Disclosure: VPNFin is reader-supported. If you buy a VPN through links on this page, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This never affects our ratings — here’s our full disclosure.
StrongVPN vs AirVPN compares two long-running services for different kinds of power user. StrongVPN, a 2005 service now under Ziff Davis, serves gamers and console owners with Smart DNS, 12 devices and very low ping. AirVPN, an Italian service founded in 2010 by privacy activists, serves self-hosters and privacy purists with open-source apps, 20 forwarded ports and no-email sign-up.
Neither has a full no-logs audit. This guide compares consoles, ports, openness, China, ease, price and fit.
StrongVPN vs AirVPN: Gamers or Self-Hosters
Count consoles and servers first.
StrongVPN’s Smart DNS lets a console or smart TV reach streaming services without an app, and Top10VPN found it had the lowest local ping of 59 VPNs. AirVPN forwards up to 20 ports, ProPrivacy notes, for torrent clients, game servers and self-hosted sites.
Decide whether your home needs streaming on a console or open ports for a server.
Openness, Evidence and Anonymity
Factor that in before paying for a year.
Readable code still falls short of a full audit.
Anyone can read the source of AirVPN’s clients and watch its server statistics in real time. StrongVPN’s apps are closed and, Top10VPN notes, unaudited, without post-quantum encryption.
AirVPN offers more to inspect. Our VPN audit tracker lists audited providers.
Write down your AirVPN account details somewhere safe.
Signing up to AirVPN takes no email address, and ProPrivacy lists several cryptocurrencies among its payment options. StrongVPN uses a standard email account and payments.
AirVPN wins on anonymous sign-up.
China and Blocked Networks
Install before travelling.
However, no VPN can promise constant access in China.
Install before travelling.
Gizmodo found AirVPN reliable in China in 2026, using options such as OpenVPN over TCP port 443. We found no obfuscation feature or China test for StrongVPN in our sources.
For filtered networks, AirVPN is the clear choice.
Ease of Use and Streaming
Therefore, StrongVPN suits beginners better.
Test the services you use first.
Eddie has 12 tabs of settings and no iOS version, Cloudwards found, and reviewers report AirVPN struggling with streaming. StrongVPN’s apps are simpler, and it does best with US services such as HBO Max, Top10VPN found.
Beginners and streamers will prefer StrongVPN.
Price and Refunds
Add up the full cost of the term you expect to keep.
Avoid StrongVPN’s monthly plan if you want a refund.
StrongVPN costs $47.69 for the first year, then $89.99, and refunds only yearly plans within 30 days. AirVPN works out to about $4.31 a month on a one-year plan, Cloudwards notes, with a three-day plan and an unclear refund position.
AirVPN is a little cheaper per year. Our renewal price guide compares renewals.
Devices and Routers
Count every device first.
Turn on and test the kill switch after setup.
StrongVPN covers 12 devices and offers a WireGuard generator for routers, though its kill switch is off by default. AirVPN allows five connections, and its configuration files work on routers that support WireGuard or OpenVPN.
Large households fit StrongVPN without a router.
A Simple Test, and Who Each Is For
Keep notes as you go.
Buy AirVPN’s three-day plan to try ports and Eddie, and StrongVPN’s yearly plan to test Smart DNS within its 30-day refund window. Check a console, a torrent and a video call on each.
Keep whichever fits your home better.
StrongVPN suits gamers, console owners and streamers of US services who want 12 devices. AirVPN suits self-hosters, seeders and privacy purists who want open source, anonymity and China access.
Owners differ: Ziff Davis for StrongVPN, an activist collective in Perugia for AirVPN.
Live Stats, Tor, Base and History
Read both privacy policies.
Every AirVPN server shows its current load and user count, and ProPrivacy notes Eddie can send traffic through Tor first. StrongVPN keeps its apps simple, without Tor routing.
Routing through Tor slows things down a lot.
StrongVPN has operated since 2005 and now sits under Ziff Davis alongside IPVanish. AirVPN, based in Perugia, stopped serving Italy in 2024 rather than apply Piracy Shield blocklists, our review notes.
Our VPN ownership guide explains why owners matter.
Protocols
Also, Eddie can use port 22.
Test each on your own network.
Also, StrongVPN’s generator writes WireGuard files for routers.
StrongVPN uses WireGuard by default and also offers OpenVPN and IKEv2. AirVPN runs WireGuard and OpenVPN, including OpenVPN over TCP ports 22 and 443 for blocked networks, Gizmodo notes.
At home, WireGuard on either is the fast default.
If You Lose Your Login, and Who Should Look Elsewhere
Because AirVPN can run without an email, a lost login may be hard to recover, so keep it written down offline. StrongVPN uses an email account with the usual reset.
Choose based on how much anonymity you need.
Anyone who needs a full recent audit or strong streaming should look beyond both. Our audit tracker lists alternatives.
For their specific jobs, both still work well.
How We Research
This page draws on Top10VPN’s StrongVPN review, Cloudwards’, ProPrivacy’s and Gizmodo’s AirVPN reviews and our AirVPN review. We cross-checked these sources against each other, and where they conflict or something can’t be verified, we say so in the text rather than guessing. We checked time-sensitive figures, including prices in US dollars, on 8 October 2026. The main source we relied on is Top10VPN’s StrongVPN review. Our full approach lives on the About Us page.
StrongVPN vs AirVPN FAQ
StrongVPN for consoles, ping and devices; AirVPN for ports, openness and China.
StrongVPN.
AirVPN, up to 20 ports.
AirVPN, in Gizmodo’s 2026 tests.
StrongVPN, with 12.
The Verdict
StrongVPN vs AirVPN: StrongVPN for Smart DNS, low ping and 12 devices; AirVPN for open source, ports, anonymity and China.