Why Windscribe is the Best VPN

VPN
1

I have been on and off with my subscription with Windscribe since I first signed up in 2017. Testing various VPN providers and watching lots of reviews over the years.

And I can finally say I somehow understand the ingenuity of the foundation and development model of Windscribe and can honestly say, it’s a carefully considered and well-thought-out.

Here they are:

  • Why does Windscribe have the most developed extensions amongst all VPN providers?
    • If you go to the Chrome Web Store (CWS) or Mozilla Add-ons (AMO) and search for VPN extensions, there’s a lot available. Now focusing on the top players in the market and compare. You’ll see that Windscribe has the most features available, to name the core features:
      • Ad & Tracker Blocking
      • Advanced Whitelisting
      • Double Hop
    • The Browser Extension and the Desktop App complements each other so well and the real usage of Windscribe is to run both, here’s why.
      • R.O.B.E.R.T and Ad Blocking - There’s a limitation to what R.O.B.E.R.T as a DNS ad & tracker blocker can do in terms of cosmetics or ad leftovers. Running both allows you to block ads and trackers on the DNS level and the extension allows you to block ad leftovers or modify the webpages of non-essentials elements that you personally don’t want to see the next time you visit the website (e.g. Website Widgets / Sidebars).
      • Double Hopping - Let’s face it. A lot of websites blocks VPN for a lot of reasons and many of you have reported that Windscribe is not working on the X website while connected to the X Windscribe server. Windscribe will suggest you connect to another server but you don’t want to switch servers you’re connecting with because either you’re on Ala-Carte subscription or the server you usually connect to is the fastest and most stable that is available for you.
        - - -
        This is the beauty of the Double Hop feature of the browser extension and how it can help you unblock most websites that are blocked for you.
        - - -
        The strategy to use the Double Hop feature properly is to connect your Windscribe Desktop app to the closest country where the VPN servers are most stable and fastest for you. Let’s call this the Backend Server.
        - - -
        Next on the Browser Extension, choose another country that is on par or close to the stability and speed of your Stable Server. Let’s call this the Frontend Server
        - - -
        When you browse, you can use Frontend Server to browse websites that are inaccessible when browsing with just your Backend Server.
        - - -
        In case, a website blocks your Frontend Server. You can simply whitelist the website connectivity to allow your Backend Server to connect directly instead. Thus unblocking your connection to website blocking your Frontend Server.
        - - -
        There are cases that both your Frontend Server and Backend Server are blocked by the website but this is a rare occurrence but can be solved by changing your Frontend Server in the same country and selecting another city/server. If the problem still persists, ask Windscribe for assistance.
        - - -
        Tip #1: To use setup above, you need at least 2 premium countries on Ala-Carte subscription, or else, you’ll have to use the free servers as Frontend Server which is not ideal due to the high possibility that they’re already blocked or really slow speed due to lots of connected users.
        - - -
        Tip #2 In case you do a speed test and see the speed is slower and ping is a bit high while using Double Hop, that’s fine, websites will still generally load fast after your first-time visit since most content of the website is cached on your browser. Video streaming based on experience is also not an issue.
        - - -
        Tip #3 If using Double Hop doesn’t produce a good browsing experience. Disable it and use the VPN with the Backend Server only. For websites that are blocking your VPN, try to ask the website to unblock it though there’s a 50% chance that they will not.
  • Windscribe is the cheapest premium VPN you can get.
    • The Ala-Carte subscription is a good way for individuals who don’t have enough money or usually just connect to one or two countries. With just $2 to $3 a month, you get a secure, fast, and private VPN!
  • Windscribe App Updates
    • Windscribe doesn’t join the bandwagon. They ensure to try and test newly introduced technologies before implementing their service. You can think of their approach to what Apple does on their new products and updates. They let others test it first and they will refine it.
  • Windscribe’s Culture.
    • One word, Yegor. In my reviews on VPN communities. There’s no other CEO that is more active and approachable than Yegor.
    • If you go to Windscribe’s Discord, you can see him chat with the community on a daily basis.
    • Check the other VPN providers and you won’t even see their staff’s profile. Hiding their management identities as much as possible. How can you trust a service to protect your privacy when you don’t even know who their management is and what kind of people they are (based on public information available), the simple fact they’re hiding their management faces is a big red flag. The management of a company defines the direction of the business. If the management is greedy and sly, they can simply have their business be two-faced.
    • As for the memes, it shows that Windscribe is honest and straightforward. If they don’t like someone or something. They will know by showing it to them. Plus memes are funny.
    • The Windscribe blogs provide a lot of information about VPN from the perspective of an industry insider. Reading the blogs of majority of other VPN providers only contains corporate announcements and what’s good about their service general and nothing else.
  • Things Windscribe can improve upon:
    • Windscribe is not perfect but it could be better, here are the key areas I think they could work on:
      • Customer Support - like many other VPN providers, Windscribe primarily provides customer support via email and the ideal to contact them is through here: https://windscribe.com/support/ticket
        - - -
        What’s missing on the form is a way to include attachments. For images, you need to upload it somewhere else such as cloud storage or image hosting site. This is not ideal since if the user uploads a screenshot in an image hosting site and the image is publicly viewable. Then the content of that screenshot is not private.
        - - -
        It would be suggested to allow users to upload attachments but limit the file extension uploadable to jpeg and png to ensure the content between the user and Windscribe customer support is truly between the two.
      • Windscribe App Directory - Generally the website missed out on something, for example:
        - - -
        Windscribe Android App is missing on the Footer’s App Column
        - - -
        On the App Directory, instead of Nvidia Shield, it’s better to replace it with Android TV since not every Android TV is an Nvidia Shield sometimes user has an Android TV or another Android TV Box.
      • Windscribe Street Creds - Windscribe doesn’t have much recognition outside of its users who experienced the app or read/watch VPN reviews about Windscribe. Perhaps, Windscribe could be more active on becoming part or donating on organizations that protect the privacy, security, and openness of the internet (e.g Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF))
      • Expand Windscribe Blog Topics - How about covering the latest news that affects the privacy, security, or censorship of the internet and provide opinion on it as advocates of a private, secure and open internet. This can also increase Street Creds to Windscribe.

Thank you for reading and feel free to comment.

2

Features Windscribe could add (none of them high-priority for me): IPv6, WireGuard, 2FA.

3

To address the suggestions:

  • You can reply back to the auto-responder email after opening a ticket and attach the attachment.
  • We’re remaking the website from scratch (not final mockup) right now, new one will be vastly improved (and look cool while doing it)
  • Most publications that talk about VPNs talk about the ones with the best affiliate programs, that pay the most money. We’re gonna discontinue our affiliate program in the near future. Tell a friend, it’s the best way to get the word out, and where 95% of our users come from. Not needing to pay over half our revenues to affiliates makes the service cheaper for the user, and allows us to concentrate on the product, rather than marketing.
  • We’re revamping the blog (gonna be moved from Medium to a self hosted platform), so expect more articles. Some less serious than others.
4

This ads are getting more convincing this days

5

Kudos to the OP for taking the time to actually write something so well-thought, coherent, and useful. Most people don’t bother to write so eloquently these days.

6

Not sure about that statement, daily I have to turn it off and back on again because websites won’t let me on. Amazon is one of them, so is slickdeals. It’s get really annoying and finding myself more and more by leaving it off. Most emails I click on a link will just freez

7

As a student I found it affordable and fast enough. Kudos to the team. Although I wish their Linux support was better. For some on Linux it takes forever to connect (stealth mode, normal ways are censored), which does not happen with Windows.

8

thanks dude, decent stuff!!!

9

Good Ad post. “Actor post”

10

Wireguard is coming next week. At least that’s what Yegor said. https://i.imgur.com/26nelf3.jpg

11
  • You can reply back to the auto-responder email after opening a ticket and attach the attachment.
    • Perhaps this could be added as tip on the website. Generally, most users won’t even know they could do that and will still upload their images on Imgur or similar sites by simply seeing there’s no way to upload an attachment to the form.
  • We’re remaking the website from scratch (not final mockup) right now, the new one will be vastly improved (and look cool while doing it)
    • This looks cooler. I like it :slight_smile:
  • Most publications that talk about VPNs talk about the ones with the best affiliate programs, that pay the most money. We’re gonna discontinue our affiliate program in the near future. Tell a friend, it’s the best way to get the word out, and where 95% of our users come from. Not needing to pay over half our revenues to affiliates makes the service cheaper for the user, and allows us to concentrate on the product, rather than marketing.
    • I was referring to the private organizations rather than publications that only showcase the VPN with the largest money to give.
      • If you look at https://www.eff.org/thanks - For a donation, majority of the VPN websites listed themselves and added this badge to their website https://i.imgur.com/6wvQSKp.png
      • EFF is one of the most recognized organizations that actively protects the security, privacy, and openness of the internet. A donation could provide big or small support on their efforts and users can somewhat see that Windscribe supports the idea of a secure, private, and open internet. To summarize, I suggest being more active in privacy activism.
      • Mullvad has one of the best implementations of this effort, you can view their activity here: https://mullvad.net/en/blog/tag/donation/
      • Note, that while the donation efforts seem somewhat of a shill. In terms of crisis that threatens the security and privacy of the internet, these foundations and organizations are in the forefront of defending it. If they’re not around. It’s easier for governments and private entities to do whatever they want, so if one of does activities might affect VPN providers and their users (e.g. laws for backdoors). Even if the VPN providers rally against it. There’s little that can be done due to lack of background support from individuals or groups who have bigger say or influence to go against it.
      • And finally, Windscribe can use their logo for street cred and PR. Reviewers can also put that on their Pros as well and New Prospect Users (NPU) who follow or trust those organizations and foundation can see Windscribe is supporting it.
  • We’re revamping the blog (gonna be moved from Medium to a self-hosted platform), so expect more articles. Some less serious than others.
    • This is nice to hear, I would like to read more articles on Windscribe. It’s informative and funnier to read than the others due to the tone being mostly corporate.
12

Most emails have tracking links, ROBERT is blocking them. You can whitelist the trackers if you want in the My Account section.

13

Yes, how clever to post an ad in a Windscribe sub, where probably almost all the readers already are subscribers. Great strategy for getting new business.

14

It’s already available to beta test :slight_smile:

15

Yeah, will be available sometime in July.