Choosing the right VPN can feel like navigating a maze. Do you need blazing-fast speeds?
Rock-solid security? Maybe you’re just looking for the best value for your money.
You’re in the right place if you’re trying to decide between Mysterium vs Windscribe.
This article breaks down the key differences between these two popular VPNs, helping you decide which is best.
We’ll compare their features, pricing, and overall performance so you can make an informed choice and browse the web confidently.
Overview
We’ve spent weeks testing both Mysterium and Windscribe to give you the most accurate comparison.
We’ve evaluated their speed, security features, streaming performance, and ease of use in real-world scenarios.
This hands-on experience allows us to provide an insightful look at how these VPNs stack up against each other.
Experience true online privacy with Mysterium VPN. Join a network with over 2,400 residential IPs today!
Pricing: 7-day money-back guarantee. Plan Starts at $3.19/month
Key Features:
- DVPN
- Pay-As-You-Go System
- No-Logs Policy
Enhance your online experience with Windscribe and enjoy an ad-free internet. Explore it today!
Pricing: Free plan available. Premium Plan Starts at $5.75/month
Key Features:
- R.O.B.E.R.T. (ad blocker)
- Split Tunneling
- WireGuard Support
What is Mysterium?
Have you ever heard of a VPN that works a little differently? That’s Mysterium.
Instead of relying on a company’s servers, it uses a network of regular people like you and me.
These people share their extra bandwidth, and Mysterium encrypts your connection through their devices. Pretty cool, right?
This means there is no single point of failure, making it more difficult for anyone to track your online activity.
Also, explore our favorite Mysterium alternatives…
Our Take
Mysterium VPN is popular because its decentralized network offers a unique approach to VPN technology. It’s a good option for privacy-conscious users.
Key Benefits
- Decentralized network: Increased privacy and security.
- No-logs policy: Doesn’t store your data.
- Open-source: Transparent and community-driven.
- Pay-as-you-go pricing: Only pay for what you use.
Pricing
- 2-Year Plan: $3.19/mo.
- 1-Year Plan: $5.14/mo.
- 6-Month Plan: $6.85/mo.
- 1-Month Plan: $9.99/mo.
Pros
Cons
What is Windscribe?
Are you looking for a VPN that works? Windscribe might be the one for you.
It’s super easy to use, even for beginners. They have apps for almost every device you can think of.
Plus, they offer a free version with a decent amount of data. Need I say more?
Windscribe is a solid choice for anyone who wants a simple and reliable VPN without breaking the bank.
Also, explore our favorite Windscribe alternatives…
Our Take
Enhance your online experience with Windscribe and enjoy an ad-free internet with enhanced privacy. Choose your plan and reclaim control over your digital life today!
Key Benefits
- Strong privacy focus: They have a strict no-logs policy. They don’t track your activity.
- R.O.B.E.R.T. is awesome: This tool blocks ads, malware, and even social media trackers.
- Free plan available: Get 10GB of data each month for free. Not bad, right?
- Secure and reliable: They use strong encryption to keep your data safe.
Pricing
- Custom Plan: $1.00/Location/month
- Yearly Plan: $5.75/month
- Monthly Plan: $9.00/month
Pros
Cons
Feature Comparison
Choosing a secure vpn involves looking at the technical details.
Let’s compare Mysterium and Windscribe side-by-side to see how their apps and features stack up for your online activities.
1. Network Architecture & IP Type
- Mysterium: This is a decentralized vpn service powered by blockchain technology. It relies on a global community of everyday people running nodes. This architecture provides access to real residential ip address (residential ips), which are much harder for websites to detect compared to the datacenter ip addresses most vpns use.
- Windscribe VPN: It operates a traditional network of vpn server locations. While it offers premium vpn users the option to purchase static ip addresses for a stable connection, the default connection uses datacenter ip addresses.
2. IP Addresses and Censorship Bypass
- Mysterium: Because its ip addresses come from residential connections, the vpn app is excellent at helping you bypass geo-restrictions and censorship. Your connection looks like regular internet traffic from a home user, promoting open internet access with zero interruptions.
- Windscribe VPN: Windscribe servers are generally reliable for bypassing blocks. They offer various vpn protocols, including a Stealth mode, which attempts to hide your vpn traffic inside a secure tunnel, making it harder for your ISP or government to detect you are connecting to a vpn server.
3. Payment Methods & Anonymity
- Mysterium: It offers a simple pricing structure using a pay-as-you-go model. You can pay with crypto payments (cryptocurrency) like MYST, which greatly enhances your anonymity and helps you browse the internet securely. You can also pay with cash through certain providers.
- Windscribe VPN: Windscribe subscription options include standard credit cards, PayPal, and also cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin for improved anonymity. This helps keep your browsing history and identity private from the payment log.
4. Client Apps and Usability
- Mysterium: Offers a functional vpn app for various platforms, including Android and Windows. The installation is straightforward, but connecting to a node and managing crypto payments might be complex for new users.
- Windscribe VPN: Windscribe apps are known for being user-friendly across platforms like the Windows client, mobile apps (like the Android app), and browser extensions for Chrome and Microsoft Edge. These browser extensions offer features like rotating your user agent to fight fingerprinting.
5. Advanced Security Features
- Mysterium: It focuses on core security using the WireGuard protocol and a built-in kill switch to ensure your online activities remain private. It lacks some of the extensive toolsets seen in traditional vpns.
- Windscribe VPN: Windscribe VPN offers an advanced toolset, notably R.O.B.E.R.T., a DNS-based ad blocker you can customize to block ads, malware, and social trackers. It also features split tunneling, which lets you decide which app traffic goes through the vpn server.
6. Data and Connection Limits
- Mysterium: The pay-as-you-go nature means you buy data and have unlimited data usage until your balance runs out. There are no strict limits other than your purchased package.
- Windscribe VPN: The Windscribe Pro plan offers unlimited data. However, the popular free vpn service is restricted to 10GB of data per month (if you confirm your email). The Pro plan offers unlimited simultaneous connections.
7. Speed and Protocol Support
- Mysterium: Connection speeds can be variable since they depend on the quality of the residential ip address or the
nodebeing run by everyday people. However, the use of the fast vpn WireGuard protocol helps to minimize latency. - Windscribe VPN: Windscribe offers OpenVPN (UDP/TCP), IKEv2, and WireGuard protocol support. Download speeds are generally reliable, making it a fast vpn choice, especially on their premium vpn servers.
8. Logging Policy and Anonymity
- Mysterium: It claims a strict no-log policy. Since the service is decentralized, there is no central entity to log any data about your connection details or browsing history. This ensures deep anonymity.
- Windscribe VPN: Windscribe’s privacy policy is strong, stating they log exactly zero requests, and they do not store browsing history. They only log the total amount of bandwidth used in a 30-day rolling period to manage the free service limit.
9. Support and Help
- Mysterium: Being a community-powered service, support often relies on documentation, developers, and the community. While a dedicated support team exists, getting further assistance might involve checking FAQ documents or community forums.
- Windscribe VPN: Offers dedicated live chat support and an extensive knowledge base. If you have an issue with the Windows app or Windscribe’s browser extensions, their support team is readily available to assist.
What to Look for When Choosing a VPN?
- Security Features: Always check for advanced features like a kill switch and DNS leak protection.
- IP Type: Does the global network offer residential IPs or datacenter IPs? The former is better for bypassing restrictions.
- Privacy Guarantee: Ensure the VPN providers’ policy states they log no relevant data.
- Speed & Reliability: The service should be a fast vpn, ensuring your internet connection stays stable with zero interruptions.
- App Quality: Look at the user reviews for the desktop app, mobile apps, and Windscribe’s apps (if applicable) for a smooth user experience.
- Device Compatibility: Check if the vpn services support all your devices, including the Windows version and Amazon Fire TV.
- Simultaneous Device Connections: See how many devices you can connect at once.
- Free or Trial Offer: A free vpn or a 30-day money-back guarantee allows you to test the service risk-free.
- Streaming Access: If you need to stream, look for providers that can reliably unblock services like BBC iPlayer or Amazon Prime Video.
- Extra Tools: Features like split tunneling, block ads, and a dedicated browser extension (not only proxies) add value.
- Payment & Data: See if you can pay anonymously and if there’s a strict data limit on the free service.
- Installation: The process to install the vpn app should be quick and easy, taking only a few seconds.
Final Verdict
After testing windscribe and reviewing both sides, we recommend Mysterium.
If freedom and pure no logs policy are your top concerns, Mysterium is the clear winner.
It’s a truly affordable vpn that avoids the centralized logging issues common with other VPN provider services.
You can be anonymous by paying with crypto, escaping google tracking and avoiding your mac address being tied to the account.
While the windscribe vpn review shows it’s a good choice, Mysterium’s peer-powered design is superior.
We compared everything from how local network traffic is handled with port forwarding to how each reacts when the vpn connection drops.
Mysterium’s network adapter approach minimizes dns leaks.
It’s built to create maximum anonymity, offering a better long-term solution than relying on a traditional proxy server model.
More of Mysterium
We’ve explored alternatives to Mysterium, so how does Mysterium stack up directly against them?
- Mysterium vs NordVPN: Mysterium offers a decentralized network for ultimate privacy, while NordVPN provides a massive server fleet for speed.
- Mysterium vs ExpressVPN: It is known for its consistently fast speeds and user-friendly interface, which make it superior for streaming and ease of use compared to Mysterium’s potentially variable speeds and more technical setup.
- Mysterium vs PureVPN: It has a larger server network, which often translates to better speeds and more reliable connections for streaming compared to Mysterium’s decentralized network.
- Mysterium vs SurfsharkVPN: It is generally faster and easier to use, and it allows unlimited connections, a significant advantage over Mysterium’s pay-as-you-go mode, which can become costly for heavy use.
- Mysterium vs ProtonVPN: It focuses on strong security and privacy with potentially faster and more stable connections than Mysterium’s peer-to-peer network. However, Mysterium offers a different approach to decentralization.
- Mysterium vs PrivadoVPN: It offers a more traditional VPN experience with potentially better and more consistent speeds for streaming and general browsing compared to Mysterium.
- Mysterium vs AdGuard VPN: It’s strength is its ad-blocking, while Mysterium offers a unique decentralized VPN approach, but may not be as user-friendly or consistently fast.
- Mysterium vs Virtual Shield: It aims for simplicity, but Mysterium offers a more unique, albeit potentially complex, decentralized approach to VPNs.
- Mysterium vs StrongVPN: It is known for its robust encryption and reliable connections, often offering more consistent performance than Mysterium’s decentralized network.
- Mysterium vs FastestVPN: It aims for speed and affordability, often providing more consistent performance for streaming and general use than Mysterium’s potentially variable speeds.
- Mysterium vs AuraVPN: It includes identity theft protection, while Mysterium focuses on its decentralized VPN network, which might appeal to a specific set of privacy-conscious users.
- Mysterium vs CyberGhost: It is user-friendly and has specialized servers, often providing better and more consistent speeds for various online activities compared to Mysterium.
- Mysterium vs McAfee VPN: It is a basic VPN often bundled with security software. At the same time, Mysterium offers a unique decentralized approach, though it may not be as user-friendly or consistently performant.
- Mysterium vs Private Internet Access: PIA is known for its customization and generally offers more consistent speeds and a larger server network than Mysterium’s decentralized model.
More of Windscribe
We’ve explored alternatives to Windscribe, so how does Windscribe stack up directly against them?
- Windscribe vs NordVPN: It has a massive server network and consistently faster speeds for streaming.
- Windscribe vs ExpressVPN: It is consistently faster and better for streaming. Windscribe is more affordable and has a free version.
- Windscribe vs PureVPN: It has a larger server network. Windscribe is known for its ease of use, especially for beginners, and offers more features on its free plan.
- Windscribe vs SurfsharkVPN: It is typically faster, allows unlimited connections, and has more features. Windscribe is user-friendly and has a free plan with unlimited connections.
- Windscribe vs ProtonVPN: It focuses on strong security and privacy, and often provides faster speeds on paid plans. Windscribe is known for its simple interface and free option, which has more server locations and data than ProtonVPN’s free plan.
- Windscribe vs PrivadoVPN: It often provides more consistent speeds and a stronger focus on privacy. Windscribe has a smaller server network but a user-friendly free plan.
- Windscribe vs AdGuard VPN: It excels in ad and tracker blocking. Windscribe is a general-purpose VPN that focuses on ease of use and offers ad-blocking through its R.O.B.E.R.T. feature.
- Windscribe vs Virtual Shield: Windscribe offers a more established brand and a slightly larger server network than the very basic Virtual Shield. Windscribe also has a more extensive free plan.
- Windscribe vs StrongVPN: It is known for its robust encryption and reliable connections. Windscribe is simpler to use and has a free plan.
- Windscribe vs FastestVPN: It is a budget-friendly option. Windscribe offers a free plan and a user-friendly interface.
- Windscribe vs AuraVPN: It includes identity theft protection. Windscribe focuses on providing a simple, user-friendly VPN with a free option.
- Windscribe vs CyberGhost: It offers user-friendly apps and specialized servers. Windscribe is simpler but has a smaller server network.
- Windscribe vs McAfee VPN: It generally offers a more feature-rich VPN experience than the basic VPN from McAfee.
- Windscribe vs Private Internet Access: PIA offers a significantly larger server network and allows unlimited connections. Windscribe is known for its ease of use and free plan.
- Windscribe vs Mysterium: It is a decentralized VPN. Windscribe uses a traditional server network known for its user-friendly interface and free option.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between Mysterium VPN and Windscribe?
Mysterium VPN is a decentralized VPN that uses a network of users instead of company-owned servers. Windscribe is a traditional VPN with a network of servers in more than 60 countries.
Which one is better: Mysterium VPN or Windscribe?
Windscribe is generally considered a great all-around VPN for most users due to its ease of use, features, and free plan. Mysterium VPN is a good option for those prioritizing a decentralized network and advanced privacy.
Does Mysterium VPN or Windscribe offer a free trial?
Mysterium VPN does not have a free trial but uses a pay-as-you-go system. Windscribe offers a free plan with 10GB of data per month.
Can I use Mysterium VPN and Windscribe on multiple devices?
Both VPNs allow you to connect multiple devices simultaneously with a single account.
What are the best Mysterium VPN alternatives?
If you’re looking for VPNs similar to Mysterium, consider exploring other decentralized VPNs or top VPNs like NordVPN, Mullvad, or Proton VPN.
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