# Windscribe - Free VPN and Ad Blocker

> Windscribe helps you circumvent censorship, block ads, beacons and trackers on websites you use every day.

Canonical page: [https://chrome-stats.com/d/windscribe](https://chrome-stats.com/d/windscribe)

## Overview

- **ID:** `windscribe`
- **Platform:** Firefox
- **Type:** Firefox add-on
- **Status:** Available
- **Publisher:** Windscribe
- **Category:** web-development,privacy-security
- **Daily users:** 80,394
- **Weekly downloads:** 3,860
- **Rating:** 4.46 / 5 (4,091 ratings)
- **Version:** 3.4.14.3
- **Last updated:** 2026-05-18
- **First published:** 2016-04-12
- **Size:** 3.83 MB
- **Data as of:** 2026-09-13
- **Store listing:** [Firefox Add-ons Store](https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/windscribe/)
- **Website:** [https://windscribe.com/support](https://windscribe.com/support)
- **Privacy policy:** [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/windscribe/privacy/](https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/windscribe/privacy/)

## Description

Windscribe is a powerful VPN browser extension and desktop application designed to enhance your online privacy and security. It offers advanced features such as ad and tracker blocking, malware prevention, social tracker blocking, location spoofing, WebRTC leak protection, and more. With a free plan providing 10 GB of monthly data and a Pro plan offering unlimited access to over 112 cities in 69 countries, Windscribe ensures that you can browse the internet freely and safely.

Beyond basic VPN services, Windscribe empowers users to unblock geo-restricted content, protect against invasive tracking, and customize their privacy settings with tools like cookie monitoring and user agent spoofing. It is compatible across multiple platforms including Windows, Mac, Linux, and mobile devices. Windscribe commits to a strict no-logs policy, guaranteeing that your data remains private and secure. Its open-source components and advanced ad-blocking technology based on uBlock Origin make it a trustworthy choice for anyone looking to enhance their online experience securely.

## Rankings

- #254 — Overall
- #23 — Web Development
- #62 — Privacy & Security
- #11 — ad
- #12 — free vpn
- #13 — ad-blocking

## Permissions and access

### Permissions

- `<all_urls>`
- `proxy`
- `management`
- `tabs`
- `webRequest`
- `webRequestBlocking`
- `activeTab`
- `storage`
- `unlimitedStorage`
- `contextMenus`
- `privacy`
- `webNavigation`
- `notifications`
- `cookies`
- `browserSettings`

### Content script matches

- `*`
- `windscribe.com`

## Safety

- **Risk impact:** Very high risk impact
- **Risk likelihood:** Low risk likelihood

### Analysis details

- Allows access to all websites, posing a significant security risk as it can monitor and modify data from any visited site.
- This extension was updated more than 6 months ago. Older versions are more likely to be stable and safe.

> Some risk analysis details are omitted from this free response. [Upgrade to view the full analysis](https://chrome-stats.com/pricing).

## Review summary

Reviews are mixed. Some users praise Windscribe for ease of use, long-term reliability, and privacy features with solid pricing. However, a sizable number report persistent extension problems: unreliable connections, proxy-related issues, and login/registration glitches. Captcha challenges are repeatedly cited as disruptive. Overall, the service can work well for paying/long-time users, but the Firefox extension frequently undermines the experience due to connectivity and authentication problems.

### Pros

- Easy to use and user-friendly experience
- Value for money with a flexible paid plan and pricing options
- Positive long-term usage reports from some users indicating reliability
- Privacy-focused features and malware blocking when configured

### Cons

- Frequent connection/extension reliability issues (extension often fails to connect or behaves unreliably)
- Captcha prompts are disruptive and annoying
- Login/registration problems with the extension (may lock users out or fail to load after logout)
- Browser/plugin can bind to a proxy or cause proxy-related problems even when the main app is off

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Source: [Chrome-Stats](https://chrome-stats.com/d/windscribe)