Urban VPN vs Windscribe (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Windscribe grades higher than Urban VPN: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Urban VPN grades higher on the free plan. Windscribe grades higher on 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.
Urban VPN
Free VPN extension and apps, with a paid Premium plan
Windscribe
VPN with a 10GB free plan and pay-per-location pricing
Which one is for you
Pick Urban VPN if
- Fits if you only need a free VPN extension in your browser
- Works for Windows users who want a free app with no bandwidth cap
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want it for work, as free use is non-commercial only
- Tight if you use Android free, since it stops at 100MB a day
- Watch out: the pricing page offers 30 days on the yearly plan, while the Premium page says no guarantee
- Watch out: the 3-day trial is Android and iOS on the yearly plan only, not Windows or the website
- Skip it if you want iOS free, as iOS needs Premium
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
| 2.4GPAUrban VPNFair | 2.6GPAWindscribeGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPremium is $59.40 a year, $4.95 a month, between the category's cheapest quarter and middle. Monthly is $12.99. | 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 | BThe extension and Windows app are free with no bandwidth limit, but only for non-commercial use, and Android stops at 100MB a day. | 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 | CPremium servers, up to 8 devices, double VPN, kill switch and an adblocker. Free covers only the extension and Windows app. | 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 shows nothing to set up beyond installing an app. | 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 | BExtension, Windows, Mac, iOS and Android, though iOS is Premium only. | 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 browser VPN with a paid upgrade | 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: Urban VPN and Windscribe. How we grade
Price against what you get
Urban VPN starts at $4.95 a month when paid by the year 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 $1.95 a month lower. Of the other VPNs on the chart, 15 score higher than Urban VPN 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
| Urban VPN | Windscribe | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $59.40 per year; $12.99 on the monthly plan | $3 per month for 3 locations (Build A Plan) |
| Free plan | Browser extension and Windows app with no bandwidth limit; Android is free up to 100MB a day. | 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 | 3-day free trial on the 1-year plan, Android and iOS only. | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Urban VPN | Windscribe Limited |
| Price read from | urban-vpn.com | windscribe.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Urban VPN
- Free use is limited to non-commercial purposes; iOS is available only to Premium users.
- Android's free connection stops at 100MB a day, per the vendor's why-free page.
- Refund wording conflicts: the pricing page offers 30 days on the yearly plan, the Premium page says no guarantee.
- The 3-day trial is not available on Windows or through the website.
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
Urban VPN
- Free extension and Windows app
- The vendor says the browser extension and Windows app stay free, with no bandwidth limit, for non-commercial use.
- Premium servers
- Premium unlocks 652+ servers in 89 countries, reserved for paying users, with WireGuard and AES-256 encryption.
- Up to 8 devices
- One Premium account covers up to 8 devices at once, with a My Premium Account console to manage them.
- Double VPN and kill switch
- The pricing page lists Double VPN and a kill switch among Premium protections.
- Urban Adblocker
- A separate browser extension for blocking ads, offered free alongside the VPN.
- Free tools
- Includes a password generator, IP location check, and DNS and WebRTC leak tests on the site.
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
Urban VPN
Free$0
Browser extension and Windows app, with no bandwidth limit. Free for non-commercial use.
Premium 1 year$59.40
per year
Shown as $4.95 a month, 68% off $12.99. Dedicated servers, up to 8 devices and Premium support.
Premium 6 months$41.88
for 6 months
Shown as $6.98 a month, 47% off $12.99. Same Premium features as the yearly plan.
Premium 1 month$12.99
per month
Monthly Premium with the same features. The 30-day money-back note applies to the yearly plan only.
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
Urban VPN
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, Urban VPN or Windscribe?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Windscribe is cheaper to start with: $3 a month, against $4.95 a month when paid by the year for Urban VPN. Urban VPN starts at $59.40 per year; $12.99 on the monthly plan, and Windscribe starts at $3 per month for 3 locations (Build A Plan).
Which has a free plan, Urban VPN or Windscribe?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Urban VPN and Windscribe have a free plan.
Which platforms do Urban VPN and Windscribe run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Windscribe lists a Linux app. Both list macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. 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.