StrongVPN vs NordVPN

StrongVPN and NordVPN target different audiences. While the latter is a tried-and-tested solution for people who like to play safe, the former is a bit of gamble. In this StrongVPN vs NordVPN duel, it’s easy to conclude why this is the case — StrongVPN is way less popular.

However, the lack of popularity doesn’t always result in mediocrity. Some less popular VPNs, such as Hide.me, are great. After comparing the two, we still found NordVPN better than StrongVPN, which is to be expected. But does the latter offer some redeeming qualities?

More importantly, how inferior it really is to NordVPN? Our NordVPN vs StrongVPN comparison holds the answers. Let’s dive right in and determine the right provider for your needs, desires, and expectations.

StrongVPN vs NordVPN: Quick Comparison

	StrongVPN	🏆 NordVPN
Our Current Ranking 📋	TBD	#1
Prices 🤑	Starting at $3.97/mo	Starting at $3.09/mo
Money-Back Guarantee 🪙	30 Days for the annual plan	30 Days
Free Version/Free Trial 🆓	No	No/7 Days via Android
Logging/Jurisdiction 🕵️	No/USA	No/Panama
Protocols 🌐	OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2, L2TP, SSTP	OpenVPN, NordLynx, IKEv2
Servers 🏠	950+ in 30+ countries	7,400+ in 118 countries
Specialty Servers ✅	No	Dedicated IP, Obfuscated, P2P, Double VPN, Onion Over VPN
RAM-Only Servers 🛡️	No	Yes
Working With Netflix 📺	Yes (~10 catalogs)	Yes (30+ catalogs)
P2P Allowance ↔️	Yes	Yes
Customer support ☎️	Live chat, email	Live chat, email
Concurrent Connections 📟	12	10

Applications & Ease of Use

StrongVPN and NordVPN possess a diverse selection of applications. They both support Windows, macOS, and Linux computers. In addition, their mobile apps are there for iOS and Android users, amplified with clients for Fire TV, routers, Apple TV, and web browsers.

Interestingly, both VPNs work with Chromebooks, while also supporting more than a few router firmware for added convenience. In terms of simultaneous connections, StrongVPN has an edge over NordVPN with 12 and 10 connections per subscription, respectively.

But now, when discussing ease of use, things sort of crumble for StrongVPN. Its apps look a bit dated and the world map you see can’t hold candle to NordVPN’s equivalent. We noticed that the Windows app isn’t the snappiest and occasionally won’t connect for unknown reasons.

Its Android and iOS apps are slightly better. On iOS, for instance, you can use Siri shortcuts. NordVPN is consistent across the board. No matter the chosen platform, it’ll be your workhorse whose legs never give up. One-click connections work at any given moment.

With very few connection issues, NordVPN is infinitely more reliable. Plus, its apps look more modern, with an interactive world map and the whole high-tech feel. Mobile VPN clients are phenomenal, with iOS and Android apps offering almost a full suite of desktop features.

StrongVPN vs NordVPN Price Comparison

This NordVPN vs StrongVPN part will compare their prices. Besides, if you operate on a set budget, you’ll want to know how much is a VPN to determine the upfront cost. We’ll start with StrongVPN because there’s not much to talk about — you can pick from the two plans:

• Monthly plan at $11.99/mo
• Annual plan at $3.97/mo or $47.69 for the first year

The latter even has a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if you’re not happy, you can be reimbursed. Overall, StrongVPN is pretty affordable. You rarely see annual plans cost this “much”. NordVPN is affordable too, but less so. Its biennial Basic plan starts at $3.09/mo.

Keep in mind this the current promotion, and while prices fluctuate, they never go above $3.5/mo for this very plan. NordVPN offers higher-tier plans, where it also packs additional tools, such as Threat Protection Pro, NordPass, NordLocker, and NordProtect. They’re great.

To enrich its portfolio, the company has annual plans. The least expensive Basic option is usually $4.99/mo, so it’s pricier than StrongVPN’s equivalent. In some NordVPN promotions, the provider gives some extra months, making it a slightly better value for money.

Explore NordVPN Discounts

Not to mention, it also covers you with a 30-day money-back guarantee for all plans, even the monthly ones. This means you don’t have to splurge dozens of dollars upfront, to test it. You can opt for the monthly plan or grab a 7-day free trial by signing up on Android.

NordVPN vs StrongVPN: Features Analysis

While we’re at that, we think it’s a good time to take a peek at their features. By that, we refer to security features that should be plentiful in reputable VPN services. We’ll first check out and review their shared features, only to discuss their unique features immediately after.

Which Features Do They Share?

They share mostly basics, such as:

• 256-bit encryption
• Automatic kill switch
• WireGuard protocol
• Split tunneling
• In-house DNS service

Drawing from our NordVPN vs StrongVPN assessment, all of their shared features work well. For example, we tested their kill switches on multiple occasions, and after enabling them, they blocked our internet traffic as soon as we forcefully disconnected from the VPN.

NordVPN has a unique feature, an advanced kill switch, which prevents you from going online unless you connect to it. This is one of the ways a kill switch works. StrongVPN offers WireGuard, but NordVPN also has it, although in a repackaged form that it calls NordLynx.

It’s basically WireGuard, but with a double NAT, which increases anonymity. NordVPN has multi-device split tunneling, while StrongVPN provides it exclusively on Android. Finally, their in-house DNS services are great for privacy because they operate per no-logging policies.

This means your DNS queries aren’t monitored, let alone “shipped” to third parties for inspection.

Unique Features of NordVPN and StrongVPN

StrongVPN has no unique features, and while it does offer a few more protocols, they’re not extraordinary. In fact, we’d venture to say that L2TP and SSTP protocols in the Windows app are unnecessary with OpenVPN and WireGuard on the table. But that’s our opinion only.

NordVPN, on the other side, has plenty of features, all of which are divulged in our test of NordVPN. You get Threat Protection Pro in the plus plan, which instantly blocks ads and trackers, scanning and removing malware in the process. The plan also includes NordPass.

This means you’ll enjoy a password manager. If you get the Complete plan, there’s NordLocker on top, with 1 TB of encrypted storage, and so on. I mean, even the Basic plan has some neat tools, such as Double VPN servers to encrypt your connection twice.

Then, there’s NordWhisper that fights network filtering, Onion Over VPN servers for Tor-based connections, and P2P servers for safe and secure torrenting. Some other features we liked were the Dark Web Monitor and NordProtect that’s only in the highest-tier plan.

NordVPN’s features are far beyond your run-of-the-mill VPN. They’re a perfect blend of privacy-enhancing and life-changing tools that you can turn to in times of need. Unfortunately, StrongVPN is yet to arrive there. We’ll patiently wait for it in our cozy office.

Do NordVPN and StrongVPN Store Logs?

The short answer is: no, they don’t store any logs.

NordVPN and StrongVPN has easy-to-read no-log policies. After examining them and even talking to their support representatives, we discovered that they don’t keep sensitive information on their servers. Such information is your IP address, DNS requests, visited websites, location, and so on.

NordVPN and StrongVPN store minimal “operational” logs to ensure their services function well. While the former has been audited multiple times by PwC and Deloitte, StrongVPN, according to its representatives, hasn’t undergone a single audit yet. Such a shame.

It’s worth noting that NordVPN uses RAM servers that are wiped clean with each restart, and thus, free of all data within seconds. Furthermore, NordVPN is based in Panama, which is much more privacy-friendly than the USA, which represents StrongVPN’s jurisdiction.

We discovered that StrongVPN is owned by Strong Technology LLC, which belongs to the Vipre Security Group, a subsidiary of Ziff Davis. Ziff Davis owns many mass-scale media platforms like IGN and PCMag.

This, however, shouldn’t concern you, although a large company like this won’t always work in your privacy’s interest. It’s not the case with Nord Security, NordVPN’s father company that built its reputation ono one thing alone — online privacy.

Which VPN Is Faster: StrongVPN or NordVPN?

You might be wondering which provider is speedier — rightfully so. We hate slow connection speeds and we feel we’re far from the only ones. Having evaluated NordVPN vs StrongVPN, we can report that the former is faster, and overall, more reliable for day-to-day usage.

Before we elaborate on our results, let’s glance at our internet speeds without a VPN:

At the time of testing, we were in Serbia, which prompts us to advise some great VPNs for this country, should you ever find yourself there. Nevertheless, we tested both VPNs for 3 days in a row, 3 times a day, using 3 server locations: the UK, the USA, and finally, Japan.

Their protocols were set to the fastest ones, which means WireGuard (NordLynx) was our choice. Lastly, the table below displays their average download and upload speed losses based on our exhaustive testing. We can see that NordVPN is considerably faster.

	StrongVPN	NordVPN
⏬ Download Speed Loss	46%	18%
⏫ Upload Speed Loss	69%	7%

However, StrongVPN held its own on the UK server. To its detriment, its speeds are pretty slow, as soon as you increase the distance between you and the server. NordVPN slows things down a bit, too — it’s natural. But, as you see, not to the same extent as its rival.

	StrongVPN	NordVPN
UK (Download/Upload)	38.89/5.32 Mbps	49.93/9.53 Mbps
US (Download/Upload)	22.07/0.60 Mbps	45.20/9.32 Mbps
Japan (Download/Upload)	23.65/3.41 Mbps	34.68/9.13 Mbps

Above is another table that displays their average download and upload speed for all three locations. We’re just confirming what we saw, but we felt obligated to give you concrete results, just to provide more context.

Streaming & Torrenting Comparison

Here’s a pleasant surprise — StrongVPN is nearly as good as NordVPN for unblocking streaming sites. For instance, both can change your Netflix region and make available many popular libraries. NordVPN can do more, roughly 30, while StrongVPN unblocks around 10.

NordVPN has another advantage: it is a top ally when it comes to bypassing the account sharing blocking measures implemented by Netflix.

Other platforms, such as BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Hulu, etc, will work just fine in both cases. NordVPN is a bit more efficient for “stubborn” streaming services like ESPN+ or Prime Video, both of which are very capable of detecting VPNs. For example, NordVPN’s browser extension is streaming-optimized.

StrongVPN offers nothing similar.

Thanks to reliable location spoofing, NordVPN’s web browser VPN extends your streaming abilities and lets you overcome pretty much any geo-block. Not to mention, NordVPN’s faster speeds endorse smooth Ultra HD streaming, which is jittery with StrongVPN.

Let’s discuss torrenting. Both are excellent, with two clear differences. NordVPN is faster and offers dedicated P2P servers. When using servers in our location or a neighbor country, we notice practically no speed differences and both perform like world-class champs.

One thing is certain — they’re better than free VPNs for torrenting thanks to unlimited bandwidth for P2P and all other activities. With NordVPN, you can even set up SOCKS5 to speed up downloads, albeit, at the cost of privacy. Still, it’s nice to know the option is there.

Server Locations: StrongVPN vs NordVPN

If you’re easily impressed by size, StrongVPN will fit your definition of happiness. NordVPN will surpass it tenfold. While the server span isn’t the main quality metric, it does tell us a lot about the provider. So, let’s do some math and see which provider has more servers.

	StrongVPN	NordVPN
Number of servers	950+	7,400+
Number of countries	30+	118+

Okay, so NordVPN has more servers in more countries. You get roughly 7.7 times more servers and about 4 times more countries with NordVPN. Even if we ignore the server count, the number of countries alone is enough to put NordVPN on a sky-high pedestal.

As said, it does offer dedicated servers, such as Onion over VPN, P2P, Obfuscated, Double VPN, and Dedicated IP. The latter is especially interesting, because StrongVPN doesn’t let you buy a dedicated IP address, which, we think, is a missed opportunity. Not the last one.

We say this because StrongVPN misses some popular locations. That’s why there are no servers in Africa and some of you would love them. The VPN is suitable for the USA because it has many city-level servers there. Most other countries come with single city-level locations.

Do StrongVPN and NordVPN Work in China?

According to the latest update on StrongVPN’s website (at the time of testing), the provider does work in China. Having tested it ourselves, we can confirm it is the case, but exclusively with the OpenVPN TCP protocol and Scramble (obfuscation) enabled. How’s the experience?

It’s willy-nilly, as expected. StrongVPN’s speeds suffer, but they’re stable enough for an average user, especially on the San Francisco server that the provider recommends. Overall, Strong VPN’s reliability in China is okay, with a few disconnects here and there, as we’ve come to expect.

NordVPN behaves similarly. It offers Obfuscated servers that automatically scramble your traffic and switch to OpenVPN TCP. In our experience, NordVPN was slightly faster but equally, if not a smidge more reliable in everyday use. Granted, it’s not as reliable as it was before.

Not a single VPN is in 2026.

But, we can’t say we’re unhappy. Working to an extent is better than not working at all in China, as is the case with recently analyzed IPVanish.

Conclusion: Choose NordVPN Over StrongVPN

Both in practice and on paper, NordVPN is a vastly better proposition. It’s an unrelenting VPN, with world-class reliability, speed, privacy, security, ease of use, and streamin prowess. I mean, you can be blind as a bat and see its all-aroundness that overshadows its competition.

StrongVPN has the potential to go these steps. However, this potential is smothered by StrongVPN’s low level of quality and polish. We were bothered by its occasional connection issues, slow speeds, janky apps, limited security features, and below-average server network.

Is StrongVPN terrible? No. It’s a solid value for money, but NordVPN is a lot better, plus, it’s fairly inexpensive, even for those on a budget. If you need a cheaper NordVPN alternative, consider Private Internet Access instead — it’s even less expensive than StrongVPN.

But if you’ll settle only for the creme de la creme of the VPN industry, you know NordVPN is right at the top.

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