StrongVPN Review

StrongVPN’s coverage is slightly on the smaller side, with around 950 servers spread across over 42 countries. We’d like to see StrongVPN serve more countries – ideally 50 or more – with better coverage of Africa and specific countries like New Zealand.

First-Party Server Ownership

StrongVPN owns and operates all of its own servers, just like its ‘sister’ VPN, IPVanish.

Ownership of its “infrastructure of global servers” is one of StrongVPN’s best selling points because it eliminates the risks associated with rental servers. It guarantees there is no “third-party meddling with [its] users’ activity,” and only trusted employees have access to the physical servers.

Lots of City-Level Servers

StrongVPN offers city-specific servers in 59 cities. Of these 59, 25% are based in the US. This is usual for VPNs, which often have a concentration of servers in the US and EU.

Multi-city servers can be found in:

• Australia (4 cities)
• Canada (3)
• France (3)
• UK (6)
• US (15)

In the last few months, StrongVPN has brought down the number of servers in Germany and Brazil. The number of servers in Australia has increased from two cities to four.

There is good server coverage in Asia with servers located in Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. South America counts servers in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Colombia.

However, there are only two servers in Africa, both located in Johannesburg, and one in India, Mumbai. If there are only a couple servers in your continent, we recommend checking out a better alternative. In comparison, ExpressVPN has servers in four African countries (South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, and Algeria), and three in India (Mumbai and Chennai).

On the plus-side, StrongVPN does make a very high number of IP addresses available to its customers – almost 60,000 – which is great for maintaining high speeds.

You can have up to 12 simultaneous connections with one StrongVPN subscription. It’s a very generous offer and should be more than enough for the average household. If that’s not enough for you, though, you can also install StrongVPN on your router to protect all of your devices at once.

There are key differences between StrongVPN’s apps. Here’s a table of features available on each platform:

StrongVPN can be used on the following platforms:

StrongVPN provides custom VPN apps for all popular devices.

On its website, you’ll find manual setup guides for other types of devices, platforms and software like Linux, Amazon Kindle and Kodi.

StrongVPN also provides step-by-step instructions on how to manually set up the VPN on your router to protect all internet traffic in your home.

StrongVPN’s 12 simultaneous connection limit is very generous and one of the highest we’ve seen.

Windows

StrongVPN’s main screen is very stripped back, displaying only the important connection details:

• • IP address
  • Time elapsed
  • Visible location
  • Whether you’re connected to the VPN

A range of settings can be found behind the cog icon along the top of the app. There aren’t a lot of options, but the essentials are covered, such as a functional kill switch and the option to reconnect automatically.

macOS

StrongVPN’s macOS client is very similar to Windows. The macOS client offers IPV6 Leak Protection, which the Windows does not.

To access the settings, click on StrongVPN on the Mac menu bar at the top of the page, and then click on Preferences. From there, you can adjust usability features, such as the kill switch, and change protocols.

Importantly, the kill switch is only compatible with OpenVPN or L2TP – we recommend sticking to the former to ensure your real IP address is not exposed.

In terms of design, the macOS version is much sleeker than Windows. It has a minimalist white background, instead of navy and black, and you can’t switch to navy or black. Which one you might prefer comes down to your own personal preference.

Android

StrongVPN’s Android app is user-friendly and offers split tunneling. It’s compatible with WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IPsec. Unfortunately, the VPN service does not offer a kill switch on either Android or iOS, which should be a dealbreaker for frequent mobile VPN users.

Split tunneling is a convenient feature that lets you automatically route traffic on specific apps through a VPN. Importantly, StrongVPN’s split tunneling is only available on Android and is compatible with Wireguard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2. We recommend just sticking to WireGuard or OpenVPN, though.

When you open the split tunneling feature, the apps are sorted alphabetically by default. They are sorted into categories such as “Recommended” and “User Apps.” You can also “Select all” and “Deselect all” in the hamburger menu.

There are great customer service features on both the Android and iOS versions of StrongVPN. The apps direct you to a conversation with a bot. And if you’d like to talk to a real person straight away, click Chat with an agent. We were able to speak to someone in less than five minutes.

iOS

The app is compatible with IKEv2, IPsec, and WireGuard – we recommend sticking to the latter. And despite the convenience of an auto-connect feature, it’s only compatible with IPsec and IKEv2, not Wireguard, which is the most secure of the options. Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer a kill switch or split tunneling.

StrongVPN’s iOS design is consistent with the macOS client. The background colour is white and gives the app a modern, minimalist look.

You can easily access articles from the knowledge base in-app, including setup guides and FAQs. We appreciate the thought put into the user experience here. You don’t have to leave the app to view guides, then open up the StrongVPN app again.

As mentioned before, the live chat function is exactly the same on Android and iOS. This means you can chat with customer service almost immediately if you need assistance.

Fire TV

StrongVPN has a good Fire TV app that unblocks US Netflix and BBC iPlayer – though it sometimes struggles with the latter. In comparison, Windscribe gives you access to 30 Netflix libraries and consistently works with BBC iPlayer.

On StrongVPN, you can choose between WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2 protocols. WireGuard is the default, which is great since it’s fast and secure.

Split tunneling is a great feature that lets you route certain apps through a VPN connection and not others. This part of the app wasn’t optimized for TV though. When scrolling through the apps, it didn’t highlight which we were hovering over on the screen.

It’s a shame the Fire TV app doesn’t have a kill switch. Without it, your IP address could be exposed if your internet were to drop.

StrongVPN can be used with consoles and streaming devices by following the manual configuration instructions for installing StrongVPN on your home router.

There’s also a user-friendly native app for Amazon Fire TV devices, but it’s just not as good as some of the best VPNs for Fire TV Stick available.

Router Compatibility

Setting up a VPN on your router saves you from having to reconnect each time on every device. It’s a great option if you don’t want to worry about being hacked through smart home devices or worry about forgetting to connect your VPN.

StrongVPN offers great options for both novice and experienced customers. There’s a full list of over 125 compatible routers on StrongVPN’s website, split into useful categories.

For beginners, here’s a list of preloaded routers available, all powered by Sabai OS:

• VPN Accelerator
• Linksys E2500
• Asus RT-N12
• Netgear Nighthawk X6 R8000

For confident users, you can set up StrongVPN manually on devices from these manufacturers:

• Asus
• Belkin
• Buffallo
• D-Link
• GL.iNet
• Linksys
• Netgear
• TP-Link

If you’re interested, check out our guide to installing a VPN on your router to protect all your devices at once.

The StrongVPN proxy failed to unblock geo-restricted streaming services like BBC iPlayer and Netflix, meaning it’s basically useless. It’s also only available to customers with a StrongVPN subscription.

Proxies aren’t the same as a VPN. They don’t encrypt your data and web activity, making it vulnerable to attack or exposure.

StrongVPN’s browser extension gives you access to 14 server locations, including New York, London, Tokyo, and Sweden, which is above average.

StrongVPN accepts the majority of standard payment options including most major credit and debit cards, PayPal and Alipay.

It’s disappointing to see a lack of cryptocurrency or other anonymous payment methods, however.

The VPN service also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for annual subscriptions, in place of a true VPN free trial. It doesn’t apply to monthly subscriptions though, meaning you could lose out on the $10.99 you paid.

This is for customers who are “less than 100% satisfied with the StrongVPN service.” There are no hidden restrictions or data caps during the 30-day refund period.