Does Windscribe Work with Netflix?

Windscribe Pro is one of our top recommended VPNs for streaming Netflix. It consistently unblocks the Netflix libraries of at least 42 countries, which is more than any other VPN we’ve tested. The VPN delivers fast and reliable connection speeds and works well on a range of devices.

Costing just $4.08 per month, Windscribe Pro is an excellent choice for Netflix and it won’t break the bank.

Windscribe also offers a free service (Windscribe Free), which is the only totally free VPN that works with Netflix. It lets you access 10 of the biggest Netflix libraries, including the coveted US catalog – meaning you can stream US exclusives such as Parks and Recreation in HD quality and minimal buffering.

The service does come with a restrictive 10GB data cap, but it’s frankly the best VPN you’re going to find that is completely free.

PROS	CONS
Secure, reliable VPN for unblocking Netflix Unblocks more Netflix countries than any other VPN we’ve tested Easy to install and use on many popular devices Windscribe Free is the only free 100% VPN that works with Netflix Windscribe Pro is competitively priced	Windscribe Free only allows 10GB of data per month Based in Canada, a Five Eyes nation No direct support for Apple TV or games consoles Not the fastest VPN we’ve seen for international connections No live chat support

Windscribe isn’t just good for streaming, either. Both the free and paid VPN use industry-leading AES-256 encryption and support our favored VPN protocol, OpenVPN – so you can be sure your data is safe from leaks and from the prying eyes of ISPs, governments, and hackers.

In order to be considered among the very best VPNs around, we’d like to see Windscribe improve its customer service and undergo an independent audit of its logging policy; like competitors ExpressVPN and NordVPN. However, simply put, Windscribe VPN is about as good as it gets when it comes to streaming.

In this section, we’ll take a more in-depth look at the features that make Windscribe Pro both good and bad for Netflix. Skip to the next section if you’d rather read in detail about Windscribe Free.

Which Netflix libraries does Windscribe unblock?

We put together a list of what we consider to be the most desirable Netflix libraries around the world, and Windscribe Pro unlocked nearly all of them. The only failure was Ireland.

It’s rare that a VPN works to unblock so many international Netflix libraries. Many VPNs work with American and British Netflix, but it is less common to see support for South Korea, Thailand, and India.

Even more impressively, Windscribe Pro is the only VPN we’ve tested that is capable of unblocking the streaming libraries in Mexico, Russia, and South Africa.

Are Windscribe Pro’s speeds good for streaming?

Windscribe Pro is fast enough to stream Netflix in high quality and without buffering. All VPNs will slow your connection somewhat, but Windscribe will not spoil your movie night.

Netflix recommends a bandwidth of:

• 3Mbps for SD quality
• 5Mbps for HD quality
• 25Mbps for Ultra HD quality

In our experience, these recommended download speeds are actually a bit low. However, we’ve never had a problem streaming with Windscribe Pro.

In our same-country speed tests, the VPN performs very well. We saw a speed loss of just 5% when connecting to nearby servers in the UK, with speeds of around 95Mbps from our 100Mbps office connection.

International speeds tend to be more important when it comes to streaming Netflix, though. Here’s how Windscribe performs on a number of longer-distance connections:

Country	Avg. Download Speed	Avg. Speed Loss
Germany	85Mbps	15%
USA	68Mbps	32%
Australia	9Mbps	91%
Singapore	4Mbps	96%

From our location in London, we can stream in HD or Ultra HD quality when connecting to servers in Europe or North America. Loading times and video quality are likely to be worse for Asian and Oceanic content, though.

There’s no limit to the number of simultaneous devices you can connect using Windscribe, so it’s a good option for families with multiple devices. Just be aware that the more devices you connect, the greater the strain on your internet connection.

Does Windscribe unblock other streaming services?

Windscribe works well with other streaming services, too. We tested the most popular ones, and here’s how the VPN performed:

• Amazon Prime Video: Windscribe lets you successfully stream US Amazon Prime Video content.

• BBC iPlayer: Based on our most recent tests, the VPN app does not consistently unblock BBC iPlayer. However, Windscribe’s free browser extension proxy does currently work with Netflix. Check out our dedicated guide to learn more about the difference between a VPN and a proxy.

• Disney+: Windscribe does not work with Disney+. If that’s a priority for you, you should consider using Surfshark.

• Hulu: You can use Windscribe to reliably stream Hulu.

• YouTube: Windscribe unblocks geographically restricted videos on YouTube, no problem.

What is Windscribe Windflix?

Windscribe offers a selection of specially optimized streaming servers in the US, UK, Canada, and Japan, known as Windflix servers. These are designed to work optimally with Netflix and are purposefully located where four of the world’s best streaming libraries are.

Until recently, you could only unblock Netflix using the Windflix servers – meaning you could only use Windscribe to access ‘hidden’ content in these four countries.

However, in March 2020, Windscribe announced that all of its servers had been updated to support streaming.

We tested this claim and found it to be true. Of the 50 Netflix libraries we tested, we were able to unblock an impressive 42 of them. Even the 10 Windscribe Free server locations worked with Netflix.

Which devices can you stream Netflix on?

You can use Windscribe to stream Netflix on your computer, smartphone, or TV. The VPN offers easy-to-use, custom apps for all major devices and platforms, including Windows, MacOS, iPhone, and Android.

Windscribe also has native apps for Amazon Fire TV Stick and Nvidia Shield. Although they’re less user-friendly than the more mainstream apps, they aren’t difficult to set up and can be used to watch Netflix on your TV. The service is compatible with Android TV and Kodi, too.

If you’re using a games console such as a PS4 or Xbox One, things are trickier. VPN apps don’t work on those platforms, but there are some workarounds:

• Install the VPN on your router: You can protect your entire home network’s web traffic by installing Windscribe straight onto your router. It works, but it’s not easy to set up. See our installation instructions for guidance, and download the Windscribe software here to get started. Windscribe router software is available for Tomato and DD-WRT routers. The easiest option is to buy a router already preconfigured with Windscribe.

• Use Smart DNS: Smart DNS re-routes your traffic through a DNS server that spoofs your country of origin. It hides your true location, but does not change your IP address or encrypt your traffic. Unfortunately, Windscribe doesn’t support Smart DNS. You could try ExpressVPN instead, which enables you to stream Netflix without using a VPN app.

Windscribe Free is the only free VPN service that reliably works with Netflix in 2020. It gives you access to 10 Netflix libraries, including Netflix US, and delivers good download speeds.

We’re impressed. Following the Netflix VPN ban, it’s become almost impossible for a free service to continuously evade the Netflix blockers. We’ve tested hundreds of free VPNs and only Windscribe Free reliably works for streaming.

In theory, Windscribe’s free service should offer the same fast connection speeds that premium customers enjoy. In practice, however, Windscribe Free’s smaller network means that servers are often more congested, which can lead to slower speeds.

Our tests show that the speed drop can reach up to 30% at peak times. Nevertheless, we were still always able to stream movies in HD using Windscribe Free, no problem.

The app is simple to use: just connect to one of those 10 VPN locations and you can start streaming its Netflix library.

There are no ads in the Windscribe Free apps, either. It is highly unusual to find a service this good that’s both free to use and doesn’t pester you with ads.

So, what’s the downside? There’s a 10GB monthly data limit. It’s generous, considering you’re not paying anything, and it’s one of the highest we’ve seen among free VPN services. But it only amounts to about four hours of HD streaming per month – roughly two average-length movies.

If you want to watch Titanic, The Wolf of Wall Street, or any other famously long films, it will consume almost all of your monthly data allowance in one sitting.

What’s the Best VPN for Netflix?

According to our latest tests, ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Netflix.

It has extremely fast international speeds and reliably unblocks 19 Netflix libraries, including Netflix US, UK, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, and Israel. It’s also extremely secure, has an excellent customer support team, and offers Smart DNS functionality that allows users to stream Netflix on their games consoles with ease.

Windscribe is a close second, though, and even has key two advantages over ExpressVPN: it’s cheaper and unlocks more content libraries.

To find out more, read our complete guide to the best VPNs for Netflix.

Why is Netflix Better with a VPN?

Some popular movies and TV shows are only available in certain countries on Netflix. Netflix only shows you the content that’s available in the country you’re in, and anything you can’t watch is hidden from you.

A VPN assigns you an IP address from a different country so that you can access the videos that are exclusive to that region. That means you can use a VPN to stream videos that aren’t available in your home country.

Using a VPN also helps to protect your privacy. Your IP address is hidden, and your web traffic is encrypted. That means the sites and services you connect to cannot trace you, and your internet service provider (ISP) cannot monitor your web traffic, either.

If you’re based in a country with strict controls on internet use, a VPN can help you to hide your identity and let you access content that might otherwise be restricted.

Find out more about why you need a VPN here.

Is Using Windscribe VPN Legal?

Using Windscribe to unblock Netflix is perfectly legal in almost every country around the world.

VPNs are only illegal in Belarus, Iraq, North Korea, and Turkmenistan. However, there are restrictions on VPN use in China, Iran, Oman, Russia, Turkey, and the UAE. For more information, read: Are VPNs Legal?

Anywhere else, there is no risk of legal action when you use a VPN to watch Netflix.

However, you will be in breach of Netflix’s terms and conditions, which say: “You may view the Netflix content primarily within the country in which you have established your account and only in geographic locations where we offer our service and have licensed such content.”

Despite this, we’ve never actually heard of anyone being banned from Netflix for using a VPN. We’ve conducted thousands of tests using our Netflix account, and it still works fine.

Obviously, if you do anything illegal while using a VPN, it’s still illegal.