Updated on: September 30, 2024
Short on time? Here’s the final verdict:
- 🥇 NordVPN — Winner in Extra Features, Privacy, Speeds, Streaming, Gaming, and Customer Support. Has more extra features than Windscribe, provides better privacy, maintains faster speeds, has slightly better streaming and gaming support, and offers additional customer support options.
NordVPN and Windscribe are both excellent VPNs that are secure, provide fast speeds, and offer great support for streaming, torrenting, and gaming. Additionally, they’re available on all major platforms, and their apps are easy to set up and use.
Both providers come with industry-standard VPN security features, including 256-bit AES encryption, a no-logs policy, and a kill switch. In addition, NordVPN and Windscribe also have:
- Split-tunneling.
- Full leak protection.
- Ad, tracker, and malware blocker.
- Perfect forward secrecy.
- RAM-only servers.
- Obfuscation.
- Tor (The Onion Router) support.
- Double VPN.
That said, I think NordVPN is the better VPN overall. It has a lot of features that Windscribe lacks, including an app-based kill switch and the ability to scan downloaded files for malware. It also maintains faster speeds, its no-logs policy has passed multiple independent audits, it offers cheaper plans, and it’s the only one of the two that has a 24/7 live chat feature.
But Windscribe is a pretty good pick, too, especially for large households since it allows unlimited simultaneous connections (NordVPN only allows 10 connections). It also has great security and privacy features, offers a good free plan, and lets you build your own custom plan.
I compared every important NordVPN and Windscribe metric, including security, extra features, privacy, servers, speeds, streaming, torrenting, gaming, ability to bypass censorship, user-friendliness, plans and pricing, and customer support. I found that NordVPN beats Windscribe in almost every area, but I still recommend reading the whole article to determine which VPN best meets your needs.
NordVPN vs. Windscribe — Quick Overview
Security — Both Are Good Picks for Security
Both VPNs provide strong security. They both come with industry-standard VPN security features, including:
- 256-bit AES encryption. Very strong encryption that’s used by banks and militaries. It makes all of your internet traffic unreadable.
- No-logs policy. Neither VPN keeps logs of your IP address, the websites you visit, or the files you download.
- Kill switch. Disconnects you from the internet if your VPN connection drops to prevent accidental data leaks.
However, only NordVPN has an app-based kill switch in addition to a normal kill switch. The app-based kill switch shuts down only selected apps if the VPN disconnects.
However, both providers have advanced security features. This includes full leak protection against WebRTC, DNS, and IPv6 leaks and RAM-only servers that wipe all data with every server reset. They also use perfect forward secrecy, which means they change the encrypted keys used to protect your data for every VPN session, so that even if a hacker obtained one of the keys, they would only gain access to a tiny amount of your data, and your past and future session data would remain secure.
Each VPN also uses secure VPN protocols, including OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPsec. Windscribe also offers the WireGuard protocol, which is one of the fastest and most secure protocols out there. NordVPN doesn’t support WireGuard, but it offers a faster alternative — its proprietary NordLynx protocol that’s built around the WireGuard protocol.
NordVPN and Windscribe secure your account with 2-factor authentication. This means that to log in, you have to verify your login attempt with a time-sensitive code generated by an app or with a security key.
Winner (Security): It’s a tie
Both providers have very good security features. They include essential features, have secure VPN protocols, offer full leak protection, and use perfect forward secrecy and RAM-only servers. Additionally, both VPNs let you secure your account with 2-factor authentication.
Extra Features — NordVPN Has More Extras
NordVPN is one of the most feature-rich VPNs on the market, so Windscribe can’t really compete. There is some overlap, though.
Both VPNs have a split-tunneling feature, which lets you choose which apps or website traffic you want to use your VPN connection and which ones you want to use your regular internet connection. But Windscribe is the only one of the two that also allows you to split-tunnel apps and IP addresses (NordVPN only allows you to split apps).
And each VPN provides obfuscation. This disguises VPN traffic as regular internet traffic, so your ISP won’t know you’re using a VPN, which is helpful in case you need to bypass school or workplace network restrictions. With NordVPN, you have special obfuscated servers, and with Windscribe, you can connect to either the Stealth and WStunnel protocol to obfuscate your traffic.
It’s great that they each have an ad, tracker, and malware blocker. NordVPN’s security tool (Threat Protection Pro) is also capable of scanning the files you download for malware and alerting you about outdated apps. On the other hand, Windscribe’s ad blocker (R.O.B.E.R.T.) comes with rudimentary parental controls — you can block website categories like gambling, porn, social networks, etc.
They also allow Tor traffic on all of their servers, so they secure your data before going on the dark web. But I prefer NordVPN because its Onion Over VPN servers let you access the dark web on a regular browser — you don’t need to use the Tor browser.
Plus, both VPNs have a double VPN feature, which routes your traffic through 2 VPN servers in 2 different countries instead of just 1, providing an extra layer of security. However, NordVPN’s double VPN feature is a lot more intuitive to use than Windscribe’s double VPN feature, which requires running the browser extension (which is a proxy) to connect to 2 locations at once.
However, only NordVPN comes with a smart DNS tool. This tool lets you use the VPN on devices without native VPN apps, like certain smart TVs or gaming consoles. And only NordVPN has a SOCKS5 proxy. These servers change your IP address without encrypting your traffic, which gets you faster speeds compared to a normal VPN server (they’re great for torrenting).
NordVPN also has a ton of other features that Windscribe doesn’t have:
- Dark Web Monitor. Scans the dark web and alerts you if your NordVPN account credentials have been compromised in a data breach.
- Tapjacking protection. This feature is available on Android and alerts you when it detects that a malicious app has added a screen overlay, which can be used to steal your data.
- Meshnet. You can create your own secure private network with up to 60 devices. This can be used to host virtual LAN parties, easily share files between linked devices, browse the internet using the IP address of another linked device, and more.
Winner (Extra Features): NordVPN
NordVPN has more extra features than Windscribe. Both providers have split-tunneling, obfuscation, and an ad, tracker, and malware blocker. But NordVPN has a more intuitive double VPN feature, is more convenient for browsing the dark web, has a smart DNS tool, and comes with other bonus features on top, such as a Dark Web Monitor, tapjacking protection, and Meshnet.
Privacy — NordVPN Offers Better Privacy
NordVPN is the slightly better option if privacy is a big concern. They both have strict no-logs policies, but Windscribe’s no-logs policy has never undergone an independent audit — NordVPN’s no-logs policy has been independently audited multiple times.
NordVPN is headquartered in Panama, which isn’t part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances (countries that share surveillance data), and it has no mandatory data retention laws. Windscribe is based in a country that’s part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances (Canada). The good news isWindscribe’s no-logs policy means that even if they were asked to provide user information, they wouldn’t have anything to share.
NordVPN has passed several additional audits, too. Its iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS apps underwent a security audit in 2019, and its NordLynx protocol has been audited as well. Windscribe has conducted independent audits of its desktop and mobile apps.
Winner (Privacy): NordVPN
This one’s pretty close, but NordVPN has the edge. Both NordVPN and Windscribe have strict no-logs policies, but only NordVPN’s no-logs policy has been independently audited. Additionally, NordVPN is headquartered in Panama, which is a privacy-friendly country outside of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances, and its apps and NordLynx protocol have also passed security audits.
Servers — Both Providers Have Good Server Networks
Both providers have good server networks. NordVPN has 6,371 servers in 111 countries, and Windscribe doesn’t publish its total server count but has servers in 68 countries.
And both NordVPN and Windscribe allow P2P traffic. NordVPN allows torrenting on 4,500+ servers in 45+ countries, whereas Windscribe allows torrenting in 60+ countries — the only countries it doesn’t support P2P traffic is India, Lithuania, Russia, and South Africa.
Both providers support obfuscation. However, NordVPN only has 100+ obfuscated servers in 15+ countries, whereas Windscribe supports obfuscation across all of its servers through its Stealth and WStunnel VPN protocols.
But although each supports Tor traffic, I prefer NordVPN. It’s the only one with Onion Over VPN servers (located in the Netherlands and Switzerland) that let you browse the dark web on a regular browser.
NordVPN and Windscribe can both assign you a dedicated IP address for a small additional fee. A dedicated IP address is a static IP address that is used only by you — ordinarily VPN IP addresses are shared between all of a VPN’s users. A static IP address is useful for avoiding reCAPTCHAs and accessing websites that block shared VPN addresses, like bank websites.
Winner (Servers): It’s a tie
Both NordVPN and Windscribe are pretty good choices as each has a large server network. NordVPN has 6,371 servers in 111 countries, and Windscribe doesn’t publish its total server count but has servers in 68 countries. Additionally, both VPNs support torrenting, obfuscation, and Tor traffic, have a double VPN feature and offer dedicated IP addresses.
Speeds — NordVPN Is the Faster Option
NordVPN gave me faster connection speeds than Windscribe. While connected to nearby servers on NordVPN, websites, HD videos, and 4K videos loaded instantly, and it took 11–12 minutes to download a 20 GB file. In contrast, while connected to nearby servers on Windscribe, websites loaded instantly, but HD videos took 1–2 seconds to load, 4K videos took 2–3 seconds to load, and downloading a 20 GB file took 16–18 minutes.
Even on distant servers, NordVPN maintains pretty good speeds: websites loaded in approximately 3 seconds, HD videos took 2–3 seconds to load, 4K videos loaded in 5 seconds (with some minor buffering at the start), and the same 20 GB torrent took about 20 minutes to download. In comparison, when I was connected to a distant server on Windscribe, websites took 4 seconds to load, HD videos took 3–4 seconds to load, 4K videos took 6–7 seconds, and the same 20 GB torrent took roughly 30 minutes to download.
Winner (Speeds): NordVPN
NordVPN is faster than Windscribe, which makes it the better choice for browsing, streaming, gaming, and torrenting. While using NordVPN, I only experienced minor slowdowns, even on distant servers, whereas the slowdown was more noticeable while connected to a distant server using Windscribe.
Streaming — NordVPN Has Better Streaming Support
However, only NordVPN has a smart DNS tool, which allows you to use the VPN on devices without native VPN support, such as gaming consoles and certain smart TVs.
I’m also a fan of NordVPN’s SmartPlay feature, which combines smart DNS and VPN technology to add extra encryption to your VPN connections. SmartPlay is automatically enabled on all of its servers, too, so you don’t need to do anything to get it working.
Winner (Streaming): NordVPN
NordVPN and Windscribe both work with 10+ streaming services, including the most popular streaming sites like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+. However, NordVPN is the only one of the two that has a smart DNS tool, and its SmartPlay feature is really good.
Torrenting — Both Providers Are P2P-Friendly
Both providers are equally good for torrenting. NordVPN allows torrenting on 4,500+ servers in 95+ countries, whereas Windscribe allows torrenting on its servers in 60+ countries. In my tests, they also worked really well with all major torrent clients, like BitTorrent, Vuze, and Transmission.
I like that they have great features to keep you safe while torrenting. Each VPN has a kill switch, a no-logs policy, and full leak protection. When I tested them, I didn’t experience any leaks.
However, only NordVPN’s ad blocker can scan downloaded files for malware. That said, both VPNs come with a good ad, tracker, and malware blocker, which can block annoying ads on torrenting sites and protect you from shady P2P websites.
And only Windscribe offers port forwarding, which lets you connect to more peers for faster speeds and encrypts your traffic. My speed increased by an average of 15% when I enabled this feature.
NordVPN is the only VPN that offers SOCKS5 proxy servers. These servers don’t provide encryption, so they’re faster than a VPN, which is useful for activities where you value speeds more than security. When connected to NordVPN’s SOCKS5 proxy servers, my torrenting speed increased by about 20%. Windscribe provides an alternative, but it’s a bit technical — it lets you set up your own SOCKS5 server via the Proxy Gateway feature on the desktop apps.
Winner (Torrenting): It’s a tie
It’s tough to choose a winner here. Both NordVPN and Windscribe have P2P servers in a lot of locations, work flawlessly with top torrent clients, and have strong privacy and security features. Only NordVPN has SOCKS5 proxy support and can protect you against malware-infected files, but it lacks port forwarding, which you get with Windscribe.
Gaming — NordVPN Wins This Round
NordVPN and Windscribe are both decent VPNs for gaming. I played a few matches of Dota 2 while connected to a nearby server with each provider, and I didn’t experience any slowdowns or connection issues — both were to maintain a low and stable ping. On distant servers, my ping increased noticeably with both VPNs, but I only experienced minor lag, which didn’t get in the way of my game.
Unfortunately, neither VPNs’ servers are equipped with anti-DDoS protection. This means that while both VPNs will protect you from attempts to DDoS your IP address directly, attackers can still DDoS the VPN server you’re connected to, which might force you to change to a different server.
And neither provider has cloud gaming support, so you might not be able to get it to work with cloud gaming platforms, such as GeForce Now. In my tests, both VPNs worked fine with GeForce Now, but there’s no guarantee you’ll have the same experience.
The good news is you get router support with each, so you can manually set the VPN on your router and secure your connection when playing games on your Xbox and Playstation consoles.
Plus, I really like NordVPN’s Meshnet feature, which allows you to connect up to 60 devices and secure them with a VPN connection, which is really cool if you often play with your friends.
Winner (Gaming): NordVPN
NordVPN takes the win in this category as it’s slightly faster and has Meshnet, a feature that lets you host secure virtual LAN parties, which is really convenient. That said, both NordVPN and Windscribe provide low ping and lag-free gaming experiences while connected to nearby servers, some minor lag on distant servers, and router support.
Bypassing Censorship — I Don’t Recommend Either Provider
| Obfuscation | Works in China  |
Works in Russia  |
Works in Iran  |
Works in Indonesia  |
Works in Saudi Arabia  |
|
| NordVPN | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Windscribe | ✅ | Maybe | Maybe | Maybe | Maybe | Maybe |
Neither NordVPN nor Windscribe is great at bypassing censorship. They both have obfuscation, but both NordVPN and Windscribe customer support representatives told me that they can’t guarantee the VPNs would work in restrictive countries like China, Russia, and Iran.
If you really need a VPN to get around censorship, I recommend ExpressVPN — it’s the best VPN for bypassing government censorship in 2024.
Winner (Bypassing Censorship): None
Neither VPN is good for bypassing censorship. Consider getting ExpressVPN instead, which works reliably in all restrictive countries.
Apps & Ease of Use — Both Have Great & Easy-to-Use Apps
NordVPN and Windscribe have apps for all major platforms — iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android TV, Fire TV, and Chromebook. Both are also compatible with many router models, though you’ll have to set them up manually.
I found their mobile apps feature-rich and intuitive. I like that their Android and iOS apps have a quick-connect feature that connects you to the fastest server with a single tap, and their interfaces are clean and easy to navigate. The only thing I don’t like is that Windscribe’s mobile apps are missing a kill switch, which is an essential security feature that most VPNs offer on mobile (or at least on the Android app).
Each VPNs desktop app is similarly well-designed, and I experienced no bugs. That said, Windscribe’s macOS app is a little easier to install — NordVPN has 2 different macOS apps, which can be a bit confusing.
Winner (Apps & Ease of Use): It’s a tie
NordVPN and Windscribe have feature-rich and easy-to-use apps for all major operating systems. Even people new to VPNs should have no issues installing or using either.
Plans & Pricing — Both VPNs Are Affordable Options
Both VPNs offer options and generally affordable pricing plans, so it really comes down to your personal preference and what you need from the VPN.
NordVPN has 3 tier-based subscriptions with monthly and yearly plans. The Basic subscription has almost all VPN features, except Threat Protection Pro — it only has Threat Protection, which blocks malicious and phishing domains, and some ads. The Plus subscription (costs $3.89 / month) adds Threat Protection Pro and a password manager, and the Ultimate subscription adds cloud encryption and protection against identity theft and cyber extortion. All of NordVPN’s plans allow 10 simultaneous connections.
Windscribe has premium monthly and yearly plans, which start at $3.00 / month. They come with all features that Windscribe has to offer and unlimited simultaneous connections, which makes it a great value choice for large households.
Windscribe also has a free plan that’s pretty good — you get access to 10+ server locations, it’s pretty fast, and it allows both streaming and torrenting. However, you’re limited to 1 device and 2 GB of data per month (you can increase your allotment to 10 GB by verifying your email address).
Last but not least, Windscribe lets you build your own plan. This custom plan allows you to choose individual server locations that you want access to, and you’re only charged for those servers. This can be a great value option if you only need to connect to specific server locations.
Both providers accept credit/debit cards, PayPal, and cryptocurrencies. NordVPN also accepts Google Pay, and Windscribe also accepts Paymentwall. NordVPN backs all subscriptions with a 30-day money-back guarantee. On the other hand, Windscribe only offers a 3-day money-back guarantee, which is pretty awful compared to most other providers (but you try out most of its features with the free plan).
Winner (Plans & Pricing): It’s a tie
Both VPNs have their strengths and weaknesses. NordVPN is generally the cheaper option, but it only allows 10 simultaneous connections. Windscribe’s premium plan is more expensive, but it allows unlimited connections. On top of that, Windscribe offers a custom plan, which provides a lot of flexibility. Both providers accept a variety of payment methods and cover all subscriptions with a money-back guarantee. However, NordVPN has a 30-day money-back guarantee, while Windscribe only has a 3-day money-back guarantee.
Customer Support — NordVPN Has Better Customer Support
Although I never had issues with either, I like NordVPN’s customer support better.
Both NordVPN and Windscribe have in-depth support libraries on their websites that should address most common issues and questions you may have about their services. I especially like how both support libraries use visual aids and how both providers’ websites have a search function to help you find what you need more easily.
They also both offer email support. And I’m happy to report that both providers responded to my emails in less than a day and were able to provide me with useful and easy-to-understand information.
However, only NordVPN offers live chat support. I never had to wait for more than 10 seconds to speak to a support rep, and I always got very good information. Windscribe only has a chatbot, which I found pretty limited — all it really does is link you to support articles in Windscribe’s support library.
Winner (Customer Support): NordVPN
NordVPN provides more support options than Windscribe. Both VPNs have excellent support libraries and email support, and the support reps I spoke with were all friendly and professional. However, only NordVPN has 24/7 live chat, which is very useful if you need immediate answers or have a more complicated problem that requires some back-and-forth.
Overall Winner: NordVPN
NordVPN comes with a ton of extra features, is really secure, provides fast speeds for streaming, gaming, and torrenting, and has 6,371 servers in 111 countries, which is pretty solid.
Windscribe has very flexible plans and offers unlimited simultaneous connections. It also has servers in 68 countries, comes with excellent P2P support, and works with popular streaming services.
Both VPNs are great, but NordVPN is the superior option. It provides better value due to its extra features and cheaper premium plans. It also maintains faster speeds and has more customer support options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better — NordVPN or Windscribe?
NordVPN and Windscribe are great VPNs, but NordVPN wins in more categories. It comes with a lot of features that Windscribe doesn’t have, including a SOCKS5 proxy, a Dark Web Monitor, tapjacking protection on Android, Meshnet, and more. It’s also faster and has better streaming and gaming support. Additionally, it’s the only one of the two with an independently audited no-logs policy and is based in a more privacy-friendly country.
Are NordVPN and Windscribe safe to use?
Yes, both providers have strong security features. In addition to having industry-standard VPN security features, like 256-bit AES encryption, a no-logs policy, and a kill switch, they both have advanced security features like perfect forward secrecy, RAM-only servers, and full leak protection.
Which is better for streaming — NordVPN or Windscribe?
NordVPN is the better VPN for streaming. Both providers work with 10+ streaming services, including top streaming sites like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime, and Disney+. Also, both maintain fast enough speeds on nearby servers for videos to load instantly and HD and 4K videos to play without buffering. However, only NordVPN has a smart DNS tool, which allows you to install the VPN on devices without native VPN support, such as gaming consoles and certain smart TVs.
Which has better torrenting support — NordVPN or Windscribe?
Both providers are very P2P-friendly. NordVPN and Windscribe both have plenty of P2P servers — NordVPN has 4,500+ in 45+ countries, and Windscribe has servers in 60+ countries. They also both work with top torrent clients, including BitTorrent, uTorrent, Transmission, and Vuze, and have strong privacy and security features to keep you safe while torrenting. The main difference between the two for P2P file sharing is that only NordVPN has SOCKS5 proxy support, and only Windscribe supports port forwarding.