Most people don’t talk about Windscribe and NordVPN at the same time. But this review of NordVPN vs Windscribe is different from the norm. Most likely, you’ve heard of NordVPN. It’s always near the top of lists of the best VPNs, it’s been reviewed a lot, and your favorite YouTuber has probably been a sponsor more than once.
But do you hear about Windscribe very often? This VPN is based in Canada, but it’s not very well-known. Most of the time, Reddit users suggest it, not rank it as one of the best. It would be interesting to see how a VPN with no name stacks up against a market giant and to find out if fame really does mean everything. You might even find a new VPN that you like better.
We pay a lot of attention to the VPN service NordVPN, and it deserves it. If you read our review of NordVPN, you’ll see that we like it for a number of reasons, such as its low price, its easy-to-use design, and how well it works with streaming services. Windscribe, on the other hand, has been in the VPN world’s spotlight much less. But we noticed that Windscribe was showing up on a lot of our best lists, like our best streaming and best free VPN lists. Our full Windscribe VPN review has more information about all of this.
NordVPN vs Windscribe: Pricing
The most famous VPNs on the market are NordVPN and Windscribe. They both have a lot of features and perks, but their price plans are different. There are three ways to pay for NordVPN: monthly, yearly, and for three years. The monthly plan costs $11.95 per month, the annual plan costs $59.95 per year, and the three-year plan costs $99.95 per year. All plans come with an endless amount of connections, data, and bandwidth.
Feature | NordVPN | Windscribe |
---|---|---|
Monthly plan | $4.99/month | $9/month |
Annual plan | $59/year | $45/year |
2-year plan | $79/2 years | N/A |
3-year plan | $99/3 years | N/A |
Free trial | 7 days (Android only) | 10GB/month, 11 countries, 1 connection |
Money-back guarantee | 30 days | 3 days |
Windscribe has four plans for how much it costs: free, monthly, yearly, and two years. The free plan only lets you use 10GB of data per month and has a maximum of 10 server sites. The monthly plan costs $9 a month, the yearly plan costs $49 a year, and the two-year plan costs $45 a year. All paid plans have endless bandwidth, connections, and data.
In the end, the best VPN for you will rest on your own needs and how much money you have. Windscribe is a great choice if you want to find the most affordable solution. NordVPN is a better choice if you want a VPN with more features and safety.
NordVPN vs Windscribe Comparison Table
Both Windscribe and NordVPN are great VPNs with strong security features. NordVPN has more servers and is usually faster, but Windscribe is cheaper and has ad blocking and port forwarding, among other benefits. In the end, your wants and preferences will determine which VPN is best for you.
Feature | NordVPN | Windscribe |
---|---|---|
Server network | 5,400+ servers in 60+ countries | 480+ servers in 69+ countries |
Security features | 256-bit AES encryption, DNS leak protection, kill switch, double VPN, obfuscated servers | 256-bit AES encryption, DNS leak protection, kill switch, double VPN, split tunneling, port forwarding |
Privacy policy | No logs policy (audited) | No logs policy |
P2P support | Yes | Yes |
Streaming support | Yes, for Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and more | Yes, for Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and more |
Torrenting support | Yes | Yes |
Price | Starting at $5.75/month | Starting at $9/month |
Free trial | No | Yes (10GB) |
Refund policy | 30 days | 3 days |
NordVPN vs Windscribe: Server Network
Two of the most famous VPN services are NordVPN and Windscribe. Both have a lot of features and perks, but their server networks are different. With over 5,400 computers in more than 60 countries, NordVPN has a bigger server network than Windscribe. This means that NordVPN users have more choices when it comes to picking a server location. NordVPN also has more specialized servers, such as P2P servers, double VPN servers, and encrypted servers.
Feature | NordVPN | Windscribe |
---|---|---|
Number of servers | Over 5,400 | Around 480 |
Number of countries | 60+ | 65+ |
Specialized servers | Yes | Yes |
Unique features | No | Port forwarding, split tunneling |
Speed | Very fast | Very fast |
Windscribe has fewer servers than NordVPN. It has about 480 servers in more than 65 countries. But Windscribe’s servers are spread out more evenly, with a good number of servers in places that aren’t as popular. Windscribe also has some tools that aren’t found anywhere else, like port forwarding and split tunneling.
Both NordVPN and Windscribe are very fast when it comes to speed. But NordVPN is usually a little bit faster, especially on links that are far away. Overall, NordVPN has the most servers and the most complete network. But Windscribe has some features that make it stand out, and it’s a good choice for people who want to connect to sites in less popular countries.
NordVPN vs Windscribe: Security and Privacy
Both NordVPN and Windscribe are well-known VPN services with strong privacy and security features. But the two services are not the same in some important ways. NordVPN protects your data with 256-bit AES encryption, safety against DNS/IPv6 leaks, and a kill switch. It also has a strong no-logs policy, which means it doesn’t keep any records of what you do online. Windscribe has more servers than NordVPN, but NordVPN has more options, like split tunneling and double VPN.
Feature | NordVPN | Windscribe |
---|---|---|
Encryption | 256-bit AES | 256-bit AES |
DNS/IPv6 leak protection | Yes | Yes |
Kill switch | Yes | Yes |
No-logs policy | Strict | Not strict |
Server network size | 5,400+ servers in 60+ countries | 650+ servers in 60+ countries |
Features | Split tunneling, double VPN, Tor over VPN | Unlimited simultaneous connections, free plan |
A kill switch and 256-bit AES encryption are also used by Windscribe. It does not, however, have a strict “no-logs” policy. Windscribe does have some unique features, like a free plan and the ability to connect to the internet as many times as you want at once. Overall, NordVPN is the safer and more private pick. It has more functions, a bigger network of servers, and a stricter no-logs policy. But Windscribe is a good choice if you want a cheaper VPN that lets you join as many devices as you want at once.
Winner: NordVPN
Between the two VPN services, NordVPN stands out as the better choice. It puts user privacy first by using 256-bit AES encryption, protecting against DNS/IPv6 leaks, and having a strict no-logs policy. This makes sure that your online activities stay private. Windscribe has some unique features, like a free plan and the ability to connect multiple devices. However, NordVPN’s strong security features and large server network make it the safer and more private way to browse the web.
NordVPN vs Windscribe: Speed and Performance
Two of the most famous VPN services are NordVPN and Windscribe. Both have strong security features and fast speeds. But there are some big differences in how they do their jobs. In general, NordVPN is faster than Windscribe, especially for links over long distances. This is because it has more servers and uses the NordLynx protocol, which is a more recent and better VPN system. NordVPN also has less latency than Windscribe, which can be important for games and streaming.
Feature | NordVPN | Windscribe |
---|---|---|
Speed | Faster | Slower |
Latency | Lower | Higher |
Server network | Larger | Smaller |
Server locations | Fewer | More |
Simultaneous connections | 6 | Unlimited |
Windscribe isn’t as fast as NordVPN, but most people should still be able to get good speeds with it. It also has more server locations than NordVPN, which can help you get to content that is banned in your country. Windscribe also lets you connect to as many devices at once as you want, while NordVPN only lets you connect six. In terms of speed and performance, NordVPN is the better pick. Windscribe, on the other hand, is cheaper and has a bigger range of features.
The Winner: NordVPN
When NordVPN and Windscribe go up against each other, NordVPN comes out on top. It is faster and works better than Windscribe because of its large server network and the advanced NordLynx protocol. The lower latency of NordVPN is important for gamers and streamers. But Windscribe is cheap and lets you connect as many devices as you want, which makes it a good choice for those on a budget.
NordVPN vs Windscribe: Encryption and Protocols
Both NordVPN and Windscribe protect your info with strong encryption. AES-256 bit encryption is used by NordVPN, which is thought to be impossible to break. Windscribe also uses AES-256 bit encryption, but it also gives you the choice to use ChaCha20-Poly1305 encryption, which is a newer and more secure encryption protocol.
Both NordVPN and Windscribe accept OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPSec, and WireGuard as protocols. OpenVPN is the most popular VPN system, and its security and dependability are well known. IKEv2/IPSec is a more recent system that is meant to be faster and safer than OpenVPN. WireGuard is a younger protocol that is still being worked on, but it is thought to be the safest and most effective VPN protocol out there.
Feature | NordVPN | Windscribe |
---|---|---|
Encryption | AES-256 bit | AES-256 bit, ChaCha20-Poly1305 |
Protocols | OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPSec, WireGuard | OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPSec, WireGuard |
Additional security features | Double VPN, Onion over VPN | None |
NordVPN has some extra security tools that Windscribe doesn’t have. Double VPN, which encrypts your traffic twice, and Onion over VPN, which sends your traffic through the Tor network for even more security, are two of these benefits. Overall, both NordVPN and Windscribe protect your data with strong security and protocols. In terms of protection, NordVPN is slightly better than Windscribe, but Windscribe is cheaper. In the end, the best VPN for you will rest on your own needs and how much money you have.
NordVPN vs Windscribe: Streaming and Torrenting
Both Windscribe and NordVPN are great VPNs for watching and downloading. Both have a large server network, strong security features, and accept P2P traffic. But NordVPN is better than Windscribe in a few of these ways. NordVPN is better at getting video services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer to work. It also has a faster average speed, which is important for watching high-quality videos. Because NordVPN has more servers dedicated to torrenting, you are less likely to have problems with congestion.
Feature | NordVPN | Windscribe |
---|---|---|
Server network size | 5,400+ servers in 60+ countries | 480+ servers in 69+ countries |
Server network dedicated to torrenting | 4,500+ servers | 100+ servers |
Average speed | 85.9 Mbps | 17.8 Mbps |
Security features | AES-256 encryption, double VPN, Tor over VPN | AES-256 encryption, P2P support |
Streaming capabilities | Unblocks Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, etc. | Unblocks Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, etc. |
Torrenting capabilities | Supports P2P traffic | Supports P2P traffic |
It also has a tool called “Stealth Mode” that lets you get around geo-blocks and throttling. Both NordVPN and Windscribe protect your data with strong encryption and security features. But NordVPN has a few extra security tools, like double VPN and Tor over VPN, that can make you even safer. If you want to stream or download torrents, NordVPN is the better pick. It has more servers than Windscribe, average speeds that are faster, and better protection features. But Windscribe is cheaper and lets you connect as many devices as you want at once.
Winner: NordVPN
Between Windscribe and NordVPN, NordVPN is the winner. It is better than Windscribe in many ways, such as having better access to video streaming services, faster average speeds, and more dedicated servers for torrenting. NordVPN also gives users extra security tools, such as double VPN and Tor over VPN, which make them safer. Windscribe is cheap and allows you to connect an unlimited number of devices, but NordVPN is much better at streaming and downloading.
NordVPN vs Windscribe: Customer Support
Live chat is available 24/7, and email and an information base are also available. Agents who work on the live chat are experienced and friendly, and they can answer most questions quickly and easily. Email help is also quick, with answers coming back within a few hours most of the time. It’s easy to find answers to common questions because the knowledge base is big and well-organized.
Feature | NordVPN | Windscribe |
---|---|---|
Live chat | Yes | No |
Email support | Yes | Yes |
Knowledge base | Extensive | Not as extensive |
Chatbot | No | Yes |
Response time | Typically within minutes | Typically within hours |
Windscribe has email help that is available 24/7 and a knowledge base. The email help is quick, and most people get a response within a few hours. The knowledge base is not as big as NordVPN’s, but it still has a lot of information about a lot of different things. Windscribe also has a robot that can answer simple questions, but it is not as useful as NordVPN’s live chat. Overall, NordVPN’s customer service is the best. Live chat is a big plus, and the information base is bigger as well. But Windscribe also has good email help, and the knowledge base is still enough for most users.
NordVPN: Pros and Cons
Pros
- Large server network with over 5,500 servers in 60 countries
- Strong encryption and security features
- Excellent privacy policy
- User-friendly interface
Cons
- Can be a bit expensive
- Not as many features as some other VPNs
Windscribe: Pros and Cons
Pros
- Very affordable
- Large server network with over 650 servers in 60 countries
- Good security features
- Strict no-logs policy
- Ad blocker and malware protection
Cons
- Speeds can be inconsistent
- Fewer features than some other VPNs
NordVPN vs Windscribe: Overall Winner
Between NordVPN and Windscribe, NordVPN is the clear winner. With a huge server network that spans over 60 countries, NordVPN is fast, secure, and reliable enough to make viewing and streaming a breeze. Its advanced security features, like double encryption and a tight “no logs” policy, make it easier for users to keep their information private. Even though Windscribe also has some good features, NordVPN is the better choice for people who want a premium VPN service with a track record of performance and security. This is because NordVPN has better server infrastructure, security measures, and user happiness.
FAQs
When connected to a computer in the United States, both Windscribe and NordVPN offer similar download speeds, but Windscribe isn’t always consistent. NordVPN always gets better scores for upload speed.
One of the most used free VPNs is Windscribe. It has been in the market for a long time, so people know it as a reliable, safe, and secure service that is also easy to use.
One of the best VPN services is NordVPN. All of NordVPN’s servers run on RAM and use the best encryption and tunneling methods on the market to keep your data safe.