Windscribe VPN for Android

If you're looking for a free VPN for Android that talks the privacy talk, check out Windscribe, which has a generous free option as well as affordable subscriptions.

Pros

A choice of generous free options: Download the Windscribe app, and get 2GB of data for free a month. If you sign up with an email address, you can bump that to 10GB a month. The downside: You have access to just 11 servers -- mainly in Europe -- and free servers are segregated from the paid ones, so you're sharing server resources with other freeloaders.

And affordable subscriptions: If you'd rather pay, an annual subscription is $49, and a monthly one goes for $9. By paying, you get access to subscriber-only servers and the ability to tweak OpenVPN config settings if you want to generate your own OpenVPN config file to use your own VPN client, such as the OpenVPN app. A subscription also gets you access to servers in 52 locations, ranging from Europe and North and South America to Asia. And you can install on unlimited devices as long as you don't share your account.

Logging policy: The company said it doesn't keep permanent logs, including for connections, IP timestamps, and activity. The independent VPN testing site That One Privacy Site gives the service solid scores for its logging policies and focus on security and privacy. (Be aware that using a VPN doesn't necessarily guarantee your Internet activities will stay hidden. Many dodgy VPN providers overpromise and underprotect. Be sure you pick a trustworthy VPN to secure your networking communications, bypass geoblocking, and dodge filtering and censorship.)

Protocols and encryption: The Windscribe VPN service uses 256-bit AES encryption and OpenVPN for Android devices.

Easy to use: The Windscribe app (which at the time of this review is in beta) gives you a quick view into available servers, which you tap to connect.

SEE: The 9 Best Paid and Free Android VPNs You Can Trust

Cons

App is limited: Windscribe's Android app is in beta and it doesn't offer a lot of configuration settings or options for server choices. The company says a new Android app, which is in the works, will expand VPN choices.

Bottom Line

Although its app is in beta at the time of this review, the Windscribe VPN provides an affordable method of staying secure and private on the Internet.

Battery optimization, misc bug fixes