StrongVPN is one of the most popular VPN services in the United States; this is understandable because it is located.
It has a considerable following and appears to continue to grow; the question is, is this down to what the company offers, or is it that the company brand precedes them?
Although they might be a good option for the USA, the question is, “Is it worth New Zealand users putting the effort in and signing up to a StrongVPN download?”
This question, among others, is one we are seeking to answer. Continue reading for an unbiased StrongVPN review.
30-day money-back guarantee
Features and Benefits
The company does have 650+ servers in 26 countries over 46 cities. This includes 59,500 shared/ dedicated IP addresses.
But this is by no means the largest and makes it just an averaged size global network, but when you look at their server location map, they only have 8 locations that cover all of the Asian regions, two of which are in Australia. The majority of VPN server locations are in Europe and the USA.
A StrongVPN app is available for devices that range from Windows, Mac OS, iOS, Android, Amazon FireTV and some compatible routers.
Other platforms can include Linux, Kodi, Kindle, Chrome OS. However, these have no client software and do require manual setup.
Pros
- 5 simultaneous connections
- New ‘Best Location Available’ feature
- L2TP, SSTP, OpenVPN, IPSec, and IKEv2 protocols with public Wi-Fi security
- Zero logging policy and 24/7 customer support
- No speed limits
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Netflix Works
- IOS and Android Apps
Cons
- Less support for manual configuration
- Few server locations available
- Some users might find minimalist design limiting
- Slow and small network compared to alternatives.
As this VPN can enable access to Netflix, it can also allow access to other streaming services. This includes BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu. It should be noted, it can’t bypass the subscription side of the streaming service, but it will make you appear to be in the same country.
Speeds
StrongVPN has increased the speeds of its servers and their network. Nonetheless, they remain on the list of cons of using StrongVPN.
Their speeds might have increased fourfold, but they are slow on almost all of their servers compared to many services.
One thing to consider is, these speeds are in the most dominant areas where StrongVPN has servers.
For a New Zealand VPN whose closest server is Australia (Only 2), it is understandable why speeds are dreadfully slow.
Here are a few examples of their speeds from various locations.
- US Server (New York): Ping: 57ms, Download: 38.96 Mbps, Upload: 5.00 Mbps
- EU Server (Amsterdam): Ping: 132ms, Download: 9.78 Mbps, Upload: 3.18 Mbps
- Asia Server (Hong Kong): Ping: 245ms, Download: 20.10 Mbps, Upload: 2.35 Mbps
- UK Server (London): Ping: 122ms, Download: 35.47 Mbps, Upload: 4.63 Mbps
- Australia (Sydney): Ping: 341ms, Download: 11.18 Mbps, Upload: 2.60 Mbps
StrongVPN offers the best location feature, which is supposed to be the fastest connection for your location. In use, though, this was very far from the case. When opting for the best location, you are playing server roulette.
You might not get connected to a server that gives you the best speed, and it might not be the server located the closest to your location.
30-day money-back guarantee
Security and Logging Policy
StrongVPN supports all major protocols and includes a kill switch; this can be crucial if you lose your VPN connection, everything you expect from the best VPN.
The client will terminate all connections until your VPN is restored. The company is also clear on its zero-logging policy. They do collect basic information when signing up or for connection logs in the case of troubleshooting.
This zero-logging can be useful because the company does allow torrenting (P2P file sharing), and StrongVPN Netflix support is catered for at present.
Like a few other VPN’s, you might receive the dreaded Netflix error, but contacting the customer service can be enough to find a working US Netflix server.
Security
One of the main purposes of a VPN is to protect your data and your identity. This it does by masking your IP address. There are many VPN’s which state they offer leak protection, when in fact, they don’t.
The protocols used by StrongVPN are the same as used by the CIA, FBI, and NSA. This provides more than enough security to ensure all your data and web browsing habits are hidden from any prying eyes. This includes your ISP provider.
StrongVPN passed all the tests when using OpenVPN, as you would expect. This is the preferred protocol.
However, a couple of leaks were detected when accessing a PPTP server. It should be noted; this isn’t down to a failure in StrongVPN’s security; it is PPTP is an insecure protocol and is advised not to be used.
One of the best features of StrongVPN comes in the form of customer service. This is one area where they get things right.
Via email contact, a response was received within an hour or so, and this turnaround was rather impressive. Unlike a lot of other VPN’s, the company has 24/7 customer support who can be contacted via live chat or email.
One other feature from this company that can be quite useful is StrongDNS, and this can quickly bypass any geo-blocked content restrictions.
This can be useful if you have a device that StrongVPN doesn’t support, but there is one major caveat using this. (Read Does Discord IP Ban)
All it can do is spoof your location. In the way of security, it offers nothing. If you are streaming or taking part in any P2P while using this method, your ISP will track what you are doing.
This DNS service is more useful to travellers rather than to be used at home in New Zealand. A good example is anyone who wishes to get past the “Great Firewall of China” or access Europe’s content.
StrongVPN Pricing
From a package that only used to have a 7-day money-back guarantee, the company has jumped up to offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. This is to fall in line with the market leaders that provide this as standard.
StrongVPN only has 2 options; these can be seen here:
- 1 month – $10 per month.
- 12 months – $5.83 per month & billed as $69.99 annually
When you compare the prices, they are in the same region as many others, and in many cases, they are more expensive.
Couple this with the limited feature set and the lower than average speeds, then it does work out as an expensive option, even more so for users in New Zealand.
If you decide to sign up for an account, you are emailed with a username and password. These are to be used for the StrongVPN servers.
StrongVPN accepts plenty of payment options. This includes all major credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and payments via PayPal, Bitcoin, and AliPay.
From one area where StrongVPN excels in its customer service to one where it fails. This is in browser extensions because the company doesn’t have any available. It is either the use of the client software or nothing at all.
The company is one of the longest-running VPN providers; you might find this hard to believe when you make a StrongVPN login of the client software.
You are presented with an interface that is very outdated when compared to many other VPN services.
Even though they have improved all of their VPN apps, they still don’t look clean and are easy to use.
This can quickly appear overwhelming for new users, and if there are any options that you need to change, you need to delve into sub menu’s to find what you are looking for.
An excellent example of this being changing your server to a US-based one.
One slight concern with security is, the company is based in Lake Tahoe in the USA, this is inside 5-eyes jurisdiction, so it is hard to say how much pressure could be placed on them.
StrongVPN has been around for years so that they won’t vanish any time soon. However, because they are somewhat behind the times in looks and features, one question would be on most people’s lips that are considering them.
30-day money-back guarantee
Wrap up
The service does have a lot going for it. It looks good on paper with zero-logging and enables Netflix access and P2P file sharing (torrenting). It is much easier to see what the company doesn’t offer, and then you can see it might not be the best option in New Zealand.
Speeds are pretty slow in the most built-up areas, so trying to obtain a decent speed where there are only 2 server locations (Australia) is pretty much already known, and any streaming or torrenting will run into a few problems.
If it was only security you wanted, it might be a viable option, but not at the rates they offer. At the end of our StrongVPN review, a large brand has a budget VPN service, but they try to charge premium VPN prices.
Are they any good? Yes, but there are far better options for the price and the New Zealand location.
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