Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
If you’re looking for a free VPN for your iPhone, Windscribe is my top pick. Based in Canada, Windscribe offers users 10GB of free data per month if you sign up with a confirmed email address. Impressively, you can even sign up without providing an email – a rare feature among VPN providers, especially free ones – although you’ll be limited to 2GB of data per month, which is still enough. While some free VPNs offer high data allowances, finding a VPN that lets you stream while traveling abroad is almost impossible.
The Windscribe iPhone app is a bit complex and cluttered, with a lot of text and buttons. The home screen features a prominent “Connect” button for quick access to the nearest or selected server, and server locations specifically for streaming. The list of server locations is readily available, although it is a little difficult to tell which locations are free among the 10 available countries.
From the home screen, you can customize your experience by choosing from multiple protocols, including WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, Stealth, and wstunnel, so you can choose what you want in terms of speed and security.
I really like Windscribe’s Robert tool, a domain and IP blocking system that blocks ads, trackers, and malware at the DNS level. The tool is customizable, giving you control over your browsing security while improving speed. All features, including ad-blocking, are available to free users – none of them are locked behind a paywall.
During testing, Windscribe’s free plan performed fine. The speed is definitely not the best, the stream takes a while to load. Browsing the web on Safari was also a little sluggish, but the fact that I was able to access local streaming services was a real highlight – BBC iPlayer, ITVX and Channel 4 were all accessible, and that’s not something you often see from free VPNs.
But is it safe? Windscribe has come a long way since the 2021 Ukraine server incident, where two unencrypted servers were seized by authorities. Since then, the company has completely overhauled its infrastructure to ensure that this does not happen again. It’s switched to RAM-only servers, meaning no data is ever stored permanently, and full forward secrecy is adopted, so even if someone gets their hands on the private key, they can’t decrypt previous sessions. Additionally, keys are rotated regularly to keep things extra safe.
Windscribe has also had its systems independently audited. Its desktop apps were audited by Leviathan Security Group in 2021, its mobile apps in 2022, and its entire new infrastructure by PacketLabs in 2024. Every time, problems found were resolved immediately.
While 10GB of data is enough for moderate usage, it may not be much of a stretch for those who frequently stream or download large files. But if you use it occasionally, Windscribe is a great option, and its flexibility to work without requiring personal information is a big win for privacy-conscious users. If you like the freedom of Windscribe, not being owned by Cape or Nord Securities, you may enjoy the Pro plan, which gives you unlimited access – no data limits and all of its on-location server suite.
Who is it best for?
If you don’t want to pay a dime, Windscribe’s free tier is my favorite free VPN for iPhone users. It has a 10GB data cap, but works exactly the same as the paid-for tier, meaning you can access streaming services while traveling abroad.