Which VPNs work in China?
1 of 10 VPNs we track are currently verified working in China.
Verified working in China right now
- Astrill (medium confidence, StealthVPN (TCP mode) required; install and sign up before arrival (website blocked in-country); occasional server switching expected)
Full status table for China
| VPN | Status | Confidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astrill | working | medium | StealthVPN (TCP mode) required; install and sign up before arrival (website blocked in-country); occasional server switching expected |
| NordVPN | degraded | medium | Native apps fully blocked per vendor; manual IKEv2/IPsec or obfuscated servers work intermittently since the April 2026 GFW upgrade |
| Proton VPN | degraded | medium | Stealth protocol + Alternative Routing required, installed before arrival; roughly 3 in 10 connection attempts succeed per July 2026 testing; use nearby servers (JP/HK/SG) |
| Private Internet Access | blocked | medium | Vendor lists China as a region where its VPN traffic is blocked; website DNS-poisoned on major ISPs; no China obfuscation mode |
| CyberGhost | blocked | medium | No obfuscation mode exists, so no workaround path; website DNS-blocked on China Telecom and Unicom; no positive user report since mid-2024 |
| Surfshark | degraded | low | NoBorders + Camouflage (OpenVPN) work intermittently; install before arrival (site blocked in-country); expect server/protocol fiddling |
| Windscribe | degraded | low | Only Stealth or WStunnel in manual mode have a chance per vendor; site DNS-blocked in-country; background reports describe brief connections that drop |
| PureVPN | degraded | low | Install before arrival (site blocked on most ISPs, China Mobile clean); obfuscated servers + OpenVPN + kill switch recommended; results ISP-dependent |
| Mullvad | degraded | low | Plain WireGuard/OpenVPN unusable; Bridge mode (Shadowsocks) works for some, inconsistently; site blocked on Telecom/Unicom, reachable on China Mobile |
| ExpressVPN | unverified | low |
We are still sourcing an accurate, citable summary of VPN legality in China. It will appear here with a source link, not before.