StrongVPN is among the oldest VPNs in the industry. In 2005 they launched their VPN service, and now there are more than 950 servers in 24 countries around the world. And as of 2020, StrongVPN has acquired ibVPN! Today we’re going through all the StrongVPN related features, how well it functions, subscription specifics, customer service, and the StrongVPN app. Then, we’ll decide together if StrongVPN is the best VPN for your needs. Let’s get started with this detailed StrongVPN review.
Pros & Cons of Strong VPN
Pros
- OpenVPN, L2TP/IPsec, SSTP and WireGuard Protocols Support
- 12 Simultaneous Connections
- 100% No Activity Logging Policy
- Unblocks US Netflix
- Offers Phone Support along with Live Chat Support
Cons
- USA Based VPN
- Split Tunneling Feature has limited accessibility
Let’s get into more details and see what actually distinguish StrongVPN from other VPN providers. So shall we begin?
What Features Distinguishes StrongVPN?
The signature aspect of StrongVPN is that it has succeeded in breaking through the security walls of China. This might not be the first reason you may like to use a VPN service, but it’s no less distinctive than that. Other services sometimes suffer from digital walls being erected.
Other silent features of Strong VPN are as follows:
What About VPN Network – Is it Vast Enough?
In 46 different cities and more than 20 countries, StrongVPN has more than 950 servers. It is important to know how many VPN servers a provider has and where they are based since the closest you are to the VPN server, the faster your connection will be. These servers help you to unblock the best streaming sites such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Spotify, etc. Unfortunately, you can’t unblock BBC iPlayer using StrongVPN.
Is StrongVPN Torrent-Friendly?
Torrenting is still available on the provider’s servers. Still, the company no longer mentions it, nor is there any support for it in the website’s Information section. We verified this with the help and were informed that torrenting was supported.
Does it Offer Split Tunneling Feature?
Tunneling split allows us to move some of your device or application traffic into the VPN tunnel while others hold direct access to the Internet. Basically, you can use a VPN and also connect to local network devices. It’s a perfect way to consume less bandwidth.
Problem with StrongVPN split tunneling feature is that a user can only use it on Android devices. If you are a mac or windows user, you won’t be able to use Split Tunneling feature.
How Strong is StrongVPN Privacy Features and Policies?
With the use of 256-bit military-grade encryption, the service ensures maximum privacy. The connection is carried out via OpenVPN, IKEv2, L2TP, SSTP protocols, and the proprietary WireGuard technology. This new protocol was released to assemble the best aspects of various protocols into one.
It offers speeds quicker than OpenVPN, improves performance, takes less computational resources than IPSec, is safer than other protocols, and can be used on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android clients.
A kill switch is a traditionally used additional security feature for VPN providers, and one for StrongVPN.
StrongVPN’s headquarter is located in Winter Park, Florida. It is not the best place for a VPN service. The USA is part of the Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and 14 Eyes, an international surveillance alliance. This might compel StrongVPN to transfer the data over to the government. On the positive side, this may not be a concern because StrongVPN has a strict no-logging policy so, they won’t be tracking your web traffic. It only collects the information necessary for account creation, which promises not to sell to third parties.
What About Speed of StrongVPN?
In link times and download rates, StrongVPN is very successful, though it’s not the fastest one in the industry. For example, 75Mbps will provide a wide 65Mbps connection for local VPN servers in the UK, and a VPN download speed between 130 and 215Mbps is possible on the 475Mbps in the USA. In contrast with certain rivals, these results are outstanding.
Is StrongVPN Affordable?
The provider offers only two subscription packages – monthly and yearly. The 1-month option is priced at $10.00, while the annual one costs $5.83 per month ($69.99 billed annually). Both plans are offered with a 30-day money-back guarantee with an interesting perk – you don’t even need to have a legitimate reason to ask for your money back.
The website claims you can get the service for as low as $4.37 per month for the annual and $7.50 for the monthly plan. This is valid if you press the homepage’s Save Now button. A coupon is automatically applied and counts for the first billing period only. The above prices remain valid until the promotion ends.
As the company claims, the refund guarantee is risk-free and should be considered as a free trial since there isn’t one. The only catch is that you still have to sign up for a subscription and have money deducted from your account.
Platforms include Linux, Synology NAS, Kodi, Amazon Kindle, Chrome OS, and specific router models and are covered by Manual Setup Guides. You can also buy a router with already enabled StrongVPN.
The service can be used simultaneously on up to 12 devices, although the router support allows you to increase this already high number virtually unlimited. This is possible since a router counts as only one device, regardless of how many other devices are connected.
How effective is StrongVPN’s Customer support?
You can consult the article library on the Support Line if you find difficulties while downloading and using the service. They are divided into categories, including setup manuals, technical support, billing support, FAQs, and about sections, according to the area covered. The support site is searchable by keyword.
StrongVPN also has a blog, which is a good read for anyone interested in both the company and the VPN industry in general.
The company’s specialist customer service representatives are available 24/7 for any question that cannot be addressed on the support website. Users can contact them via live chat or submitting a detailed request on the site and get a response via email in under an hour.
The telephone line allows you to contact the company during the working hours between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT (UTC-6) Monday through Friday. This is a welcome addition to these standard practices.
Do We Recommend StrongVPN?
While further price choices will be highly valued and some questions are posed by the fact that the provider is headquartered in the US, StrongVPN is a generally well-rounded service that unlocks several doors for its customers – streaming geographically restricted content and torrenting on many platforms, all while boasting excellent speeds. The telephone support offers even more opportunities to create communication with the agency and get swift assistance.
