OVPN vs Windscribe

Some people prefer the peace of mind that comes with using a well-known VPN. But a lot of the time, the services with the most brand-recognition cost more while offering less functionality. With that in mind, we’ve extensively tested two providers you might not have heard of: OVPN and Windscribe. Below, you’ll find an in-depth comparison of the two, covering everything from their streaming ability to their privacy tools. Who knows, you might find that one of these is better than the VPN you’re currently using!

Let’s get started! Here is a brief overview of our comprehensive comparison between OVPN and Windscribe. We’ll go into more detail a little further down.

Summary: OVPN vs Windscribe

OVPN vs Windscribe pricing

Each of these providers offers flexibility in a different way. OVPN has plenty of subscription lengths, whereas Windscribe offers the ability to create your own package. Each server location costs $1 extra and adds an extra 10 GB to your monthly data cap, with a three location minimum.

If you plan on subscribing one month at a time, Windscribe is actually quite a bit cheaper than its rival. However, over longer periods, OVPN quickly becomes the less expensive option thanks to its steep discount on three-year plans.

Both services have a money-back guarantee, meaning you can effectively try them risk-free. However, OVPN’s only lasts for 10 days, considerably shorter than the industry-standard 30-day period. Windscribe’s policy is even more restrictive: users have just three days to trial the service and can’t claim a refund if they’ve used more than 10 GB of data. On the plus side, Windscribe does offer a free plan (with functionality and server limitations), so you can get a feel for what it’s like before paying anything.

OVPN vs Windscribe features

Whichever of these services you choose, you’ll have access to apps for all major platforms including Linux. It’s possible to install either service on your router, allowing you to secure every device on your network, even those that don’t support VPN apps like some Smart TVs and games consoles. Note that the required configuration files are only available to paid Windscribe customers.

We liked that both providers have extensions for Chrome and Firefox (OVPN also supports Vivaldi while Windscribe supports Edge). This makes it easy to secure web traffic on devices like Chromebooks, though you should note that browser extensions won’t encrypt data from any of your other apps and often have a more limited set of tools than a full VPN application.

Windscribe stands out from the crowd by being one of the few VPNs with no connection limits. Conversely, OVPN seems to have gone in the opposite direction by tying its connection limit to the length of your subscription. It permits four simultaneous connections if you have a month-to-month plan and seven on three-year plans. This seems a little unfair, since this isn’t a particularly high limit, and many other providers match or beat it without requiring you to pay for multiple years of service upfront.

Streaming and Netflix comparison

Streaming platforms are geographically-restricted. They might only work in specific countries or have wildly different content from one location to another. To complicate things further, most popular services have gotten very good at detecting VPN usage, so you may not be able to get around these limitations with just any provider.

During our testing, we were able to access a good number of platforms with Windscribe. It did, however, fail to work with NBC, which was a little surprising. Normally, ABC is the service that trips up otherwise strong contenders.

OVPN didn’t fare quite as well. It worked with several US streaming services (including NBC) but had difficulty with British platforms. Of the four we tested, it succeeded with just one, and even then, only partially. Notably, OVPN’s website claims that it works with services like BBC iPlayer and Channel 4, which goes against our findings.

China

The Chinese government blocks access to all kinds of services that people from other countries rely on. This includes Facebook, WhatsApp, Google Maps, and Wikipedia to name but a few. Additionally, most VPN traffic is blocked, though there are still a few services that work, such as NordVPN.

Unfortunately, neither OVPN or Windscribe is a reliable option in China. OVPN doesn’t mention China anywhere in its help section, while Windscribe says that it “might work for some people”, suggesting users try the stealth or Wstunnel protocols.

Setup and interface

OVPN’s interface is simple and straightforward. Its home screen has the typical quick-connect button and a dropdown server list. The settings menu is neatly divided into tabs and each option has a button beside it that you can click to learn more. Users can also click on the statistics tab to see how much bandwidth they’ve used in the last hour or day, though it would be nice to have a record of the speeds that were achieved as well.

Windscribe has one of the more unique designs we’ve seen but this isn’t necessarily a good thing. As you might expect, there’s a settings menu, but this consists of seven separate tabs, which means it’s difficult to find certain features. This problem is only compounded by the fact that some tools (including the kill switch and protocol selection options) aren’t actually present – they’re on the home screen instead.

On the plus side, the server list is neatly categorized, even separating the US into three zones (East, West, and Central). You can favorite individual servers for faster access in the future.

Servers and performance

At first glance, Windscribe appears to have a much larger network than OVPN. But because it doesn’t disclose how many servers it operates, we can’t actually confirm this. What we do know is that both VPNs rely entirely on physical servers, meaning there’s never any doubt about which country’s data-retention laws apply to your traffic. The one exception to this is Windscribe’s “Fake Antarctica” location, which is actually based in Canada.

Now, while it’s great to have a physical presence in less-commonly-seen locations like Ghana and Kenya, this policy is a bit of a double-edged sword. For instance, Windscribe’s Russian servers are subject to Russian law, which allows intelligence agencies to seize them. That said, these should still be safe thanks to Windscribe’s no-logs policy (more on this later).

Here’s a breakdown of where each VPN has servers:

OVPN seems to focus on providing access to servers in Europe and across the Anglosphere. However, it has yet to expand to Africa or the Middle East, and only offers one location in all of Asia. In contrast, Windscribe has a good level of coverage across all of these regions, as well as South America.

So how do these services perform? Well, in our latest tests, Windscribe delivered an average speed of 55 Mbps. That’s plenty for everyday tasks like streaming or gaming, but it pales in comparison to the competition. OVPN, meanwhile, averaged just over 100 Mbps. This is a solid speed, though it falls well short of Mullvad or CyberGhost, which averaged 666 Mbps and 296 Mbps, respectively.

Security comparison

Both of these providers support the OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols. These are two of the most common secure protocols. Windscribe also works with IKEv2, which is another quick, secure protocol that’s often used on mobile devices because it can quickly reconnect after network changes.

Windscribe has two additional protocols: Stealth and Wstunnel. These are effectively just enhanced OpenVPN connections using SSL and websockets, respectively. This sounds complicated but unless you’re in a country with strict online censorship, you probably won’t ever need to use these.

OVPN and Windscribe both use the gold standard of encryption: AES-256 (on OpenVPN connections) and ChaCha20 (on WireGuard). These are currently considered uncrackable, so there’s no need to worry about anyone seeing what you get up to online. Further, both VPNs include IPv6 and DNS leak protection as well as a kill switch that stops sending data if your connection drops unexpectedly.

Windscribe is extremely customizable, giving users control over LAN proxy options, MAC spoofing, and what types of websites to block. There’s even a proxy gateway tool that lets you send data from your Smart TV or games console through the VPN without having to install the service on your router. That’s a huge advantage and is something we’re surprised that other providers haven’t tried to replicate.  OVPN, meanwhile, provides support for IPv6 and attempts to offset some of the privacy concerns about WireGuard by allowing users to choose how frequently its key pairs are regenerated.

Privacy

Straight away, we can see that these VPNs were designed with privacy in mind. After all, neither of them requires users to sign up with an email address (although you will need one to reset your password if you forget it), and each accepts cryptocurrency payments. More importantly, neither service logs any data that could personally identify you. This is crucial because they’re both based in countries that are part of the 14 Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance, so a lackluster privacy policy could see your activities shared with over a dozen different governments.

OVPN only keeps records of whether you’ve ever successfully connected to any of its servers. Unlike most of its rivals, OVPN has been able to actually prove its no-logs claims in a courtroom. Windscribe logs a little more information, including when you last connected and how much bandwidth you’ve used this month. This is used to enforce data limits and better diagnose problems with its network. In fact, to back this up, Windscribe had its apps independently audited in 2022 and plans to release the results of its infrastructure audit sometime in 2023.

That’s not all! Both providers use RAM-only servers, which automatically wipe themselves clean every time they’re turned off. In other words, there’s no chance of a server inadvertently storing information that could be used to track you down.

Customer service

People often underestimate the importance of a good customer support team. However, VPNs are complex applications so when things go wrong, having an easy way to get in touch can be a real lifesaver.

OVPN makes this very straightforward. During the week, you can speak to support staff directly using live chat, and on the weekends, you can send an email (though you may have to wait a while for a reply).

Windscribe, meanwhile, uses a ticket system for dealing with problems. A chatbot named Garry can direct you to relevant knowledge base articles. Unfortunately, there’s no way to talk to a human directly without sending a ticket. On the plus side, the official YouTube channel does include a few short video guides explaining how to set up the software.

The winner: OVPN

Windscribe and OVPN might not have the same level of fame as their rivals but they’ve proven that they’re still well worth your time. That said, our job was to find which of the two would be better for the average user, and we’ve settled on OVPN.

There are a couple of reasons for this. To begin with, it’s nearly twice as fast, meaning you’ll experience fewer hiccups while gaming, watching TV, or just using the internet at the same time as someone else. OVPN also strikes a fantastic balance between user-friendliness and security, providing just enough control to feel customizable without being overwhelming. Windscribe, meanwhile, has a lot more tools but new users are unlikely to really need many of them.

Of course, the great thing is that both providers have a money-back guarantee. You can try them out for yourself without risking anything. If you change your mind, just be sure to cancel within the guarantee window and tell customer support you’d like a refund.

Methodology: How we compared OVPN and Windscribe

We could spend hours comparing these providers, diving deep into their technical specifications and arguing the merits of one protocol over another. While undeniably important, these aren’t things that really matter to the average user. Instead, we chose a few key areas to focus on, so that you’ll get a better idea of whether OVPN or Windscribe is right for you. 

• Network spread: First, we examine the available server locations. The more there are, the wider the range of content you can theoretically access. We also make note of any locations that are exclusive to one provider, whether the VPN uses any virtual servers, and where the VPN is actually based as all of these have privacy implications for users.
• Speed and reliability: We regularly monitor the performance of popular VPNs to see how their speeds have improved (or declined) over time. This involves running multiple tests per provider and averaging the results to get a more representative idea of its speed and reliability.
• Versatility: There’s no one specific use case for a VPN. That’s why we check to make sure that the services are suitable for any everyday task, from general web-browsing to beating censorship to torrenting. Naturally, we also find out if they’re able to securely access streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+.
• Security tools: A provider that can’t keep your data secure isn’t worth using. We look into the protocols, encryption, and security features each VPN offers, as well as their logging policies, audit histories, and whether they include more advanced functionality such as a stealth mode or automatic tracker-blocking.
• Ease of use: We strongly prefer VPNs that are easy for novices to use. That’s why we value 24/7 live chat, well-organized apps, and task-specific servers. Ideally, there’d be no connection limits and an easily-understandable privacy policy too, but we’ll take any features that lower the barrier to entry.
• Cost-effectiveness: Although we often say you shouldn’t choose a VPN on price alone, it is important. Our team searches high and low for any deals or discounts, tries out money-back guarantees, and looks for free trials so that you can try a service for yourself with as little risk as possible.

To find out more about our VPN testing process, just check out our methodology post. This offers an even more detailed look into how we identify the best VPNs around.

OVPN vs Windscribe: FAQs

See also:

• OVPN vs PrivateVPN
• OVPN vs AtlasVPN
• NordVPN vs Windscribe
• Surfshark vs Windscribe