Proton VPN vs Windscribe: the free-plan showdown

These are the only two providers in our full VPN rankings with permanent free plans, and the plans are mirror images. Proton VPN Free gives unlimited data on one device, with servers auto-assigned from 10 countries — you never choose where you connect. Windscribe Free caps you at 10 GB a month (2 GB without a confirmed email) but runs on unlimited devices and lets you pick your location. Unlimited data you can’t steer, or steerable data that runs out: that trade decides the free tier, and your usage pattern decides the trade.

Paid is less symmetrical. Proton’s 2-year plan costs $71.76 up front ($2.99 a month), renewing at $83.88 a year; Windscribe holds flat at $69 a year forever. The dollar gap at renewal is $14.88 a year in Windscribe’s favor — small enough that the evidence gap below should probably decide instead.

Every spec where they differ

Proton VPN vs Windscribe, as of 23 Jul 2026

	Proton VPN	Windscribe
Free plan data	Unlimited	10 GB/month with email, 2 GB without
Free plan devices	1	Unlimited
Free plan locations	Auto-assigned from 10 countries	You choose, 10 countries
Monthly plan	$9.99	$9.00
Best deal	$2.99/mo — $71.76 for 24 months	$5.75/mo — $69 for 12 months
Renewal after intro	$83.88/yr ($6.99/mo)	$69/yr — same as sign-up
Paid devices	10	Unlimited
Server countries (paid)	148	69+ per its server list
Latest audit	Securitum, 2026 — 5th annual no-logs audit, published in full	Packetlabs, Jun 2024 — pen test
Jurisdiction	Switzerland	Canada (Five Eyes)
Refund window	30 days	7 business days, conditions apply

Which free plan should you actually use?

Match it to the bottleneck. If you need always-on protection on one machine — a laptop that lives on public Wi-Fi — Proton’s unlimited data wins outright; a capped plan fails exactly when you forget to ration it. If you need a specific country for a region-locked site, Proton’s free tier can’t do it even in its 10 countries — the app assigns servers randomly — while Windscribe lets you pick from its free locations. And if you want one free account across a phone, laptop, and tablet, only Windscribe allows it.

The caps have fine print in both directions: Windscribe’s 10 GB requires a confirmed email, and posting about the service on X earns another 5 GB under its terms; Proton’s free tier runs at what the vendor itself labels “medium” speed. Our best free VPN ranking scores both plans in detail.

Who proves its privacy case better?

Proton VPN, and it isn’t close. Securitum has audited Proton’s no-logs infrastructure annually since 2022 — five engagements through 2026 — with each report published whole, readable before you pay. The apps are open source, the company answers to Swiss law, and it states its policy has held through more than 400 legal cases. One deliberate quirk: Proton skips RAM-only servers by design, running full-disk encryption with off-site keys instead, and publishes its reasoning.

Windscribe’s evidence is thinner: the June 2024 Packetlabs engagement was a security pen test of its rebuilt server stack, not a no-logs attestation, and Canada sits inside the Five Eyes alliance. Its architectural answer — RAM-disk servers, only a 30-day bandwidth total stored per account — is credible but unattested. How no-log VPN audits work covers why a published assurance report outweighs a pen test for logging claims.

Choose Proton VPN if:

• Unlimited free data on one device fits how you actually use a VPN
• Published audits, open-source apps, and Swiss jurisdiction close the case for you
• You want 148 countries and a real 30-day refund on paid plans

Choose Windscribe if:

• Your free tier needs to cover several devices or a chosen location
• You want the cheaper monthly plan ($9) or renewal that never rises
• You’d rather build a plan from individual locations than buy a bundle

Frequently asked questions

Is Proton VPN's free plan better than Windscribe's?

For unlimited data on a single device, yes — no other major free tier offers that. Windscribe's free plan is better when you need multiple devices or a specific location: 10 GB a month with a confirmed email, on unlimited devices, with selectable servers.

Which is cheaper, Proton VPN or Windscribe?

Up front, Proton: $2.99 a month for the first 24 months against Windscribe's flat $5.75. After the intro term Proton renews at $83.88 a year while Windscribe stays at $69 — from then on Windscribe costs $14.88 less per year. Monthly plans: Windscribe $9, Proton $9.99.

Has Windscribe been audited like Proton VPN?

Not in the same way. Proton VPN holds five consecutive annual no-logs audits by Securitum, all published in full. Windscribe's June 2024 Packetlabs engagement was a security audit and penetration test of its server infrastructure — real scrutiny, but not a formal no-logs attestation.

Which has more servers and countries?

Proton VPN's paid network spans 20,677 servers in 148 countries per its live server page. Windscribe's list shows 69+ countries and no published server total. Free tiers are closer: both offer servers in 10 countries.

Which is faster?

Third-party reviews split, and neither provider publishes reproducible head-to-head results. Both run WireGuard. The practical answer is to test both free plans on your own connection — these are the two providers where that costs nothing.