StrongVPN has been selling VPN subscriptions since 2005, longer than most competitors have existed. NordVPN arrived 9 years later and now operates a network 10 times the size. Age counts for something in this category. It doesn’t count for enough. NordVPN takes this 6 to 1, with 1 draw.
It wins apps, features, privacy, speed, streaming and torrenting, and server coverage. StrongVPN holds its price on the strength of an $89.99 renewal, and both VPNs get through the Great Firewall often enough to call censorship even. The 8 sections below show how each verdict was reached.
StrongVPN vs NordVPN: Quick Comparison
| 🏆 NordVPN | StrongVPN | |
| Our Current Ranking 📋 | #1 | Unranked |
| Prices 🤑 | Starts at $3.49/mo | Starts at $3.97/mo |
| Money-Back Guarantee 🪙 | 30 days on every plan | 30 days, annual plan only |
| Free Version/Free Trial 🆓 | No/7 days on Android | No/No |
| Logging/Jurisdiction 🕵️ | No activity or connection logs/Panama | No traffic logs/USA (5 Eyes) |
| Independent Audits 📝 | Deloitte, 6 times through February 2026 | None |
| Protocols 🌐 | NordLynx, OpenVPN, NordWhisper | WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, L2TP, SSTP |
| Post-Quantum Encryption 🧬 | Yes | No |
| Servers 🏠 | 9,500+ in 149 countries | 950+ in 30+ countries |
| Specialty Servers ✅ | Double VPN, Onion over VPN, obfuscated, dedicated IP | None |
| Ad Blocking ⛔ | Yes, on every plan | No |
| RAM-Only Servers 🛡️ | Yes | No |
| Working With Netflix 📺 | Yes, 30+ catalogs | Yes, around 10 catalogs |
| P2P Allowance ↔️ | Yes, on all servers | Yes |
| Concurrent Connections 📟 | 10 | 12 |
Apps, Platforms, and Daily Use
Platform coverage is close to identical. Windows, macOS, and Linux computers, iOS and Android phones, plus clients for Fire TV, Apple TV, routers, and browsers. Both work on Chromebooks and support a range of router firmware. StrongVPN allows 12 simultaneous connections against NordVPN’s 10, its one advantage in this section. Build quality is another matter.
StrongVPN’s desktop client looks a decade old, and the Windows version was slow to respond during testing. It occasionally refused to connect with no error message, which a restart resolved. The mobile apps are better built, and iOS adds Siri shortcuts for one-phrase connections.
NordVPN behaves the same way on every platform. One click connects, the interactive map handles location choice, and we recorded no failed connections across the test period. Its mobile clients include nearly the full desktop feature set, including split tunneling and Threat Protection.
Winner: NordVPN ✅
2 extra device slots against software that works every time. Reliability wins that trade.
StrongVPN vs NordVPN Price Comparison
StrongVPN keeps the menu short. If you’re checking what a VPN costs before committing, there are 2 options:
- Monthly plan at $11.99, with no refund window
- Annual plan at $47.69 for the first year, roughly $3.97 monthly, with a 30-day money-back guarantee
NordVPN has 3 tiers on a 27-month term that includes 3 bonus months.
- Basic starts at $3.49/mo, billed at $94.23 for the whole term.
- Complete is $4.49/mo at $121.23
- Prime is $7.49/mo at $202.23
- Annual plans cost $5.49, $6.49, and $9.49 monthly.
What Happens at Renewal
StrongVPN’s 1-year plan renews at $89.99/year, an 89% increase over the $47.69 first year. NordVPN Basic renews at $139.08, Complete at $219.48, and Prime at $296.28. Over the first 27 months, NordVPN’s $94.23 beats StrongVPN’s $160.18 for the same window.
From year 3 onward, the order reverses, with StrongVPN costing $49.09 less every year. Seasonal NordVPN promotions add bonus months but leave the renewal figure alone.
Winner: StrongVPN ✅
NordVPN is cheaper across the introductory term, and StrongVPN is cheaper forever after. Long-haul subscribers save more with StrongVPN.
Security Features Compared
Shared Ground
The fundamentals are covered on both sides:
- 256-bit encryption and an automatic kill switch
- WireGuard, which NordVPN repackages as NordLynx with a double NAT layer for extra anonymity
- Split tunneling, though StrongVPN limits it to Android while NordVPN offers it across platforms
- In-house DNS, so queries stay inside each provider’s no-logging perimeter
Both kill switches cut our traffic the moment we forced a disconnection. NordVPN adds an advanced mode that blocks internet access unless the tunnel is active, one of several ways a kill switch can be configured.
Where NordVPN Pulls Away
StrongVPN has no unique features. Its protocol list is longer, but L2TP and SSTP are legacy options with no reason to pick them over WireGuard. StrongDNS, its Smart DNS tool, comes bundled on both plans and is the only extra in the box.
NordVPN’s list, covered fully in our standalone NordVPN assessment, starts with Scam and Phishing Protection, a DNS-based blocker now included on every plan at no charge. Higher tiers upgrade that to the malware scanner with file scanning and vulnerability checks. Basic includes Double VPN for two-layer encryption, Onion over VPN, obfuscated servers, and post-quantum encryption.
Complete adds NordPass and 1 TB of NordLocker storage. NordWhisper handles filtered networks, though it can’t be paired with torrenting.
Winner: NordVPN ✅
NordVPN VPN sells a toolkit. StrongVPN sells a tunnel and two protocols from 2005. Overall, NordVPN is much safer, with a more modern security toolkit.
Privacy Comparison: No Log Policy Analysis
Neither records browsing activity, but let’s break it down.
What Each Policy Commits To
NordVPN’s July 2026 policy states that internet activity is never monitored, recorded, or passed on, and that used bandwidth, traffic logs, IP addresses, and browsing information aren’t stored. 2 items do get processed, both narrow:
- Last session data, kept to enforce the connection limit and deleted within 15 minutes of disconnection
- A 90-day activity flag, recording whether the service was used at all, to contest chargebacks
2 NordVPN add-ons come with their own disclosures. Smart DNS requires storing your IP address once activated, and buying a dedicated IP links your email and account to that address. StrongVPN’s policy, last updated in April 2025, promises zero traffic logging. It collects an email and payment method, and credit card users hand over a full name and billing address.
Audits, Ownership, and Contradiction
NordVPN has been audited by Deloitte 6 times, most recently in February 2026, and runs a RAM-only fleet from Panama. StrongVPN has never been audited. Strong Technology LLC belongs to Ziff Davis, the media group behind IGN and PCMag, and answers to US law. Its policy summary says it doesn’t sell personal information to third parties. The California rights section further says data provided may be sold or shared under some circumstances.
Mostly to serve interest-based ads, with an opt-out available. Site and account data, then, and traffic isn’t logged. The two statements don’t agree.
Winner: NordVPN ✅
6 audits against zero, Panama against a 5 Eyes member, and a policy that doesn’t argue with itself. NordVPN clearly wins this round.
NordVPN Is Faster Than StrongVPN: Speed Tests
We tested from Serbia, 3 times a day across 3 consecutive days, on UK, US, and Japanese servers. Both providers stayed on their fastest protocol, NordLynx for NordVPN and WireGuard for StrongVPN. If you’re based in the region, our Serbia shortlist covers local options.
- DL Speed Without VPN: 52.56 Mbps
- UL Speed Without VPN: 10.04 Mbps
- Ping: 10 ms
- Testing Location: Serbia
Average speed loss across the 3 locations:
| NordVPN | StrongVPN | |
| ⏬ Download Speed Loss | 18% | 46% |
| ⏫ Upload Speed Loss | 7% | 69% |
Per-location results:
| NordVPN | StrongVPN | |
| UK (Download/Upload) | 49.93/9.53 Mbps | 38.89/5.32 Mbps |
| US (Download/Upload) | 45.20/9.32 Mbps | 22.07/0.60 Mbps |
| Japan (Download/Upload) | 34.68/9.13 Mbps | 23.65/3.41 Mbps |
NordVPN swept all 6 measurements. It downloaded 28% faster to London, 105% faster to the US, and 47% faster to Tokyo. The upload figures are the harsher ones: StrongVPN managed 0.60 Mbps on the US server against NordVPN’s 9.32, which rules out video calls and cloud backups in that location.
Winner: NordVPN ✅
6 tests, 6 wins, and 1 StrongVPN upload result that borders on unusable.
Streaming and Torrenting
Streaming
StrongVPN performs better here than I expected. It can change your Netflix region and opened around 10 catalogs during testing, along with BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and Hulu. NordVPN reached 30+ catalogs and handled the harder platforms, ESPN+ and Prime Video included.
NordVPN’s browser extension is tuned for streaming and spoofs location separately from the tunnel. StrongVPN offers no equivalent. NordVPN is also the more dependable choice for household sharing restrictions, and its speed advantage means 4K playback held steady where StrongVPN stuttered.
Torrenting
Both allow P2P with unlimited data, which puts them ahead of free torrenting options. On nearby European servers, the two performed almost identically.
NordVPN pulls ahead on distant locations because of the speed difference, and it supports SOCKS5, which trades encryption for raw speed.
Winner: NordVPN ✅
Torrenting is close on local servers. Streaming decides the section, with 30+ catalogs against 10 and an extension StrongVPN can’t match.
Server Networks Compared
| NordVPN | StrongVPN | |
| Number of servers | 9,500+ | 950+ |
| Number of countries | 149 | 30+ |
10 times the servers and roughly 5 times the countries. The country figure does more damage than the server figure, because StrongVPN’s missing locations include the whole of Africa. American coverage is its strength, with city-level choice across 15+ US locations, while most other countries get a single city.
NordVPN’s fleet is RAM-only, and it adds server categories. StrongVPN has no version of Double VPN, Onion over VPN, obfuscated, or dedicated IP. StrongVPN’s privacy policy adds a detail its marketing doesn’t. It sold dedicated IP packages in the past, states they were never designed for anonymity, and now steers those customers onto the shared network instead.
Winner: NordVPN ✅
More servers, 5 times the countries, better servers, and specialty categories on top. StrongVPN’s US city-level spread is its one true strength here.
Bypassing Censorship in China
Both VPNs worked in China when we tested them (August 2026). StrongVPN connects with OpenVPN TCP with its Scramble obfuscation switched on. Speeds drop, and there were occasional disconnections, but the San Francisco server the company recommends held up well enough for browsing and messaging.
NordVPN uses obfuscated servers that scramble traffic and fall back to OpenVPN TCP. Our testers found it slightly faster and marginally more stable across the same period. Neither is as dependable as it was 3 years ago, which describes every VPN in 2026, including IPVanish, which fails there completely.
Winner: Draw 🤝
Both get through, both slow down, and neither can promise a connection on any given day. If this is your only merit, pick any of them.
Conclusion: NordVPN Beats StrongVPN
StrongVPN’s case comes down to 2 numbers. 12 simultaneous connections, and an $89.99 renewal that undercuts NordVPN by $49.09 every year from year 3 onward. Subscribers who plan to keep the same VPN for 5 years will spend less with it. Everything else simply favors NordVPN.
It swept all 6 speed measurements, opened 3 times as many Netflix catalogs, covers 119 more countries, has been audited by Deloitte 6 times, and includes ad blocking, Double VPN, and post-quantum encryption on the entry plan. StrongVPN has never been audited and answers to US law.
For a cheaper option that clears that bar, a NordVPN alternative like Proton VPN costs less. Otherwise, the 30-day guarantee makes NordVPN easy to test.
Frequently Asked Questions
⚖️ Is StrongVPN better than NordVPN?
No. NordVPN is faster on every server location, opens more streaming catalogs, and has an audit record StrongVPN lacks. StrongVPN's advantages are 2 extra device slots and a lower renewal price after the introductory year.
✅ Has StrongVPN ever been independently audited?
No. StrongVPN has published no third-party audit of its no-logs claim or its infrastructure. NordVPN has been examined by Deloitte 6 separate times.
💰 How much does StrongVPN cost after the first year?
The annual plan bills $47.69 for the first year and $89.99 for every year after that. The monthly plan costs $11.99 and includes no refund window. Only the annual plan is fully refundable within 30 days.
📝 Does NordVPN store any data at all?
Yes, 2 items. Session data is retained to enforce the 10-connection limit and deleted within 15 minutes of a disconnection, and a flag records whether the account connected at all in the past 90 days to dispute chargebacks. Neither includes browsing activity, bandwidth, or IP addresses.
🧲 Which of the two is better for torrenting?
NordVPN. Both allow P2P traffic with no data caps, and performance is close on nearby servers. NordVPN's speed advantage grows in distant locations, and it adds SOCKS5 proxy support that StrongVPN doesn't.
📍 Does StrongVPN sell dedicated IP addresses?
No, not anymore. Those packages were retired, and the company's privacy policy states they were built for security and region-switching instead of anonymity. Existing legacy customers can move to the shared network at no charge. NordVPN still sells dedicated IPs as an add-on.