Skip to content
buybitcoinsmart
Menu

AirVPN vs Windscribe

Comparing
two VPNs
Decided by
Independent no-logs audits
Last reviewed
2026-08-26
AirVPNTakes bitcoin

Activist-run since 2010, taking bitcoin straight to its own wallet, with a three-day plan for two euros and no audit to its name.

WindscribeTakes bitcoin

Seized twice and prosecuted once, with nothing to hand over each time; no email needed to sign up, and it takes bitcoin over Lightning.

Verdict: Windscribe

Windscribe carries more independent audits of its no-logs claim: 3 against 0 for AirVPN. We publish no rating for VPNs, so the audit count is the one criterion that decides.

Criterion
Independent no-logs audits
AirVPN
0
Windscribe
3

AirVPN and Windscribe, fact by fact

Every row is from the two reviews as of their review dates, with sources on each. A check marks the side a decidable criterion favours; rows without one are information, not a score.

AirVPN and Windscribe compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
FactAirVPNWindscribe
Independent auditsNone3, latest 2024 (favoured on this row)
Real-world tests03
Incidents on record01
Market exits00
OwnerAirVPN di Paolo BriniWindscribe Limited
JurisdictionItalyCanada
Eyes allianceFourteen EyesFive Eyes
PriceEUR 2 for 3 days, EUR 99/3yr$69/yr Pro, or from $3/mo
Money-back30 days7 days
Crypto acceptedbitcoin, monerobitcoin, bitcoin lightning
Anonymous signupYesYes
Free tierNone10 GB a month with a confirmed email, 2 GB without, across 11 countries
ServersVendor runs a modest network of owned and rented servers across roughly twenty countriesVendor states servers in more than 69 countries on paid plans, all running from RAM after the FreshScribe rebuild
Last reviewed2026-08-262026-08-26

No-logs evidence, side by side

Dated audits and real-world tests from each review. An empty column is a finding: the claim has not been independently checked.

AirVPN

No independent audit or real-world test on record.

Windscribe

  • 2026Dutch authorities physically seized a Windscribe server from a data centre rack: The company reports they found a stock install running entirely in RAM, with no drives, logs or user data on it
  • 2025Greek prosecutors, with INTERPOL involvement, charged co-founder Yegor Sak personally over activity traced to a Windscribe server: The case was dismissed on 11 April 2025 after a two-year fight, because Windscribe held no user data to produce
  • 2024Audit by PacketLabs: the full FreshScribe server infrastructure, 20 repositories and roughly 80,000 lines of code, with external and internal penetration testing
  • 2022Audit by Leviathan Security Group: security audit of the mobile applications
  • 2021Audit by Leviathan Security Group: security audit of the desktop applications
  • 2021Ukrainian authorities seized two Windscribe servers: No user activity logs were found, but the unencrypted disks exposed an OpenVPN certificate authority key; Windscribe disclosed this publicly and rebuilt its network to run only in RAM

Frequently asked questions

Is AirVPN or Windscribe better for privacy?

Windscribe carries more independent audits of its no-logs claim: 3 against 0 for AirVPN. We publish no rating for VPNs, so the audit count is the one criterion that decides. Audits, court and seizure records and incidents are dated on each review with their sources.

Can I pay AirVPN or Windscribe with bitcoin?

AirVPN takes bitcoin and monero (processor: In-house). Windscribe takes bitcoin and bitcoin lightning (processor: In-house). Each review quotes the vendor's own refund sentence for crypto purchases verbatim.

Which is cheaper, AirVPN or Windscribe?

AirVPN: EUR 2 for 3 days, EUR 99/3yr. Windscribe: $69/yr Pro, or from $3/mo. Money-back: AirVPN 30 days, Windscribe 7 days. Prices are from each vendor's own page as of the review date.

Where are AirVPN and Windscribe based?

AirVPN: Italy (fourteen eyes member). Windscribe: Canada (five eyes member). A jurisdiction matters less than a court record showing what the provider could hand over; the reviews carry those where they exist.

The full reviews: AirVPN and Windscribe, each with its sources, and every VPN we review.

More comparisons

Every other head-to-head AirVPN or Windscribe appears in.