StrongVPN Review

StrongVPN provides live chat and email support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Support agents are beneficial. However, the live chat tech department was only available on weekdays.

Unlike other VPNs, StrongVPN also provides phone customer support Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. UTC. The option to call someone for assistance is great and unusual for the VPN industry.

Split tunneling

Split tunneling allows you to route a portion of your device or app traffic through the VPN tunnel while maintaining direct internet access for other devices or apps. This is a handy feature for users with limited data plans because it can help to reduce the amount of data used. StrongVPN offers split tunneling in their Android application only. PC or Mac users who want to use this feature might be disappointed.

No Logs

StrongVPN's privacy policy was examined in-depth and found to be zero logs. It clearly states that an email address and payment information will be collected.

The Privacy Policy of StrongVPN confirms that it does not log your web browsing activity.

It collects no information about its customers' use of its VPN service. This includes even the most basic connection metadata, such as timestamps, server selection, and bandwidth consumed.

Our main concern with StrongVPN's logging policy is the absence of an external audit, which would validate the no-logs claim.

We'd also like to see a warrant canary or an official statement posted on the website. A warrant canary is a notice posted on a website informing users that a company has been served with a subpoena and that the company may be required to share its data.

If the company is asked to share data with the government, it may not be able to communicate with its users without this.

StrongVPN supported protocols

The Internet protocols govern how data packets are routed across a network. These protocols determine the security and speed of a VPN service. Some protocols forego security in favor of speed and vice versa. StrongVPN uses the following internet protocols:

WireGuard

A secure and lightweight next-generation open-source VPN protocol. It comes with built-in stealth and uses a variety of modern cryptographic primitives.

OpenVPN

OpenVPN is the most commonly used protocol because it provides an excellent speed, security, and performance balance. However, it does necessitate a more complicated setup process and third-party software. This protocol is open source and supported by a community that continuously improves the code to prevent surveillance agencies from interfering with VPN services.

Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP)

Known for its performance and speed, it’s supported on all Windows devices. It is well-known for being able to bypass firewalls easily and for establishing a highly secure connection.

IPsec/L2TP

Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) interacts with IPsec protocol to create a highly secure VPN client. While L2TP establishes the tunnel, IPSec handles encryption and connection security. It also ensures that the data's integrity has not been jeopardized.

Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP)

The Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) Although PPTP has been widely used since the 1990s; it is not the most secure method.

User Datagram Protocol (UDP)

Sends messages that do not require virtual circuits to transfer data. UDP has the advantage of requiring less bandwidth, resulting in less delay. One disadvantage is that some packets may be lost or misplaced.

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)

A seven-layer protocol that transports data and ensures it gets to the right place by breaking it down into smaller packets. It works well with UDP because it ensures that the data is reassembled in the correct order.

If you want two layers of security, StrongVPN is also compatible with TOR.

Streaming (Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and other services supported)

The service can unblock Netflix but is inconsistent with Amazon Prime Video and BBC iPlayer. If standard servers are unable to unblock BBC iPlayer, Smart DNS will allow you to watch BBC iPlayer or Channel 4 from outside the UK.

It's fast enough to stream in HD, and if you connect to one of its faster US servers, it can even handle 4K streams. However, speeds aren't always enough to stream video smoothly on a slower connection like DSL or satellite broadband, so your mileage may vary.

StrongVPN works well with Hulu, Disney+, Peacock, ABC, and NBC when connected to a more extensive network, such as New York. This makes it an excellent service for anyone who needs to access US content.

Kodi add-on

It will allow you to protect your Kodi streams while watching them.

StrongVPN also has a Kodi add-on supporting LibreELEC, OpenELEC, and XBMC.

Torrenting & P2P Sharing

Peer-to-peer file sharing is enabled on all servers, and download speeds are fast. However, it does not support port forwarding. A kill switch is available in the Windows client only. This means that your personal information can be exposed when using the VPN for torrenting.

Torrenting copyrighted materials is illegal, while torrenting copyright-free materials is legal. Also, in some countries, it's illegal to download torrents at all. As a result, you should check your country's laws and regulations before engaging in this activity.

Although StrongVPN's website does not mention torrenting, its Terms of Service state that abuse of copyright-protected materials will result in account termination.

Does StrongVPN Work in China?

It does work in China. It overcomes China's Great Firewall, yet using unapproved VPNs is prohibited in China. No travelers have been penalized, blacklisted, or prosecuted for using a VPN in China.

However, StrongVPN includes the OpenVPN obfuscation feature Scramble for added privacy and security. This function hides your VPN connection, making it difficult for censored countries such as China to trace.

As StrongVPN's website and apps are restricted in China, purchase a subscription and download the apps before going there.

StrongVPN is exceptionally easy to set up and connect to, even for the least savvy internet users. Also, all detailed installation instructions are available from StrongVPN’s website. There are also step-by-step tutorials with screenshots for all the native and non-native supported devices.

VPN Client for Windows

StrongVPN's greatest client and it works better than any other OS.

OpenVPN is available, and it includes IPv4 DNS leak protection and a kill-switch. Scramble, a VPN obfuscation feature, is also available. This feature configures the VPN to use TCP over port 443 (to disguise OpenVPN traffic as regular HTTP).

IPv6 is disabled by default in the Windows client, eliminating the need to disable it manually.

Mac, iOS, and other apps support

StrongVPN offers apps for Mac, iOS, and Android. All of these systems have manual setup instructions.

On Linux, Ubuntu, and Chrome OS, a third-party OpenVPN client can manually configure StrongVPN. You may also use the VPN on DD-WRT, Tomato, and Sabai routers.

Because StrongVPN does not include a kill-switch, it cannot be used for torrenting on Mac, Android, or iOS. However, this VPN should be enough if you want to stream and unblock content.

However, it suffers from WebRTC leaks on IPv6, so you must disable IPv6 to use this VPN safely on any OS other than Windows.

In addition, the company offers a browser extension for Chrome but not for other browsers such as Safari, Firefox, Edge, Opera, or others. And if you want advanced security features in addition to VPN protection, StrongVPN is one of the few VPNs that work with Tor.

12 Simultaneous Connections

StrongVPN supports up to 12 simultaneous device connections with a single account, which most users consider unlimited. With that being said, StrongVPN offers security and safety on all your home devices, even if you use them all at the same time.

Like most premium VPNs, StrongVPN rewards long-term subscribers. Unlike other services, StrongVPN offers only two options. This distinguishes StrongVPN from its competitors and limits potential subscribers.

Because all plans provide the same quality of service, there is no doubt what features you will receive regardless of which plan you choose.

Both plans come with SugarSync cloud storage, allowing you to back up your files or share them with friends and family.

You can try the service risk-free for 30 days, during which time you can cancel your subscription if you no longer want it.

Currently, payment could be made by credit or debit cards, PayPal, American Express, and Alipay. You can use Bitcoin to make purchases anonymously.

StrongVPN is one of the longest-running VPN providers, launching its VPN service in 2005. They now have over 950 servers in 30 countries, and they are based in the United States, which could threaten your privacy should it be made part of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. StrongVPN has announced that as of 2020, it will absorb ibVPN!