Important Note!
Even though VPN providers listed below can bypass Chinese Internet restrictions, as of 2018 their websites might be inaccessible from within China. This means that you won’t be able to subscribe to their VPN service once you are there and won’t be able to download their apps from app stores. Thus, please setup the VPN before before you head for China.
For this reason you must also use custom protocols specifically designed to hide VPN connection. To reiterate, OpenVPN will NOT work unless it’s obfuscated to look like normal HTTPS traffic. Please read our guide in full to successfully use VPN in China.
Communist ruled China is well known for its internet censorship and very slow speeds. Since VPN tunneling protocols are blocked by the Great Firewall of China, most VPN providers do not work in the country.
Chinese Government blocks access to a large number of international resources such as Google, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr etc. Even though some VPN providers are quite successful at breaking through this Wall, the Chinese government is advancing so the providers must stay tuned and constantly adjust their VPN setup to ensure free internet access in that region. Additionally, as of February 2018, 3 major Chinese telecom providers, which include China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, will completely block access to VPN services, or at least they think they will.
Great Firewall of China (or its official name Golden Shield Project) functions just like a regular Firewall, however, on a country-wide scale. It uses Deep Packet Inspection method to analyse incoming and outgoing connections and blocks traffic it deems not fit. Unfortunately, connections that tunnelling protocols use are red flagged by government and are automatically blocked. Like we mentioned above, since Chinese government puts a lot of effort into internet censorship, their Firewall constantly evolves making it more and more difficult to connect to the internet without restrictions.
The most popular OpenVPN protocol is the worst choice to use in China as it most certainly will not function properly. Even though PPTP, L2TP/IPsec and especially SSTP are much better choices, Chameleon, StealthVPN or SoftEther are the best VPN protocols since they were made specifically to trick restrictive governments into thinking they are regular https connections without raising any suspicion. But in addition to the above mentioned protocols there are other obfuscation methods that are also great to bypass surveillance and censorhip in China.
Obfuscation tools are generally also undetectable so your ISP will not even know you are using a VPN unless they notice abnormally high volume of encrypted traffic.
Breakdown of VPN providers and obfuscation methods that they offer:
Chameleon is offered by VyprVPN.
OpenVPN over SSL is offered by ExpressVPN and AirVPN.
StealthVPN is offered by TorGuard.
SoftEther is offered by Hide.me, Cactus VPN and HideIPVPN.
Other methods are offered by NordVPN and StrongVPN.
VPN providers that we listed below use advanced obfuscation tools and can bypass even the strictest firewalls.
ANNUAL PRICE: 1.66 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 12.95 USD
VyprVPN is a leading no logs VPN provider (independently audited) with over 700 ultra fast servers worldwide that support gigabit Internet connection (1,000Mbps). VyprVPN has done independent public audit by Leviathan Security to ensure that no Personally Identifiable Information is collected with respect to the use of the VyprVPN service. Unlike most VPN providers, VyprVPN doesn’t rely on 3rd party hosting – they own and manage their own VPN servers. VyprVPN infrastructure is amazingly fast offering ultra fast speeds and low ping times for high speed HD streaming. VyprVPN custom software is very reliable and protects users from various IP leaks. VyprVPN apps offer port forwarding to port 433 and ports 15000-20000. In addition, VyprVPN is an excellent provider to bypass even the strictest firewalls that block VPN connection. To read a full VyprVPN review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 3.49 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 11.95 USD
Panama based NordVPN is one of the best security oriented VPN companies with amazingly fast infrastructure. NordVPN offers over 5,000 servers in 62 countries, dedicated & shared IP types, and 6 simultaneous logins. NordVPN has a Smart Play technology offering an encrypted connection to access geo-restricted content on Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, BBC iPlayer and similar services. NordVPN implemented a strict no logs privacy policy, offers double data encryption, obfuscation tools and other advanced security features. Their custom apps run on system startup include Kill Switch feature and DNS leak resolver to protect the user from unexpected data leaks. To read a full NordVPN review and get an annual discount click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 4.49 USD/mo [promocode]
MONTHLY PRICE: 8.99 USD
Offering over 3,000 servers in 50 countries, all mainstream protocols and 5 simultaneous connections, TorGuard rightfully earned its place as a top VPN provider. No logs TorGuard offers a reliable, fast and secure VPN connection. Their SOCKS5 proxy is an excellent feature for high speed multimedia streaming and torrenting as it integrates with the main BitTorrent applications. TorGuard native apps offer advanced security features like Kill Switch to ensure no data leaks, even when the connection drops, and port forwarding to custom TCP/UDP ports. TorGuard’s StealthVPN protocol is an effective tool to bypass strict firewalls and VPN blocking. To read a full TorGuard review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 6.67 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 12.95 USD
ExpressVPN has one of the largest and fastest infrastructures with over 2,000 servers in 94 countries. Ultra fast ExpressVPN network supports gigabit Internet connection which makes it a perfect choice for ultra high speed streaming and torrenting. Besides, ExpressVPN aligns itself as one of the Internet’s leading advocates for net neutrality, for a democratic and open internet. Considering they have a no logs policy, accept Bitcoin and are located on the Caribbean Island, they are a great choice for privacy oriented customers who want to protect their data from surveillance, bypass censorship and access restricted materials. To read a full ExpressVPN review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 4.99 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 9.95 USD
Based in Malaysia, Hide.me is one the most secure and fastest VPN providers offering ultra fast VPN servers that provide gigabit Internet connection. Hide.Me VPN is extremely reliable and very fast which makes it a perfect choice for security oriented users who would like to enjoy uninterrupted streaming and browsing experience. Hide.Me offers incredibly convenient custom apps for all devices with a number of advanced security features for maximum protection. Hide.me is a no logs company that has custom software with a built-in protection against IP and data leaks, obfuscation tools to bypass strict firewalls, dynamic TCP/UDP port-forwarding (UPnP) and SOCKS5 proxy that is especially useful for torrenting. To read a full Hide.me review click HERE.
MONTHLY PRICE: 12.99 EUR
ANNUAL PRICE: 9.99 EUR/mo
Perfect Privacy is an ultra fast (gigabit servers) VPN provider with a heavy focus on advanced online security. Perfect Privacy integrated firewall enforces all traffic to be sent through secure tunnels thereby protecting their users from all known IP leaks when the app is running, it even prevents unencrypted online access after OS reboot. In addition, Perfect Privacy offers a unique Multi-Hop VPN feature that allows cascading over up to 4 OpenVPN servers at the same time along with SOCKS5 and Squid proxies. Perfect Privacy can bypass strict firewalls by obfuscating OpenVPN to look like normal HTTPS traffic with OpenVPN over SSH feature. For additional firewall penetration Perfect Privacy allows 5 custom port forwardings or 3 default random ports. What really separates them, though, is their ability to resolve .onion (TOR) addresses without the need for the Tor Browser. To read a full Perfect Privacy review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 4.50 EUR/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 7 EUR
AirVPN is an Italian VPN provider created by privacy activists whose main goal is data protection. AirVPN has over 200 servers in 23 countries that have Perfect Forward Secrecy through Diffie-Hellman key exchange DHE. Essentially key negotiation is performed every 60 minutes to avoid data breach if the key is compromised. AirVPN offers OpenVPN dynamic port forwarding on 80 TCP/UDP, 443 TCP/UDP and 53 TCP/UDP. Additionally, AirVPN offers OpenVPN over SSH and OpenVPN over SSL that mask OpenVPN and make the use of encryption tools invisible to some of the most advanced firewalls. To read a full AirVPN review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 5.83 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 10 USD
StrongVPN is a no logs VPN provider offering OpenVPN, IPsec, PPTP and L2TP protocols along with OpenVPN obfuscation tools in order to bypass restrictions in countries like China, Iran, Syria. With almost 500 servers in 21 countries StrongVPN offers an impeccable speed for streaming Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Pandora, Amazon Video and many other services as well as torrenting. To read a full StrongVPN review click HERE.