At a Glance
Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Easy to make use of
- Supports 12 simultaneous units
- Decent for streaming
Cons
- Interface feels outdated
- Small listing of accessible servers
- Pricey for the options supplied
Our Verdict
StrongVPN doesn’t have the biggest server listing, nor does it provide a really in depth function set. Overall it feels a bit behind the occasions and its concentrate on simplicity could finally be holding it again. Still, it may very well be an honest choice for individuals who need one thing primary and hassle-free.
Best Prices Today: StrongVPN
Simplicity is one thing we recognize tremendously in a great VPN, and StrongVPN has made it the defining function. A couple of years in the past it overhauled its service with a view to cut back selection and make it as simple as potential to get linked and browse securely. The firm has not too long ago tried to construct upon its service whereas sustaining this simplicity by upgrading to incorporate 12 simultaneous machine connections—two or 3 times as many as a few of its opponents. So how this shift labored out? We put StrongVPN by way of the ringer to see whether or not it lives as much as its identify.
Further studying: See our roundup of the most effective VPNs in 2023 to study competing merchandise.
What are StrongVPN’s options & providers?
Sam Singleton
StrongVPN comes with most of your primary VPN options. It provides apps for Windows, Android, iOS, macOS, ChromeOS, and Amazon Fire TV. For the needs of this assessment, I solely examined the Windows model. It additionally permits 12 simultaneous machine connections, which is roughly twice as many as another VPN suppliers. It’s fascinating to notice, nonetheless, that I’m beginning to see increasingly more providers change to providing limitless simultaneous machine connections, a development I hope will proceed.
When you first open up StrongVPN you’re greeted with a map, a button titled Best Available Location, and a button to attach. By default, StrongVPN will select the closest server for the very best speeds. In order to see a listing of accessible places you’ll truly must click on on Best Available Location. I perceive that this was probably a means to assist simplify the connection course of for rookies, nevertheless it didn’t really feel very intuitive. Plus, many individuals these days use a VPN to connect with one other nation’s servers moderately than simply the closest geolocated server anyhow.
StrongVPN’s server choice display screen.
Sam Singleton
StrongVPN’s places are restricted, nevertheless it has sufficient servers in numerous nations all through the world to fulfill most customers. It has simply over 40 nation places and a reported 950 accessible servers. That is kind of a modest server inhabitants in comparison with different providers akin to Surfshark VPN, which has 100 nation places, or Private Internet Access VPN, which has nicely over 30,000 plus servers. Note: Having extra servers doesn’t essentially mean a better VPN, nevertheless it’s often indicative of a extra strong service.
StrongVPN claims that it has no digital server places and that each one of its server places are based mostly within the nation acknowledged. It’s a pleasant factor to know as some VPN suppliers use digital places to offer entry to a rustic the place they might not have bodily servers. This isn’t tremendous vital, however it might probably have some minor results on server efficiency—optimistic or unfavourable.
Beyond the map and server location listing, there isn’t far more to StrongVPN, to be trustworthy. By clicking the gear within the higher right-hand nook of the app you’ll be able to open the Settings menu. Even right here it’s simplistic and your choices are restricted. It all left me feeling considerably wanting.
The Windows app gives no choices for split-tunneling, which lets you choose and select which applications you want to run by way of the VPN. Nor does it provide multi-hop connections with a view to route your visitors by way of multiple server to additional obfuscate your true location. These are each precious instruments and so they’re supplied by many different big-name VPN suppliers akin to NordVPN and ExpressVPN.
The Settings menu does offer you a number of options akin to a kill change, which can routinely disconnect your web within the occasion that the VPN connection is severed. You’ll additionally discover choices to alter your VPN protocol right here and details about your account.
How is StrongVPN’s efficiency?
StrongVPN’s web site states its no-log coverage.
StrongVPN
While utilizing any VPN, each your obtain and add speeds are more likely to lower attributable to latency between servers. It’s additionally value noting that VPN server speeds are extremely dependent upon space, time of use, and a large number of different elements. Therefore your expertise could differ from the ends in my, or anybody else’s testing.
That being stated, throughout my testing I rated speeds throughout StrongVPN’s servers in 5 totally different nations all all over the world after which in contrast them to my baseline web pace. StrongVPN server speeds have been satisfactory, however not nice. Across all places examined, the common obtain pace was 31 p.c in comparison with the bottom pace and the common add pace was a moderately sluggish 13 p.c in comparison with the bottom. That places StrongVPN in the course of the pack of all the assorted providers we’ve examined. However, it fell wanting the speediest providers in our prime 5 quickest VPNs.
I observed that, oddly, speeds in Brazil and different South American nations have been a lot decrease than these in different continents. Take this with a grain of salt, although, as your outcomes could fluctuate. The backside line is that StrongVPN needs to be quick sufficient for most individuals’s wants, although it doesn’t prime the pace charts in comparison with different VPNs we’ve examined.
For these involved about streaming, you needn’t fear. Every server I examined with StrongVPN was in a position to entry the foremost streaming providers akin to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Disney Plus with out challenge. Furthermore, customers can entry P2P on all StrongVPN servers in the event that they so need.
Every server I examined with StrongVPN was in a position to entry the foremost streaming providers akin to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Disney Plus with out challenge.
How is StrongVPN’s safety and privateness?
StrongVPN is owned by guardian firm J2 Global, an American digital media and web providers conglomerate. It additionally owns a variety of different standard VPNs together with IPVanish and Encrypt.me.
It’s based mostly within the United States, which is a member of the Five Eyes, the Nine Eyes, and the 14 Eyes worldwide surveillance and intelligence alliances. This signifies that U.S. authorities can acquire consumer info from StrongVPN with the correct warrant. Depending upon how privateness aware you might be, that is one thing you must consider earlier than selecting this service.
StrongVPN makes all of the privateness guarantees you’d anticipate from a VPN. The firm has a “strict no-logging policy” and it states that it doesn’t gather or log any net visitors or another web use of its VPN service—no IP addresses, no bandwidth utilization, and no timestamps. Its privateness coverage claims that the one information that it does gather is billing info and electronic mail addresses for account creation functions. Furthermore, it states that it doesn’t promote any private details about customers to 3rd events.
You’ll simply should take its phrase for all of this nonetheless, as StrongVPN has but to finish an impartial safety audit. In in the present day’s day and age I anticipate a longtime VPN akin to this to have undergone and handed an audit and the truth that it hasn’t is disappointing.
StrongVPN’s gives your entire commonplace (and a few legacy) VPN protocols.
Sam Singleton
In regards to StrongVPN’s safety, it has your trade commonplace AES-256 encryption. It additionally helps IKEv2, WireGuard, OpenVPN, SSTP, and L2TP protocols in its Windows app.
As for funds, it provides all the usual bank card choices, in addition to PayPal, Bitcoin by way of BitPay, and Alipay. This permits for various ranges of relative anonymity, with Bitcoin being the strongest.
Is StrongVPN value it?
StrongVPN is actually very simple to make use of, and the speeds are dependable and ok for many customers. If you might be new to VPNs then StrongVPN is likely to be a sensible choice. However, this concentrate on simplicity comes again to chunk it. The lack of superior options is unlucky — no split-tunneling and no multi-hop capabilities are notably egregious.
StrongVPN makes an attempt to strike a center floor by offering solely the necessities for VPN fundamentals with out going overboard in function selections, however finally comes up brief. I can see why previously it determined to forego options that have been then deemed area of interest. But these days these similar options are extra commonplace and their continued exclusion make it appear to be a little bit of a relic.
Editor’s word: Because on-line providers are sometimes iterative, gaining new options and efficiency enhancements over time, this assessment is topic to alter with a view to precisely replicate the present state of the service. Any modifications to textual content or our ultimate assessment verdict will likely be famous on the prime of this text.
…. to be continued
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