Psiphon vs Windscribe (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Psiphon grades higher than Windscribe: 2.8 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Psiphon grades higher on value for money and the free plan. Windscribe grades higher on features. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Psiphon
Free, open-source circumvention VPN with an ad-free paid tier
Windscribe
VPN with a 10GB free plan and pay-per-location pricing
Which one is for you
Pick Psiphon if
- Fits if you're on a network that blocks VPNs and need a free one with no sign-up
- Works for phone users who want ads gone for a low monthly price
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you're on a Mac, as the native app is still in development
- Too light for everything-on-the-device cover on iOS, where the browser only tunnels what it loads
- Tight if you stay free, because of the ads and the reduced features
- Watch out: the Plus price has no billing term and the page doesn't list what Plus adds
- Watch out: the Windows app is labelled a legacy client with some newer features missing
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
| 2.8GPAPsiphonGood | 2.6GPAWindscribeGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPlus is shown as 'from $2.88 a month', which is inside the cheaper quarter ($3.99), but no billing term is given and there's no plan table. | 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 | BPsiphon Basic is free with no account. It shows ads and has reduced features, and the vendor says it is free without limits where paying is hard. | 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 | CIt tries several protocols on its own, has 50,000 servers in 33 countries and a Conduit sharing option. The gaps: no native Mac app, a legacy Windows client, and the iOS browser only tunnels its own traffic. | 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 | BNo store rating on record, but you install it and connect without an account or any protocol to pick. | 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 | BAndroid, iOS and Windows. Phones and a computer, but no Mac or Linux and no API. | 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 free VPN that keeps working on blocked networks | 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: Psiphon and Windscribe. How we grade
Price against what you get
Psiphon starts at $2.88 a month and scores 2.7 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 $0.12 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other VPNs on the chart, 1 scores higher than Psiphon 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 also covers ad and tracker blocking.
At a glance
| Psiphon | Windscribe | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $2.88 per month and up for Psiphon Plus; the billing term is not stated | $3 per month for 3 locations (Build A Plan) |
| Free plan | Psiphon Basic is free with no account: ad-supported, with reduced features. The vendor says it is free and without limits where payment restrictions make subscribing difficult. | 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 | Psiphon Inc. | Windscribe Limited |
| Price read from | psiphon.ca | windscribe.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Psiphon
- The free version shows ads and has reduced features; the page does not list which features Plus adds.
- The Plus price is shown only as "from $2.88 USD per month", with no billing term or plan table.
- There is no native Mac app yet (listed as in development), and the Windows app is labeled a legacy client with some newer features missing.
- On iOS, Psiphon Browser tunnels only traffic loaded inside the browser, not other apps.
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
Psiphon
- Automatic connection methods
- The app tries several protocols and obfuscation techniques in turn, with no protocol to pick, so it can keep working where VPN traffic is blocked.
- No account needed
- You install the app and connect without giving an email address.
- Large server network
- The vendor says its network spans more than 50,000 servers in 33 countries.
- Conduit
- Volunteers can share spare connection capacity from their own devices to help others connect; the vendor lists a Conduit station as an unlimited access route, on Android only for now.
- Open source and audits
- Clients and core tunnelling code are open source, and the vendor publishes independent security reviews, naming Cure53.
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
Psiphon
Psiphon Basic$0
Free, ad-supported and with reduced features; no account needed.
Psiphon Plus$2.88
per month and up; billing term not stated on the page
The full network with no ads and every feature, no account needed. The page says only "from $2.88 USD per month".
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
Psiphon
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, Psiphon or Windscribe?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Psiphon is cheaper to start with: $2.88 a month, against $3 a month for Windscribe. Psiphon starts at $2.88 per month and up for Psiphon Plus; the billing term is not stated, and Windscribe starts at $3 per month for 3 locations (Build A Plan).
Which has a free plan, Psiphon or Windscribe?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Psiphon and Windscribe have a free plan.
Which platforms do Psiphon and Windscribe run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Windscribe lists macOS and Linux apps and a browser extension. Both list Windows, 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.