StrongDNS is an offering from the folks at StrongVPN. You can read our review of their VPN service by clicking here. StrongDNS allows you to unblock geo-restricted content. It’s not a VPN, however, so some of the usual variables that go into assessing a VPN service don’t apply to StrongDNS.
Pricing & Plans
StrongDNS is included free in StrongVPN plans and discounts are offered for longer terms of service. StrongVPN plans are as follows:
- 1 month: $10.99
- 1 year: $39.99 during the 1st year & $79.99 thereafter
However, StrongDNS can also be purchased separately via these packages:
Payments can be done via credit cards, PayPal and AliPay.
Free Trial/ Money-back Guarantee
There’s a seven-day free trial with this product. You do have to sign up for a subscription to get it, but you can cancel it within seven days if you’re not happy with it.
StrongDNS plans also come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Privacy & Anonymity
Logging on this service is minimal, including connection times, bandwidth and duration. The company won’t share this information unless ordered to do so by a court.
Torrent Policy
This service does not provide encryption, so it should not be used for torrenting.
Customer Support
StrongDNS has the same level of support you’d expect from StrongVPN, which is good. They have extensive instructions on their site, FAQs and a ticketing system to answer questions. There’s an online live support option that becomes available once you sign up for service.
Product Testing
There’s a StrongDNS tool you can use to configure your connection, or you can set up the service manually by configuring your network connection to use the StrongDNS server.
There are excellent configuration instructions on the SmartDNS site for just about every device and OS. SmartTVs, console games, mobile devices, Kindles and numerous other devices are supported by this service, as are routers.
Speed Test
SmartDNS services do not funnel your traffic through a VPN server, so there is no slowdown to consider here.
IPCheck and DNSLeak Test
SmartDNS services do not change your IP address. They do, however, change your DNS server addresses. If you have trouble connecting to a site, go to DNSLeakTest.com and check to see if your DNS servers have been changed.
Feature Summary
- Comes free with StrongDNS
- Unblocks sites worldwide
- Free trial
- 30-day Money-back
- Multiple payment options
- Works on multiple platforms
- With over 500 anonymous server connections
- Fast DNS connections
- True open web
We Liked
- Excellent setup instructions
- Good support options
Areas for Improvement
The seven-day free trial would be more tempting without a credit card being required.
Conclusion
StrongDNS is one of many SmartDNS services out there, but it’s good. The Windows client worked well and it offers access to a huge range of different streaming sites. If you’re not worried about encryption and just want to access geo-restricted content, this is a good service to try.
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