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Is Windscribe safe? Its no-logs claim has faced real tests. In April 2025 a court in Athens dismissed charges against CEO Yegor Sak, TechRadar and Tom’s Guide reported. Someone had used a Windscribe server to breach a Greek system, and Windscribe had no user data to give. In 2021, Ukraine seized two of its servers. They held no user data, but they exposed an encryption key, because Windscribe did not encrypt them at rest. The audit picture is less clear.
This guide walks through the record, the infrastructure, the audit question, the Canadian base and how to use Windscribe safely.
The Greek Court Case
In June 2023, someone used a Windscribe server in Finland to breach a Greek system and send spam, Tom’s Guide reported. Greek authorities, working with INTERPOL, obtained the Finnish data centre’s billing record, which carried Sak’s name. They charged him personally with illegal access to an information system. Our guide to Windscribe not working covers the fixes that work, in order.
On 11 April 2025, an Athens court dismissed the case for lack of evidence, after nearly two years. Windscribe could not identify the user because it kept no identifying logs, CyberInsider noted. The court accepted that it could not provide data it never collected.
The 2021 Ukraine Seizure
On 24 June 2021, Ukrainian authorities seized two Windscribe servers; the company disclosed it on 7 July, Wikipedia records. The servers held no user data because no logs existed. They did expose an OpenVPN certificate authority key, since Windscribe had not encrypted them at rest, as the company itself acknowledges.
Windscribe says it rebuilt its infrastructure afterwards, encrypting servers and removing anything worth seizing. It now runs RAM-only servers, it says, and reports that Dutch authorities seized a server in February 2026 and found nothing. Those claims come from Windscribe; our VPN servers guide explains why RAM-only design matters.
The Audit Question
Windscribe says PacketLabs audited its server infrastructure in June 2024, covering 20 code repositories and about 80,000 lines, with external and internal penetration testing. Security.org, by contrast, found no independent audit of the no-logs policy itself.
Both can be true: an infrastructure audit and a no-logs audit check different things. Our VPN audit tracker explains the difference, and the court case gives evidence of its own. Together they suggest the claim holds, though a full no-logs audit would settle the question.
Is Windscribe Safe Under Canadian Law?
Windscribe Limited operates from Toronto, Canada, a Five Eyes member. Canadian law does not require VPNs to keep logs today, Windscribe says. In May 2026, the Canadian Press reported a proposal for metadata retention, and Windscribe said it would leave Canada rather than log, our tables record.
Our Canada VPN guide follows the proposal, and our Five Eyes guide explains why evidence matters more than a provider’s base.
Privacy Features
Windscribe lets you sign up without an email and pay with cryptocurrency, including Monero, or cash, our tables record. The free plan shows no adverts. Its R.O.B.E.R.T. tool blocks trackers and malware domains.
It also blocks IPv6 traffic to prevent leaks, our IPv6 table notes, and offers multi-hop connections and Stealth and WStunnel protocols for networks that block VPNs. Post-quantum protection is not yet in every app, Tom’s Guide found, so users who want it should check the protocol settings on each device. Our guide to Windscribe for PC covers the Windows app, its firewall modes and split tunnelling.
Is the Free Plan as Safe as Pro?
The free and paid plans share the same no-identifying-logs policy, the same protocols and the same RAM-only servers, Windscribe says. Unlike many free VPNs, Windscribe’s free plan shows no adverts, so it does not fund itself by tracking users. Paid subscribers fund it. Our guide to Mullvad safety covers its audits, ownership and track record.
What differs is scope, not safety: 10 GB a month and 10 countries on the free plan, against unlimited data and every location on Pro. Our Windscribe Free guide covers the free plan’s limits in detail.
Using Windscribe Safely
Turn on the firewall, Windscribe’s kill switch, before connecting. Use WireGuard for everyday use and Stealth on networks that block VPNs. Run a leak test after setup, as our DNS leak guide explains.
For the most private sign-up, skip the email and pay with cryptocurrency, so neither your name nor your card links to the account. A VPN still cannot hide accounts you sign in to, as our guide to whether a VPN can be traced explains.
Where Windscribe Is Weaker
The refund window is only seven days, and void after 10 GB of use, its help article says, so paid features need testing fast. Security.org also reported problems with Netflix. And the 2021 key exposure shows the company has made mistakes, even if it disclosed and fixed them. Our Windscribe alternatives page goes into five picks matched to why you are leaving.
For a no-logs claim backed by both audits and court records, Mullvad and PIA are alternatives, as our Mullvad review shows for one of them.
How We Research
This page draws on TechRadar, Tom’s Guide, CyberInsider and Schneier on the Greek case, Wikipedia on the Ukraine seizure, Windscribe’s no-logs page, Security.org and our Canada and privacy tables. We cross-checked these sources against each other, and where they conflict or something can’t be verified, we say so in the text rather than guessing. We checked time-sensitive figures, including prices in US dollars, on 8 October 2026. The main source we relied on is Windscribe’s no-logs page. Our full approach lives on the About Us page.
Is Windscribe Safe FAQ
Its no-logs claim survived a Greek court case in 2025; its audit picture is less clear.
Authorities seized two servers; they held no user data but exposed an encryption key.
PacketLabs audited its infrastructure in 2024; Security.org found no no-logs audit.
Toronto, Canada, a Five Eyes member.
Yes, and pay with cryptocurrency or cash.
The Verdict
Is Windscribe safe? Its no-logs claim has held up in court and in a seizure, and it learned from a 2021 mistake. The missing no-logs audit and short refund window are the trade-offs.