NordVPN vs StrongVPN in 2024

NordVPN is a premium VPN provider with an expanded selection of security and privacy tools. While it started as a standalone product, now it’s a leading service setting industry standards in its wake.

In comparison, StrongVPN has been around for a longer time since 2005 but remains relatively small both userbase and feature-wise. In 2021, it combined forces with Encrypt.me to expand its VPN services and features. Does it mean that this veteran is going to dethrone my current champion – NordVPN?

Let’s look at the two providers in more detail and see how they perform across the different categories in my NordVPN vs. StrongVPN comparison!

NordVPN vs StrongVPN: specifications

The two providers may seem similar at first glance. However, I can confidently say that NordVPN is the winner in my NordVPN vs. StrongVPN comparison. It’s much faster, is more reliable in terms of security & privacy, is unbeatable in terms of streaming & torrenting, and I didn’t have trouble bypassing censorship. The best thing about it is the affordable pricing options.

NordVPN vs StrongVPN: pricing

Both NordVPN and StrongVPN offer the typical VPN pricing structure – a monthly subscription that comes at full price and discounted annual plans. While StrongVPN offers slightly cheaper deals, NordVPN’s two-year plan is cheaper than StrongVPN’s annual subscription.

As such, NordVPN is the winner because it’s cheaper overall, offers more bang for your buck, and you can finalize the purchase anonymously if you wish to. Let’s look at the details.

NordVPN pricing

NordVPN offers a 7-day free trial for Android users and a 30-day money-back guarantee for all customers across all plans. It provides several subscription options depending on the tier. I’ll be looking at Standard.

• $12.99/month for the monthly plan
• $4.59/month for the annual plan
• $2.99/month for the two-year plan

The Complete plan comes with additional perks such as a cross-platform password manager, a data breach scanner, and 1 TB of encrypted cloud storage. The Plus tier includes the same features, minus cloud storage, and the Standard subscription doesn’t have any of these. Of course, I also recommend applying a NordVPN coupon that might save you money on any of the plans.

This provider accepts all conventional payment methods – credit cards, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, and ACH Transfer. There’s an option to pay for the subscription with cryptocurrencies to maintain the utmost anonymity. You can also find hard copies of NordVPN subscriptions that you can pay for with cash if you live in a supported region.

StrongVPN pricing

There are two StrongVPN subscription plans to pick from:

• $11.99/month for a month
• $3.97/month for a year

Both plans have the same features, and the provider bundles them together with StrongDNS. Unfortunately, there is no StrongVPN trial version, so the only option to test out these services is to subscribe. Furthermore, the 30-day money-back guarantee only applies to the annual plan, meaning that you could lose out on some money if you end up not liking them.

The registration process is quick and easy, and this VPN accepts most standard payment options. But there is a notable lack of anonymous payment methods, which is not great for privacy-conscious people.

Speed comparison

Without fast & proper connectivity, you’re bound to run into performance issues detrimental to your overall experience. What’s the point of using a VPN if it just slows everything down and doesn’t let you enjoy the things you want?

With NordVPN, this won’t be an issue, thanks to the next-gen NordLynx tunneling protocol. It’s an enhanced version of the commonly-used WireGuard, currently the best protocol for ensuring incredible speeds. Essentially, you’re guaranteed quick connections, HD video quality, virtually no buffering, and fast download times.

StrongVPN utilizes the aforementioned WireGuard protocol, which is lightweight and offers excellent connectivity. This will work just as well as NordLynx but will be a tad bit slower. If speed is your top priority, I advise checking out the fastest VPN providers.

Want to see how well the best VPN providers perform regarding connectivity? Visit the VPN speed test for more information.

NordVPN vs StrongVPN: which is more secure?

Both services include the standard security features expected of VPNs. During tests, I got essentials like AES-256 encryption to keep data unseen, a kill switch to disconnect from the internet if the VPN drops, IP and DNS leak protection to prevent any data leaks, etc.

However, NordVPN is more secure than StrongVPN due to several crucial aspects. Namely, these are a jurisdiction outside surveillance alliances, an audited no-logs policy, and RAM-only hardware.

Privacy

Even when it comes to privacy, StrongVPN can’t seem to keep up with NordVPN, although it does try. First off, StrongVPN is based in the US, a founding member of the Five Eyes surveillance alliance. The United States is one of the least privacy-friendly countries and has laws in place that allow the government to demand surveillance data from companies without your permission.

As for NordVPN, it operates from privacy-friendly Panama, far from anyone that wants to put their grubby hands on your sensitive data. Even if foreign powers request this kind of information, they can deny it.

Logging

StrongVPN states that they don’t collect any data about you, including basic connection metadata (timestamps, connected servers, consumed bandwidth, etc.). In this case, tying down any activity to a specific user is impossible. Keep in mind, though, that no one has audited the no-logs policy to see if StrongVPN truly doesn’t gather your information.

On the other hand, independent third-parties – PwC Switzerland and Deloitte – have audited NordVPN to check if its no-logs policy is true. Four audits were performed, and all came to the same conclusion – this provider doesn’t stalk its users.

Servers location

The difference between the server networks of the two providers is evident, even at first glance.

NordVPN utilizes a sizable network – 7000+ servers in 118+ countries. Most of them let you connect all over North America and Europe, but other regions also have more than enough options. All hardware is located in the country you’re connecting to, meaning you can expect excellent performance.

StrongVPN, on the other hand, is smaller, with only 950+ servers in 30+ countries. Most of the connections are located in North America and Europe, but there are fewer places to connect compared to NordVPN.

However, that is not the only advantage NordVPN has over StrongVPN in this category. Namely, NordVPN runs on RAM-only servers, which means it does not store data on its drives. On the other hand, StrongVPN compensates for having a modest network with bare-metal servers, serviced by its own staff. And yet, if you want to get your hands on all kinds of foreign content without issues, I suggest going with NordVPN.

Features comparison

As it seems, NordVPN is the winner of this category because it offers more features than StrongVPN. Additionally, once I explore this category in more detail, it will be obvious that NordVPN offers many more advantages.

Smart DNS

It is a crucial feature because it enables you to use a VPN on devices that do not support it. Luckily, both providers offer Smart DNS. NordVPN’s SmartPlay allowed me to use its services on any device I wanted while also enhancing my security by adding an extra encryption layer.

StrongVPN’s StrongDNS allowed me to view specific websites, channels, and apps across all devices as well. The difference here is that it didn’t encrypt my traffic on them, unlike NordVPN.

Ad & malware blocker

Here is where I started seeing a more apparent difference between the two providers. Namely, NordVPN provides a feature called Threat Protection, which prevents you from visiting malicious websites, blocks adware, and disables user trackers. It even scans your downloads for malware.

On the other hand, StrongVPN does not have an ad or malware blocker.

Split tunneling

Again, both providers offer split tunneling, which allowed me to choose which sites I wanted to visit via a VPN and which I didn’t.

However, NordVPN has a slight advantage here, as it allows split tunneling on Windows, Android, and Android TV, while StrongVPN only allows it on Android.

Specialized servers

NordVPN packs a punch if you’re looking for specialty servers. Subscribers can take advantage of:

• Obfuscated servers. Generally known as StealthVPN, this is especially handy for regions with restricted internet access. Some countries like China use Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) to detect & block VPN traffic. Obfuscated servers make your VPN connection undetectable, allowing you to bypass even the Great Firewall of China.
• Double VPN servers. It lets you connect to two VPN servers instead of one, encrypting your traffic twice for double the protection. It comes at the cost of performance, so keep that in mind before enabling it.
• Dedicated IP servers. For users who bought a dedicated IP address. You’re the only person with access to a particular IP, which is great if you want to benefit from security provided by VPNs, but be able to access your usual services without, for example, CAPTCHA requests.
• Onion over VPN servers. When you want to combine a VPN with the Tor Network. These take your encrypted traffic and send them through several nodes in the Tor Network, thus encrypting them several times over. Of course, your speeds won’t be great, and it should be used only when you need utmost anonymity.
• P2P-optimized servers. Optimized for torrenting, no bandwidth limits, and no ISP throttling.

Meanwhile, StrongVPN does not maintain any specialized servers.

Other features

It shouldn’t be surprising that NordVPN has other aces up their sleeve. These perks are:

• SOCKS5 proxy. You can configure it with your torrent client or a specific app to change the IP address only for them. But since it’s a proxy, it lacks encryption.
• Invisibility on LAN. Useful when you don’t want your device to be visible on your local area network.
• Dark Web Monitoring. Checks whether your accounts associated with a particular email were compromised.
• Meshnet. Ensures secure remote access to your device, which can be used to share files, play online games on the same network, and more. It can even be used to bypass Netflix’s password-sharing restrictions.

Netflix and streaming comparison

It’s no secret that most people subscribe to VPNs for streaming. I feel extremely frustrated when I can’t watch that highly-anticipated show because it’s unavailable in my country, and these services are here to fix this. VPNs bypass various geo-blocks by changing your IP, unlocking all kinds of different libraries on your favorite entertainment platforms.

NordVPN marks yet another win, not just because it can unblock more streaming services than StrongVPN. Namely, it’s excellent for streaming because it implements the SmartPlay feature, which you use to access all Netflix libraries, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, and more on any device. However, it also maintains specialized streaming servers, which allow for blazing-fast speeds and uninterrupted streaming of 4K quality videos.

On the other hand, while StrongVPN also has its StrongDNS, it does not maintain specialized streaming servers. It means it cannot connect to some services, like Amazon Prime Video and BBC iPlayer. Also, it has slower speeds, causing videos to buffer.

Device compatibility

To no one’s surprise, NordVPN takes the win yet again because it is compatible with more devices, has more browser extensions, and can be manually set up on routers, firewalls, and NAS. Let’s take a closer look.

Desktop applications

When it comes to desktop apps, both providers are compatible with Windows and macOS. In each case, they look identical whether you’re a Windows or a macOS PC owner. A world map also greets NordVPN and StrongVPN subscribers, however, only in NordVPN’s case can you use it to pick servers.

NordVPN’s clients look simple and sleek and are very easy to navigate. Both versions offer top-notch security, and the same can be said about the features. The only difference I noticed is the lack of split tunneling on the macOS application.

Then there’s StrongVPN with pretty clear cut apps as well. The security level of the Windows and macOS clients is alright, but in terms of features, they are both abysmal. As I covered previously, StrongVPN pretty much doesn’t have any features to speak off.

Mobile applications

Both providers also support the same mobile devices – Android and iOS. Again, the apps looks similar to each other, and are identical to their desktop counterparts.

I couldn’t really find anything amiss between NordVPN’s mobile apps. The only significant difference is the lack of split tunneling of the iOS client.

As for StrongVPN, it’s similar to the desktop versions. The only caveat is that you only get the split tunneling feature on Android.

Torrenting

Both services allow P2P on all their servers, but my experience with each was different. NordVPN comes out on top yet again, as expected from the service considered the best VPN for torrenting by many.

Besides having dedicated P2P servers, this provider includes the handy SOCKS5 proxy tool, which helps secure torrenting. Just like split tunneling, it allows you to run the VPN only with a specific browser or app – in this case, your torrent client.

You can get better download speeds by connecting to another server and continue browsing the web in your original region completely unaffected. This has its downside, of course, as the SOCKS5 proxy doesn’t encrypt this traffic, leaving your activities visible.

Alternatively, you can also use split tunneling to achieve this, but StrongVPN has this feature available only for Android devices. On the other hand, StrongVPN does not offer specialized P2P servers or a SOCKS5 proxy, but it still allows torrenting. However, its upload and download speeds are much slower compared to NordVPN, leaving the P2P experience with lots of room for improvement.

China

When it comes to bypassing the Great Firewall of China and censorship in general, NordVPN continues to reign supreme. It’s all thanks to two crucial features, so let’s start with them.

NordVPN has obfuscated servers specifically designed to mask the fact that you’re using a VPN. It’s easier to sneak past the DPI hounds if they can’t even detect my presence in the first place. Onion over VPN takes everything a step further by combining your VPN connection with the Tor network. It sends traffic through multiple nodes via the Tor browser when connected, making it almost impossible to track you back.

Although StrongVPN can vault over the metaphorical wall, it tends to underperform. Technically, it should allow users to circumvent severe restrictions thanks to the Scramble feature of OpenVPN, which does the same as obfuscated servers. But with the somewhat limited server choice and China actively banning VPN ports, it doesn’t always pull through.

The Chinese government has been cracking down on these services for years, so you might have to resort to using the best VPNs for China to remain connected. If you’re going on a trip there, download these apps before entering this country’s territory, as most VPN websites are unavailable.

Customer support

Whenever something stops working, or I can’t connect, I appreciate having people that can help me ASAP. A trusted VPN should include customer support agents you can contact any time of the day.

In this category, both NordVPN and StrongVPN offer top-quality customer service. Have a time-sensitive issue? 24/7 live chat has your back. Need answers to some general questions? Write them an email or find what you’re looking for in the extensive knowledge bases.

StrongVPN offers another support option in a form of a phone line. It’s nice, but keep in mind that it’s for US subscribers only.

NordVPN vs StrongVPN – which is better?

After extensive tests and research, my comparison has yielded a clear-cut winner – NordVPN! It offers so much more in each category. You get a whole roster of security features, an expansive network to tap into, the fastest speeds for torrenting & streaming, and so on. It’s also based in Panama, a country where your privacy is actually respected. It easily remains the best VPN service overall.

In the end, StrongVPN wasn’t able to topple the long-standing champion. In itself, this service isn’t bad – it’s fast, it bypasses geo-blocks, allows P2P traffic, has excellent customer support and great device compatibility. The problem is that it’s located in a country that isn’t privacy-friendly and is bare-bones feature-wise. It will suffice if you need a simple VPN to use in public, change your IP address or want to share an account with a friend with six devices each.

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You may also like to read:
NordVPN vs Surfshark VPN vs ExpressVPN
NordVPN vs Kaspersky
NordVPN vs IPVanish

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FAQ

Is StrongVPN good?

No, StrongVPN is average. It offers essential VPN features like a kill switch, military-grade encryption, etc., but it isn’t as robust as compared to the best VPNs. This provider is primarily suitable for the basics.

Is StrongVPN better than NordVPN?

No, StrongVPN is far behind NordVPN. It offers only the basic security & privacy features, hasn’t had any independent audits to check if its no-logs policy is valid, and is based in the US. In the categories that matter to users, such as streaming, P2P, NordVPN is far superior.

Which is faster – NordVPN or StrongVPN?

NordVPN is faster than StrongVPN because it maintains over 7000 servers in 118+ countries, which is a significantly higher number than its rival. Additionally, its unique NordLynx protocol enhances the speed and stability of its connections and performance even more.

What is the best VPN?

NordVPN is the best VPN currently available. It has a wide range of features that ensure you stay anonymous and secure, has an independently-audited no-logs policy, extensive bare-metal server list, fastest speeds, malware protection tools, and more.