OVPN vs Windscribe (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Windscribe grades higher than OVPN: 2.6 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Windscribe grades higher on the free plan, features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Windscribe
VPN with a 10GB free plan and pay-per-location pricing
Which one is for you
Pick OVPN if
- Fits if you want a stated no-log policy and port forwarding or multihop
- Works for people ready to commit to a 12 or 36 month term
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to try before paying, as only a 10-day refund is offered
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $12 against $4.22 on the 36-month term
- Watch out: devices go from 4 to 5 to 7 as the term gets longer
- Watch out: the page does not say whether long terms are charged up front or what they renew at
- Skip it if you need servers in many countries, as there are only 32 cities
Pick Windscribe if
- Fits if you want a free VPN for light use where you still pick the country
- Works for paying $1 a month per country when you only need a few
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stream on the free plan, which stops at 10GB a month, with most locations Pro only
- Too light for heavy use on Build A Plan, where each location adds only 10GB
- Skip it if you want to share your account with friends, as the terms forbid it
- Watch out: static IPs and team accounts are sold separately, with no price on the plans page
- Pricey if you pay monthly for Pro, at $9 a month against $69 a year
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAOVPNWeak | 2.6GPAWindscribeGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$4.22 a month on the 36-month term and $4.99 on 12 months sit between the category's cheapest quarter ($3.99) and its middle ($5). Monthly is $12, and the page does not say what longer terms renew at. | CPro is $69 a year and stays at that price, so two years cost $138, about $5.75 a month, above the middle of the pack. Build A Plan starts at $3 a month for 3 locations, but each adds only 10GB of data. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan or trial; a 10-day money-back guarantee is not a trial. | C10GB a month free once you confirm an email, with servers in 10 countries including the US, UK and Germany. Enough for café Wi-Fi, but streaming will burn through it, and most locations are Pro only. |
| Features | CNo-log policy, RAM-only servers, multihop, port forwarding, kill switch, OpenVPN and WireGuard. The listing's own gap is 32 server cities, fewer than the largest providers. | BUnlimited devices, the R.O.B.E.R.T blocker for ads, trackers and malware, double hop, split tunneling, a firewall and config generators for routers, across 69+ countries on Pro. It covers the whole job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and the listing gives no setup details. | BNo App Store rating on record, but you install the app, confirm an email and connect, with nothing else to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android, so phone and computer. | BMac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android and browser extensions, plus config files for routers. There's no integration list or API on record, so it stops at B. |
| Best for | a no-log VPN with RAM-only servers | a free VPN you can pay for by location |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: OVPN and Windscribe. How we grade
Price against what you get
OVPN starts at $4.22 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Windscribe starts at $3 a month and scores 3.0.
Windscribe scores higher and starts $1.22 a month lower. Of the other VPNs on the chart, 15 score higher than OVPN for less, and none scores higher than Windscribe for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Windscribe is open source, according to its own site.
At a glance
| OVPN | Windscribe | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $4.22 per month on the 36-month term | $3 per month for 3 locations (Build A Plan) |
| Free plan | None | 10GB of data a month once you confirm an email address, with servers in 10 countries including the US, Canada, the UK and Germany. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | OVPN | Windscribe Limited |
| Price read from | ovpn.com | windscribe.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
OVPN
- There is no free plan or free trial; the page lists a 10-day money-back guarantee instead.
- The device limit rises with term length: 4 on the monthly plan, 5 on 12 months and 7 on 36 months.
- The pricing page does not say whether the longer terms are charged up front or what they renew at.
- Servers are in 32 cities, a smaller footprint than the largest VPN providers.
Windscribe
- The free plan stops at 10GB a month and needs a confirmed email; most locations are Pro only.
- Build A Plan locations each add only 10GB a month rather than unlimited data.
- Static IPs and team accounts are sold separately, and their prices are not on the plans page.
- Account sharing is prohibited by the plan terms.
Key features
OVPN
- Diskless servers
- OVPN says its servers have no hard drives and load their operating system into RAM, so nothing is written to disk.
- No-log policy
- The vendor states that it logs no activity while you are connected, and its security page describes how syslogs are disabled.
- Multihop
- Route traffic through two servers. The pricing page lists it as included on every plan at no extra cost.
- Port forwarding
- Open ports through the VPN for incoming connections, such as torrent clients. Included on every plan.
- Desktop kill switch
- The desktop client blocks traffic if the VPN drops, and it rewrites DNS settings on all network adapters to prevent leaks.
- OpenVPN and WireGuard
- Both protocols are offered, and the site publishes configuration files and setup guides for routers and other devices.
Windscribe
- Free plan
- 10GB a month once your email is confirmed, with servers in 10 countries. Pro locations stay locked.
- Build A Plan
- Pay $1 a month per Pro location you want, from a $3 minimum and up to 7 locations, each adding 10GB of data.
- R.O.B.E.R.T
- A customizable server-side blocker for ads, trackers and malware, included with Pro.
- Unlimited connections
- Use one account on as many devices at once as you like, with apps and browser extensions for each platform.
- Config generators
- Generate OpenVPN, IKEv2 and WireGuard configurations for routers and devices without an app.
- Double hop, split tunneling and firewall
- Route through two servers, choose which apps skip the VPN, and block traffic outside the tunnel.
Plans
OVPN
1 month$12
per month, billing basis not shown
Protects 4 devices at a time. Includes port forwarding, multihop and the ad and tracker blocker.
12 months$4.99
per month, billing basis not shown
Shown as 71% off the monthly price. Protects 5 devices at a time, with the same features.
36 months$4.22
per month, billing basis not shown
Shown as 75% off the monthly price. Protects 7 devices at a time, with the same features.
Windscribe
Free$0
10GB a month with a confirmed email, and servers in 10 countries: the US, Canada, UK, Hong Kong, France, Germany and four more.
Build A Plan$3
per month for 3 locations, then $1 per extra location
$1 per Pro location per month, from 3 up to 7 locations; each adds 10GB to your monthly data. For more, the page points to Pro.
Pro Yearly$69
per year
$5.75 a month. Unlimited data, every location in 69+ countries, R.O.B.E.R.T and config generators.
Pro Monthly$9
per month
The same Pro features as yearly, billed $9 every month.
Ways to pay less
OVPN
No public discounts listed.
Windscribe
- Annual discount
About 36% off with yearly billing
Pro Yearly costs $69 a year, against $108 for twelve months of Pro Monthly at $9.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, OVPN or Windscribe?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Windscribe is cheaper to start with: $3 a month, against $4.22 a month for OVPN. OVPN starts at $4.22 per month on the 36-month term, and Windscribe starts at $3 per month for 3 locations (Build A Plan).
Which has a free plan, OVPN or Windscribe?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Windscribe has a free plan. OVPN does not.
Which platforms do OVPN and Windscribe run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Windscribe lists a browser extension. Both list macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.