# Windscribe/Desktop-App

Public mirror of the Windscribe VPN desktop client for Windows, Mac and Linux

Repository: https://github.com/Windscribe/Desktop-App
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/windscribe-desktop-app
Homepage: https://windscribe.com
Language: C++
License: GPL-2.0
License Family: copyleft
Last push: 2026-09-02T17:44:06+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 96/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 100, release rhythm 88, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 1848, "days_push": 0, "days_rel": 0, "gap_med": 43, "n_releases_24m": 20}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1077, forks 142 (observed 2026-09-03T02:15:08.570454+00:00)

## What it is
The open-source (GPL-2.0) desktop VPN client for the Windscribe service, built in C++ for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It supports multiple VPN protocols (WireGuard with post-quantum encryption, OpenVPN, IKEv2, Stealth, WSTunnel), a proactive leak-proof firewall, split tunneling, MAC spoofing, and DNS-based content blocking.

## Use cases
- hide my ip address and location on windows mac and linux
- vpn client with kill switch firewall to prevent leaks
- split tunneling so only some apps go through the vpn
- bypass censorship and geo-blocks with stealth protocols
- block ads and trackers with dns filtering
- import custom openvpn or wireguard config files
- run a vpn client from the linux command line

## When to choose
- you already use or plan to use the Windscribe VPN service and want a native cross-platform client
- you need strong leak protection via a proactive firewall rather than a reactive kill switch
- you want per-app split tunneling and MAC address spoofing
- you need censorship-resistant protocols like Stealth or WSTunnel on restrictive networks
- you want to audit the client code yourself before trusting it

## When to avoid
- you want a generic VPN client for any provider without a Windscribe account (though custom configs are supported)
- you need a mobile or browser-only solution - this repo covers desktop only
- you require a fully self-hosted VPN without any third-party service dependency
- you need a lightweight headless daemon only - this is a full GUI application (with CLI support)

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: vpn, security, privacy, networking, proxy, cli
- domain: privacy, security, networking, censorship-circumvention, cross-platform
- platform: windows, cli
- tags: vpn-client, wireguard, openvpn, split-tunneling, ad-blocking, kill-switch, mac-address-spoofing, dns-filtering, gpl-2.0, cpp, firewall, macos, linux, desktop

## Member repositories
- Windscribe/Desktop-App (main) score 96

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-09-03T02:15:08.570454+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T06:55:13.900628+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/Windscribe/Desktop-App (fetched 2026-09-03T02:15:08.570454+00:00, sha 300613673c49)
  - homepage: https://windscribe.com (fetched 2026-08-29T12:57:17.148750+00:00, sha 185f6ba76be5)
  - site_page: https://windscribe.com/features/windows (fetched 2026-08-29T12:57:17.160678+00:00, sha badf91b07a56)
  - site_page: https://windscribe.com/features/macos (fetched 2026-08-29T12:57:17.163062+00:00, sha 19cb0ade4ce4)
  - site_page: https://windscribe.com/features/linux (fetched 2026-08-29T12:57:17.165033+00:00, sha ac1844d8f153)
  - site_page: https://windscribe.com/install/mobile/android (fetched 2026-08-29T12:57:17.166800+00:00, sha 484513d6f00e)
  - site_page: https://windscribe.com/install/mobile/ios (fetched 2026-08-29T12:57:17.168513+00:00, sha 47de7b48b02f)
  - site_page: https://windscribe.com/install/extension/chrome (fetched 2026-08-29T12:57:17.171036+00:00, sha d083d6f96db6)
  - site_page: https://windscribe.com/install/extension/firefox (fetched 2026-08-29T12:57:17.172736+00:00, sha 20d2bf987a24)
  - site_page: https://windscribe.com/features (fetched 2026-08-29T12:57:17.158487+00:00, sha 12c2d62fbea4)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.