StrongVPN Review 2024: Simplified VPN With Missing Features

StrongVPN hit the VPN basics, but the overall user experience is lackluster. It offers 950+ servers and the ability to connect up to 12 devices. But we struggled with easily changing settings without searching, especially for the same price point as many of the best VPNs, and its not reliable for Netflix streaming. 

In this review, we'll cover the strengths and weaknesses of StrongVPN.

Overview

We last tested StrongVPN on December 18, 2024.

4.1

AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Editorial Rating

Learn More

On StrongVPN's website

VPN

StrongVPN

• A simple, basic VPN service
• Somewhat large network of servers
• Wide compatibility of devices
• Difficult to navigate

Our experience

StrongVPN was a difficult system to understand. We had an easy enough time downloading StrongVPN on our devices, including a laptop running Windows 11 and an iPhone 15. But the user experience with StrongVPN is lackluster and confusing. 

Features that should be easy to find and control, like the kill switch, were difficult to find. The server list is the only setting we found easy to adjust.

Outside of the main dashboard, you'll need to go to the StrongVPN preferences to access any other features — and those features are severely limited. From the preferences screen, you can set StrongVPN to launch and automatically connect at login. StrongVPN offers split tunneling and a kill switch, but only on select devices.

You can also adjust a few features based on the VPN protocol that you’re using. Advanced settings allow you to pick the protocol you want to use if you don’t want StrongVPN to select one for you.

Who is StrongVPN best for?

• Recommended for simplified VPN usage

StrongVPN is a simple VPN solution. You won’t get overwhelmed with extra features, but you’ll be able to connect to StrongVPN servers all over the world easily. 

If you're looking for a VPN that encrypts your data and allows you to protect your online activity, StrongVPN can get that done. It makes turning your protection on and off easy, and you can switch server locations fairly easily.

However, you’ll have to navigate to the StrongVPN settings for any other changes. You can’t make any changes outside of the server location if the VPN is activated from the main dashboard. You'll also have to disconnect the VPN any time you want to switch servers, which can become annoying.

StrongVPN prices and subscriptions

StrongVPN is priced high for what you get. The best deal is the annual plan, which costs $3.97/mo (billed annually). If you’re looking to pay for the VPN monthly, you’ll pay $11.99/mo. 

You could save money on a VPN by choosing one that offers a more robust set of features and a better user experience for a similar price or less. For instance, NordVPN is one of our favorite services, and its best deal is $3.59/mo (billed every two years) with a two-year contract. 

If you compare NordVPN's annual plan directly with StrongVPN's, then Nord is more expensive at $4.59/mo (billed annually). However, you'll get a kill switch, split tunneling, specialty servers, an ad blocker, and more across devices.

StrongVPN features

StrongVPN lacks features that you may be looking for in a VPN. Many of its features depend on what type of device you’ll be using. StrongVPN does have an adequate server count, but it isn’t as significant as others in the industry.

From our testing, StrongVPN is a simple VPN with limited features. You can easily connect to a server, but you’ll struggle to find features that other companies offer, and you may not be able to tailor the VPN to your needs.

Server count and countries

• 950+ servers in 30+ countries

StrongVPN includes a solid server list with 950+ servers in 30+ countries. Depending on how you plan to use the VPN, you may be interested in a particular country to access geo-restricted content. You can easily select that country from the list of servers inside StrongVPN's user interface.

If you don’t need to connect to a specific location, you can select “Best Available” from the server list, which will connect you to the closest server to your current location for fast and secure browsing.

Different VPN providers may have more server locations or be established in more countries than StrongVPN. For instance, Surfshark has 3,200+ servers in 100 countries while Nord has 6,800+ servers in 111 countries. Having more servers helps with crowding, but nearly 1,000 servers should be sufficient for most.

No-logs policy and headquarters

• StrongVPN logs policy: No logs
• StrongVPN headquarters: New York City

StrongVPN doesn't collect information or logs about your VPN usage. The VPN solution outlines how it uses any user data in its privacy policy. StrongVPN collects personally identifiable information needed to set up your account, such as your email address and payment information.

StrongVPN is headquartered in New York City, which could be a privacy concern for some due to its location in one the Five Eyes alliance countries. The United States is one of five member countries in the alliance, which pledges that the countries will share information with each other regarding national security matters. Because of this alliance, the government could try to obtain information about VPN usage if it were critical to national security.

Security features

If you’re looking for a VPN capable of split tunneling or one that has a built-in kill switch, StrongVPN may be able to help you — depending on what type of device you plan to use with the VPN. StrongVPN’s split tunneling feature is only available for Android. The kill switch functionality is available with Windows and Mac operating systems. Mac users will need to select either the OpenVPN or L2TP VPN protocol to enable the kill switch.

Split tunneling

Split tunneling allows VPN users to pick which internet traffic is routed through the VPN. StrongVPN’s split tunneling feature is only available on Android devices.

Kill switch

A kill switch blocks your internet connection when the VPN is disconnected unknowingly. This can be helpful if you're on public Wi-Fi to protect your device from hackers and other prying eyes. 

You can turn on StrongVPN's kill switch by selecting the gear icon from the top-right corner. From there, you can check off the kill switch box.

The kill switch is only available for the Windows and macOS apps. 

VPN protocol

StrongVPN offers several VPN protocol: WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, SSTP, L2TP, and IPsec. 

To change your protocol, select the gear icon from the top-right corner, then hit the Protocol tab. StrongVPN breaks down the strengths and weaknesses of each protocol on this tab, which is useful information for VPN beginners.

StrongVPN test results

While a VPN may look good on paper, it’s always a good idea to test its capabilities before you rely on it to protect your data or give you access to geo-restricted content. 

When we evaluate a VPN, we test how the VPN connection affects internet speeds in several parts of the world. We also ensure that the VPN works with Netflix and other streaming platforms.

Speed tests

• Speed test results: StrongVPN dropped our download speeds by an average of 38%

No matter what VPN you decide to use, you can expect it to impact your internet speeds. Your internet traffic must be routed to the VPN’s servers before reaching its destination. When connected to servers farther away, you can expect to see lower internet speeds than when connecting to a closer server.

We tested StrongVPN's impact on our internet speeds on a Lenovo laptop running Windows 11 from a physical location in the U.S. 

With most of the servers we tried, StrongVPN didn't have a noticeable impact on browsing. The U.S. server only dropped our download speeds by about 15%, so we were able to browse like normal. We selected the Best Location option and were relieved that it worked well. 

The biggest drop on our speeds was actually with the U.K., not with Australia. It was also the only noticeable impact on our browsing, as it took longer for page elements to load. In this case, we'd recommend swapping to another U.K. server.

Otherwise, we thought StrongVPN proved reliable for maintaining our device performance. 

Netflix tests

• Netflix test results: StrongVPN mostly struggled with unblocking Netflix.

A VPN can give you access to streaming content in other countries by unblocking geo-restricted content. Streaming libraries like Netflix have different shows available in different countries based on contracts and copyrights. You can use a VPN to mask your IP address so that sites like Netflix or Hulu think you’re in a different country.

We tested StrongVPN with Netflix by connecting to various server countries.

StrongVPN allowed us to stream Netflix U.S. seamlessly.

The issues started when we connected to a Canadian server. First, Netflix detected our VPN and didn't allow us to stream.

We tried every single Canadian server but Netflix kept detecting StrongVPN and blocked us every single time. The U.K. server gave us the same issues, detecting the service and blocking our stream as well. 

We thought we were going to encounter the same issues with Netflix Australia as we were starting to be blocked. It wasn't until we connected to a third Australian server that Netflix allowed us to stream.

Ultimately, we don't think StrongVPN is the best service for streaming Netflix, as it required a lot of troubleshooting and often just didn't work.

DNS leak tests

• DNS leak test results: StrongVPN passed its DNS leak test.

A DNS leak test determines if your internet service provider (ISP) can see your web traffic. When connecting to a VPN, a DNS leak test should show a different IP address and server location from where you are.

The DNS leak test results only revealed our VPN location, so StrongVPN passed the test.

WebRTC leak test

• WebRTC leak test results: StrongVPN passed its WebRTC leak test.

The WebRTC leak test determines if your IP address is visible to other devices when establishing audio or video communication. WebRTC stands for Web Real-Time Communication and the leak test shows if the VPN is sharing your real IP address or if it's showing a public IP address from the VPN’s server.

We were pleased to see StrongVPN passed both the DNS and WebRTC tests. This means StrongVPN will keep your IP address and web activities hidden from your ISP and other prying eyes.

Kill switch test

• Kill switch test results: StrongVPN passed its kill switch test.

One of the most important VPN features is a kill switch. If your VPN drops, the kill switch can stop your internet entirely to prevent your online activities from exposure. 

To test the kill switch, we started by connecting a server in Washington D.C. After opening ipleak.net, we switched to a server in Las Vegas. The only IP addresses that the site detected were the ones from our VPN, our true location was never leaked. 

StrongVPN compatibility

StrongVPN is available for various devices, including computers, mobile phones, and routers. 

Here's a complete list of operating systems and devices with StrongVPN apps:

• Windows
• macOS
• Android
• iOS
• Fire TV
  

The following operating systems and devices require manual setup:

• Routers
  
• Linux
• Chrome OS
• Kodi
• Amazon Kindle
• HP webOS

StrongVPN customer support

There are several ways to access StrongVPN’s customer support. To speak with an agent, you can use StrongVPN's 24/7 live chat or email. For general inquiries, the chatbot can return articles or support documents to help answer your question.

StrongVPN doesn’t provide a phone number, so you’ll have to rely on live chat for real-time assistance.

Live chat

When you open the chat window from the bottom-right of the StrongVPN website, you'll be greeted by a chatbot. If your questions are more complex, then the chatbot can direct you to a live human. If you request this, you're given the option to start a chat or send an email. 

We opted for a live chat and were put into a virtual queue. Once we were connected to our agent, they were quick to respond and friendly. 

Email

You can send an email to StrongVPN support through the chatbot or directly to one of its email addresses. There are two different emails depending on your question:

• For technical issues: support@strongvpn.com
• For billing issues: billing@strongvpn.com

Knowledge base

StrongVPN also has an extensive support section that provides information on how to use the VPN on various devices. You can also easily search these support documents for answers to any questions you may have.

Top alternatives

While StrongVPN left a bit to be desired, we have a few other top VPNs that we’ve vetted. Each of these provides a great VPN experience based on our testing.

Price	$2.99–$17.99/mo	$1.99–$17.95/mo	$2.03–$6.99/mo
Max # of connected devices	10	Unlimited	7
# of servers	6,800+ servers in 111 countries	3,200+ servers in 100 countries	Unlisted in 100 countries
VPN protocol	NordLynx (WireGuard), OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPsec	WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2	OpenVPN, IKEv2. WireGuard
Encryption	AES-256-GCM	AES-256-GCM	AES-256
No-logs policy
Headquarters	Panama	The Netherlands	Romania
Netflix access
Learn more	Get NordVPN	Get Surfshark	Get CyberGhost

FAQs

Bottom line: Is StrongVPN good?

StrongVPN left a lot to be desired. If you’re looking for a simple VPN, StrongVPN could work for you. The dashboard gives you limited functionality outside of switching server locations. 

But StrongVPN performed well at encrypting our traffic and preventing leaks. When testing internet speeds and streaming services, it didn't have a significant impact on speed but it struggled with most of the Netflix libraries we tried.

For the price, several different VPN solutions may be a better fit. See how StrongVPN compares to some of our recommended alternatives:

• NordVPN vs. StrongVPN
• Surfshark vs. StrongVPN

4.1

AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Editorial Rating

Learn More

On StrongVPN's website

VPN

StrongVPN

• A simple, basic VPN service
• Somewhat large network of servers
• Wide compatibility of devices
• Difficult to navigate

Author Details

Andrew Adams

About the Author

Andrew Strom Adams is a freelance writer focused on online privacy and digital security. He writes on various topics to help individuals protect themselves on the internet. Andrew has worked in legal marketing, technology, and startups. He has more than 12 years of experience in marketing and communications. He holds an M.B.A. from Westminster College and a B.A. in journalism from Oklahoma Baptist University. When he’s not writing, he’s playing with his two kids or watching reality TV.

Steph Trejos