StrongVPN Review

StrongVPN Pricing

Before pulling the trigger on any piece of software, it’s important to do your homework and make sure you know exactly what you’re signing up for. The best way to go about this is by reviewing the Terms and Conditions page and, of course, the pricing plans.

If you decide to try out StrongVPN, you can choose between two straightforward options: an annual and a monthly plan. The former costs $39.99 for the first year, and the latter is $10.99 per month. There is a StrongVPN coupon for both plans, which offers a discount for the first billing cycle.

If you’re not sure which one to choose, you can log on to StrongVPN.com and compare the two options. Both plans offer the same services and features: you’ll get 250GB of SugarSync cloud storage and free StrongDNS. The only difference is the length of the subscription and, of course, the price.

Unfortunately, there is no free trial available. This is a notable downside because many of the competitors offer this risk-free option. The company tries to compensate for the absence of StrongVPN trial by offering a 30-day money-back guarantee with its annual plan.

Although the plans are straightforward, there are some defects when it comes to the pricing structure. For example, there is no quarterly or six-month subscription –  something we’re used to seeing on competitor websites.

Whatever plan you choose, you can pay with Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover credit cards, PayPal, or Alipay. The last option is invaluable for customers in China who have been struggling with their country’s restrictions on VPNs.

After conducting our review of StrongVPN prices, we concluded that it’s relatively affordable and definitely worth it. With discounts (subject to frequent change), the prices are comparable to those of its competitors.

Ease of Use

This section will focus on the installation process, the supported platforms, and the user interface.

Installation Procedure

Considering there’s no trial option, you have to be ready to pay for at least a month, even if you just wish to try out this VPN’s services. Either that or you can lean on our StrongVPN review.

Select the pricing plan that better suits you. After that, enter your email address, choose the payment option, and part with your cash. The automatic download of StrongVPN will start right after you verify your email. You’re good to go, at least with the desktop version.

The mobile app requires a lot of effort to kick off. Even though there is a guide to walk you through the setup process, it won’t be easy. After the StrongVPN login, you’ll be asked to manually connect to your server, select the specific server address, configure your connection settings and split tunneling options. If you’re not particularly tech-savvy, the installation of the StrongVPN Android app might seem arduous.

User Interface

Even though this old-school VPN platform was ill-famed for its outdated and lackadaisical user interface, we noticed a huge improvement. Everything seems sleek, simple, and intuitive to use. And the knight-themed illustrations with castles, maps, and knights in shiny armors are rather quaint.

Supported Platforms

StrongVPN supports all kinds of operating systems and devices from the earliest version to the newest ones: Windows (from XP up to 10), macOS, iOS, Android (both phones and tablets), Windows Phone, Chromium OS/Google Chrome OS, Amazon TV FireStick, Ubuntu, Linux, and Kodi. And it allows a stunning 12 simultaneous connections.

If you need a VPN for a Chromecast streaming device, don’t worry. It’ll work with StrongVPN client software once you add the DNS to a supported StrongVPN router. However, it might not work with all streaming platforms.

Features

Let’s talk about everything you need to know about this VPN and untangle all the snarls. We’ll walk you through the advantages and rough edges of the shiny StrongVPN armor. We’ll discuss all the details of the servers and speeds, security, privacy, and availability of streaming and torrenting services.

Server Selection

It doesn’t exactly have a multitude of StrongVPN servers worldwide. With approximately 950 servers in roughly 30 countries, it falls behind its biggest competitors. However, users from the US will be delighted to hear that StrongVPN has many servers in 15 major cities.

What other reviews on the internet don’t mention is its “Best Available Location” feature. It enables users to automatically get to the nearest location with the fastest speeds within seconds. Also, almost 60,000 IP addresses promise to maintain good speeds.

Another aspect worth mentioning about this software is that with StrongVPN, China’s Great Firewall can be bypassed. That means you can access websites and apps from inside China and use everything from Facebook to Instagram and WhatsApp. Goodbye, censorship!

The StrongVPN’s website offers clear instructions on how to set up this VPN while you’re in China. However, it’s advisable to set it up before you arrive in the country, as all VPN apps are banned in China’s official App Store, requiring you to set it up manually.

StrongVPN Speed Test

The crucial topic anyone researching VPNs has to cover is speed. What’s the use of a VPN if you can’t lie down on your sofa, grab popcorn and watch movies on Netflix? Let’s take a look and check if StrongVPN lives up to its name.

Before we start, here’s a disclaimer: As speed tests rely on too many variables, make sure to take the results with a pinch of salt. Our experience tells us that speed depends on the server, location, computer performance, and even time of day.

The user reviews of StrongVPN we stumbled upon mention a marked improvement in speeds. We wanted to see it for ourselves. When we tested the nearest US server, the download speed dropped about 10% on a Windows device and 23% on a Mac. Nevertheless, it was still more than enough for steady streaming, which users value the most. To give you an illustration: Our download speed without StrongVPN was 93.98 Mbps, while StrongVPN download speed went all the way up to 84.24 Mbps, which is an outstanding result.

Upload speeds showed much better results, displaying a decrease of only about 8% on a Mac and 12% on a Windows computer – good news for torrenters.

Our review of StrongVPN suggests that switching to WireGuard, the next-generation protocol, makes the speeds even higher. Once you connect to StrongVPN, you’ll be asked to choose a protocol, and we strongly recommend WireGuard, as it can positively influence factors such as speed and encryption. WireGuard is also significantly lighter than other protocols, so you should expect less battery drainage, too.

In a nutshell, StrongVPN can achieve impressive speeds, but the results may vary depending on how and when you use it and what server you connect to.

Since the StrongVPN server list is one of the longest, you’re certain to find one that will provide you with excellent speeds regardless of your location. Most of the servers are located in Europe and North America, but you’ll also find some in Australia, South America, and Asia, guaranteeing excellent speeds worldwide.

Security

The one thing that VPN users value the most, apart from high speeds, is security. Luckily, StrongVPN has numerous protocols to choose from to ensure maximum protection.

Before connecting to StrongVPN PPTP, review other available protocols. PPTP is obsolete and has a high failure rate, so you will undoubtedly be better off with one of the options that StrongVPN has to offer: penVPN, IKEv2, SSTP, IPSec, L2TP, and WireGuard.

Here are all the safety features at a glance, plus all those nitty-gritty details that you might be wondering about.

We highly recommend WireGuard. It is the most advanced protocol implemented by many VPN platforms because it provenly provides the highest speeds.

If you’re looking for a rock-solid and safe VPN, review the StrongVPN safety features. You’ll be impressed by its military-grade encryption, used by the CIA, FBI, and NSA – AES-256 Encryption.

So far, so good. To be on the safe side, we tested the VPN’s DNS for traffic leaks. If you’re wondering why this is important, let us explain.

DNS stands for Domain Name System – the internet’s phone book that connects domain names to IP addresses. We had to perform a DNS leak test to check whether traffic was leaking through the VPN tunnel to a third party. We’re happy to report that our review of StrongVPN DNS showed no leaks when tested.

Privacy

As the whole point of using a VPN is to stay anonymous in the cyberworld, privacy is not an issue with StrongVPN. It boasts a built-in kill switch app, an additional safety feature that jumps in whenever you get disconnected from the VPN. It disables your internet traffic and prevents data leakage.

As a zero-logging VPN service, StrongVPN promises not to track or store your personal information or browsing activity. The only information necessary for account creation is an email address and a payment method. When you hit StrongVPN.com, it reviews the number of visitors on the site and page views, but it never tracks your browsing activity.

So far, the only potential problem with privacy is the physical location of the company’s headquarters. Since it is located in Winter Park, Florida, we can’t help but worry. As the United States is a member of Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and 14 Eyes international surveillance alliances, we can’t rule out the possibility of the US Government sticking its nose into your online activities.

Streaming Services

There’s a never-ending battle between VPNs and Netflix about content restrictions. In this particular battle between StrongVPN and Netflix, our knight in shiny armor comes out as the winner.

Keeping the title of the best VPN for streaming media isn’t easy, and StrongVPN secures it by unblocking access to services such as Kodi, Hulu, ABC, HBO, Disney+, Amazon Prime, SkyGo, YouTube, and many more.

We focused mainly on Netflix during our tests since that is the best proof a VPN is suitable for streaming. And we had no problems watching our favorite TV shows, even from public Wi-Fi hotspots.

Torrenting

Why choose this VPN, and what is StrongVPN? Review its torrenting options. We are reasonably confident that nobody wants a VPN that can’t bypass obstacles and enable its users to indulge in the unlimited download of movies.

With lightning-quick encrypted connections, unblocked torrent options shouldn’t be a big deal. When we tested StrongVPN, the speeds were quite enough for our needs. Add to that the split tunneling feature, which allows you to easily set up specific VPN locations and make torrenting even easier and faster. We would recommend, however, that you connect to the WireGuard protocol to boost your speeds.

Although StrongVPN is an industry veteran, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s everyone’s cup of tea. Let’s check out some alternative options.

ExpressVPN vs StrongVPN

This comparison might seem like the clash of titans. Both are excellent choices for torrenting and streaming. However, ExpressVPN has servers in 94 countries, compared to StrongVPN’s 35 countries. It also supports Lightway protocol, which StrongVPN is yet to incorporate into its offer. Still, both are incredibly secure, with more than enough protocols to keep you safe.

However, ExpressVPN’s monthly price is almost three times that of its counterpart. If speed is not your primary concern, going with StrongVPN is certainly a more affordable option.

NordVPN vs. StrongVPN

NordVPN is closer to StrongVPN in terms of price, as it costs $3.30 per month if you subscribe to the two-year plan. However, it doesn’t support as many protocols as StrongVPN. It allows only six simultaneous connections, which is why families and people looking to cover many devices may opt for StrongVPN instead.

On the other hand, NordVPN has an impressive number of more than 5,300 servers in 60 countries, and StrongVPN has a tough time keeping up with less than 1,000 in 35 countries.

StrongVPN Customer Service

StrongVPN recognizes the vital role customer support plays in providing consumers with the best service.

Whenever you get stuck or stumble upon a tricky part, consult the FAQ section to see if your question has already been answered there. The site’s FAQ section is in the form of articles, which makes it somewhat complicated to navigate. On the bright side, the articles are categorized into groups according to the area they cover: setup guides, billing support, technical support, safety issues, and so on.

The StrongVPN reviews on Trustpilot and Amazon award it a TrustScore of 4.7 out of 5, and Amazon users rated the VPN with 3.6 points out of 5, which is quite good.

We guess that users also loved the fact that you can search topics by keywords. There is also a blog kept up to date to make you more satisfied with the FAQ section.

But if you hit an obstacle and the FAQ section doesn’t help, contact StrongVPN’s superbly quick and efficient customer service team. The agents are available 24/7 via StrongVPN live chat – when we contacted customer support, the answer came within minutes.

You can also reach out by submitting a request on the website. An email containing the answer to your question will be in your inbox within an hour. If you prefer more direct interaction, call the customer support representatives on the phone during the company’s working hours: Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT.

What Is New With StrongVPN?

StrongVPN is one of the first VPNs on the market and one that continues to grow. The team rolls out new updates and even better offers regularly.

The most recent update worth mentioning here is the integration of WireGuard protocol to every StrongVPN app, the latest thing in the VPN world. Additionally, both packages now include a SugarSync add-on with 250GB of cloud storage for free.

The StrongDNS add-on, another new feature, allows StrongVPN’s users to stream content on devices that don’t have onboard VPN support, such as Xbox, PS4, and Roku, among many others.

Bottom Line

StrongVPN isn’t a classy, top-notch VPN nor the best one we’ve ever seen. But let’s dive deeper into the pros and cons and see if its services live up to its name and prices. In our StrongVPN client software review, we tried to resolve all doubts you may have. 

While the pricing plans are limited to only two, what you get for the money is a simple and straightforward approach, user-friendly interface, 250GB of SugarSync cloud storage, and amazing torrenting and streaming speeds. WireGuard support and the option to connect up to 12 devices simultaneously are great assets.

On the flip side, the lack of a free trial might ward off some potential customers. A more varied pricing plan offer would also be welcome. On these points, we agree with other reviews of StrongVPN on the internet.