The Best VPNs for China

The Great Firewall of China (GFW) blocks roughly 300,000 web domains and most VPN traffic. Only the very best VPNs for China get around these blocks by using cutting-edge obfuscation technology to disguise their traffic.

After testing 61 VPN services using our server in Shanghai, we can confirm that the VPNs we recommend have a track record of working in mainland China. They circumvent restrictions on Google, Instagram, YouTube, and other popular apps and websites.

Use the table below to compare the most effective China VPNs based on how reliably they work, their obfuscation capabilities, price, and more:

*This figure shows performance in the past year.

Most free VPNs struggle in China due to the complex and costly nature of circumventing censorship.

Windscribe is the only safe free VPN that works in China. Through our rigorous testing, Windscribe Free has consistently proven its efficacy, with an impressive success rate of 85%.

We used to recommend PrivadoVPN Free and Atlas VPN Free, but they’ve both recently encountered issues.

PrivadoVPN Free’s monthly data refresh triggers firewall blocks, while AtlasVPN discontinued operations in April 2024 due to financial constraints.

We conduct tests with our Shanghai desktop every two weeks to record which VPNs are working to bypass the Great Firewall. The table below shows the effectiveness of popular VPNs at accessing blocked websites in mainland China.

Years of testing VPNs in China have taught us you have to follow very specific instructions and enable obfuscation to circumvent firewalls. The table above includes the best tips we’ve collected over the years for using VPNs in China.

The chart below summarizes how 15 popular VPNs performed in our China tests over the past 12 months:

Click to view an enlarged version of our bar chart.

Contrary to what many websites state, ExpressVPN and NordVPN are no longer reliable options for China. In our tests, we found they don’t work most of the time to unblock websites in China, as we explain in more detail below.

We’ve tested 61 VPN services in China and the majority do not work. This includes some of the best and most popular VPNs.

This is because the Chinese government actively tries to identify and block unofficial VPN connections.

Here is a list of other popular VPNs that have never, or very rarely, work in China:

• CyberGhost
• HideMyAss
• IPVanish
• Mullvad
• Surfshark
• Proton VPN
• TunnelBear
• VyprVPN

Due to the changing nature of firewalls, some VPNs get better at bypassing them over time. However, others have decreased in effectiveness. Below, we’ve listed some popular VPNs that we no longer recommend for China:

NordVPN

Despite what other websites claim, NordVPN is a poor choice for China. In the past year, the NordVPN app has worked 0% of the time in our tests with a PC in Shanghai.

NordVPN’s official statement reads: “Unfortunately, we are currently experiencing some connectivity issues in the China region as our server configurations for manual connections and applications have recently been blocked.”

Private Internet Access

PIA used to be the best cheap VPN for China, but was hit by the Great Firewall update at the end of 2022. In the past year, it’s dropped from 57% to 50% in China.

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN used to be one of the best VPNs for China due to its inbuilt obfuscation. However, it was severely hit by the GFW update at the end of 2022 and hasn’t recovered to previous levels of performance.

In the past year, it’s only worked 64% of the time in China.

We test for a number of key decision-making factors when testing the safest and most reliable VPNs for China. The table below summarizes how the top VPNs for China performed in these key testing categories:

VPNs with a data cap receive a reduction to their overall rating.

Here’s a breakdown of exactly what we test for when recommending China VPNs:

1. Success Rate in China: 70%

To test VPNs in China, we use a virtual Windows 10 PC located in Shanghai. Our team manually tests 15 popular VPN services every two weeks to see if they can bypass the Great Firewall.

We track success rates of VPNs over the past three months and 12 months by trying to connect to servers outside mainland China and accessing YouTube, Instagram, or Google.

We follow any specific instructions provided by the VPN during testing, or get in contact with customer support if the VPN struggles to connect.

Ratings are determined by the VPN’s success rate over the last 12 months. For example, an 82% success rate results in a rating of 8.2/10.

2. Obfuscation Technology: 5%

Obfuscation masks your VPN traffic, making it indistinguishable from regular internet traffic to get past firewalls and VPN bans.

OpenVPN Stunnel, XOR Scramble, and Shadowsocks proxies are among the most effective obfuscation techniques. Astrill and Windscribe also offer their own proprietary stealth protocols.

In regions with online censorship like China, Russia, and Turkey, where VPN usage is heavily monitored, obfuscation technology becomes indispensable.

VPNs that offer multiple effective forms of obfuscation receive higher scores in this category. VPNs that don’t offer any obfuscation or fail to improve their obfuscation over time receive lower scores.

3. Privacy & Logging Policy: 5%

Choosing a VPN that respects user privacy and doesn’t log sensitive information is extremely important, particularly for users residing or traveling in China. Given the Chinese government’s prohibition of unauthorized VPNs, maintaining anonymity is crucial to avoid fines.

You shouldn’t use a VPN that records your timestamps, IP address, or any other information that could identify you and your internet activity.

Crucially, you should avoid VPNs that’s based in China, or affiliated with Chinese businesses or the government. Our research uncovered that many of the most popular free mobile VPN apps in the US are Chinese-owned.

We analyzed the privacy policies and ownership of VPNs. VPNs with safe jurisdictions and log minimal data received higher score. We disqualified any VPNs with links to mainland Chinese businesses and government.

4. Speed: 10%

The GFW uses bandwidth throttling to censor web content originating from outside the country. Users will encounter error messages saying your server took too long to respond.

Our speed testing methodology involved assessing local speeds from the US, and international speeds while connected to Australia, Singapore, and the UK.

By comparing these speeds with and without VPN usage, we calculate the percentage drop in performance. VPNs with minimal speed loss receive higher scores, whereas VPNs with more speed loss get lower scores.

5. Nearby Servers to China: 10%

For VPNs aiming to circumvent the GFW, servers in nearby countries are crucial for maintaining fast speeds.

Servers in nearby Asian countries, particularly in Hong Kong, are typically the best choice for achieving high-speed connections.

Additionally, our testing includes servers in Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea.

Servers on the US West Coast also deliver good speeds from China and are ideal for accessing US streaming services, such as Netflix and Disney+.

We reward VPNs that offer over 15 servers in Asia highly in this category.

The Great Firewall of China (GFW) is a nickname given to China’s internet censorship system, which operates through state legislation and internet filtering technologies.

Since its inception in 2003, the GFW has empowered Chinese authorities to monitor and restrict internet access in mainland China.

The Great Firewall censors the internet by imposing restrictions, slowing down connections, or outright blocking access to specific websites, applications and online services.

Unlike online censorship in other countries, China’s Great Firewall has been ingrained in the country’s internet infrastructure since the early days of the internet, making it a fundamental component of its online governance.

The GFW’s operations are complex and multifaceted, with the Chinese Communist Party (China’s ruling political party) maintaining a high level of secrecy regarding how internet censorship functions within the country.

By combining these technologies and constantly upgrading infrastructure, China has established the most effective and dynamic system of online censorship in the world.

Does the Great Firewall Block Every VPN?

While China’s Great Firewall actively blocks VPN connections, it cannot block all VPNs.

The Chinese government has been blocking VPNs to some degree since 2011, with intensified measures taken since 2022, and promises of it being even greater in the future.

Although not entirely successful in eliminating VPN usage, many popular VPNs like NordVPN and Proton VPN have become unusable in China.

Even VPNs equipped with effective obfuscation tools occasionally fall victim to the GFW’s censorship.

During times of heightened political unrest or on significant anniversaries such as June 4, the Chinese government intensifies crackdowns on VPNs, making access to blocked websites more challenging.

However, reliable VPN providers like Astrill and Hide.me typically find workable solutions quickly.

How Do the Top VPNs Beat the Great Firewall?

Top VPNs evade the GFW by routing encrypted traffic through servers in other countries before reaching the target website, concealing the traffic’s destination.

While censors can identify VPN traffic through Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), advanced VPNs use obfuscation technology to disguise VPN traffic as normal HTTPS internet traffic.

Despite these measures, the GFW manages to block certain VPN servers by blacklisting associated IP address ranges, resulting in sporadic service availability.

Can You Beat the Great Firewall without a VPN?

There are other circumvention tools that can unblock websites and apps in China, but they’re usually not as effective as VPNs.

Most VPN alternatives don’t protect your privacy and aren’t guaranteed to work.

In China, many popular websites and apps are inaccessible due to the GFW. You can use our tool to test whether a specific website is blocked in China.

For example, the Google Play Store is completely unavailable, while Apple’s App Store is heavily restricted and lacks VPN applications.

Some of the most popular websites and services unavailable in China include:

• Google (blocked since 2014)
• YouTube (blocked since 2011)
• Facebook (blocked since 2009)
• Twitter (blocked since 2009)
• Instagram (blocked since 2014)
• WhatsApp (blocked since 2017)
• Skype (blocked since 2017)
• Pinterest (blocked since 2017)

VPN websites are blocked 73% of the time, so it’s best to set up VPN apps before traveling to China.

For Android users, some VPN websites offer .apk files for direct installation — though these are often blocked in China. It’s also important to exercise caution when downloading files from third-party .apk websites, as they may contain malware.

Moreover, China’s GFW can block access to any internet-dependent services, including email apps (such as Gmail), streaming services (like Spotify or Max) or instant messaging (like Slack and Snapchat).

In mainland China, government-approved VPNs are considered legal. These VPN services must obtain permission from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to operate.

However, to comply with regulations, these VPNs typically compromise user privacy by logging and sharing data with local authorities, undermining their effectiveness in protecting user privacy.

Using an unauthorized VPN technically carries potential fines of up to 15,000 yuan (around $2,200), although instances of fines for VPN users, particularly foreigners, are rare.

However, a programmer in Northern China faced a record fine of over 1 million yuan for using a VPN to work for a foreign company. Local authorities confiscated his earnings and issued a penalty for using “unauthorized channels” to access international networks.

Opting for a reputable, secure VPN based outside China greatly reduces the risk of authorities identifying your VPN traffic. Even if detected, the likelihood of facing consequences for its use is minimal.

It’s crucial to avoid unsafe VPNs with inadequate encryption and security standards, as they can leave your online activities vulnerable to exposure.