All the clients are available for download on the website or the website will direct you to their app stores. They’re all quick and easy to install but if you do run into trouble, you can get assistance on the support site or from the ever-helpful customer support. The same goes for their usage – the provider keeps things simple with the clean and basic interface, only core options, and not much else. Switching between servers is a bit non-intuitive, as you have to manually shut down your current connection before you can connect to another server.
The platform can run up to 12 simultaneous connections at the same time, which is a lot more than what even some of the pricier competitors support. If by any chance you require more than that, you’re welcome to remove the limitation by enabling StrongVPN on a supported router.
As of recently, StrongVPN offers 250GB of free SugarSync cloud storage, although this isn’t overtly mentioned on the website until you select one of the subscription plans. SugarSync allows you to upload files and folders to your web space, sync them across your devices, share them with others, or delete them remotely if your device goes missing.
Plans & pricing
Pricing starts at $10 for one month, decreasing to $5.83/month if you pay upfront for an entire year (that’s $69.99 paid at once). This is as far as the pricing options go, but all the packages now include a welcome addition – 250GB of free SugarSync cloud storage, which you would otherwise pay $9.99/month if purchased separately.
Payments are accepted using credit cards, Paypal, or Alipay. If you’re not happy with the platform, you’re welcome to request a refund within 30 days after the purchase.
Privacy & logging
StrongVPN keeps you safe from snoopers by utilizing the military-grade AES-256-CBC encryption, as well as the protection against DNS or WebRTC leaks. The standard collection of privacy-protecting protocols, which includes OpenVPN, IKEv2, L2TP, and SSTP, has recently been expanded with the performance-oriented and highly secure WireGuard on all of the provider’s apps. Users can specify which OpenVPN connection type – TCP or UDP- they’d like to use, as well as their preferred port. As a bonus, there’s a Scramble option to assist you in preventing VPN blocking.
A kill switch is deployed to automatically shut down your entire Internet access if the VPN connection is interrupted, effectively preventing any of your sensitive information leaking into the wrong hands. When that happens, you’ll receive a desktop notification (if you’re using a desktop client, of course).
StrongVPN’s zero-logs policy is clear – it doesn’t track or store your data while you’re connected to its VPN service. The only information it does collect is necessary to set up your account and include your email address and payment information, which the company promises it won’t sell to third parties. However, that’s about it as details about logging go, despite the privacy policy being a 2,300-words mammoth of a document.
There’s no way to confirm the claims about users’ privacy unless the provider decides to follow in the footsteps of some other players in the industry and brings an independent auditor to analyze and issue a public report proving its claims. Until that happens, you can only trust its words, which isn’t easy considering it’s based in the US – a country with a poor reputation for respecting people’s privacy.
VOD & torrents
StrongVPN claims to be the ‘Best Streaming VPN’, listing all the video-on-demand services you can access with its help – Netflix, HBO, Sky Go, ABC, Crunchyroll, and Hulu. Unfortunately, BBC iPlayer isn’t on the list and we couldn’t access it during our tests. Also, the only localized Netflix content libraries you’ll be able to access are the US and Japanese. Although they aren’t listed, StrongVPN allowed us to stream US Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ content, as well.
As for torrenting support, the information on the website and from the customer support remains inconclusive, so we wouldn’t recommend trying your luck.
Support
If you run into any obstacles when using the platform, you can try to resolve them with the help of the troubleshooting guides and tutorials on the company’s support site, although it lacks content and proper organization.
Should the support section fail to address your concerns, the next stop is the expert customer support which can be reached 24/7 via live chat and ticket system. There’s even a pleasant surprise in the form of the phone customer support, which you can call between 9 am and 5 pm CT (UTC -6), every day except the weekend.
Final verdict
StrongVPN is an excellent VPN choice for anyone who requires solid speeds and connectivity, a dozen simultaneous connections, and access to US Netflix. It doesn’t provide any fancy or advanced features like some, but it does lead the way in implementing the new and powerful WireGuard protocol. It’s also comforting to know that there’s a phone line support if things go south.