Head to head
The gap
The security score is not a total of good things. It starts at 100 and eight channels each take a share of what is left, so one channel can settle a record on its own. Both records are drawn here on the same scale — the model’s own cap of 0.9 — rather than on a scale fitted to this pair, which would make every comparison look equally dramatic.
Line by line
Every field the contract publishes about a provider, in the contract’s own groups, including the rows where the two agree — a table that printed only differences would invent a disagreement, and one that printed only the interesting rows would be us choosing what is interesting. Open a group to read its rows; each one says how many it holds and how many of them the two records answer differently.
A green cell means the methodology itself prices that value below the other one, not that we prefer it. Rows the model does not price carry no mark at all: price is never marked, because nothing in the model says cheaper is safer, and neither is coverage, platform count or devices. Where a value was never established the cell says so instead of showing a zero.
What actually happened
Other pairs
Pairs within the top ten get a page — 80 comparisons in all. Records below that are not paired here: a comparison earns a page where the choice between the two is a real one, and that choice is made near the top of the register.
Security
Usability
Rank 1 of 68 in the register
Switzerland · Commercial VPN
Exits in 147 countries
2 documented demands, none of which produced data
Security
Usability
Rank 21 of 68 in the register
Canada · Commercial VPN
Country list not published
3 documented demands, none of which produced data
Open questions
Still open on this record.
What the audit actually checked. The no-logs finding is strong and narrow at once. Securitum inspected production servers in person in August 2025 and has done so annually since 2022.
The limits the report states itself. It is a point-in-time check, a guided review of systems demonstrated by Proton's engineers rather than an unsupervised forensic examination, and a representative sample rather than the whole fleet. CI/CD, source code and the account-management systems were explicitly out of scope, so nothing here speaks to what the billing side holds.
The appeal, and what it does not settle. The 22 October 2021 appeal is cited here with a caveat worth stating plainly: the Federal Administrative Court ruled that email services are not telecommunications providers, and neither the judgment coverage nor Proton's own account of it mentions the VPN.
What actually settles the two fields. What settles C10 and C11 is that Switzerland carries no mandate basis in the catalogue's own country list; the appeal corroborates how Swiss authorities treat Proton and is not by itself a finding about Proton VPN. A ruling on a sibling service is thinner ground than the citation makes it look.
The single largest open item. Proton offers exit locations in eight countries that impose a logging mandate. Whether hardware actually sits in any of them is not established: Proton withdrew physical servers from India in 2022 and documents Smart Routing for locations it serves from elsewhere, which points to virtual, but that was verified for India alone. Establishing C09b_mandate_hosting is the single largest open item on this record.
Still open on this record.
What the pentest found. The security score rests on the June 2024 Packetlabs report and reads it in the negative direction. The penetration test found the IKEv2 service storing the origin IP of connecting users along with session start and stop times, in volatile memory and also on disk, and microservice logs carrying OpenVPN credentials, WireGuard pre-shared keys and IKEv2 usernames.
The retest, and its own caveat. The retest three weeks later verified all of it remediated — but the report's own conclusion states that this "does not cover every discovery noted within the finding", and attributes part of the finding to configuration improperly deployed on the test node.
Why retention is priced on the finding. Retention is therefore priced on what an auditor demonstrated was reachable rather than on what the policy declares, and the integrity channel carries the distance between the two. Read that as a two-year-old finding on one node, not as a current measurement: the scope was ca-023.windscribe.com alone, and a newer engagement covering more of the fleet is what would settle it.
The list that was never read. The offered country list was never read, so neither the usability country score nor the mandate intersection can be computed — Windscribe publishes a physical/virtual distinction, which makes C09b answerable here as soon as the list is. User scale is also unestablished, which leaves the exposure band resting on less than it should.
Where the three events now cite from. AIN.UA still carries the Ukrainian servers taken on 24 June 2021, and Windscribe's own blog the Greek case dismissed on 11 April 2025. The Dutch seizure and the seizure field itself now cite Windscribe's own no-logs page rather than the affiliate-paid press that first reported it: a company account of its own seizure is primary, not somebody else's account of one. The Ukrainian event is dated to the seizure itself, not the write-up.
Recent changes
Notes
On the record as a whole.
The 2021 Swiss order that compelled prospective logging targeted Proton Mail, not the VPN, and is deliberately absent from P12: charging the VPN for a sibling product's order would be a fact about Proton AG, not about this service.
U08 is all_platforms because the support document gives enabling steps for Windows, macOS, Linux (GUI and CLI), Android and iOS/iPadOS — every platform with an app. The same document states two limitations that the value cannot carry and this note can: on macOS the real IP may be exposed briefly while switching servers, and on iOS some Apple service DNS requests can bypass the tunnel with the kill switch on.
U04b_price_yearly records the first-term charge on the 1-year VPN Plus plan: $53.88 for the first 12 months ($4.49/month), stated on the pricing page beside its own renewal line — "then renews at $83.88 every 12 months" ($6.99/month) — which is not the field's value.
On the record as a whole.
Three separate demands in three jurisdictions, none of which produced data, and all three dated. This is the record the practice route was built to price: it outweighs the audit, which is a pentest rather than a no-logs engagement.
U08 is desktop_only on Windscribe's own feature page: the Firewall ships in the Windows, Mac and Linux apps, and on Android and iOS the page directs the user to the operating system's own Always-On VPN instead. That is a platform feature rather than the provider's, which is the distinction the field is counting.
U12b is partial on the same basis — the marketing page promises unblocking, while the support article states the company cannot guarantee that all streaming services will work and a second article attributes Netflix showing only Originals to Netflix's own VPN detection.
12 Sep 20265 changes
Security scoresecurity.score
75 changed to 70
Security verdictsecurity.verdict
strong changed to acceptable
Platforms with a clientU01_platforms
android, android-tv, apple-tv, fire-tv, ios, linux, macos, windows changed to android, android-tv, apple-tv, browser-extension, fire-tv, ios, linux, macos, windows
Friction to start using itU11_signup_friction
no_account changed to email_only
Usability scoreusability.score
80 changed to 78
13 Sep 20261 changes
Why this provider is in the catalogueM14_inclusion_basis
hand_picked changed to adverse_record
12 Sep 20264 changes
Platforms with a clientU01_platforms
android, browser-extension, ios, linux, macos, windows changed to android, apple-tv, browser-extension, fire-tv, ios, linux, macos, routers, windows
Usability scoreusability.score
65 changed to 68
Chronology of documented enforcement eventsP12_case_history
{"date":"2021-06","kind":"seizure","outcome":"nothing_produced","source_url":"https://en.ain.ua/2021/07/28/ukrainian-authorities-seize-windscribe-vpn-servers/"}, {"date":"2025-04","kind":"court_order","outcome":"nothing_produced","source_url":"https://windscribe.com/blog/windscribe-greek-court-case/"}, {"date":"2026-02","kind":"seizure","outcome":"nothing_produced","source_url":"https://www.tomshardware.com/software/vpn/dutch-authorities-allegedly-seize-vpn-server-without-a-warrant-company-claims-that-law-enforcement-will-return-it-after-analyzing-the-device-fully"} changed to {"date":"2021-06","kind":"seizure","outcome":"nothing_produced","source_url":"https://en.ain.ua/2021/07/28/ukrainian-authorities-seize-windscribe-vpn-servers/"}, {"date":"2025-04","kind":"court_order","outcome":"nothing_produced","source_url":"https://windscribe.com/blog/windscribe-greek-court-case/"}, {"date":"2026-02","kind":"seizure","outcome":"nothing_produced","source_url":"https://windscribe.com/features/no-identifying-logs"}
Security scoresecurity.score
12 changed to 11
| ChannelPressure taken from what was left | Proton VPNDominant channel: Hygiene0 to 0.9, longer is worse | WindscribeDominant channel: Retention0 to 0.9, longer is worse |
|---|---|---|
| RetentionDoes a record exist that links traffic to a person, and who checked? | 0.079 | 0.750 |
| IntegrityHas it been caught saying one thing and doing another? | 0.000 | 0.320 |
| JurisdictionCan someone compel what exists, without the provider getting a say? | 0.050 | 0.145 |
| IgnoranceHow much of this did nobody establish? | 0.071 | 0.104 |
| HygieneWhat identifying material is collected in passing, and can the client be checked at all? | 0.088 | 0.083 |
| ArchitectureWho operates the exit, and what does it do to the traffic? | 0.050 | 0.050 |
| DisclosureHas it already handed something over? | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| SilenceTen years, millions of users and nothing on record? | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| What is left of 100The channels multiply: each one takes a share of what the one before it left standing | 70 | 11 |
| Proton VPN | Windscribe | |
|---|---|---|
| Security | 70 acceptable · rank 1 of 68 | 11 not recommended · rank 21 of 68 |
| Usability | 78 out of 100 | 68 out of 100 |
| Record completeness | 89% usability 83% | 84% usability 83% |
| Proton VPN | Windscribe | |
|---|---|---|
| Who operates the exit | Run by the provider itself provider_operated | Run by the provider itself provider_operated |
| Retention as declared | Nothing that links traffic to a person none_linkableBprotonvpn.com · | Connection timestamps connection_timestampsBwindscribe.com · |
| RAM-only diskless servers | No, servers write to disk noCprotonvpn.com · | Part of the fleet partialAdrive.google.com · |
| IP allocation model | Exit address shared between users sharedCprotonvpn.com · | Dedicated address offered as an option dedicated_optionBwindscribe.com · |
| Signup without email | Yes, on the provider's word yes_declared | Yes, on the provider's word yes_declared |
| Anonymous payment options | Cash · Cryptocurrency through a processorCprotonvpn.com · | Cryptocurrency through a processorBwindscribe.com · |
| Own DNS inside the tunnel | Yes, on the provider's word yes_declared | Yes, on the provider's word yes_declared |
| Worst third-party SDK category in the app | No third-party SDK none | No third-party SDK none |
| Worst third-party tracker category on the site | — not established | — not established |
| Who owns the hardware | Owned and rented both mixed | Owned and rented both mixed |
| Offered countries that sit under a logging mandate | 8 United Arab Emirates, Belarus, India, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkey, VietnamDprotonvpn.com · | — not establishedno source published |
| Hosting in the mandate countries it offers | — not established | — not established |
| Incorporation country mandates retention | No such mandate no | No such mandate no |
| Beneficial owner sits under a retention regime | No such regime no | No such regime no |
| Persistent device identifier | None held noneBplay.google.com · | An identifier scoped to the app app_scoped_idBplay.google.com · |
| Weakest protocol still offered | — the question does not arise | — the question does not arise |
| What the exit does to passing traffic | — not established | — not established |
| Proton VPN | Windscribe | |
|---|---|---|
| At least one independent audit | Yes, and the report was read yes_verified | Yes, and the report was read yes_verified |
| How the report is published | The full report is published full_pdf | The full report is published full_pdf |
| Subject of the audit | The no-logs claim itselfAsecuritum.com · | The infrastructure · The app's securityAdrive.google.com · 2 sources · |
| Server fleet coverage | A sample of servers sample | A sample of servers sample |
| Auditor name | Securitum (Martin Matyja, Maciej Szymczak)Asecuritum.com · | Packetlabs (June 2024 retest, one production node); Leviathan Security Group (desktop 2021, mobile 2022) |
| Proton VPN | Windscribe | |
|---|---|---|
| Server seizure by law enforcement | No seizure on record none_knownCswissinfo.ch · 2 sources · | Seized, and nothing usable was on it seizure_no_dataBwindscribe.com · |
| Actual disclosure history | No disclosure on record none_known | No disclosure on record none_known |
| Court record of compelled production | Told a court it had nothing to produce unable_to_produce | Told a court it had nothing to produce unable_to_produce |
| Response to a national logging mandate | Pulled its servers out rather than comply withdrew_physicalBprotonvpn.com · | — not establishedno source published |
| Proton VPN | Windscribe | |
|---|---|---|
| Documented gap between claim and behaviour | No documented lie none | No documented lie none |
| Marketing against audit findings | No gap on record noneCswissinfo.ch · 2 sources · | The policy contradicts the audit policy_contradicts_auditBdrive.google.com · 2 sources · |
| Ownership structure transparency | Ownership is stated and checkable clear | Ownership is stated and checkable clear |
| Adverse events on the owner group record | Nothing adverse on record clean | Nothing adverse on record clean |
| How the service is paid for | A free tier funded by the paid one freemium_funded | A free tier funded by the paid one freemium_funded |
| Proton VPN | Windscribe | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal entity | Proton AG, Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva, SwitzerlandCen.wikipedia.org · 2 sources · | Windscribe Limited, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaBwindscribe.com · |
| Where the company sits | Switzerland CHCen.wikipedia.org · 2 sources · | Canada CABwindscribe.com · |
| Year the service launched | 2017Cen.wikipedia.org · 2 sources · | 2016Bwindscribe.com |
| Proton VPN | Windscribe | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms with a client | 9 Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Browser extension, Fire TV, iOS, Linux, macOS, WindowsBprotonvpn.com · | 9 Android, Apple TV, Browser extension, Fire TV, iOS, Linux, macOS, Routers, WindowsBwindscribe.com · |
| Countries with an exit | 147 countriesDprotonvpn.com · | — not establishedno source published |
| Paying monthly | $9.99 per monthBprotonvpn.com · | $9.00 per monthBwindscribe.com · |
| Paying yearly |
By circumstance
| Proton VPN | Windscribe | |
|---|---|---|
| Torrenting | — not established | Allowed on some servers partial |
| Streaming | — not established | Some services reachable partial |
| Devices at once | 10 | — not established |
| Under censorship | Claimed to work claimed | Claimed to work claimed |
| Exits in mandate countries | 8 United Arab Emirates, Belarus, India, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkey, Vietnam | — not established |
| Hosting in those countries | — not established | — not established |
| Company under a mandate | No such mandate no | No such mandate no |
| Secret orders | Orders go through a judge judicial_only | Secret orders are possible secret_order_possible |
Proton VPN and Windscribe were assessed by the HushFleet team: Proton VPN scores 70/100 for security, in the Acceptable band, and Windscribe 11/100, in the Not recommended band. They share an independent audit, independent ownership, the same four protocols and the same kind of free tier. The 59-point gap opens widest on Retention — “Does a record exist that links traffic to a person, and who checked?” — taking 8% from Proton VPN and 75% from Windscribe.
| Auditor category | A security specialist security_specialist | A security specialist security_specialist |
|---|
| Assurance standard | Another standard otherAsecuritum.com · | No standard stated noneAdrive.google.com · |
|---|
| Date of latest report | 2026-05-27Cprotonvpn.com · | 2024-06-26Adrive.google.com · |
|---|
| Audit cadence | An annual series annual_seriesCprotonvpn.com · | Repeated, at no fixed interval repeated_irregularBwindscribe.com · |
|---|
| Total published audits | 5Cprotonvpn.com · | 3Bwindscribe.com · |
|---|
| Retention as the report states it | Nothing that links traffic to a person none_linkableAsecuritum.com · | Source IP address source_ipAdrive.google.com · |
|---|
| Client source code published | Every client all | Every client all |
|---|
| Reproducible builds | — not established | — not established |
|---|
| Separate pentest | Yes, on the provider's word yes_declaredCprotonvpn.com · | Yes, and the report was read yes_verifiedAdrive.google.com · |
|---|
| Strength of the assurance opinion | — the question does not ariseno source published | — not establishedno source published |
|---|
| Transparency report |
|---|
Current, with request numbers fresh_with_numbers |
Current, with request numbers fresh_with_numbers |
| Reported numbers plausible for this scale | The numbers are plausible at this scale plausible | The numbers are plausible at this scale plausible |
|---|
| Warrant canary discipline | Never had one none | Never had one none |
|---|
| Requests received | 458Bprotonvpn.com · | — not establishedno source published |
|---|
| Requests that produced data | 0 | 0 |
|---|
| Secret-order regime | Orders go through a judge judicial_onlyCswissinfo.ch · 2 sources · | Secret orders are possible secret_order_possibleBwindscribe.com · |
|---|
| Chronology of documented enforcement events | 2 documented demandsCswissinfo.ch · 2 sources · | 3 documented demandsCwindscribe.com · 3 sources · |
|---|
| Claims of 100% anonymity or military-grade crypto |
|---|
| — not establishedno source published |
Makes no such claim noBwindscribe.com · |
| Aggressive lifetime subscriptions | Does not no | Does not no |
|---|
| Coverage exists only on affiliate sites | Covered outside affiliate sites too no | Covered outside affiliate sites too no |
|---|
| Security incident and how it was disclosed | No incident on record none_knownCen.wikipedia.org · 2 sources · | Disclosed by the provider, promptly self_disclosed_promptCen.ain.ua · |
|---|
| Affiliate programme and payout tier | — not established | — not established |
|---|
| Owner-run review media discloses the tie | — the question does not arise | — the question does not arise |
|---|
| App store declaration | The store form matches the published policy matches_policyBapps.apple.com · 3 sources · | An identifier is declared to the store, not in the policy undisclosed_identifierBplay.google.com · 2 sources · |
|---|
| User base scale (mass >=10M, mid >=1M, niche <1M) | Mass: 10 million users or more massCen.wikipedia.org · 2 sources · | — not establishedno source published |
|---|
| Ultimate beneficial owner as written | Proton Foundation (Swiss non-profit, controlling shareholder since 06/2024); employees; FONGITCen.wikipedia.org · 2 sources · | Founder-owned: Yegor Sak (CEO), Alex Paguis (CTO), Mark Ulicki (CIO); self-funded, no outside investorsBwindscribe.com · |
|---|
| Other businesses of the owner group | A portfolio of other appsCen.wikipedia.org · 2 sources · | Something elseBwindscribe.com · |
|---|
| Country of the ultimate beneficial owner | CHCen.wikipedia.org · 2 sources · | CACwindscribe.com · |
|---|
| Owner group | independent | independent |
|---|
| Date the current owner took control | 2024-06Cen.wikipedia.org · 2 sources · | — the question does not ariseno source published |
|---|
| Role of this brand inside the group | The group's principal brand principal | The group's principal brand principal |
|---|
| Infrastructure shared with cluster siblings | Separate infrastructure separate | Separate infrastructure separate |
|---|
| $69.00 a year at renewal, billed onceBwindscribe.com · |
| Usable free tier | A free tier with limits limited_free | A free tier with limits limited_free |
|---|
| Works under active censorship | Claimed to work claimed | Claimed to work claimed |
|---|
| Protocols offered | 4 WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, An obfuscated protocol | 4 WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, An obfuscated protocol |
|---|
| Kill switch coverage | On every platform all_platformsBprotonvpn.com · | On desktop only desktop_onlyBwindscribe.com · |
|---|
| Split tunneling available | Available yes | Available yes |
|---|
| Simultaneous connections | 10Bprotonvpn.com · | — not establishedno source published |
|---|
| Friction to start using it | An email address only email_onlyBaccount.protonvpn.com · 2 sources · | No account needed no_accountBwindscribe.com · |
|---|
| P2P allowed | — not establishedno source published | Allowed on some servers partialBwindscribe.com · |
|---|
| Major streaming services reachable | — not establishedno source published | Some services reachable partialBwindscribe.com · 2 sources · |
|---|
