be to make a well-calculated decision based on your unique preferences, but only after carefully reviewing the comparison.
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Bram Jansen - January 1, 2020
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