I switched to windscribe last month because the proton CEO starting spewing politcal BS, and I wanted port forwarding that wasn't locked behind a shitty GUI.

As far as I was concerned setup was super easy, the VPN speeds were great, and port forwarding worked really nicely. The whole price for a fixed server and port forward, + unlimited data was a bit much (at $95/year) but for the ease of use and speeds I was getting, I was happy to stick with them.

My setup is a always-on server with a 1gbps connection, where yes, I fucking seed my shit, all of it. I have about 30TB of linux ISOs and counting, and it's rare that my combined upload speed is less than 1MBps, ever.

Which lead me to getting banned from windscribe with no notice or warning in the middle of last week. This lead to me having to spend tracker points to avoid HnR, and i'm also unable to grab any new ISOs until I find a new VPN provider that won't ban me for actually using the service full time.

I did shoot them an email (after talking' with their AI bot first), and they were actually helpful enough. The offered to restore support, so long as I promised to not torrent with them again (which, I honestly did promise not to. I'm not sticking with a VPN service that can't handle me actually using it for what it's advertised for) and they did unban the account. Whole email chain took about three days to get resolved.

My sticking point is that they still have instructions on setting up torrents on their own website, and that they specifically allow for unlimited data (with the plan i paid for) so long as it's just one user. I did not break those rules. After clarifying that in the support email, they still said that I was using too much data (despite the unlimited data advertisement) and that torrenting was not allowed on their service.

TL:DR: Windscribe bans you if you use a lot of data, and support says torrents aren't allowed, despite their website advertising such. Proof in the attached images.

If y'all have any other suggestions for a VPN that allow port forwarding i'd really appreciate it.

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[–] squid_slime@lemm.ee 3 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Tailscale + mullvad integration works great if you want port forwarding and at about the same price as mullvad VPN.

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[–] primemagnus@lemmy.ca 40 points 2 days ago (5 children)

“It’s not allowed… especially in the amounts you do it” LMAO. It’s against the rules but we let him murder some people, just so long as it doesn’t get out of hand 🤪

[–] blind3rdeye@lemm.ee 14 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

Perhaps murder is a bit extreme. It's more like "we've noticed you're taking woodchips from the playground. That's not allowed. We wouldn't mind if you were just taking a few chips, but you've taken 2 tons."

[edit] But putting analogies aside, the service really should make rules and restrictions like this clear in advance. That seems like the real failing here, rather than the rule itself.

[–] Saleh@feddit.org 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

If the service is advertised as no data limit, aka "take as man woodchips as you like" they shouldn't track back on it.

[–] blind3rdeye@lemm.ee 2 points 1 day ago

Sure. I agree that's the problem; and none of these analogies really help make that any easier to understanding. Certainly they don't have a "murder as much as you like" policy! (I find that analogies are rarely useful - except for manipulating how you want people to feel.)

[–] Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

More like they operate a tollroad to the playground and are concerned about why there's so many trucks of wood chips costing them much more to maintain the road to the playground. And OP freely admitted they're taking truckloads of woodchips from the playground.

Except the analogy also doesn't work because ultimately piracy isn't taking, it's just copying and sharing copies. There isn't really a good analogy without directly describing digital distribution and piracy. Maybe an analogy involving a solar farm and a transmission company? Except that gets into technical details that are just as technical as just explaining it as it is

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[–] CountVon@sh.itjust.works 116 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (5 children)

I'd recommend AirVPN. Here's why I'd recommend them, in their own words:

No traffic limit. No time limit.

No maximum speed limit, it depends only on the server load

Every protocol is welcome, including p2p. Forwarded ports and DDNS to optimize your software.

[–] Irelephant@lemm.ee 29 points 2 days ago (1 children)

As a rule, the more outdated a service's website is, the better the service is.

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[–] MysticMushroom1776@lemmy.dbzer0.com 47 points 3 days ago (2 children)

AirVPN seems really good, I liked Mullvad but unfortunately they dropped port forwarding which really ruined them as a VPN service for Torrenting.

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[–] StinkySocialist@lemmy.ml 39 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I thought this was your Internet service provider. This is a VPN service? Holy shit what's the point of a VPN with rules like this. Fuck em. I use proton and am looking to switch because the CEO is a right-winger but they don't pull this shit.

[–] Yoga@lemmy.ca 17 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Holy shit what’s the point of a VPN with rules like this.

Maybe I just want to pay $8 per month to change my Netflix (which I also pay $20 per month for) in order to watch different shows from another country. 👉👈

[–] CmdrShepard42@lemm.ee 16 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Does that even work? These companies know the IP ranges of many VPNs and block them.

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[–] cupcakezealot@lemmy.blahaj.zone 55 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Windscribe encrypts your browsing activity, blocks ads, and unblocks entertainment content

so that was a lie

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[–] Darkassassin07@lemmy.ca 38 points 2 days ago (8 children)

Meh, switch to usenet. Download as much as you want, at max bandwidth 100% of the time, with 0 need for a vpn and no obligation to re-seed content for months on end.

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[–] DaGeek247@fedia.io 87 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Wasn't sure if this was the right place, but I figured someone should know about this. For what it's worth, I would actually recommend windscribe if you don't plan on doing torrents all the time, or you have sub 1gbps internet. Just sucks that I hit their "unlimited" internet limits on my home connection.

They have a page on their site about chargebacks. They're confidant they'll win them, but they still ban because it costs them money. I've done one anyways; as far as my reading of their tos goes, I was in the right. Might as well make this experience cost both of us money, instead of just them.

Their guide for using torrents with their service; https://windscribe.com/knowledge-base/articles/using-windscribe-with-torrent-clients/

Their FAQ on bandwidth and chargebacks: https://windscribe.com/knowledge-base/articles/why-did-my-account-get-disabled/

[–] Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 23 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

The fact that they have anti-chargeback wording on their public website speaks volumes. I bet they have anti-union posters in their breakroom too. Fuck this company!

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 1 points 1 day ago

They have a page on their site about chargebacks. They're confidant they'll win them

The portion about chargebacks refers to being outside the refund period, nothing to do with p2p or bandwidth caps.

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[–] HumanPerson@sh.itjust.works 26 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

I use airvpn with an always on server setup, port forwarding, and constant seeding. If you're okay with manually using a wireguard or openvpn client instead of an airvpn specific client it works great.

Edit Plus, they have a progressive pricing thing that lets you buy a few days for like 2€ just to test stuff.

[–] Estebiu@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 days ago

AirVPN is perfect. Works flawlessy with gluetun, only thing the website is kinda outdated, but I can't remember the last time I got on there so who cares

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[–] idriss@lemm.ee 32 points 2 days ago

Seems like something that could fit here

https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/Main_Page

[–] HappyTimeHarry@lemm.ee 59 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (5 children)

It sounds like they banned you for excessive usage. They allow at least 1tb a month because ive used that amount regularly with them.

It is a bit misleading for them to be calling it "unlimited" tho

[–] Bezier@suppo.fi 106 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It is a bit misleading

If it's limited, it isn't unlimited. That looks like a lie to me, and not "a bit misleading".

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[–] Draconic_NEO@lemmy.dbzer0.com 80 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (3 children)

It's not "a bit misleading" for them to call it unlimited and then ban people for using too much data, it's extremely misleading, almost bordering on scammy. If I were OP I would've done a chargeback and switched VPNs instead of begging them for an unban. They deserve it for lying and trying to deceive customers. Vote with your wallet (and chargebacks) if you want companies to stop doing shitty shady like this.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

it's extremely misleading, almost bordering on scammy

It's neither of those things either. "Misleading" indicates their representations were technically true, but it sounds like this is just a straight up lie.

[–] Draconic_NEO@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 day ago

That's true, they outright lied, it's not one of those technically true situations they outright lied and said unlimited and ban people for going over an arbitrary data limit, not even temporarily cutting off connection, outright suspending their accounts.

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[–] fubbernuckin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 53 points 2 days ago (4 children)

I don't think this is misleading. Misleading is when you use technically true facts to draw someone towards an incorrect conclusion. Calling a plan unlimited then having a limit is more like fraudulent if you ask me.

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[–] JovialSodium@lemmy.sdf.org 20 points 2 days ago

A search of the comments didn't turn up any mention of seedboxes. So I'll throw that hat in the ring as an option.

[–] melfie@lemmings.world 24 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

“Unlimited” isn’t a promise any provider can reasonably keep anyway. It’s bullshit—there’s always a limit. Always read the fine print and find out what the limit is to make sure it works for you before buying. If the limit isn’t stated now, it will be as soon as somebody really puts it to the test. Either that, or the company will go out of business, which will permanently limit your use of their services.

[–] shani66@ani.social 21 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Not really. Unlimited means no data cap, not infinite bandwidth, and that's perfectly reasonable to provide. Data isn't a limited resource, the only thing that's committed is the amount you can get right at that second.

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