StrongVPN Review 2024: Before You Buy, Is It Worth It?

Is StrongVPN Fast? Yes, I Had Minimal Speed Drops, Even on Distant Servers

StrongVPN impressed me with its fast and consistent speeds, even on distant servers. This is quite unusual as the farther you are from a server, the more likely you are to see a significant drop.

I had no problem downloading or torrenting any files. There was a slight delay in loading websites, but it was only a few seconds. Despite some websites taking longer to load, I could stream over long distances in UHD without lag.

Speed Test Results

During my tests, I checked StrongVPN’s speeds by connecting to a nearby server in the same country first. I only had a 6% drop in speed, which is excellent.

Even more impressive were my tests of servers in the US and Australia, which are thousands of miles from my base location. The US server only reduced my speed by 10%, which wasn’t at all noticeable.

Further away still, the Australia server gave me a speed loss of 20%. This might sound like a lot, but this is a typical reading for a VPN connected to a local server, let alone one so far away. Even if you have a baseline speed of around 20 Mbps, you should still be able to stream without lag with StrongVPN’s speedy servers.

Is StrongVPN Fast Enough for Gaming? Yes, I forgot I was even using a VPN

I tried out numerous servers while I played games to test StrongVPN’s speeds. StrongVPN’s closest server gave me a low ping range of 10ms. While playing Valorant — a competitive FPS game — I never saw any stuttering or lag, which greatly helped my gameplay. Other nearby servers gave me an average ping of 20-30ms.

Long-distance connections made my ping far worse, which is to be expected. My ping was about 300ms on an Australia server while connected to StrongVPN, which was double what I usually would have had without a VPN.

If you want to play fast-action games such as Call of Duty: Warzone with a VPN, StrongVPN is a great choice thanks to its fast speeds and low latency on most nearby servers.

Server Network — Great Connection Reliability but Limited Coverage

Unfortunately, StrongVPN’s server coverage is pretty lacking. Although StrongVPN has 950+ servers, they are only available in 30 countries. There are no servers in Africa and only a few options in the Middle East and Asia. To compensate for this, StrongVPN lets you choose servers at the city level, which is useful when you want to pick the nearest location.

Some might worry that a limited server list could cause overcrowding or connection interruptions, but I was never disconnected or experienced any lag. Switching from different servers was easy and only took a few seconds to connect.

StrongVPN has a massive pool of 59,500+ IP addresses, allowing many users to access its services simultaneously. However, server speed may decrease if multiple users are assigned to the same shared IP. It is highly likely that there will always be an available IP address due to the large IP pool.

Torrenting — Strictly Monitored

You can engage in P2P file-sharing on all of StrongVPN’s servers as long as you’re not violating copyright or intellectual property. This fact is further detailed in its Terms of Service, which strictly forbids sharing copyrighted content. If you are ever doubtful of the legality of torrenting, check your local laws and only torrent files in the public domain.

You cannot port forward with StrongVPN since it does not offer individual IPs, and you’ll always need to share one with someone else. If you regularly torrent and are looking for a torrent-friendly and secure VPN, you may want to try the best VPNs for torrenting, instead.

Does StrongVPN Work in China? Maybe

StrongVPN’s website claims that its San Francisco server can bypass China’s detection system. However, since I’m not located in China, I could not test this out myself. Instead, I contacted StrongVPN’s support chat to see if it could bypass China’s firewall.

I was directed to an article stating that, while many servers will be blocked, its last tests showed the San Francisco server could bypass China’s Great Firewall. I was also told that in high-censorship countries, the best way to get StrongVPN to connect is to use the OpenVPN protocol and enable the scramble feature.

If you need a VPN while traveling to China, make sure to plan ahead and install a VPN that is proven to work in China before you arrive. Chinese authorities often disable and block non-approved VPNs from accessing content. However, there have been no cases of Chinese law enforcement punishing tourists for using non-approved VPNs.

Security — Unbreakable Encryption & Robust Protocols

Although not every feature is available on every device, I found StrongVPN’s security features were as good as other premium VPNs. It doesn’t have as many bonus features as some other VPNs, but StrongVPN is a great general-purpose VPN that you can trust to keep all your data safe.

Encryption — Military-Grade Encryption Protects Your Data

StrongVPN’s network is backed by military-grade AES-256 bit encryption and perfect forward secrecy. This means that your data is scrambled and almost impossible for a hacker to decode. The key to the code is changed at every use, meaning that, even if a hacker somehow gained access, their intrusion would cease when you close your session.

VPN Protocols — Large Selection With Scramble Option

I was really impressed by the number of security protocols available from this relatively unknown VPN. You can choose from the following protocols on all devices:

• IKEv2 — offers stable security and a faster connection than other protocols but is supported on fewer platforms.
• WireGuard — faster and more secure than other protocols but is newer and not as widely trusted as OpenVPN or IKEv2.
• OpenVPN TCP or UDP — robust security and able to bypass firewalls that many other protocols can’t. It can be configured for better speed or security, and you can choose a scramble option to hide that you’re using a VPN.
• SSTP — a good backup when other protocols are blocked by a firewall.
• L2TP — balanced speed and security. Slower than others but supported on more platforms.

These protocols can be swapped between and used on any server with a few simple clicks in the settings.

Kill Switch — Protects Your Data With 1 Click

StrongVPN has a built-in kill switch that will protect your data in the event of an unexpected outage or break in connection to the network. However, this isn’t switched on by default, so make sure you activate it before you connect to a server — you’ll find it in the “Options” or “Preferences” menu in the StrongVPN app.

DNS Leak Protection — Ensures Your Real Location Stays Hidden

StrongVPN also has industry-standard DNS leak protection that acts as a safeguard between prying eyes and your real location. IPV6 leak protection is turned on by default, so I ran some tests to see if it really worked. My visible location was the same as the server I was connected to, so I know I can trust StrongVPN to keep me safe.

Split Tunneling — Only Available on Android Devices

StrongVPN comes with a split tunneling option for Android devices. It’s super easy to set up — with just a few taps you can select the apps on your device that you want to exclude from your VPN connection. This is useful if you want to look up local websites or content while using your original IP and also have a split tunnel to look up any information anonymously.

StrongDNS — Proxy Servers for Easy Setup on All Devices

I was happy to see that StrongVPN subscriptions include a DNS proxy service for streaming on devices without specific apps like gaming consoles and some media streaming boxes. This is an excellent option when an encrypted connection isn’t necessary because it’s much easier than a router setup.

Privacy — A Strong, Transparent No-Logs Policy

StrongVPN’s clear-cut no-logs policy means that it doesn’t keep any information that could then be shared. Although the location is a little bit worrying, its no-logs policy is clear and easy to understand.

No-Logs Policy — Very Transparent but Unaudited

Initially, I was worried about how safe my information would be with StrongVPN, given that it is located in the United States, which is part of the 5 Eyes alliance. Thankfully, it was easy to access the privacy policy and find a section regarding its no-logs policy. The policy is written clearly and states exactly what information is kept.

Additionally, StrongVPN lays out exactly which third parties it works with and provides detailed information regarding the company’s relationship with each one. This section states that StrongVPN will not sell or share any identifiable information that can be tied to you.

StrongVPN’s transparency was reassuring. It was easy to scroll through the privacy policy and get a clear idea of how it handles user data and how it works with third-party entities.

Company Jurisdiction — Located in the US

Although it’s not ideal that StrongVPN is headquartered in the US, it’s got a watertight no-logs policy. This makes me feel better, knowing that it doesn’t have any data that would be useful if there is a request to share information from any law enforcement agencies.

Independent Audits — Does Not Have Audits Conducted

Independent audits ensure a VPN’s promise to protect a user’s data, but there is no mention of such audits on StrongVPN’s site. While lacking this information isn’t a major detractor of the service, having the certainty of a review by an impartial third party would add to the strengths of this secure VPN.

24/7 Live Chat — Quick and Simple Answers

Using the 24/7 live chat is the optimal means of contacting StrongVPN customer service, and it is accessible to anyone, regardless of subscription status. StrongVPN’s “Help” page offers multiple links (including 1 that works in China). Once on the chat, you can choose to ask the bot a question or get in contact with a live chat agent.

Upon initiating the chat, I wasn’t connected to a support agent immediately. It took about 5 minutes to connect, probably because I contacted them during peak hours. Once connected, the agent answered all my questions. This included inquiries about accessing BBC iPlayer, the length of the money-back guarantee, and technical issues.

Phone Support — Slow, but Available Monday through Friday

StrongVPN offers phone support, which is rare for VPNs. There is only a US number available but it can be used during working hours in the Central Time zone Monday through Friday. I tried calling but was put on hold for about 15 minutes before connecting to a representative.

I wanted to see if the phone support agent could help me with common technical issues, but every answer I got could be found on StrongVPN’s online guide and FAQ webpage.

Email Support — 3 Different Ways to Contact Support

Depending on my issue, I could send emails to either a billing, technical, or ticket support email. Each one is listed on StrongVPN’s “Help” page. I tested all 3 and found that the technical and billing emails responded the fastest — which was about after 24 hours. Submitting a ticket wasn’t as helpful, as it took a couple of days before I got a response.

Online Resources and FAQs — Setup Guides, Support Articles, Online Forum, and FAQ Available

I found dozens of articles hosted on StrongVPN’s website. Each one was pretty detailed and ranged from technical issues to billing questions. The guides had simple steps and a lot of pictures, which helped a lot.

StrongVPN also has an online forum with many already-asked questions. Although it didn’t look super active, there were still responses from customer service reps from only a few weeks ago.