ExpressVPN vs StrongVPN

While VPN technology has come a long way in recent years and is very affordable, it can be difficult to understand how to find the right service for you. This is especially true if you haven’t researched many options before. Luckily, we’ve done the work for you. This article covers the major features to look for in VPNs and compares ExpressVPN and StrongVPN so you can be confident in choosing between these two options.

How We Evaluated ExpressVPN vs StrongVPN

There are so many VPN products on the market. You can easily find dozens offering all levels of services and features, but some don’t concentrate on what’s most important for VPN users. We evaluated these two services based on the most common features that are important for users. But remember that whether or not a service is really right for you depends on how you plan to use it.

Common Features We Looked For

1. Security & Privacy

The main reason most people use a VPN is to keep their browsing history and other personal information secure when they’re online. A VPN can keep marketing companies and hackers from following your activity across the web, for example. One of the keys of good security is a high level of encryption. We looked for VPNs that offered some of the highest encryption levels — up to 256-bit AES, which is what many government agencies use to protect data. We also looked for services that offered other privacy and security features, including no-log policies. These are guarantees that the service won’t keep a record of where you go online.

2. Server Coverage

Server coverage is always something you want to look at when considering VPN options. You want a provider that offers plenty of services that are located in disparate regions across the globe. The first reason a high number of servers is important is load balancing. Load balancing just means spreading out the need for the technology over a lot of different hardware so that no one server is burdened to the point that it doesn’t work well. Another reason for many servers in different locations is that a hurricane or other disaster — natural or manmade — can take out server functionality. When there are servers all over the globe, you’re able to connect to one that works no matter what.

3. Performance

VPN performance refers to a number of factors, including how many devices you can connect at one time. For families, this can be important because everyone might want to use the internet on their own devices. You should also consider whether the VPN supports speeds high enough for streaming and other common online activities. A VPN connection will typically reduce your internet speed by a tiny fraction — it does take a little extra time for the encryption and bouncing your activity off a VPN server — but you can find plenty of options that don’t impact your ability to handle tasks online.

4. Price

How much a VPN service hits your wallet is a common concern. Many people look for free versions, but these are typically limited in scope. You can find plenty of VPN options that don’t cost more than a cup of coffee a month, though, and if you can pay for multiple months or years immediately, you can often save more than 50% on subscription fees.

ExpressVPN vs StrongVPN Comparison

If you’re trying to decide between ExpressVPN and StrongVPN, we have you covered. We did more than 10 hours of research to find out where these services stand when it comes to the features that matter to users. Discover the results below.

Security & Privacy

ExpressVPN provides all the main features you want in a VPN service when it comes to security and privacy. That includes high-level encryption. It uses AES 256-bit encryption for the greatest peace of mind that hackers and other agencies won’t be able to break the encryption to access your data. The service also has a no-log policy, so you know it won’t track your information and later hand it over to third-party partners or government agencies, and your IP address is masked when you use this service. That means when you access each website, a different IP address shows up, making it harder to tie any activity to you.

StrongVPN’s policy statement is that it’s a zero-logging service. It notes that the only information it collects is for account setup, such as your payment information and email address, and while it uses cookies on its website, you can disable them for even greater privacy. StrongVPN did offer dedicated IP addresses in past packages, and these are not designed for privacy, so if you sign up for this service, ensure you’re using the shared dynamic IP network that switches the IP address as you traverse the web. This service also offers 256-bit AES encryption and has a kill switch to help protect your information if the VPN service goes down for any reason.

Server Coverage

ExpressVPN has an impressive number of servers all across the globe. At the writing of this article, the company boasted 3,000+ servers that were located in 94 countries. But ExpressVPN adds even more disparity by spreading the servers out over around 160 different locations. And since there are plentiful server locations in the United States, Asia, Europe and South America, there’s typically a server near enough your location to support high-level service and adequate speeds for streaming and other activities.

StrongVPN has less servers than ExpressVPN, but it still offers a good number that can ensure you have a stable, high-quality connection when you need it. The service offers more than 950 servers in more than 30 countries. Country locations include, but aren’t limited to, the United States, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Taiwan, Switzerland, Poland, the Philippines, Norway, Mexico and Japan. In short, there’s enough server coverage here to ensure you have a relatively close option and numerous fall back options.

Performance

ExpressVPN supports unlimited bandwidth, which means you won’t run out of access or face lower speeds halfway through the month if you stream or download a lot. The service is set up so that it automatically evaluates the current usage and performance of servers and places you on the best option each time you log on, which helps ensure speedy performance without you doing anything. It supports a wide range of VPN protocols including OpenVPN UDP, OpenVPN TCP, L2TP, IPSec, IKEv2 and PPTP. It also supports Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, and Vivaldi browsers. You can stream on all your favorite platforms, though you’re limited to connecting up to five devices at a time with this service.

StrongVPN also offers a number of protocols to ensure you have a connection that works for your device. That includes WireGuard, which works on Mac, Windows, iOS and Android devices. It’s a general purpose protocol that helps ensure speedy service and privacy. Other protocols supported include IKEv2, OpenVPN, SSTP, L2TP and IPSec. While StrongVPN potentially supports less browsers than ExpressVPN, you can connect more devices simultaneously — up to a dozen — making it a potential better choice for homes with many IoT devices or people using the internet.

Price

StrongVPN is slightly cheaper than ExpressVPN on any plan, and you can save the most money by opting for StrongVPN’s 1-year subscription. It only costs about $10 more than ExpressVPN’s 6-month option. However, they’re both reasonably priced, so choose the option that best meets your needs.

Overview: ExpressVPN vs StrongVPN

Both of these VPNs have a lot to offer when it comes to server coverage, performance and privacy, and they’re both solid choices. But, as with any technology service, you need to be able to choose the option that best meets your individual needs. Check out the comparison table below to see some additional details about these two companies to help you make your decision.

ExpressVPN vs StrongVPN Comparison Table