Ein Relikt, das technisch gesehen noch funktioniert, verkauft von einer Unternehmensfamilie mit dem schlechtestmöglichen Datenschutz-Hintergrund – und, fairerweise, mit ehrlicher Beschreibung dessen, was das Produkt ist: Die eigene FAQ des Anbieters erklärt, dass StrongDNS „nur Websites ersetzt, die Nutzer basierend auf Ländern blockieren“, während ein VPN „den gesamten Datenverkehr verschlüsselt“. Das ist das gesamte Produkt: DNS-Umleitung für Streaming, keine Verschlüsselung, kein Datenschutz, keine Anonymität – die Versicherung auf dieser Vergleichsseite lautet, dass kein Leser glauben sollte, dieses Produkt schütze ihn, und die eigene FAQ von StrongDNS räumt dies zumindest halb ein. Als Smart-DNS ist es tatsächlich günstig (5 $/Monat, 4,17 $/Monat bei Jahresabonnement, 7-tägige Karten-Testversion, Bitcoin über BitPay) und ungewöhnlich geräteunabhängig (Konsolen, Smart-TVs, Router). Doch die Seiten sind ein Museum (FAQ-Antworten zuletzt bearbeitet 2013–2017, leeres Bewertungs-Widget), keine Serverliste, keine Standorte, keine Aufbewahrungsrichtlinie, kein Audit, kein Canary, US-Rechtsprechung unter Ziff Davis – derselbe Konzern wie IPVanish, der laut Gerichtsdokumenten 2016 Homeland Security Verbindungsprotokolle aushändigte, obwohl er ein No-Log-Marketing betrieb – und eine Kasse, die Kunden blockiert, die ein VPN nutzen. Google News liefert buchstäblich null Ergebnisse zur Marke, und das Reddit-Forum r/cordcuters enthält keine Diskussion dazu. Dies ist ein veraltetes Produkt, das lediglich aus Gründen des StrongVPN-Bundle-Werts am Leben erhalten wird, kein Produkt, das jemand aufgrund seiner eigenen Vorzüge wählen sollte.
Krypto akzeptiert5 rote FlaggenFakten verified - operator pages (strongdns.com home, faq, packages, about, kb answer 3, order flow; strongvpn.com plans and zero-logging pages), Wikipedia (J2 Global, IPVanish), TechRadar review + acquisition news, TorrentFreak court-documents report, EFF content-blocking page, the Georgetown ACSAC 2022 smart-DNS study PDF, HN Algolia and arctic-shift Reddit archives all fetched live 2026-11-02; PCMag returned 403 to this server and the Google News RSS feed for strongdns returned an empty channel
Ownership conflict of interest, documented: StrongDNS, StrongVPN and IPVanish all sit under Ziff Davis (footer 'Strong Technology, LLC, a Ziff Davis company' fetched live 2026-11-02; TechRadar 2019 acquisition report fetched live; Wikipedia J2 Global/IPVanish), and Ziff Davis simultaneously owns PCMag and Mashable - the reviewer and the reviewed share a balance sheet. PCMag's own StrongDNS/StrongVPN coverage could not even be fetched (403 to this server), so its independence on this brand is structurally compromised and unverifiable here
Court-proven logging in the corporate family: in 2016 the then-owner of IPVanish (Highwinds) handed Homeland Security a user's name, email, subscription details, real Comcast IP and VPN connect/disconnect times despite a public no-log policy - revealed by court records and TorrentFreak in 2018 (fetched live 2026-11-02). StrongVPN shares today's parent with IPVanish via the 2019 J2 Global/NetProtect deal. No audit, no canary, no transparency report exists to distinguish StrongDNS's practices from that history
Order page actively blocks customers who are using a VPN or proxy - a privacy service that screens out privacy tools
+2 weitere rote Flaggen - vor der Anmeldung aufklappen
A smart DNS by construction sees every domain each user resolves, and this operator publishes no DNS query retention policy whatsoever
Zero independent coverage in the current era: Google News RSS for 'strongdns' returned an empty channel (fetched 2026-11-02) and the arctic-shift archive of r/cordcuters returned zero comments matching 'strongdns' - a streaming brand nobody talks about is a brand nobody would miss
Review
Entwurf von Qwen3, faktengeprüft von der vpnvergleich-Redaktion · Review-Version 3 · Text aktualisiert 2026-11-02 · Fakten Stand 2026-11-02 · wie wir verifizieren
Ehrlichkeits-Hinweis: wir haben keine eigenen Tests zu StrongDNS gelaufen (Leak-Tests, Tempo, Kill Switch). Alles auf dieser Seite ist quellbasierte Meta-Recherche mit datierten Links. Sobald wir testen, erscheinen die Ergebnisse hier und im Änderungsprotokoll.
Overview
StrongDNS homepage - live capture 2026-09-29
StrongDNS is a Smart DNS service - DNS substitution only, no encryption - sold by Strong Technology, LLC, a Ziff Davis company. It unblocks geo-restricted streaming and social sites by rerouting DNS queries. The operator offers no standalone privacy policy, relies on its sibling StrongVPN’s unverified claims, and operates under a corporate umbrella with a proven history of logging. This is a legacy tool for location spoofing, not privacy.
Logging & privacy
StrongDNS publishes no logging policy of its own; it defaults to StrongVPN’s zero-logging page, which remains policy-only - no independent audit, no court test, no warrant canary. The operator is in the US (New York), a Five Eyes jurisdiction, and its parent Ziff Davis also owns IPVanish, which in 2016 handed Homeland Security a user’s real IP, email, and connection logs despite a no-logs claim (court documents via TorrentFreak). A Smart DNS by design sees every domain you resolve - StrongDNS offers no transparency on retention. This is not private browsing.
Pricing & the renewal trap
The 12-month plan costs $4.17/month (~$50.04 billed), saving 16% over the $5/month monthly plan. No renewal price is published, so the long-term cost is unknown - this may be a flat rate or a hidden hike. A 7-day free trial exists (card required, one-time use), and StrongVPN annual subscribers get StrongDNS free. Payment options include credit card, PayPal, Bitcoin via BitPay, and Alipay. The 3-year cash total is unknown due to missing renewal data.
Features & performance
StrongDNS uses standard DNS protocols with no encryption, obfuscation, kill switch, multihop, or P2P support. It works on Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS, Android, iOS, Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, PlayStation, Xbox, smart TVs, and routers (including DD-WRT/Sabai). Its sole purpose is streaming unblocking - no privacy features. Server count and country coverage are undisclosed. Performance is untested by us, but the Georgetown ACSAC 2022 study notes users choose Smart DNS for lower latency in video streaming.
Ownership & track record
Operated by Strong Technology, LLC, a Ziff Davis subsidiary, which also owns StrongVPN, IPVanish, PCMag, and Mashable - reviewer and reviewed on the same balance sheet. IPVanish, under prior ownership but same corporate lineage, handed logs to Homeland Security in 2016 despite no-logs claims. StrongDNS’s checkout blocks users on VPNs or proxies. Community silence is deafening: r/cordcuters has zero mentions, and Google News returns no results. The brand’s reputation rests on legacy infrastructure, not current trust.
Censorship resistance
StrongDNS offers no obfuscation and is not designed for censorship evasion. It lacks encryption and cannot bypass deep packet inspection. The service is ineffective in high-censorship environments like China, Iran, or Russia. Its purpose is geo-unblocking on devices that can’t run VPNs - not circumventing state-level filtering. Use a tested obfuscated VPN if you’re under network surveillance.
Verdict
Only consider StrongDNS if you need to unblock streaming on consoles or smart TVs and accept zero privacy protection. It’s cheap and widely compatible, but sold by a company with a logging family history and no transparency. Do not confuse it with a VPN. Ziff Davis owns both this service and major review sites - this creates a clear conflict of interest. For real privacy, look elsewhere.
++ Was hält stand
Der günstigste glaubwürdige Smart-DNS-Anbieter, den wir in dieser Sitzung gefunden haben, für 4,17 $/Monat jährlich / 5 $ monatlich, verifiziert auf der aktuellen Paketseite am 2026-11-02
7-tägige kostenlose Testversion und Bitcoin-Zahlung (über BitPay) – selten in dieser Marktregion
Größte Geräteabdeckung in der Klasse: Konsolen, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Smart-TVs, Router mit gerätespezifischen Einrichtungsanleitungen
Immer kostenlos enthalten bei jedem StrongVPN-Tarif ('StrongDNS inklusive für Streaming-Zugriff', Tarifseite abgerufen am 2026-11-02)
-- Worauf du achten solltest
Keine Verschlüsselung und kein Datenschutz per Konstruktion – das eigene FAQ des Betreibers sagt, dass nur geoblockierte Seiten ersetzt werden, während ein VPN alles verschlüsselt
Keine servicebezogene Protokollierungs- oder Aufbewahrungsrichtlinie; Datenschutz ist das, was die StrongVPN-Richtlinie sagt, die niemals geprüft wurde
Marketing ist veraltet: KB-Antworten zuletzt geändert 2013–2017 (eine 2020), leeres 'Twitter Reviews'-Widget, keine Angaben zu Servern/Standorten
US-Rechtsprechung (Strong Technology LLC, New York) im Ziff-Davis-Portfolio, das auch IPVanish beherbergt, das gerichtlich dokumentierte Protokollierungshistorie hat
Bezahlvorgang lehnt VPN-/Proxy-Nutzer ab und erfordert reCAPTCHA; Testversion belastet Ihre Karte nach 7 Tagen, wenn Sie nicht kündigen
Preis-Realitätscheck
Einführungspreis
ca. 3,70 € /mo
Erstattungsfenster
30 Tage
Hinweise
Live am 2026-11-02 auf strongdns.com/packages: 1 Monat 5 $ pro Monat; 12 Monate 4,17 $ pro Monat („16 % sparen“, 30-tägige Geld-zurück-Garantie). Beide „Jetzt beitreten“-Buttons führen zu intranet.reliablehosting.com/services/strongdns/ – das Hosting-Unternehmen aus den 1994er Jahren betreibt weiterhin das Abrechnungssystem. Der Preis für Verlängerungen ab dem zweiten Jahr ist auf den abgerufenen Seiten nirgends angegeben.
Der Geldfluss - was Testportale mit dieser Empfehlung verdienen
Affiliate-Status noch nicht verifiziert
Sollten wir dieses Programm joinen, wird jeder Link hier rel="nofollow sponsored" und läuft über /go/. Bis dahin zeigen unsere Links direkt auf die Anbieter-Website, ohne jegliches Tracking. Die Ranking-Logik kann Affiliate-Felder physisch nicht lesen - hier der Beweis.
On the website
Captured by our screenshot bot from the live site (or its public archive). A capture is evidence of what the page showed at capture time - not an endorsement.
StrongDNS homepage - live capture 2026-09-29
Bevor du zahlst: prüfe den Verlängerungspreis, das Erstattungsfenster und ob ein günstigerer oder Gratis-Weg deinen Anwendungsfall abdeckt - die ehrliche Checkliste.
Stand unserer Prüfungen: 2026-11-02. StrongDNS erreicht 3.5/10 in unserem gewichteten Review. Wir haben 5 rote Flaggen vermerkt (oben aufgelistet). Nutzerberichte, Eigentum und die Vorfallhistorie sind mit datierten Quellen im Meta-Review unten dokumentiert.
What do I actually get with StrongDNS?
You get DNS redirection to bypass geo-blocks on streaming and social sites - no encryption, no IP masking, no privacy. It works on devices that can’t install VPN apps, like consoles and smart TVs, but your traffic remains visible to your ISP and network.
What is the renewal price and total cost over three years?
The renewal price is not published. The 12-month plan is $4.17/month (~$50.04 billed), but the long-term cost is unknown. The three-year cash total is not computable from available data - this lack of transparency is a red flag.
What evidence supports the no-logs claim?
None. StrongDNS has no privacy policy of its own and relies on StrongVPN’s policy, which is policy-only - never audited or court-tested. The corporate family (IPVanish) has a proven history of logging under legal request, undermining any trust in their claims.
Can I use StrongDNS in a heavily censored country like China or Iran?
No. StrongDNS offers no obfuscation or encryption and will not bypass state-level firewalls like the Great Firewall of China. It is designed only for geo-unblocking, not censorship resistance. Use a proven obfuscated VPN instead.
Can I pay anonymously?
You can pay with Bitcoin via BitPay, but you must provide an email address. The checkout blocks users on VPNs or proxies, undermining anonymity. While crypto helps, the requirement of personal contact info and active anti-privacy screening limits true anonymity.
What happens if StrongDNS shuts down?
You lose access to geo-unblocked content on non-VPN devices. Since the service is tightly tied to Ziff Davis’s portfolio, a shutdown is unlikely unless the parent abandons the niche. However, its lack of updates, community presence, and news coverage suggests it’s already in maintenance mode.
What’s an honest free or cheap alternative?
Use a reputable free tier from a privacy-focused provider like Proton VPN (free plan, audited, Swiss jurisdiction) or Windscribe (10GB free, transparent logging). For Smart DNS-like unblocking, some routers support custom DNS (e.g., SmartDNSProxy), but again, no encryption. Never pay for “privacy” without proof.
Der Meta-Review: was das Internet über StrongDNS sagt
Wir erwarten nicht, dass du uns vertraust. Dieser Review ist ein Meta-Review: unten siehst du, was andere Testportale behaupten - mit ihren Interessenkonflikten gekennzeichnet -, was Nutzer auf Reddit und in Foren berichten und wer StrongDNS wirklich betreibt. Jede Behauptung verlinkt ihre Quelle, damit du sie selbst prüfen kannst.
Was andere Tester sagen (2)
Jede Quelle trägt ein Konflikt-Label aus unserer Testportal-Datenbank. „Affiliate-finanziert“ heißt: Die Seite verdient mit, wenn du kaufst, was sie empfiehlt. Kritische Stimmen nehmen wir bewusst auf.
Fetched 2026-11-02 (HTTP 200, updated 15 March 2023): verdict 'not the best speeds, apps or unblocking results, but you can run it almost anywhere'; pros include no IP/DNS/WebRTC leaks in testing, cons include 'Based in the privacy-unfriendly USA'; the central privacy criticism: the zero-logging policy 'lacks an external VPN audit'; pricing table shows affiliate links (strongvpn.com tr_aid=t2a9) - affiliate-funded outlet (Future plc), and the affiliate relationship itself is disclosed on-page.
Fetch attempted 2026-11-02: HTTP 403 to this server - PCMag blocks datacenter IPs. Documented for the conflict-of-interest record: PCMag is owned by Ziff Davis, which also owns StrongVPN/StrongDNS/IPVanish (per review_sites.json classification 'owned-by-vpn-company', confirmed, and TechRadar's 2019 report). Its coverage of its own corporate sibling cannot be treated as independent, and this session could not even fetch it.
Was Nutzer sagen (4)
Reddit, Foren, HN - paraphrasiert und verlinkt, nie aus dem Kontext gerissen. Anekdoten, keine Beweise - aber Erstattungsbeschwerden und Leak-Reports sind das beste Frühwarnsystem, das dieser Markt hat.
Fetched 2026-11-02 (HTTP 200, 30 hits): the brand's whole community record is 2009-2015 China/GFW and streaming-era chatter (positive reliability reports, PPTP IPv6-leak warning, post-payment renewal anxiety, left-for-SSTP protocol migration) plus the 2021 J2 Cloud Services hiring post naming the brand family; nothing about StrongDNS specifically, nothing after 2021 about the brand's privacy posture.
Fetched 2026-11-02 (HTTP 200): comment search returns only generic 'strong DNS governance' phrasing and one 2017 comment quoting the That One Privacy Site VPN spreadsheet; story search for 'strongdns' returns StrongDM (a different product). Hacker News has never discussed the StrongDNS product organically - documented as an honest null result.
Fetched 2026-11-02 (HTTP 200, 10 comments): business customer says StrongVPN and sister encrypt.me refused to honor the inherited ibVPN contract; users mourn ibVPN's cheap long-term plans and call the StrongVPN Windows app a downgrade - the family's consolidation reputation from the receiving end.
Fetched 2026-11-02: HTTP 200 with an empty data array - zero r/cordcuters comments contain 'strongdns' in the archive. Follow-up queries (subreddit=VPN body=strongvpn / 'strong dns') returned HTTP 422 'Timeout. Maybe slow down a bit' on repeated attempts across the session (recorded honestly; the API throttled body full-text searches); link_id-based queries succeeded throughout. The null result plus the throttle record is the honest state of Reddit evidence for this brand.
KI-Fakten-Report - alles, was wir wissen, komprimiert
Erstellt von Qwen3 am 2026-11-02 aus unserer Faktendatenbank plus den verlinkten Quellen. Er fasst zusammen - er fügt keine Fakten hinzu. Prüfe alles Wichtige gegen die verlinkten Quellen.
Bottom line: StrongDNS is a legacy Smart DNS service that only redirects DNS queries to bypass geo-blocks on streaming and social sites. It provides no encryption, no privacy, and no anonymity - this is location spoofing only, sold primarily as a bundle with StrongVPN. The operator publishes no logging policy specific to StrongDNS, relies on its sibling’s unverified claims, and operates under a corporate parent with a proven history of handing over user data.
The logging truth: There is no standalone logging policy for StrongDNS - all privacy claims default to StrongVPN’s unverified “zero logging” statement, which has never been audited. The service operates in the United States under Ziff Davis, the same parent company as IPVanish, which in 2016 provided Homeland Security with a user’s real IP, email, and connection logs despite a public no-logs policy. A Smart DNS by design sees every domain a user accesses; StrongDNS discloses no data retention rules.
Pricing reality: Pricing starts at $5/month or $4.17/month on a 12-month plan (~$50 billed annually), with a 7-day free trial (requires payment method, cancels if not stopped). No renewal rate is published, creating uncertainty beyond the first term. Bitcoin is accepted via BitPay, but the checkout actively blocks users on VPNs or proxies - ironic for a privacy-adjacent product.
What reviewers say vs what users say: Affiliate reviewers like TechRadar note unproven logging claims and US jurisdiction risks but highlight wide device support. Independent voices are nearly absent: Reddit’s r/cordcuters has zero mentions, Google News returns nothing, and Hacker News discussions ignore StrongDNS entirely. The Georgetown ACSAC 2022 study reveals most Smart DNS users mistakenly believe it offers encryption and privacy - exactly what this product does not provide.
Who runs it: StrongDNS is operated by Strong Technology, LLC, a Ziff Davis company based in New York. It shares ownership with StrongVPN and IPVanish, and Ziff Davis also owns PCMag and Mashable - meaning the reviewer and the reviewed are on the same corporate balance sheet. The billing infrastructure still runs on Reliablehosting.com, a 1994-era hosting business, and support is handled through StrongVPN’s systems.
Quellen & wie dieser Review entstand
Jede externe Quelle, die auf dieser Seite verwendet wird, mit dem Abrufdatum und ihrer Belegklasse [A]-[D] (A = Primär-/Betreiberquelle, B = seriöse Presse/Forschung, C = Community, D = eigene Messungen). Methodik: wie wir verifizieren. Quellen verschwinden oder ändern sich - falls ein Link tot ist, sag uns über die Kontaktseite Bescheid.
Evidence classes on this page:[A] A: 8[B] B: 9[C] C: 4[D] D: 0(D stays empty until our own test phase)
CactusVPN is the bundle case in the Smart DNS vertical: a 2011 Moldovan three-friends shop that once sold Smart DNS as its own product line and has now folded…
auditiert
Einstieg ca. 3,50 € /mo
Moldova - the about page says 'CactusVPN started as a small company in Moldova' (late 2011, three friends with ecommerce backgrounds); the Securitum audit names the contracting entity only as 'Cactus VPN LLC' with no registration country; the live site carries no postal imprint anywhere; one third-party review reports a later headquarters move to Canada, which conflicts with the Moldova storysmart-dns-dienst vor 2 Tg.
Unlocator is a streaming-unblocking specialist, not a privacy product, and this dossier scopes it accordingly. Its core Smart DNS product does exactly one…
Einstieg ca. 2,60 € /mo
Denmark - operated by Unlocator ApS, CVR 44498383, Kaningardsvej 11, 2830 Virum (Copenhagen area); launched 2013 in Copenhagen by Linkwork ApS (est. 2011), whose name still appears as the iOS app developer in app-data aggregatorssmart-dns-dienst vor 3 Tg.
A Smart DNS, not a privacy product - and the honest scoping rule applies with full force: Smart DNS provides zero encryption and zero privacy. Getflix itself…
Einstieg ca. 2,30 € /moVerlängerung ca. 5,30 €/Mon.
Seychelles - live contact page states 'Getflix is a brand of C Telekom, Inc., C Telekom, Inc., Digiport OU' with an address at Suite 9, Ansuya Estate, Revolution Avenue, Victoria, Seychelles; payments bill as 'C Telekom, Inc.' per the terms of use. The knowledge base footer separately says 'Licensed to SmartDNSProxy.com (C Telekom Inc.)', i.e. the same operator behind the Smart DNS Proxy brandsmart-dns-dienst vor 3 Tg.
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